If you haven't made plans already, there's still time! You can join the thousands of people who will be gathering in Denver and St. Paul for the DNC and RNC to help send a strong and clear message to party candidates: the war and occupation of Iraq must end now!

United for Peace and Justice has made plans to take advantage of these opportunities. We invite you to join us!

Click here to view a list of events scheduled during the DNC in Denver!

Click here to view a list of events scheduled during the RNC in St. Paul!

We need your help to ensure that UFPJ's voice is heard! Sign-up today to be part of our efforts in Denver (last week of August) or St. Paul (first week of September), or in both cities! Help us distribute literature and stickers, help staff information tables at events, and help carry banners and signs in the many marches and protest activities scheduled for both cities.

United for Peace and Justice has declared August “Nuclear-Free Future Month”. The specter of nuclear weapons in the hands of “rogue” states has become one of the top US excuses for waging war, yet the United States has continued to rely on the threatened first use of nuclear weapons as the cornerstone of its national security policy.Now is the time to take action and raise awareness about the ever-increasing threat from nuclear weapons and the environmental and proliferation dangers posed by the global nuclear power “renaissance.”

Visit www.nuclearfreefuture.org or information and analysis about nuclear issues, action plans, ideas and tools to organize your own events during Nuclear-Free Future Month!

Bird-dogging is a key tactic in getting those who wish to represent us on record about issues that concern us: peace and justice!

Effective bird-dogging provokes conversation and understanding on controversial topics, and it could also expose a candidate’s true feelings on an issue. To hear a success story of bird-dogging, click here.

The UFPJ Voter Engagement Campaign is now linking with other member groups to publish schedules of the candidates’ trail each day. We must follow the candidates on their campaigns and force them to field questions for which the public wants answers. Click here for a schedule of Sens. Obama and McCain’s upcoming campaign stops.

There are many opportunities to ask tough questions in the 2008 elections. The UFPJ Voter Guide is a useful tool in building up a set of questions to ask candidates during their campaign stops.

Click here to check out UFPJ's new Congressional Report Card campaign!

Remember to stay on message and connect that message to everyday life in your communities: the human and economic costs of war! Click here for tips on effective bird-dogging of candidates!

Now, before any irreversible steps are taken, is the time for us to speak out against any U.S./Israeli military attack on Iran.

We urge you to take part in this important effort:

1) Call-in and take action to ensure that your member of Congress knows there is strong opposition to military action against Iran in his or her district.

Capitol Hill switchboard at 202-224-3121 or click here to look up the direct numbers for your representative's DC and local offices.

2) Ask your mayor to sign on to a resolution urging the Bush administration to pursue diplomatic engagement with Iran. At least 36 mayors have already signed on -- now is the time to approach your mayor! For more information visit the Cities for Peace website.

3) Write letters to the editor of your local papers and call into local radio talk shows. Click here for a sample letter.

4) Sign the open letter to presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama urging him to stand up for diplomacy.

5) You can organize a visible presence in a busy location in your town: a vigil, an afternoon of leafleting or tabling, a human billboard, etc. Be sure to pick a time and location that has a lot of pedestrian or vehicle traffic!

To find out what might be happening in your area, click here. If you plan an activity, please post it on the UFPJ calendar of actions.

Check out our new and improved Grassroots Action blog! 

The Greater Lansing Network Against War and Injustice, a UFPJ member group, posted this billboard at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Francis Street, where it will remain for a month, drawing local residents' attention to the enormous daily financial costs of the continuing occupation in Iraq. 

Click here for media coverage of this action and reports from other recent grassroots peace initiatives!

CALL PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER
AND MINISTER OF IMMIGRATION DIANE FINLEY

Tell them you want them to:
• immediately cease all deportation proceedings against US Iraq war resisters in Canada
• implement the motion adopted by the House of Commons on June 3rd, 2008 by creating a program that would allow US Iraq war resisters to apply for permanent resident status in Canada

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
613.992.4211 / 403.253.7990 (constituency office)
harper.s@parl.gc.ca

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley
613.996.4974 / 519.426.3400 (constituency office)
minister@cic.gc.ca / finled1@parl.gc.ca

For the latest details, please visit the War Resisters Support Campaign Canada website.

Also, sign Courage to Resist's new letter to Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, and Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, that urges them to "Please act immediately to implement the resolution to allow U.S. war resisters to stay in Canada, and cease deportation proceedings against Corey Glass."

It takes courage to say that you will not fight -- especially if you are a soldier. Large numbers are now refusing to serve: The GI Rights Hotline (877-447-4487) is currently receiving about 3,000 calls a month. As more members of the U.S. military step forward for peace, the peace movement must step forward to support them. Click here for information about war resisters and how you can support them.

The House has approved a record-shattering $165 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This, of course, is not the outcome we would have liked. However, it is worth noting that 155 members of the House voted against the supplemental funding bill. That is the largest number of "no" votes on war funding so far. Since this may be the last House vote on funding until the November elections, this roll call vote gives us a good snapshot of where House members stand -- with the majority of the people who want to bring the troops home, or with the Bush administration.