A week of nationwide coordinated, dramatic nonviolent actions in every Congressional District across the United States to Defund the U.S. war on Iraq and to Establish a Comprehensive Peace Plan for Iraq.
Echoing the vast majority of the U.S. public that is calling for an end to the U.S. war on Iraq, The Declaration of Peace Campaign calls on Congress to establish a Comprehensive Peace Plan for Iraq, including ending war funding, bringing the troops home, and support for an Iraqi-led peace process. (See the full Plan below.)
This summer, The Declaration of Peace seeks to coordinate and help organize local delegations to every Congressional office in the nation to call on our elected officials to publicly commit to this Plan.
We will also prepare for public action — including nonviolent civil disobedience and other forms of peaceful witness — at these offices in September to call on the nation and its leaders to establish this Plan.
The Days of Decision: September 14 - 21, 2007
Congress and the administration will “reassess” the war in September. They will also consider new funding for the war in the 2008 budget. These are Days of Decision for the nation – and for the growing movement for Peace. Across the U.S., The Declaration of Peace is joining with many other anti-war initiatives to help dramatize the choice before us: endless war or a positive and concrete plan for peace.
The Days of Decision will begin on September 14 and culminate in The International Day of Peace on September 21st, when people across the U.S. will join with people around the world to call for an end to the U.S. war and occupation in Iraq.
Dramatic Nonviolent Action: The Reality of War and the Plan for Peace
We call on local groups to plan nonviolent action at Congressional offices in September, including nonviolent civil disobedience and other forms of witness. We envision these actions to include two important components:
- A Public Declaration of Peace: exhibiting and signing the campaign’s nine point framework for Peace for Iraq; and
- Ways to dramatically highlight the reality of the war. For example, local groups may consider organizing a nonviolent Die-In as part of this witness. (See more about this under ‘Further Notes’, later in this text.) This is one of many ways to dramatize our call for Peace.
Steps to the Days of Decision:
- Sign The Declaration of Peace and encourage others to do so.
- Between now and September, local groups meet with their U.S. Representatives and Senators or their staffs to seek a public commitment for The Comprehensive Plan using The 2007 Congressional Declaration of Peace.
- Local groups are asked to video these meetings and post them on The Declaration of Peace website.
- Engage in action planning.
- Organize nonviolent action trainings.
- Organize media outreach as part of the buildup to “The Days of Decision.”
- A national media strategy will highlight these nationwide actions.
The Declaration of Peace Comprehensive Peace Plan for Iraq:
- An end to all funding for U.S. military operations in Iraq.
- Safe and rapid withdrawal of all U.S. troops and coalition forces from Iraq, with no future deployments.
- Support for an Iraqi-led peace process, including a peace conference to shape a post-occupation transition.
- No permanent U.S. military bases or installations in Iraq.
- Return control of Iraqi oil to the people of Iraq, as well as complete sovereignty in their economic and political affairs.
- Support for reparations and reconstruction to address the destruction caused by the U.S. invasion, military occupation, and 13 years of economic sanctions.
- Establish a U.S. “peace dividend” for job creation, health care, education, housing, and other vital social needs at home.
- Increased support for U.S. veterans of the Iraq war.
- No war against Iran or any other nation.
If a Comprehensive Peace Plan for Iraq is not established in September 2007, The Declaration of Peace will continue its work until it is. Unless the objectives of this campaign have been met, we will continue to organize nonviolent initiatives for Peace, including nonviolent action planned for mid-March 2008 to mark the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the war.
The impossible has become the probable. Now the probable is becoming the doable. Together we can make the doable become the inevitable: Ending the War and Establishing A Comprehensive Peace Plan for Iraq.
The Declaration of Peace http://declarationofpeace.org
E-mail:
Further Notes on the “Die In” Action During The September 14-21, 2007 ‘Days of Decision’
After carrying out many forms of creative outreach to our members of Congress throughout the summer, local groups are encouraged to carry out A Public Declaration of Peace in front of their local Congressional offices. Each group is encouraged to find creative ways to dramatize the nine points of The Declaration of Peace Comprehensive Plan as part of this witness.
For example, using drama and ceremony, they could “set” a table at the center of the space with representations of each of the nine components of the Comprehensive Plan. There could be a statement about each one, and how it will contribute to a “just and lasting peace.”
The Nonviolent “Die-In”
A Comprehensive Peace Plan for Iraq, however, has not yet been established. A speaker could state that, instead, there is death and destruction. Readings of the names of the U.S. and Iraqi war dead would begin. As this takes place, people (who have agreed ahead of time to do this) would dramatize and embody these deaths. They would lie down and evoke the “field of death” that the war and occupation have created. Some could be covered in white sheets represented shrouds. Individuals could take the name of someone who has died (an Iraqi civilian, a U.S. or coalition soldier, a contractor, etc.).
“Die-In” Options
Those engaging in the Die-In action could either be risking arrest (trespass; blocking a door to the office; etc.) or choose to engage in the Die-In, but, not to risk arrest.
People may also choose to engage in this Die-In action in a public space where there is little or no risk of being arrested (for example: “permitted” space).
This dramatization would also include those choosing not to “die-in.” Those who choose not to “die-in” would read names; hold appropriate signs and banners; maintain silence; support the others.
Groups could setting a numerical goal based on the space and ask people to commit to being part of it and if they are willing to represent one of the U.S. or Iraqi war dead. (Also, people may want to assign a number to each registrant. For example: #229 out of the needed 300.)
Some of these Public Declaration of Peace events may be organized without a Die-in. There could be readings of names; civil disobedience; marches; etc., without a Die-In.
These events could be held in front of the offices of members of Congress who are already working to end the war (minus risking arrest). These Congressional members could be invited to join in the event. Or such an event could be held at other more appropriate sites in the district or city.
These actions would be organized like any other: nonviolence guidelines and principles; peacekeepers; organizing meetings; legal support and follow-up.
Background: “Why Nationwide Coordinated Actions in September 2007?”
The Declaration of Peace: Toward a Strategy for This Phase
The challenge in this phase of the movement to end the U.S. war in Iraq is to dramatically increase the visibility of public opposition and, in doing so, move Congress off its current position (ineffective and symbolic protest) to one in which it is willing to sincerely challenge, obstruct, and replace current U.S. policy on Iraq.
It will only do this if “the people lead the leaders” and create the conditions for the impossible to become the probable; the probable to become the doable; and the doable to become the inevitable. For this to happen, many factors will likely need to fuse:
- An undermining of the “myths” that uphold this policy (that to end war funding represents a lack of support for the troops; that the “problem” is a lack of political will among the Iraqi leadership; that the Iraqi people want the U.S. there; that a quantitative “surge” will lead to a qualitative change of the conditions on the ground; and that military engagement in Iraq prevents terrorism in the U.S.);
- An increasingly vocal public articulating its opposition, including the Republican base that has been most supportive of this policy; and
- Nonviolent action that dramatizes, magnifies, reinforces and deepens the increasing “withdrawal of consent” of the overall movement.
Each of these can help consolidate and deepen the opposition of the general populace and thus to create the political and moral conditions to widen the political space (and political resolve) to take steps that a year ago seemed “impossible” and even a few weeks or months ago may have seemed “improbable.”
In the past year, Congressional opposition has taken a number of crucial steps toward peace in direct proportion to public opinion and visible public dissent and action. Now, building on all of its work, the Peace Movement is called to increase the people-power to create the conditions for the next Congressional step.
The Declaration of Peace’s strategy must therefore be designed to make visible and magnify this growing public opposition. It will do this by organizing public activity in support of its comprehensive plan for peace; organizing public outreach to members of Congress using the Congressional Declaration of Peace; and planning public action — that many people can participate in — that dramatically highlights the reality of the war.
To facilitate this, the campaign is building toward and carrying out coordinated nonviolent actions nationwide in September 2007, a period when the war will purportedly be reassessed by Congress and the Bush administration; when Congress will finalize the U.S. military’s 2008 budget, including funding for the war; and when people throughout the world mark “The International Day of Peace” (September 21). It will also be the first anniversary sine The Declaration of Peace’s inaugural week of nonviolent action (September 21-28, 2006).
The September 2007 actions will not end this campaign. We will continue this campaign until the war ends. We will plan coordinated nonviolent action for the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the war in mid-March 2008, unless the objectives of this campaign have been met by then.
Resources: Internet Links Concerning Declaration of Peace “Die-Ins”
Declaration of Peace Die-Ins have taken place in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Wilmington, Delaware, Chicago, and other places.
Below are some links to stories and photos:
Washington, DC:
September 27, 2006 – U.S. Capitol
Chicago:
September 26, 2006 – Federal Building
San Francisco:
- Monthly Die-Ins that have been taking place since the fall
- Episcopal Bishop arrested in December for taking part in Die-In at San Francisco Federal Building
- Bishop Arrested by Homeland Security *Photos
March 19 Die-In:
- www.dieinmarch19.org
- Massive Die-In Planned for Downtown San Francisco March 19 — Plan One in Your City!
- Video
June 8, 2007: