[News-releases] On Fourth of July, NOW Fasts for Peace

	For Immediate Release Contact: Mai Shiozaki, 202-628-8669, ext. 116; cell 202-641-1906
Food for Thought: On Fourth of July, National Organization for Women Fasts for Peace Statement of NOW President Kim Gandy July 3, 2006 As people across the U.S. celebrate the nation's 230th birthday, families will be enjoying the holiday with picnics and backyard gatherings full of food and good spirit. Grills will be sizzling with hot dogs and barbecue chicken and buttered corn; plates will be piled with potato salad, coleslaw and apple pie. This year, however, thousands of soldiers serving in Iraq will not share in their families' festivities, and 2,539 women and men will never see another Fourth of July. To call attention to the impact of this unjust war, NOW Executive Vice President Olga Vives and I are joining the CODEPINK "Troops Home Fast" hunger strike on July 4, to support the U.S. troops who remain in danger in Iraq as well as those who are standing up for peace by refusing to fight. NOW continues to call for an immediate end to this destructive and costly war. We want withdrawal of U.S. troops so our sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, can come home. We must raise our voices for peace -- no matter how hard it becomes -- because it is necessary to speak up for what is right. Fasting is a small way for me to demonstrate my commitment to for peace, but collectively it is a powerful message. Activist Cindy Sheehan, who lost her son in the Iraq war, heads a long list of celebrities and activists who will begin fasting today. They include actors Danny Glover, Sean Penn, Ed Asner and Susan Sarandon; Rev. Al Sharpton; singer/songwriter Willie Nelson; and Members of Congress Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) and Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.). I cannot in good conscience celebrate this nation's birthday while the bloodshed continues in Iraq and our government considers invading Iran. Giving up my holiday celebration is nothing compared to what our service members do every day, including those who are courageously refusing to return to the killing in Iraq. But mostly, my Fourth of July will be spent in remembrance of those thousands of women and men whose lives were sacrificed in a war based on lies.

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