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IN THE AFTERMATH OF 9/11, Bush and Cheney said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. This was a lie. The real reasons are complex and have a history going back decades. But when we look at the history of the war, the facts about oil production by the U.S. and Europe, how the oil-rich region of the Persian gulf is as a whole being targeted – it is fairly simple to see that the U.S. interests in this region of the world are not for self-defense but for oil. In other words, 9/11 had very little to do with the reality of why this war started and goes on and on and on.
ISN’T LIFE BETTER NOW IN IRAQ?
Though Saddam Hussein was an oppressive dictator, the standard of living was much higher, the society was functioning, women held professional jobs, people had homes, electricity and water. That is no longer the case. Before the U.S. invasion, Iraq was much more secular.
Now 4.5 million people are displaced internally in Iraq and externally in other countries, wanting to return home, but have nothing left to return to. The country went from functional to devastated. The U.S. government has committed serious crimes against humanity such as bombing of civilians and torture. Johns Hopkins University physicians found that more than one million Iraqis have been killed.
HASN’T THE U.S. BROUGHT DEMOCRACY?
The U.S. is creating an Iraqi government beholden to the occupying U.S. forces. And all this has spiked recruitment to Al Qaeda, leading to a situation where people are caught between the violence of the U.S. military and the fundamentalists.
BUT AREN’T WE LEAVING IRAQ ANYWAY? WHAT HAS OBAMA’S ROLE BEEN?
No, we’re not leaving Iraq. Obama has closed down bases but is continuing to build the largest embassy in the world there in Iraq. Also, even though troops are being taken out of Iraq, military contractors 50,000 U.S. troops remain, renamed “advise and assist troops.” They’re still killing and dying in Iraq – while the U.S. media has left. And the Iraqi government routinely tortures prisoners with the full complicity of U.S. forces. No, the Iraq war is not over. And, since Obama’s election, the war in Afghanistan has intensified and is spreading to Pakistan and other countries.
WHY AREN’T THE PEOPLE WHO STARTED THE IRAQ WAR HELD ACCOUNTABLE? Unfortunately the people responsible for this war are extremely powerful individuals who have severely distorted the laws for their benefit. World Can’t Wait has been fighting to bring these people to justice.
Visit our websites WorldCantWait.net and WarCriminalsWatch.org to learn more.
THAT’S NOT WHAT WE HEAR FROM THE RECRUITERS AT SCHOOL AND AT THE MAIL – OR ON TV. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT ALL OF THIS INSANITY?
That’s why we’d like to visit your school with our We Are Not Your Soldiers Tour. We travel around the country and bring Iraq-era war veterans and videos to the classroom to speak out about the truth of their experiences, about what youth are being recruited to fight and support. These anti-war veterans tell the on-the-ground realities of what the military is doing. Our generation needs to wake up and realize what our country is doing and will continue to do unless we protest. Once you know the facts, the truth will follow. No one is going to be able to change this unless we make our voices heard. It’s up to all of us to realize our responsibility to one another and ourselves. It’s time for enlightenment. It’s time for our generation to mobilize change.
WorldCantWait.net
CONTACT THE We Are Not Your Soldiers Tour: wearenotyoursoldiers@worldcantwait.net 347.385.2195
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