The eAction Peace Report
August, 2008
Vol. 1 Number 8

Organizing for Change & Lobbying for Peace

At the Peace Action National Congress two weeks ago activists from all over the country converged on Washington, D.C. to learn from one another, set a path for Peace Action's work over the next 2 years and speak out in Congress against war, occupation and nuclear weapons.

Workshops on Internet advocacy, GI resistance, organizational development, and election year campaigns revved up the enthusiasm from our grassroots network to take back our country one community at a time .There were speakers from Iraq Veterans Against the War, Phyllis Bennis, Antonia Juhasz, Max Kampelman and Trita Parsi. The insights from these illustrious speakers fueled the righteous indignation of our activists.

Most importantly we spent our last day together trudging in the July heat from one Congressional office to another with our message of peace. We visited over 50 offices and had productive meetings identifying our positions – and the positions of the progressive majority. Our main focus was on Iran and the latest aggressive measure by the Bush administration to bully Iran into a war. Our efforts paid off the last week in July when H.Con.Res 362 was stalled in the House.

We’ve identified current co-sponsors the peace movement will need to pressure to kill this piece of legislation for good. Information on how you can get involved in this campaign through lobbying and events is up in the Iran Campaign section of the Peace Action website.

Between awards and speeches we reconnected with one another and our commitment to peace. As we gear up for the last months before the election the memories of this Congress will sustain our work.