Iraq: Can it get any worse?

IRAQ: CAN IT GET ANY WORSE?

Month by month in Iraq, the scale of death and destruction reaches new levels
of horror, with the slaughter of thousands of Iraqi civilians and US and British
casualties now higher than at almost any time since the 2003 invasion.

George Bush's response is to escalate the war with his troop "surge", which Tony
Blair says "makes sense." Virtually everyone else thinks it is madness. In
Britain, the Liberal Democrats have become the first of the three major parties
to call for the complete withdrawal of British troops by the end of 2007. In
America, much of the establishment which supported Bush's war crimes in the past
can now see the game is up. Calls for the troops to come home are heard across
the political spectrum and Barack Obama, the latest media sensation in the US,
has put ending the Iraq war at the centre of his bid to become US president in
2008.

Even Russia's President Putin – no slouch himself when it comes to war crimes in
Chechnya – says that the biggest threat to world peace is a "wolf-like" American
foreign policy, that "eats and listens to no one".

Bush's only answer to this tidal wave of condemnation is more war in Iraq, the
intensification of the nuclear arms race and the threat of an attack on Iran
(see John Pilger: http://tinyurl.com/2zmfxf). A massive expansion of the US
military budget will mean that in 2007 the cost of the Iraq war alone will be
800 dollars for every American man, woman and child, paid for by draconian cuts
in welfare services for the poor and elderly.

Can it get any worse in Iraq? The answer is, yes, it can, if we let it. The
response to the escalation of the Bush-Blair wars must be to do all we can to
make our elected representatives act in accordance with the wishes of their
electorates. The US anti-war movement has responded magnificently to the
challenge. Its demonstrations across America on 27 January brought hundreds of
thousands onto the streets for the largest protest since the war began.
Campaigns are now running in localities across America to make the US Congress
stop Bush in his tracks by withholding the funding he needs to escalate the war.

In Britain on Saturday 24 February will have our opportunity to give voice to
the view of most people in this country that the war must end and all British
troops must be removed from Iraq. Everyone who has opposed Tony Blair's
warmongering and the spineless connivance of parliament which has allowed him to
get away with it, should do all they can to help make as big as possible the
TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ - NO TRIDENT demonstration in London on 24 February. Please
publicise the demonstration as widely as you can and encourage your friends,
family, work colleagues, fellow students etc to join us.

If you require leaflets, posters, stickers, postcards, badges etc to help
publicise the demonstration, please contact the Stop the War national office on
020 7278 6694 or by email at office@stopwar,org,uk.

NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION
Organised by Stop the War, CND and BMI
TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ – NO TRIDENT
SATURDAY 24 FEBRUARY
ASSEMBLE HYDE PARK 12 NOON
MARCH TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE
See for full details: http://tinyurl.com/y9c7z5
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2) COACHES FROM 100 TOWNS AND CITIES
All the signs are that the national demonstration on Saturday 24 February will
be very big, with coaches organised to bring protestors from over 100 towns and
cities in England and Wales (Scotland has its own TROOPS OUT demonstration on
the same day: see below). There are twelve coach locations in Wales alone, the
highest number since 2003.

FOR FULL DETAILS OF COACHES AROUND THE COUNTRY, GO TO: http://tinyurl.com/3ytfyv
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3) FINANCIAL APPEAL FROM TONY BENN
PRESIDENT OF STOP THE WAR COALITION:
The Stop the War Coalition is unable to sell honours or favours to help pay for
our work and campaigning. We depend entirely on your donations. With Parliament
seemingly incapable of even debating Iraq, with the vital Trident vote only
weeks away and with the looming threat of the war spreading to Iran, it is
important to get as many people as possible onto the streets on Saturday 24
February, at both the London and Glasgow national demonstrations. We are
producing hundreds of thousands of leaflets, posters, postcards, stickers etc.
Coaches are being booked and rallies held up and down the country. Press
conferences are being organised. We have to fund the staging and efficient
running of the demonstration. All of this and much more has to be funded.
However large or small a donation you can make will be much appreciated and is
very necessary.
Yours in peace, Tony Benn

THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO DONATE TO STOP THE WAR:
* Donate online by credit or debit card
* Donate by phone 020 7278 6694 to make a credit or debit card donation
* Donate by cheque made payable to 'Stop the War Coalition'. Send to Stop the
War Coalition, 27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP
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4) ALL-SCOTLAND DEMONSTRATION: 24 FEBRUARY
After the highly successful Scottish Stop the War Conference on 10 February,
attended by 500 delegates, Scotland's anti-war movement is anticipating a big
turnout for the its BIN THE BOMB demonstration in Glasgow on 24 February. FOR
DETAILS GO TO: http://tinyurl.com/ynko4w
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5) PEACE CAMP IN DOWNING STREET
The myth of Basra as a beacon of hope for the rest of Iraq has been shattered
beyond repair. Five British soldiers have been killed in the last four weeks.
Many more have suffered serious injury. Daily attacks against the British army,
whether they are in or out of barracks, have made life as dangerous for the
occupying military as it is in Baghdad.

Military Families Against the War will hold a peace camp outside 10 Downing
Street over the weekend of the 24 February demonstration, to demand that all
British troops are withdrawn and that Blair meet with the military families who
have suffered so tragically from his war policies. FULL DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE ON
THE MILITARY FAMILIES WEBSITE: http://www.mfaw.org.uk/
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6) BRIAN HAW MEETS TONY BLAIR
Congratulations to Brian Haw, who won the Channel 4 News Most Inspiring
Political Figure Award with 54 percent of the vote (Tony Blair got just 8
percent). Brian has been protesting against the Bush-Blair wars day-in day-out
for five years. He is still there, despite MPs passing a ludicrous law aimed
specifically at getting him removed (See http://tinyurl.com/g8qxl).

Winning this award is a testament to Brian's tenacity and demonstrates the depth
of anti-war feeling in Britain. Before the Channel 4 award was announced, Brian
had a chance encounter with Tony Blair and their historic meeting was captured
on video which you can watch here: http://tinyurl.com/3dglkv
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7) WAR – WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?
Here's another way to support Stop the War's financial appeal. A version of the
classic anti-war song WAR is about to be released by Tony Blair's "re-formed"
university band Ugly Rumours. The producers of the record say: "We need your
help to embarrass Tony Blair. If Blair is in the charts, the media will have to
report the success of "his" anti-war hit. To have a top 20 hit in the UK you
need only approximately 5000 sales. The track costs £1.50 and we will donate all
profits to Stop the War Coalition."

* FOR FULL DETAILS OF HOW TO BUY TONY BLAIR'S WAR, SEE:
http://www.uglyrumours.com
* OR ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN ORDER BY TEXTING THE WORD “PEACE1” TO 78789
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8) THE DEBATE PARLIAMENT REFUSES TO HAVE
The refusal of MPs to end Tony Blair war policies – apart from the usual
honourable exceptions, -- has been one of the British parliament's most
shameful features over the past five years. On March 20, the fourth anniversary
of the Iraq invasion, the anti-war movement will hold a People's Assembly at
Westminster Central Hall -- opposite the House of Commons -- at which MPs who
have consistently opposed Blair's warmongering and delegates from political
parties, trade unions, faith and community groups etc will be represented in THE
DEBATE PARLIAMENT REFUSES TO HAVE: Why Britain went to war and why the war must
end now.

This will be the fourth People's Assembly organised by Stop the War, which
reflects the "democratic deficit" we suffer in this country, due to the refusal
of MPs to reflect the majority opinion in this country which opposes the
disastrous war in Iraq. Full details of the Assembly will be available soon on
the Stop the War website.
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9) THE US MASSACRE THAT NEVER WAS
On 28 January, the world's media reported that the US military had killed over
200 members of an Iraqi militia from a group called "Soldiers of Heaven" and
injured many more. Since then, but largely unreported by the same media, it has
been revealed that what took place was not a military operation to prevent a
large-scale attack on Najaf, as the Bush administration and it's puppet Iraqi
government claimed, but a massacre by the US army that slaughtered hundreds of
Muslim pilgrims on their way to Najaf for a religious ceremony.

Once again we see the mainstream media's inexhaustible capacity for publishing
US government lies as unchallenged facts. And we can be sure that the Najaf
massacre was not a unique event but was typical of the carnage which has
characterised the Iraq war since its first days of "shock and awe". FOR A FULL
REPORT OF WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AT NAJAF, GO TO: http://tinyurl.com/2hqyk6
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10) MUSIC, ART AND WAR
Mark Wallinger's powerful art installation at Tate Britain, inspired by peace
campaigner Brian Haw's five year protest outside parliament (see above) has
received widespread acclaim. Details of this exhibition and other anti-war
artists now exhibiting in London's galleries can be found on Stop the War's ART
AND WAR webpage: http://tinyurl.com/34an7p

Musician Damon Albern has a new anti-war album – The Good, the Bad and the Queen
– which is already one of the fastest selling cds of the year. It will be
followed by a much anticipated anti-Bush album from the Canadian band Arcade
Fire, which even before its official release has many critics naming it
potential cd of the year.

There is a must-see video for Bruce Springsteen's live performance of "Bring 'Em
Home", calling for troops out of Iraq, which can be viewed here:
http://tinyurl.com/yqhfjq. The Stop the War MUSIC AND WAR webpage has more anti
war performances, which range from Eminem to James Blunt:
http://tinyurl.com/yrs7ub

http://www.stopwar.org.uk/index.htm