United For Peace And Justice: A Mandate For Peace!

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Dear friends,

By all accounts, yesterday's elections were a referendum on the war, and the results were crystal clear: The voters overwhelmingly want peace.

For the antiwar movement, yesterday was a huge victory. By voting out pro-war candidates and making Iraq the central issue in the elections, we have translated antiwar sentiment into political power and made ourselves a force to be reckoned with. Congratulations to all of you who have contributed so much to bring us to this point.

But this is only the first step. Now comes the more crucial one: We must make sure that our new Representatives implement the will of the people and get our troops out of Iraq. We must keep the pressure on.


NO HONEYMOON FOR CONGRESS
We need to be in touch with our Representatives right away -- especially those who ran on an antiwar platform -- to let them know that the peace movement expects them to take immediate action to bring the troops home. Our friends at the new Mandate for Peace campaign will be gathering outside Rep. Pelosi's office in San Francisco tomorrow, Nov. 9, to demand that she speak up for the antiwar majority. Let's keep the momentum going.


1. Find your Representative's contact information:

If the incumbent was reelected in your district, you can find his or her contact information through http://www.congress.org

If you have a newly elected representative, you'll need to act extra quickly to contact them. Use Google, GoodSearch or another internet search engine today to find the campaign website and/or campaign office for your Representative-elect -- most will be shut down in a matter of days.

2. Call or write your Representative right away to congratulate them on their victory and tell them that you're counting on the newly elected Congress, in its earliest days in office, to pass legislation requiring the prompt removal of all U.S. troops from Iraq and to discontinue funding for military purposes in Iraq except the safe withdrawal of all U.S. forces.

Ideally, you should also request a face-to-face meeting with your new member of Congress, which is one of the strongest ways to communicate this message. If you do, be sure to bring participants from various constituencies in your community who share your opposition to the war. Do an online search beforehand for any polls that show the strength of antiwar sentiment in your community, and bring detailed information from the National Priorities Project about the staggering financial cost of the war to your area. If you do meet with your Representative, please send a reportback to [e-mail]


3. Send a personal email to friends, neighbors, and coworkers in your Congressional district and urge them to contact your Representative with a similar message. Include the contact information you've found through your online research.

4. Forward this action alert widely, to people all around the country, and post it on websites and blogs.
There can be no honeymoon for this new Congress. People are dying in Iraq every day, the chaos worsens, the costs continue to escalate. Join United for Peace and Justice and our friends and allies in the Mandate for Peace Campaign in making sure that the clamor for peace at the polls turns into real action for change.

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