Bringing the war home to the Pentagon--Mike Ferner

Call to Action
Draft, September 15, 2005

Dear Friends,

Greetings from the NYC War Resisters League's Affinity Group. We are writing to let you know about our plans for the Pentagon, Monday, September 26, early in the morning.

We invite other affinity groups and individuals who can abide by the below nonviolence guidelines to join us in blocking entrances at the Pentagon and participating in a die-in.

The theme and details of the action are still being developed, but at our last meeting we came up with a couple central ideas.

We come to the Pentagon to identify this institution as a source of terror throughout the world (and in U.S. communities as resources for human needs are stripped to pay for war making).

We come to invite workers to terminate their relationship with that killing institution, our fliers will invoke the rich history of whistleblowers, exposes and truth tellers who have quit their jobs at the Pentagon and been embraced by the peace movement* From Daniel Ellsberg to Bunnatine H. Greenhouse, the highest ranking African American woman in the Army Corps of Engineers who blew the whistle on Halliburton's war profiteering.

We will blockade entrances and challenge workers to a fuller understanding of what their silence and complicity has wrought.

Some of us may choose to do a die in, graphically representing the results of war policies.

We act as part of United for Peace and Justice's Call to Action to REMEMBER AND RESIST. With so many acting on this day throughout the nation we:
Mourn the Dead.
Resist Bush's War.
Demand the U.S. troops home, now!

We invite you to join the NYC WRL affinity group, or other affinity groups acting with us. For more information visit www.septemberaction.org/pentagon

We will be having a final planning meeting on:
Sunday, September 25, 2005, 7-9pm
The Washington Peace Center's Fleming Center
1426 9th Street NW Washington, DC 20001, (on 9th Street, near the corner of P Street).

Come to this meeting if you plan to participate in the action the next morning (6am) and can abide by the nonviolence guidelines. Sleeping space for those participating in the action is available at the Fleming Center, but we need to know in advance if you plan to sleep there. Call 347-683-4928 or email Frida.berrigan@gmail.com for more information.

WRL NONVIOLENCE GUIDELINES

For the purpose of building trust and a common foundation for safety, and ensure that we act in the spirit of nonviolence, participants in the action agree to the following:
Our attitude will be one of openness and respect toward people we encounter.
We will not use physical violence or verbal abuse toward any person.
We will not damage any property.
We will not bring or use any alcohol or drugs other than for medical purposes.
We will not carry weapons.