History Of Civilization Also At Risk In This War

War risk to Iraqi treasures
By Dr. David Whitehouse for the BBC.

The institute urges all governments to follow the terms of the 1954 Hague Convention that seeks to protect cultural artefacts in times of conflict, and to protect ancient sites, monuments, antiquities, and cultural institutions in the case of war.
But the track record in the region is not encouraging.
In the aftermath of the Gulf War in 1991, many unique sites were plundered or damaged and researchers left Iraq to work abroad.
During the conflict, the mighty ziggurat at Ur, one of the first cities, was bombed and damaged. In addition, prized antiquities were looted and sold illegally. In some cases, thieves plundered Assyrian wall frescoes and sculptures.

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Protests Planned For “Day Of” and “Day After” U.S. Attack On Iraq

Here’s the scoop on what’s happening in the San Francisco Bay Area:

Refuse & Resist! received the following new call to action from Not in Our Name Project. The Not In Our Name Pledge and Statement of Conscience have given people the world and been key to building the movement we need to build another world. As we said in the pledge: Another world is possible and we aim to make it real!
Act Now As If The Future Depends On It! Because it Does!
Bush issued his ultimatum in an address to the nation Monday: Sadam Hussein and his sons must get out of Iraq by 8 p.m. Wednesday or bombs will start devastating the country. In the name of ridding the world of Sadam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, 3,000 cruise missiles and the mother of all bombs will be dropped on the people of Baghdad in the first 48 hours. Pentagon officials have bragged “there will not be a safe place in Baghdad.”
We say, Not in Our Name!
In response to Bush’s ultimatum, Not in Our Name calls on everyone to begin MASSIVE opposition NOW to this war. We cannot go about our daily business as usual while bombs designed to flatten Baghdad and “shock and awe” the world into submission to U.S. might are loaded into planes. This war will be an outrageous crime against the people of Iraq and a blow to the very humanity of people the world over. We can’t wait for the bombs to fall. We must act now to show the world that people in this country repudiate this war and are doing everything in our power to stop it.
As Bush and his allies have made murderously clear, this diplomacy was never
really about disarmament. It was about “regime change.” In the name of liberating Iraq from brutal dictatorship, our own government and others plan to launch a full out invasion and occupation of another country. After the deaths of many thousands of civilians who will be heartlessly dismissed as collateral damage, Saddam Hussein will be deposed and a military dictatorship will be established in the name of bringing democracy to Iraq. But as the U.S. Government’s own state department reports make clear,there is no plan for any kind of democratic government (even after indefinite military occupation and rule by US generals and UN troops) because “electoral democracy, were it to emerge, could well be subject to exploitation by anti-American elements.”
How dare this President call on us to support this unjust and illegitimate war! This President who has put the United States beyond any international treaties; Who has declared all votes that go against his imperial designs invalid; Whose administration is unprecedented in eroding the very freedoms he claims to be fighting for; Who has detained people without trial based on their nationality and religion; Who is torturing prisoners of war being held in Guantanamo; Who has manufactured fear to herd people into endless war and a big brother society that George Orwell only dreamed of; Who is ordering the spending of billions for weaponry that will secure oil and, through death and mass destruction, reorder strategic regions of the world to serve a U.S. imperial order while people the world over will have to go without.
How dare this President ask us to support this unjust and illegitimate war in ANY way.
At this time when they try to stifle dissent and intimidate opposition by the loud drums of war, it is important to understand that the powerful anti-war resistance around the world, including in the U.S., has had a huge impact. It has torn the legitimacy from this war and demonstrated that the U.S. government is acting against the will of many millions worldwide.In these crucial few days ahead, we need to intensify this resistance.
War begun by governments can be stopped by people and the last few months
have witnessed the moral and material power of people who have organized this historically unprecedented international movement. We in this country stand with people all over the world in saying WE DON’T WANT THIS WAR!
As Bush demands that the world fall in line, as he threatens whole countries and people, our resistance must rise to new heights of breadth, daring, creativity and determination.
Another World is Possible and We Pledge to Make it Real
No War on Iraq! No War on the World!
Wednesday, March 19th
Noon – Work Party at Not in Our Name Oakland office (1611 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 530, Oakland CA 94612)
5pm – San Francisco Protest at Powell and Market
. Act Now As If The Future Depends On It! Because it Does!
6:30pm – Not in Our Name General Meeting, Oakland office (1611 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 530, Oakland CA). . Help plan for “Day of” and “Day After” actions
The “Day of” a US Attack on Iraq:
Noon – San Francisco Protest at Powell and Market
5pm – Oakland at City Hall/Frank Ogawa Plaza
5pm – Palo Alto City Hall, 250 Hamilton Avenue
5 pm – Peace Plaza, SF Japantown, Post & Buchanan
6 pm – United Nations Plaza, Vigil – with Amnesty International and various religious forces
The “Day After”:
All-day Not in Our Name anti-war convergence gathering at San Francisco Civic Center, beginning at 7am.
7am – Direct Action to Stop the War, Embarcadero BART
7am – Oakland Federal Building Vigil
For more information call: Not in Our Name at: 510-444-6466
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You Can Support Our Troops And Still Be Against This War

How can it be impossible to be against the war and still in support of our troops when there are soldiers themselves who are against this war?
It’s not. That’s how.
We’ll make sure that these soldiers never get treated like the Vietnam Vets did. That was horrible — nobody wants that.
But what we also need to make sure is that our government doesn’t treat these vets like it treated the Gulf War veterans. That would be a shame.

By Louise Kiernan and Evan Osnos for the Chicago Tribune.

Rob knew his mother was somewhere among those crowds. He saw it differently.
“I know my mom is protesting the war,” he says as he sits in the tent in Kuwait. “It doesn’t bother me. She’s doing it for the right reasons. She’s doing it because she’s worried about me and the other guys out here. So how can I object to what she’s doing?”
His views of the possible war he prefers to keep to himself, he says, but in an e-mail from the ship, he wrote: “A few of us do not agree with what is going on, and that there are bigger fish to fry (i.e. Al Qaeda). But … we have been ordered into this situation and no one is arguing that.”

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What The Shrub Is Going To Say Tonight: Courtesy Of His Speech Writer

I don’t have time to create individual links so here’s a link to the whole directory (including MP3s of Audio and low res video clips):
David Frum On The Shrub’s Upcoming Speech
Hey, who needs the Shrub when you can talk to his speech writer and get the lowdown from him ahead of time?
Also of interest is the hosts apparent indifference to the sensitivity of the situation…

Censorship On CSPAN?

I don’t believe what I just saw on CSPAN. Britian’s Robin Cook was giving a speech against the war when the feed was cut and replaced with a wide shot of the Capital Building and then a rebroadcast of Colin Powell’s speech from this morning.
I recorded it, but I’ve got to go to my Creative Commons seminar this afternoon so I’ll have to get this up when I get back.