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/)
and/or the Declaration of
Peace
nonviolent action pledge (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 online calendar.
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 website:
"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 website. | 
