Thousands in Bay Area Protest Five Years of War in Iraq

Several thousand people participated in many rallies, marches and vigils held throughout the Bay Area last month to mark the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. On March 15 several hundred people attended a march and rally in Palo Alto sponsored by the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center. The group also held a vigil in Palo Alto March 19.

In San Francisco, the group Direct Action to Stop the War protested at the corporate offices of war profiteers like Chevron and Bechtel and the Federal Reserve Building with non-violent civil disobedience actions throughout the day. More than 140 people were arrested.

More than 7,000 people joined a rally and evening march from the SF Civic Center to 24th and Mission Streets. Thousands of young people joined the spirited march, which stretched for several blocks along Mission Street. Many union members participated. Evening protests and vigils were also held in Oakland, San Jose, Fremont, Alameda, Berkeley, and other cities in the Bay Area.

Also on March 19, a large group of Berkeley High School students joined an all-day action to protest against the Marine recruiting station in Berkeley.

From March 13-16 in Washington DC, Iraq Veterans Against the War sponsored Winter Soldier, an event that showcased testimony from U.S. veterans who served in the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. The veterans delivered powerful accounts of what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground in those countries. For more on Winter Soldier and to view the testimony, check the Iraq Veterans Against the War website at http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier.

The Three Trillion Dollar War

Coinciding with the protests commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war was publication of the book, The Three Trillion Dollar War, by Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard University public finance Professor Laura Bilmes. They estimate the price tag for the Iraq war at a minimum of $2.5 trillion and as high as $5 trillion, depending on how long it lasts.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that, “The government’s own figures show the war’s costs are rising. The Congressional Research Service estimates that $526 billion has been spent in Iraq since 2003.” These numbers are in stark contrast to claims made by Bush Administration officials in 2003 who—as part of their attempt to sell the illegal and unjustified war to the American people—claimed that the war would cost $50 billion to $60 billion. Disgraced former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, boasted that Iraq would pay for its own reconstruction with increased oil revenues.

Instead, profits from Iraq’s oil production benefit big oil companies like Chevron and their overpaid corporate executives and costs of the war are expected to skyrocket as thousands of Iraq War veterans require long term care. As the Chronicle noted, “The costs of veterans’ benefits alone could be staggering. More than 1.6 million soldiers already have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, nearly 4,000 have been killed and almost 30,000 have been injured. By December, 224,000 had applied for disability benefits because of health issues, and 260,000 had been treated at veterans’ medical facilities.”

A growing mountain of debt to fund the war will also burden future generations, as even Goldman Sachs vice chairman Robert Hormats warned Congress in testimony in February. Over 40 percent of the debt is held by foreign interests. A recent Senate committee report showed that the cost of servicing the Iraq war debt will exceed federal spending on education and health research next year.

“The costs of the war are a major concern for us,” said San Mateo County Central Labor Council Executive Secretary-Treasurer Shelley Kessler. “Vital resources are being used in our name to wage war and occupy Iraq, while school budgets are cut and teachers are given layoff notices. We need funding for health care and fixing our infrastructure, but programs are being slashed at the federal, state and local levels. The cuts are in direct proportion to the costs of this war.”

Indeed, Bush’s proposed budget for next year calls for expanding military spending, while cutting $433 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and $333 million from the Environmental Protection Agency. The proposed cuts for the CDC and EPA would disastrously affect those presently underfunded agencies. $433 million equals about one day’s spending on the Iraq war. The Three Trillion Dollar War authors noted that in past wars, taxes were raised on those who could afford to pay higher taxes to fund the military’s needs, while under the Bush cabal, the rich are given tax breaks and those dependent on local, state, or federal services and programs are told to fend for themselves.

In a statement calling for support for the March 19 protests, the group Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) said, “The war in Iraq is an unmitigated disaster, first and foremost for the Iraqi people, but it is a disaster for the people of this country as well. This disaster will roll on until the people stop it! We cannot count on the politicians—these vital issues are not even really being discussed in the presidential campaign, when they should be center stage.”

As it did in the run-up to the war in the spring of 2003, the corporate media continues to marginalize voices for peace while trumpeting the falsehoods espoused by Bush—who stubbornly claims the war to be a success—and John McCain—who asserts that the “surge” in troop levels has brought us closer to a “victory,” and stability in Iraq. Bush touted the “concerned citizens” groups in Iraq as signs of success, failing to mention that they consist of former insurgents who U.S. taxpayers are now arming and funding. As Keith Olbermann reported on his MSNBC Countdown program, the U.S. is now arming both sides in an ongoing civil war. U.S. troops remain in the crossfire, and on March 23, the number of U.S. troop killed reached 4,000.

Costs of the war

Citing figures from The Three Trillion Dollar War and the Congressional Budget Office, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that future costs of disability benefits and health care for Iraq war veterans will total $590 billion; the cost of interest on money borrowed to pay for the war will total $615 billion; replacing equipment and restoring U.S. military to prewar strength will cost U.S. taxpayers $280 billion; and that the cost of the war to each U.S. family of four from 2003-2008 is $16,500 and will reach $36,900 if the war continues for 10 years.

The $435 million spent daily to wage war in Iraq could enroll 58,000 children in Head Start, put 8,900 police officers on the street, provide health insurance to 329,200 low-income children, give Pell Grants to 163,700 college students, or provide foreclosure prevention counseling to 260,000 families.

- Paul Burton

- By Paul Burton