A USA Today/Gallup poll released this week shows that 7 out of 10 people in this country want all the troops brought home from Iraq. What a contrast with August 2003 when fewer than 4 out of 10 were opposed to the war! The crisis in Iraq and our work have created this shift!

But still Bush runs for cover and continues to say that troops should be left in Iraq to fight the real war on terror! We cannot let that happen! We need to grapple with several questions:

* What is our strategy given the political moment?
* How are we going to engage that 70% - developing an even broader, politically engaged network at the grassroots?
* How can each of us in our neighborhoods and communities reach out to people who have not been actively involved in ending this war?

Please join NYC-UFPJ on Thursday, July 19 to discuss these critical questions and talk about a strategy to involve the growing opposition in some new and exciting actions this summer and fall.

We will focus on two upcoming actions that we know many groups will want to participate in:

* Lobby visits and/or actions while Congresspeople are in their home districts in August.
* OCTOBER 27 - Regional Demonstration in NYC (one of 6-8 regional demonstrations planned around the country by UFPJ to bring massive numbers into the streets).

On July 19, groups who attended UFPJ's National Assembly in June will do a roundtable discussion to give some impressions of the important strategies and action plans that emerged. The Assembly was a great opportunity for people from around the country to network, strategize and set the course of UFPJ's work for the next 18 months. 25 New York City groups were represented and both NYC-UFPJ and Brooklyn for Peace (formerly Brooklyn Parents for Peace) were elected to the national steering committee. We will also hear a report-back about the US Social Forum where one of the main topics on people's minds was the impact of war on the movements for social change.

Matthew Smucker of War Resisters League, who will lead the discussion, will help us focus on the challenges we face in these next very busy months and how to accomplish our goal of building that broad grassroots movement that will tip the scales to such a point that the Bush Administration and Congress will act to bring all the troops home now!

www.unitedforpeace.org/nyc | 212-868-5545