Americans showed opposition to their administration’s plans to attack Iraq

WASHINGTON, February 27 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - More than one million calls have jammed U.S. government telephone and fax lines as anti-war activists resorted to an information-age form of protest against war on Iraq planned by the administration of President George W. Bush, organizers said.

"The outpouring of support for tough inspections to disarm Saddam Hussein, and against an invasion and occupation of Iraq got through loud and clear," pointed out Tom Andrews, the national director of Win Without War, a coalition of 32 mainstream organizations that sponsored the Virtual March on Washington, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.

The protest kicked off early Wednesday, February 26, when about 400,000 people, who had volunteered to take part, started calling the White House and the offices of senators and members of the House of Representatives to express their outrage over U.S. plans to launch military action against Iraq, even without formal UN approval.

In addition, they sent their written petitions over fax lines, making it difficult for Washington bureaucrats to conduct everyday business.

"Americans want us to work with our allies through the United Nations to contain the threat from Iraq," Andrews stressed.

As a result, the White House switchboard was jammed for hours -- as were the phone lines of many lawmakers, particularly those who voted last October to support a congressional resolution authorizing the president to use force against Iraq to rid it of weapons of mass destruction.

At the office of California Senator Dianne Feinstein, who backed the resolution, the phones had been ringing off the hook since about 7:00 am, according to her aides.

"As of 3:00 pm we received 3,043 calls opposing the war and 12 supporting, and about 700 calls to our district office," said Howard Gantman, the communications director for Feinstein. "It was an extremely large volume."

Some lawmakers were forced to abandon their regular phones altogether and rely all day on cellular connections.

War Dangerous and Unnecessary

The coalition had offered protestors a form fax letter, which said Bush's rush to war was "dangerous and unnecessary."

"Going to war with Iraq will kill thousands of civilians and soldiers, create an atmosphere that breeds terrorists, and divert money from programs that can really create a safer and more just society," the letter said.

The coalition Win Without War includes the National Council of Churches, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Sierra Club and other prominent civic group that support oppose a U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq.

However, a news opinion poll made public late Wednesday showed the protest -- like others before it -- was unlikely to make a dent in the administration's plans.

The CBS News survey indicated 65 percent of respondents thought the administration had already made up its mind to take military action against Iraq and was not seriously considering any other options. Just 31 percent said the government was contemplating other possibilities.

On Tuesday, February 19, Bush shrugged off massive anti-war protests all over the world, saying that a decision to go to war should be based on security alone.

"The role of a leader is to decide policy based upon the security, in this case the security of the people. Some in the world don't view Saddam Hussein as a risk to peace. I respectfully disagree." Bush said.

Massive anti-war demonstrations reportedly amassed more than 100,000 people in New York, as part of a global series of protests in more than 350 cities around the world from London to Cairo.

But Americans were divided on the urgency of the Iraqi threat, with 47 percent saying Baghdad could still be contained and 44 percent insisting the threat required immediate military action, according to the poll.