 Last but certainly not least, I want to introduce Jodi Evans. Jodi is the co-founder of Code Pink and the afterschool writing program 826LA. She's been a visionary advocate for peace for several decades, and she inspires us at Code Pink to call out the lies and the fear that lead us to war. And to see the parallels between the war on terror and the new wars being started today. So I'm going to pass it over to Jodi to speak and share a very special announcement. Thank you, Emily. Great job today. And also, thank you, Rick. You know, after Congress voted us to war, I started an afterschool writing program with Dave Eggers 826LA because I realized how uneducated even our members of Congress were. They were incapable of critically thinking about war and writing foster critical thinking. And we've served over 100,000 students in LA, unified school district who qualify for school lunch, many of whom don't have an English-speaking parent at home, and too many who are homeless and foster kids. So yes, education is part of the peace economy that is strangled and privatized more and more every year by the war economy. So thank you for what you're raising. Today we've heard from so many departed, peace-filled, truth-telling activists on this tragic day that was followed by horrific terrorism, violence, and brutality by this United States of America. I thank you all so much for your openness, honesty, and your intimate stories. Some we will be grieving for days, and yet many, I think they will fuel also our passion for peace and our desires to end this insanity. Tomorrow is 912th. We can all model how to respond in a different way. First, we ourselves must practice the forms of peace, divesting ourselves in the war economy that forces us to act from alienation, scarcity, transaction, selfishness, competition, distraction, reaction, limitation, urgency, and us versus them. Instead we need to practice what it is to cultivate a peace economy, listening, connection, community building, interdependence, relational engagement, quality, attention, both and because we are all connected. You can learn more about divesting patterns at Code Pink and download our 21 days to divest from the war economy, but I just wanted to make sure we knew it's up to us first. Then we need to bring our listening, relating connected selves into the streets, exposing the costs of war that affect everyone. All needs lead back to the Pentagon and its suck of money into death, destruction, annihilation, and as we have seen today, much grief. War and the Pentagon serve the war economy, and what has happened since 9-11 is the rich have gotten richer, the United States has moved right, and the social fabric isn't headers. While the world is less safe and terrorism has increased everywhere. So tomorrow on 9-12 we launch hashtag cut the Pentagon, a big tent intended to pull the already grassroots activism together to show that the needs of the people and the planet are being denied by the stupidity of wars and the Pentagon. We plan to raise up direct actions, teachings on the costs of war, and where we can try to light on the places sharing, caring, relationality is happening in our communities, the places where the money should be going to create conditions conducive for life. Each day we will focus on one of the coalition members and what they're doing. So first of all, we're reminded of our breadth and nourished by each other's engagement, where we can learn what we can share in our community and take local. The website is a place where we can go to get under the tent, where we can bring others to grow the tent. You can drop in every day, you can raise awareness. We all must become tuning ports for peace, changing this culture of war we live in, to one of kindness and caring and sharing and understanding and connection, and my favorite words, love and peace. The next war is already happening. We hear it from members of the military right now. China is who they are told their enemy is, and they think they're saving the people of Taiwan. There are already victims of this war on China, and they are in the United States. Violence against Asians in the US is on a steady rise. If you care about the people in Taiwan, the only answer is no war. Do not sell weapons to them to be a pawn in the US aggression on China. They will be destroyed. I have been in North Korea, and what happened there is beyond unspeakable. A violence and a genocide that cannot fully be grasped. So as always, the only answer is no war, and China is not our enemy. We all need to be more educated on China, so we can be in cooperation and relationship for a future. As aggression on China is with a nuclear power, and our US tax dollars are funding more nuclear weapons, just as a few of those weapons will bring an into the world with a nuclear winter. This is a very existential threat. Let us show them that it is people, not money that wins. It is up to all of us, and it will take all of us. The beautiful city of L.A. and said, you need a grassroots movement. The Pentagon is a place to pull everyone under a big tent and show that all the issues lead back to the Pentagon. The Pentagon is a place to pull everyone under a big tent and show that all the issues lead back to the Pentagon. Those funds were sweeps into the pockets of the rich while destroying the people, the planet, and all past apiece need to be diverted to the needs of the people, planet, peace, and a future. Use the hashtag, cut the Pentagon when raising up your issue. Join the coalition if you haven't already, and be in the streets. Join the coalition if you haven't already, and be in the streets of the cost of war that are all around you. Thank you, Danica, Emily, Rachel, Frank, Brian, thank you to Codepink and MassPete action teams for all your super hard work that went into making today happen, and for creating this space for us to touch these deep and personal stories. Remember to grieve, to feel, to be in the right place. It is time to build that big tent. We need to make it necessary and the only answer for members of Congress to cut the Pentagon or what they risk the shame as the costs of war are wrapped around their necks and they are exposed for denying the needs of the people. Don't accept their words. Call them on their votes. And like Norman Solomon said, they will not vote money for war anymore. You right now can call on your member to join with Barbara Lee in cutting the Pentagon budget under what was called peace time budget and funding what is needed for peace. Emily is posting that link in the chat so act right now. As we say goodbye today, please make a commitment to be visible, to be beautiful. From the deep love we have all touched today to educate, and to take and organize and engage, engage, engage. Onward to peace. And can we all unmute and share our appreciation to the team, to the speakers and say yes to our commitment to rise up. Yes. Thank you, team. Thank you, Frank. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Peace and love. Peace and love. Thank you. Rising together. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Great way to end up their program, Jodi. Love you all. Yeah. Yes. Are we going to sing, Madia, happy birthday? Oh, yeah. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Thank you. Thank you. Happy birthday. Ah. Thank you so much. Gratitude everyone. I'm going to get you to come. And I love you, I love you. See you. See you. I got a cake for you. Summer beer. Bye, Jai. Bye, Jai. Bye, Jai. Let's get together. Bye, Jai. Bye, Cynthia. Bye, Cynthia. Bye, Jai. Bye, guys. Bye, guys. Bye, Jai. Bye. Bye, Cynthia. Hi, Cynthia. Hi, Jai. Where's the Pentagon cake? Hello. Hi, Ms. Mah. Hello, Ms. Mah. Thanks to everyone for organizing this. By the way, tomorrow, as Jodi Evans said, is September 12th, and the Lines for Global Justice has a webinar on media disinformation on Nicaragua at 3 p.m. Eastern. Thank you, Farmars. And you know, Farmars, he and I go way back 20 something years, probably Ralph Nader campaign. But he was the one who put the link in Farmars before you leave, if you want to put that link again, all LA based or near LA, all hands on deck for Bush Monday, September 20th, and also Sunday, he'll be in Beverly Hills on Sunday, September 19th. So we want people in the region to come out for this. We think it's going to be big. Is something happening at the White House tomorrow, isn't there? Yeah, tomorrow, if you're in D.C., and three o'clock. Emily, you want to speak on that? I'm going to let Jodi speak, I believe. Oh, Jodi's still here, of course. Sure, tomorrow at three o'clock at the White House is the launch of Cut the Pentagon. Please join us. Tyg has made a crazy amazing cake of the Pentagon. We are going to cut the Pentagon cake and eat it too, along with some Ben and Jerry's ice cream while we hear from some of the coalition members of why it's necessary to join this big tent of Cut the Pentagon. Wow, that's brilliant. Wonderful. Hey, Jodi, what can we do locally? In the local, what would be a good activity? Like get a cake? I mean, get a cake and join together and watch the live stream, share with each other what you would find instead of war. That's what we're going to be doing. We're going to be hanging hearts on the White House fence of what we want the funds invested in instead of war. We'll post those on the Facebook of Code Pink. We're going to be asking that question tomorrow on Code Pink's Facebook. Not only what should we be funding instead of war, but what are some ideas for direct action for exposing the costs of war, for talking about what we should be funding. We need some great ideas, y'all. So share with us your ideas of ways we could be engaging. We're going to West Tech on Tuesday to expose the warmongers who are fueling their ideas to the State Department instead of ways to peace. They're fueling ways to war. We've got a beanbag game at one of the universities on Thursday. Either you can throw the beanbag in the black hole of the Pentagon or the rainbow of education, health care, caring for each other. We need your ideas. We need to be engaged every day. So we're looking for ideas and support and also for you to join the coalition and have something that you're doing that day that inspires other. We're hoping that like the vigil of Code Pink outside the White House, that things like this start to arise up in other communities and people take it on locally. Rachel, you already do this. So it's about doing it more. It's that we just need to do more. If 14 members of Congress think they can vote more money to war, we we're not they're not feeling us. They got to be feeling us more. And we're going to Pelosi's on 921. Have a big tea party with a big Pentagon cake that we're going to cut the Pentagon. So join us up at Nancy Pelosi's from four to six on the 21st. She's at 2640 Broadway in San Francisco, and we're going to dance in the streets and we're going to deliver a message to her. Join us. Thank you. Wonderful. And you know, Jodi, I just we in San Pedro, we have the kind of distinct privilege of having all our politicians within blocks of each other. So it's it's easier. But yeah, definitely we feel we feel a lot of empowerment by actually going to a Congressperson's office. And for the last, of course, year and a half, they've been pretty shut down because of COVID, but they are starting to come back. You know, if people call their Congressperson or what we tend to do, and this is what gets them out because we were out August 31st on Tuesday, you know, the last troops home, and we called them beforehand. And depending on who your Congressperson was, we said, we're not there to protest. We want you to come with us and like come to our side. And so they kind of, you know, we coax them. But, you know, if more and more people can go to their congressional offices and vigil out there, but you just gave a great idea, Jodi. Maybe we'll do hearts and put, did you say ideas for what you could do? Yeah, what you can be funding instead of war. What's what's what are the needs for sure? That's that's a great idea. OK. And and everyone enjoying Code Pink Congress on Tuesday, every other Tuesday night to learn more. I mean, like has been stressed, we all need to learn from each other. It's we've learned and fell from each other today. But that never ends, you know, it's it's nourishing each other's hearts as part of being an activist and learning from each other. We've all got the places where we're learning and where we can be sharing and raising up what we learn. So thank you so much, Rachel and Emily and Frank and Brian and and Danica, who I'm sad is not here with us. So I just want to raise up Danica. Yeah, absolutely. This idea. Yeah, she's been pivot key, key organizer of this. Yeah. So is it OK if we we steal the half a cake idea? I love it. Oh, it's not stealing. I know it's like it's sharing, caring. And it's like, if it's a great idea and you like it, then like, let's do it. Take it. Take it from a flattery, right? Yes. Yeah, exactly. Well, maybe we could take a slice and send it up to our Congresswoman and say, here's your. Right. Very good. So ready. Yeah, I was going to say, I think it's a good time for some music. Oh, and and to yeah, put a little music on. But just so you know, we are staying open a little bit for people who want to share. So if you want to stay with us, Jodi, Jodi, you want to say something? Oh, no, I just will get. I'll do a little video with Ty. So we can have the cake instructions up on the site. Where will be your live stream tomorrow? Oh, the live stream. On cutthepenagon.org, cutthepenagon.org. Codepin and then this. No, just cutthepenagon.org. OK, thank you. And anything about the International Day of Peace, September 21st? We have many actions and they they are up on cutthepenagon.org. And Cynthia, I don't know what city you're in, but Cynthia Papermaster just talked about some. Anyone else would like to see three years doing constant peace vigil with the people that been doing peace vigil. I have walked all over the world for peace, was walking in the on September 11th. Yeah, we will share. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you for organizing this. I've met media years ago in L.A. with Ramsey Clark. I met Kathy Kelly in. Pennsylvania in the Quaker School, George School with. Yeah, and quite a few of the others. I tried to be in touch. Thanks for coming, Arthur. We appreciate it. Yeah, thank you. We appreciate you. It sounds like you're in L.A., Arthur. No, I lived in Southern California the longest, but I'm in Concord, Massachusetts. Oh, OK. My neck of the woods. It's yours, Brian. Yeah, I'll send you my information. I like the idea. So just what we're doing here, we're not sure, but we're keeping it open. And so I think if people raise their hand, they take stack or maybe if we see something in the chat, that we moderators can maybe ask someone their idea. Wendy, would you like to share your thoughts with us? Yeah. Thank you. I'm going to ask Wendy, Mr. Wendie, could you please go back to the chat? Sure. I'll go back to the chat, or maybe if we see something in the chat that we moderators can maybe ask someone their idea, Wendy, would you like to share your idea of what we can do on September 21st? Hi, yes, I am a member of upper Hudson-Pace Action.