Dear Signers of The Declaration of Peace,
As you read this letter, Congress is debating giving the Bush administration over 162 billion dollars to fund the Iraq war into the next year. 162 billion dollars more for a war that should never have been launched in the first place. 162 billion dollars more for a war that already costs hundreds of millions of dollars a day, has taken hundreds of thousands of lives, and has caused incalculable damage to Iraq and its people.
162 Billion Dollars! Such a huge number to wrap your head around.
Here’s another number that is easier to comprehend.
The Declaration of Peace needs only $5100 to finance this national campaign for another year!
We’re asking you to donate $10 or more to cover these costs. [2]
Since the summer of 2006, you and other signers of The Declaration of Peace have held hundreds of vigils, Congressional visits, die-ins, public gatherings, and creative nonviolent actions [3]. You have brought the spirit and message of The Declaration of Peace into your local work to end the war in Iraq and provide a new direction for America.
As national coordinators of the campaign, we make sure that your local work is connected with the national movement. We host regular conference calls where organizers across the country can share ideas and plan collective action. We also keep in close contact with other national organizations, such as United for Peace and Justice [4] and the Win Without War Coalition [5], and inform you about their actions and campaigns.
We have also developed a Comprehensive Peace Plan for Iraq [6] as a resource for the movement.
As a new President and new members of Congress settle in after the 2008 elections, they will need to hear a clear and well-researched message from the American people. The Comprehensive Peace Plan will be an essential part of pushing our legislators towards envisioning a new way of acting in the world.
We also make sure the bills get paid.
So, we’re now asking you for your support.
The Declaration of Peace runs on a bare bones budget.
All of our money comes directly from you. We receive no foundation or other funding, and have no paid organizers.
The Declaration of Peace is a grassroots-driven, volunteer-run national campaign to end the U.S. war and occupation in Iraq.
This is your campaign!
We’re asking for a pledge of $10 or more to keep the campaign secure into the next year.
Here’s what you’re paying for:
• Hosting and design costs for our website [7], the public information center of the campaign.
• Our web-based e-advocacy system, which lets us send out e-mails to all the signers of the Declaration, process online donations, and maintain a database of important signer information.
Here’s what you’re NOT paying for:
• Staff time • Office space • Phone bills • Travel costs
$5100 to keep the campaign running for a full year.
Please consider making a donation to The Declaration of Peace today.
Click here to donate [8] or mail a check to:
The Declaration of Peace
P.O. Box 6163
Bloomington, IN 47407-6163
Make checks out to “The Declaration of Peace”. Your donations are tax-deductible.
Sincerely,
Timothy Baer (Nashville, Indiana)
Paul Frazier (Syracuse, New York)
Christine Glaser (Bloomington, Indiana)
Andrew Sawtelle (Providence, Rhode Island)
National Coordinating Body of The Declaration of Peace