DON’T FORGET March 19, two years in Iraq BY SAM PFEIFLE

It seems hard to believe, but shock and awe is now a two-year-old concept. Yes, two years have passed since the Bush Administration sent the United States to war with Iraq because that country posed an imminent threat to our safety as a nation. More than 1500 American soldiers have lost their lives along the way, along with more than 15,000 Iraqi civilians. More than 11,000 American soldiers have been wounded; who knows how many Iraqi civilians have been scarred?

No weapons of mass destruction have ever been found. No proof has ever been proffered that Iraq indeed posed an imminent threat.

Despite demands from the likes of Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, there is still no target date for the beginning of an American withdrawal. The Bush Administration tells us that our troops will be there "as long as it takes." To do what, we’re never explicitly told. Meanwhile, the Ukraine this week announced that they’ve begun withdrawing their troops, and Italy announced on Tuesday that they’re likely done this fall. Even our good friends Poland have announced intentions to pull troops from Iraq.

Further, news that two US troops died in Iraq’s Anbar province, and that a young Iraqi girl was killed by yet another car bomb, on Tuesday sat lower on CNN’s home page than a headline questioning why a contestant on American Idol pulled out.

Yes, the US media are (shockingly) becoming desensitized and complacent, bored with covering the war in Iraq. Similarly, whether through frustration or depression, how many of us who were opposed to the war have given up in our efforts to make our voices heard?

You still have a chance to speak out with other like-minded folks. On Saturday, March 19, people will be gathering, as they have for the past two years and more, on bridges throughout the state to draw attention to their war opposition. In the Portland area, people will be gathering antiwar signatures Saturday morning in the Old Port before moving to the Casco Bay Bridge for a two-hour vigil from noon to 2 p.m.

You can find a list of all Maine locations where vigils happen regularly and are planned for Saturday at www.peacebridges.org.

In Augusta, people will be gathering for a Rally for Truth at the State House from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., then moving to Memorial Bridge from 2 to 4 p.m. At the State House, there will be a full slate of speakers, an open mic where you can make your own voice heard, your standard drum circle, and an attempt to completely encircle the State House with linked hands.

Without popular protest, our representatives will never feel the necessary pressure to end the senseless war in Iraq. Do your part.