THE ANTI-WAR MAJORITY

This coming weekend, March 18-19, is the third anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq. Meanwhile ...  

- 59 percent of Americans disapprove of the way President Bush is handling the situation in Iraq. (ABC
    News/Washington Post  Poll, 3/2-5/06)
- 72 percent of U.S. troops in Iraq say they should pull out this year. (Zogby Poll, 2/28/06)
- 2300+ US troops have been killed. (http://icasualties.org/oif/)
- 17,000 US troops have been wounded, with 1/5 of those with severe brain or spinal injuries.
    (http://www.antiwar.com/casualties/)
- 100,000+ Iraqis have been killed, plus untold numbers injured
    (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/29/iraq.deaths/)
- resistance fighters have increased from 5000 in 2003 to 20,000 in 2005.
    (http://www.thenation.com/blogs/outrage?pid=2866)
- the US occupation has put Iraq on the brink of civil war, if not already happening
- 82 percent of Iraqis in 2005 said they “strongly opposed” continuing occupation and 45 percent said
    attacks against coalition troops were justified. (http://www.comw.org/pda/0501br17append.html)
- Iraq still needs to be rebuilt, by Iraqis
- twelve years of US/UN economic sanctions (1992-2003) caused widespread malnutrition and
    degraded the infrastructure, and these trends have worsened under the occupation.
    (http://newstandardnews.net/content/?items=1816)
- $246 Billion spent to date on the invasion and occupation with no end insight. (http://www.costofwar.com)
- funds for US social programs and the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast are being cut.
    (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58762-2004May26.html)

ACTIONS
We offer you the following options for these coming days to make your voice and spirit part of the call
to bring the troops home and end the military and economic occupation of Iraq.

1. Join or organize a public event in your hometown. For help in doing so, visit
http://www.afsc.org/3years/default.php If you can’t locate a group, you might want to make a simple
sign like “End War” and stand on a street that has lots of traffic or pedestrians for a few minutes or
more.

2. If one of your family, friends or community members are unable to attend one of these events, ask
them to sign a card which you will wear to represent them when you attend. At some events, attendees
have worn cards with the names of numerous persons who could not attend.

3. Write your congressperson and ask them to represent you, a member of the anti-war majority, by
initiating or supporting legislation to bring the troops home now.
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/officials/

4. Conduct a prayer service or memorial service about the invasion/occupation with your family, friends
or faith community. For example, lite a candle after the reading of each item in the list above. Then pray
together the

Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine One,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

5. Reflect upon the need to support nonviolent alternatives to war and violence and share your
reflections others.

6. Put a sign in your car or house window,  or some other public place on your property, such as
“Bring the Troops Home” or “No War”

7. Talk with family, friends, coworkers and your faith community about the morality of this war and
what you can do about it.

8. Consider these additional Lenten Actions at
http://www.paxchristiusa.org/news_events_more.asp?id=1009