Military Families Activities in the Holiday Season

Dear Members of Military Families Speak Out,

Once again the holiday season is upon us, and still the war in Iraq rages on.

Once again we are thinking of all of you at this difficult time -- families with
loved ones in Iraq right now who won't be at your holiday table, families with loved
ones who will never again sit at your holiday table, families who are away from home
at the bedside of your loved one who has been injured, families whose loved ones are
home but suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, families with loved ones
waiting to deploy or re-deploy. Our hearts go out to all of you.

And once again, Military Families Speak Out members are writing in with ideas of
what they are doing to carry forth the "Bring Them Home Now and Take Care of Them
When They Get Here" message this holiday season. We'd like to share just a few of
those ideas:

a.. Putting the message "Bring 'Em Home Now!" in lights and making that their
outside lighting decoration for the holidays
b.. Planning special events and press conferences around December 13th, 2005 --
the 1,000th day of the war in Iraq. Here are some examples
a.. In Ohio, on December 10th MFSO members will be holding a public event where
they will be displaying several combat boots representing troops currently in
Iraq whose lives are at risk because of this war. If the war goes on, these
boots will soon have name tags on them and they will be added to the "Eyes Wide
Open" exhibit honoring those who have fallen. The group has invited Members of
Congress from Ohio who have not spoken up to end the war and bring the troops
home -- and has asked them to share the name of an Ohio troop they are willing
to sacrifice in the on-going war in Iraq. If these Members can not offer such a
name, the group is asking what they will do personally to stop this war. While
they do not expect these Members of Congress to actually attend, there will be
chairs for them, with their names on them, for the media and the public to see.
b.. In Washington State, on December 14th, MFSO members will holding a "Home for
the Holidays -- Home for Good" press conference and collecting signatures on a
"Home for the Holidays" petition -- and then having a meeting with and
delivering petitions to the office of a Member of Congress who serves on the
House Armed Services Committee. The messages of this event include: "December
14th is the 1,001st day of the war in Iraq -- 1,001 days too many" and "Support
the troops -- end the war!"
c.. Use the opportunity of sending holiday greetings to raise awareness and
increase activism around "Bringing Them Home Now and Taking Care of Them When They
Get Here"
a.. An MFSO member in Massachusetts will be including a message about supporting
our troops by Bringing Them Home Now and Taking Care of Them When They Get Here
in her holiday greetings to family and friends -- as she says, something that
really communicates the true meaning of Peace on Earth. In her greeting she is
looking at including a stamped postcard to a Congressional representative and
Senators with that message so that those receiving her holiday greeting could
the message on themselves. She is also considering enclosing the text of
Congressman Murtha's November 17th speech
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/pa12_murtha/statement_051117iraq.html in
her holiday greetings.
If you have holiday ideas that you'd like to share, send them in to mfso [at] mfso.org --
we will soon be making a section of the website (http://www.mfso.org) devoted to activities
MFSO members are engaging in around the holidays. Send digital pictures for the
website if you have them.

For those areas where there are MFSO Chapters -- or Chapters in formation -- let us
know what your Chapter is planning. If you would like more information about MFSO
Chapters (to find one in your area, or to help start one) -- contact MFSO Staff:
Nikki Morse at nikki [at] mfso.org is assisting with Chapters in the Eastern U.S. and
Rosemary Candelario at rosemary [at] mfso.org is assisting with Chapters in the Western
U.S.

Thank you all, for all you are doing to end this war, bring our troops home now,
take care of them when they get here, and never again let this nation send our
troops into an unjustifiable war, a war based on lies.

In Peace and Solidarity,
Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson
for Military Families Speak Out
http://www.mfso.org
http://www.bringthemhomenow.org


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