[UFPJ] July 4th - Peace is Patriotic!

[Leslie Cagan <lesliecagan at igc.org>]

As the July 4th weekend approaches, we want to encourage your group to
think about planning antiwar actions during the holiday weekend. July 4th
celebrations take place in cities and towns, communities small and large,
urban centers and rural locations.

Sometimes antiwar organizers have stayed away from these highly "patriotic"
gatherings, assuming an unfriendly response. But this year, given the deep
public sentiment against the war in Iraq and the very low approval ratings
for President Bush, it might make sense to organize something that will
allow more people to express their own opposition to the war.

You'll know what's most appropriate for your community, but here are
several ideas of things you could plan:

1) Organize an antiwar contingent in the official July 4th parade in your
area. If you do this be sure to invite as many people as possible to join
your contingent, you'll want to look as strong and as representative of
your communities as possible. An alternative to marching in the parade is
to have your folks line up along the parade route. If you do this you'll
want to be in a location that affords the most visibility, both for the
people in the parade and for other folks watching it, including the media.

2) Hold a vigil or picket, or set up a literature table, in a busy shopping
area. The July 4th weekend is usually a major shopping period with lots of
folks hitting the malls. Try to hand out educational materials, gather
signatures on petitions, or get people to sign letters or postcards to
their elected officials. Use this as a time to gather signatures on the
Voters for Peace Pledge
(<http://www.votersforpeace.us/>http://www.votersforpeace.us/) and/or the
Declaration of Peace nonviolent action pledge
(<http://declarationofpeace.org>http://declarationofpeace.org).

3) Use the weekend to get your message into the local media.
- Organize people to call into your local radio talk shows throughout the
weekend.
- Plan ahead to send in letters to the editor in order to get them printed
on and around the holiday.
- Call your local paper to see if someone from your group can submit an Op
Ed piece for publication over the holiday weekend.

See this work as an opportunity to talk about the war and how important it
is to end it now! Let people know about your group and how they can get
involved. And be sure to post the activities you are organizing on the
calendar on the UFPJ web site:
<http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?list=type&type=28>http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?list=type&type=28

We also want to call your attention to what promises to be a powerful
initiative being organized on July 4th by CODEPINK, a member group of
United for Peace and Justice. On that day they will launch an historic
hunger strike called TROOPS HOME FAST in Washington, DC. As they say on
their web site: "While many Americans will be expressing their patriotism
via barbeques and fireworks, we'll be fasting in memory of the dead and
wounded, and calling for the troops to come home from Iraq. We're inviting
people around the world to show their support for this open-ended fast by
fasting for at least one day."

You can fast with CODEPINK in Washington, DC in front of the White House,
or in your own community. You can fast as an individual, or organize a
rolling fast (each one taking one day) in a public place such as a
Congressional office, a recruiting station, a federal building or a
religious institution. And if you live outside the United States, they
encourage you to fast on July 4th outside a U.S. Embassy or consulate.
While the U.S. officials are enjoying their barbeques and festivities, we
will be reminding them of the ongoing suffering of Iraqis and soldiers in
this unjust war.

Fasters now include Cindy Sheehan; actress Susan Sarandon, environmentalist
Diane Wilson; comedian Dick Gregory; singer Willie Nelson; Dr. Bob Edgar,
General Secretary of the National Council of Churches; Dr. E. Faye
Williams, National Chair of the National Congress of Black Women; Colonel
Ann Wright; Iraq veteran Geoffrey Millard; Kim Gandy, President of the
National Organization for Women; and CODEPINK cofounders Medea Benjamin,
Jodie Evans and Gael Murphy.

For more information about the fast visit the CODEPINK web site at:
<http://www.codepink4peace.org>http://www.codepink4peace.org




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