Action Alerts

• Call for Actions June 21-July 3
  

  The Jobs Not Wars campaign is calling for actions between June 21^st and July 3^rd to highlight the painful effects of cuts caused by  sequestration and continued outrageous Pentagon spending – and the continued enrichment of military contractors/ corporations –  at the expense of our people and our communities. See the Action Toolkit at jobs-not-wars.org/june-toolkit.

• Tell Congress: Fix ALL the cuts!
  

  Congress has fixed only one domestic cut:  they ended furloughs for air traffic controllers, thus expediting their own travel.  It’s time to fix all the cuts. Here are simple actions you can take.
  Coalition on Human Needs emailable letter to Congress:  Fix Life-Changing Cuts, Not Just Inconveniences
  Campaign for America’s Future/Daily Kos emailable letter to Congress:  Repeal the Sequester
  Half in Ten Campaign Sequestration Toolkit (sample press release, letter to the editor, tweets, how to tell your story, helpful graphics)
  National Education Association:  Ed Flight campaign (take a picture of yourself holding a paper airplane and post it to Congress)
  MoveOn.org Petition:   Fix the Sequester Cuts for the Poor, Not Just Congressional Travel

  You can forward this list to others and find updated action lists here.

• Support the 99% — Cut Pentagon Waste!
  

  The question isn’t whether the Pentagon will be cut. The question is, how much will it be cut. And that’s up to us.

  We and our allies are going all out, making as much noise as we can and creating a national consensus that Congress must:

  • avoid all cuts to programs the 99% use, and
  • raise taxes and cut Pentagon spending instead.

  A more detailed campaign menu is on the Take Action / Main Campaigns page.  Resources are on the Resources / Main Page. Media tips are on the Resources for Media Work page. Please use them, share them, and let us know what more you need!

• Join a Local Coalition to Stop a Bad Budget Bargain!
  

  Congress and the White House are negotiating a “Grand Bargain” that balances the federal budget on our backs. Unions, community and human service groups are joining forces to block it. Find out how to join in – and make new allies for our campaign.

• National Resolutions Month: October
  

  St Paul, Milwaukee, Albany County, and San Pablo all passed resolutions this month calling on Congress to cut military spending and bring the war money home. You can ask your city council to pass a military spending resolution, start a resolution campaign, or simply speak out. Click to see the Resolutions Week page, the Organizer’s Guide, Materials, Helpful Links, Talking Points, and Frequently Asked Questions. This effort was initiated by the Minnesota Arms Spending Alternatives Project and it’s supported by the New Priorities Network.

• Buttonhole Your Congressperson at a Town Hall Meeting on Military Spending
  

  WAND’s new initiative, “Invest in People, Invest in the Future,” encourages people to attend congressional town hall meetings and community events addressing Pentagon spending. Download WAND’s step-by-step guide and  brand new toolkit (with talking points, sample questions, sample tweets and sample Facebook posts)!

• Add Your Organization’s Name to SAVE Vital Services, Prevent Rising Poverty, and Cut Military Spending
  

  The SAVE coalition’s letter calls upon Congress to promote the common good, protect the vulnerable, and rebuild the economy.  It applies 4 principles to budget decisions Congress will grapple with in the coming months: protect low-income and vulnerable people; promote job creation; increase revenue from fair sources; and seek responsible savings by targeting wasteful spending in the Pentagon and in other areas that do not serve the public interest.

  Read the letter.  Sign the letter to Congress and forward this email to your networks, lists, affiliates, friends. New deadline: Wednesday, September 19.

• How to Stop Pentagon Spending Hysteria
  

  Congress is on recess, Paul Ryan’s candidacy has put the federal budget at the center of this year’s election, and we can shift the 2012 debate over national priorities.

  Click here for dates of town hall meetings congresspeople will be holding and click here for a calendar of events where congresspeople will be appearing. Human needs advocates will be looking at the calendar and adding their contact info so we can coordinate with them, deliver a double message, and start working together. Please look for more local events with your congressperson and add them to the calendar.

  Click here to see how your congressperson voted last month on the Defense Appropriations Bill — you can ask why s/he voted for it or thank ‘em for voting against it.

  Click here for tips and trainings on “bird-dogging” candidates.
  

  Click here for talking points you can use in letters to the editor and other places.

• New Priorities weekly update
  

  Please click here to see this week’s grassroots update.

• New Priorities 2012 Campaigns
  

  This year we’ll increase pressure for serious cuts in military spending and serious funding for jobs and services by:

  1. Bringing our demands to the candidates.

  2. Organizing resolutions and People’s Assemblies city by city.

  3. Pushing back on Capitol Hill budget battles.

  Click here to see more.

• New video exposes war profiteers’ lies about military job creation
  

  This video from Brave New Films refutes claims that weapons production is a good job creator, and targets the CEOs and lobbyists who are making those claims. You can send the video to Congress.