“A Call to Conscience for the U.S. Congress”

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 http://www.iraqpledge.org

The National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance