Dear Friend of United for Peace and Justice,

Last night the announcement came: The 4,000th U.S. serviceperson has died in Iraq.Last week, in more than 700 activities in all 50 states, we marked the 5th anniversary of the war that never should have happened. Now, United for Peace and Justice and many of our member groups urge you to once again make a public statement against the war and occupation in Iraq.

Check the American Friends Service Committee calendar, or the UFPJ calendar, to find a vigil or other protest near you.

If you don’t see anything listed, we urge you to take the time to plan something. It doesn’t have to be complicated; it just needs to be visible:

• Hold a candlelight vigil tomorrow evening, Tuesday, March 25. Do this in a busy part of your city or town.
• During rush hour, hang a banner from an overpass of a busy highway.
• Make some signs and stand on the corners of the busiest intersection during the busiest time of the day.
• Hold a vigil or a picket line in front of the district office of your member of Congress and call on them to use their power to bring all the troops home.

Whatever you decide to do, be sure to:

• Send an email notice to everyone you know.
• Call any groups you think might be interested and urge them to help get the word out.
• Let your local media outlets know what you are doing, and why.
• Post your plans on our website so other people can find out what’s happening and join you.

As we mourn the 4,000 U.S. servicepeople and the more than one million Iraqis who have already died, let us renew our determination to end this criminal war and occupation. Now is the time to bring all of the troops home!Yours, for peace and justice,

Leslie Cagan
National Coordinator, UFPJ

Friends,

It would have to happen on Easter Sunday, wouldn’t it, that the 4,000th American soldier would die in Iraq. Play me that crazy preacher again, will you, about how maybe God, in all his infinite wisdom, may not exactly be blessing America these days. Is anyone surprised?

4,000 dead. Unofficial estimates are that there may be up to 100,000 wounded, injured, or mentally ruined by this war. And there could be up to a million Iraqi dead. We will pay the consequences of this for a long, long time. God will keep blessing America.

And where is Darth Vader in all this? A reporter from ABC News this week told Dick Cheney, in regards to Iraq, “two-thirds of Americans say it’s not worth fighting.” Cheney cut her off with a one word answer: “So?”

“So?” As in, “So what?” As in, “F*** you. I could care less.”

I would like every American to see Cheney flip the virtual bird at the them, the American people. Click here and pass it around. Then ask yourself why we haven’t risen up and thrown him and his puppet out of the White House. (more…)