CPT Iraq Team Report May 5, 2003, noon EDT
Lisa Martens visited a retired Iraqi geophysicist in downtown Baghdad. He
said that looting continues in his neighbourhood. Some vigilante groups
have formed to shoot suspected looters. Homeless people are also coming
into the neighbourhood looking for vacant houses to occupy. Most had worked
as day labourers, but with the continuing lack of economic activity they
are becoming desperate. There is no social security, pension, or employment
for them. He speculated that the U.S. had invaded primarily to gain a
closer proximity to smaller nuclear weapon states such as Pakistan, India,
Russia, and soon-to-be Iran.
Jerry Levin visited with a senior official at the National Museum. The
official said that press reports of the recovery and return of looted
objects are not correct. Nothing has been returned yet.
Sis Levin and Stewart Vriesinga went to the US Army Majors / NGO meeting.
Col. Stuart Gordon reported that the military had now set up the Iraqi
Assistance Mission office near the Al-Rashid Hotel. People can go there to
get maps showing the security status of parts of the city, locations of
operating gasoline outlets, and information on sites of unexploded
ordnance. Save the Children staff reported that schools are operating but
security for them is still poor.
Lisa visited the Sisters of Charity orphanage where CPTers had volunteered
for several months. The folk there are doing fine. Today was difficult
because power is still very intermittent and they could not run their fans
despite the 40 degC heat. She also met Charlie Lichty, who was a member of
the former Iraq Peace Team and also a Viet Nam veteran. He has been
delivering letters to U.S. soldiers encouraging their conversion to peace,
saying, "I am not casting blame on you. I know that you believe that what
you are doing is just and right. But this is not a just war." He has not
received any angry responses. Today a soldier told him, "I am totally in
agreement with you. Those five guys over there [im my platoon] agree too."
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