Cheney protested on his home turf

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Vice President Dick Cheney returned to the Dallas area on Nov. 2. When he was CEO of Halliburton, he lived in the super-rich enclave of Highland Park.

As anticipated and dreaded by North Texas activists, Cheney came to promote war with Iran. He spoke at the downtown Hyatt Regency Hotel to the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. The daily newspaper reported, “Mr. Cheney said Iranian leaders must be stopped.”

Cheney also stressed his burning desire to continue the military occupation of Iraq. He told his Dallas supporters that the war had nothing to do with oil. There was another big moment that strained Cheney’s credibility even further: he responded to a question about Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez by saying, “The people of Peru deserve better.”

Two people who disagreed with Cheney during the question and answer session were escorted out. They then joined 80 of their co-thinkers, including 17 young environmentalists, who were enjoying a spirited protest across the street. The action was organized primarily by activists associated with the Dallas Peace Center.

Using a bullhorn, speakers made the connections between oil and imperialism. The topic of Peru came up outside, as well as inside the hotel. One of the protesters asked the crowd to oppose the upcoming “free trade” pact with Peru. He pointed out that the United States only invades countries who refuse to sign such treaties and summarized, “War is just ‘unfair trade’ by other means.”

The crowd cheered every time the “Iraq War Veterans” bus brought more protesters. For over two hours, they kept up a raucous chanting with such slogans as “Don’t Iraq Iran,” and “Another war? Are you crazy?”
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