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Global voices say no to war

It's not about oil. Right! Enlarge Image

Big Oil pushes the White House for a war with Iraq

Never has there been a better time to be an oil baron. The car-owning masses of the world pay whatever it takes to fill their tanks. The money flows so freely it can buy and sell even the most destructive environmental policy. And if interests are threatened, just ask your old friend George to rally the troops and march into war. We'd just like to ask: after US$200 billion and unknown military and civilian casualties, will the world be a safer place? Or just an even better place to be an oil baron?

Greenpeace volunteers entered Southampton's Marchwood Military Port letting off coloured flares and setting up a peace camp in the military tanks destined for the Gulf. Enlarge Image

Saddam Huggers?

"Yea I hope you sail that [expletive deleted] Rainbow warrior up to a US warship, and I hope they blow you to kingdom come, Have a nice Day." That's the kind of message (along with endlessly unimaginative variations) that we've been getting since we started taking action against the build up to war in Iraq.

Rainbow Warrior web editor Tracy trying out a lobster-like survival suit for an abandon ship safety drill. All this talk of abandon ship did not make the rough seas any easier. Enlarge Image

It's not easy being green

This is my first time sailing on the Rainbow Warrior and in fact my first time at sea. We are on a mission of peace opposing the march of the war machine to the Gulf. The highlight so far has been seeing dolphins in the surf not far from the ship. One small dolphin surfed down the crest of a wave just metres from the starboard side of the ship. The low point has been seeing my lunch in reverse.

Greenpeace activists from the Greenpeace vessels, Rainbow Warrior and Argus display a peace symbol on the side of two of the transport vessels -CATHERINE and REPUBLICA DE ROMA which are shipping helicopters, tanks, trucks and other military vehicles to the Gulf. Enlarge Image

The second superpower

On February 15th, 2003, history saw the world's first truly global anti-war demonstration. It didn't stop a fundamentally flawed war. It didn't make a US president who wasn't elected by a majority of Americans listen to the majority of world opinion. It didn't prevent over 10,000 civilian deaths. Yet that day has yielded real results, and the 30 million people who took time to say "No" to war sent a potent signal of hope: peace can speak with one voice.

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