June 29, 2006

Dear Nina,

The Bush administration has repeatedly stated that when the Iraqis stand up, our soldiers will stand down. But when the Iraqi government and several armed groups tried to stand up by unveiling a serious reconciliation plan, the U.S. government scuttled this plan by forcing them to eliminate two key aspects of the original proposal—the withdrawal of U.S. troops and amnesty for Iraqis not involved in the killing of civilians. Click here to read more.  

A courageous number of people, however, have decided to implement their own peace process :

U.S. soldiers who are refusing to fight in this war. On Tuesday, CODEPINK participated in actions all over the country to support the first officer who refused to deploy to Iraq, Lt. Ehren Watada. "A war can end when the soldiers choose to stop fighting it," Lt. Watada said when he announced his decision to resist.

 He is joined in his resistance by Army Specialist Suzanne Swift, who refused to deploy with her Army unit to Iraq; she is now being held in Ft. Lewis and needs our support. 

These two brave soldiers are joined by hundreds of U.S. military personnel who have gone to Canada to avoid being sent to Iraq, and over 6,400 U.S. military who have deserted their posts. Read Ann Wright's article here.

Lt. Watada’s mom, Carolyn Ho, wrote to CODEPINK, “As a mother, I have evolved from fearing for his safety and for his future to the realization that there is a higher purpose to all that has transpired. My son no longer stands at the crossroads. He has chosen 'the road less traveled'.” 

As part of that “road less traveled,” Lt. Watada and his mother have both decided to participate in the Troops Home Fast on July 4, and invite you to join them.

The growing list of fasters includes Cindy Sheehan, Dick Gregory, Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, Danny Glover, Graham Nash, Dolores Huerta, Julia Butterfly Hill and over 1,500 more. You can join us in DC or at home; you can fast for one day, one week or leave the process open-ended. Go to www.troopshomefast.org to learn, sign up, or donate funds to make this fast as effective as possible.

Let’s stand up with those in the U.S. military who are taking peace into their own hands by refusing to fight. If enough of us stand up, the war-makers will be forced to stand down!

Standing tall,
Allison, Dana, Erin, Farida, Gael, Jodie, Katie, Medea, Meredith, Nancy, Rae, Samantha and Tiffany

P.S.

• Remember, you can join in many travel opportunities this summer, from a New Orleans work camp to Camp Casey in Crawford to a retreat/spa in Austin. Click here for info.
• Don't forget to forward this message to friends check out our online store to get your solidarity “I Support the Troops Home FAST” tshirts, tank tops and buttons!