115. "I believe diplomatic solutions can resolve [the Iraq crisis] and that we need to give the UN inspectors more time," said Marianne at the February 15 "The World Says No To War" march and rally in Minneapolis. "After [chief UN weapons inspector] Hans Blix's report yesterday, it sounds as if there's still some work to be done in Iraq. It's important that we procees with UN support. I'm completely opposed to unilateral military action."

116. "Rather than using text I wanted to make a sign that was more symbolic," said Jason. "It's obscene that we can demonize [the Iraqi] people and not stop to think about the one thing we have in common, and that's our humanity. We've really lost sight of that. So rather than protesting 'the oil' or 'the weapons' or any of the other alleged reasons for the war, for me it comes down to blood."

117. "It's a hard one to come back at," says Chris of his placard's message.

118. Mary Ellen Halverson - Minneapolis, February 15, 2003.

119-120. February 15, 2003 - "Perhaps the most spectacular display of public morality ever," according to Indian activist and author Arundhati Roy.

121. Faces of Resistance - Minneapolis, February 15, 2003.

"Weekend protests worldwide by millions of anti-war activists delivered a stinging rebuke to Washington and its allies on their hard-line advance towards war," reported the Agence France Presse on Sunday, February 16, 2003. "The unprecedented wave of demonstrations, involving eight million to 11.5 million people, according to various estimates, further clouded US war plans a day after they suffered a diplomatic setback at the United Nations.

"Significantly, some of the biggest rallies were held in countries which have strongly supported the pledge by US President George W. Bush to use force if necessary to strip Iraq of suspected weapons of mass destruction.

"In Sydney Sunday, Prime Minister John Howard was greeted upon his return from a nine-day trip that took him to the United States and Britain by the largest anti-war demonstration ever seen in Australia. An estimated 250,000 people filled the streets of the antipodean nation's largest city, following on from demonstrations that began Friday in Melbourne and cropped up from Brisbane to Canberra.

"A crowd estimated by organizers to be three million-strong marched through Rome to condemn Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's backing of Washington. More than five million people turned out in separate demonstrations in Spain, protest leaders said. "Even Britain, the staunchest US ally, saw at least 750,000 people tramp through London in the country's biggest protest ever to give their government's stance the thumbs down. Organizers put the figure at more than two million.

"Demonstrators turned out in droves Saturday in New York, where organizers expected more than 100,000 people as the focal point of the largest display so far of US public opposition to an attack on Iraq.

"The White House, which appears to have been rattled by the surge in resistance to its calls for quick military action, was low key in its response to Saturday's massive display of pacifist feeling. 'The president is a strong advocate of freedom and democracy, and one of the democratic values that we hold dear is the right of the people to peaceably assemble to express their views,' said Jeanie Mamo, a spokeswoman. Mamo also stressed that Bush views the military option in Iraq "as a last resort. He still hopes for a peaceful resolution, and that is up to (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein.'

"There were other signs the US march toward war was losing steam, at least for the moment, after most members of the UN Security Council urged Friday that UN weapons inspectors be given more time to do their work in Iraq. British Prime Minister Tony Blair sounded a conciliatory note Saturday after a relatively upbeat report issued by chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix on Iraqi cooperation in his search for chemical and biological arms.

"'There will be more time given to inspections,' and Blix will report back to the Security Council on February 28, Blair told a Labour Party conference in Scotland. But he added the crisis cannot be allowed to drag on forever . . ."

122. "I feel that the mother of all fundamentalists is U.S. imperialism imposing its will on the world and not giving a damn what the world thinks," says author, filmmaker, and historian Tariq Ali--speaking at the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis on February 25, 2003.

Prior to his visit, Tariq Ali was interviewed by Britt Robson of City Pages. In this interview, Tariq noted that "Compared to Islamic fundamentalists, which is this relatively tiny group of people, [the Bush] administration in Washington represents the real danger.

Reflecting on the crisis with the U.S. and its plans to attack Iraq, Tariq observed that "contrary to the propaganda, the Hussein regime is very weak--the army is weak, the weaponry is very old--and he doesn't have the power to resist the United States. So the key question is, How many civilian casualties in Iraq are necessary to permit a U.S. occupation? What do they bomb and destroy? It is not going to be easy to wipe out the Iraqi army, which is based in the cities, without killing tens of thousands of people. It is just incredibly cynical of American citizens not to care about other people being killed. This double standard makes people very angry, and if civilian casualties are high it will lead to a big, big growth in terrorism, as people despair and no one else seems capable of resisting the United States. When people despair they become completely irrational. So far from decreasing terrorism this war will lead to a big increase, and I think the war could well lead to a new nationalism in the Arab world that could sweep these [corrupt U.S.-backed] regimes in the region aside."

123. "I found this quote on the internet after searching under the word 'patriotism'," says Pat as he partictipates in the weekly peace vigil on the Lake St./Marshall Ave. Bridge - February 26, 2003.

"I've been a historical re-enactor for over 25 years and this particular uniform I'm wearing was made for the bicentennial of the signing of the Treaty of Paris--the formal end of the American Revolution. The American Revolution was a remarkable start of democracy. I'm here today because I'd like to see democracy keep going in this country. I'd hate to see an end to it."

124. In response to my question of why she's on the bridge, Catherine simply points to the photographs of Iraqi children on her placard. Commenting on the Bush regime's plans to attack Iraq, Catherine notes, "We just want to be over everybody else. It's all about greed and lust for power." Yet she finds hope in the unprecedented worldwide protests to the war: "There's so much opposition," she says with a smile.

125. "I think it will be the demise of the life we've had in America so far," says Craig of the Bush regime's doctrine of pre-emptive first strike. "I think it's terrifying that someone thinks they have the right or the power to deal a first strike when they're unprovoked, that they have that much manpower and technology that they can annihilate men, women, and children who have done nothing to them, just on the pretext that maybe there's something that would hurt them someday . . . [Because of this doctrine] the world could go into ultimate chaos. This is a really dangerous time we're living in."

Craig's views echo those of Tariq Ali [Photograph 122] who the night before had spoken at the Walker Art Center and who days earlier had noted to reporter Britt Robson that "This is the first time Britain and the U.S. are putting out a pre-emptive strike to remove a government, and once the precedent has been established, they can do it anywhere else."

Tariq also gave a historical overview of this type of military doctrine: "Of course pre-emptive strikes have been carried out before; the masters were Hitler and Mussolini, who used virtually the same arguements the U.S. is using now. Mussolini invaded Albania because he said they were a brutal [regime] threatening its people, and after they went in, the Italian newsreels showed all the people welcoming their troops. Hitler, of course, took most of Europe. He said, 'We are facing a threat from Czechoslovakia, and our German ethnic citizens are being harassed and attacked by the Czechs, and so we have no choice but to launch a pre-emptive strike.' Likewise Poland. Now we are in the dangerous stage where the United States begins to behave in this fashion."

126. "I haven't really done this before," says Amechi about his presence on the bridge on February 26, 2003. "But since I'm against the war I decided to do something about it."

Commenting on the current crisis, Amechi notes that "War leads to more war--it keeps on coming back." As an alternative to war, Amechi suggests "something like what Gandhi did--things like that."