A Ribbon For The Rest of Us: Bring Them Home

For our troops in Iraq and their families back home, "it's time to wrap it up." Now there is a car magnet ribbon to reflect this deeply held sentiment that has been misunderstood or flat-out ignored by politicians.

Grassroots for America^SM is proud to support a new organization that has designed and produced a ribbon to help amplify the call for an exit strategy and a return of the troops to American soil, Bring Them Home.

To help us help them, Bring Them Home will contribute $.60 to Grassroots for America^SM for each magnet sold with a contribution code of GFA. By purchasing a Bring Them Home car magnet and entering contribution code GFA you can help us continue to provide pro bono professional services to developing progressive organizations. Buy Bring Them Home car magnets (with contribution code GFA!) today, by the piece or by the pack.

To launch this initiative, Bring Them Home organizers Andy Duane and Tim Cunningham of Spokane, Washington spent innumerable hours talking to people across the political spectrum. They discovered that this desire is shared almost universally among red and blue states, conservatives and liberals, and without ethnic or religious barriers. The innovative design they created for the new car magnet echoes the nearly ubiquitous support ribbons developed by many cause-related organizations, but extends the well-worn design to a double-loop to create an infinity symbol that communicates the commitment to the safe return of all of our armed services personnel.

Readers can help create a collective voice today by visiting www.bringthemhome.info and engaging in these action items from that web site:

Order the unique Bring Them Home magnet for your car -- order a pack! They make great gifts!
Send free messages of support and photos of home (ePostcards) to troops and friends
Forward this Web page to everyone you know because when thousands of ePostcards and magnets are displayed in cyberspace and on our roads, the media, politicians and others will pick up the conversation and act on the most important part of declaring Mission Accomplished: Bringing Our Troops Home.

Bring Them Home started the way so many great grassroots ideas begin, over a chat with friends. One night Andy and Tim went to a sports bar to watch college basketball. They were joined by Tim's son and three of his buddies all of whom (ages 19-20) had just returned to home from military service in Iraq. The young men were full of enthusiasm for the times they live in and shared why they joined the military: one for college tuition, another to travel the world and the third to proudly follow in his father's footsteps.

They also related stories of the daily realities they faced on the ground in Iraq; the hopes and the tragedies alike. They said they are being asked to fight a war for which they are not trained, with an unclear mission and with no end in sight. What impressed Andy and Tim was the lack of bitterness among the young men. They said they joined the military and did their duty, but coming home was up to the American people, not them.

"We woke up the next morning upset and angry," said Andy. "How could we stand by drinking beer and watching basketball knowing that young Americans are dying or coming home seriously wounded for a preemptive war that morphed into a fight against terrorists?" They also puzzled over another question, "Is patriotism in the face of our leaders' blunders expressed only if the ribbon on the car says 'support our troops?' We think not," said Andy.

The pair believe that as patriots we can best protect our country and our troops by bringing them back home. They believe that America can defeat terrorism by developing an international coalition of resources and manpower that acts nimbly and globally, and the best support the U.S. can give Iraq is the funds and know-how to govern according to their own wisdom.

As private citizens they knew they couldn't manage to build that international coalition, so as communications design specialists, they did what they do best. Using their own personal funds, they developed a new patriotic ribbon design as well as the web site and manufacturing processes to deploy the message around the nation. To extend their altruism, Andy and Tim have created a fundraising opportunity for organizations that want to sell the Bring Them Home car magnets to their members and at events. Remarkably, $.60 from every unit sold will be shared with the participating organizations.