Above photo came from a Veterans for Peace email.
MESSAGE FROM IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR
Official Statement On the Crisis in Iraq
Iraq
Veterans Against the War (IVAW) – an organization comprised of
individuals who served or continue to serve in the US Military following
September 11, 2001 – calls on Congress, the President, and his
administration to reject the use of violence and militarism in response
to the current outbreak of violence in Iraq.
Many
of our members deployed to Iraq during the recent US occupation. Those
of us who were there know first hand that US military solutions in Iraq
do not serve the interests of the Iraqi people. We advocate for the
self-determination of all people, in this case the people of Iraq. Any
solution to this crisis must come from them.
When
the United States invaded and occupied Iraq, the formerly secular
country was destabilized. The United States and the Department of
Defense intentionally created and agitated sectarian divisions that
would not have otherwise existed. The result of this is what we see
today, and Iraqi civilians are paying for it.
Iraqis
have been paying with their lives for this war since March 2003. After
10 years of US occupation they were left with little relief. Their
economic infrastructure was destroyed and new work to repair it has been
awarded to US corporations and contractors, instead of to Iraqis. Iraqi
labor unions face frequent retaliation, and an entire generation of
children has been born with severe birth defects in places like
Hawija. No one has been held to account. No effort has been made to
clean the waste left behind.
When
it comes to arming “freedom fighters” the US has a tendency to act as a
fair-weather friend; today’s freedom fighter becomes tomorrow’s
terrorist and justification to pursue an illegal invasion. Instead of
creating more chaos, we should be solving the problems that already
exist. Instead of installing another puppet president, the United States
should be cleaning up environmental contamination, investigating
allegations of torture, and allowing democracy to blossom in both
government and labor, without US intervention.
In Solidarity,
Joyce, Maggie, Matt, and Julia
IVAW Staff
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