Join Us In a Candlelight Nationwide Vigil for Our Dead Soldiers (TONIGHT, Thur 9/9)

In the past four days, clashes with Iraqi insurgents have claimed the lives of 17 American soldiers. With these deaths, we mark a grim milestone: over 1,000 military men and women have now died in this misconceived war.

Their caskets have been hidden from view, and the President won't visit their graves. And this morning,

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld diminished their deaths by calling the toll “relatively small.”

But it is now time for us to publicly recognize the sacrifice these soldiers have made, and to demand that our leaders serve those in harm's way better in the future.

Tonight (Thurs 9/9) at 8pm, we're joining with the Win Without War
coalition to hold hundreds of candlelight vigils.

Gathered together silently in towns across the country, we'll reflect on this terrible moment and honor the fallen. And by focusing attention on the dead, we'll help pressure our national leaders to get us out of this mess.

Can you host a vigil? It's a small commitment of time -- you just need to identify a good location and pull together some candles and printed materials for attendees. To sign up to host a vigil, go to: http://action.moveon.org/vigil/newmeeting.html

If you can't host, we welcome everyone to attend a candlelight vigil tonight. You can search for one near you at: http://action.moveon.org/vigil/

865 soldiers have died since President Bush declared, "Mission Accomplished." And yesterday, top Pentagon officials told the New York Times that "insurgents controlled important parts of central Iraq and that it was unclear when American and Iraqi forces would be able to secure those areas." The attacks are increasing, the death toll is rising, and there's no exit strategy to get us out.

In the moments before the war in Iraq began, Win Without War and MoveOn members gathered in thousands of vigils around the country and the world to make a plea for peace. As of this morning (9/8), 1,003 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq -- along with tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians, and hundreds of soldiers from other countries. It is time to come together again. We'll gather with candles, representing our mourning for those who have died and our hope for those who still live.

We all support our troops. We hope that they all return safely to the waiting arms of their families and loved ones. But hiding the caskets of the dead does not honor the men and women who are in harm's way. It is time to recognize them, and tonight, we will.
Can you join us? To get involved, go to: http://action.moveon.org/vigil/

--Carrie, Joan, Lee, Marika, Noah, Peter, and Wes The MoveOn.org Team September 8th, 2004

(I am a member of MoveOn.Org. I believe we owe this to our dead. *aj*)