[O29] Help get antiwar referendum question on Statewide Ballot!

[Amy Hendrickson]

Dear Activists--

Getting the MA-National-Guard-out-of-Iraq referendum question on the statewide
ballot is probably the most important antiwar action any of us can accomplish in the
next few weeks. We have a Nov 15 deadline to get 100,000 signatures-- which is 
thoroughly possible, but will take effort from all of us.

Please consider the message below seriously, and
I hope you can join in and make this happen! 

Sincerely,
Amy Hendrickson

[please share with your lists-- thanks!]

What if you could vote to end the war in Iraq? Soon you will be able to.

I am writing to tell you about HomeFromIraqNow.org, an exciting 
campaign that is getting underway in Massachusetts. The goal of 
HomeFromIraqNow.org is to place a binding initiative on the 
Massachusetts ballot to prevent the governor from sending any more 
National Guard troops to Iraq. A yes vote on this initiative will not 
only stop future deployments of the National Guard to Iraq, but will 
also send a very strong message to our elected leaders that we want 
them to end the war and bring all of our troops home immediately.

The HomeFromIraqNow.org initiative was crafted by constitutional law 
experts who have litigated past National Guard cases on behalf of the 
state of Massachusetts and was certified as constitutional by the 
Attorney General of Massachusetts. It relies on a US Supreme Court 
ruling that authorizes a governor to refuse a presidential request to 
deploy the Guard abroad if that deployment impairs the Guard's 
ability to respond to domestic public safety or security emergencies 
- conditions that clearly prevail today. The HomeFromIraqNow.org 
binding initiative requires the governor to exercise that authority 
to refuse to send more National Guard troops to Iraq.

This is the first time in American history that a ballot initiative 
is being used to empower voters to take matters into their own hands 
to end a war.  But to get it on the ballot, the campaign needs to 
collect 100,000 signatures of Massachusetts voters by November 15. 
You can help (even if you don't live in Massachusetts.) Please visit 
their website  at www.HomeFromIraqNow.org today,  and take action to 
get this initiative on the ballot.

Here are some things you can do right now:

1. Send in your signature
You can download the petition right now at www.HomeFromIraqNow.org, 
print it, sign it, get everyone who lives with you to sign it, and 
mail back to the campaign. If everyone reading this email were to 
send just five signatures, that would be enough to put the initiative 
on the ballot.

2. Volunteer to collect signatures
You can sign up to volunteer at www.HomeFromIraqNow.org, and you can 
download the petition as well as a guide to collecting signatures. 
And if you're a member of a political, religious or community 
organization, you can get them involved as well. Even if you don't 
live in Massachusetts, please consider visiting the state for a day 
with your friends to collect signatures.

3. Spread the word
There is very little time to collect 100,000 signatures, but you can 
help spread the word about this campaign by forwarding this email to 
all of your friends today and asking them to join the campaign and 
send in their signatures. Only Massachusetts voters can sign, but 
everyone can help spread the word. Also, if you're a part of a group 
that has an email list, please ask them to send out a notice about 
this campaign too.

4. Give
Right now, this campaign is being run by volunteers who are donating 
their time and paying campaign expenses out of their own pockets. To 
get the word out and to reach their goal of collecting 100,000 
signatures, they're going to need to hire organizers, make copies, 
and pay for phone calls and mailings. You can make a contribution at 
www.HomeFromIraqNow.org.

This ballot initiative is a unique opportunity to change the course 
of the war. If this signature drive is a success in Massachusetts, 
there are plans to expand the campaign to other states. There are 23 
other states that have ballot deadlines in the coming months, and if 
similar initiatives could be put on the ballot of some of those 
states, this has the potential to be a national referendum on the 
war. Kicking this campaign off with a bang in Massachusetts is an 
essential first step before it can move forward.

So please visit the campaign website at www.HomeFromIraqNow.org now 
and help get this campaign moving!

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