When Bush Annouces “More”- We Say No

PROTEST If Bush Announces More Troops

Every day the media reports developments of the possibility of a major deployment of tens of thousands of U.S. troops into Iraq.  Plan for protests to assemble at military recruiting centers the day after a troop increase is announced.  Prepare signs and banners now that read “No Troops, Not More Troops – Drive Out the Bush Regime” as part of the efforts to make maximum impact on the press and public.

As many of us, and billions of people around the world, have been following the heart wrenching and disastrous news unfolding out of the war in Iraq, it is becoming more and more clear that the U.S. government is seriously planning on sending a massive surge of troops into Iraq any day
now.

This past Sunday the New York Times reported, “White House officials said that the options being considered included the deployment of upwards of 50,000 additional troops, but that the political, training and recruiting obstacles to an increase larger than 20,000 to 30,000 troops would be
prohibitive….At present, only about 17,000 American soldiers are actively involved in the effort to secure Baghdad.”

Then this past Wendsday the Times published an article titled, “President Wants to Increase Size of Armed Forces ” that reported: “President Bush said that the United States should expand the size of its armed forces, acknowledging that the military had been strained by the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan and would need to grow to cope with what he suggested would be a long battle against Islamic extremism…..Mr. Bush said his plan would focus on ground forces rather than on the Navy and the Air Force, telling The Post, “I’m inclined to believe that we do need to increase our troops – the Army, the Marines.”

Coming the day after Mr. Gates was sworn in as defense secretary, Mr. Bush’s comments indicated that the administration was breaking abruptly with the stance taken by Donald H. Rumsfeld, the former Pentagon chief, who championed the view that better intelligence and technological advancements could substitute for a bigger military.”

In short: World Can’t Wait – Drive Out the Bush Regime must be prepared to mobilize people into the streets on the day that President Bush officially announces a dramatic increase of U.S. troops in Iraq and begin to prepare to hold demonstrations at local U.S. military recruitment offices and stations.

When Bush announces “more”, we say NO!

The life for almost every Iraqi citizen is a living hell under the current U.S. occupation and will only get worse as long as the U.S. military remains in Iraq. ” Today is better than tomorrow” is becoming a popular saying among citizens in Baghdad who make it through the day and in a
recent article by journalist Dahr Jamail included a letter he received from an resident in Baghdad who wrote:

Life here in Iraq has become impossible because of the militias, sectarian violence, and the occupation [U.S.] forces. Every day we see the dead bodies near our homes which have been killed by militias. We watch how the U.S. troops see these dead bodies and” do nothing to stop this violence.

Every day the U.S. troops raid so many houses in my area and arrest so many innocent people.

I hope I can show you how the dogs have started eating the dead bodies which lie in the streets of Baghdad now.

Oh Dahr, I don’t know what to say about my wounded country. Every Iraqi wants to bomb himself because of this shit life. Now Iraq is nothing like it was when you were here last, as bad as it was then. It has become very difficult to find someone who smiles. Everyone is sad and crying. This is true and this is our life now.

Now imagine 30,000 MORE U.S. TROOPS in Iraq!!!

Despite the fact that the Bush administration is staring down at potentially the worst military debacle in U.S. history, they have shown no signs of slowing down in their drive to vilolently remake the Middle East.  The stakes are high – complicity or action are the options.

*Assemble at your local military recruitment center the day after Bush announces a major increase of troops in Iraq.

*Contact other social justice groups, community organizations and college groups/departments about preparing to ACT if and when President Bush announces a major troop increase in Iraq.