Local artists, actors remember Iraqis, U.S. soldiers killed (NYC)

[Nambe]

NEW YORK (AP)

In the midst of anti-Republican National Convention activities, a group of local artists and actors began at sundown Monday a weeklong reading of the names of dead Iraqis and dead American soldiers.

The ad hoc group, which calls itself Iraq: Naming the Dead, read the names of 15 Iraqi citizens killed in fighting in Iraq for the name of every U.S. soldier killed, signifying the 15-1 ratio of Iraqis killed to American military personnel.

"It's dangerous to democracy for American citizens not to know what is being done in their name," said Karen Malpede, a writer and organizer of the event at the St. Marks-in-the-Bowery Church on Manhattan's Lower East Side. "We felt Americans don't know that ratio."

During the ceremony, several participants read the names of the Iraqis killed during the fighting: Some of the dead were infants, while others were insurgents. Some were identified only by their relationships to survivors.

A drummer tapped a drum once for each name read. Beside the lectern were about a dozen of the black caskets used in a protest on Sunday. ..

[burrowowl]

1. I hope they were heard

by people thinking the war is a good thing and hopefully make them pause and think.

[the Kelly Gang]

2. did they invite Ron Silver ?

[JSJ]

3. the actual ratio of us-caused iraqi deaths to us troop deaths...

...is more in the neighborhood of 700 to one- if you count back to Gulf 1 and the US bomber-enforced UN sanctions.

[leftchick]

4. great idea...

I hope this gets some TV airtime...well, one can always hope.