Take action for an Anti-War Holiday

Dear CODEPINK Activist,
 
The holiday season is upon us and that means loads of people buying gifts, including war toys. As US Soldiers are injured and dying every day and untold numbers of innocent civilians are displaced and needlessly killed in Fallujah and elsewhere in the unjust occupation of Iraq, this is particularly disturbing. Let’s use this holiday season as our opportunity to show that war is not a game and to teach our children nonviolence. We can no longer stand by and allow our children to play with war toys, or fight with and die by real weapons in Iraq.
 
 So let’s get out and do something about it. Below are six great ideas...or invent some of your own. (Send cool ideas to info@codepinkalert.org.) If you have children, whatever you decide to do, take them with you! It’s a great way to get them into the true holiday spirit!
 
 Anti-War Toy Action Ideas:
 
1. Stand outside stores that sell war toys, giving shoppers flyers about why they shouldn't buy them. A good time for this action would be the day after Thanksgiving, the largest shopping day of the year, but you could do it all the way up until Christmas. Get in awesome pink camouflage gear or dress like an elf. Make sure you call your local media!
 
2. Place "surgeon general-type" warning labels on war toys in the stores that say things like: violent toys = violent boys, war is not a game, war is not healthy for children, etc. You can download these from our site. www.codepinkalert.org
 
3. Talk directly to store owners and managers and ask them to stop selling war toys. Tell them you and your friends are considering no longer shopping at the store if war toys continue to be sold. Make buttons that say “Say No to War Toys� or “War is Not a Game� and offer them to the employees.
 
4. Get a bunch of friends to go with you to each buy a war toy, and then go back to the store later to return them. Create long complaint lines, showing other customers (and hopefully you’ve called the media) why war toys are bad.  
 
5. Create flyers that promote stores that are not selling war toys and give those stores certificates to put in their windows.
 
6. Target schools. Ask teachers to talk about the negative impact of war toys. Ask schools to ban war toys and not allow kids to have them on the playground. Perhaps you could set up toy exchange, where children turn in their war toys and get some cool, peaceful toy like a hot pink frisbee.
 
Thanks for your help in making this a safer and more peaceful holiday season,