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Iraq and Katrina – Connecting the Dots
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Polly Mann, W A M M
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Nobody spoke about the connection between Katrina and the war in Iraq at the recent “Bring Them Home” rally held at the State Capital. Parents and relatives of soldiers slain in Iraq and veterans, who had come to the Twin Cities from Crawford, Texas representing the vigil begun by Cindy Sheehan, decried the futility of the war. This was followed by the comments of local peace activists and a couple of state legislators, Sen. Becky Lourey and Rep. Keith Ellison. But there was no mention about the reduction in federal funds allocated the state of Louisiana to meet such emergencies as the recent hurricane and the fact that these funds had been drastically reduced because the money was needed elsewhere. Where? The answer is obvious. The Pentagon used it to prosecute the illegal war entered into upon a pack of lies.
But not to worry. The connection is being made by the public. Several of us from Kenwood Isles, where I live, stood at the corner of Lagoon and Hennepin on Friday, September 2nd from 5 to 6 PM, with signs stating “U.S. Troops Out NOW.” We heard shouts from passersby and also from the open windows of several cars: “Send them to Louisiana!” and “They belong at home!” I had an earnest conversation with a beautiful young girl in a satin lace-trimmed slip and high-top black boots about the misguided priorities of the U.S. government. I heard similar conversations in the elevator. It’s an issue we can’t let the reporters relegate to page eight of the newspapers.
It’s not only misguided priorities in the allocation of federal funds, its misguided thinking throughout the entire government. The question of global warming is part of the equation. Scientists believe hurricanes become more intense as they encounter warmer air. These scientists say that as global warming increases hurricanes will become more violent. Guess who votes against placing restrictions on manufacturing plants, cars, etc. that add to global warming? Who voted against signing the Kyoto environmental treaty? You got that right - the government of the United States. We are those we are being warned about.
The basic difficulty, of course, is a U.S. Congress filled with members who, becoming rich after a few years, join those who profit from pollution and war and vote against the best interests of folks at home and even the world, ultimately. Where are the Congress people who will vote for the best interests of the majority of people in this country and in the world – the “not rich”? Never were they more needed. |
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Word Up
What the people want is very simple—they want an America as good as its promise.
—Barbara Jordan
The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.
—Alice Walker
Cost of War
The Mounting Costs of War and the Case for Bringing Home the Troops, A Study by the Institute for Policy Studies and Foreign Policy In Focus - click here
The Trillion-Dollar War, a recent study done by Linda Bilmes of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, reveals that the war in Afghanistan and Iraq has already cost more than $250 billion with the biggest costs being disability and health payments for returning troops.
Even assuming that the 525,000 U.S. troops who have so far served in Iraq and Afghanistan will require treatment on the same scale as their predecessors from the Gulf War, payments will likely be at $7 billion for the next 45 years. If the U.S. military presence in the region lasts another five years, the total outlay for the war could stretch to more than $1.3 trillion or $11,300 for every household in the U.S. (www.nytimes.com/2005/20/opinion/20bilmes)
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© 2005 Women Against Military Madness. All rights reserved.
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Complete October 2005 Index - click here
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