War protesters focus on Bush foreign policy

By WOODY BAIRD / Associated Press Writer

MEMPHIS (AP) — Protesters gathered on the one-year anniversary of the war in Iraq want the fighting to stop but have broader goals, too.

“This is not just about Iraq. This is about a new way of approaching international relations,” said Allan Lummus, 43, of the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center. “It’s a long-term project. Just because we leave Iraq doesn’t mean we’re any closer to changing our country’s foreign policy.’

Lummus said the United States should have a foreign policy “based on mutual respect rather than going in and dictating what other countries should or should not do.”

The Memphis protesters were joined by other opponents of the war who staged similar events across Tennessee and the nation.

Gathered before a large statue of a WWI soldier in Memphis’ Overton Park, about 100 protesters prayed for peace and accused the Bush administration of rushing into war.

“No Blood for Oil,” read a sign carried by one protester. “Stop Mad Cowboy Disease,” said another.

Debbi Gibson, 36, who took part in reading a list of names of U.S. military personnel killed in Iraq, said Bush has shown little emotion for the men and women fighting the war.

“He hasn’t been to even one of the funerals,” Gibson said. “We have not forgotten the soldiers.”

Though the Memphis crowd was small, Bill Sanders, 49, said he felt he was part of larger anti-war movement.

“I believe we’re making a difference,” Sanders said. “We’re letting people know there is an alternative world view and that peace is possible. But it’s only possible if we actively work for it, through voting and through activism and prayer. It’s prayer, contemplation and action. Those three things have got to lead to peace.”

In Nashville, about 50 people joined hands in Sevier Park to pray for peace. The group then headed to Owen Bradley Park where more than a hundred protesters were expected.

Matthew Leber, director of the Nashville Peace and Justice Center and an organizer of the event, said the intent of the “Pray for Peace” rally was to mourn those who lost their lives in the war.

“We’re here to mourn those lives and also to say no to U.S. occupation for corporate profits in Iraq and say yes to building a community” in Iraq, Leber told WSMV-TV in Nashville.

Protests also were planned Saturday in Knoxville and Chattanooga.