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SAVE SATURDAY (Sunday and Monday too if
possible !)
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Saturday, JANUARY
27, 2007
The huge outpouring of anger over the war on Iraq, attacks on the
Constitution and Bush administration corruption coupled with hope to
turn this nation around led to a qualitative change in Congress on 7
November.
If we expect success, our efforts must not have ended on election
day. Various Connecticut Groups will be looking to fill buses to
Washington on 27 JANUARY for the demonstration described below.
A BIG turnout will signal to our representatives to DO THE RIGHT
THING AND BE QUICK ABOUT IT! |
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Tell the New Congress: Act NOW to Bring the Troops
Home!
Join United for Peace and Justice in a massive march on Washington,
D.C., on Sat., January 27, to call on Congress to take immediate action to
end the war. On Election Day the voters delivered a dramatic, unmistakable
mandate for peace. Now it's time for action. On January 27, 2007, we will
converge from all around the country in Washington, D.C. to send a strong,
clear message to Congress and the Bush Administration: The people of this
country want the war and occupation in Iraq to end and we want the troops
brought home now!
Congress has the power to end this war through legislation. We call on
people from every congressional district in the country to gather in
Washington, DC -- to express support for those members of Congress who are
prepared to take immediate action against the war; to pressure those who
are hesitant to act; and to speak out against those who remain tied to a
failed policy.
The peace and justice movement helped make ending the war in Iraq the
primary issue in this last election. The actions we take do make a
difference, and now there is a new opportunity for us to move our work
forward. On Election Day people took individual action by voting. On
January 27 we will take collective action, as we march in Washington, DC,
to make sure Congress understands the urgency of this moment.
Join United for Peace and Justice in this crucial push for peace!
1)
Make a donation right now to support the January 27 mobilization and help
give us the funds we need to make this a truly massive outpouring for
peace.
2) Pass this email along to everyone you know, post it on blogs and
websites -- do everything you can to help us get the word out about
January 27th.
3) Make sure your organization endorses the January 27th mobilization.
Click here to add your endorsement.
4) Start making plans to bring people from your congressional district
to Washington on January 27. We will soon have a form on our website,
where you or your group can sign up to be the coordinator for people
coming to DC from your area, so you can meet up, coordinate
transportation, housing, etc.
5) Keep checking the UFPJ website for more details in the coming weeks!
You might have also heard that United for Peace and Justice was calling
for a demonstration in Washington to commemorate the 4th anniversary of
the war in Iraq on March 17. Because of the new developments and our
decision to organize the January 27th mobilization, we are now calling for
local and regional antiwar actions that weekend instead. We will soon be
issuing more information about the plans for the 4th anniversary.
For more information, click => here
Lobby Day
MONDAY, JANUARY 29
TELL THE NEW CONGRESS: ACT NOW TO END THE WAR!
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Join the Connecticut "Lobby
Day" Delegation |
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Please Register for the UFPJ Congressional Advocacy Day
(the
registration form can
be found at the bottom of this link => here
Bring
the Mandate for Peace to Washington!
United
for Peace and Justice
Congressional Advocacy Day
January 29, 2007
Washington, DC
January 28
Organizing meetings, Issue briefings, Legislative update, State caucuses
To
make the most of this opportunity, when peace activists from around the
country will be together in Washington, UFPJ has planned a full day of
opportunities for networking, organizing meetings and advocacy training.
The agenda is still being set but plan to join us!
9
a.m. - 12 p.m.: Organizing
meetings and strategy sessions on Palestine, defunding the war, G.I.
resistance, student and youth organizing, Iran and more
12:30
- 2:30: Legislative
update, advocacy training, update on Iraq
2:30
- 4:30:
State and congressional district meetings (get together with activists
from across your state to plan your lobby day meetings and to
lay the
groundwork for working together when you get back home)
Location:
Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School, 4301 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD.
Convenient
to the Bethesda Metro Station on the red line metro (please check www.wmata.com
for public transportation options).
January
29
Congressional Advocacy Visits -- various times throughout the day
If this is
your first time making a visit to your member of Congress, don't be
nervous! We will make sure you have all the information you need, and
there will probably be others from your congressional district to do the
visit with you. We do recommend that you dress conservatively (within
reason of course!), and plan on being polite and willing to listen. This
is an opportunity to pressure your Rep. and Senators, and also to
learn more about what they are thinking about Iraq, so you can get
information to them that will move them on the issue. We are planning more
confrontational tactics for recalcitrant members of congress for February
and March. This time, we'll be polite.
Appointments
for congressional visits:
We will coordinate appointments for visits to members of congress through
our volunteer state coordinators. You may be asked to contact your
Representative's office to request and appointment.
Volunteer
to Help Organize your State!
We need coordinators from each state to help build participation and to
make Senate appointments on behalf of the entire state delegation. If this
sounds interesting to you, please contact Sue Udry, email: sue at
unitedforpeace.org for more information.
We've marched against the war many times -- but never before have we
had such an opportunity to actually bring an end to U.S. military
intervention in Iraq.
The January 27 march on Washington is an extraordinary chance to press the
new Congress to take action to bring the troops home now. United for Peace
and Justice is also making plans for anti-war strategy meetings and skills
trainings on Sunday, January 28, and for a major grassroots Lobby Day on
Monday, January 29. We will send you more information about these
activities as soon as it is available.
This mobilization differs in important ways from any other protest that
United for Peace and Justice has organized, and we're asking our member
groups to mobilize in new and creative ways.
We want at least one person from every Congressional district in the
country to represent the peace and justice majority in Washington on
Saturday, January 27. So not only do we need your help in ensuring that
the largest possible number of people join us in marching on Washington --
we need your help making sure that every district is present.
We know that groups far from Washington, D.C. often do not have the
capacity to send people to national mobilizations. We're asking you to
make a concerted effort to do so this time around. Now is the time to
start raising funds to send one or more representatives to the January 27
march from each Congressional district in your area.
If you live within driving distance, begin spreading the word widely so
you can have a large contingent of folks from your area.
Visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=3437
for downloadable leaflets, plus images for posting on your website. In the
coming weeks we will be posting other organizing materials so please visit
the UFPJ web site regularly.
Plan to create and bring symbols of your community's peace and justice
majority to display at the mobilization and present to your Representative
and Senators.
Does your Representative or Senator favor speedy withdrawal from Iraq? You
might want to bring cards and letters of support from others in your
district, flowers, or even something hokey but sweet like peace-sign
cupcakes. Is your Representative or Senator critical of the war but
reluctant to support troop withdrawal? Stubbornly supporting Bush's failed
Iraq policies --or calling for more troops to be sent to Iraq? Make a
stronger statement by creating posters or displays that dramatize the cost
of the war to your community (using information provided by the National
Priorities Project at http://costofwar.com).
Bring large photographs of servicepeople from your Congressional district
who have been killed in the war. Gather large numbers of cards and letters
from people in your community calling on your elected officials to bring
the troops home now.
Other ideas for things to bring, no matter where your Representative or
Senator stands on the war:
- Images from Iraq of the destruction wrought by the U.S. war
and occupation and the suffering of the Iraqi people
- Copies of anti-war resolutions passed by city councils,
school boards, labor unions, houses of worship, or other community
institutions in your district
- Artwork by children in your community representing hopes for
peace and justice
- Big posters showing the strength of antiwar sentiment in your
community via polling data
- Photographs of people, places, or institutions in your
community that are hurting because so much money is being spent on the
war: the community health clinic that was forced to close; the school
that doesn't have adequate books, much less music classes or art
supplies; the crumbling infrastructure; the overcrowded, inadequate
housing
Help make this mobilization as large as it can be. The Nov 7th
elections showed the country and the world just how widespread the
sentiment against the war in Iraq really is. With your help we will remind
the new Congress of the mandate for peace. Start working now to line up
buses, arrange for trains, organize car pools, and do whatever else you
can to make sure people are able to join us in Washington.
If you have other creative ideas we haven't listed here, please send
them to me at lak@unitedforpeace.org,
and we'll share them in future bulletins to UFPJ member groups.
Visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org
for resources and updates on the January 27-29 mobilization. Together we
can end this war!
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