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 polling—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/