Dear
CODEPINKer,
Imagine
your family is living in Iraq.
Your neighborhood has been bombed; you have no running water, no
access to health care or education. You know your family would be
safer if you were to leave your home, but where will you go?
Over
4 million Iraqis are currently displaced and impoverished as a result
of war and sectarian violence. This week, as we give
thanks for all the blessings in our lives, we need also to remember
those who are suffering because of our disastrous military policy
in Iraq. We wanted to share with you a message we received from
our friends in Iraq who are providing aid to Iraqi orphans, widows
and internally displaced people. They work under the radar so we
need to keep them anonymous, but here are their words:
"Our
organization has succeeded in opening a new branch in the north
in Nineveh Province. We now have five branches. We
also have arranged a special medical clinic that provides free services
for widows & orphans in Abu-Ghraib. We have enough funds to
run this clinic for three months and hope to receive more financial
assistance to keep it going. We are walking a long and difficult
road in Iraq and try to focus on the good we can do for people here
so we don't feel hopeless. Thank you to the women of CODEPINK
for your continuous work to bring freedom and peace to my country."
When
you donate to CODEPINK this week, half the proceeds will
go toward assisting Iraqi women and children, and half will go toward
funding our continuing actions on Capitol Hill. Your donation will
work to end the occupation and help repair the awful damage this
military misadventure has wrought. Click
here and scroll down for more information on the dire
humanitarian crisis in Iraq.
On
this Thanksgiving, we want to thank YOU for your continuing support
-- thank you for joining our vigils and marches, for
making phone calls to Congress, for signing petitions and coming
up with new and creative ways to raise your voice for peace. We
couldn't do this important work without you.
With profound gratitude,
Dana, Desiree, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Ileana,
Jodie, Medea, Nancy, Rae, and Samantha
This
Week's Pledge to Speak Up for Peace!
This
Thursday as you gather with family and friends, use the time
around the Thanksgiving table to talk about the issues of
the day.
When it is your turn to say what you are grateful for, you
can give thanks for the peacemakers and those who are working
to end the occupation of Iraq. Take a few moments to discuss
what is happening in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and mention
ways that each person at the table might take action to influence
U.S. policy in the region.
In preparation, you can read
these articles and pass this information along
over pumpkin pie!
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