WASHINGTON DC (5/31/03) -- On a rainy, windy Saturday afternoon, over a 1000 people packed the National City Christian Church on Thomas Circle for the United for Peace and Justice's "National Teach-In on Iraq, Preemptive War & Democracy." Participants were diverse and energetic--all ages, races, ethnicities, socioeconomic status.

Featured speakers included Ralph Nader, Damu Smith (Black Voices for Peace), former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, Edward Said (Columbia University), and Hussein Ibish (Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee ).

The first set of speakers focused on the "Domestic Consequences of War." The need for unity in the peace movement for joint work was emphasized. Discussion focused on educational, economic and political strategies to strengthen the movement and it's message. Gene Bruskin, US Labor Against the War, addressed the importance of the labor movement in this situation. Historically organized labor has always supported the armed forces. However, Bruskin noted, history shows that the US government rarely supports it's troops--benefits cuts for veterans, denial of union rights to federal workers, etc. Meanwhile, inside Iraq U.S. corporations are getting the reconstruction contracts. And these are some of the most corrupt corporations as far as the labor movement is concerned.

The next set of speakers was a student panel representing various student organizations that have grown out of the peace movement, particularly the Iraq conflict. Students have organized walkouts, protests, and direct actions. The participants in this panel were a very impressive and inspiring group of youth with lots of passion.

In the panel on the "Realities of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq," Rania Masri, who works for the Southern Peace Research and Education Center, described the phases of the United States war on Iraq: Phase 1--Persian Gulf War (1990-91), Phase 2--12 years of sanctions, Phase 3--military invasion, Phase 4--economic Invasion. Masri discussed the massive destruction from the war arguing that the U.S. is not going to rebuild or reconstruct Iraq. She explained that reconstructing a place means to make it like it was before it was damaged. But, the U.S. is not going to make Iraq like it was before the invasion.

Masri said that what the U.S. is going to do is deconstruct Iraq. The U.S. and its corporations are going to privatize every service in Iraq from electricity to water to transportation, and, of course, control Iraq's oil profits and production. Masri called for congressional hearings on war profiteering by corporations. Such hearings, she said, were held after WWI and the Korean War. So, she asked, why not now?

Masri also argued that if people oppose the occupation of Iraq then they must also oppose Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. She stated that no occupation brings freedom or democracy. As Masri called for the U.S. to withdraw all of its troops from Iraq, she also called for the right of return for the Palestinians.

Masri condemned the U.S. as the only country that has used nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and noted that the U.S. has more weapons of mass destruction than any nation on earth. The U.S. used nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Masri explained, and used chemical weapons during the Vietnam War when it sprayed Agent Orange on Vietnam's forests.

Masri called for reparations for the Iraqi people and congressional hearings for the ammunitions industry. She advocated the re-enactment of an excess war profits tax.

Kathy Kelly, founder of Voices in the Wilderness, spoke to the audience via satellite. She talked about the suffering of the Iraqi people and sorrowfully recounted the destruction of the Museum of Antiquities. Allowing the theft of these priceless artifacts is a crime against the culture and history of humanity. She said that the artifacts belong to the people of the world as well as to the Iraqis.

Andy Shallal, an Iraqi citizen, spoke next and said that important records in every area of life were all destroyed during the rampant vandalism and theft after the regime fell. So now people can't prove they graduated from a university or qualify for a certain trade or own their own house. Iraqis are afraid to travel out of the country or even go out of town because they fear losing their house, if someone else moved into it while they were gone. No records exist to prove ownership of property. Civil chaos exists there.

Third session was "No to Empire" with speakers including Phyllis Bennis, Howard Zinn, Arundhati Roy, and Edward Said.

Phyllis Bennis from the Institute for Policy Studies said that the war was not a preemptive war. Iraq was not going to attack the U.S. so the war did not preempt any action. She stated that it was a war of aggression, and what is new is that the U.S. is justifying this war of aggression which is condemned by international law. Wars of aggression are the beginning of every other war crime.

Bennis spoke of the second super power, world public opinion. She said that the power of people can overcome military power.

Howard Zinn, author of "A People's History of the United States," spoke via satellite and said the U.S. has engaged in empire building before. He told about the U.S. going to war against Mexico in the 1840's for trumped up reasons because this country wanted to steal half of Mexico. The U.S. took California and Arizona. Zinn emphasized that history is crucial to understanding politics and that empires fall and that US imperialism can fall too.

Author/activist Arundhati Roy, wearing a "Drop Bush Not Bombs" tank top and speaking via satellite, discussed the staged photo opportunities during the invasion in which the corporate media participated. Roy noted that Iraq is no longer a country, it's an asset of the U.S.. And multinational corporations like Bechtel are "a pack of jackals feeding on Iraq."

Edward Said, Columbia University professor and Palestinian rights activist, addressed "Conquering Iraq vs. Liberating Iraq." Said pointed out the correspondences between U.S. and Israeli policies and how both breed hatred. Said, and other speakers, emphasized that U.S. citizens must mobilize against the government by educating themselves to see the manipulations of the media and participate in the international solidarity movement.

We left the teach-in walking into a thundering rainstorm that somehow felt very comforting and symbolic. Rain is usually a good omen and a sign of good things to come....We hope.

See also the Washington Post report:
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63381-2003May31.html