Dear Friends,

The President's State of the Union address is just six days away (January 31), but it's not too late to throw a house party.

We have already heard from folks from coast to coast - from New York to California, in Missouri, Idaho, Ohio and several other states – who are organizing State of the Union gatherings.

State of the Union parties are a great opportunity to raise funds for your local organizing work and United for Peace and Justice. Our "Parties for Peace" kit offers lots of tips on hosting a successful event. We hope that you will find this kit useful, and that it will help you to develop the financial resources to support your local organizing work, help you draw newcomers into the peace and justice movement, and help raise money to support the work of UFPJ, so that we can better support our member groups.

UFPJ, several of our member groups, and allies have also put together a number of party games, discussion guides, and other materials that you can use for your party. Some are irreverent, some are serious, some are downright raucous -- choose the activities that you think will resonate most strongly with your guests.

"Track the Lies" Tally Sheet from United for Peace and Justice
Print out copies of this sheet for each of your party guests and have them jot down notes throughout the speech. The process of tallying and comparing afterward should generate a great discussion -- and the person who identifies the greatest number of lies, manipulations of fact, half-truths, and other distortions in Bush's speech wins.

CodePink State of the Union "Liars Bingo"
It's not really competitive -- there are only two cards -- but with its colorful graphics and cheeky tone, this bingo game from UFPJ member group CodePink will keep your guests howling with laughter.

National Priorities Project: Local Costs of the Iraq War
This guide from the National Priorities Project offers a breakdown of what the Iraq war is costing local communities across the country. Look up your locale before the State of the Union address, and ask your party guests to guess the figure.

United for Peace & Justice Legislative Action Team
Information and resources for groups and individuals who want to become active in pressuring their legislators to take action against the war.

AFSC's "Ten Reasons Why the U.S. Must Leave Iraq"
A cogent and comprehensive summary of why we should bring all the troops home now from the American Friends Service Committee, a member group of UFPJ -- a great resource to share with your party guests.

Sojourners and Call to Renewal "The State of Our Values" Tookit
Party planning tips and discussion guide from a progressive faith-based perspective.

Huffington Post State of the Union Games
"Guess the Guest," "Beat the Speaker!" and a presidential speech drinking game.

State of the Union Drinking Games: Version One | Version Two
A political version of the classic drinking game; 2006 rules to be posted soon.

If you have the stomach for it, you might also check out the official George W. Bush party packs -- and then order a stack of "Bush Lies, Who Dies?" posters from UFPJ!

If you're holding a public State of the Union event, please don't forget to list your activities on the calendar on the UFPJ website.

Yours, for peace and justice,

National Staff – United for Peace & Justice