Rally marks 3 years after Iraq invasion

Connie Cone Sexton The Arizona Republic Mar. 19, 2006 12:00 AM

Her children may be just 3, 7 and 9, but Paradise Valley resident Caryn Garner regularly talks to them about why she opposes the war in Iraq.

There are more ways than war to bring peace, she tells them, more ways to save Iraq than sending in countless troops from the United States.

Her beliefs brought her out Saturday as she stood among about 200 other participants at an anti-war protest in Phoenix on the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Looking out at the crowd around her outside the Sandra Day O'Connor Federal Courthouse, Garner slowly shook her head, saying, "There doesn't need to be any more killing."

Draped in pink like other fellow members of CodePink, a women's peace organization, Garner and her pink-clad peers stood out among the crowd that rallied around a podium for speakers. CodePink, which was named as a parody of the country's color-coded terror-alert system, was joined by Arizona Alliance for Peaceful Justice, Veterans for Peace, Arizona Citizens for Election Review and Women in Black, whose members dress in black and often shield their faces with veils.

Saturday's protest demanding that troops withdraw from Iraq mirrored similar events around the world, including rallies in Times Square in New York and Trafalgar Square in London. More than 500 protests were planned across the country. As of today, more than 2,314 U.S. troops have been killed. A recent Wall Street Journal and NBC poll found that 61 percent of respondents disapproved of the job President Bush is doing in Iraq.

While much of the talk in Phoenix was devoted to getting out of Iraq, several speakers pushed the crowd to honor the troops who are serving and those who have come home.

For Tupac Enrique, a member of Tonatierra, a human rights organization, there is no better way to honor them than push for their return.

"It's an obligation for us to speak out," the Phoenix resident said.

The war in Iraq has a personal impact on Mesa resident Carole McKenna. One son and his wife have served two tours in Iraq. A second son is expected to go back for his second tour in August, she said, adding, "I'm just hoping that we're out of this by then."

Speakers at the Phoenix protest denounced both the Republican and Democratic parties for being weak in their efforts to pull troops out of Iraq. Longtime Democrat and former state legislator Alfredo Gutierrez bitterly shook a finger at his party leaders, charging them with being "gutless, fearless and cowardly" for not rising up with more fervor against the war.

Gutierrez reflected on the Vietnam War, when war protestors tried to spur the removal of troops. Ten years went by until President Nixon declared the end. By then, 59,000 U.S. troops had died, Gutierrez said, shouting to the protest crowd Saturday.

"I don't want to wait for 59,000" caskets to come back from Iraq, he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0318protest0318.html

Groups gather to protest war

Carrie Watters The Arizona Republic Mar. 18, 2006 12:00 AM

Many drove past without pause. Some honked. One man in a Lincoln held up his fingers in a peace sign for the anti-war protesters outside Sen. Jon Kyl's office.

The demonstrators on Friday said the reactions by passers-by offer a glimpse into public opinion on the war in Iraq.

"There's lots of waves," said Micki Hermansen, a Phoenix member of the anti-war group Code Pink.

But, she added, "We get fingers, too."

Friday's protest outside Kyl's office was just one of a dozen held outside the offices of legislators throughout the Valley. Just three protesters, one hour into Friday's demonstration, carried signs outside Sen. John McCain's office.

Demonstrators said they expect wide participation in today's rally and march through downtown Phoenix.

The End the War Coalition, made up of local anti-war groups, sponsored the events that mark the three-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

The protesters said Americans are reaching a turning point in support of the war.

A USA Today poll this week showed that a record 60 percent of Americans now believe the war hasn't been worth the costs. The poll, taken March 10-12, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

For Hermansen, the decision to protest came after feeling that just complaining wasn't enough.

Protester Mitch Rubin of Phoenix said his Jewish background influenced him.

"I learned early that evil persists when people do nothing," he said.

Dennis Stout of Phoenix said that he had volunteered to be a U.S. Army paratrooper in the 1960s. He lost faith halfway through his tour of duty.

Now, he worries Iraq will prove a harder lesson for the United States.

Reach the reporter at carrie.watters@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-6934.