'Cruise missiles have never created a free and just society'

Issue 

BY ZACK DE LA ROCHA

Without just cause or reason, without legal or moral justification and without a thread of proof that Iraq directly threatens the security of the United States, the US government has headed to war.

As I am writing this, bombs are raining upon the defenceless civilians of Baghdad in a continuation of a policy that has already claimed the lives of over 1 million innocent Iraqi people. They are people just like us who want democracy but find themselves cornered by a dictator on one side, naked US aggression on another, and the oil beneath their country — for which it appears they are to be massacred.

Lies, sanctions and cruise missiles have never created a free and just society. Only everyday people can do that. Which is why I'm joining the millions worldwide who have stood up to oppose the Bush administration's attempt to expand the US empire at the expense of human rights at home and abroad.

In this spirit I'm releasing "March of Death" — produced in collaboration with DJ Shadow — for anyone who is willing to listen. I hope it not only makes us think, but also inspires us to act and raise our voices. It can be downloaded at <http://marchofdeath.com>. The lyrics are also available of the site.

[Zach de la Rocha is a former member of the militant rock band Rage Against the Machine.]

From Green Left Weekly, April 2, 2003.
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