7/03/2008

IVAW on Independence Day - hitting the nail on the head

I just found this in my inbox and had to share it with you. It's from retired Army National Guard Sgt. Kelly Dougherty, executive director of Iraq Veterans Against the War. The full email is on IVAW's website, but I can't resist sharing a few choice snippets here.

Just a few days ago Independence Day came and went, and did anyone notice? June 28th was the day the US returned sovereignty to Iraq in 2004, and it should be a day of celebration, a day when Iraqis mark their equal status among nations, just as America did more than two centuries ago.
It gets a lot better.
But even when, finally, the Iraqi people are truly able to steer their own course and run their country as they see fit, I doubt that June 28th will be celebrated as a true Independence Day in Iraq. Would we be celebrating if our Declaration of Independence had been edited by King George III? What if Britain maintained troops and military bases inside our major cities? Would we mark the day this "independence" began with fireworks and parades?
(Emphasis is mine.)

Oh, but you don't think she's done yet, do you? Of course not!
In our Declaration of Independence, the government derives its power from the consent of the governed. We are veterans and soldiers, and we have withdrawn our consent. We ask you to stand with us to force our leaders to submit, as they should, to the will of the people and end this war now.
Preach it, sister!

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