It's hard to believe that five years have passed since the U.S. invaded Iraq. I was reminded of this fact by the protests I encountered on my way into work this morning and around lunchtime. In San Francisco's Financial District, various people were holding signs saying this was a nonviolent direct action marking the fifth year (anniversary seems such an inappropriate term) of the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Buses were rerouted this morning to avoid protesters. Around 1 pm I ventured out to the intersection of Market and Montgomery Street and saw a phalanx of police wearing riot helmets and holding long wood batons on Market St. This San Francisco Chronicle photo is taken looking west on Market St. Montgomery St. is to the left of the police.
From what I could see peering over the shoulders of onlookers on the sidewalk there were two groups of protesters in the street -- one group (just west of Montgomery St.) was wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods -- à la Guantanamo -- and people in the other group (some were holding flowers), were completely surrounded by police and were sitting/laying down on Market St. about 30 feet away from the protesters in orange. A Muni bus (the public transportation system in SF) was parked on Market St. and it said POLICE instead of the usual bus route and number on the front. I guess this was transportation for eventual arrests.
What I saw seemed quite polite and rather low energy. The protesters on the sidewalks were the ones with the microphones and bullhorns. The people sitting/laying in the street were quiet and the police were standing around looking bored. I don't know what the protestors intended to accomplish but if they wanted to end the war, this so-called direct action seemed ineffective and lackluster. I went back to work and by mid-afternoon, the protesters were gone, and traffic was once again going down Montgomery St. Here's the SF Chronicle's take on the protest.
To date more than 3,990 Americans have been killed in Iraq and more than 29,000 have been injured. To see the names and faces of those killed, you can visit this CNN page. It's quite sobering to scroll down and see the names, faces, and ages of all those men and women who have been killed by roadside bombs, helicopter crashes, grenades, ambushes, "friendly" fire, and so on.
But let's not forget the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians who have died since 2003. According to a 2006 Washington Post article, American and Iraqi epidemiologists estimated that "655,000 more people have died in Iraq since coalition forces arrived in March 2003 than would have died if the invasion had not occurred." These are deaths by violence, disease, and other causes. According to Iraq Body Count, which is often quoted by the media, there have been more than 89,000 documented Iraqi civilian deaths from violence from 2003 to 2007. IBC's figures are low because they only include documented deaths and many deaths go unreported by the media, government, etc.
How long will this war continue and how many more thousands will die before it's over?
Chuleenan
From what I could see peering over the shoulders of onlookers on the sidewalk there were two groups of protesters in the street -- one group (just west of Montgomery St.) was wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods -- à la Guantanamo -- and people in the other group (some were holding flowers), were completely surrounded by police and were sitting/laying down on Market St. about 30 feet away from the protesters in orange. A Muni bus (the public transportation system in SF) was parked on Market St. and it said POLICE instead of the usual bus route and number on the front. I guess this was transportation for eventual arrests.
What I saw seemed quite polite and rather low energy. The protesters on the sidewalks were the ones with the microphones and bullhorns. The people sitting/laying in the street were quiet and the police were standing around looking bored. I don't know what the protestors intended to accomplish but if they wanted to end the war, this so-called direct action seemed ineffective and lackluster. I went back to work and by mid-afternoon, the protesters were gone, and traffic was once again going down Montgomery St. Here's the SF Chronicle's take on the protest.
To date more than 3,990 Americans have been killed in Iraq and more than 29,000 have been injured. To see the names and faces of those killed, you can visit this CNN page. It's quite sobering to scroll down and see the names, faces, and ages of all those men and women who have been killed by roadside bombs, helicopter crashes, grenades, ambushes, "friendly" fire, and so on.
But let's not forget the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians who have died since 2003. According to a 2006 Washington Post article, American and Iraqi epidemiologists estimated that "655,000 more people have died in Iraq since coalition forces arrived in March 2003 than would have died if the invasion had not occurred." These are deaths by violence, disease, and other causes. According to Iraq Body Count, which is often quoted by the media, there have been more than 89,000 documented Iraqi civilian deaths from violence from 2003 to 2007. IBC's figures are low because they only include documented deaths and many deaths go unreported by the media, government, etc.
How long will this war continue and how many more thousands will die before it's over?
Chuleenan
