I hereby make a commitment that on Friday September 21 & the Third Friday of every subsequent month, I will break my daily routine and take some action, by myself or with others, to end the War in Iraq.
Have you signed the Iraq Moratorium pledge?
The concept is simple. On September 21 and on every subsequent Third Friday, millions of Americans will break with their daily routine to take some concrete step to demand an end to the war and the return home of the troops. This will be an escalating series of actions serving to maximize, multiply and reenergize existing activists and even more importantly give voice to the silent majority of people who want an end to our engagement in Iraq
The hallmark will be the wearing of black ribbons and armbands, in mourning for all of those who have died in this senseless adventure--Iraqis, Americans, coalition troops, and others. Beyond that, each of us can decide what steps we will take, individually or with others, on September 21. Together, acting where we live, work and study, we will create a mighty shout so loud that the media won't be able to white it out and the politicians won't be able to ignore it.
This is an Iraq protest that has something for anyone who opposes this war and occupation. If wearing a ribbon or armband is what you're comfortable doing, do that and you will be seen standing in opposition. Call your representatives in Congress, talk a friend into calling them, attend a vigil, attend a performance of the song "War" or stage one yourself. Do something and know you are doing it as part of a national yet locally-based movement against the war. Maybe for you this will be one small piece of a life filled with anti-war activism - but add that piece to amplify all our voices. Maybe it will be the moment you come out publicly as an anti-war activist - do that with pride.
But if you want to do something to end this war, if you have been wondering why there isn't a more public and organized anti-war movement, this is your chance. Each of us needs to take responsibility for making it a success. I just read the list of people who have signed up for the Iraq Moratorium. I don't know how many people are on that list whose usernames I would recognize, but I know there are fewer than ten I've met in real life - and let's face it, most of those few people are my parents' friends, not mine. So I'm not doing well enough getting people to sign, but neither are a lot of us. There are only 1,065 people signed up at this writing. Today I'm calling for each of us who wants the US out of Iraq to commit not only to signing the moratorium pledge ourselves but to getting two other people to sign it. If you've gotten two people to sign already, get two more. Together, we can make the world take notice.
Reminder: For more on the Iraq Moratorium you can read Meteor Blades' post Iraq Moratorium: Not Your Parents' Antiwar Movement.