A comment we received from a MoveOn member in Connecticut is representative:

"I called Lieberman's office, and made my statement, and then I said to the man who answered the phone, 'this must be nuts for you today' and he said, 'My day will be hell, but it is so much better than apathy. This is what democracy is all about. I think it is terrific.'

I asked him if he thought it might change the Senator's position, and he said he wasn't authorized to speak on that, but that they were overwhelmed with the number of people speaking out from Connecticut."

Members of the House of Representatives (who were not targeted) took notice: Representative Anna Eshoo from California even took the time sent us all a letter thanking us for marching. You can read it at:

http://www.moveon.org/eshooletter.jpg

For everyone in the 32 organizations that make up the Win Without War coalition, thanks for joining in something huge.

THE NEXT STEP:

LOCAL ADS

Our next big push will be to highlight opposition to war in small towns across America -- neighbors talking to neighbors. We'd like to run local ads in over 100 communities all over the country. Can you help? Check out the ad and help us run it near you by going to:

http://www.moveon.org/localads?zip=80537

Here's why we've taken this approach: A recent New York Times poll revealed that 42% of Americans believe that Saddam Hussein was behind what happened September 11th. It's a shockingly high number, given that even the Bush Administration has never asserted a connection. The false linkage of Saddam Hussein and 9/11 or al Qaeda is at the base of why many people support this war, even though they're worried about its consequences.

Our advertising campaign will counter this message in over 100 small cities and towns, and explain in the words of America's top military and policy experts why war on Iraq is a bad idea. As a person who grew up in a small town, I can testify that for many folks, an ad in the local paper is much more powerful than an ad in the New York Times. With your help, we can get over a hundred of these ads running by mid-next week.

We'll need to finalize our buy by this Friday, so anything you can give TODAY would be appreciated. You can take look at the ad and where it's running, and contribute securely online at:

http://www.moveon.org/localads?zip=80537

It's rare to see local ads on national issues like this, and even rarer to see them run in coordination across the country. At least two ads will be running in every state.

Your gift now can make it happen.

These local ads are a exciting part of our grassroots PR campaign, which just keeps building. We've now posted posters in the tens of thousands and handed out an enormous number of flyers at over 1,000 locations in the US. Billboards and bus ads are running in major cities. And of course the Virtual March has been immensely successful.

Help to keep the momentum going by supporting local ads today. In small cities and towns across America, we can make the case for tough inspections, not war.

Sincerely, --Carrie, Eli, Joan, Peter, Wes, and Zack The MoveOn Team February 27th, 2003

P.S.Here are a few of the great articles written about the Virtual March. Enjoy.

WASHINGTON POST:

ANTIWAR PROTESTERS FLOOD SENATE PHONE LINES

by Juliet Eilperin

http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6032-2003Feb26.html

Thousands of antiwar protesters flooded Senate phone lines today as part of a "Virtual March" on Washington. The phone-in campaign was sponsored by the "Win Without War" coalition, which told Web site readers they could "join a massive march on Washington without leaving your living room."

--------

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2802531.stm

Thousands of anti-war activists have been bombarding the White House and senators with phone calls and e-mails in a virtual protest over the Iraq crisis. Backed by a number of celebrities, volunteers jammed switchboards in Washington DC in an effort to force US politicians to think again over the prospect of war in the Gulf.

--------

NEW YORK TIMES:

AN ANTIWAR DEMONSTRATION THAT DOES NOT TAKE TO THE STREETS by John Tierney

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/26/national/26CND-MARCH.html WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 - The Mall was quiet, but the switchboard on Capitol Hill was swamped today as anti-war protesters conducted what they called the first "virtual march" on Washington. The organizers, a coalition called Win Without War, said that hundreds of thousands of people were sending messages by email, fax and telephone to the Senate and the White House.

--------

ROLL CALL:

WAR PROTESTORS VIRTUALLY OVERWHELM SENATE OFFICES

by Nicole Duran

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/1_1/breakingnews/653-1.html

[Subscription needed to view full article.]

. . . An informal survey of Senate offices found nearly all available bodies busily answering incessantly ringing phones as a group called Win Without War carried out its "virtual march on Washington."

The group, led by former Rep. Tom Andrews (D-Maine), arranged to have at least 140,000 constituents call their Senators, as well as the White House, all day with the same message: "Don't attack Iraq."

"I'm sorry, sir, but we're just taking a tally because our phones are ringing off the hook," a patient but clearly tiring staffer in Sen. John McCain's office told a war protestor back in the Arizona Republican's home state.

In most offices, front-desk aides had ticked off hundreds of calls on scratch sheets by midday, intending to just give the Senators a final number when the protest ends at 6 p.m.

________________

This is a message from MoveOn.org. To remove yourself from this list, please visit our subscription management page at: http://moveon.org/s?i=1100-1486847-tLezQRf3pIlaVm1sxH_9xA

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------