Fil-Ams join anti-war protest in Washington DC
Anti-war activists carry placards and flags infront of the White House during an anti-war protest in Washington, DC, United States, March 20, 2010. (ABS-CBN News/Rodney Jaleco, North America News Bureau)
WASHINGTON D.C., United States - Filipino Americans from as far away as New York joined a large anti-war protest in front of the White House on Saturday, marking the 7th anniversary of America’s Iraq invasion.
Filipino American activists called for the immediate pull-out of American forces in the Philippines.
Kim Bagliere of the Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines read a statement near the tail-end of a lengthy program at Lafayette Park, fronting the White House.
She echoed the day’s recurring theme that President Obama wasn’t doing enough to deliver on a campaign promise to end the war in Iraq and bring US troops home.
“He is the same as presidents before him, spending our tax dollars on endless wars in the name of national security while people are anything but secure,” said Chevy Evangelista, a spokesman of New York-based Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan.
Bagliere denounced what she described as the string of broken promises to the Filipino people, including the injustice foisted on thousands of aging Filipino World War II veterans.
The Fil-Am protesters also called for the scrapping of the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement that govern the conduct of American soldiers in yearly joint military exercises in the Philippines.
A broad coalition of anti-war groups joined the protest, championing causes that ranged from the Palestinian conflict to the lingering tensions in the Korean Peninsula.
They assailed President Obama’s decision to send more troops to Afghanistan.
US presence in Afghanistan is expected to exceed 100,000 this year.
The US will reportedly spend $72 billion this year to sustain military operations in Afghanistan and another $65 billion in Iraq.
The crowd was visibly dominated by young activists but was joined also by American veterans of past and current wars and familiar faces in the anti-war protest scene that included Cindy Sheehan and Ralph Nader.
“Our country will continue to prioritize war at the expense of health, education and job security,” Evangelista explained.
Protesters carried flag-draped symbolic coffins to dramatize the heavy toll of America’s wars.
They marched past the offices of defense contractor Halliburton and investment house Morgan Stanley to highlight the alleged role of big business in promoting wars overseas.
An effigy of former Vice President Dick Cheney was decapitated and trampled by some protesters.
Another group of Fil-Ams joined a similar anti-war protest rally in Los Angeles, California.
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Aguinaldo Asks Why Fil-Am Vets Turned Gay
Fil-Am Vets,
President Emilio Aguinaldo and the Philippine Armed Forces under his command shed much blood when they fought the imperialist Americans. His prime minister Apolinario Mabini, along with other tortured Filipino fighters, were even sent by Maj. Gen. Arthur McArthur, Jr. to rot in what used to be a leprosarium.
They ask why you vets turned gay. A transvestite can't be honest about his sexuality, so how can you expect the Americans to be honest with you? If you sleep with the enemy, don't expect them to be men of honor.
http://freeasean.tripod.com
Frickin Liberals!
The US may come to a civil war long before we do in Pinas. Democracy and freedom will always find a way to prevail since it's everything we long for from tyranny. Unfortunately tonight, the power of the people has been silence.
You must have strength to have peace, it's the only way. Not to insult our arm forces, but they are lack of the capability and mobility. We need help not in ways to governed but to quell those radical groups who had roam freely for years, in which aim is to disrupt our ways of life.
Just a thought. The US did not start this fight, they did long before 911. As the prime minister of Israel once said, if the Arabs would put down their weapons, there will be peace. If Israel lay down their weapons, there will be no Israel. It's funny how some people take the opportunity to enjoy the sacrifice of others, yet they are incapable of understanding that freedom is not free. No gratitude at all!
Freedom is not free!
I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you," and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest that you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to.
Col Jesup
-A few good men-