WITNESS AGAINST WAR 2008: From Chicago to St. Paul
August 6, 2008
By Rhonda Siebecker
Juneau County Star-Times
It was standing room only Tuesday evening, at a forum which Peace Committee president John McGinley hoped would “raise the level of debate” about the war in Iraq.
Approximately 70 people attended the forum on the Iraq war held at Hatch Public Library.
The event, organized by the Juneau County Peace Committee, featured Jeff Leys of the Witness Against War Walk and Scott Southworth, the county’s district attorney and Iraq war veteran.
Southworth said, before the forum, “I’m pleased we have something like this locally, a national issue and I appreciate the peace committee’s work on this. The opinions of people in Juneau County matter just as much as the people in big cities.”
Dan Pearson, one of the organizers of the Witness Against War walk, a 450 mile trek up Highway 12/16 from Chicago, Ill. to St. Paul, Minn., said they had received a lot of support along the way. “It’s very clear now that the tide of the public opinion has turned against the war in Iraq,” he said. “The turnout at events like these, comments from people and the honking (of car horns) and waving in support as they drive by. It’s tremendous!”
Mary Dean, another walker, agreed. “It’s been amazing,” she said. “The events have had anywhere from 30 to 100 people.”
“I think it’s been much better than I expected,” Pearson added. “I thought it would be long and grueling, but people have been so hospitable to us. Even those who muster the fortitude to stop and disagree. These encounters have all been very positive and valuable. We are listening. We do support the troops, in a much more concrete way.”
Forum highlights
McGinley introduced the two, informing the audience not to applaud, boo or add any other type of response to the speakers, so that the ideas could come forward without judgement.
He said the forum was being held to shine light on the affirmative and negative positions about the war and the motivation behind those opinions.
Leys, who has been to Iraq in peaceful protest twice, asked, “Where do we move forward in fulfilling responsibility to veterans and the Iraqi people?” He added, “It’s not a question of left or right, democratic or republican. It’s a question of right or wrong.”
He said top priorities of the United States should be “bringing the troops home and working for reconstruction.” He said, “Agree or disagree, we have an obligation to provide for those we put in harm’s way.”
Leys said a second deployment for many soldiers is planned for next year. “There is clearly an increase of post traumatic stress disorder with each deployment,” he said adding that our country should be “saying no to further deployment.”
The financial costs are hurting the United States, he said, adding, “This year, the Wisconsin taxpayer will pay 2.2 billion to fund the war in Iraq.”
He said that money could go toward education and healthcare. “The money is not here because we are spending it on a war in Iraq,” Leys said.
Southworth asked, if troops are pulled, how would the United States deal with the “power vacuum” that would be left behind.
Leys suggested an international peace keeping troop for Iraq.
Southworth’s comments
Southworth said he is not pro-war. “Everybody’s anti-war, unless they’re psychopaths,” he said, adding, “absence of armed conflict does not equal peace.”
He asked, “How do we achieve a peaceful, stable democratic Iraq?”
Southworth said, “War is a way to achieve peace. It may seem like an oxymoron, but it’s true.” He said the people in Iraq are “changing from a dictatorship mentality to a democracy.”
Leys asked how the United States is supposed to pay for the war effort and Southworth said, “In reality soldiers on active duty are paid anyway.” He said there are still equipment and other expenses.
When Leys asked what form of humanitarian assistance would be most beneficial to Iraqi citizens. Southworth answered, “An Iraqi police service, vehicles, body armor, that type of thing.”
Leys asked how long Southworth thinks troops should be there.
“For as long as it takes,” Southworth said. “I lost a soldier on Good Friday of 2004. I don’t want her death to be in vain.” He said he volunteered to serve his country.
“We wanted to be there,” he said. “The vast majority of us wanted to be there.”
He said a safe and stable Iraq is a strategic interest of the U.S.
“I don’t like the time table (for pulling out troops),” he said. “We might as well send a letter to (terrorists), saying, ‘FYI we’re leaving. It’s all yours.’”
Leys later asked “If we think US troops should stay, then how long and at what expense to the Iraqis and our own domestic programs.”
Southworth. “We’re spending less and getting more done. Since Sept. 11, there have been zero attacks on United States’ soil. “I’ll pay for that.”
He said the United States should “stay in Iraq and see it stabilized, so we can pull out slowly.”
Someone from the audience asked if the war in Iraq is a “poor man’s war.”
Leys said, after the Vietnam draft ended, the United States made a commitment to “never wage a war of choice.” However, he added, “We need to honor ever person’s decisions as to why they entered (military service).”
Southworth said, “If someone joined for money, they made the wrong choice. The college benefits are nice, but I have a hard time believing (people think) it’s a good job. It’s not a good job getting shot at.”
Another audience member asked how Southworth justifies our country going to war “based on false evidence,” such as no weapons of mass destruction, no connection with 9/11, etc.” Southworth said, “The conspiracy theory comes up all the time.
“To believe the president would lie to the American people just to go to war, comes from a position of mistrust.” He later added, “You should all rest assured that it’s a good thing we went to Iraq when we did.” See more in the next issue of the Star-Times.
