USLAW AFFILIATES NEWS

TO: All USLAW Affiliates

SUBJECT: Afghan War Anniversary and "Occupy" Events

Occupy Wall Street, Not Afghanistan & Iraq

Many USLAW affiliates are taking part in activities to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan.  Others are involved in local support for the "Occupy Wall Street" action in New York City or their local community.  Some are doing both.

"Occupy _________ [fill in the city/town of your choice]" activities are spreading across the country. USLAW wants to report these actions on our website.  Please send photos, videos, short reports, leaflets and links to reports in the media.  Reports about USLAW affiliate activity will appear in the "USLAW Affiliates in Action" section of the site (accessible in both the "About USLAW" and "Campaigns, Projects" areas of the site).  Send your reports to <nationalcoordinator@uslaboragainstwar.org>.

If your organization is taking action in coalition with others, tell us what other organizations are involved.  Be sure to include date, location, turnout and other details.  If you send photos or videos, include the name of the photographer so that credit can be given.

Thanks for your cooperation.

OCCUPY THIS!

There is a new section of the website devoted to news from and about the "Occupy" movement around the country.  It is "OCCUPY THIS"  in the News area of the site. New material is added frequently, so check back often. 

If you know of a good report that is not posted, send it to us.

NATIONAL CALL-IN TO U.S. SENATE

Ten years of war.  A lifetime of suffering.  A mountain of war debt.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Tell the Senate: Its long past time to stop the wars and bring our troops home.

Tell them to vote NO on the FY 2012 "Defense" Appropriations because:

1. The "Defense" budget continues to fund devastating, ineffective and costly military policies in Afghanistan and Iraq.

2. The "Defense" budget (total $630 billion) is bloated with waste, fraud and abuse which the taxpayers cannot afford.

3. Those funds could be used to put the nation back to work, plug holes in the social safety net and to meet many other urgent needs.

As we face increasingly hard economic times, especially the most vulnerable of us -- children, the poor, the disabled and elderly, we cannot tolerate out of control military spending and chronic war. Suggest that your Senators look out their window (or at TV news) and see the rising tide of outraged citizens who want solutions and protections now, not in 2014.

The antiwar funding voice needs to be heard in every form and format, especially, this month. Please make those calls and keep us posted on what Senate offices are saying.

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Looking ahead:

Wednesday, October 12 -- 8pm EST: Mark your calendars for a conference call with Congressman Keith Ellison and Executive Director of the Coalition on Human Needs, Deborah Weinstein. Rep. Ellison will update us on what Congress is doing with the FY 2012 budget, effect of the Super Committee and Congressional Progressive Caucus plans. Deborah Weinstein will update us on efforts to preserve the social safety net and discuss ways in which peace movement efforts to cut military spending can be integrated with this work. Conference call details to be provided.