20. Scott Ritter, former UN weapons inspector, Minneapolis, November 2001.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, George W. Bush identified an "axis of evil" as the chief target in his administration's so-called "War on Terrorism." This "axis," Bush maintained, was comprised of the nations of North Korea, Iran and Iraq.

Almost immediately the Bush regime zeroed in on Iraq with an abundance of war rhetoric that was unquestioningly echoed by the U.S. corporate media, despite the CIA's confirmation that there was no evidence that Iraq had engaged in terrorist operations against the U.S. in nearly a decade. Furthermore, the agency was convinced that the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, "has not provided chemical or biological weapons to Al-Qaida or related terrorist groups" (New York Times, 02.02.02).

During a speech in Boston on July 23, 2002, Scott Ritter--a staunch marine and Republican--noted that: "The third Marine Expeditionary Force in California is preparing to have 20,000 Marines deployed in the [Iraq] region for ground combat operations by mid-October." The rationale for this U.S. invasion? Iraq's supposed capability of producing "weapons of mass destruction."

Scott, however, noted that during the seven years the UN was allowed to carry out inspections, Iraq had been certified as being disarmed to a 90-95% level. He also cited the "tracking" that has occurred since then which would have detected any procuring or manufacturing attempts. He therefore concluded that the U.S.'s reason for attacking Iraq is unfounded and unjust.

"The clock is ticking" he said, "and it's ticking towards war. And it's going to be a real war. It's going to be a war that will result in the deaths of hundreds, if hot thousands, of Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians. It's a war that is going to devastate Iraq. It's a war that's going to destro the credibility of the USA. I just came back from London, and I can tell you this--[British Prime Minister] Tony Blair may talk a good show about war, but the British people and the bulk of the British government do not support this war. The Europeans do not support this war. NATO does not support this war. No one supports this war. And the only way this war is going to be stopped is if Congress stops this war."

21. Kathy Kelly, of the humanitarian group Voices in the Wilderness, visited Minneapolis in early August 2002 to speak out against the Bush regime's plans to attack Iraq as part of its so-called "War on Terrorism."

NOTE: For further images and commentaries concerning the situation in and between Iraq and the U.S., see Part 2 of Gallery 10 - Responding to 9/11 and the "War on Terror."