To the editor:
On March 19, 2007, the fifth year of the war in Iraq begins. Leave aside the false pretenses under which the Bush Administration sold the war to the American people. Simply add up the costs [as of March 9]: 3,189 U.S. soldiers killed; 23,417 wounded, many extremely seriously; somewhere between 15 and 30 percent of returning veterans suffering from mental illness; several hundred thousand Iraqis killed; many Iraqis tortured; and a current cost of at least 300 million every day, and still no end in sight. And where are the benefits? Iraq is now in civil war; the electricity and water still don’t work; the Muslim world hates America more than ever before.
Since the war began in 2003, there had been a protest, every week, on the bridge across the Aroostook River in Presque Isle, Sunday from noon – 1 p.m. Although none of us has wanted to be doing this for so many years, we intend to continue until the U.S. administration comes to its senses and b rings the troops home. Based on the responses of those who drive by us on Sundays, sentiment has turned and continues to turn against this war.
Still, the war is not over, the troops are not home, the administration continues to squander the national treasure. [Well, the borrowed treasure, given our national debt.]
The saddest part is that thus far this letter is an exact copy of the one I wrote a year ago. Only the number of casualties has been updated.
So, to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the war, and mark the beginning of the fifth, we are asking you to join us in a day of protest on Sunday, March 18 from noon – 1 p.m. on the Presque Isle Bridge. We invite and encourage all of you to come out to the bridge for peace on Sunday the 18 at noon, to bear witness to your concern for American troops, the Iraqi people, the waste of resources, and the standing of the U.S. in the world. We invite you to join us as well every Sunday, to stand for bringing troops home and ending the war in Iraq.
There are also demonstrations on Saturday the 17 in Houlton and Fort Kent, and a larger demonstration in Bangor. For more information on these events, visit the web site. www.everyvillage-me.us/.
Steve DiMaio, Wade
John Cancelarich, Presque Isle
Howard Hede, Stockholm
Michael Lyng, Presque Isle
Peter Sexton, Presque Isle
