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Iraq Moratorium Campaign
Initiated by U. S. Labor Against the War
(updated December 12)
Over 60% of Americans want this war over-yesterday - that was clear last November. Yet here we are,seven months later, and the political process is moving glacially, at best.
It's got to stop! We've got to stop it!
Iraq Moratorium #4 on Friday, December 21, is fast approaching.
It's a time to remember the families who are missing a loved one this
holiday season, especially those facing the first holiday of the rest
of their lives without their loved ones. And it's a time to remember
the troops who are away from home. It's the fifth Christmas with US
troops in Iraq.
It's a challenging time to organize for peace -- four days before
Christmas, one day before the shortest and darkest day of the year.
It'll be below freezing if not below zero in some parts of the
country. Most campuses will be shut down and students scattered.
But your response this month has made it clear it's no time to take a
break from our mission to end the war and bring the troops home.
The website, http://IraqMoratorium.org is filled with plans for
December 21 events. Every day brings new listings and creative new
ideas, from mall walks to caroling to the Texas Moratorium Caravan.
Check them out, as well as the reports from Iraq Moratorium #3, many
of which include photos and videos. They are inspiring.
But you don't need an event to take part in Iraq Moratorium #4. All
you need is a commitment to be a part of it and to do something --
anything -- to show that you want this bloody, senseless war to end.
Wear a button or armband. Call or email your members of Congress.
Put a sign in your window or yard. Give a donation to the Iraq
Moratorium. You'll find more ideas for individual action on the
website. Or invent your own. The important thing is that we all do
something. We have a list of ideas for individual actions, the link
is
on the front page.
The Pentagon never sleeps. The war machine operates 24/7/365. The
Congress, meanwhile, seems have dozed off. It is doing very little
to
end the war, and what it does do it does at glacial speed.
It's up to us to turn up the heat. This war's got to stop, and we've
got to stop it.
Thank you for your support and participation in the Iraq Moratorium,
and for all that you do in the cause of peace.
Wishing you a peaceful holiday season,
The Iraq Moratorium Committee
http://IraqMoratorium.org
PS: Thanks to those who contributed financially after our recent
appeal. We aren't an organization that cries wolf, but the wolf
really is at the door. Anything you can give -- as a gift to
someone,
in memory of a friend or relative, or as a simple tax deductible
contribution -- will be put to immediate and effective use in the
cause of peace. Please give if you can, and please be as generous as
you can. You can donate here: http://iraqmoratorium.org/donate.html
Thanks.
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The concept is simple.
On September 21 and on every subsequent Third Friday, millions of Americans will break
with their daily routine to take some concrete step to demand an end to the war and the
return home of the troops.
This will be an escalating series of actions serving to maximize, multiply and reenergize
existing activists and even more importantly give voice to the silent majority of people
who want an end to our engagement in Iraq.
The hallmark will be the wearing of black ribbons and armbands, in mourning for all of
those who have died in this senseless adventure--Iraqis, Americans, coalition troops, and
others.
Beyond that, each of us can decide what steps we will take, individually or with others,
on September 21. Together, acting where we live, work and study, we will create a mighty
shout so loud that the media won't be able to white it out and the politicians won't be
able to ignore it.
The Iraq Moratorium is not an organization. It was initiated by a small group of anti-war
activists from very diverse backgrounds. We see it as a project that will strengthen the
work of existing anti-war groups. There are no specific list of demands - each local
group can shape and specify its' own demands.
We want the moratorium to serve as an umbrella for ANYone who is against the war - left,
right, center or off the map!
Who's On Board
We have a fairly large group of leaders in a broad spectrum of different fields and
politics who have endorsed the Moratorium. These include Susan Sarandon, Howard Zinn,
Bill Fletcher, Cindy Sheehan, Reverend Yearwood, Robert Zevin, Mercedes Reuhl, Stan Goff,
Eve Ensler, Danny Glover and many more.
Organizations, large and small are also signing on from UFJP to the Progressive Dems
(PDA) USLabor Against the War, Military Families Speak out and many others...
Take a look: Go to
Iraqmoratorium.org and click on Who's on Board
Creative Organizing - What You Can Do
There is only one way that the Iraq Moratorium will succeed in the goal of mobilizing
millions of Americans to protest the war on the Third Friday of every month this fall.
That's by calling on the initiative and creativity of ordinary people who are flat out
sick of this worsening fiasco. There is no big central planning body with lots of
resources and offices in every state to tell you what to do-what local slogans to raise,
what kinds of activities to plan, which politicians to bombard, how to mobilize your kin
and neighbors and co-workers. It's up to you, friends!
The Iraq Moratorium Committee can only spotlight the big picture, bring together people
interested in organizing in particular localities and fields, and spread the news of good
ideas and plans.
One set of projects has already started to take shape-particular organizing efforts in
the arts and in various sections of society. Here are some of the initial projects.
Music- This is the most developed project so far, with a plan to cover the anti-war
classic "War" at thousands of gigs around the country on and around the first Moratorium
Day, September 21.
Poetry/Spoken Word - There have been many local and national anti-war initiatives among
poets, and we hope that artists in this field will come forward with summations of what
has worked best and what new might be tried to build the Iraq Moratorium. One idea that
has been suggested is a poetry contest here at the Moratorium website, with a chapbook of
the best poems to be published, online and on paper.
Teachers - The toll that this war is taking on our country's schools is enormous. Much
needed teachers who serve in the National Guard are taken from their students for years
or forever. Funds needed to educate the new generations in a challenging word end up
instead funding the war effort. Students are lured by misleading promises of recruiters
and impelled by a lack of skills and opportunity enlist and are soon deployed.
Students - Last school year saw two separate calls go out for a student Moratorium.
Although these started at one or two campuses and relied almost exclusively on
catch-as-catch-can internet connections, each prompted actions at over a dozen campuses.
Now, some members of the new SDS have taken up the call for an Iraq Moratorium and are
both seeking to have the group as a whole get involved and reaching out to other campus
groups and unaffiliated individuals. Look for the campuses to rip this fall!
It is vital for students and teachers to take a moment out of "education as usual" to
think about this war. While there are ethical and legal limits on what teachers can do in
the classroom, there are many imaginative ways to spread the word. Some of the ideas that
have come up include: Bringing veterans of this and earlier wars into classrooms,
preparing lesson plans on the Constitution and the American tradition of dissent and
developing sister school projects in the Middle East.
High School Students - Students of all ages can be active and effective by doing things
like challenging their teachers to open up a discussion on the war. Using My Space and
YouTube to get friends involved, talking to their parents about the war, and forming
approved or unnoficial groups to plan Moritorium activities.
The Blogosphere - The existence of the Internet and the Web is one of the most important
features making the Moratorium possible. A group of bloggers, none known to the
initiators of this project, has self-organized and already played a critical part in
helping build our website and in pumping the online rollout when it went live. Further
plans include a lively presence in the Facebook/MySpace realms and on YouTube.
Labor - US Labor Against the War was one of a very few groups the organizers of this
project approached before it went live, and USLAW's approval helped underpin the decision
to move ahead. Activists in some unions are already making plans, like the folks in SEIU
Local 1199 in New York, who are looking to distribute black ribbons at hospital employee
entrances during shift changes on September 21.
We Will Wear Black Armbands & Ribbons to Show Mourning
* We mourn the death and maiming of our troops
We mourn the death and maiming of Iraqis
* We mourn the devastation of Iraq
* We mourn the damage in our own country
* We mourn the neglect of our cities, our towns and our countryside
We Will Wear Black Armbands & Ribbons to Show Determination
* We are determined to bring our troops home
* We are determined to bring our resources home
* We are determined to end this war
* We are determined to make our voices count!
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