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Billions for New Orleans,
Not a Penny for War!
editorial / September
2005 issue Socialist Action
The hurricane on the Gulf Coast brought the effects of the Iraq War
home in a catastrophic way. The collapse of flood protection and emergency
relief was an immediate result of the diversion of resources to the U.S.
rulers’ Iraq adventure.
Since coming to office, Bush has essentially frozen spending on the
Corps of Engineers, which is responsible for protecting the coastlines,
waterways,
and other areas susceptible to natural disaster, at around $4.7
billion. These cuts parallel enormous spending on the war in Iraq and the
so-called war
against terrorism.
One third of the National Guard from states involved in the disaster
is in Iraq. The Washington Post of Aug. 31 quoted one local National Guard
commander: "‘Missing the personnel is the big thing in this particular
event. We need our people,’ said Lt. Andy Thaggard, a spokesman for the
Mississippi National Guard, which has a brigade of more than 4000 troops in
central Iraq.” Furthermore, a large number of local emergency
workers are National Guard members and in Iraq.
Hurricane Katrina has blown away the facade of the U.S. rulers and
exposed their ruthless drive for profit focused on cornering the world’s
supply of oil.
The Gulf Coast disaster is one more reason to mobilize for the Sept.
24 protests against the Iraq War.
We must demand that funds now used for the military and for war
operations in Iraq be used instead for aid and reconstruction in the Gulf
of Mexico region. The U.S. government must immediately return all National
Guard units from the region to their home states, so they can be
demilitarized and employed in relief and rebuilding. Bring the troops home
now from Iraq! Billions for New
Orleans and the Gulf Coast; not a penny for war! — The Editors
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