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January Peace Blitz

In this time when many voices are presenting a war against the people of Iraq as the only logical way to deal with the very real threat posed by Saddam Hussein, you are invited to commit to 10 actions during the month of January designed to avert this way. You are one of 10,000 people who have made this commitment.

January is a critical month in determining if our nation will wage war against the people of Iraq. This is a critical time to temper the public debate by raising our voices to say war is neither inevitable nor an appropriate way to deal with Iraq, to let our national leaders know there is a strong constituency for peace, and to bolster our own spirits and energy.

We do not know if it is possible to avert this war. It seems clear that without strong and vocal opposition, there will be a war. So we commit ourselves to raise our individual voice, knowing that we are one of a massive chorus calling for peace. Following the schedule below allows our individual voices to be heard with great effectiveness in both our local areas and on the national stage.

January 1 - 10

Focus on the media. Both local and national media outlets are full of voices "explaining" that war against Iraq is inevitable and unavoidable. Part of our work this month is to deepen the public debate at both the local and national level.

Write one letter to your local newspaper. Explain your own convictions that waging war to address the threat of whatever weapons Saddam Hussein has is one choice of several, and not a good choice. Let our local papers be full of local voices calling for peace during the month of January.

Write both the New York Times and the Washington Post. Ask them to contribute to the national debate by fully addressing this question in their news and editorial pages: "Who will pay for a war against Iraq?" Ask them to investigate and publish the projections of the number of people who would die during a military campaign, and the projected financial cost of both a war and a reconstruction campaign. Ask them to insist that our national leaders go on record with firm plans to pay for the cost of any war.

The number for the Washington Post is (202-334-6000) The National Editor, Michael Abramowitz, receives email at abramowitz@washpost.com

The New York Times invites comments and suggestions about news coverage through email at nytnews@nytimes.com or by leaving a message at 1-888-698-6397. You can also email comments to executive-editor@nytimes.com

January 11 - 20

Focus on the legislative branch. With the elections over, and resolutions passed supporting a potential war against the people of Iraq, many in Congress feel they have "put this issue behind them." We will call them this month to insist that they continue to engage this issue.

Call or write your two senators and your representative. Explain your own reasons for continuing to oppose a war against the people of Iraq. Ask them not to consider war a foregone conclusion, but to continue to exercise their leadership in pursuing the existing alternatives to war.
Call (202)-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Senator and Representative.

Call or write the new Republican Majority Leader, Senator Bill Frist. Ask him, as a surgeon trained to preserve life, and as a man who has seen first hand the urgent needs of Africa during his own service there, to exercise his new leadership position to avoid the deliberate taking of life, and to use the many resources of this nation to bring health and wholeness to those in this country and around the world.
Senator Bill Frist, (R. TN) (202) 224-3344 E-mail: http://frist.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Call or write the Democratic Minority Leader, Senator Tom Daschle. Ask him, as a participant in a vibrant democracy, to continue to raise strong questions about the seeming rush to war.
Senator Thomas Daschle (202) 224-2321 http://daschle.senate.gov/webform.html

January 21 - 25

Call President Bush During his State of the Union Address on January 28, President Bush will address the possibility of war against the people of Iraq. Call the White House comment line the days before this speech (remember, there are 10,000 of us - if the line is busy, keep trying!) to express your opposition to a war. Our calls are counted and reported: let a tide of voices for peace wash over the White House on this day. Let the President be told that a mountain of dissent towers over his plans.
White House comment line: (202) 456-1111
Email at president@whitehouse.gov

January 21 - 27

Call or write Colin Powell The UN weapons inspectors will report to the UN on January 27. In the week leading up to this report, call Secretary Powell to support his role as the official voice of diplomacy in this country. Ask him to keep talking, and keep talking, and keep talking. Addressing the threat of Saddam Hussein's weapons through negotiations is tiring, arduous, uncertain, messy, and full of ambiguity. So is war: negotiations are preferable.
U.S. State Department Public Communication Division: 202-647-6575
To contact Secretary Powell, go to http://contact-us.state.gov

This is truly a grassroots campaign. There is no one to call for instructions - and no one to report to. Thank you for participating, and for joining your own individual creativity and initiative with so many others.

May our collective efforts for peace be blessed.