(This is great. If you've got some spare change, you can help out with the effort by using the paypal link at BergenGrassroots.com. - promoted by jmelli)
 Photo by Keith Krebs Bergen Grassroots has posted what we believe is the first antiwar billboard sentiment in our home county, Bergen. We have launched this advertising campaign to underscore our commitment to continuing to pressure the Bush administration, as well as our Congressional representatives in the 5th and 9th Districts, to bring the troops home from Iraq NOW. With funds raised from Bergen Grassroots members, we have rented a total of four billboards over the next three months. We are profoundly grateful to all who made this first stage possible. |
| The first billboard was posted on Thursday, April 6, the day after our April meeting. The second one is to be posted the week of April 10. The third will appear the week of May 1, and the fourth the week of May 29. All four sites are illuminated. The panels measure 10’ 5” high by 22’ 8” wide. The signs remain on display for a period of four weeks. They will continue to be seen until CBS Outdoor, which owns the boards, finds other advertisers for the spaces. The Bergen Grassroots billboards carry a familiar message that is quite popular in the antiwar movement, but with a significant difference. Many groups are using “Support Our Troops, Bring Them Home Now.” What we have done is to combine the words, “Support Our Troops,” with the yellow ribbon icon. And our use of the word “NOW” dramatizes our insistence that the time has come to bring them home. We’re including the yellow ribbon because we want to reclaim it. The Bush Administration has co-opted that design and embraced it in such a way that the vast majority of Americans—on both sides of the ideological divide—believe that it doesn’t mean “Support Our Troops,” it means “Support Our War.” Frankly, we hope to attract attention and convert those who are beginning to doubt the wisdom of this tragic enterprise—and the polls tell us that number is growing daily—to opposing the war and the administration that has brought us to this sorry place. We have seen that our efforts to persuade legislators bear fruit: In less than a year, Congressman Steven Rothman in the 9th has gone from supporting the war to first announcing support of the Murtha resolution, and then to concluding, not long ago, that he believes the troops should come home now. Certainly, other like-minded groups and individuals have played a major role in persuading Congressman Rothman, but we are proud of our role. For as little as $100, you can make a major contribution to the rental of the next billboard. However, no contribution is too small. To donate, make a check payable to “Bergen for Democracy” and please write “Billboards” in the memo section and mail to Post Office Box 307, Teaneck NJ 07666. Or you may use PayPal and a credit card on our Website, www.bergengrassroots.org to support our billboard campaign.
Here are the locations of the billboard sites, with the posting week:
Week of April 3 Facing northbound traffic on the southbound side of Route 17, north of Berry Avenue in Carlstadt. Contract expires April 30. DEC: (Estimates the number of people who see the sign daily), 62,900. (map)
Week of April 10 On the north side of Passaic Street, at the railroad crossing, Hackensack, facing westbound traffic. Contract expires May 7. DEC: 12.9.
Week of May 1 On the west side of I-80 at Route 17, Lodi, facing north. Contract expires May 28. DEC: 82,700.
Week of May 29 On the north side of Route 46, facing east, west of Hudson Street, Fort Lee. Contract expires June 25. DEC : 45,300. |
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