More than 2,995 U.S. troops have died in Iraq.

By the time you read this, the death toll may have reached 3,000. We must bear witness to this tragic milestone, even though many people are already beginning their celebrations of the new year. And when we do take action on this occasion, we must remind others that hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children, women and men have also died in this outrageous war and occupation. Our call to end this war and to bring all the troops home now must be heard in every corner of the country! The killing must stop.

Here are some things you can do:

• Make a public statement on the 3,000th U.S. death with a vigil or other public event in your community. Under the slogan, "Not One More Death, Not One More Dollar," the American Friends Service Committee, which sits on UFPJ's National Steering Committee, is coordinating events all around the country the day after the 3,000th death occurs. If you cannot organize something that quickly, then do your activity anytime in the next several days -- the message will still be relevant. More than 200 events have already been listed and they welcome more listings. Click here for resources and event ideas. One powerful way to bear witness is to read the names of soldiers who have been killed. Click here to download a list of names.
  

• Ask people to wear black armbands or pin-on ribbons. The black (for mourning) background with the number 3,000 in white, could be a powerful statement of sorrow and of protest in the days after that grim milestone is reached. A sample of what this can look like is pictured above. Click here to download a black "3,000" armband you can print out. The idea is to not only wear a ribbon and/or armband yourself but to distribute these in large quantities to as many people as possible -- in shopping districts, on campuses, in front of government buildings, at busy mass transit stops, wherever there are people in motion. Many will be moved to have an armband or ribbon pinned on them. As they go about their daily routines, they will bear witness to the anger more and more people feel. This kind of easy-to-do activity can help bring new people into motion. Often, that small first step -- voting in a local referendum around the war, signing a postcard to a member of Congress, or wearing a black ribbon -- will help people think about what else they can do to help end the occupation.
  

• The Bring Them Home Now! campaign has made postcards, black for mourning, to serve as a blunt reminder of this grim milestone and to demand that our Senators and Representatives work to end the occupation and stop funding it! To reserve these cards for use in organizing against the war, email BTHN! now. The unit cost of rush printing and shipping 10,000 cards will come to a little over 10 cents a card. Please donate this cost (or more) to the BTHN! campaign so they can keep going, and if you can't yourself make use of the cards, consider making a donation so they can be used by others. (Note: Local groups can print out or photocopy labels with the addresses of elected officials from your area to make the cards easier to use.) Fill every Congressional mailbox with these cards. Let them and their staff know that the way to support the troops is to Bring Them Home.

• Flood your local radio talk shows with calls and write letters to the editor. The mainstream media might give major coverage to the 3,000 U.S. death and our voices should be heard. Be sure to always talk about the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed in this outrageous war. (Click here to find contact information for your local media outlets.)
  

• And, when possible, be sure to let folks know that we are taking our mourning to Washington on Saturday, Jan. 27th, for a massive march for peace. On Monday, January 29th, we will be meeting with members of Congress to make sure they get the message. Click here for flyers to download and distribute.