To date, AFSC supporters across the nation have organized more than 200 events in 44 states to take place the day following the 2,000th reported U.S. military death in Iraq. Events range from candlelight vigils to the ceremonial ringing of the bells in memory of the U.S. service people and as many as 100,000 Iraqis who have lost their lives. The events will begin a push to urge Congress to use the power of the purse to end the war, bring the troops home, close U.S. bases in Iraq, and instead fund the human needs laid bare by Hurricane Katrina.

"Not One More Death, Not One More Dollar" is a continuation of the Quaker organization's ongoing work to humanize the cost of the war in Iraq. For the past two years, AFSC's acclaimed memorial exhibit, Eyes Wide Open: The Human Cost of War, has traveled to more than 70 cities across the country. The exhibit, which features a pair of combat boots to represent each U.S. military death and thousands of shoes to memorialize Iraqi civilian casualties, has become an internationally recognized symbol of the ongoing loss of life in Iraq.

"It's all too easy to become desensitized to the staggering number of lives lost, and to the equally staggering number of dollars spent on this war. Our goal with the "Not One More Death, Not One More Dollar" campaign, as with the Eyes Wide Open exhibit, is to make clear the human and financial costs of war in a way that American citizens relate and respond to," says AFSC's Michael McConnell, who developed the Eyes Wide Open exhibit.

Details on the 200-plus events taking place around the country as part of "Not One More Death, Not One More Dollar" campaign are available on the AFSC Web site at http://www.afsc.org/wagepeace. Some events planned are:

In Texas -- a state that has lost 210 soldiers in Iraq -- Austin organizers will put up 2,000 holiday lights near a wall with the names of the 2,000 U.S. Military Dead and graphics representing the Iraqi dead.

In Ohio -- a state that has lost 92 soldiers in Iraq -- Cleveland organizers will hold signs during rush-hour in downtown Cleveland that read: "2,000-plus Americans Killed and Counting. Bring Our Troops Home."

In Pennsylvania -- a state that has lost 102 soldiers in Iraq -- Pittsburgh organizers will hold a silent, candlelight vigil and a march. All participants will dress in black in mourning for the deaths of U.S. Soldiers and Iraqi Civilians.

Lila Lipscomb, whose son Sergeant Michael F. Pederson, was killed in Iraq on April 2, 2003, will speak at the Lansing, Michigan event. "Hundreds have died since Bush declared 'mission accomplished'," Lipscomb says. "As parents, citizens, and compassionate people, we have to demand that the funding of this exhausted war stops now, before one more death occurs or one more dollar is spent."

AFSC General Secretary, Mary Ellen McNish, says, "The American Friends Service Committee believes that there is no military solution to the Iraq war. Continued fighting and occupation promises only further deaths and injuries, more widows and orphans, more separated families and billions more spent. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the realities it brought home about who does and doesn't have access to the American Dream tells us all how desperately these resources are needed in other areas."

A detailed position statement from AFSC on the Iraq war is available on the organization's Web site at http://www.afsc.org/wagepeace.

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) was the co- recipient of the 1947 Nobel Peace Prize, which honored Quakers' historic work to relieve the suffering of war. The Quaker organization is comprised of people from many faiths and backgrounds who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. Since 1917, AFSC has aided millions of people around the world through its peace, economic development, and human rights programs. AFSC was a leader in the movements to end the Vietnam War and to dismantle apartheid in South Africa and remains a leader in international movements for peace and justice.

For more information on "Not One More Death, Not One More Dollar" campaign and the Eyes Wide Open exhibit, please go to http://www.afsc.org/wagepeace

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