GI’s say ’Bring us home now’ Puppet regime feels hammer of Iraqi resistance

By Dustin Langley

The bloody colonial occupation of Iraq continues to take a heavy toll. Since the June 28 hyped "handover of power," the occupation forces have lost an average of more than two soldiers a day. As of July 21, some 900 U.S. troops and over 11,000 Iraqi civilians had died in Iraq since the U.S. launched the invasion.

The Iraqi resistance is so widespread and has so much support among the Iraqi people that it "cannot be defeated militarily," according to U.S. military analysts cited in a July 9 Associated Press article.

The solution is obvious: to bring the troops home now and end the colonial occupation. This has been the demand of the anti-war movement and it is a demand increasingly being raised by soldiers and military families.

"They’re killing us. Enough is enough," wrote Staff Sgt. Ray B. Robinson of the Third Infantry Division.

Master Sgt. C.J. Nouse, a U.S. Army reser vist who has spent a total of four months with his family since Sept. 11, 2001, said, "Reserve members can’t possibly keep this pace up. With deployments to Bosnia and for homeland defense, our families are continuing to suffer. Does anyone care? This is totally unacceptable. Bring us home or suffer mass exits soon." (Traveling-Soldier online)

As they continue to be the target of daily attacks, it is becoming clearer to the troops that they are only there to serve the interests of big business. One soldier told Intervention Magazine, "We have pressing needs in our country. We are spending money like it’s going out of style over there. Companies like Halliburton are gouging the American people over there. We protect them also. Part of our job now is actually to protect Halli burton employ ees. So, if we really want to cut off the spigot, we need to come home." (March 4)

The Army is "near breaking point," according to a report published by the Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute. Suicide rates are high and according to Reuters, nearly a fifth of U.S. troops returning from the war in Iraq may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems.

The cry from the troops and the anti-war movement is "Bring the troops home now!" Neither candidate from the big capitalist parties is listening.

It’s no surprise that in every speech George W. Bush has committed to maintaining the colonial occupation at all costs, planning to keep troops in Iraq indefinitely, what he calls "staying the course." Bush and his administration conspired to invade and conquer Iraq, and he is rightly considered a war criminal by much of the world.

John Kerry, the Democratic Party candidate, rather than offering an alternative to the Bush plan, simply argues that he can maintain the colonial occupation more effectively.

Kerry was an early supporter of the war. In a speech on the Senate floor on Oct. 9, 2002, as Bush was seeking support for the war, Kerry said, "The threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real. It is not new. It has been with us since the end of that war, and particularly in the last four years we know after Operation Desert Fox failed to force him to reaccept them, that he has continued to build those weapons."

He went on to say, "I have said publicly for years that weapons of mass destruction in the hands of Saddam Hussein pose a real and grave threat to our security and that of our allies in the Persian Gulf region." His words gave aid and comfort to Bush’s war plans.

He has continued to support the occupation, even calling for more U.S. andallied troops. In an article on his website, "A Strategy for Success in Iraq," he writes, "We must supply our military commanders with the additional troops they have requested."

Kerry said that he would expand the active-duty Army by 40,000 soldiers, including a doubling of U.S. Special Forces.

For anti-war activists, military families, members of the military, and all who oppose the war, John Kerry is no alternative. He can’t be, because he represents the same corporate interests that back Bush and who profit from U.S. domination and colonial occupation. Corporate contributions to Kerry have even outpaced those to Bush this year.

Whichever one is president, the Penta gon has announced plans to construct 14 permanent bases in Iraq.

The record shows that only by organizing independently of the two capitalist candidates can the anti-war forces end the occupation and stop new wars. The Democratic and Republican national conventions provide excellent opportunities to build this independent opposition.

Boston, July 25-29. New York, Aug. 26-Sept. 3. Protest the policies of both war parties.

Dustin Langley is an organizer of the anti-war GI and veterans group, SNAFU.

http://www.workers.org/ww/2004/iraq0729.php