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UFPJ 'Stop the War' Action Update

Even the soldiers think the war should end now: A stunning new Zogby poll shows that 72% of U.S. troops serving in Iraq think the United States should exit the country within a year.


The third anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq is fast approaching, and people all over the country are gearing up to say no to war and call for all the troops to come home now. Over 200 events are already listed on our calendar -- and we know this is just a fraction of what's being organized. If you haven't listed your event yet, please do so now –- no activity is too small or too large to include.


Some highlights:

Walkin' to New Orleans:
Veterans' and Survivors' March for Peace and Justice
Veterans and military families are uniting their call for peace with hurricane survivors' call for justice, with a five-day march and caravan from Mobile to New Orleans. This historical event highlights the connections between the economic and human cost of war in the Middle East and the failure of our government to respond to human needs at home, especially the needs of poor people and people of color. It is being organized by UFPJ member groups Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families for Peace, and hurricane survivors' organizations (Save Ourselves, the People's Hurricane Relief Fund, Common Ground Collective, Bayou Liberty Relief, the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance, C3, and others).

Peregrinación por la Paz
Latino Peace March from Tijuana to San Francisco
On March 12 four outspoken Latino opponents of the Iraq war will lead a 241-mile march for peace from Tijuana, Mexico, to San Francisco. Latinos make up nearly 15% of the U.S. population and 11% of the U.S. military, with many serving in combat or hazardous duty occupations. This march is aimed at making visible and strengthening the growing opposition to the Iraq War within the Latino community. The march is being led by Fernando Suarez del Solar, who lost his son in Iraq; Pablo Paredes, who resisted being sent to Iraq; Camilo Mejia, an Iraq war veteran jailed for nine months for his opposition to the war; and Aidan Delgado, a conscientious objector to the war after being stationed at the Abu Ghraib prison. The organizers seek people to plan local events in the cities they are passing through as well as organizational support for the march.

Wednesday, March 15:
National Day of Media Action
Kicking off the March 15-22 week of activities against the war, media activists and anti-war organizers are working together to challenge media outlets to tell the truth about the war and report on the anti-war movement. Working with MediaChannel, UFPJ is encouraging a full range of events: calls to journalists and talk show hosts; letters to the editors; delegations to meet with editorial boards and producers at newspapers, radio and stations TV; mid-day and/or early evening protests in front of local media outlets; vigils, forums and speak-outs to discuss the role of the media and to plan for actions. Activists from all over the country and the world have already written to support the day of media protest and ask how they can help. The answer is simple -- become an organizer and media activist!

Thursday, March 16:
Young People's Resistance to Three Years of War
As the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq approaches, the war's impact on youth and students is increasingly alarming. The vast majority of U.S. troops killed in Iraq have been youth of college-age. Military recruiters have escalated their aggressive and deceptive campaigns in our schools, preying upon young people as the Pentagon struggles to enlist enough youth to fight a war based on lies. The war's soaring cost (nearly $400 billion!) has forced massive budget cuts, leaving young people with under-funded schools, diminishing social services and fewer alternatives to the military. But young people all over the country are organizing and fighting back! On March 16, the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition, a member group of UFPJ, is joining with our allies across the movement to call for a national day of youth- and student-led cultural resistance against three years of needless war.

Monday, March 20:
A Global Call for Nonviolent Resistance to End the U.S.-Led Occupation of Iraq
Nobel Laureates, Cindy Sheehan, Eduardo Galeano, Harold Pinter, Ernesto Cardenal and many others from around the world have called on people to engage in acts of nonviolent resistance to the war on Monday, March 20, and several dates later in the year. Events being planned for the third anniversary of the war include a march on the Pentagon and direct action at a Connecticut military recruitment center.

If you're not already part of a peace and justice group in your community, now's a great time to join one. Visit our online directory of UFPJ member groups to find an organization in your area. And visit our website for additional resources and event ideas for the third anniversary of the war.

Raising a loud outcry against the war requires resources -- and we need your financial support. Show your opposition to the war by making the most generous donation you can today to the work of United for Peace and Justice.

Thanks for all your support -- together we will bring this war to an end!


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APRIL 29
New York City
March for Peace, Justice, and Democracy
End the war in Iraq -- bring the troops home!
Unite for change -- let's turn our country around!


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ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
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posted by Annamarie at 3:27 PM