26. Scott Ritter--photographed in 2001--a former leader of UN weapons inspections in Iraq.

In early 2002, George W. Bush identified an "axis of evil" as the chief target in his administration's so-called "War on Terrorism." This "axis," Bush said, was comprised of the nations of North Korea, Iran and Iraq.

Almost immediately, the Bush regime zeroed in on Iraq with an abundance of war rhetoric that was unquestioningly echoed by the U.S. corporate media--despite the CIA's confirmation that there was no evidence that Iraq had engaged in terrorist operations against the U.S. in nearly a decade. Furthermore, the agency was convinced that the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, "has not provided chemical or biological weapons to Al-Qaida or related terrorist groups" (New York Times, 02.02.02).

During a speech in Boston on July 23, 2002, Scott Ritter--a staunch marine and Republican--noted that: "The third Marine Expeditionary Force in California is preparing to have 20,000 Marines deployed in the [Iraq] region for ground combat operations by mid-October. The rationale for this U.S. invasion? Iraq's supposed capability of producing 'weapons of mass destruction'."

Scott, however, noted that during the seven years the UN was allowed to carry out inspections, Iraq had been certified as being disarmed to a 90-95% level. He also cited the "tracking" that has occurred since then which would have detected any procuring or manufacturing attempts. He therefore concluded that the U.S.'s reason for attacking Iraq is unfounded and unjust.

"The clock is ticking" he said, "and it's ticking towards war. And it's going to be a real war. It's going to be a war that will result in the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians. It's a war that is going to devastate Iraq. It's a war that's going to destroy the credibility of the USA. I just came back from London, and I can tell you this--[British Prime Minister] Tony Blair may talk a good show about war, but the British people and the bulk of the British government do not support this war. The Europeans do not support this war. NATO does not support this war. No one supports this war. And the only way this war is going to be stopped is if Congress stops this war."

In early September, 2002, Scott Ritter told the Baghdad parliament that Iraq is not a threat to the outside world and that military action against the country by the U.S. and Britain as part of the Bush regime's so-called "War on Terror," would not be justifiable.

The only way to avoid a war, Scott maintained, is for Iraq to allow weapons inspectors back into the country to prove to the outside world that the country does not have and is not developing weapons of mass destruction. "Nothing else will be acceptable," he told Iraqi deputies. "Iraq cannot attempt to link the return of the weapons inspectors with any other issues, regardless of justification. Unconditional return, unfettered access, this is the only acceptable action."

Scott is adamant that Iraq is not a sponsor of the kind of terror perpetrated against the US on September 11, 2001, and indeed that Baghdad was "active in suppressing the sort of fundamentalist extremism that characterizes those who attacked the US on that horrible day."

27. Kathy Kelly of the humanitarian group Voices in the Wilderness - Minneapolis, August 10, 2002.

"As U.S. war planners design a massive military assault against Iraq," Kathy noted, "we seldom hear concern about the costs for ordinary Iraqis. After twelve years of sanctions, siege and periodic bombardment, I'm not surprised that so many people, in my recent vists [to Iraq], murmured in anguish, 'I cannot continue. I cannot go on.' Having borne the wounds of war with no end in sight, they must brace themselves yet again for fierce attacks.

"The U.S. media has bamboozled the U.S. public into thinking that only one person lives in Iraq--Iraq's President Saddam Hussein. Four days after the Desert Fox bombing, on December 22, 1998, the San Francisco Chronicle opened an editorial with these words: 'Once again, the durable despot, Saddam Hussein, has emerged from the rubble, spitting defiance and claiming victory.' Absent from their coverage was any mention of the people who never emerged from the rubble. Nor was there any coverage of hundreds of thousands of ordinary Iraqis whose arms ache emptily for loved ones whose deaths were caused by economic sanctions."

Off-site Link: Voices in the Wilderness.

28. Recently returned from an August 2002 humanitarian trip to Iraq with the group Voices in the Wilderness, John Maus noted that "This was my first trip to Iraq and although I had seen many videos, read books and heard accounts from people who had visited Iraq, I was not prepared for seeing the desperate poverty and humiliation that sanctions have imposed on the majority of the Iraqi people. I had to confront the reality that the women and children reduced to begging in the streets and the children dying in hospitals and the deplorable living conditions were all because of twelve years of the most pervasive sanctions ever placed on a country in this century.

"There are those who argue that as long as Saddam Hussein is in power there must be a policy of containment which includes some form of so called 'smart sanctions'. We witnessed firsthand the the fundamental problems of sanctions of any kind.

"I heard the same message at all three UN agencies that we visited, the UNDP, UNICEF and UNOHCI. The people of Iraq have become almost completely dependent on the food rations they receive through the Oil for Food program. Under this program the money from oil sales is deposited in a UN escrow account and used to pay for contracts for food and other humanitarian supplies. Contracts must be approved by a fifteen member committee. The government of Iraq is then responsible for distribution which was described as 'flawless' by the UNICEF director. I heard that Iraq had a bumper wheat crop of 1.5 million bushels. Unfortunately no locally produced goods are allowed under the Oil for Food program. As a result of this program, the economy remains collapsed and cut off from the world. The Iraqi Dinar has been devalued by 600,000 percent. It is as though the entire country is a giant refugee camp.

"The Oil for Food program dwarfs any other UN program and it is the only so-called 'humanitarian program' that is paid for entirely by the country it is supposed to benefit. The food distribution entails some 410,000 metric tons per month. This is about 100 times the amount of the entire World Food Program. Carel de Rooy, UNICEF Iraq Country Director has recently warned of the 'nightmare scenario' that could emerge if the monthly food basket that is distributed to all Iraqi families is interrupted. Without rapid intervention, chaos, malnutrition and even famine could result.

"Wherever we visited I could see the results of this program. At the hospitals I saw children suffering from treatable diseases caused by bad water because there is a lack of funds to rebuild the water system. Infant mortality today is 107 per thousand live births as compared to 47 at the end of the eighties. Under five mortality is 131 per thousand, compared to 56 a decade ago. This translates into about five thousand children a month who die because of the sanctions. A hospital director said that before the Gulf War the mortality rate for childhood leukemias was 20%. Now it is 90 to 95% because of lack of medicines and hospital equipment. One angry mother asked 'What crime have these children done to deserve this punishment?'.

"Despite all the hardships, the Iraqi people welcomed us with their generous hospitality wherever we went. They would always insist on fixing tea for us which they shared from their rations. Would Americans be as hospitable if the situation were reversed?

"I would suggest that instead of the kind of 'regime change' that the [Bush] administration proposes, we need to change from a "sanctions regime" to a 'reinvestment and rebuilding regime.' Iraq needs massive investment to rebuild its industry, its power grids and its schools, and it needs cash in hand to pay for its engineers, doctors and teachers. The people of Iraq need to be empowered in order to successfully initiate any change in their government. Our country was founded on 'self determination'. We owe Iraqis the same opportunity for 'self determination'."

29. "I'm here because I'm concerned about the impending violence and war against the people of Iraq," said Katie Green, a member of White Bear Universalist Church. "We need to get out the critical message that this war is very, very wrong. It's about dollars. It's not about equity by any stretch."

Commenting on her September 4 presence at the Lake St./Marshall Ave. Bridge Peace Vigil, Katie noted that "What was rewarding was that the vast majority of drivers during rush hour were supportive--a lot of horns honking, thumbs up, and peace signs. And I've met a very impressive group of peace activists here tonight--in the course of a downpour and hailstorm! They're very eloquent, compassionate, caring people."

30. After exploring a number of websites, Dave Bicking is convinced that the Bush administration had prior knowledge of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. Accordingly, he has been organizing screenings of Michael Ruppert's documentary film Truth and Lies of 9/11 at various venues around the Twin Cities.

"What happened on September 11, 2001, was so perfect for the Bush administration in terms of allowing them to do what they had always wanted to do," observes Dave. "I mean, it couldn't have been better if they'd planned it themselves."

Yet what exactly did the Bush administration know? "It's extremely well documented," says Dave, "that the Bush administration at least knew about the planned attacks in advance--in detail--and made conscious efforts to ensure they would be successful. [The evidence] seems irrefutable. The information that is declassified and available points to the administration's deliberate lack of efforts to do anything to stop [the attacks].

Off-site Link: From the Wilderness Publications

31. Jim Hightower--national radio commentator, writer, author and former Texas Agriculture Commissoner--at the Rolling Thunder Down Home Democracy Tour, St. Paul, Minnesota, September 2, 2002.

The brainchild of Jim Hightower, the Rolling Thunder tour brought together progressives of all types to "sing, dance, brainstorm, eat, drink and strategize as they celebrate their visions of a better and more meaningful democracy." Prior to its arrival in St. Paul, Rolling Thunder had toured Chicago, Austin and Seattle. As well as spreading a strong pro-union and pro-democracy message, the numerous speakers who comprised the Rolling Thunder tour also challenged the Bush administration's validity and its so-called "War on Terror."

32. Doris Haddock, a.k.a. Granny D--at the Rolling Thunder Down Home Democracy Tour, St. Paul, September 2, 2002.

33-34. Cornel West--Princeton University professor and author of the best-selling Race Matters--Rolling Thunder Down Home Democracy Tour, St. Paul, September 2, 2002.

35. Barbara Ehrenreich--political essayist and social critic and author of the best-selling Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America--takes a break backstage at the Rolling Thunder Down Home Democracy Tour, St. Paul, September 2, 2002.

36. "It's great seeing all the people that want peace," says Starla - September 4, 2002. "This group of people [who gather every week for the Lake St./Marshall Ave. Bridge Peace Vigil] creates such a positive radiance. It fills me with a joy I can't describe."

Commenting on why she joins with others for an hour each week on the bridge, Starla says, "We need to raise awareness. So many people don't know what's going on." Reflecting on both the so-called "War on Terror" and the sanctions on Iraq, Starla acknowledges that "our country is responsible for a lot of pain and suffering."

37. "I do think we're having some effect on people," says Betty McKenzie, CSJ - September 4, 2002. "I've been doing this for about three years now, and more and more people are giving us positive signs--thumbs up, waves, honks, sometimes a bus driver will wave. I think our presence here [on the bridge] is working to educate people and I think it's worth it."

38. Lisa Amman, Phil Steger and John Maus--three Minnesotans recently returned from Iraq, share their experiences and insights at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis - September 4, 2002.

"I think that is extremely important for us Americans to recognize when our leaders are using fear to manipulate us," said John Maus. "Almost every day we hear a reference to Saddam Hussein's efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction even though no one has any evidence of this kind. Furthermore, Scott Ritter, who led the UNSCOM weapon's inspection team in Iraq, says that it is highly unlikely that Iraq presents any threat to the US."

At one point in his address, John raised a plastic bottle of water. "We did find one weapon of mass destruction that has already been responsible for the death of many thousands of Iraqis, mostly children and the elderly," he said, "and we managed to bring a sample back with us. This is a bottle of a biological weapon of mass destruction. It is dirty water. Phil got it from the tap at the Al Amara hospital. Documents of the Defense Intelligence Agency prove that, contrary to the Geneva Convention, the US government intentionally used sanctions against Iraq to degrade the country's water supply after the Gulf War. The US government knew the cost that civilian Iraqis, mostly children, would pay, and it went ahead anyway. The complete story by Thomas Nagy was published in the September 2001 Progressive and the documents themselves can be found on the internet."

John also commented on the threat of Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction. "Saddam is a brutal dictator," he said, "and I believe the people of Iraq and the world would be better off without him. At the same time . . . the question should be asked: Why is Saddam such a threat today but not last year or in 1990?

"Despite reports that Iraq was using chemical weapons against Iran, the Reagan administration aggressively pursued expanded arms sales to Iraq, whilst at the same time covertly supplying arms to Iraq's adversary, Iran, in what was later exposed as the 'Iran-Contra Scandal'. After Iraq launched a chemical attack against the Kurdish town of Halabja, killing over 4,000 residents, the US Senate voted to cut off all financial assistance to Iraq. But officials lobbying for the Reagan administration killed the bill in the house and US arms sales to Iraq continued right down to the invasion of Kuwait. The [first] Bush administration approved $4.8 million worth of advanced technology products between July 18 and August 1, 1991. Iraq did not use chemical or biological weapons during the Gulf conflict but a 1994 Senate subcommittee hearing revealed that US based corporations had been key suppliers of the toxins and spores Iraq had used to build up its chemical and biological arsenal.

"By 1998, after the most comprehensive weapons inspection program in modern history, UNSCOM arms inspectors reported that Iraq was 'qualitatively disarmed'. Iraq was demanding that sanctions be lifted and most of the governments in the UN favored lifting sanctions. On December 12, 1998 Clinton withdrew the weapons inspectors on the pretext that Iraq was not 'fully cooperating'. Clinton then argued that the US had no choice but to bomb Iraq because it was blocking meaningful inspections.

"In fact, the United Nations Special Commission--UNSCOM--cited only five 'obstructions' to the 423 inspections conducted between November 18 and December 12, 1998. One was a 45 minute delay before allowing access . Another was Iraq's rebuff to a demand by a US inspector that she be able to interview all the undergraduate students in Baghdad University Science Department. Two other cases had to do with a request to inspect establishments on Friday which is the Muslim holy day. Since the establishments were closed Iraq asserted that the inspections must be held another day or that an Iraqi official would accompany the inspectors--in accordance with an agreement between UNSCOM regarding Friday inspections.

"Between December 16-19, 1998, US and British warplanes dropped more than 1,000 missles and bombs on Iraq. Two weeks later officials publicly admitted that the weapons inspectors were intelligence agents who provided Pentagon bombing planners with bombing coordinates." (NOTE: See New York Times, January 7, 1999)

39. Phil Steger, peace activist and Director of Friends for a Non-Violent World - September 4, 2002.

"Iraq, a country singularly rich in resources, history and culture, is also a tortured and violent state that has oscillated between bloody repression and bloody revolution since its was cookie-cuttered into a nation by the British after World War One," noted Phil. "[Saddam Hussein,] the one ruler who rose to bring stability to the internal struggles of this artificially and externally manufactured nation and to bring an impressive and even enviable standard of living to most of those within the country, did so through jaw-dropping violence, cruelty and cold, calculated murder; and he did so while seeking weapons of mass destruction in order to back his foreign policy with the same, cold threat of annihilation that backs his domestic policy.

"At the time this ruler was in ascendancy, after he assassinated his own predecessors and oversaw the executions of thousands and thousands of potential rivals, he found himself courted by every Western industrial democracy in the world, the strongest and coziest of which was the United States. Every arms exporter and oil importer in the world wooed him. Russia, China, England, France, Germany and the United States helped this man knit together dreadful delivery systems of mass death - chemical, biological and nuclear."

In response to Iraq's 1991 invasion of Kuwait, Phil noted that "the United States led a coalition force that demolished from the air practically every electrical station, sewage treatment and water purification center in the country, and just about every neighborhood they stood in or near. They used 390 tons of weapons made from radioactive, nuclear waste that disintegrated tanks and bodies and spread tons of radioactive particles over the entire southern part of the country, particles that entered the blood, bones and placenta of those that survived the bombardment. And meanwhile, all imports of equipments, medicines and foods were shut off; the oil that provided the revenue for paying the technicians, doctors and engineers, that paid for the ball bearings, gears and pumps that cleaned the water, removed the sewage, cooled the home, ran the respirators was plugged up and made to sit in the ground."

The results of all of this, notes Phil, has been devastating for the Iraqi people--the children in particular. "A medical research team from Harvard University published a report in the New England Journal of Medicine that presented sound reasons to believe that in the six months after 'Operation Desert Storm', over 46,000 children under the age of five died from dehydration and diarrhea as a direct result of the loss of drinkable water that the airstrikes caused," said Phil. "Follow-up investigations by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization in 1994 and 1995, and by UNICEF in 1997, supported not only these claims, but provided additional evidence that the causes of those deaths continued unameliorated, ensuring the deaths of as many as 5000 children every month.

"And while the country's children, its economy, its culture, its development were bled to death bit by bit, the people of power sat by in Washington and Baghdad with eyes narrowed and jaws clenched to the death of so many kids, each absolutely entrenched in the conviction--cynical or naïve--that they were not responsible for these deaths, their enemy was. And so it has continued to this very moment."