Call the Capitol Switchboard TODAY! 202-224-3121

Tell your Senators and Representative to use their power to end the war!

Photo: Diane Lent

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January 27th was an extraordinary outpouring for peace in Washington DC and in communities all around the country. On Saturday, the National Mall was filled with the voices of 500,000 people committed to doing their part to end the war in Iraq and bring all of the troops home. And the energy in this massive turnout was electric.

Today, at least 1,000 people will bring that energy and conviction into the offices of Congressional representatives from 47 states. This promises to be one of the largest lobby days in decades, and caps an amazing weekend in the nation's Capitol.

Join us by calling your members of Congress today, and telling them that the delegations coming to their offices today speak for you! We are demanding that Congress use its power to end the war and occupation in Iraq, to bring the troops home and to take care of them when they get here, and to make restitution for the destruction of Iraq. Call the Capitol Switchboard -- 202-224-3121 -- and ask to to be connected to your representatives' offices. Click here to find who your members of the new Congress are.

January 27th began with an energizing rally on the National Mall and, with the Capitol building as the backdrop, the message of the day was crystal clear. It is time for Congress to use its Constitutional powers and to act on the mandate of the November elections -- it is time for Congress to stand up to Bush and end this war. But the rally was just the beginning.

And then, hundreds of thousands of people marched around the Capitol. If you have never been to Washington, it might be hard to imagine what this looks like, but this is a very large area. As far as we know, this is the first time -- ever -- that any protest has surrounded the Capitol. On top of that, the U.S. Capitol Police, over the weeks leading up to the march, had refused to grant our permit request to do just that, telling us we had to take another route. But when we brought 500,000 people and several members of Congress -- they had to change their minds. In the end, with no incidents, we marched around the Capitol! By the time the front of the march got back to the starting point, the last of the marchers were just leaving the rally site -- we had completed the circle.

There is much more to say about this powerful demonstration, and later this week we will issue a fuller report. And you can help us tell this story. If you have photos or video of this extraordinary day, please upload them via the links on our website and share them with others.

If you have reports from any of the more than 100 demonstrations that took place around the country, please send those to us at grassroots@unitedforpeace.org. From what we've heard already, we know that calls for peace echoed all across the country. We want to hear more, and we want to share those stories.

Finally, we want to thank all of you who've made financial contributions to this effort. Without that support none of this would have been possible. And now, as we prepare for the next steps in our work, we turn to you again. Please do what you can -- today -- to help us ensure that we have the financial wherewithal to keep moving forward. Thanks so much.