From the San Diego Union-Tribune
ASSOCIATED PRESS
December 6, 2004

SAN DIEGO – A Navy petty officer opposed to the war in Iraq refused to board his ship Monday as sailors and Marines deployed for the Persian Gulf.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Pablo Paredes, 23, said he has opposed the war since its inception. Until recently, the weapons-control technician said he did not feel he had a direct role in the war. Two weeks ago, however, he said he was involuntarily transferred to the amphibious transport USS Bonhomme Richard, which ferries Marines to Iraq.

“I don’t want to be a part of a ship that’s taking 3,000 Marines over there, knowing a hundred or more of them won’t come back,” he said. “I can’t sleep at night knowing that’s what I do for a living.”

By Dr. Geert Van Moorter, M.D.
Medical Aid for the Third World
28 Apr 2004
Download the report in pdf format.

Evidence that child mortality is on the rise

The purchasing power, the food situation and the living conditions of the majority of the population have all deteriorated. Half of the active population has no job and no income. The prices of basic necessities, food and transportation have doubled or tripled. The quality of the drinking water is not being controlled, the sewage system of Baghdad has been damaged by the bombings, there is no regular garbage collection. Iraq has become one big garbage belt. All these indicators put together point towards a rising child mortality, a fact being acknowledged by the WHO representative for Iraq. It also brings Unicef to the conclusion that child mortality will probably increase further.

By Peter John Meiklem
(c) The Sunday Herald, December 12, 2004

Anti-war campaigners will be urged this weekend to target Scottish military bases with a new wave of “civil disobedience” protests that could see fences cut, runways invaded and aeroplanes vandalised.

Leading figures in the Scottish anti-war movement will call for more “proactive” tactics at a meeting in Glasgow over the weekend.

Activists believe an increase in “direct action” such as blocking roads and breaking into bases will discourage politicians from supporting future military campaigns.