This is being forwarded around the internet - at first I wasn't keen then thought it might be good. Mounting piles of rice at the Blair postal system.

The RICE solution - Action Urged!
> > >
> > > There is a grassroots campaign underway to [stand for peace] with Iraq
> in
> > > a simple, but potentially powerful way:
> > >
> > > Place 1/2 cup uncooked rice in a small plastic bag (a snack-size bag
or
> > > sandwich bag work fine).Squeeze out excess air and seal the bag.
> > >
> > > Wrap it in a piece of paper on which you have written:
> > >
> > > "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. Romans 12:20. Please
> > > send this rice to the people of Iraq; do not attack them."
> > >
> > > Place the paper and bag of rice in a small jiffy bag, close well with
> tape
> > > and address to:
> > >
> > > PM Tony Blair -10 Downing Street, London SW 1
> > >
> > > Attach £1.06 in postage. (Three pstamps equal £ )
> > >
> > > Drop this in the mail TODAY.
> > >
> > > It is important to act NOW so that PM Tony Blair gets the letters
ASAP
> > >
> > > Each one of these packets is effective, and hundreds of thousands of
> such
> > > rice deliveries to 10 Downing Street will make hopefully make an
> enormous
> > > stand. We can do this if you each forward this message to your
friends
> > and
> > > family.
> > >
> > > There is a positive history of this protest! In the 1950s, Fellowship
> of
> > > Reconciliation began a similar protest, which is credited with
> influencing
> > > President Eisenhower against attacking China.
> > >
> > > Read on: "In the mid-1950s, the pacifist Fellowship of
Reconciliation,
> > > learning of famine in the Chinese mainland, launched a 'Feed Thine
> Enemy'
> > > campaign. Members and friends mailed thousands of little bags of rice
> to
> > > the White House with a tag quoting the Bible, "If thine enemy hunger,
> > feed
> > > him." As far as anyone knew for more than ten years, the campaign was
> an
> > > abject failure. The President did not acknowledge receipt of the bags
> > > publicly; certainly, no rice was ever sent to China.
> > >
> > > "What nonviolent activists only learned a decade later was that the
> > > campaign played a significant, perhaps even determining role in
> preventing
> > > nuclear war. Twice while the campaign was pending, President
> Eisenhower
> > > met
> > > with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to consider U.S. options in the
conflict
> > > with
> > > China over two islands, Quemoy and Matsu. The generals twice
> recommended
> > > the use of nuclear weapons. President Eisenhower each time turned
to
> > > his aide and asked how many little bags of rice had come in. When
told
> > > they
> > > numbered in the tens of thousands, Eisenhower told the generals that
as
> > > long as so many Americans were expressing active interest in having
the
> > > U.S. feed the Chinese, he certainly wasn't going to consider using
> > > nuclear weapons against them."
> > >
> > > From: People Power: Applying Nonviolence Theory by David H. Albert,
> > p.43,
> > > New Society
> > >
> > > Excerpt from an interview with Norm Chomsky on war with Iraq....
> > >
> > > OB: As you said, it seems that a US invasion of Iraq is pretty much
> > > inevitable at this point. How much difference can popular resistance
> still
> > > make?
> > >
> > > NC: A huge difference. It's the only thing that can stop it. That's
> always
> > > been true. What prevented the US from carrying out saturation B-52
> bombing
> > > of Nicaragua in the 1980s? Popular resistance. It wasn't strong enough
> 40
> > > years ago to stop it in South Vietnam, but it did stop the invasion in
> the
> > > 1980s, and now resistance to the war has no historical precedent to my
> > > knowledge. I can't think of another case where there was large scale
> > > protest to a war before it started. Nothing like that during the
Vietnam
> > > years.
> > > Protest over the Vietnam War came after four to five years.
> > >
> > > There is unprecedented opposition -- UK and US policy analysts are
> keeping
> > > their eyes open to it, and if it grows even more, they'll be
concerned.
> In
> > > fact, some of the high level hawkish arguments against the war is that
> too
> > > much divisiveness will be created inside the UK and US. That's a
> > > concern -- No matter who you are you are going to be concerned about
> > popular
> > > opinion.
> > >
> > > ---------------------------------------
> > >

> > >
> > > The important thing is not to stop asking.
> > >
> > > Albert Einstein (1879-1955)



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