I just got in from protesting the war during rush hour. I live by a busy intersection, so I can just walk out and get a fairly good audience with the people driving to work. I stood on the sidewalk right next to the road from 7:30 to 9:00 with a big sign that had a peace sign on one side and “The war is not worth it” on the other. I plan to do it again at quitting time today. And then I am going to do the morning and afternoon rush hours ever day until Obama makes his announcement next week. We the citizens can help set the frame for Obama’s announcement. We should demonstrate resistance before he has even said anything, so the backlash will be even greater when he tells us he’s sending more troops.

So I hope others will join me and make up a sign, very legible from a distance, and protest where they live. You don’t need a big group to protest. A single sign can remind people of the war. All you need is a big audience. High-traffic intersections are excellent. So please, for the Iraqis and Afghans, make a sign and protest. If you wait around for the big organized protests, you will have waited too long. This is something you have to do on your own. Protesting with a small group of friends is fun too.

And if you’re already doing it, keep up the good work!

I will not stand still for a surge in Afghanistan. I am going to take action against it. Americans hardly remember they are at war. I am going to be there to remind them. I invite you to do something similar in your hometown.

On the day after Thanksgiving, I am going to go to downtown Chicago, probably around Macy’s, and hold an good-size antiwar sign so all the shoppers can see it. One side will be a big, visible peace sign; the other side will just say “Stop Your Wars.”

I see this time in Obama’s administration as a crucial turning point in Americans’ perceptions of the president. Americans are about to see that Obama is oriented toward continuing the war. It is especially important during this time that Americans be allowed to see first-hand that there are citizens who, maybe just like them, disagree with Obama’s position toward escalating troops.

And it is true generally that most Americans tend to forget we are even at war at all. I think those of us who do remember have the responsibility of reminding everyone else who has forgotten. We cannot rely on the media to do it. So that really is all I want to do, remind Americans, as they enjoy their holidays with their own families, that they are still killing other people’s families. I just don’t feel it’s fair for Americans to be able to forget the kinds of activities they are involved in.

So I invite anyone who strongly opposes escalation in Afghanistan to seek out the shopping district in your area, find a visible location, and demonstrate against the US wars on the day after Thanksgiving. Lots of shoppers will be out, so lots of people will see you and think about our wars. This is a very useful time. I hope other people will join me and make the best of it.

If not you in your town, then who?

And if my way of doing things isn’t right for you, figure out another way to remind people we are at war. It is up to you. The media won’t do it.

Do it for the people of Afghanistan and Iraq.