Posted by Jeff from d53-251-230.try.wideopenwest.com (64.53.230.251) on Tuesday, March 04, 2003 at 7:44PM :
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Together We've Been Making a Difference
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 15:38:05 -0800 (PST)
From: TrueMajority <alerts@truemajority.org>
To: jeff@attoz.com
Thanks to You, TrueMajority Is Having an Impact
Dear Jeffrey,
We have made a commitment to send you only a few emails a month, so usually we only send out messages with an action. But so much has been going so well that we wanted to take a moment to tell you about it, and to thank you for all of your help.
First, the Virtual March last week was a huge success. The Win Without War coalition (TrueMajority is a founding member) generated nearly a million phone calls, faxes, and emails. Our piece of this Virtual March was handling the free faxes and over 140,000 people registered to send over 280,000 faxes to their Senators. This public outcry against a rush to war has tied up fax machines for days, and many of the faxes are still trying to get through. That is a powerful and lasting message. The media took note of this huge chorus of disapproval and I've posted links to a few examples at the end of this letter.
What's needed now is an immediate, massive display of ongoing opposition to the War.
Blue Ribbon Image
And we can do it-Quickly and Easily-with a Blue Ribbon. Blue for the United Nations. Blue because we can Win Without War.
If even a fraction of all those who oppose this unilateral war wear a blue ribbon on their lapels, shirts, or dresses and tie it to their cars (and anything else), we will create a force that can no longer be ignored. You can get the ribbon to make your own in any craft or fabric store, or to learn more and purchase one or a bunch of these cheap, check out our store at:
http://store.yahoo.com/truemajority/blueribbon.html
The Blue Ribbon Campaign is a project of the Win Without War coalition.
In other news, TrueMajority's members, working along with many other groups, have achieved the following successes...
* Opposed Trent Lott as Majority Leader
o 48,000 faxes Sent
o December 20, 2002 Lott Steps Down
* Opposed the Total Information Awareness Network, an enormous database with info about everyone in American
o 55,000 faxes Sent
o February 11, 2003 Congress Dismantled the Program
* Supported a Filibuster against the nomination of Extreme Right Winger Miguel Estrada to Washington, DC Court of Appeals
o 67,000 Faxes Sent
o On February 12, 2003 Filibuster was mounted.
At the time it seemed unlikely that the Democrats would mount a filibuster to block this nomination, but that is exactly what 33 thousand TrueMajority members asked their Senators to do. As of this writing the filibuster is still holding. If you haven't sent a fax to your Senators yet on this issue, then you can by going to:
http://www.truemajority.com/index.asp?action=2437&ms=Estr6&ref=256774
Each of these actions has led to a surge in membership as friends pass along our alerts to friends. Just in the past two months we've doubled to 260,000 members.
So, thanks for caring about our country and our world. And thanks for spreading the word. We've already shown that together we are making a difference. And the bigger TrueMajority grows the more impact we will have. If you know of anyone else who might want to join this movement, just send them to www.truemajority.com and they too can sign up for free alerts.
Thanks again,
Ben Cohen, President of TrueMajority
Co-founder Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
I am writing this email on my own and not on behalf of Ben & Jerry's, which is not associated with the TrueMajority campaign.
Here are just a few of the scores of articles the Virtual March generated:
WASHINGTON POST:
ANTIWAR PROTESTERS FLOOD SENATE PHONE LINES
by Juliet Eilperin
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6032-2003Feb26.html
Thousands of antiwar protesters flooded Senate phone lines
today as part of a "Virtual March" on Washington.
The phone-in campaign was sponsored by the "Win Without War"
coalition, which told Web site readers they could "join a
massive march on Washington without leaving your living room."
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BBC:
US 'VIRTUAL MARCH' OVER IRAQ
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2802531.stm
Thousands of anti-war activists have been bombarding the
White House and senators with phone calls and e-mails in a
virtual protest over the Iraq crisis. Backed by a number
of celebrities, volunteers jammed switchboards in
Washington DC in an effort to force US politicians to
think again over the prospect of war in the Gulf.
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NEW YORK TIMES:
AN ANTIWAR DEMONSTRATION THAT DOES NOT TAKE TO THE STREETS
by John Tierney
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/26/national/26CND-MARCH.html
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 - The Mall was quiet, but the switchboard
on Capitol Hill was swamped today as anti-war protesters
conducted what they called the first "virtual march" on
Washington. The organizers, a coalition called Win Without
War, said that hundreds of thousands of people were sending
messages by email, fax and telephone to the Senate and the
White House.
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ROLL CALL:
WAR PROTESTORS VIRTUALLY OVERWHELM SENATE OFFICES
by Nicole Duran
http://www.rollcall.com/issues/1_1/breakingnews/653-1.html
[Subscription needed to view full article.]
. . . An informal survey of Senate offices found nearly all
available bodies busily answering incessantly ringing phones
as a group called Win Without War carried out its "virtual
march on Washington."
The group, led by former Rep. Tom Andrews (D-Maine), arranged
to have at least 140,000 constituents call their Senators, as
well as the White House, all day with the same message: "Don't
attack Iraq."
"I'm sorry, sir, but we're just taking a tally because our
phones are ringing off the hook," a patient but clearly tiring
staffer in Sen. John McCain's office told a war protestor back
in the Arizona Republican's home state.
In most offices, front-desk aides had ticked off hundreds of
calls on scratch sheets by midday, intending to just give the
Senators a final number when the protest ends at 6 p.m.
-- Jeff
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