NEWS opnewseditor@gmail.com Death Voll for US Soldiers in Iraq Hits 2,000 Number of casualties increase as protests at the White House continue * \ Nicole Burton, News Editor \ The official number of US soldiers killed in\Iraq since the US/UK invasion in 2003 has risen to 2,000 as of Tuesday, October 25. Less than a day later, the US Department of Defense responded that they disputed the number being so high, despite figures on their own web- site. The Iraqi Coalition Body Count website, which uses government statistics, also counts an additional six sol- diers still awaiting confirmation of death from the Department of Defense. While the U.S. government may dispute the details, there is general agreement—both among the war makers and those firmly opposed to the occupation—that the US faces a quagmire in Iraq. With recruitment quotas not being met, tens of thousands of US soldiers already serv- ing extended tours of duty, and a growing opposition to the war—both from a grassroots anti-war movement and within the US government itself—the grim milestone is helping many draw their conclusions about the remaining 150,000 US soldiers remaining in the country. A vigil began outside of the White House early last week, when peace activist Cindy Sheehan and others staged a “die-in” for the president to see. Dozens of peo- ple laid down in the street in a silent protest against the occupation of Iraq, a war that has taken the lives of 2000 US soldiers, and over 150,000 Iragis in two-and-a-half years. “There have been more US troops killed in the first two and half years of this war than there were at the beginning of the Vietnam War. It took four years to kill 2,000 Americans in Vietnam.” Sheehan first became involved in anti-war organizing when her own son was killed in Iraq in 2003. In contrast, the Pentagon’s response to the 2,000 has been that the occupation of Iraq has been a worthwhile. “Tt’s a cause that is worth fighting; it’s a noble and historic cause,” said spokesperson Bryan Whitman in a press con- ference last week. “And it’s one in which our troops understand the importance of the mission.” Jim Phillips of the conservative Washington organiza- tion, the Heritage Foundation, agrees. “I think Iraq has been transformed from a threat to the United States and its allies to a potential ally in the war against terrorism. And that’s a big plus.” Cindy Sheehan, among others in front of the White House last week, came to a different conclusion. “We have to get our troops out. Let’s do it before 50,000 more Americans are dead and before millions of Iraqis are killed.” US President George W. Bush declared an end to major military combat in Iraq in May of 2003. More US soldiers have died since then under the US occupation than had died before it. According to the US Department of Defense, there are additionally more than 15,000 U.S. soldiers who have suffered injuries in Iraq. For statistics on casualties in Iraq, visit: www.icasualties.org/oif/. Douglas Women’s Centre Celebrates Persons Day October 18 still recognized as step forward for women’s rights in Canada Nicole Burton, News Editor October is Women’s History Month, and students at Douglas College celebrated Persons Day, which has been recognized every October 18 as a milestone in women’s struggle for social justice since the 1920s, when women became “persons” under Canadian law. The Douglas College Women’s Centres are located at both the David Lam and New Westminster campuses. Both provide a number of resources and services, and offer peer support for women students dealing with the stresses of daily life like school, finances, children, relation- ships, abuse, housing, and legal problems. “At the Women’s Centre, we have space and facilities available for women to come and relax, and to be offered emotional support from their peers,” says Milada Schmidtova, a student assistant with the Centre. “Unfortunately, one of the biggest issues facing the centre right now is a lack of space.” The Women’s Centre in New Westminster has created a petition calling for a larger space in order to deal with the heavy traffic of women going through the facility. It’s been signed by hundreds of students over the year. But for Persons Day, organizers thought of a creative way of rais- ing awareness about this problem. Liz Wilson, another assistant at New West’s Women’s Centre, explained that, “On Persons Day we had an experiment to find out how many “persons” could fit in the New Westminster’s Women’s Centre.” While the room would only comfortably fit about seven or eight women at one time, “we were able to get thirty-nine women squeezed into a very small space!” Students came out to the event through an invitation aimed at raising awareness among Douglas’ female student population that there are services and resources available for them on-campus, including information on women’s history and the importance of working for women’s rights in Canada. There is a large need for assistance for a majority of students in BC right now, many of whom face rising costs in tuition and housing, and generally work minimum-wage jobs. Female students, especially, are looking for ways to get help-whether it’s with academic assistance, legal advice, child support, help with researching government funding, or simply peer support. “That’s why we have a couple of groups that regularly meet in the centre around some of these issues-including a stress relief group and an ESL conversation group for the College’s ESL students,” said Schmidtova. Persons Day refers to the 1929 court decision that overturned a law in Canada that prohibited women from serving as senators in Parliament. Under the law, women / could not serve as senators because, unlike men, they did [ not qualify as people. The Persons Case was the result of a long legal battle fought to overrule the discriminatory block on women’s involvement in public life, and, like the right to vote in 1918, became both a legal and political precedent from which women have carried on the fight for their rights. The Women’s Centre’s next event will be organizing for December 6 as the national day for remembrance and action on violence against women. Activities are being organized across Canada by various women’s rights organi- zations. For more information about Douglas College’s Women’s Centre, visit: www.douglas.bc.ca/women/.