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"A Call to Conscience for the U.S. Congress"
January 16 to March 20, 2006
MLK Day until the Third Commemoration of the Iraq War
A campaign of
nonviolent action to compel our representatives in
Congress to meet the demands of justice and peace:
End the War in Iraq! Not Another Death - Not Another Dollar!
Despite the voices and actions of millions
of Americans, it is clear
that President Bush has neither the desire nor the wisdom to end the
war in Iraq - a war
based on lies from its inception.
As the death toll in this war continues to mount - having taken the
lives of more
than 2,000 U.S. soldiers and over 100,000 Iraqis - and
as the monetary cost of the Iraq war closes in on a staggering
half
trillion dollars, nonviolent activists must take the next step and
demand that our Representatives and Senators
in Congress who
approved the beginning of this war now bring it to an end. There is
neither victory nor stability
to be had in our continued military
occupation of a foreign country - only more death, more destruction,
more fear
and more hatred.
The National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance - which organized
the "Remember and Resist" September
26th mass action at the White
House and the November 18th "National Stand Down Day" actions at
recruiting centers
across the country - is organizing "A Call to
Conscience for the U.S. Congress." Starting during the celebration
of
Dr. Martin Luther King's birth, and continuing through the third
commemoration of the beginning of the Iraq War, we ask
that
concerned activists across the country join us in a campaign of
nonviolent sit-ins and related actions at Congressional
offices,
demanding that they vote and act to bring the war and U.S. military
occupation to an end..
As we recognize
the great risks and danger that civilians and
soldiers are exposed to in Iraq every day, so it is our moral
responsibility
to assume risks, through nonviolent action, that
might expose the injustice of this war and help bring it to an end.
Our
willingness to engage in these actions is grounded in the spirit
of nonviolence and love, with compassion and respect
for all we
encounter. But our nonviolence will not be mistaken for lack of
resolve. We will stand up, and speak out,
and sit-in, as needed,
until our elected leaders in Congress take action.
More materials will be produced shortly
for the campaign. We
understand that some groups have well-developed, ongoing campaigns
involving nonviolent direct
action at congressional offices, while
for others this is fairly new. We will share information and
resources, including
success stories from groups who have organized
effective actions, to help those just getting started to plan their
actions,
and to figure out their political demands of their
Congresspeople, and/or their message to the media. We do urge your
organization to get started as soon as possible, though, by asking
your Representative or Senator for a meeting -
the House, at least,
is in recess for all of January, so your Representatives should be
available in their district
offices.
We look forward to working with hundreds of groups across the nation
to build a powerful campaign of nonviolent
resistance against the
war in Iraq - please join us! For more information and to join the
campaign, please contact
us at www.iraqpledge.org
The National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance
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