The goal of MONUMENTS FOR PEACE (Voices for Freedom, Voices of Veterans, Voices Against Violence) is to involve students, teachers, parents, veterans, religious leaders, artists and activists in the creation of a traveling exhibit of inexpensive, cardboard and fabric “monuments” that educate the public about the corrosive effects of militarism on democracy and human rights, and encourage people to join the historic non-violent struggle for peace, liberty and justice for all. The monuments will be exhibited in a wide variety of venues, help to generate publicity and funds, link people and organizations, and provide immediate opportunities for people to support initiatives related to their theme. The project theme calls into question the myth that Americans, and people in many other nations, owe their freedom to the ability and willingness of the U.S. military to wage war throughout the world. Permanent monuments of metal and stone, military museums, recruiting ads, and other tax-subsidized Pentagon propaganda suggest that all the overt and covert wars our government has involved us in since WWII have been the noble and necessary “Price of Freedom.” A new permanent exhibit has even been installed in Washington D.C. at the American History Museum. The Price of Freedom: Americans at War is trumpeted on gigantic posters, t-shirts and other merchandise. This is an Orwellian twist on the oft repeated quote about “eternal vigilance” being the price of freedom. It was eternal vigilance against internal threats to our freedom that most concerned the Founding Fathers, and entanglement in foreign wars was seen as the biggest threat of all. They saw a permanent professional military not as a safeguard, but as a threat to freedom. Vigilance was needed to prevent a few powerful men from misusing the specter of foreign foes as an excuse to initiate wars for private gain, raid the public coffers, and restrict civil liberties that people otherwise might use to stop them. The American Revolution was a rebellion against the corruption and repression of the British military empire. We weren’t supposed to recreate it. There is no shortage of credible figures who have voiced the truth. Their voices just need to be amplified. Madison, Jefferson, Franklin, Eisenhower, Smedley Butler, MLK, Gandhi, anti-military base activists? During the thick of war, the horrible human, economic and environmental costs are made as invisible as possible. Grieving families of soldiers are under enormous pressure to conform to the official story that their children were willing sacrifices for the cause of freedom and democracy, no matter what they actually feel or believe. A recent development that is hopeful is the alliance of traditional peace and justice groups with Veterans for Peace, and new organizations such as Military Families Speak Out, Bring them Home Now, and Gold Star Families for Peace which are intent on honoring those sacrificed by courageously speaking the truth. It is difficult for ordinary citizens to erect permanent monuments of stone and iron, but there is no time like the present to call attention to the huge “credibility gap” between escalating propaganda about war promoting freedom, and the historic and current costs to humanity and violations of human rights. The repression of the truth provides potential for a dramatic “sea-change” in public opinion. By working with the soft “leading edge” of …This project aims to help catalyze it. The portable monuments will be as colorful, creative and varied as the participants. Some will celebrate famous religious and political icons, while others will illuminate the obscure. Some will highlight living individuals, issues and events, while others will memorialize the dead. Many will incorporate colorful paper and crayon rubbings of text from permanent historical monuments and markers and illuminate them with the perspectives from the present. Duplicate rubbings can be created and exchanged between participants in different cities, states and nations. Wherever the monuments are exhibited, they will amplify the voices of veterans, children, victims and their families, and other non-violent “champions of freedom.” Organizations such as Veterans for Peace, Amnesty International, Local United Nation’s Associations, Civil Liberties Groups, and other Peace and Justice organizations are not willing to stand mutely by while the costs of war are made invisible and later misrepresented to engineer consent for future wars. Groups working against the death penalty, and domestic violence, to promote the rights of minorities, and better protect the environment and serve human needs, all have a stake in a project of this sort. The connections to movements for electoral reform, such as Democracy North Carolina, are also strong. The project will be publicized and participants and cosponsoring groups will be recruited through the display of prototype monuments at public gatherings; free media coverage from promotional events organized around relevant anniversaries and holidays; targeted use of mailings, e-mail, telephone contacts, newsletter articles, posters, and flyers; and the creation of a project webpage with reciprocal links to complementary programs. The creation of peace parasols and memorial umbrellas is an easy and inviting “lead-in” activity that can also be used to help engage people with the project. A “Free Speech Yard Sign Network” that Public Assembly is developing as another creative form of popular public expression may also be used to publicize some project events. Public Assembly’s “peace truck” can be used to help store and transport completed monuments and attract attention at public events. Plans are underway to turn the truck into a “mobile theater” from which short movies can be broadcast at outdoor summer gatherings. There are numerous short documentaries that might be shown and a special audio-visual presentation could be created whether or not the “mobile theater” becomes a reality. A final source of motivation, awards, and recognition for participants, will be a celebration event to be held around Memorial Day, 2006.