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2,000
U.S.
Deaths in
Iraq
is 2,000 Too Many!
Organize an Anti-War Action the Day After the U.S. Announces the 2,000th U.S. Soldier Death in Iraq
How many more U.S. soldiers and Iraqis must give their lives before our
government finally admits that the war against Iraq was wrong and it’s
time tobring our troops home now? So far, more than 1950
U.S.
soldiers have been killed in
Iraq,
and more than 15,000 have been wounded.
U.S.
soldiers are at grave risk in
Iraq,
and continue to suffer even after they come home.
Troops returning to the
U.S.
are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder,
and are even turning up in homeless shelters in cities through the country. The
risk for Iraqis is even more severe: Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been
killed in the war, and hundreds of thousands of lives have been devastated,
even according to the most conservative estimates.
Meanwhile, the war has meant that precious resources are being channeled toward death and destruction in
Iraq
instead of into programs that could save people’s
lives and meet their basic human needs. If the National Guard troops and
equipment from
Mississippi
and
Louisiana
hadn’t been in
Iraq, the Guard could have responded more quickly and more
thoroughly to the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina and lives could have
been saved. The
U.S.
is pouring more than a billion dollars a week into
the
Iraq
war that could otherwise be spent on health care, schools and
infrastructure here at home.
TAKE ACTION: ORGANIZE AN ANTI-WAR VIGIL, RALLY OR OTHER PEACE EVENT FOR
THE DAY AFTER THE 2,000th U.S. SOLDIER IS KILLED IN IRAQ
The sad day is coming when
the 2,000th U.S. soldier will have died in Iraq. We need to use that
milestone to remind people of the human cost of the war and call for
the troops to come home. United for Peace and Justice supports the calls
of our member groups - American Friends Service Committee http://www.afsc.org/2000/, Gold Star Families for
Peace http://www.gsfp.org
and Military
Families Speak Out http://www.mfso.org
- for actions on the day after the 2,000th
U.S.
serviceperson's death is announced. We urge to you
join the hundreds of peace and justice groups throughout the country as we tell
the President, Congress and the world that 2,000 U.S. deaths in Iraq is 2,000 too
many.
- We will remember the 2,000 U.S. servicemen and women who have died in Iraq.
- We will remember the tens of thousands of Iraqis -- civilians
and combatants, men and women, children the elderly -- who have been
killed.
- We will remember that these deaths did not have to happen, should not have happened.
- We will call for our troops to be brought home now. Don't ask
these men and women to continue to die for politicians' mistakes and
lies. And we want them treated right when they return. Give them the
benefits they were promised and give them the help they will need to
heal their bodies, their minds and their spirits.
- We will demand an end to the occupation so the Iraqi people
can determine their own destiny free from foreign interference and
control.
Some ideas for what you can do:
- Organize a candlelight vigil where you read the names of U.S. soldiers and Iraqis who've been killed in the war.
- Organize an event that visually represents the number of U.S.
soldiers who've been killed - 2,000 candles, 2,000 pairs of shoes,
2,000 coffins, etc.
- Organize any event outside of the district office of a
Senator or Representative who needs to change his/her position on the
Iraq war - a vigil, picket, rally, or sit-in. Demand that the Senator
or Representative face his/her constituents at a town hall meeting.
- Coordinate with other local peace and justice groups, veterans, and military families.
- Make sure that the media knows what you are doing and invite them to cover your activities.
- Whether
you're just attending an event or organizing it, list your event on the AFSC web site (http://www.afsc.org/2000). With these listings, we can get the word out about these events and give an accurate count to the news media.
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