Schakowsky Slams Bush, Iraq Policy

Hundreds Gather to Protest Conflict as Casualties Rack Up

By Ryan Haggerty

April 19, 2004 – Daily Northwestern  

In the midst of one of the bloodiest months of the war in Iraq, the North Shore anti-war community ratcheted up its protest Sunday as more than 300 area residents filled the sanctuary and balcony of an Evanston church to express their frustration with U.S. foreign policy.

The audience applauded during anti-war speeches by Congresswoman Jan Schakowksy, D-Evanston, and three members of Military Families Speak Out, a national group of families of soldiers who are opposed to the Iraq war.

Schakowsky was greeted with a standing ovation by the crowd at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 2515 Central Park Ave., when she took the podium. She opened her statements with an apology.

"Clearly your government has done an enormous disservice to you, particularly to military families, their brave loved ones in Iraq, and peace in this world," Schakowsky said. "I'm sorry."

Schakowsky, who voted against the October 11, 2002, resolution giving Bush the authority to invade Iraq, criticized the Bush administration for what she called "this Iraq obsession."

Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson, co-founders of Military Families Speak Out, sat to the left of the altar with Schakowsky and Fran Johns, a Chicago resident and member of Military Families Speak Out. The organization consisted of only two families -- Lessin's and Richardson's -- when it was formed in November 2002, but it now includes more than 1,500 military families who oppose the war, Lessin said.

"This country was betrayed by the Bush administration and the majority in Congress who allowed this to happen," said Lessin, whose stepson was deployed to Kosovo in August 2002 prior to serving in Iraq.

Audience members, some of whom lost family members in Iraq, had a chance to ask questions of the speakers after their speeches.

All of the speakers addressed accusations that those who oppose the war, especially people with relatives in Iraq, are unpatriotic.

"One of the most despicable lies that this administration has told us is that it is impossible to support the troops without supporting the war," said Johns, whose son was a Marine sergeant in Iraq. He left the service after his return from Iraq due to the "emotional toll" the war took on him, said Johns, the Chicago anti-war group member.

Richardson, wearing a T-shirt with the peace symbol under a dark sports jacket, repeatedly called Iraq "a war based on lies," a belief that was echoed by the other speakers and drew applause from the audience.

"It is not unpatriotic or unsupportive to protest this war," Richardson said. "It is the only thing to do."

The event took place during an especially volatile time in the war. As of Sunday, 99 U.S. service members had died in April, making it the deadliest month since the U.S.-led invasion began in March 2003. More than 1,050 Iraqis have been killed in April, including at least 40 this weekend, according to counts by the Associated Press.

Spain's newly-elected Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero also announced plans Sunday to withdraw all Spanish troops from Iraq, saying that the United States was unwilling to allow the United Nations to control the post-war occupation of Iraq. Zapatero was elected three days after the March train bombings that killed 191 people in Madrid -- attacks that many in Spain believed were motivated by Spain's support of the United States in Iraq.

Schakowsky said one step towards mending the situation in Iraq was to vote Bush out of office on Election Day in November.

"This administration is completely incapable of leading us out of this deadly quagmire in Iraq," Schakowsky said. "It is our obligation to make sure we defeat him on Nov. 2.

"This is the Bush administration versus democracy. This is the Bush administration versus the possibility of peace on earth."

Lessin and Richardson called for an immediate withdrawal of American forces from Iraq.

"Our message is clear and simple: Bring them home now," Richardson said.

However, L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. civilian administrator in Iraq, told the AP on Sunday that because of the inability of Iraqi security forces to deal with the escalating violence, a substantial number of U.S. troops will remain in Iraq after the planned June 30 transition of power.

Schakowsky acknowledged Sunday that a withdrawal of U.S. troops was not possible.

"It is clearly not going to happen," Schakowsky said after the event. "Hopefully the United Nations can step in. The next hope is to defeat this administration."

Barry Romo, a Chicago resident and a member of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, another sponsor of the event, said he left the speech with "encouragement and energy from watching people share publicly their pain from a son dying or a daughter being put in harm's way, something we consider private."

"I don't think anyone can speak with more authority than family members whose loved ones' lives are on the line," Romo said. "If a mother whose son was killed can stand up and fight Bush, then I can, too."