ON JAN. 20, hide your wallets and your credit cards. –According to an e-mail that's circulating these days, if you care about what our country is doing in Iraq in your name, you shouldn't spend a dime that day. It's when President George W. Bush will be sworn into office for a second term. Massive antiwar marches will take place that day in several cities, including Washington, D.C., and of course San Francisco (5 p.m., gather at the Civic Center).

Other folks are calling for doing more than just taking to the streets. Not one damn dime should go into the U.S. economy that day to protest the illegal and immoral war in Iraq, these activists say. Don't even purchase food or gasoline. We're being asked to put our money where our politics are.

It's a great idea. I'm not convinced that a single no-shopping day will have much of an effect, particularly since there's been little publicity or organizing. But that's not to say we should nix the concept altogether.

A movement based on harnessing the power of U.S. consumers with a conscience is long overdue in this country. It's time to shift some of the peace movement's energy from street protests to long-term boycotts. Bush and company don't care how much shoe leather we wear out marching in the same streets over and over again, but they might take notice if suddenly our dollars are being used to send a message, an economic Morse code: No more war, stupid!

Boycotts have been effective in the past. How well I remember the boycott of Florida orange juice. It was in 1976, right after born-again Christian singer Anita Bryant led a successful campaign to repeal Dade County, Florida's gay rights bill. Our national effort ultimately resulted in Bryant losing her position as the spokesperson for Florida orange juice. It also mobilized millions in support of gay rights and made our fight a household word.

A movement to use our spending power to send a message to the leaders giving the orders to kill innocent people in Iraq (not to mention orders that result in the deaths of U.S. service members) will take a while to have any effect. The American people aren't easy to convince when some are waving flags and invoking the same mindless patriotism used to justify throwing Japanese Americans into detention camps six decades ago and slaughtering Vietnamese in another unjust war. Unfortunately, we have all the time in the world. The war in Iraq won't be over any time soon. Even if it is, there's sure to be another one in Iran. The Bush crew won't be happy until they control all the oil in the Middle East to feed the profits of their corporate pals and fuel all our gas-guzzling cars.

Boycott targets will have to be chosen carefully. Having a really obvious bad guy helps. It shouldn't be hard. There are plenty out there just begging to be chosen. The word can easily be spread via the Internet and by the antiwar movement at future mass mobilizations. For organizations with money, ads can be taken out in newspapers and magazines.

On a personal level, each one of us can help by not giving money to any organization or individual that supports the war or hasn't taken a stand against it. That includes churches, synagogues, schools, civic organizations, political candidates, et cetera. Let everyone know that, for you, it's not business as usual. Force the issue everywhere. War is the most immoral act humans commit. It's time that every one of us take a stand every day and in every way we can, no matter how small.

Not one more damn dime for war.

Tommi Avicolli Mecca is a southern Italian queer antiwar activist and writer whose one-man show Italian.Queer.Dangerous runs Jan. 14 through 29 at the Jon Sims Center for the Arts.