http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/24511Iraq Moratorium
Submitted by davidswanson on Tue, 2007-07-10 23:26. Activism
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 21st & every third Friday
www.Iraqmoratorium.org
Over 60% of Americans want this war over-yesterday - that was clear last November. Yet here we are, seven months later and the political process is moving glacially, at best. It's got to stop! We've got to stop it! The concept is simple.
On September 21 and on every subsequent Third Friday, millions of Americans will break with their daily routine to take some concrete step to demand an end to the war and the return home of the troops.
This will be an escalating series of actions serving to maximize, multiply and reenergize existing activists and even more importantly give voice to the silent majority of people who want an end to our engagement in Iraq.
The hallmark will be the wearing of black ribbons and armbands, in mourning for all of those who have died in this senseless adventure--Iraqis, Americans, coalition troops, and others.
Beyond that, each of us can decide what steps we will take, individually or with others, on September 21. Together, acting where we live, work and study, we will create a mighty shout so loud that the media won't be able to white it out and the politicians won't be able to ignore it.
The Iraq Moratorium is not an organization. It was initiated by a small group of anti-war activists from very diverse backgrounds. We see it as a project that will strengthen the work of existing anti-war groups. There are no specific list of demands - each local group can shape and specify its' own demands.
We want the moratorium to serve as an umbrella for ANYone who is against the war - left, right, center or off the map!
Who's On Board
We have a fairly large group of leaders in a broad spectrum of different fields and politics who have endorsed the Moratorium. These include Susan Sarandon, Howard Zinn, Bill Fletcher, Cindy Sheehan, Reverend Yearwood, Robert Zevin, Mercedes Reuhl, Stan Goff, Eve Ensler, Danny Glover and many more.
Organizations, large and small are also signing on from UFJP to the Progressive Dems (PDA) USLabor Against the War, Military Families Speak out and many others...
Take a look: Go to Iraqmoratorium.org and click on Who's on Board
Then sign on yourself!
Creative Organizing - What You Can Do
There is only one way that the Iraq Moratorium will succeed in the goal of mobilizing millions of Americans to protest the war on the Third Friday of every month this fall. That's by calling on the initiative and creativity of ordinary people who are flat out sick of this worsening fiasco. There is no big central planning body with lots of resources and offices in every state to tell you what to do-what local slogans to raise, what kinds of activities to plan, which politicians to bombard, how to mobilize your kin and neighbors and co-workers. It's up to you, friends!
The Iraq Moratorium Committee can only spotlight the big picture, bring together people interested in organizing in particular localities and fields, and spread the news of good ideas and plans.
One set of projects has already started to take shape-particular organizing efforts in the arts and in various sections of society. Here are some of the initial projects.
Music- This is the most developed project so far, with a plan to cover the anti-war classic "War" at thousands of gigs around the country on and around the first Moratorium Day, September 21.
Poetry/Spoken Word - There have been many local and national anti-war initiatives among poets, and we hope that artists in this field will come forward with summations of what has worked best and what new might be tried to build the Iraq Moratorium. One idea that has been suggested is a poetry contest here at the Moratorium website, with a chapbook of the best poems to be published, online and on paper.
Teachers - The toll that this war is taking on our country's schools is enormous. Much needed teachers who serve in the National Guard are taken from their students for years or forever. Funds needed to educate the new generations in a challenging word end up instead funding the war effort. Students are lured by misleading promises of recruiters and impelled by a lack of skills and opportunity enlist and are soon deployed.
Students - Last school year saw two separate calls go out for a student Moratorium. Although these started at one or two campuses and relied almost exclusively on catch-as-catch-can internet connections, each prompted actions at over a dozen campuses. Now, some members of the new SDS have taken up the call for an Iraq Moratorium and are both seeking to have the group as a whole get involved and reaching out to other campus groups and unaffiliated individuals. Look for the campuses to rip this fall!
It is vital for students and teachers to take a moment out of "education as usual" to think about this war. While there are ethical and legal limits on what teachers can do in the classroom, there are many imaginative ways to spread the word. Some of the ideas that have come up include: Bringing veterans of this and earlier wars into classrooms, preparing lesson plans on the Constitution and the American tradition of dissent and developing sister school projects in the Middle East.
High School Students - Students of all ages can be active and effective by doing things like challenging their teachers to open up a discussion on the war. Using My Space and YouTube to get friends involved, talking to their parents about the war, and forming approved or unnoficial groups to plan Moritorium activities.
The Blogosphere - The existence of the Internet and the Web is one of the most important features making the Moratorium possible. A group of bloggers, none known to the initiators of this project, has self-organized and already played a critical part in helping build our website and in pumping the online rollout when it went live. Further plans include a lively presence in the Facebook/MySpace realms and on YouTube.
Labor - US Labor Against the War was one of a very few groups the organizers of this project approached before it went live, and USLAW's approval helped underpin the decision to move ahead. Activists in some unions are already making plans, like the folks in SEIU Local 1199 in New York, who are looking to distribute black ribbons at hospital employee entrances during shift changes on September 21.
The website has a whole behind the scenes organizing component. Just go to Iraqmoratorium.org and click on Login to join any of the online organizing caucuses, there is one for every State as well as for all the various projects.
Why Black?
We Will Wear Black Armbands & Ribbons to Show Mourning
* We mourn the death and maiming of our troops
We mourn the death and maiming of Iraqis
* We mourn the devastation of Iraq
* We mourn the damage in our own country
* We mourn the neglect of our cities, our towns and our countryside
We Will Wear Black Armbands & Ribbons to Show Determination
* We are determined to bring our troops home
* We are determined to bring our resources home
* We are determined to end this war
* We are determined to make our voices count!
Help!
If you think the Iraq Moratorium is a good idea - if you want to help build it and make it grow - please make a generous donation. This is a bottom up movement.
There are no fat cats, no corporate underwriters,
no big foundation grants!
The Moratorium asks every individual who signs up to take personal responsibility for acting each month to end the occupation. We also ask everyone who makes that commitment to take personal responsibility for helping to fund the Moratorium so that it will grow in breadth, participation and power. Together we WILL end this war and bring our troops (and contractors) home.
Please donate on-line through the Wainwright Bank - A bank that actively supports Peace and Social Justice work in the Boston Area.
Eve Lyman for
The Iraq Moratorium Committee
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