| CAMPAIGNS~* |
| Many of the CODEPINK local efforts follow the national campaigns found at www.codepinkalert.org connecting our effort with the national efforts helps to see movement in our...movement, which is encouraging.. CODEPINK likes to also support other local peace organization's efforts to help keep peace making visible. Please contact CODEPINK to offer your kind gifts of time, efforts, or donations --for PEACE~* |
| Current Campaigns: YOU can initiate OR participate in |
| Give Peace A Vote- petitioning In gearing up for the presidential election as well as the elections in between, we are out petitioning to secure a solid voting bloc of voters who refuse to support any candidate who supports war. This is a national campaign that our candidates will and have listened to Walk In Their Shoes-collecting shoes & finding meaningful sites for rhe display Is a traveling display of shoes tagged with an actual Iraqi's name who has been killed due to U.S. occupation. This is a powerful visual, especially leading up to the presidential election. CODEPINK Wednesdays (nation-wide, but in St.Louis) -bannering and discussions For those who need to tell it to the world, come join us on the Tamm Avenue bridge, overpass between Forest Park Zoo and Turtle Park every Wednesday between 4pm-5pm (times seasonally change due to sunlight hours). We always schedule our meetings with our Wednesday actions, unless planning for special occasions. |
| Protect Your Right to Dissent: by Kit Gage "Remember, we will retain our rights only if we demand them. Here are some ways you may stand up to protect our rights: Reaquaint yourself with your Constitution and Bill of Rights. Gather support for our civil liberties. The Bill of Rights Defense Committee (www.bordc.org) raises awareness about provisions of the USA Patriot Act that are a dangerous intrusion on our rights. By the end of 2004 more than 350 cities and counties-and 4 states- had passed resolutions to protect their residents' civil liberties. Help get a similar resolution passed in your city, and if that's already been done, get one passed in your church, school, labor union, and business association!" Check out the websites of national groups: National Committee against Repressive Legislation www.ncarl.org has links to about 50 groups, including American Civil Liberties Union www.aclu.org , and the Center for Consitutional Rights www.ccr-ny.org" |
| Support Veterans: by Patricia Foulkrod "Contact a veterans group, a VA hospital counselor, nurse, or doctor, and ask for guidance. Facilitate a small forum or dinner where soldiers can share their experiences, show their pictures, be allowed to talk, or just come to dinner.They want to be relieved of their isolation, and they have the best knowledge of what happens in war. We do not have to talk only of war--we do not have to be their doctors, or therapists, or the ones who pay their benefits, fix their marriages, or stop their nightmares. They have been away for a long time and their lives are shattered--a houshold repair that we can help facilitate, a divorce that we can help them get through, a job that we can help make happen could be just as healing. Find a soldier and her/his family and ask them to dinner. Many feel alone living in military communities, unable to be with their buddies away in combat,, unable to feel safe talking or connecting with civilians. I have seen firsthand many soldiers drop their assumptions about activists and anti-war protesters--and many activists begin to separate the warrior from the war. The following are groups to contact for advice on: a) contacting soldiers who can speak publicly b) facilitating a disscussion group c) hosting a potluck dinner d) assisting soldiers who are physically or mentally challenged and need help at home. Iraq Veterans Against the War www.ivaw.net, The Ground Truth www.thegroundtruth.org, Operation Truth www.optruth.org, Veterans for Common Sense www.veteransforcommonsense.org, Veterans for Peace www.veteransforpeace.org, Military Families Speak Out www.mfsomissouri.org," Understanding the US Military: by Marti Hiken "If we're going to stop the war we need to understand how the US military operates and strengthen our ties with the soldiers themselves. Right now many GIs are angrey. They don't want to be in Iraq, but they're not sure what to do. The kind of resistance they form will determine how long this war lasts. When we work with soldiers we encourage them to realize not only that they have options, but that they also have strength. They control the war; their the ones who can throw their shoes into the machinery; they're the ones who can put down the guns. During the Vietnam War, the antiwar movement initially turned against the GIs. It took many years for activists to help GIs by starting coffee houses--a space near existing US military bases where GIs, veterans, military counselors, and activists could talk and relax together in a comfortable setting. Coffee houses were an oasis for GIs coming back from Vietnam and a resource center for those going to learn firsthand the realities of war.. It's time to form coffee houses around military bases again and step up the other kinds of support such as counseling. Here are some ways you can help: Support the GI Rights Hotline.- to provide counseling services to GIs 1-800-394-9544 www.nlg.org/mltf If you're interested in helping with the hotline, please call this number.. Organize the bases themselves: Go to places where GIs hang out in their own communities, learn what it's like to serve in the US military. Spend time listening, understanding, and making contact. Step up the counter recruitment projects in high schools and college campuses: The American Friends Service Committee and the Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft have both organized good efforts in this vein. but more are needed. See www.objector.org, the website of the Central Committee for Concientious Objectors for a list of groups doing counter recruitment. Download the literature to pass out at the local schools." |
| Ongoing Campaigns: YOU can initiate OR participate in |