Disheartening as this war has been, all around the globe there has also been an unprecedented level of peacemaking effort.  You’ve been a critical part of that effort.  We want to inform you of our activities and ask for your support. 

In the months following Bush’s speech to the UN which laid out his war plan, the Louisville Committee to Stop the War Against Iraq experienced a dramatic increase in the number of people who attended meetings and organized actions.

We were able to sustain a strong, persistent, and coordinated protest against the war.  We marched, lobbied, bannered, leafleted, called government officials, wrote the press, taught, appeared on radio and television news and talk shows, and enacted street theatre—all in an effort to prevent the horror of war and the aftermath of occupation.  Now, as the sacrifice of Iraqi and American lives escalate, we are still working to bring the troops home so the people of Iraq can govern their own affairs and rebuild their country.

Our work has involved thousands of hours of volunteer time and energy.  We’ve been entirely self-funded and we receive no organizational funding or grants.  Thanks to your support, we have struggled to raise needed funds for our many projects.  Some of our accomplishments to date are:

• Raised funds to bring Scott Ritter to Louisville to speak on weapons inspections
• Printed thousands of leaflets and flyers for our various events, rallies, marches and programs.
• Started monthly candlelight peace vigils in five different locations
• Created hundreds of hand-made yard signs that became the symbol of grass-roots opposition to the war
• Coordinated several local productions of the anti war Greek play, Lysistrata as part of an international effort which resulted in 1,029 events in 59 countries
• Raised hundreds of dollars for scholarships to send students and other low income people to Washington for national rallies and marches
• Provided funds for our student organizers in C-SAW (Citizens Standing Against War) to help continue their work  
• Paid for newspaper ads in the Courier Journal and LEO
• Organized weekly peace marches as the start of the war approached
• Supported the work of Doug Johnson, a local activist who went to Iraq as part of Voices in the Wilderness and who stayed during the first stages of the war
• Paid for several Kentucky Derby Weekend actions to get our message out including stunning Churchill Downs airplane banner “Wage Peace”
• Funded and staffed a booth for the entire duration of the 2003 Kentucky State Fair.
• Financed the creation and maintenance of this LouisvillePeace.Org web site, which includes the merged progressive organization calendar, a number of other organizations’ web-pages and the very effective email list pcunity@mailforce.net which served our mobilizing efforts

After the war our spirit and energy did not subside.  We renamed the organization Louisville Peace Action Community (LPAC) and we continue our work with an emphasis on “action.”  We continue our monthly vigils, organized a lively protest when John Ashcroft visited Louisville, worked with the ACLU and presented a forum on the Patriot Act to an overflow crowd.  Just recently we mobilized a large contingent to protest George Bush’s presence at a Republican fundraiser and have a bus full going to a national march in Washington on October 25. Our own local march & rally against US-led Occupation of Iraq will be October 24^th. Other events and actions are still in the planning stages.  To get an idea of what we’re up to, please continue to visit this website often.

But we need your help.  We have never appealed to the general membership for operating funds--until now.  Support our work with your time, talent and money.  You have been generous in the past year and we hope we can count on you again.  May our efforts in the coming year contribute to the kind of world in which peace and justice have the upper hand. 

To donate:       

Use this handy PayPal link to donate online!  It’s easy to use and it only takes a few minutes to complete.  Simply push the button and follow the prompts to make a secure contribution. 

Or if you wish to mail in your contribution, use this address: LPAC PO Box 5481  Louisville, KY 40255-0481.  Make check payable to: “Fellowship of Reconciliation” and mark the check "LPAC Donation" on the memo line.

Sincerely,

Ken Nevitt kennevitt@hotmail.com
Ellen Schagene ellensmail03@yahoo.com
Judy Munro-Leighton  jmunroleighton@juno.com

Louisville Peace Action Community

http://louisvillepeace.org

http://east.our.calendars.net/louisvillepeace/loujustice