Current Actions

• Israel, Let the Flotilla Passengers into Gaza!

  Tell Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren to Give Israel this Message: Let the Flotilla Passengers into Gaza!
  
  

  

  Last year, Israeli commandos violently intercepted the flotilla in international waters, killing nine passengers and wounding scores. This year, 10 ships with up to 1,000 people will sail again in attempt to break the inhumane siege on Gaza. Instead of pursing a more peaceful approach, the Israeli military is once again preparing to attack unarmed civilians, including with snipers and dogs.
  
  This type of premeditated violence as a way to greet ships filled with international citizens delivering human aid is unacceptable. We call upon Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren to urge his government to allow the safe passage of those on board the flotilla ships to Gaza, and we urge the State Department to put advise the Israeli government the same.
  
  Use the form below to send an email to the Israeli Embassy and US State Department officials in Washington, D.C.
  
  

• Let the Dancers Dance

  If you think people should have the right to dance silently at the Jefferson Memorial, sign this petition calling on the Park Police to Let the Dancers Dance.

• Letter to the Senators of the Democratic Caucus

  

  CODEPINK is joining Progressive Democrats of America in demanding a withdrawal from Afghanistan and asking Senators to lead the way to ending the wars and bringing the money and troops home for vital domestic needs like healtchare, education, and renewable, sustainable energy research.

  Prominent peace and justice advocates have signed this letter. Please add your signature by completing the form below. The letter will be delivered to the Senate as part of the June 7 Rally with the Nurses and Citizens Lobby Day.

• Congress: End the Afghanistan War, Bring the Troops and Money Home

  As Congress debates the annual military spending bill, they need to hear from their constituents! Tell your Representative and Senators to end the Afghanistan War, remove all troops and contractors, and bring the money home for vitally needed domestic priorities. It is time to stop funding the military industrial complex and start funding education, health and human needs!
  

• Tell Obama to get out of bed with AIPAC!

  President Obama will address AIPAC at their annual policy conference this Sunday, May 22, after meeting with Israeli PM Netanyahu. Outraged that Obama is pandering to AIPAC? Tell him what you think of the Israel Lobby and what’s really needed for a lasting just peace in the region! Help us get to our goal of 5,000 petitions to deliver to the White House. Plus, take action in person by joining us in DC on Sunday morning for a rally outside the AIPAC conference while Obama speaks.  See Move Over AIPAC full schedule and sign up to join us!

• Support HR 780: A Responsible End to War in Afghanistan

  

  Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced a bill to limit military funding to only cover the safe and orderly withdrawal of all U.S. military personnel and Department of Defense (DOD) contractor personnel in Afghanistan. The bill has been referred to the House Foreign Affairs and House Armed Services Committees for consideration. With the killing of bin Laden, now is the time for more Congressmembers to come out in support of immediately ending the war in Afghanistan!

  If your Representative has already agreed to co-sponsor the resolution, you'll be able to send a letter of appreciation.

• Support HR 780: A Responsible End to War in Afghanistan

  Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced a bill to limit military funding to only cover the safe and orderly withdrawal of all U.S. military personnel and Department of Defense (DOD) contractor personnel in Afghanistan. The bill has been referred to the House Foreign Affairs and House Armed Services Committees for consideration. With the killing of bin Laden, now is the time for more Congressmembers to come out in support of immediately ending the war in Afghanistan!

• Enough -- Let the Peace Begin

  The death of Osama Bin Laden should be a time of profound reflection. With his death, we remember and mourn all the lives lost on September 11. We remember and mourn all the lives lost in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan. We remember and mourn the death of our soldiers. And we say, “Enough.” There was never any justification for invading Iraq. Our troops must come home now—all of them. With Al-Qaeda driven out of Afghanistan and Osama Bin Laden dead, there is no justification for continuing the war in Afghanistan. Our soldiers—and contractors—must leave, now, opening the path for Afghan government and the Taliban to negotiate a ceasefire. Our drone attacks in Pakistan are only fueling the violence and creating more Osama Bin Ladens. We must stop these barbaric attacks, now! Our military, and our federal budget, must focus on rebuilding at home, not making new enemies abroad. Let us give meaning to the death of Osama Bin Laden by calling on President Obama to put an end to the violence.

• Demand for the Restoration of Rule of Law and Accountability

  Reject complacency and take a stand. Please take a stand today. Sign the demand and be counted among those who demand that the rule of law be honored by the U.S. Sign the demand and be counted among those who insist that our form of government, obtained and preserved over the years through the sacrifice of many lives and the brilliance of the Founders and others who have followed, be preserved, with checks and balances and a separation of power among the three branches of government. Sign the demand today to help stop the trend toward tyranny in the executive branch and the undermining of our great republic. Sign the demand and be counted among those who demand that the rule of law be honored by the U.S. SIGN BELOW:

• Show Your Love for Helen Thomas!

  In May during our Move Over AIPAC conference we will honor our keynote speaker Helen Thomas, former White House dean of correspondents, with an award. We invite you to give us your comments below for Ms. Thomas and when we present the award to her, we'll mention them into our remarks. Join us in honoring Ms. Thomas for her 60 years of excellent investigative journalism and her fearless efforts to speak out against war and injustice around the world. Helen Thomas retired in 2010 after a long and productive career. She was a member of the White House Press Corps and served as Bureau Chief for United Press International. Ms. Thomas has stood up strong for her beliefs about the nature of the Israeli / Palestinian conflict and what is needed to bring justice to the region. She has said that "peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance." We admire her courage and her continued activism to peace bring and justice to the Middle East.

  CODEPINK honored Ms. Thomas with a PINK medal of courage.

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  War is more than boots on the ground
  Tell your Congressmembers to support the Kucinich amendment

  Rep. Kucinich's amendment to the forthcoming Continuing Resolution or Omnibus Appropriations bill would prohibit funding for U.S. involvement in military operations in Libya.

  As Rep. Kucinich stated in his letter to his fellow Congressmembers this week: "The establishment of a no-fly zone by the U.S. and our allies, billed as an act to protect civilians in Libya, is an act of war." Furthermore, the US military has no endgame plan, no timeline, and no clear boundaries for its intervention in Libya. This is unacceptable.

  Rep. Kucinich writes that "according to the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, the initial costs of a no-fly zone could cost the U.S. between $400 and $800 million, or $30 to $100 million per week." We've spent trillions on unwinnable wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last decade and cannot continue to intervene abroad militarily, with airstrikes or other operations.
  
  Please urge your congressmemebers to help bring our war $$ home by supporting Rep. Kucinich's amendment.

• Tell Bed Bath & Beyond to Stop Carrying Illegal Settlement Products!

  Big box retailer Bed Bath & Beyond carries two products that are manufactured in illegal Israeli settlements: Ahava cosmetics and SodaStream home beverage carbonating devices. Sign this petition to tell Bed Bath & Beyond to stop selling these products which violate international law.
  

  Please sign the petition below and share it with your friends and family.

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  Tell Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: Instead of Bombing Dictators, Stop Selling Them Bombs

  Use Diplomacy to Bring About a Ceasefire in Libya Immediately

  We know that Muammar Gaddafi is a dictator and we support Libyan people who are rising up to oust him. But bringing in the cruise missiles to the “rescue”? No way! Our government’s involvement should be to use creative diplomacy, negotiations, and international pressure, not war. The best thing the U.S. can do to support democracy in the Middle East is: Stop arming dictators.

  Western nations were selling Gaddafi the weapons his regime has been using to suppress the Libyan people. In 2009 alone, European governments—including Britain and France—sold Libya more than $470 million worth of weapons. The Obama administration was working to provide the Libyan dictator another $77 million in weapons, on top of the $17 million it provided in 2009 and the $46 million the Bush administration provided in 2008. What is the message we send by bombing Gaddafi’s forces while continuing to support brutal regimes in countries such as Yemen, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia?

  Please join us in telling Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—a key player pushing for war in Libya—that we want an end to the bombing, an immediate ceasefire in Libya and an end to U.S. arms sales to the region’s dictators.
  

  
  

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  Listen to Afghan Youth!

  The Obama administration has increased our U.S. military presence in Afghanistan by 50,000 for a total of 100,000 military, plus 70,000 U.S. contractors.  Add in NATO military and Afghan security, and you have 510,000 forces charged with Afghanistan's national security.  The CIA says there are perhaps 50 al Qaeda and at most 15,000 Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan.  The math just doesn't add up.  We have spent trillions of dollars that should have been spent in our local communities.
   
  NGOs in Afghanistan concerned about the huge increase in civilian casualties say that civilians have "nowhere to hide" to escape the brutality of war. 

  Faced with these forces of death, destruction and inhumanity, one thing that gives me hope is the youth in areas of conflict who are challenging injustice and demanding to live in a world of peace.  Listen to the powerful words of the youth of Afghanistan and join us in supporting their pleas for peace by forwarding their letter to US leaders and to your friends.

  This week Senator Boxer and Congressman Kucinich submitted bills to end the war in Afghanistan, and now more than ever your Congressmembers need to hear from the voices of the Afghan youth.
  
  Type in your zip code below to send a message to President Obama, and your Congressperson and Senators, to listen to Afghan youth!
  

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  Tell Defense Secretary Gates: Drop the "aiding the enemy" charge against Bradley Manning Private Bradley Manning, a 23-year-old intelligence analyst with the US Army, stands accused of disclosing a classified video of American troops shooting Iraqi civilians from a helicopter, as well as the State Department cables that have helped bring transparency to governments and spark democratic uprisings in the Middle East and the war logs that have brought us the truth about war crimes committed in Iraq and Afghanistan.  He has now been charged with "aiding the enemy" by the Department of Defense, a crime that is punishable by death.  If spared this cruel sentence, Manning would still face life in prison without parole. He is held inside his cell for 23 hours a day under constant surveillance. The conditions of his imprisonment recently sparked a probe by the UN special commision on torture. The whistleblower behind the Vietnam era’s Pentagon Papers, Daniel Ellsberg, has called Mr. Manning a “hero,” yet this administration is bent on charging him with dozens of unjust charges. We believe that without the efforts of people who risk prosecution to reveal the truth, the information we need to hold our government accountable may never be made public. Join us in demanding humane treatment for Bradley Manning, and that this administration drop the unjust charge of "aiding the enemy."

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  Tell Congress: Don't Slash Budgets, Bring Our War $$ Home!

  

  From Tunisia and Egypt, to Wisconsin and Ohio, let's bring our war dollars home! Bombing Afghanistan, occupying Iraq, and maintaining more than 1,000 military bases around the globe costs billions a week, and aid to dictators like Egypt's recently deposed Hosni Mubarak costs U.S. taxpayers billions a year. Meanwhile domestic programs like heating assistance for low-income families, and public workers like firefighters and teachers, see their budgets slashed.
  
  Just 150 soldiers coming home from Afghanistan this year would solve Wisconsin's budget shortfall – 150 out of the approximately 80,000 currently stationed there.
  
  People everywhere are rising up to demand funding for jobs, housing, and education, not for wars and occupation. And with the inspiring current of people taking action in their home states, these movements will continue to grow!
  
  Type in your zip code below to tell President Obama, and your Congressperson and Senators, to turn the tide of brutal budget slashing by bringing our war $$ home.
  

• Congress 2011: Time for a New Foreign Policy!

  Each year AIPAC lobbies our Congress for $3 billion in military aid to Israel.  This money supports arms manufacturers in the US, when our tax dollars are desperately needed for our schools, hospitals, and green jobs here at home to rebuild America!  Tell your elected officials how you want your money to be spent.  
  
  The U.S. government has pledged $30 billion in military aid to Israel over a 10-year period from 2009 to 2018. This means that no matter what the Obama or any other administration says about peace talks, settlement growth, or the suffocating siege of Gaza, Israel’s government has no incentive to change its policies. Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced Israel may ask for an additional $20 billion in military aid—over and above the $3 billion a year Israel already receives—in order to “prepare for possible threats.”  For more info read here.  (Shown at right: Tear gas canister that was made in the U.S.A. used against peaceful protesters in the West Bank and in Egypt)
  
  Find out how much your state contributes in taxes going to military aid to Israel and see what your state could be buying instead (green jobs, healthcare, housing...)!
  
  Enter your zipcode below to send a letter to your Congressperson and Senators now! 

• Fund People's Needs Not Dictators!

  With great joy in our hearts and tears in our eyes, we celebrate Hosni Mubarak’s resignation.  We must not forget that Mubarak's regime was propped up by one US administration after another for 30 years in order to maintain the balance of power in the region in favor of Israel.
  
  This is a perfect moment to tell Congress that you want your taxdollars to support people’s needs, not dictators or the violent policies of the Israeli government.
  
  Type in your zip code below to tell President Obama, and your Congressperson and Senators, to stand with the people of Egypt, and to stop funding repressive regimes and fund people's needs instaed! 
  

• Thank You for Dropping Ahava Products!

  In January, 2011, we learned that The Bay, a major Canadian department store, discontinued sales of Ahava products. Canadian human rights activists, including our allies at Tadamon!, have had a campaign to ask The Bay to stop selling Ahava. Please join us in thanking The Bay for dropping Ahava. Your message of thanks is crucial as right-wing pro-occupation groups berate and pressure The Bay to reinstate sales of Ahava. Click to send your letter below now!
  

• Don't turn a tragedy into an arms race

  Arizona already has some of the most lax gun control laws in the country, but state lawmakers are thinking of making it even easier to carry concealed weapons on campus through two new bills. One bill, H2001, would allow faculty at state community colleges and universities to carry guns with valid permits. Another bill, H2014, would prevent educational institutions from stopping those with valid permits from carrying them on their campuses. State Rep. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, who authored both bills, recently argued "When everyone is carrying a firearm, nobody is going to be a victim." This is a sobering reminder that our society is filled with (and glorifies) guns and killing, both at home and abroad. The Tucson shooting is a national issue—we must let Rep. Harper,  the co-sponsors of these bills, and Gov. Jan Brewer know that more violence is not the answer. Please, take a moment right now to send a note urging Gov. Jan Brewer and the co-sponsors of these bills to work to strengthen, not weaken, state gun control laws. It's up to us to make them realize that you can't shoot your way to security anymore than you can bomb the world to peace. As we speak out, we honor those whose lives were lost and shattered in that Safeway parking lot in Arizona, and pay tribute to our belief in democracy.

  
  

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  Cut it out!  We can't afford these wars! Please contact your House representative today by signing the letter below! Ask your Member of Congress to cut the deficit by ending the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq and making cuts to the bloated Pentagon budget to bring our war $$ home!   Enter your Zip Code to view the letter below:

• Stop Carrying Ahava!

  At the Russell Tribunal on Palestine London Session in November, 2010, Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories was found to be complicit with Israel’s violations of international law.  Ahava is an occupation profiteer and as such is the subject of an international boycott campaign. We are calling on Ulta, a national beauty store with shops in 39 states, to stop selling Ahava cosmetics.
  
  Join us in telling Ulta to stop selling AHAVA products -- sign and send your letter below now!

• Move Bush's Memoir to the Crime Section of Bookstores!

  Photo Contest Winners Announced! War criminal George W. Bush's new memoir, Decision Points, is scheduled to hit the shelves of bookstores across the country last month. We think Bush's book belongs in the Crime section and we mobilized hundreds of activists to move it there. Participants moved the books in their local bookstores and then sent us their pics to enter our photo contest. Be sure to leave our "The Real Decision Points" bookmark inside a few copies of the book at your bookstore! Just download, print, cut and go! Check out one of our winner's photos by clicking on the photo slideshow to the right! The winning photos show Bush's book in the baloney and toilet paper sections of the grocery store. The contest isn't over! Stay tuned because next month, we'll be moving Donald Rumsfeld's new book "Known and Unknown" and coordinating our action on Facebook here: http://on.fb.me/gOEUsi

• NO more money, NO more surges, NO more lives for war

  On July 1st, the House of Representatives voted, indirectly through a sneaky measure called "the self-executing rule", for yet another $33 billion for the escalation of war in Afghanistan, now the longest continual war in US history. That's the bad news. The good news is that Congress has been hearing so much from "we the people" including codepinkers across the nation that the Democratic leadership that Speaker Nancy Pelosi resorted to this dodge so that members of Congress would not have their names on a direct vote for war funding, something the US taxpayers know they cannot afford. Now is the time to call and visit your senators and members of Congress and say: we're watching carefully, we do not like this, and do not vote for war again.
  
  Send a letter to your Senator using our tool below and tell them you want a new policy based on development and conflict resolution, not war.

• NO more money, NO more surges, NO more lives for war

  

  The war funding supplemental bill could be voted on as early as tomorrow--and the issue is not who is conducting the war, but the war itself. Unfortunately, Congress is poised to throw another $33 billion of our tax dollars at this old, worn militaristic disaster.
  
  Send a letter to your representative using our tool below and tell them you want a new policy based on development and conflict resolution, not war (and tell them to join the Out of Afghanistan Caucus.) To the right is a letter by 30 Congressional representatives to Speaker Pelosi about not voting for war until crucial questions are answered. You can see if your member has signed here and tell your member to join with these representatives to stand up for what's right.

• What's Your Pledge for a Greener More Peaceful Planet?

  Last weekend CODEPINK called for a day of action to Protest BP--our locals creatively rallied at a BP-owned station in LA, organized the Mermaid Survivor of the BP Oilspill Contingent in the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, protested at a BP station in Detroit, and many more. In the wake of these powerful actions, we buried the hummer, the symbol of the American hubris, in Detroit "Motor City" on the eve of the US Social Forum, a dynamic world-wide gathering of more than 25,000 activists committed to social change.

• Say NO to Drilling and NO more giveaways to Big Oil!

  It’s time for Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi, as leaders in the House and Senate, to do their jobs and punish polluters, say no to drilling and no more giveaways to big oil! Send them (and their legislative aides) a note below—the time to push is now! 

• Send the Truth to Congress!
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  Protecting BP is Simply Wrong! Please sign the letter below! A Senate bill, the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act, would have spiked the maximum liability for oil companies from a pitiful $75 million to $10 billion—making sure that BP paid for this man-made catastrophe. Remember, this company reported a profit of $5.5 billion in just the last three months! But unbelievably, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) opposed the bill and blocked it from even coming to a vote. Please contact this lady’s office and tell her to stop protecting BP and instead protect the fishermen, the coastal residents and the wildlife.

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  Protecting BP is Simply Wrong! Please sign the letter below! A Senate bill, the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act, would have spiked the maximum liability for oil companies from a pitiful $75 million to $10 billion—making sure that BP paid for this man-made catastrophe. Remember, this company reported a profit of $5.5 billion in just the last three months! But unbelievably, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) opposed the bill and blocked it from even coming to a vote. Please contact her and Senator Inhoff  and tell them to stop protecting BP and instead protect the fishermen, the coastal residents and the wildlife.

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  Let's NOT Waste $33 Billion Dollars on More War! Please contact your House and Senate members today by signing the letter below! Ask them to co-sponsor the McGovern/Feingold bill (HR 5015, S.3197) requiring the President to provide a plan and timetable for "the safe, orderly and expeditious redeployment of US troops from Afghanistan and request them to vote NO on spending $33 billion dollars more on war.

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  Let's NOT Waste $33 Billion Dollars on More War! Please contact your House and Senate members today by signing the letter below! Ask your Member of Congress to co-sponsor the McGovern/Feingold bill (HR 5015, S.3197) requiring the President to provide a plan and timetable for "the safe, orderly and expeditious redeployment of US troops from Afghanistan and request them to vote NO on spending $33 billion dollars more on war. Enter your Zip Code to view the letter below:

• Nordstrom: Live up to your socially responsible business promises!

  On March 30, 2010, activists around the world will mark Land Day with coordinated BDS actions. There will be Stolen Beauty AHAVA boycott actions in NYC, D.C., Chicago, Montreal, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Our latest Stolen Beauty target is Nordstrom, a chain of department stores that touts itself as a socially responsible business.

  Join us in telling Nordstrom to stop selling AHAVA products -- sign your letter below now!

• Say NO to Northrop Grumman & Corporate Welfare

  

  Ever since Northrop Grumman--the third largest Federal contractor in 2009 with over $17 billion in mostly defense and aerospace contracts--announced its intention to move to the Washington DC area, politicians in DC, Maryland, and Virginia have eagerly courted them.

  As an incentive, the DC City Council is legislating $25 million in subsidies and grants to the mammoth war profiteer. The legislation was originally sponsored by seven of the City Council’s 13 members and supported by Mayor Adrian Fenty, and a vote is scheduled in early April.

  What does Washington DC get in return? Northrop has promised 250 jobs but the defense contractor is already cutting jobs in other locations. Also, most of the jobs in DC would be filled by employees relocating from Los Angeles. There is currently no stated positive fiscal benefit to the District of Columbia from this corporate welfare.

  $25 million is money better invested in creating jobs, improving infrastructure and public services for the District of Columbia. Mobilize against this tax giveaway. Stand up to Northrop Grumman and tell the DC City Council that this community is not for sale.

• Over 1000 Dead--

  For those who know or have lost a loved one serving in Afghanistan or Iraq, this week’s milestone of the 1,000th US death in Operation Enduring Freedom struck deep. As we proceed with our current military offensive in Helmand Province-the very one touted by McChrystal, our President, Pentagon officials and the media as the first step toward “victory” in Afghanistan- 1,000 troops and thousands of Afghan civilians have died in Operation Enduring Freedom, including 39 civilians just last weekend from another disastrous NATO airstrike. Won't you join us in writing to NATO Command and General Stanley McChrystal to tell them that this is an unacceptable toll? Use our tool below to let General McChrystal know that we cannot continue to sacrifice military servicemembers or  terrorize and dehumanize the Afghan people! *Note a formal letter salutation will be automatically added to your email* THANK YOU TO ALL THE SUPPORTERS WHO HAVE ALREADY SIGNED THIS LETTER!

• Have a Heart!

  Join the Stolen Beauty AHAVA boycott campaign in contacting Ricky’s NYC, a family-owned chain store in New York City, to tell them, ‘Stop carrying AHAVA cosmetics! AHAVA means love in Hebrew, but there is nothing loving about the company’s practices.’

  Your email can make a difference. This past summer we delivered Stolen Beauty AHAVA boycott letters to store managers at fourteen of Ricky's outlets in the city. We followed up with letters and phone calls to the corporate headquarters and Mr. Costello's office. We also staged several in-store protests. In late August, Mr. Costello's assistant told us they had every intention of continuing to stock and sell AHAVA products. Let's see if we can't encourage a change of heart. Keep the snowball rolling and join us in sending a message to Ricky's NYC president, Dominick Costello.  
  

• Levin, Don't Leave Us Out in the Cold!

  
  Won’t you write to Senator Carl Levin, Chair of the Armed Forces Committee, and ask him to save our communities by freezing the Pentagon budget? Use our simple, effective tool below to send an email—which you can personalize, if you wish—to tell Senator Levin not to let the American people get snowed by out of control Defense spending!
  

  When Obama mentioned his proposed “spending freeze” during the State of the Union, it gave us the chills. Not because we are against fiscal responsibility, but because freezing domestic spending isn’t going to cure the deficit and we all know there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell if defense spending remains unchecked! We are concerned that this focus on fire power will leave the American people out in the cold.

• Losing Hope, Taking Action

  National progressive leaders gathered outside the White House today (read more), on the one year anniversary of Obama’s inauguration, with the message of Losing Hope and Taking Action. As we voice our frustrations to Obama, we renew our commitment to bringing about change—join us in signing the letter below and don’t stop there. Be the leader you want Obama to be by taking these personal, concrete actions for change.
• Madame Mubarak, Let the Gaza Freedom March Enter Gaza!

  Baskets delivered to the women of Gaza on International Women's Day

  The Egyptian government announced Monday that the border between Gaza and Egypt will be closed, just in time for 1,346 men, women, and children from 42 countries—the Gaza Freedom March—to arrive in Cairo. 
  It’s too late to turn back now.  We will proceed, and are asking Egypt to permit the march to go on.
  
  This has happened with each delegation we have taken but with the right pressure we have succeeded in crossing the border each time.  Our first attempt was made possible thanks to First Lady Suzanne Mubarak.  For International Women’s Day we were taking in thousands of pink baskets of aid for the women in Gaza.  As we made our way to the border we passed truck after truck brimming with rotting material aid that the Egyptians had not allowed into Gaza.  But our outreach to Madame Mubarak proved fruitful as we were met by the Egyptian Red Crescent, which she chairs and proceeded into Gaza with no problems. 
  
  When we arrive in Cairo on Sunday, December 27, the one-year anniversary of the Israeli invasion of Gaza, we will call on Mrs. Mubarak to once more open her heart to the suffering across her border.  We have been writing letters and making calls to her office for months now, and we hope that she will intercede on our behalf to make sure we can bring our humanitarian aid—children’s medicines, clothing and school supplies—to the families in Gaza who are suffering.
  
  As we pack the peace flags sent from around the country to wave in support of the people of Gaza, toys for the children, and material aid. Thousands of us want to spend our holiday actually pursuing peace on Earth, and goodwill toward men and women.
  
  You can apply pressure from home by emailing Mrs. Mubarak a letter similar to ours below.  Thank you.

• Contact the Egyptian government for the Gaza Freedom March

  Using the pretext of escalating tensions on the Gaza-Egypt border, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry informed us December 20th that the Rafah border will be closed over the coming weeks, into January. We responded that there is always tension at the border because of the siege, that we do not feel threatened, and that if there are any risks, they are risks we are willing to take.

  Please contact Egyptian embassies and missions all over the world with a clear message: Let the international delegation enter Gaza, let the Gaza Freedom March proceed!
  
  Use our tool below to send an email directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo, Egypt. You can use our suggested text and/or add your own message.
  
  **Additionally, you can call Hisham Seif-Eldin, Director Palestinian Affairs in Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cairo, Egypt (tel 25741344 fax 25749682) and/or the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, D.C. at 202-895-5400
  or find your local consulate here and appeal to them on behalf of the Gaza Freedom Marchers: http://www.mfa.gov.eg/MFA_Portal/en-GB/mfa_websits/

• Tell Obama No Surge!

  Send your own letter to President Obama to urge him to say No to Escalation in Afghanistan.
  
  President Obama is currently poised to send 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan and the Pentagon is gearing up to ask for another $50 billion in funding for the wars (on top of the $130 billion they have already received.) We can’t afford to let this happen—the human and financial costs are both way too high. We need to use our voices to end this quagmire today.

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• Invite Obama to Meet with the Peace Movement!

  Barack Obama was elected in large part because of his promise to end the Iraq War and we want to hold him to that pledge. You can send Obama and his team a letter asking him to sit down with leaders of the peace and anti-war movement to talk about bringing home our troops. Read CODEPINK's “Let’s Talk” invitation to the President below, add in your own words, sign your name and zip code, and send your letter.  Your letter will be automatically sent to Obama via the www.whitehouse.gov website through a few clicks on our website--now there's action magic!  Let’s model how we arrive at peace by starting here at home and using our words, not weapons.