* INVESTIGATE THE LIES * BRING THE TROOPS HOME * NOW! ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE http://www.unitedforpeace.org 212-603-3700
To subscribe or unsubscribe from these alerts, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email.php END THE OCCUPATION * INVESTIGATE THE LIES * BRING THE TROOPS HOME * NOW! TAKE ACTION ON AUGUST 6 - 10, 2003, 100 DAYS AFTER BUSH DECLARED THE WAR ON IRAQ OFFICIALLY OVER FOLLOW UP: AUGUST 27 GRASSROOTS CONGRESSIONAL ACTION DAY On May 1, 2003 President Bush, in a televised speech from an aircraft carrier, announced the end of major combat operations in Iraq. More than two months later, Iraqi civilians and U.S. G.I.'s are being killed every single day as our military tries to force an unpopular occupation on the Iraqi people - most likely, 6,000 to 8,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed, as well as over 230 American soldiers. The occupation's cost has skyrocketed to $3.9 billion per month -- $46.8 billion per year -- while total funds for reconstructing Iraq are barely over 10% of that (most of which is Iraq's money). At home, budgets for schools and important social services are being slashed. Meanwhile, a flood of government leaks and media reports confirm that the anti-war movement was right all along: The Bush administration lied about the alleged Iraqi threat to scare us into backing their war. TAKE ACTION: ORGANIZE A PROTEST AUGUST 6 - 10! On August 6 - 10, people throughout the world are already planning peace events to commemorate the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On those days, the United States became the only country in world history to use nuclear weapons, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Japan. Let's join those events and their calls for nuclear disarmament, and create additional events to hold the Bush Administration accountable for the lies told before the war and the chaos that grips Iraq right now. That chaos includes the long-term effects of radioactive uranium, which plagued Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the 1945 bombings and may be associated with dramatic rises in cancer and severe birth defects in Iraq. Please organize an August 6 - 10 anti-occupation event in your city. Tell us about it, so that we can publicize your event as part of the national days of protest. The event doesn't have to be big: It could be a rally, a town hall meeting, a vigil, a documentary screening, a religious gathering, a letter-writing campaign to your local press or representative, or even a few people holding up signs at a busy street corner. Or join an already planned anti-nuclear event and work with event organizers to incorporate the anti-occupation message. To tell us about your planned protest, please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] and list your event at http://www.unitedforpeace.org/calendar_gxinput.php We will have stickers available soon that you can use as tools for your anti-occupation organizing. They are bright yellow with a bold message: "BUSH LIES - WHO DIES? End the Occupation of Iraq, Bring the Troops Home NOW!" We are charging only printing and shipping costs -- $20 per 500 stickers (the minimum order). To order these stickers, send us your shipping address along with a check made payable to "United for Peace and Justice" to UFPJ, P.O. Box 607, Times Square Station, NY 10108. FOLLOW UP: PARTICIPATE IN THE AUGUST 27 GRASSROOTS CONGRESSIONAL ACTION DAY TO HOLD THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR LIES LEADING UP TO THE WAR The Bush Administration is desperately trying to contain the brewing controversy about its false statements regarding Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. On August 27, while members of Congress are in their home districts, United for Peace and Justice in collaboration with other peace groups will coordinate a massive grassroots advocacy/pressure day to urge our Senators and Representatives to support a genuine investigation into whether the Bush Administration misled the public with claims that Iraq was an imminent threat to the U.S. and its neighbors. We want open, thorough, timely, televised public hearings and an investigation with a broad mandate. We need the truth. Both Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA.) and Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA.) have introduced legislation (H.R. 2625 and H. Res. 307, respectively) that addresses some of these concerns (details can be found at http://thomas.loc.gov). Each has supported the other's bill, although Tauscher's is stronger in several regards - it calls for a House Select Committee rather than an independent commission, and it calls for reporting before the 2004 Presidential election. The number of co-sponsors of these bills has shot up over the last few weeks as UFPJ and other anti-war coalitions turned up the heat on Congress. If your group wants to join in efforts to influence your local Congressperson on Aug. 27, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with your name, organization, phone number, whether you want to organize or just participate in the meetings, and your actual capacity to set up and coordinate them. UFPJ is developing a grassroots advocacy toolkit for grassroots activists, including a briefing packet and advocacy tips. MORE INFORMATION About the Occupation of Iraq: http://www.occupationwatch.org About Hiroshima and Nagasaki Commemoration events: http://www.unitedforpeace.org and http://www.ananuclear.org/HiroshimaDays2003.html About Military Families who oppose the war: http://www.mfso.org Sponsored by United for Peace and Justice, http://www.unitedforpeace.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] (212) 603-3700. DONATE TO UFPJ United for Peace and Justice needs your financial support to continue our organizing work. Please make the most generous contribution you can today. You can donate online at http://www.unitedforpeace.org/donate or send a check made payable to United for Peace and Justice to UFPJ, P.O. Box 607, Times Square Station, NY 10108. Please forward this email to appropriate listserves and personal contacts. To subscribe or unsubscribe from these alerts, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email.php UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE http://www.unitedforpeace.org 212-603-3700 __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com [IMPORTANT NOTE: The views and opinions expressed on this list are solely those of the authors and/or organizations, and do not necessarily represent or reflect the official political positions of the Black Radical Congress (BRC). Official BRC statements, position papers, press releases, action alerts, and announcements are distributed exclusively via the BRC-PRESS list. As a subscriber to this list, you have been added to the BRC-PRESS list automatically.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRC-ANNOUNCE: Black Radical Congress - General Announcements/Alerts -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive: <http://groups.yahoo.com/messages/brc-announce> -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive: <http://www.escribe.com/politics/brc-announce> -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -------------------------------------------------------------------------- <www.blackradicalcongress.org> | BRC | <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
