Press Release: Schansberg to speak at events commemorating the 5th anniversary of the War in Iraq

March 14, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Schansberg to speak at events commemorating the 5^th anniversary of the War in Iraq

On Wednesday, March 19^th, Dr. Eric Schansberg will speak at the memorial event organized by the Louisville Peace Committee and the demonstration organized by the Bloomington Peace Action Coalition. Schansberg will probably speak between 11:30 and 12:00 in Louisville (at the Jefferson County Courthouse)—and will speak between 6:00 and 6:30 in Bloomington (at Showers Plaza).

In Bloomington, Schansberg will be joined by the other two active anti-war candidates for the 9^th District seat—two competitors in the Democratic primary, Gretchen Clearwater and John Bottorff.

Schansberg advocates a “rapid, safe and complete withdrawal” of American troops: “This is in our best interests strategically. We should have imminent troop reductions and complete withdrawal within the next 6-12 months.”

Schansberg pointed to the immense cost of the War and its contribution to our growing national debt: “The debt will be paid by our children and grand-children. In the meantime, we have a weakening dollar and its contributions to a weaker economy and higher gas prices.”

Beyond the cost of the War in terms of dollars and lives, Schansberg emphasized it as a catalyst for further terrorism: “As Robert Pape’s book Dying to Win makes clear, suicide terrorism occurs when people who are weak militarily believe that their land is being occupied. We promised to get out of the Middle East after the Persian Gulf War. We didn’t do that. Al-Queda sees us as imperialistic occupiers of their Holy Land. And until we leave, they will continue to attack us—in Iraq and here if possible. The best thing we can do is to leave Iraq and the Middle East as soon as possible.”

Schansberg criticized Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN) in particular. “He votes for non-binding resolutions and his rhetoric is pretty good. But he votes to finance the War over and over again. So we know that he’s not at all serious about bringing the troops home.”

For more information, contact Eric Schansberg at (812) 218-0443, Melanie Hughes at (502) 432-1930, or send an email to SchansbergForCongress@gmail.com.

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