NO WAR WESTCHESTER
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JULY 4, 2006 MARCH IN
CHAPPAQUA, NY photo: Steven Warshaw Read 7/5 Journal News article: July 4 Anti-War March in Chappaqua CHAPPAQUA, NY — Some 130 protesters chanted, sang and carried signs calling for an end to the war in Iraq yesterday as they marched through the streets of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's home community. "We wanted to do something patriotic on Independence Day, and there's nothing more patriotic than exercising our First Amendment rights to protest government policies with which we disapprove," said Dr. Arthur Grant, 45, who was out with his wife, Dr. Roxan Saidi, a native of Iran, and their 4-year-old son, Cameron.... read more here
WESTCHESTER PEACE GROUPS STAGE JULY 4 MARCH IN
CHAPPAQUA, NY Local peace organizations organized an unusual type of parade on this holiday weekend – a funeral procession with placards listing the names and pictures of all 2,538 US military war dead, and the names of thousands of Iraqi civilians killed in the war. The peace march took place on Tuesday, July 4 in Chappaqua, NY, the hometown of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Over 130 marchers gathered at the Chappaqua Metro-North station, and marched throughout downtown Chappaqua and winding village streets, carrying coffins and and pictures of mourning Iraqi mothers and widows. The March was sponsored by Code Pink - Westchester, No War Westchester and WESPAC Foundation, three local organizations that have participated in past local, regional and national mobilizations against the Iraq War. The March was organized as part of a high-profile national Code Pink campaign to end the war. On July 4, the national Code Pink Women for Peace organization launched an historic hunger strike called TROOPS HOME FAST in Washington, D.C. in front of the White House. Prominent fasters include Cindy Sheehan of Gold Star Families for Peace; Medea Benjamin, founder of Code Pink; Dick Gregory, civil rights activist; Daniel Ellsberg, former Pentagon official; Ann Wright, colonel and former US diplomat, and Michael Berg, father of Nicholas Berg, who was killed in Iraq. See Reuters report here “While many Americans are expressing their patriotism via barbeques and fireworks, we are fasting in memory of the many dead and wounded in the Iraq war,” said Susan Friedman of Code Pink Westchester. “Over 2,500 US troops have already lost their lives in this illegal and immoral war. Over 18,000 have been seriously wounded in action, and over 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed. We need US troops to come home fast.” “We are organizing this march in Chappaqua because we want Sen. Clinton to stop all U.S. funding for military operations in Iraq,” Friedman said. “The majority of New Yorkers do not support this war -- they want US troops to come home now. It is unconscionable for Sen. Clinton to continue to support the war in the face of so much bloodshed and violence. While we owe Iraq humanitarian and economic assistance for reconstruction, we do not owe them a military occupation.” “We do honor the best traditions of our country -- and the memory of Americans and Iraqis who have died -- when we exercise our rights to speak out against the war,” Friedman said. “On this July 4, we hope people will give serious thought to what they can personally do to stop the war -- and do it. We must also recognize and address the great damage the war has already caused to both Iraqis and Americans.” “The U.S. project in Iraq was ill-conceived, misguided and based on false information from its very inception,” said Nada Khader, executive director of the WESPAC Foundation. “Over three years later, the US military presence has become a catalyst for destabilizing Iraq and enraging much of its population. The US military occupation is unworkable and utterly counterproductive. This deadly war is nothing to celebrate -- it must be stopped now.” “The first thing to do when you are in a hole is to stop digging, but Sen. Clinton keeps voting to buy more shovels,” said Chuck Bell of No War Westchester. “The war has already cost over $315 billion, but no amount of money, troops or wishful thinking is going to salvage this bipartisan misadventure. While Sen. Clinton continues to vote for additional appropriations for the war, Iraqi civilians and American troops are dying at an appalling rate. We should start saving lives now by imposing a cease fire, disengaging from the conflict, and supporting peaceful alternatives to war.” “The financial cost for New York state for the war is $26.5 billion, and Westchester County taxpayers alone have sent at least $1.9 billion to the Pentagon to pay for the war,” Bell said. “It is not in the economic or national security interest of New Yorkers to continue to fund a war that hurts and kills Iraqi civilians, damages our international reputation, and diverts badly needed funds away from our national economy. These funds should be used instead for jobs, housing, education, health care, veterans’ benefits and hurricane relief for the Gulf Coast. A substantial portion of the Iraq war spending should be reallocated to reparations for injured Iraqis and their families, and for the peaceful economic reconstruction of Iraq.” After the conclusion of the march, activists staffed informational literature tables in front of the Starbucks on 2 South Greeley Avenue from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM. Contact: WESPAC Foundation ● (914) 682-4690 ● www.WESPAC.org No War Westchester ● www.NoWarWestchester.org Code Pink ● www.CodePinkAlert.org
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