Two years after the invasion of Iraq, the country continues to bleed and suffer.  The death toll on all sides is mounting, and the cost of the war is soaring.  The U.S. military, rather than solving Iraq's problems, is, in fact, the source of much of Iraq's instability.  It's time to say NO to war, torture, and occupation, and YES to international law, human rights, and respect for the planet and its inhabitants.

The Impact of Occupation

Two years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the country continues to bleed and suffer.  The death toll on all sides is mounting, and the cost of the war is soaring.  The U.S. military, rather than solving Iraq's problems, is, in fact, the source of much of Iraq's instability.  It's time to say NO to war, torture, and occupation, and YES to international law, human rights, and respect for the planet and its inhabitants.

Occupation Puts U.S. Soldiers At Risk -- With more than 1,500 U.S. troops killed and over 25,000 wounded, it's clear that even though the big battles are over, the fighting in Iraq has not stopped.  On average, there are more than 425 attacks by Iraqi resistance fighters each week.  U.S. soldiers are at grave risk in Iraq, and continue to suffer even after they come home.  Troops returning to the U.S. are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and are even turning up in homeless shelters in cities through the country.  The best way to support the troops is to demand that they come home now - especially since no weapons of mass destruction or links between Iraq and the September 11 attacks were ever found.

Iraq is in Chaos, and the Occupation is Making Things Worse -- The occupation isn't providing security for Iraqis; there is no security in Iraq.  According to a study published in the respected medical journal The Lancet, some 100,000 Iraqis have lost their lives in the war and occupation, and most of those deaths are due to the U.S. military campaign.  Iraqis are afraid to leave their homes, because they could be killed by U.S. soldiers or suicide bombers.  Fear of violence, abduction and rape has emptied the streets of women.  Meanwhile, the water isn't safe to drink, the electricity still isn't working, and the hospitals are in shambles.  The occupation isn't solving these problems; it's making them worse.

Occupying Iraq Makes Us Less Safe -- The ongoing U.S. military presence in Iraq -- and plans to build 14 permanent military bases there -- is inflaming anti-American sentiment throughout the Middle East and around the world.  In just one year, the estimated number of Iraqi insurgent fighters jumped from 5,000 to 40,000. In addition, according to the US National Intelligence Council, the war in Iraq has created "a training and recruitment ground (for terrorists), and an opportunity for terrorists to enhance their technical skills."

The Iraqis Don't Want Us There -- It should be no surprise that Iraqis are happy with the downfall of Saddam Hussein.  But that does not mean they are happy to have 150,000 U.S. troops occupying their country.  An overwhelming majority of Iraqis (82% if Sunnis and 69% of Shiites) want the U.S. military to leave after an elected Iraqi government is in place.  If we really believe in democracy, then we should listen to the demands of the Iraqi people and leave their country.  There can be no liberation in the midst of a military occupation, and the Iraqi election didn't change that reality.

Occupation Takes Resources Away From Priorities At Home -- The invasion and occupation of Iraq has already cost more than $153 billion, and the Bush administration has asked for another $82 billion for 2005.  At the same time, community programs are being cut in every state in the country -- from public libraries to schools to hospitals to train service -- and the deficit is reaching record levels.  The heavy reliance on the National Guard in Iraq has drained our communities of first responders, police and fire public servants.  Our social and homeland security needs should not become part of the war's "collateral damage."

The Only Winners So Far Are Halliburton and Other War Profiteering Companies -- While Iraq's infrastructure has yet to be rebuilt, companies like Halliburton and Bechtel have raked in billions of dollars in Iraq contracts.  Although these companies have done shoddy work, and, in the case of Halliburton, are under investigation for overcharging for services that were never provided, their close ties to the Bush administration keep them safe from being held accountable.  Oil companies like Chevron-Texaco will soom be benefiting from the privatization of the Iraqi oil fields.  Iraqis should control their own resources, and we should pay them to reconstruct their own country now that we've destroyed it.

What You Can Do to Oppose the U.S. Military Occupation of Iraq:

Tell your elected representatives to Bring Our Troops Home Now.  Contact your Senators and Representatives and tell them you oppose the U.S. military occupation of Iraq.  Say you think occupation betrays American values, violates the will of the American people, fuels anti-Americanism, and makes us less safe at home.  If they don't agree, organize your friends, neighbors, and co-workers to call them again, email them, ask for a meeting, or protest outside their offices.  But begin with the first call; The Capitol Switchboard is 202-224-3121.

Urge your governor to bring the National Guard troops home.  Four out of ten U.S. troops in Iraq are National Guardsmen and women.  The Guard's heavy deployment to Iraq is draining our communities of first-responders, and leaving us without enough local help for national security threats, natural disasters and community safety.  Nearly half of every police department is missing officers due to Iraq deployment.  Tell your Governor to recall state Guard troops from Iraq and not send more troops, because they're needed here at home.

Demand books, not bombs.  Instead of spending billions on a humongous military, we should invest in our schools and health care system.  Hold a rally at your library, school or hospital to show how this was is bleeding money from our local communities.  Enlist teachers, librarians and nurses to speak.  Use the rally as a way to talk about how much could be done in your community with the money it costs to build a single cruise missile.

Educate, educate, educate.  We need to counter the Bush administration's "spin" about the war, and media bias that isn't showing Americans what the reality of war looks like.  Discuss these issues with people who don't already agree with you; promote independent news sources; hand out educational flyers; organize teach-ins; and write letters to the editor.

Counter the military recruiters; recruit for peace.  Miliraty recruiters are in almost every school in the United  States encouraging young people to join the armed services.  They promise money for education and exciting jobs, a message that appeals to young people with limited opportunities.  We have a right to be in the schools too.  Ask to be able to make a presentation about alternatives to war on the same day that military recruiters are going to make their presentation.  Hand out flyers at schools telling students what's left out of the recruiters' talks.  Tell parents that they can instruct the school not to give their child's home contact information to military recruiters.

Connect with the Peace Movement.  There are hundreds of groups working for peace and opposing the ongoing U.S. military presence in Iraq at Unitedforpeace.org

Article from Code Pink: Women for Peace www.codepinkalert.org