MEDIA ALERT: PEOPLE TO GATHER IN HUNDREDS OF CITIES AND TOWNS WORLDWIDE ON SAME DAY TO DISCUSS IRAQI CONFLICT

WHERE:

Local cafes and coffee shops in up to 532 cities and towns worldwide

HOW:

Depending on stance on the issue, active-minded people can build bonds within their local community by participating in one of the following:


"NO WAR WITH IRAQ" - HTTP://NOWARWITHIRAQ.MEETUP.COM
"PROTECT FREEDOM" - HTTP://PROTECTFREEDOM.MEETUP.COM

WHEN:

FIRST EVER: OCTOBER 28, 2002 - IN 532 CITIES WORLDWIDE; continuing the 4th Monday of every month thereafter.

DETAILS:

CHANGE BEGINS WITH CONVERSATION. Meetup (http://www.meetup.com), an online facilitator of face-to-face meetings for people with similar interests, has partnered with e-thePeople (http://www.e-thePeople.org), an Internet-based forum for deliberative discussion and political action, to help build bonds between individuals within local communities on the subject of the growing conflict in Iraq. The "No War With Iraq" and "Protect Freedom" Meetups were designed to initiate dialogue between community members in local venues. In addition, e-thePeople has created equal-time petitions on their site for both sides of the issues, as well as providing one-click access to elected officials.


With regard to the Iraqi conflict, Meetup is outwardly linking to the following organizations to help raise awareness:


“NO WAR WITH IRAQ”: AntiWar.com, Common Dreams, e-thePeople, Global Exchange, Independent Media Center, Institute for Global Communications, International A.N.S.W.E.R., International Action Center, Iraq Peace Team, Moveon.org, Not In Our Name, Pacifica Radio's Watch on Iraq, Peace Watch, Peace.Protest.Net, Protest.net, September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, The Nation, TomPaine.com, UnAmerican.com.


“PROTECT FREEDOM”: American Conservative Union, American Policy Center, Council For Emerging National Security Affairs, Defense Link, e-thePeople, HomeOfHeroes.com, House Majority Leader Dick Armey, In Defense of Freedom, NationalSecurity.Org, RAND, Rightturns.com, Rush Online, American Legion Magazine, Town Hall, U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Young Americans For Freedom, Young Republicans Online.


THE HEART OF DEMOCRACY IS PEOPLE GATHERING IN SUPPORT OF A CAUSE. Meetup is a revolutionary tool that can mobilize people across the globe in 532 distinct locales. Meetup reaches well beyond the major metropolitan areas and into smaller towns and communities allowing membership to grow at a grassroots level by getting people together face-to-face, locally. Meetup was launched in June of 2002 and currently boasts upwards of 60,000 members interested in meeting up on 595 topics.


FEATURE EDITORS ARE ENCOURAGED TO HELP CREATE BONDS WITHIN THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES BY NOTIFIYING THEM OF THIS TOOL.


Meetup press and testimonials:

http://www.meetup.com/press


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CONTACT:
Myles Weissleder, Meetup
myles@meetup.com
415-332-3684


Scott Reents, e-thePeople
scott@e-thepeople.org
212-651-9256