The Army Men Project

Have you heard about The Army Men Project? The website Mouths Wide Open, whose motto is "The job of a citizen is to keep your mouth wide open," has come up with what I think is one of the most clever antiwar messaging tactics I've seen. No posters, no signs, no confrontations -- just little army men carrying a Bring Me Home label, scattered all over the planet awaiting discovery:

We’re spreading plastic Army Men around the country and around the globe as small, everyday reminders of the ongoing horrors of the war in Iraq and to serve as tools to foster dialogue, action and resistance to the war. Here in the United States we’re encouraged to forget about the war, to go on with our lives, to “go shopping.” But what if everywhere people went there were little plastic Army Men nudging them to remember that we’re waging war? At Home Depot, on the gas pump, in the 7-11, at the post office, on the hood of the car, in the public restroom, at the movie theatre, in the produce section of the grocery store … in your neighborhood …?

You can either buy or order your own army men and download your own stickers or order them directly from Mouths Wide Open. The "Bring Me Home" labels include the website URL to spread the word to others who might like to place little army men all over their neighborhoods. You can also make up packs to distribute to others who are interested in placing them in conspicuous locations:

Thanks to Ann Manning for giving me my first bag of army men, who will soon be spreading their messages around the Northeast Heights of Albuquerque. Bring the troops home.