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Departments War in Iraq Iraq: the people's report by Sue Udry September 11, 2007 United for Peace and Justice, the country's largest anti-war coalition, has produced an assessment of the situation on the ground in Iraq that contrasts sharply with the projected conclusions of the so-called Petraeus Report – actually written within the White House. Leslie Cagan, National Coordinator of the group, which claims 1400 members, states: " We feel it is essential to provide a true picture of what the shattered lives of the 25 million Iraqis look like today. Prepared by Phyllis Bennis and Erik Leaver, researchers at the Institute for Policy Studies, Iraq: The People's Report takes a look at what this war has cost Iraqis and the U.S." Iraq: The People's Report notes that: • two million Iraqis have fled the war to seek hard-to-find refuge in neighboring countries, and an additional two million Iraqis have been forced by war-fueled violence to flee their homes and remain displaced and homeless inside Iraq. • most Iraqis have electricity for only about five hours a day, clean water remains scarce for most and unobtainable for many, and Iraq's oil production remains a fraction of what it was before war. • occupation, war and violence have so decimated the Iraqi economy that unemployment has reached up to 40% and higher, and underemployment an additional 10% or more In spite of the appalling conditions that most Iraqis now find themselves living in, General Patraus and Ambassador Crocker will try to convince Congress that the situation is improving. "We hope that Congress will remember that these small improvements in a horrific situation have cost U.S. taxpayers over $480 Billion so far, with no end in sight," remarked Sue Udry, Legislative Coordinator of United for Peace and Justice. "That is $480 billion that we could not spend here at home to rebuild the Gulf Coast, improve education and healthcare and more." The report also notes that: The failure of the Iraq War has also meant a huge cost to our democracy at home. We have paid an enormous price: in the deaths and shattered minds and bodies of our young soldiers; in the threats to an economy ravaged by billion-dollar bills to pay for an illegal war; in the destruction of so much of our infrastructure, security and social fabric because of human and financial resources diverted to Iraq; and in the shredding of our Constitution and civil rights as fear becomes a weapon in the hands of the Bush Administration aimed at Congress, the courts and the people of this country.The full (4-page) report is available at www.unitedforpeace.org/congress or http://www.unitedforpeace.org/downloads/peoplesreport.pdf Email this article to a friend |
Don't forget to check out articles from 2007 and 2008
"Pentagon cover up: 15,000 or more US deaths in Iraq war?"
December 17, 2007
Mike Whitney
"Iraq's million"
December 6, 2007
Robert C. Koehler
"Talking with two who walk the walk"
November 29, 2007
David Swanson
"Baghdad in middle America"
November 15, 2007
Robert C. Koehler
"Understanding the next war money vote"
November 10, 2007
David Swanson
"Jonesborough justice"
October 31, 2007
David Swanson
"Ann Wright’s conscience: former colonel and diplomat against Iraq war"
October 29, 2007
Seth Sandronsky
"Open letter to the government from an AWOL soldier"
October 21, 2007
James Circello, Iraq Veterans Against The War
"Constitution, flag, and leaving Iraq"
October 7, 2007
David Swanson
"Whistleblowers on tape"
September 30, 2007
David Swanson
"Observing our government through Blackwater"
September 26, 2007
David Swanson
""Funding the war is killing the troops": interrupting the empire 30 seconds at a time"
September 26, 2007
Mike Ferner
"We have nothing but fear itself"
September 24, 2007
David Swanson
"Sanity in tiny nibbles"
September 21, 2007
Robert C. Koehler
"Can we talk? Day one of IVAW's "Truth in Recruiting" campaign"
September 20, 2007
Mike Ferner
"New day in the anti-war movement?"
September 19, 2007
Mike Ferner
"Bush’s fake sheik whacked: the Surge and the Al Qaeda bunny"
September 18, 2007
Greg Palast
"Iraq: the people's report"
September 11, 2007
Sue Udry
"Questions for General Petraeus"
September 10, 2007
David Swanson
"My son, back from Iraq, lives on tower on National Mall"
September 1, 2007
Mary Hanna
"Creative destruction"
August 16, 2007
Robert C. Koehler
"300 towns, cities, states oppose Iraq occupation"
August 1, 2007
David Swanson
"Reparations"
July 30, 2007
David Swanson
"Democrats as Leviathan: another step toward war with Iran"
July 23, 2007
Joshua Frank
"We will sit in for impeachment"
July 5, 2007
David Swanson
"Gorilla suit"
July 3, 2007
Robert C. Koehler
"Peace movement comes to US Social Forum"
June 29, 2007
David Swanson
"The hearts of all sane men"
June 21, 2007
Robert C. Koehler
"Belief and doubt"
June 15, 2007
Robert C. Koehler
"Sen. Clinton wants troops in Iraq for at least 10 years"
June 13, 2007
David Swanson
"This is not a story about Cindy Sheehan"
June 5, 2007
Sunsara Taylor
"The holy occupation of Iraq"
May 29, 2007
David Swanson
"Why I voted "no""
May 27, 2007
Sen. Barbara Boxer
"For five years we've called it blood for oil"
May 16, 2007
David Swanson
"Collateral genocide"
May 12, 2007
Mike Ferner
"Please don’t throw me in that veto patch"
May 7, 2007
Mike Ferner
"Anti-U.S. uproar sweeps Italy"
May 5, 2007
David Swanson
"Knee-deep blood in the land of make-believe"
April 26, 2007
Carla Binion
"Tax day protests and refusing to pay for war"
April 16, 2007
Ruth Benn
"You can't hurt a troop by defunding a war"
April 12, 2007
David Swanson
"Iraq veterans speak in Columbus, OH 3-17-07"
April 11, 2007
Veterans
"Iraq @ 4: It's Not About the Troops - Either Way "
March 26, 2007
David Caploe
"Progressives stand strong against funding war"
March 23, 2007
David Swanson
"No mo money for war"
March 16, 2007
David Swanson
"Sacrificing our children on the altar of corporate greed"
March 15, 2007
David E. Washburn
"Only nonviolence will end the war"
March 14, 2007
David Swanson
"The war money can be stopped"
March 10, 2007
David Swanson
"How will you end this war?"
March 10, 2007
Tina Richards
"Congressman Obey says "Idiot Liberals" need to support war money"
March 9, 2007
David Swanson
"Former Pentagon staff speaks out on crimes of Doug Feith, Dick Cheney, and planning of Iran War"
March 6, 2007
David Swanson
"I'm more pro-troop than you are"
March 3, 2007
David Swanson
"Only nonviolence will end the war"
February 28, 2007
David Swanson
"Cindy Sheehan, George Will, and loving your enemies"
February 26, 2007
David Swanson
"No, seriously, why did we invade Iraq?"
February 22, 2007
David E. Washburn
"Lord knows we've suffered enough already: keep them out of Ohio!"
February 18, 2007
Mike Ferner
"Murtha only intends to undo the escalation"
February 17, 2007
David Swanson
"Shut up and stop the war"
February 14, 2007
David Swanson
"100 Senators quietly vote: majority oppose escalation"
February 10, 2007
David Swanson
"Dems change the gas and claim it's a new car"
February 9, 2007
David Swanson
"A world that works for everybody"
February 7, 2007
Robert C. Koehler
"D.C. demonstration"
January 30, 2007
John Conyers, Jr.
"How we can end the occupation of Iraq"
January 23, 2007
David Swanson
"Dear Mr. President: Send Even MORE Troops (and you go, too!) ...from Michael Moore"
January 22, 2007
Michael Moore
"The Kucinich Plan for Iraq"
January 17, 2007
Dennis J. Kucinich
"An Iraq jobs program?"
January 16, 2007
Seth Sandronsky
"Waist deep in the big muddy"
January 12, 2007
Greg Palast
"Out of Iraq and back to the American city"
January 11, 2007
Dennis J. Kucinich
"If not now, when?"
January 10, 2007
Mike Ferner
"Mr. President, surge this"
January 10, 2007
David Swanson
"3,000 lights delivered to Rep. Marcy Kaptur"
January 5, 2007
Northwest Ohio Peace Coalition
"3,000 lights for 3,000 killed in Iraq"
January 1, 2007
Peggy Daly-Masternak
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