MARCH OF THE DEAD TO GREET CONGRESS ON TUESDAY
For Immediate Release
Contact: David Swanson 202-329-7847; Laurie Arbeiter 917-915-6115; Peter Cobb 415-686-1096
WHAT: A long column of figures dressed all in black with white death masks and bearing the names of those killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine. The march will be followed by a dramatic nonviolent action intended to awaken Congress to the need to end the wars.
WHEN: March from noon to 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. Additional dramatic action 2:15 p.m.
WHERE: The march will approach the U.S. Capitol on Pennsylvania Ave. SE and turn north on 1st Street to pass between the Capitol and the Supreme Court, turn west on Constitution Ave. to pass the Senate office buildings, turn south to pass the west front of the Capitol, and turn east on Independence Ave. to pass the House office buildings. Members of the media wanting to cover the additional nonviolent action should meet representatives of the March of the Dead in front of the Supreme Court at 2 p.m.
WHY: “We will be conducting the March of the Dead as the 111th Congress is being sworn in,” said Laurie Arbeiter of the Activist Response Team, creators of the march. “We demand that this Congress end the terror of war, get out of Iraq and Afghanistan, stay out of Iran, Pakistan, and Syria and stop all support of Israeli foreign and military policy that results in massacres like the current one in Gaza.”
“The power to begin and end wars rests with Congress,” said David Swanson of AfterDowningStreet.org, “and the responsibility of Congress is to represent the American people. We have now for the second time elected a Congress to end the occupation of Iraq, and this time we will insist that it be ended. A treaty unratified by the Senate cannot legalize three more years of war. And the human impact of long-distance slaughter cannot be kept from the eyes of Congress members if we make up our minds that they will see it.”
To all those who will be participating in the March of the Dead the following are the logistics for the day:
1. We are asking people to wear all black/or dark colors including hats or shawls. Please no buttons, signs or other affiliations since we want a stark and clear emphasis only on the names we will be carrying. We will provide the death masks and handwritten signs which will be worn around your neck.
2. We will be meeting at 11:00 a.m. on the House of Representatives side of the Capitol at Cosi at 301 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, in the upstairs dining room. The closest Metro stop is Capitol South.
3. We will begin the procession from there at around 11:45 a.m. and walk single file in silence, following all traffic regulations as we proceed toward the Capitol. We will walk past the Supreme Court toward the Senate side of the Capitol. We will continue down Constitution Ave NW passing the Senate office buildings. We will then cross back to the House side of the Capitol and proceed up Independence Ave, passing the House office buildings to complete our loop of the Capitol. Click here for map.
4. We will be conducting the March of the Dead during the time that the 111th Congress will be sworn in. We will take a break at around 1:00 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. after which we will ask people to join us again in a nearby indoor location to be determined for a reading of the names. Please plan to stay on for this part of the day because we will be sending a very important message to Congress by our presence at this time. We need everyone to participate.
Thank you to all who will participate. Each of you contribute to the collective power of the March of the Dead. We will dedicate it to the memory of all those who senselessly lose their lives because of the shameful and calculated acts of those who abuse power. They must be held accountable so that justice will be served and the killing will stop.
David Swanson is the author of the upcoming book “Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union” by Seven Stories Press and of the introduction to “The 35 Articles of Impeachment and the Case for Prosecuting George W. Bush” published by Feral House and available at Amazon.com. Swanson holds a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and as a communications director, with jobs including press secretary for Dennis Kucinich’s 2004 presidential campaign, media coordinator for the International Labor Communications Association, and three years as communications coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Swanson is Co-Founder of AfterDowningStreet.org, creator of ConvictBushCheney.org and Washington Director of Democrats.com, a board member of Progressive Democrats of America, the Backbone Campaign, and Voters for Peace, a member of the legislative working group of United for Peace and Justice, and convener of the accountability and prosecution working group of United for Peace and Justice.
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