Saturday, February 19, 2005

The Toys for George Project

I am against the war in Iraq. But I am also a Patriot. And I have a great amount of love and respect for the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, best friends, and neighbors who are fighting this war under the command of a president whose support of the troops end with the empty words coming out of his mouth. I feel a calling to express my patriotism with protest, and so I am facilitating this project.

Step One: I have sent the following letter to President George W. Bush.

Dear Mr. Bush,

It’s obvious to me that when you were a little boy, you didn’t have enough army-men toys to play with. You’ve been using your power as president to play with the members of our military and are treating their lives like toys meant to be scattered at will along the Oval Office floor. Each of the soldiers that you have sent to fight wars for oil, Bush family revenge, or what your administration spins as “freedom” has a life that you have disrupted, families that you have forced them to abandon and businesses that you have forced them to turn their backs on (either as employees or owners). Worse yet, 1,453 of them have left holes in their communities, in their families, in the hearts of those who love them, since those 1,453 are never coming back.

You take these men and women for granted, like a little boy and some toys that he has become bored with. By not allowing us to honor them by showing images of their coffins, by not mentioning them by name in your speeches, by not visiting a single ceremony or funeral, you betray those who served you. You claim to support our troops, but even as they support you as their Commander in Chief, you turn your back on their sacrifices.

Perhaps you can’t imagine the sheer numbers of men and woman who have died in your army-toy game. Perhaps you just need some new toys to play with, so you can bring our troops home. Since your parents must have neglected teaching you the difference between real people and toys, I’m taking it upon myself to send you some army-men toys for you to keep as your very own. There will be one arriving there for each American soldier who has died in your battles in Iraq. Please line them up on the floor of the Oval Office and play to your heart’s content with these actual toys, and then bring the living, breathing, still-savable troops home.


Step Two:

I am creating protest packages to distribute. Each package will contain: one card with an abbreviated version of this letter, and the name of one American serviceperson who has died in the war in Iraq, the date of their death, and room for additional comments to be added, one toy soldier, one mailing label that has been preaddressed to The White House.

Step Three:

I will distribute these protest packages. I hope that the people who find them will enclose the card, soldier, and any additional comments in an envelope, add a postage stamp, and send the package to the president, so he is overwhelmed with Army Men of his very own to play with.

Step Four:

If you have found a Toys For George Protest Package, I would like to know. Please post here if you have found a package, sent it on, the date, your location, and your first name or pseudonym, and any comments you'd like to share.

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