2,000 Too Many! Call for Peace Upon 2,000th U.S. Death in Iraq

ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
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2,000 U.S. Deaths in Iraq is 2,000 Too
Many! Organize an Anti-War Action the Day After the U.S. Announces the 2,000th U.S.
Soldier Death in Iraq

How many more U.S. soldiers and Iraqis must give their lives before our government
finally admits that the war against Iraq was wrong and it’s time tobring our troops
home now? So far, more than 1950 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq, and more
than 15,000 have been wounded. U.S. soldiers are at grave risk in Iraq, and continue
to suffer even after they come home. Troops returning to the U.S. are suffering from
post-traumatic stress disorder, and are even turning up in homeless shelters in
cities through the country. The risk for Iraqis is even more severe: Tens of
thousands of Iraqis have been killed in the war, and hundreds of thousands of lives
have been devastated, even according to the most conservative estimates.

Meanwhile, the war has meant that precious resources are being channeled toward
death and destruction in Iraq instead of into programs that could save people’s
lives and meet their basic human needs. If the National Guard troops and equipment
from Mississippi and Louisiana hadn’t been in Iraq, the Guard could have responded
more quickly and more thoroughly to the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina and
lives could have been saved. The U.S. is pouring more than a billion dollars a week
into the Iraq war that could otherwise be spent on health care, schools and
infrastructure here at home.

TAKE ACTION: ORGANIZE AN ANTI-WAR VIGIL, RALLY OR OTHER PEACE EVENT FOR THEDAY AFTER
THE 2,000th U.S. SOLDIER IS KILLED IN IRAQ

The sad day is coming when the 2,000th U.S. soldier will have died in Iraq. We need
to use that milestone to remind people of the human cost of the war and call for the
troops to come home. United for Peace and Justice supports the calls of our member
groups - American Friends Service Committee http://www.afsc.org/2,000/, Gold Star
Families for Peace http://www.gsfp.org and Military Families Speak Out
http://www.mfso.org - for actions on the day after the 2,000th U.S. serviceperson's
death is announced. We urge to you join the hundreds of peace and justice groups
throughout the country as we tell the President, Congress and the world that 2,000
U.S. deaths in Iraq is 2,000 too many.

* We will remember the 2,000 U.S. servicemen and women who have died in Iraq.
* We will remember the tens of thousands of Iraqis -- civilians and combatants,
men and women, children the elderly -- who have been killed.
* We will remember that these deaths did not have to happen, should not have
happened.
* We will call for our troops to be brought home now. Don't ask these men and
women to continue to die for politicians' mistakes and lies. And we want them
treated right when they return. Give them the benefits they were promised and
give them the help they will need to heal their bodies, their minds and their
spirits.
* We will demand an end to the occupation so the Iraqi people can determine
their own destiny free from foreign interference and control.

Some ideas for what you can do:

* Organize a candlelight vigil where you read the names of U.S. soldiers and
Iraqis who've been killed in the war.
* Organize an event that visually represents the number of U.S. soldiers who've
been killed - 2,000 candles, 2,000 pairs of shoes, 2,000 coffins, etc.
* Organize any event outside of the district office of a Senator or
Representative who needs to change his/her position on the Iraq war - a vigil,
picket, rally, or sit-in. Demand that the Senator or Representative face his/her
constituents at a town hall meeting.
* Coordinate with other local peace and justice groups, veterans, and military
families.
* Make sure that the media knows what you are doing and invite them to cover
your activities.
* List your event at http://unitedforpeace.org/addevent so we can get the word
out about these events and give an accurate count to the news media.


===========================================ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email