The Organic Consumers Association's Planting Peace Campaign invites you to join
the No War No Warming Coalition on April 14th when we go out with Step It Up to
call on Congress to cut carbon 80% by 2050.
No War! No Warming!
http://www.nowarnowarming.org
Step It Up!
http://www.stepitup2007.org
The US military, the single largest consumer
of petroleum, and the war on Iraq, a country with massive oil reserves, are
obvious targets for actions against global warming. The first thing Congress
needs to do to reduce carbon emissions is to set a timetable for the withdrawal
of the US military--and US oil companies--from Iraq.
For t hose of us
who’ve been working for years to bring our troops home from Iraq, these are
crucial weeks … now that both the U.S. House and Senate have passed legislation
for withdrawal of combat troops by varying dates in 2008. We in the antiwar
movement brought this about�including our friends in the Congressional
Progressive Caucus and coalitions like United for Peace &
Justice.
But we can’t relax. Both the House and Senate versions of the
Iraq Supplemental Funding bill are flawed. The “deadlines�? are to far off (a
non-binding March 31, 2008 in the Senate; September 1, 2008, in the House) and
far too soft�allowing thousands of U. S. troops to stay in Iraq for
vaguely-defined “training�? and “anti-terrorism�? missions. And they allocate yet
another $100 billion toward the occupation.
The good news is that
President Bush and the Republicans stand exposed as having no strategy except
“stay the course�? and “the situation in Iraq is imp roving.�? Bush gas repeatedly
threatened to veto any bill with even weak time-lines. This puts him in conflict
with the American public, which wants all troops home within a year, according
to polls.
Let’s force Bush’s hand. Don’t let Democrats in the House and
Senate weaken the Supplemental further behind closed doors.
The Senate
and House will be appointing a conference committee to write a compromise Iraq
supplemental bill�which could be voted on as early as April 16. The antiwar
movement must insist that what comes out of the conference committee is a
compromise between what the House and Senate Passed, not a compromise with what
Bush wants.
Our overriding demand�in line with public sentiment expressed
in November’s election and recent pollingâ€�remains that Congress should push for
fully-funded, complete withdrawal within a year. Anything short of that is
already a compromise. There’s no room for further compromise with Bush!
T
hat’s our message to Congress, in public protests and in letters-to-the-editor.
If Congress doesn’t retreat and the President vetoes the bill, people will see
that “Bush’s Veto Pen Kills Troops.�? Most Iraqis want U.S. troops out of their
country; U.S. military force is no solution in Iraq.
Join Us in Action –
Organize a No War, No Warming Action at a Gas Station on April 14th!
On
April 14th, tens of thousands of Americans will gather all across the country at
meaningful, iconic places to call for action on climate change. The demand: Step
it up Congress! Cut carbon 80% by 2050! We urge peace and justice groups to join
this day of protest. Send the message “Fight Climate Change, Not Wars for Oil�?
by organizing a protest at a local gas station. What better location to send a
message about war, oil and the consequences of oil addiction than a gas
station?
Here are a few action ideas:
• Stage a die-in at the p
umps
• Put up crosses or cardboard tombstones with the names of the
dead
• Lock yourself to a pump
• Call Congress and the President
from the gas station
• Leaflet motorists
• Ride bicycles around the
gas station chanting “Bikes not bombs!�?
• Put up signs
• Chalk the
driveways
• Stage a mock blood and oil spills (oil: molasses and water;
blood: thinned tomato paste)
• March from a gas station to a nearby
recruiting station or vice-versa
• March from a gas station to a
Congressperson’s home or office
There are already over 1,200 protests
planned for April 14th. Let’s get the peace and justice movement involved in
this great day of action!
No War No Warming can provide you with posters
you can download and use at your protests, e ducational flyers you can hand out
to passersby, and a template press release you can use to get local media
coverage. Just let us know you’re organizing an action by posting event details
to http://www.NoWarNoWarming.org or emailing your protest information to
andrea@globalexchange.org.
Don’t forge to add your gas station action to
the list of events on the Step It Up Web page:
http://events.stepitup2007.org/
Take Part in April 14 National Day of Action on Climate Change
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4/4/2007
