HANG A BANNER!
This
Memorial Day Weekend, a national call has been
heard to not just decorate the tombs of the fallen
but to decorate the highways of America!
All across the country, CODEPINK
and impeachment groups will hang banners calling
for impeachment and an end to the war in Iraq
on highway overpasses during the Memorial Day
weekend of May 24 through May 26. With thousands
of motorists on the highways for this long weekend,
it's a perfect time to get the message across
with freeway blogging.
Check out our freeway bannering tips below.
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VISIT YOUR CONGRESSPERSON!
We
must confront Congress to ask them the difficult
questions and point out the hypocrisy between
what they say and what they do!
How does your Congressperson really "support
the troops"? Does she fight for an expansion
to GI benefits? Is he a champion of "dwell
time" and introducing legislation preventing
"Stop-loss"? Does he care enough about
our troops to be part of the Out of Iraq Caucus?
Does she vote for war funding that kills our troops
rather than improves VA hospitals and mental health
programs? How exactly does he show his support
for the troops, with a yellow ribbon on his car?
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GET YOUR MESSAGE OUT!
Get
your message to your members of Congress during
their home recess: May 24 - June 1. Let them know
you are outraged that Congress continues to fund
the war, refusing to hold Bush accountable for
his failed Iraq policy. Bring a visual representation
of the Faces of the Fallen.
Here are some ideas:
Form a delegation to visit your member
offices (Senators and Representative if you can
manage them all).
Make sure to call the media/press;click
here for tips on reaching the media. Use our Sample Memorial Day Press Release and locate press contacts in your area here!
During the visit, tell them how deeply disappointed
you are at their inability to stop an unjust war
that is killing so many Iraqis and Americans.
Give specific examples from your members'
own experience: grief over the dead, anxiety about
deployed loved ones, etc. Explain that you will
campaign hard for a peace candidate.
Create and bring a display board (tabletop-sized
or floor- sized) of the photos of the "faces
of the fallen" from their state and
deliver to their reps' office or home. To get
the images, go to http://projects.washingtonpost.com/fallen/states/.
If your state has a large number of casualties
we suggest that you collect the images by congressional
district or city. Click
here to download the sample of faces of the
fallen from Texas.
Set up the display(s) and ask that they
be left up for public view. Note: very
few members of Congress have a photo memorial
at their office door to memorialize the "ultimate
sacrifice" of so many American young men
and women.
Bring large poster-sized pictures of Iraqi
Refugees, wounded Iraqi civilians, and/or
a pairs
of shoes, each labeled with the name, birthdate,
location and cause of death.
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MORE REMINDERS
Congress
needs to be reminded that troops are dying EVERYDAY
while war profiteers are making a "killing"
and Congress plays backdoor politics!
By taking a photo memorial of those killed in
Iraq to your congressperson's office, you
provide a tangible reminder of the true cost of
this war.
Deliver your memorial with a song of mourning
by changing the lyrics of Betsy Rose's song “For
the Mothers” to “For the Soldiers”:
"I sing for the soldiers who died
in Iraq,
for their sorrow,
for their pain.
I sing for the soldiers who died in Iraq,
for their sorrow,
for their pain.
May their broken hearts be cradled,
may our righteous anger be heard.
I sing in rage and in mourning for,
the soldiers killed in war,
all over the earth. (Iraq)
I sing in rage and in mourning for,
the soldiers killed in war,
all over the earth. (Iraq)
I sing in rage and in mourning for,
the soldiers killed in war,
all over the earth. (progressively softer)
Listen to the tune
here.
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FREEWAY BANNERING TIPS AND IDEAS
Check
out the Freeway Blogger Video: Bright
sun shiny day IMPEACH
SLOGANS FOR SIGNS
Honor our Veterans/No More WAR
Honor our Veterans/IMPEACH the War Criminals
Honor our Veterans/IMPEACH NOW!
No more Memorial Days!
HOW TO for Highway Signs (from AustinImpeach.org)
1. Find cardboard (any old box will do).
2. Cut it to the size you want.
3. Paint it white (cheap gallon of white paint
- $4-$8)
4. Paint your message in large black letters (at
least 9 inches tall to read from freeway). I use
an overhead projector to make it look professional
- no need to do this.
5. Attach to visible overpasses, telephone/electrical
poles, guardrails, parking garages - BE CREATIVE...
but remember safety first always!!
6. REPEAT!! And don't forget to take lots of photos!
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! (From Beachblogger)
Some highway bloggers prefer to make a permanent
banner and hold it instead of attaching and leaving
the scene. Here's a how to make a fabric banner
but remember to sew sand into the bottom if it's
going to be windy. Here
are also some good tips here if the police arrive.
* Be respectful, but unafraid. We pay the police
to protect us. We are patriotic Americans giving
up our free time to defend the Constitution, which
is under attack by this band of corporate thugs
who have been stealing our money to pay for their
wars for profit, causing us to be hated around
the world, and putting us in danger of further
terrorist attack at home.
* If the police order you to remove the attachments
you must do so. The law says you are allowed to
hold the banner with your hands.
* If they decide your banner is a traffic hazard,
you will have to remove it.
* Try to negotiate, citing the huge billboard
ads and use of cell phones by drivers. Ask if
it would be ok to stay a few minutes longer...
just ten or fifteen minutes, and then do as they
say. This way you maintain good rapport and they
might even look the other way the next time they
see you.
MORE
POLICE TIPS:
(from freewayblogger)
* Is it Legal? NO & YES!
* Think carefully about your words, movement,
body language, and emotions.
* Don't get into an argument with the police.
* Remember, anything you say or do can be used
against you.
* Keep your hands where the police can see them.
* Don't run. Don't touch any police officer.
* Don't resist even if you believe you are innocent.
* Don't complain on the scene or tell the police
they're wrong or that you're going to file a complaint.
* Do not make any statements regarding the incident.
* Ask for a lawyer immediately upon your arrest.
* Remember officers' badge and patrol car numbers.
* Write down everything you remember ASAP.
* Try to find witnesses and their names and phone
numbers.
* If you are injured, take photographs of the
injuries as soon as possible, but make sure you
seek medical attention first.
* If you feel your rights have been violated,
file a written complaint with police department's
internal affairs division or civilian complaint
board.
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OTHER MEMORIAL DAY IDEAS
Impeachment
Barbecue! Serve Cheney & Bush Shiskabobs
with M-Peach-Mint Pie.
March in your local Memorial Day parade.
Decorate your local Memorials for Veterans and
hold a silent vigil at 3pm on Monday.
Honor the women who have died in Iraq
serving our country. For those who want to read
the names, see List of Casualties by STATE
Have
a Teach In for IMPEACHMENT. Collect signatures
for IMPEACHMENT.
FLY your US flag upside down as a sign that
our country in is distress.
Even John Edwards, in his 2007 Memorial Day Video
challenged us (see
video here)
"This Memorial Day Weekend,
Don't stand quietly,
Don't just go to picnics,
Don't just gather with your friends.
Engage in an act of Patriotism,
Show how much you love this country
and speak out in support of our troops and bring
an end to this war.”
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