Put your thinking caps on...

NEW HAVEN - Fed up with the Iraq war, the peace movement is trying its own surge.

After years of large-scale national demonstrations in Washington, New York and other cities have failed to end the war, activists are embarking on a campaign that starts today with more than 100 local protests around the country.

The protests will continue on the third Friday of each month, with participants pledging to stop their daily routines on that day and take some kind of action.

Halleluiah! It's time to make us some noise!

Thousands have signed the pledge, promising to wear black armbands, stand silent, put signs on their lawns, or not buy gas or shop, organizers say. One woman is buying plastic toy soldiers, putting "bring me home" tags on them and leaving them in public places.

"This is something that will catch on," said Bill Fletcher Jr., one of the organizers. "I'm very excited about it."

The campaign is called the Iraq Moratorium, inspired by a similar effort during the Vietnam War that peace activists say was effective in galvanizing opposition. "I think it has terrific potential because it provides a focus at the local level so a much broader spectrum of folks can be involved," said John Humphries, an organizer in Hartford. "It has the potential to involve much larger numbers of people and energize them over time."