In the fall of 2002, hundreds of us in the Penn Community joined millions worldwide in protesting the impending war in Iraq. Everything we said then was true: Iraq did not pose a threat to its neighbors or to the US and a unilateral invasion would violate international law; Iraq had been decimated by sanctions; UN Weapons Inspectors found no evidence of WMD's; Iraq had no role whatsoever in the attacks on 9/11; a U.S. invasion and occupation would ignite factional conflict in Iraq and not magically lead to peace or democracy in the Middle East. Penn faculty, staff and students continue to express our moral opposition to the war on Iraq.
1) Since 2003, at least 35,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed.
An accurate count is impossible, because the Administration decided not to keep track of Iraqi casualties. Estimates of citizen casualities range from 35,000 to 100,000. See Iraq Body Count and Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
2) Since 2003, at least 2,370 US soldiers have been killed; over 17,000 injured.
See Iraq Coalition Casualty Count
3) Since 2003, over 4,400 Iraqis soldiers and police officers have been killed.
See Iraq Coalition Casualty Count: Iraqi Deaths
4) 50% of Iraqi children suffer from some form of malnourishment and 1 child in 10 is also suffering from chronic disease or illness.
See "Iraq -- Middle East: Street children face hunger and abuse", UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 26 December 2005; and "News Digest" MEED: Middle East Economic Digest April 1, 2005, Vol. 49 Issue 13, p3-3, 1/2p
5) Iraq's cancer and birth defects rates have skyrocketed since the invasion.
See "After the War Comes Cancer", Deutsche Welle, March 9, 2005.
6) Over 30% of returning US soldiers need mental health treatment.
See "One Third Of Iraq Veterans With Mental Health Problems", Medical News Today, March 1, 2006.
7) 72% of all returning solders want the US out of Iraq.
See LeMoyne College/Zogby Poll, summarized in "U.S. Troops in Iraq: 72% Say End War in 2006", Zogby International, Feb. 28, 2006.
8) 85% of Iraqis want the US out of Iraq.
See "WPO Poll: Iraqi Public Wants Timetable for US Withdrawal, But Thinks US Plans Permanent Bases in Iraq", World Public Opinion, Jan. 31, 2006.
9) The Bush administration lied repeatedly before, during and after the war.
See, for example, the most recent revelation of duplicity: "Lacking Biolabs, Trailers Carried Case for War: Administration Pushed Notion of Banned Iraqi Weapons Despite Evidence to Contrary", Washington Post, April 12, 2006.
10) Over 3,000 tons of depleted uranium have been fired on Iraq. DU will cause cancer and birth defects for centuries.
See "Iraq Veterans Poisoned by Depleted Uranium", Ecologist, Oct. 2005, Vol. 35 Issue 8, p 9-9, 3/8p, 1c; "In Fact... Depleted Uranium Toll in Iraq", The Nation; Aug. 1, 2005, Vol. 281 Issue 4, p 10-10, 1/2p; and "Before the Dust Settles," New Scientist, April 19, 2003, Vol. 178 Issue 2391, p3, 1/2p. Cf. State to study depleted uranium: Battlefield residue from U.S. weapons spurs cancer fears, The Olympian, March 15, 2006.
The current cost of the Iraq war is: (JavaScript Error).
For more details, see nationalpriorities.org.
(Organizations are given for purposes of identification only.)
Penn Faculty & Staff
Against War on Iraq