Troops Home Fast: Hundreds Begin Nationwide Hunger Strike to Protest War

On Monday, a former soldier was arrested on charges of raping an Iraqi woman and killing her and three family members. Prosecutors charge that four months ago Steven Green walked into a house in the town of Mahmudiyah, killed three family members, and that he and another soldier raped a woman named Abeer Qasim Hamza. The age of the rape victim is unclear though the mayor of Mahmudiyah said she was 15 years old. These latest charges come on the heels of a number of investigations into U.S.-led civilian atrocities in Iraq.

Meanwhile thousands of protestors gathered across the nation yesterday to protest the on-going war in Iraq. One of the largest demonstrations took place in Washington D.C and was organized by the anti-war group Code Pink. Code Pink also launched a nationwide fast to demand an end to the war. The fasters will stay in front of the White House every day until August 14th, when they move the hunger strike next to President Bush's vacation ranch in Crawford, Texas.

* Raed Jarrar, an Iraqi blogger and architect. His blog is titled "Raed in the Middle". He is also the Iraq Project director for Global Exchange. He is participating in the fast to end the war.
* Geoffrey Millard, an Iraq War veteran who served for 13 months. He was arrested on Tuesday during the antiwar protest in Washington D.C. He is participating in the fast to end the war.

LISTEN ONLINE:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/05/1329243