Dear CODEPINK activist,

The big week is here. Members of CODEPINK locals from around the country are already arriving in Washington DC. We can feel the enthusiasm in the air. It began last week when the brilliant and gutsy Congresswoman from California, Rep. Lynn Woolsey, held a bipartisan hearing on Iraq. Citing the need to "fill the policy vacuum and break the silence on Capitol Hill," Rep. Woolsey assembled a panel of regional experts, scholars and military strategists to testify on the unraveling situation in Iraq and propose sound exit strategies.

On Thursday we will accompany Cindy Sheehan to meetings with the leadership in the House and Senate to push Out of Iraq legislation. And we will be holding actions outside the DC offices of Halliburton protesting their no-bid contracts in Iraq and Louisiana. On Friday we will do very CODEPINK actions around town on the theme of Make Levees Not War, followed by our vigil at Walter Reed Hospital calling for better support for the many wounded soldiers returning from Iraq.

Saturday, the day of the big march, begins with CODEPINK leading a women's contingent at Pennsylvania and 14th to the rally. If you are joining us, make sure you sign up to get any last-minute changes and additions.

If you can't be with us in Washington, there are many ways you can participate:

• Send an op-ed piece or a letter to the editor of your local paper about why you want to stop the war, and ask them to cover the big protests in Washington. Here is a sample.
• Join with your community on Saturday in a local march and rally. Check www.unitedforpeace.org for events in your community.
• Join our lobbying efforts on Monday by calling your Congress member and Senator (202-224-3121). Click here for for talking points.
• Give us your reason to get out of Iraq at onemillionreasons.org, We now have over 750,000 reasons! Help this number grow by signing up yourself and passing it on! We will deliver them to the White House on Monday.
• Read our daily blog to get the CODEPINK view of this historic week of actions against the war.

The Bush administration is feeling the heat. Help us turn it up another notch...

Onward to peace,
Alicia, Andrea, Dana, Farida, Gael, Grace, Jodie, Linda, Medea, Rae, Tiffany and Whitney

P.S.
As students and parents settle into the new school year, CODEPINK and friends from the Leave My Child Alone coalition will be working towards ending the militarization of our youth! September marks a NATIONAL month of opt-out, with events all over the country. Join us in this action to spread the word about opting-out students from military databases. For more information, please visit CODEPINK's Back-to-School web page and LeaveMyChildAlone.Org. Don't forget to forward this email to your friends!

To help sustain our work and actions, please consider making a donation to CODEPINK today.