PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Emergency Protest on the Day After the 2,000th U.S. Soldier is Killed in Iraq
by pog Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2005 at 2:10 AM
pog@mutualaid.org

2,000 TOO MANY: Emergency Protest on the Day After the 2,000th U.S. Soldier is Killed in Iraq

The day is coming when the 2,000th U.S. soldier will have died in Iraq. That is 2,000 too many.

We need to use the 2,000 milestone to remind people of the harsh consequences of enlisting in the U.S. military as well as the human cost of the war. So far, 1976 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq, and more than 15,000 have been wounded. 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 turning up in homeless shelters in cities through the country. The risk for Iraqis is even more severe: Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed in the war, and hundreds of thousands of lives have been devastated, even according to the most conservative estimates.

Meanwhile, the Iraq war has cost $200 billion and there is no end in sight. That is $200 billion too much. It's money that could be better spent on health care, education, housing and public transportation here at home.

Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) is asking that people join us for an emergency counter-recruitment rally and march starting at 7PM at Carnegie Museum Dinosaur in Oakland. Bring candles, flashlights, drums and whatever else you feel will help express your outrage over the tremendous loss of life in this pointless and costly war and the lies that sustain it. The event has been endorsed by the Thomas Merton Center Anti-War Committee.

ALSO NOTE: Before coming to the POG rally, consider attending a women's march through Oakland that Pittsburgh chapters of the American Friends Service Committee, the Women’s League For Peace and Freedom and Code Pink are organizing. Their silent candlelight march starts at 5:30 PM, at the Friends Meeting House, 4836 Ellsworth Ave. Wear black. (Men are also invited.)

Though one can't predict the exact date when the 2,000 mark will be passed, it does seem likely that it will be late-October or early-November. Please check http://www.organizepittsburgh.org regularly for updates or email pog@mutualaid.org.

WHAT: Emergency Anti-War protest/Counter-Recruitment Rally and March.

WHEN: 7pm on the day AFTER the 2,000 mark is reached.

WHERE: The Carnegie Museum "Dinosaur" (Forbes Ave., Oakland).

Similar vigils and protests are being organized around the world on the day after the 2,000th US soldier has been killed. For a complete list visit http://www.afsc.org/2000 .

www.organizepittsburgh.org