Cancer–The Deadly Legacy of the Invasion of Iraq: PROTEST to Stop these War Crimes!

[happy_liberal]

Forget about oil, occupation, terrorism or even Al Qaeda. The real hazard for Iraqis these days is cancer. Cancer is spreading like wildfire in Iraq. Thousands of infants are being born with deformities. Doctors say they are struggling to cope with the rise of cancer and birth defects, especially in cities subjected to heavy American and British bombardment.

Here are a few examples. In Falluja, which was heavily bombarded by the US in 2004, as many as 25% of new- born infants have serious abnormalities, including congenital anomalies, brain tumors, and neural tube defects in the spinal cord.

The cancer rate in the province of Babil, south of Baghdad has risen from 500 diagnosed cases in 2004 to 9,082 in 2009 according to Al Jazeera English....

Iraqi doctors say cancer cases increased after both the 1991 war and the 2003 invasion.
Abdulhaq Al-Ani, author of "Uranium in Iraq" told Al Jazeera English that the incubation period for depleted uranium is five to six years, which is consistent with the spike in cancer rates in 1996-1997 and 2008-2009.

There are also similar patterns of birth defects among Iraqi and Afghan infants who were also born in areas that were subjected to depleted uranium bombardment....

Many US soldiers are now referring to Gulf War Syndrome #2 and alleging they have developed cancer because of exposure to depleted uranium in Iraq.

But soldiers can end their exposure to depleted uranium when their service in Iraq ends. Iraqi civilians have nowhere else to go. The water, soil and air in large areas of Iraq, including Baghdad, are contaminated with depleted uranium that has a radioactive half-life of 4.5 billion years.
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=80e260b3839daf2084fdeb0965ad31ab


If the Government is serious about ending terroism, we need to stop using Depleted Uranium now, end these wars and send doctors,nurses and supplies over to help alleviate some of the problems we have created. Iraqi contractors can then be paid to help clean up the Depleted Uranium.

Where is MoveOn? Where is True Majority? Where is Code Pink?(who now supports the war in Afghanistan because it 'helps' women) How can they sleep at night knowing they took million of donations from progressives and now are doing nothing to help end these atrocities?

How can a group be forming to protest teabaggers? As if that is all progressives have to do?

The only one I know still organizing useful protests is Cindy Sheehan. Apparently as many Duers have been bashing her all to hell, she is the only one that actually believed in what she was doing. The rest were just collecting donations. If anyone is still interested in ending these wars, there is a protest of the CIA using drones in January"

CIA Drone Protest in Langley, Virginia, scheduled for Jan. 16, 2010

and another beginning in March- stay as long as it takes to make the politicians listen to us!

Camp-In Protest Begins in DC March 13

[Bjorn Against]

1. Code Pink does not support the war in Afghanistan

Here is a link to their site that expresses clear opposition to the Afghanistan War: http://www.codepink4peace.org/article.php?list=type&type=400

I appreciate you posting about the protests that you are endorsing because they are very important, but please don't post baseless attacks against other activists who are also doing important work.

[happy_liberal]

2. 'Code Pink' rethinks its call for Afghanistan pullout

Rethinking their position

Code Pink, founded in 2002 to oppose the US invasion of Iraq, is one of the more high-profile women's antiwar groups being forced to rethink its position as Afghan women explain theirs: Without international troops, they say, armed groups could return with a vengeance – and that would leave women most vulnerable.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2009/1006/p06s10-wosc.html

[Bjorn Against]

4. Nowhere in that article does it say they "support the war in Afghanistan"

In fact it says "the group hasn't dropped its call for a pullout", they are still demanding an exit strategy the only thing they were rethinking was the exact timetable for the withdrawal.

[happy_liberal]

5. okay I mispoke

They support the troops staying which to me is the same damn thing.

[Bjorn Against]

6. No they don't support the troops staying

Read the article again it clearly says "the group hasn't dropped its call for a pullout".

[happy_liberal]

8. they are now flexible on the timeline for the troops leaving

call it what you will, they changed their stance. I don't believe that any woman feels safer with our troops there.

[Bjorn Against]

12. Being "flexible" does not mean they want to stay in Afghanistan.

They are calling for an exit strategy out of Afghanistan, that is not a change in their stance. The only change they suggested is that they may be willing to accept some flexibility in the timeline for withdrawal, but they want a clear exit strategy established and they still want the troops out of there quickly. To take a single article that suggests a willingness to compromise is hardly an indication of a sudden shift in Code Pink's mission, they still oppose the war in Afghanistan and I can guarantee you they are going to continue to be out in the streets and getting arrested until this war comes to an end.

[ShortnFiery]

9. Since when have the corporatists here done anything but TRASH Code Pink?"

Oh that's right, when they concur with this Administration's shameless WARMONGERING. :puke:

[madokie]

3. I suspect Depleted Uranium projectiles is to blame for a lot of it.

its sickening what we've done to those innocent people. No threat to us whatsoever. Their only mistake was sitting over dick cheney's oil.

[happy_liberal]

7. I can't even look at the pictures of the babies anymore

I googled the images for a nurse friend who wouldn't believe me....just beyond horrible.

[madokie]

13. I'm in the same boat

There is no excuse for any of this. The perpetrators should be in jail right now.

[ShortnFiery]

10. Thanks for posting this. Question: do we have permits?

I will do my best regardless to attend both protests. :thumbsup: :patriot:

[happy_liberal]

11. Thank you!

:applause:

(not sure about the permits)