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Dear
CODEPINKer,
"Never
doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens
can change the world; indeed that is the only thing that ever
has."
--- Margaret Mead
As
you may have heard, Cindy Sheehan resigned
from the anti-war movement. We want to take this opportunity
to thank Cindy for her tireless work to end this war. Cindy
never expected to become the face of the peace movement; she
was simply a mom who lost her son in an illegal and unjust
war, a mom who wanted no other mother to experience such a
horrific and unnecessary loss. We appreciate all that Cindy
has done for the cause of peace, and send our love and blessings
as she takes this time to rejuvenate and heal.
As
Cindy steps down, we need to step
up even more. We understand a lot of people are
feeling frustrated by the passage of the war budget, but now
is not the time for us to back off in dismay; now is the time
for us to redouble our efforts for peace. As Cindy herself
has said, "everyone has to find their voice and figure
out what to do about ending this war". Here
are some specific ways you can use your voice now:
- Call
your Congressperson and Senators at 202.224.3121.
If they voted Yes on the war budget, tell them how disappointed
you are in their vote, and how you expect them to bring
our troops home by the holidays. If they voted No, thank
them for voting for peace and say you are counting on them
to bring the troops home by the holidays. To find out how
they voted, click
here.
- Sign
up for our Summer Phone-a-Thon.
All summer, we are going to flood Congress's offices with
calls to ask them to stop funding the war and bring our
troops home. Through our Phone-a-Thon, CODEPINKers
across the country will set up small folding tables in public
places with a cell phone and a sign, and ask passersby to
call their member of Congress and their Senators. We'll
give the public some talking points and a boost of confidence,
and watch democracy in action! Sign
up here to take part in a phone-a-thon in your
community.
If
you're skeptical about the power of these calls, be sure
to read this account from Robin Schirmer of Chicago-area
CODEPINK. After she spoke directly
with her Congressman on the phone and encourage other activists
to call his office, Rep. Danny Davis, who said he was "likely
to vote Yes", decided to vote No on the war budget.
Robin writes: "I'm still new enough at this to be a
little awed by speaking with him directly like that. Having
lobbied in January (my first time) I had a mental picture
of his office, and how close he is to the reception area,
and that made him seem even more accessible. But even more,
it showed me the "power of one"--particularly
where that power is multiplied." Click
here to read the full story.
For
further inspiration, watch
this video of a recent phone-a-thon with CODEPINK
NYC & Granny Peace Brigade.
- Join
us in DC for our week long
summer trainings,
or a residency in our DC activist house. It's a wonderful
way to build skills and confidence to organize locally and
deepen your commitment to peace work.
- Support
other military families working for peace.
There are many parents who have become a voice for peace
after losing a child in Iraq. Carlos and Melida Arredondo
lost their son Alex in 2004 and have been speaking out against
war ever since. For the past eighteen months, Carlos has
been driving his truck around the country to spread the
word of peace in both English and Spanish; he has pledged
to do so until the war is over. Melida also talks to groups,
maintains the website and blog and handles press and scheduling.
To support their work, help pay for gas, travel expenses,
replacement parts and office supplies, click
here.
Melida
writes: "Carlos and I have
remained public in order to continue being a wake up call
to the people of this nation that it's time for us all to
unite and end this war. Whether you are a Republican for
Humility, a Quaker for pacifism or a die hard Democrat for
peace, as a nation comprised of many peoples, each of us
must work together to end this war."
In
honor of Cindy and all of the other grieving military mothers
and fathers, in honor of all of the people standing alone
on corners with signs for peace, all of the people visiting
their Reps' offices and joining marches and petition drives
and phone-a-thons, let's make a pledge to continue to work
together to end this war and bring our troops home by the
holidays.
With
ever-deepening commitment to peace,
Dana, Desiree, Farida, Gael, Gayle,
Jodie, Libby, Liz, Lori, Medea, Nancy, Patricia, Rae and Samantha
 PS:
Become
our friend on Change.org. This new site offers
a great opportunity to network with other activists and bring
CODEPINK to a wider audience.
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