VENTURA : 25 Decry War’s Effect on Environment
About 25 people holding signs and American flags staged a demonstration Friday in Ventura to protest the effect the Persian Gulf War is having on the environment.
One woman carried a sign that asked: “How many oil slicks can we endure?” An oil spill blamed on Iraq has resulted in 7 million to 11 million barrels of crude oil being dumped into the Gulf.
“The environmental catastrophe is being ignored,” Marie Wehn of Ojai said. “The outcome is going to be devastating.”
The demonstration was organized by Alan Godley, a volunteer for the San Francisco-based environmental organization Earth Island Institute. He said that if a permanent end to the war can’t be reached immediately, there should be a truce to allow the Gulf to be cleaned up.
However, the real issue is the nation’s dependence on oil, Godley said, noting that the country’s dependence on foreign oil rose dramatically between 1985 and 1989.
“The nation is willing to send people to die rather than car-pool,” he said.
The demonstration was staged at the intersection of Main Street and Mills Road.
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