Bring Our Billion$ Home

The Bring Our Billion$ Home campaign is a grassroots effort to shift our tax dollars from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to our children, our sick, and our elderly. We need good jobs and we need to protect our environment.

On February 20 (President’s Day), the campaign organized a “Die-In and Sing-In” in which people marched into the capitol rotunda, “died” to represent the “casualties of war on all fronts” – from those who are dying from lack of healthcare because of budget cuts to those who are dying abroad in Afghanistan. They then sang themselves back to “life” with a different take on the national anthem, “America, the Beautiful.” They sang “America, America, for true security, please fund our books and neighborhoods; don’t send bombs overseas!”

Watch the latest video of the Feb 20th action  from Dawn & Robert of Backbone Campaign. Thanks to camera work of Berd Whitlock, organizer Kaeley Pruitt-Hamm, and the many participants & supporters. Watch another clip of the rally at Sylvester Park, featuring the Backbone Campaign’s “PentaGONE.”

You can also watch the Bring Our Billion$ Home video. Or view the Seattle concert “Voices of the 99%: Speak, Sing & Play Your Piece.”

We can get out our message creatively and have fun.

One of our recent efforts was to gather signatures from diverse communities on  a letter supporting our efforts in Olympia. We were successive in getting a hearing before the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Tribal Relations & Elections held a hearing on Senate Joint Memorial 8014. It passed out of committee for the first time. Although it got stuck in the Rule Committee, it successfully raised the issue of the reduction in federal military spending and ending the war in Afghanistan with meeting needs at home. The effort also connected th campaign with a wider community. The companion bill was  House Joint Memorial 4013 (primary sponsor Rep. Bob Hasegawa  and 15 co-sponsors) .

SJM 8014 requested “Congress and the President change course by ending the war in Afghanistan: Dramatically shifting our national priorities to create stable jobs at living wages for all who seek employment; restoring vital social programs and public services; rebuilding our nation’s  deteriorating infrastructure; and putting our nation on an environmentally sustainable, ecologically responsible path that addresses the challenge of climate change and environmental degradation while reinvigorating jobs and our economy. ”

What you can do to help:

Introduce a resolution to Audit the Department of Defense at the Washington State Democratic Caucuses on Sunday April 15 from at 1:00pm. Download: Resolution and Handout on Military Waste.

Join us on Tax Day, April 17, to leaflet post offices about where your income tax money really goes (about 1/2 to the military) and outside some tax-dodging banks (that also invest in cluster munitions. Contact 206-789-5565 for more details.

Join us on May Day in Seattle with a BOBH contingent in the annual Immigrant Rights march.

Introduce a resolution in local organization to Audit the Department of Defense: Sample resolution with information.

Watch our exciting videos of actions, concerts, and help us spread the word to your friends.

Join us on Facebook.

Volunteer to help with the campaign. As the weather improves, we will have opportunities to be at street fairs and elsewhere. We need your creativity in bringing home the message in compelling ways. In Seattle, BOBH will have a booth at the annual Fremont Fair (June 16-17) and we need you to help staff the booth.

Now is the time for bold solutions, and to make the connection to war spending.

There are many more voices talking about tax loopholes, bank bailouts, and corporate spending. The BOBH campaign connects with people working on these issues, and continues to raise the issue of war spending.

We invite you to join the campaign, help us get out information, and build this movement.

Download and distribute flyers and resources:

Waste in the Pentagon Budget facts and links.
Military Waste factsheet.
General BOBH flyer: Where’s the money?! (Front) (Back).
WA State cuts budget as corporate loopholes linger (PDF).

Use your creativity:

Seattle artists and activists came together to “Speak, Sing, and Play Your Peace” as “Voices of the 99%” in December. It followed a successful concert in Bellingham in November that was produced in collaboration with Whatcom Action Coalition (WAC) and The Old Foundry. The events have highlighted WWFOR’s Bring Our Billion$ Home campaign. The campaign calls for spending our dollars on meeting human needs, not feeding …war and greed! We want health care, education, and green jobs, not wasteful wars!

You can see some of the Seattle performances:

Black Magic Noize improvised “Bring Our Billions Home” hip hop jam

Kaeley Pruitt-Hamm introduction and  BOBH song

Jon Waters and Chaim Elijah, Nina LaBoy, and Luke Davies

 

occupy seattle yard sign
Connect with Occupy Movement:

Even if you can’t camp out, you can proudly display your support with yard sign. (Available from WWFOR office for $3. Contact wwfor@wwfor.org or 206-789-5565 to arrange pick up.) How about pitching a tent in your yard? You can also click to view and download a pdf of the Support Occupy Seattle yard sign

 

 

Download and print special dollar bills: (Front) (Back).

Write Letters to the Editor:
It’s okay to borrow ideas from others. Some recent letters include:

House spending cuts could affect state and local service – Ruth Yarrow, March 7, 2011, in The Seattle Times

U.S. tax dollars squandered on war – Glen Anderson, Feb 13, 2011, in The Olympian

U.S. wars are imperialistic – Berd Whitlock, Feb 11, 2011, in The Olympian

We Can Stop the Insanity – Sister Mimi Maloney and Sister Katherine Gray, Jan 9, 2011, in The Olympian

Post information about BOBH issues on FaceBook or blogs.

Let us know if you get published (in print or online) at wwfor@wwfor.org

Join our Postcard campaign to your elected officials:
Send a postcard each month on the date of your birth, talking about the impact of not ending the war on your community or other related subject. We have images from Olympia FOR’s pocket calendar that you can use as postcard, or just use your own.

Sign up to receive campaign updates and notices about upcoming activities. Include your Congressional district. wwfor@wwfor.org

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