2014 Global Day of Action on Military Spending: Move the Money!

Fourth Annual Day of U.S. Actions 

By Judith Le Blanc, Field Director, Peace Action

Over 80 activities were organized, for the 2014 Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) in the U.S. GDAMS has become an annual day of U. S. action, part of the ongoing national effort to build a movement strong enough to “move the money” from the Pentagon and wars to fund jobs and public services.  FULL USA REPORT — FULL GLOBAL REPORT

The US Congress and the President have been locked in cycles of brinkmanship over the federal budget priorities  and deficits that have brought the vast and wasteful Pentagon budget into public scrutiny.  The general public overwhelmingly supports cuts to military spending when shown the facts and the trade offs between human services and the Pentagon. There is a broad and growing movement of peace, community and economic justice groups pushing for new federal budget priorities.  This makes GDAMS and Tax Day in the US a particularly auspicious occasion this year.

We will stand with the rest of the world to bear witness to the fact that military spending, especially the impact of US military spending stands as the major obstacle to addressing the crisis problems all of our peoples face globally.

 Media Tips & Tools

• How to get media attention: Moveon.org
• Social Media: Inkling Media
• Talking Points: Pentagon Budget Campaign
• Ten Tips for writing and placing op-eds: Rethink Media Solutions
• Letter to the Editor Quick Tips: Rethink Media Solutions

END THE PENTAGON SLUSH FUND THUNDERCLAP

Thunderclap background info

This Tax Day, tell Congress how you’d like your money spent. After 13 + years of war, it is time to rein in Pentagon spending and start funding the very real needs we have in our communities.  It is outrageous that this year we have half as many troops in Afghanistan as last year, but the military funding in the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account actually went up.  We need to end this slush fund that allows for the Pentagon budget to escape budget caps and keep spending irresponsibly.  Tell Congress to end budget gimmicks to preserve wartime spending and bring those tax dollars home.

Memes

• When All You Have is a Hammer
• F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
• F-35 and Food stamps

Handouts and Flyers

• GDAMS 2014 flyer with blank space for your event (word) (PDF)
• GDAMS 2014 flyer with general Move the Money call to Congress (word) (PDF)
• GDAMS 2014 flyer with Cut the Pentagon Slush Fund call to Congress (word) (PDF)
• The Plane that Ate the Budget - AFSC
• A tax receipt for individuals to see how each personally contributed to programs ranging from WIC to nuclear weapons – National Priorities Project
• An all-new version of Trade-Offs tool to see how much taxpayers in each city or town paid in 2012 toward a variety of federal programs – and what else that money could buy – National Priorities Project
• Want to issue an “Onion” style parody or  “Mockery Newspaper” for your event? Download a 4 page newspaper (pages 1-2 & 3-4), add your organization and local info to bring a smile or a howl. The “Mockery Newspaper” was created by Montgomery County, MD Peace Action which has been locked in battle with the greedy Lockheed Martin defense contractor. Enjoy!

Fact Sheets

• Seven things you must know about taxes – National Priorities Project
• The Tax Day Bar Chart – National Priorities Project
• F35 Talking Points
• B61 Life Extension Program – Peace Action
• Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes: U.S. Federal Budget 2015 Fiscal Year – Courtesy of War Resisters League

EVENT PLANNING TOOLS 

Training Curriculum

Videos

• Rolling Out the Budget (AFSC)  Where are your tax dollars going?

• F35 : The Jet that Ate the Pentagon

• If I Had a Trillion Dollars (IHTD) Youth Film Festival – AFSC and NPP. The IHTD festival includes short films made by youth speaking out about where their communities would rather spend the $1 trillion spent on war or the Pentagon budget.

• If Paychecks Could Talk because if they could, they’d explain that the taxes we pay fund programs like clean water, health care, and roads and bridges.

US groups sponsoring Tax Day/GDAMS events: Alliance for Global Justice, American Friends Service Committee, CODEPINK, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Foreign Policy in Focus, Friends Committee on National Legislation, National Priorities Project, National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee, Peace Action, Progressive Democrats of America, United for Peace and Justice, USAction, US Labor Against the War, War Resisters League, Women’s Action for New Directions & Women’s Legislators