Outspoken GLBT advocate and political activist Ralph Nader unleashed a barrage of rousing accusations against President Bush and his “illegal, unconstitutional” war on Iraq during a packed anti-war rally at the World Beat Center in Balboa Park on Monday.

Nader joined other prominent peace activists, including Matt Gonzalez, an Iraq veteran opposed to the war, Nativo Lopez, president of the Mexican-American Political Association, and Pablo Paredes in calling for the immediate withdraw of U.S. troops from Iraq.

Nader received a standing ovation from supporters before going on to slam Bush’s administration for “plunging [America] into a war built on fabrications, deceptions and lies.”

He pointed to recent reports that determined “a colossal intelligence failure prior to invasion,” terrible planning after the occupation, and found that Saddam Hussein had not been aligned with Al-Qaeda or involved in the 9/11 attacks on America, as was previously implied.

“This is the first war we have ever been plunged into against the advice of so many retired marine generals, judges, retired CIA agents, ambassadors to the Middle East… They weren’t persuaded that Saddam Hussein was a threat,” Nader said, “He was turned into an exaggerated modern-day Hitler because it served as a distraction to all the injustices going on in this country.”

He accused President Bush and his family of profiteering from the Iraq war, pointing to the lucrative corporate contracts in Iraq given to Bush-allied U.S. companies. Nader also called for the president to be impeached for his catalogue of “high crimes and misdemeanours.”

“I don’t know of any other presidential family who have so shamelessly raked in thousands of dollars while our men are sent home in coffins. He can’t even equip the soldiers or put [armored] plates on the Humvees,” he said.

Nader went on to call the Patriot Act “the worst assault on American freedom so far” and appealed for the public to get involved with proactive opposition to the act, which is due for renewal in December.

Under the 2001 Patriot Act, individuals’ homes and businesses can be searched, their hospital, financial and even library records can be examined, credit card and other data can be obtained, and individuals themselves can be arrested and imprisoned for an indefinite period of time without trial or conviction.

“The Patriot Act can’t be allowed to stay in a country that calls itself a democracy,” he said.

Nader also labelled Bush’s administration “draft-dodgers of the Vietnam War” who “were for it but they wanted other people to fight it,” and he quipped, “The way they behave, no political satirist could keep up!”

Nader rallied the crowd to fight apathy and bring about the changes they want for America, and not rely on the same small band of activists to do the work for them.

“Democracy requires work, it doesn’t just happen,” he said. “We can’t just sit around and hand this country to our children and when they say, ‘This world’s in a terrible shape, what were you doing when it disintegrated?’ do we say we were too busy watching re-runs of ‘Cheers’? The priorities are crazy.

“The serious society, if it wants to pursue happiness, has to put the time in. Go to the demonstrations, join the rallies, contribute to the citizen groups. Don’t be turned off by people’s apathy. Apathy is just the other side of powerlessness.”

Several thousand dollars were raised at the end of the rally during an impromptu auction, which will go toward the nationwide Nader campaign.