Apr 5, 2003

As the war in Iraq entered its third week, reports of casualties show the mounting physical and psychological toll on the Iraqi people and on U.S. soldiers as well.

WASHINGTON – Tens of thousands of students, union members and civil rights activists rallied outside the U.S. Supreme Court on April 1 to demand that the court uphold affirmative action to overcome racist discrimination.

Independent journalists in Iraq are providing coverage of the war’s human cost, challenging the Bush administration’s motives for war, and examining the Iraqi and Arab people’s response to invasion.

BOSTON – Led by a contingent of war veterans and military families, tens of thousands of New Englanders marched and rallied here March 20, to protest the Bush administration’s war against Iraq. The march and rally, organized by the Boston-area United for Justice with Peace, drew participants from throughout the six-state area.

PITTSBURGH – The knock on the door in the middle of the night is not a fantasy for hundreds of thousands of Muslims, people of Middle-Eastern descent and those who express opposition to the Bush war on Iraq and the Bush corporate budget.

News Analysis



In a statement released after the Senate approved a resolution setting the parameters for the 2004 budget, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney singled out the Senate’s 51-48 vote to cut Bush’s tax cut for the rich from $736 billion to $350 billion as one of a “handful of victories” for working families won during the Senate’s debate on the measure.

AROUND THE COUNTRY – / ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Midwest says no to Bush first-strike policy / MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. –Killing is not liberation / PHILADELPHIA, Pa. –Bush speech draws hundreds in protest / PITTSBURGH, Pa. –March for peace gets maced / DENVER, Colo. – Nuns face 30 years in prison for protest / BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –Profit by any means necessary: Health care robbery / EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – US Steel: Guilty as charged. Fined $250 million

LOS ANGELES – With chants of “Save Rancho” and “These cuts won’t heal,” over 150 community, labor and disabled activists, many in wheelchairs, marched in front of the Rancho Los Amigos Hospital administration building here recently demanding that Los Angeles County not close this important and specialized hospital.

LOS ANGELES – As California celebrated Cesar Chavez’s birthday, March 31, thousands of people – of all races and nationalities – in Southern California participated in hundreds of actions and events throughout the weekend.

CHICAGO – Illinois celebrated the life of Cesar Chavez as a fighter for peace, justice and workers’ rights March 31, following the passage by the state legislature of a resolution commemorating his birthday. The City of Chicago also officially observed Cesar Chavez Day.