[pjw] EVENT: Remembering the Devastating US Invasion of Iraq 19 Years Later Fri 3/18/22 5 PM

[Peace and Justice Works]

PJW supporters and allies
Below is the updated announcement for our March 18 weekly Friday Rally 
with the theme: "Remembering the Devastating US Invasion of Iraq 19 Years
Later." It appears that when I first posted this on February 4, I 
neglected to reach out to our allies and to the media for calendar 
listings. It's just as well because the US invasion of Iraq has become a 
talking point amidst the Russian attack on Ukraine.

Anyway, there are no real costs associated with this event if any group 
wants to be listed as a cosponsor. As noted in the text (but I'll have to 
update the flyer later), we are asking people to mask up and stay 
distanced at the rally. This means if we have a sizable crowd we may split 
up among the four corners at Yamhill and Broadway.

Thanks!
dan handelman
peace and justice works iraq affinity group

---------------

This information can also be found at https://pjw.info/iraq19yl.html .
A flyer for the event is posted at https://pjw.info/iraq_19yl_flyer.pdf .

      __________________________________________________________________

Peace and Justice Works
   Iraq Affinity Group
   PO Box 42456
   Portland, OR   97242
   (503) 236-3065  (Office)
   iraq at pjw.info
   https://www.pjw.info/Iraq.html

Calendar/News Item


For immediate release                    March 9, 2022

        Remembering the Devastating US Invasion of Iraq 19 Years Later
                        Friday, March 18, 2022 5:00 PM
                   Weekly Friday Rally for Peace and Justice
                          Pioneer Courthouse Square,
                            SW Yamhill and Broadway

    Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the questionable justification of
    protecting Russians living in that country has drawn parallels to the
    US invasion of Iraq, based on false accusations of weapons of mass
    destruction (WMDs).*-1 On Friday, March 18 at 5:00 PM Peace and Justice
    Works Iraq Affinity Group will mark the anniversary of the 2003
    invasion of Iraq at the weekly Friday Rally for Peace and Justice. The
    special event is titled "Remembering the Devastating US Invasion of
    Iraq 19 Years Later." The rally, followed by a short march around
    downtown, takes place each week at Pioneer Courthouse Square, SW
    Yamhill and Broadway. Those attending are asked to mask up and stay
    distanced while participating.

    From the time George W. Bush pushed for war based on false assertions
    of WMDs and a non-existent connection to the events of 9/11 through the
    withdrawal of most troops in 2011 and the subsequent warfare against
    the Islamic State starting in 2014, the country of Iraq has continued
    to suffer. The problems have included the economy, health care and
    other basic needs such as electricity.

    In early 2020, the Iraqi Parliament voted to demand the US leave their
    country following President Trump's ordered assassination of Iranian
    General Soleimani on Iraqi soil. While it was only an advisory vote, it
    was a very strong message.

    At the end of 2021, President Biden failed to keep the US pledge to
    take all troops out of Iraq, instead re-designating the remaining 2500
    forces as "advisors." That term is a loaded word used to describe the
    early troops in Viet Nam.

    The Iraqis have not been free from US interference by war, sanctions
    and other means since August of 1990, shortly after the invasion of
    Kuwait. In late 2021, Iraq finally paid off the last of its reparations
    for that invasion despite the fact that Iraq's infrastructure and
    economy were devastated by the 1991 "Gulf War," the 2003 invasion and
    other American-led actions. The US must end its attempts to undermine
    Iraq's sovereignty once and for all.

    If the Russians' attack on Ukrainian civilian targets is prosecuted as
    a war crime, there are many Americans who also need to be brought up on
    charges for what the US did to Iraq.

    For more information, or if your group would like to cosponsor or
    endorse this event, contact Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group
    at 503-236-3065 or iraq at pjw.info.

    *1- Even those in Iraq have drawn this connection:
    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/27/as-russia-invades-ukraine-iraqis-remember-painful-war-memories