May Action Alert

Dear Members and Supporters of Military Families Speak Out,

May is a very important month this year! This is an opportunity in the year when the general public and the media are "open" to hear your voices and understand our goal - bring our troops home now and take care of them when they return. 

The emotional and physical impacts of these wars have left indelible marks on all of your lives - the financial costs staggering.  Your stories will move others to join us and speak out.

We must not lose this opportunity to share with the American public - who are so removed from the war experiences - a  reality check.  Please speak out. Your voices are critical.

This email contains information about several important opportunities to raise our voices against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Your participation is vital!

As we all know, Sunday May 9th is Mothers Day - what many people don't know is that Mothers Day originated as a way to speak out against the casualties and violence of the Civil War. It reminds people that there are currently two senseless wars going on! It provides an opportunity for public discussion and education about the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Please consider:

♦    Write a letter to the editor of your local paper.  See an MFSO Gold Star mother, Celeste Zappala's letter to the editor and draw from it as an inspiration and example! 

♦    Find local activities to bring the anti-war message to.  Lots of local groups host events for mothers day, and you can bring the anti-war message to them.

♦    Reach out to other MFSO members. One of the most important functions of MFSO is the support we give each other - during deployments, after our loved ones have returned, and in the tragic circumstances of casualties and injuries. If you would like to be in touch with other MFSO members to offer or receive support, please contact MFSO Organizer Nikki Morse at nikki@mfso.org.

In coalition with several National organizations, we call on our legislators to take two vital actions that are a strong start to bringing our troops home and defunding of the wars that are risking our truest national treasure.

Please call you Congressman and Senators to cosponsor the Feingold/McGovern Bills (Senate Bill S. 3197 and House Bill H.R. 50150 calling for troop withdrawal. To see if your Rep is a sponsor and read the text of the bill, go here.

AND

Tell your Senators and Representatives to vote against the upcoming $33 billion supplemental and fully fund the swift and safe removal of all of our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

 It is very important that both messages get across - the McGovern bill is an important step forward, but Congress must also vote against funding that continues the wars and occupation, and instead support the swift and safe removal of all our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Call today! Congressional Hotline is 202-224-3121

To identify your Congressmen and Senator go to http://www.contactingthecongress.org/.

Your message to Congress:

"As your constituent and military family member (or as a military family supporter) I urge you to vote against the $33 billion supplementary spending bill to pay for the escalation of troops in Afghanistan and the continuation of this war and occupation!

I also want you to co-sponsor McGovern's H.R. 5015 and Feingold's S 3197 that is an enforceable start to withdrawal from Afghanistan.  I want you to do everything you can to insist that President Obama develop a rapid, real and complete plan to bring our troops home now."

Next steps:

♦    Please email mfso@mfso.org and let us know you made your calls.

♦    Connect with us on Facebook.

♦    For more ideas and ways to participate, contact MFSO Organizer Nikki Morse at nikki@mfso.org.

Memorial Day represents a somber time to recognize the human cost of war. Many MFSO chapters and members participate in local activities with this message. This year it will also mark an opportunity to draw a connection between the financial and human cost of war, as May 30th the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is projected to top $1 trillion dollars.

We are looking for ways to make these connections - if you are interested in being part of the planning, please contact MFSO Organizer Nikki Morse at nikki@mfso.org

For more information about Military Families Speak Out, please visit: www.mfso.org; for more information about Gold Star Families Speak Out, please see www.gsfso.org