Kitchen Table Activism

Background: Kitchen Table Activism (KTA) is a monthly project of the Rural Organizing Project. Often building on quarterly themes, short actions are described in each KTA. The theory is that basic steps and tasks can lead to powerful collective results as small groups of people gather to complete the same action throughout the state of Oregon.

ROP works to keep the basic tasks easily achievable so that groups with other projects or groups with limited immediate energy can still manage to complete the KTA each month.

Rural Organizing Project
PO Box 1350,      Scappoose, OR 97056 

(503) 543-8417              Fax: (503) 543-8419

office@rop.org

July 2006 Activity

                            District by District Solidarity:  Tell Us the CO$T of War!

WHAT IS THE ACTIVITY?  The ‘Cost of War’ campaign demands accountability from our elected officials and awareness from our own communities for the tremendous human and monetary cost of the Iraq war.  The Cost of War reduces our ability to Create Real Security, uses fear to erode our democratic pledge to Protect the Rights of All and derails any commitment to Build Sustainable Communities.  Framing our election 2006 concerns and our Rebuild America vision in terms of the Costs of War forces the spotlight onto the huge and glaring disasters of war and global injustice.  It avoids following the Right’s bait and switch scapegoating that blames immigrants, queers and people of color rather than hold governments and corporations accountable. Therefore part of the ROP Election 2006 strategy is to compare and contrast the candidates, the ballot initiatives and all election platforms with the overwhelming reality of the Cost of War.  Our demand will be that our Members of Congress and Senators use the resources available to them to communicate with all their constituents the true cost of the war in Iraq.  From our state officials, we demand that they account for the cost of deploying our Oregon Guard in Iraq.  For ROP to better be able to coordinate the campaign, please indicate which aspects of the campaign your group plans to participate in and send this worksheet back to the ROP office.

WHY THIS ACTIVITY?  Spending on the Iraq war is approaching $9 billion per month. The current US budget dedicated to war fighting, ‘defense’, and ‘security’ of all kinds is approaching one trillion dollars for 2006.  You can’t Rebuild America if all the money is going to war.  Many of the tools that ROP will make available are already familiar to Human Dignity Groups.  The ‘Cost of War’ campaign does not add an additional burden to the activities of groups. It just means that groups adopt a common narrative and goal to the work they are already doing.

STEPS TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY:

1. Share this KTA with your leadership team.
2. Gather together to review and select options for how your group would like to be involved.
3. If you have questions or concerns, consider asking an ROP staff or board member to attend your discussion.
4. Complete the checklist below and return to ROP.

Our group wants to build the CO$T of WAR campaign through:

Community Outreach and Education:

• Coordinated petition and tabling campaign across districts. Petitions become election display/signature ads.  Download your petitions at www.rop.org/docs/CostofWarPetition.pdf
• Educational events - Touring of Eyes Wide Open Exhibit and continued Touring of Military Families Speak Out family members.  (Eg. Tour of Moms.)
• Distribution of STAND Voter Guides with Cost of War lens.  How many bundles of 100?   _____ (Orders need to be placed by August 15^th.  Delivery will be by September 15^th.  Each group asked to reimburse costs of production.)

Media:

• Persistent, coordinated letters-to-the editor campaigns to all papers within a district.
• Election display/signature ads in local papers.

Candidate Accountability:

• Personal lobbying to create relationships with congressional, senate, and state representatives.
• Interventions at already-scheduled town halls and election forums.

Regional Coordination with other Human Dignity Groups:

• Coordinated vigils across districts and the state.  Tentative dates are: Aug. 6^th (Hiroshima Day); Sept. 21^st  (International Peace Day); Oct. 7 (5th anniversary of the bombing of Afghanistan); and Nov. 7^th (Election Day).
• Regional Meetings in Congressional Districts to better coordinate our ‘Cost of War’ campaign efforts in August/September with other groups in your district.