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Dear
CODEPINKer,
This
Memorial Day, as we mourn those who have been killed during wartime,
we are inspired to work even harder to bring
our troops home and stop the next war now.
Our
hearts break for the thousands of family members who have lost loved
ones in this senseless war. May the words
of Gilda Carbonaro whose only child, Alessandro, died from injuries
received in Iraq, move you to take action this Memorial Day weekend:
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It
still seems unreal that Alex did not return from Iraq, that
his bright future was cut short, that his young bride was
left a widow.
A
silent scream wants to break out of my chest as I contemplate
his stark absence and think of the young men and women who
will die today and tomorrow to fill the other graves that
have been prepared at Arlington.
We
do not honor our loved ones by accepting the continued loss
of life in a reckless, irresponsible war that has no military
solution. We do not honor the troops by standing by indifferently
as members of the Congress give their sneering Commander-in-Chief
a blank check to continue a war based on a tidal wave of lies
and hubris.
We
honor the fallen by beginning an immediate redeployment from
Iraq and by showing our determination to stop a new war with
Iran. We honor the fallen by making sure that those who return
from Iraq and Afghanistan receive all the help they need for
their education, and their physical and mental health. We
honor the fallen by taking action, by making peace.
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 From
May 24-26, CODEPINK and other progressive groups around the country
will hang freeway overpass banners calling an end to war. With
thousands of motorists hitting the road for the holiday weekend,
it's an ideal time to make our message visible and viable.
 It's
also an ideal time to call (202-224-3121) or plan visits to our
Congressional reps, who will be in their home offices May 24-June
1st.
We need to let our reps know we won't stand for further war funding.
For information on how to organize banner drops, Congressional visits,
and other Memorial Day actions, please click
here.
 Of
course our work won't be done after Memorial Day. Come to the Pink
House in DC this summer to deepen your activist skill set.
Throughout June and July, we'll be holding weeklong action camps
that will teach you how to talk to your congressperson, how to reach
(and be) the media, how to make the war a key element of the presidential
race, along with other fun and mighty activism skills. For complete
details about the DC summer schedule, click
here.
May
we transform our grief into action every day of the year.
With
peace and love,
 Alicia,
Dana, Desiree, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Jodie, Liz, Medea, Nancy, Rae,
Sarah and Tighe
P.S.
Our hearts go out to Ted Kennedy during his illness. We are grateful
for all that he has done to be a voice for peace and justice in
the Senate, and we send him and his family our love and our support
during this struggle.
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