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Iraq Veterans March Against War at the RNC

by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist (jeff [at] paterson.net)
ST. PAUL, MN (September 1, 2008) - On the first day of the Republican National Convention, 60 members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) marched to the Xcel Energy Center convention site to deliver a briefing to the McCain campaign explaining why they are opposed to the war. Wearing their uniforms and standing in formation, the former service people were turned away by McCain's staff, and Wes Davey, Former Master Sergeant and march leader, was forced off the premises after attempting to deliver the letter in person.
1-march_1138.jpg
Full story by Sarah Lazare, Courage to Resist. September 10, 2008:
http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/view/617/1/
§IVAW formation
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
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§Debate
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
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§Cpl. James Gilligan, Winter Soldier
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
4-gilligan_1393.jpg
§Peace
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
5-peace_1219.jpg
§Marching downtown St. Paul
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
6-marching_1319.jpg
§Army Sgt. Jabbar Magruder
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
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§Formation on the State Capitol steps
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
8-capitol_1410.jpg
§Army Col. Ann Wright (ret.)
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
9-ann-wright_sm_1187.jpg
§Marine Sgt. color guard
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
10-blue_1244.jpg
§Marching downtown St. Paul
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
11-marching_1157.jpg
§IVAW member Hart Viges
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
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§Liam Madden, platoon leader
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
13-liam_1265.jpg
§Filing off to the RNC convention gate
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
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§Army Sgt. Selena Coppa
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
15-selena_1263.jpg
§Marching
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
16-marching_1125.jpg
§IVAW members
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
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§IVAW members join mass march later in the day
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
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§Mateo Rebecchi (left) of IVAW sends distress message
by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist
19-distress_1596.jpg
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by Bring all the troops home
I do admire IVAW . It does take courage to admit they were very wrong about the war in Iraq. Especially since they were all, of course, enlistees .
But i do have questions about the politics of the organization . The war and occupation of Afghanistan is based on as much of a big lie . Yet Obama wants to expand and ''win '' that conflict , the '' Good War'' .
To me and any other consious person i know that's obvious . Yet IVAW doesn't take a position on that war . Why ?
It also concerns me that a leader of IVAW spoke at Ron Paul's '' Rally for the Republic '' and proclaimed himself a proud member of Paul 's Libertarian '' Assembly for Freedom '',
Yes Ron Paul does oppose the war but he also oppose unions, immigration, Abortion Rights , Child labor laws and even the 1964 Civil Rights act !
These legitimate concerns do not take away from my respect for their actions like the ST Paul march and the Winter Soldier hearing . But some answers would be welcome .
I was in Illinois visiting friends so we took a road trip to the Anti-Rnc rallies in Minnesota .
My friends are great people but very are full of typical contradictions of many ''progressives ''.
They think Capitalism is terrible but ''the Soviet Union proved that pure Socialism won't work . But maybe Sweden-- ''
The Democratic party is rotten but ''third parties can never win in America '' (My favorite is that '' Yes the Republicans stole the 2000 election but it's also Nader's fault "' ! )
But we had a shouting match over Afghanistan . They who believe that '' Bush lies as naturally as breathing '' apparently believe him on Kabul . '' It's a just war '' '' "" The Taliban were directly involved in 9-11 '' ??
'' What about women's rights ? Women are free now '' (!!!!)
I countered with the fact that there'no evidence that the tribalist Taliban leaders had any advance knowledge of 9-11 , that the dubious Al Queda had far more supporters in Pakistan and if the Taliban was militarily smashed in 2002 why is the resistance stronger than ever ? Could it be that people hate occupiers , especially ones that wipe out a wedding party here , a primary school there and so on ?
We need to educate people about the so called '' Good war '' and demand BRING ALL THE TROOPS HOME NOW !
by tom
IVAW has found a profound truth in that the makers of war are not interested in the cannon fodder, that they find them more trouble than its worth. The aggressive wars in the middle east are for oil, and the monopolization of the worlds' oil and gas markets with which they hope to thereby control all the other markets, as a super power number one. It would not be useful to tell the soldiers that truth as they as American people, don't want to fight and die for monopoly oil. So they concocted lies that American was under attack from the middle east and they had weapons of mass destruction which could hit America within minutes, etc. All of it lies and deciet which is a Pentagon tool of war. Now we find that both the Taliban and El gueda were financed to power by the C.I.A. and that 9/11 was an inside job, done to create a new Perele Harbour to push the American people into war. In fact the official version has been proved to be a lie also.

IVAW ought indeed to be outrageous and should continue to oppose this aggressive war because it goes against and betrays all the anti-fascist covenants. These covenants are not ancient history, and our families throughout the western world did fight to defeat fascist methods of Might makes Right, Unilateralism, and Pre-emptive strikes which were core to the nazis-fascist axis powers. In fact the Nuremburg Trials chaired by U.S. judge Jackson says that planning and doing aggressive war is the supreme international crime, as it actuates all othe crimes high and low, big and small. It also says that no soldier needs obey unjust orders. The U.S. constitution says that international treaties signed on to by the U.S.A. are the supreme laws of the land. Do continue to organize to stop these illegal, unjust wars of aggression to which Britain, Canada and the U.S. are signatorys to. Do continue to press for justice to the soldiers councils as you have found the just cause and are on the path to liberation in America which the whole world prays you will win. Unity is strength, bring the troops home and send the union workers to re-contruct the terribly destucted areas done by greedy U.S. Imperialist aggression. Go to re-tool to electricity and re-newable green ecological energy that ends oil pollution. After all the world really does have its holyland there, and the world really has not signalled agreement to the present destruction throughout the area.
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