The House of Representatives will vote as soon as tomorrow -- Thursday, May 8 -- on an additional $162.6 billion for the war and occupation in Iraq!

Tell them to vote "No!" on this funding bill.
Tell them it's long past time to bring all the troops home and end the war.
Tell them to stop playing political games while lives are being lost.

Amazingly, the bill includes $66 billion for fiscal year 2009. This means the funds for the occupation will keep flowing well into the next administration, allowing the new president a free hand to continue the war and occupation with little or no accountability to Congress until next spring. This is an appalling abdication of responsibility.

House Leadership Set to Pass Biggest War Spending Bill Yet!

Before it’s too late, we urge you to place two critical phone calls:

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at 202-225-0100

Chair of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee John Murtha at 202-225-2847

Tell them another blank check of $172 Billion for this war is totally unacceptable. The Congress needs to act now to bring the troops home! Remind them that the people of this country – the voters of this country - want the U.S. military occupation of Iraq to end!

And be sure to let your own Congressional Representative know that you expect them to stand up to the White House and to the House leadership on the war funding and refuse to support the present policies.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

While the House leadership was sharply critical of recent reports by General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, they now appear ready to give President Bush an additional $172 Billion in war funding.

Here’s what we know about what they plan to bring up for a vote:

CANDLELIGHT PEACE VIGIL and RALLY
at
Corner of Fair Oaks & Howe and then march to
Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento’s Auditorium
2425 Sierra Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95825
March 19, 2008
RSVP & Map

All greater Sacramento peace groups, organizations and concerned individuals are invited to participate in this grand PEACE VIGIL AND RALLY to take place on Wednesday March 19th, to commemorate the 5th Anniversary of the start of the dreadful Iraq War and protest all wars. We will have a prepared peace petition for you to sign to be delivered to the Presidential Candidates requesting their commitment to ending this country’s wars.

We gather to stand witness to the power of peace and nonviolence as the only viable way to heal our world

Tentative Program:
4:30 – 6 PM: Demonstration at Howe & Fair Oaks Blvd
6 – 7 PM: Prelude, Peaceful music, and signing in of guests *
7:PM Introduction by Doug Kraft and announcements
Music and singing of inspirational songs
Comments from the audience and war vets.
Candle Lighting Ceremony *

* Opportunity to sign petitions to the presidential candidates

Wednesday, Mar 19, 4:30 - 6pm
5 Years is Too Many: Demonstration to demand an End the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Bring signs.
Howe & Fair Oaks Blvd. Sacramento
916-448-7157.

Understanding the Brown Act: What Every Citizen Should Know
Speaker: Tom Gibson
Deputy General Counsel, California Department of Fish and Game
Formerly City Attorney for the Cities of Galt, Jackson, and Clearlake
And General Counsel to El Dorado LAFCO and other local government agencies

With introduction and orientation to Public Meeting Agendas by Roseanne Chamberlain, Consultant to Local Agency Formation Commissions Former Executive Officer of Amador and El Dorado LAFCO’s

This meeting will inform activists and other concerned citizens of the important public disclosure requirement for government agencies and elected officials

Tuesday, March 18, 2008, 7-8:30 PM
USC Capitol Center, 1801 I street, Sacramento, 95814
Corner of 18th and I Streets

An Oregon Veterans for Peace chapter has organized a bus to take to the Winter Soldier hearings in Washington DC (www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier) and they will be stopping in Sacramento this Wednesday, March 5.

They will attend the Wednesday 4-6pm vigil at 15th & L and then Sacramento Area Peace Action is hosting them at a potluck dinner, 6pm in the conference room at 909 12th Street.

Generic peace symbol turns 50
'Lollypops' originated on anti-nuke signs

Tony Atherton | Canwest News Service | Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The most famous postwar logo without commercial purpose -- or, at least, intended commercial purpose -- the peace symbol, turns 50 on Thursday.

Half a century ago, a British textile designer came up with an idea for protest signs for a march on a nuclear weapons facility: they would be the size and shape of an extra-large pizza bearing nothing more than a upside-down V with line through the middle, rendered white on black and mounted on wood laths.

These "lollypops," as the designer called them, would be lightweight and look great on TV, he said. Seen often enough, they would trumpet the message of nuclear disarmament without the need for cumbersome words.

The Folly of Attacking Iran: Talk by Stephen Kinzer
Former New York Times correspondent and author of All the Shah's Men, Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change From Hawaii to Iraq, and (co-author) Bitter Fruit: The Untold Story of the American Coup in Guatemala.

Sunday, Feb 10, 1pm
SEIU-UHW Hall, 1911 F St, Sac. FMI: 916-448-7157; sacpeace@dcn.org

ONE YEAR TO GO, BUT

END IT NOW!

RALLY

THE END OF AN ERROR

Sunday, Jan. 20th 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Corner of 16th St. & Broadway
(Near Tower Theatre and R5 Records)

George “Dubya” Bush will be out of office in ONE more year: 01-20-09
(Unless we can IMPEACH him before that!)

Please do not park in the Tower Theatre or R5 Records parking lots. There is plenty of street parking available.
After the rally, please patronize the local area businesses: R5 Records, The Avid Reader, Tower Theatre, & Tower Café, etc…

This is a non-partisan event, all are welcome!

Monday, Jan 21, 8:30am, Martin Luther King Jr March, starts Oak Park Community Center, 3425 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. & goes to Sacramento Convention Center for program & displays 10am-3pm. Join SacPeace contingent 9:15am at Sac City College, 3855 Freeport Blvd.

Ps: Please read this brief article about MLK and his anti-war statements about the Vietnam War:
http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/encyclopedia/vietnam.htm

Here are a few of his quotes... Feel free to use them on a sign. You can also watch this video montage set to an excerpt from his speech, "Beyond Vietnam":
http://www.bushflash.com/mlk2005.html

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."

"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal."
~Martin Luther King, Jr.