Making the rounds on the Internet today is word that Starbucks is instructing the employees of its Washington-area locations to take up arms in the battle for fiscal sanity. In an open letter today, chief executive Howard Schultz said that between today and Friday, Starbucks stores in and around D.C. will be inscribing customers’ cups with the simple missive, “Come Together.”

Now whether or not one thinks meagerly paid baristas scribbling Beatles lyrics on cups full of scaldingly hot coffee will help President Obama and Congress reach a tax and debt deal by midnight next Monday—spoiler alert, it won’t—this promotion is really just a thinly veiled plug for Fix the Debt, a website founded by centrist billionaires to circulate non-binding online petitions calling on politicians who don’t like each other to stop fighting. (For similar results search for organizations like America Votes and No Labels.)

Schultz is not counted among the current members of Fix the Debt’s “CEO Fiscal Leadership Council,” though that group includes the heads of companies like JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, UPS, AT&T and dozens of other well-known brands. (The whole organization is led by three chairmen: Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, now a talking-head Democrat; former Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, now a talking-head Republican; and New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, a neutral billionaire.)

Anyway, it’s quite possible that not all of Starbucks’ stores have started penning their cups with the dopey message. A grande coffee purchased about 45 minutes ago at the store at 3107 14th Street arrived in a holiday red cup featuring stylized doves and twinkling stars, but nothing about the fiscal cliff. Guess this means any legislative staffer picking up their morning fill in Columbia Heights won’t be able to relay the message to their bosses. Time to start hoarding for the economic apocalypse.

Schultz’s letter:

There are moments in our lives when we have an opportunity to ignite tremendous positive change—not just in the lives of the customers and communities we serve every day, but in our country. This was evident in the outpouring of support in the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary that claimed 26 innocent lives, including one of our partners (employees), Lauren Rousseau.

This spirit of connectedness and humanity is powerful; so powerful that if we unleash it, we can make a difference on a much grander scale.

In the spirit of the Holiday season and the Starbucks tradition of bringing people together, we have a unique opportunity to unite and take action on an incredibly important topic. As many of you know, our elected officials in Washington D.C. have been unable to come together and compromise to solve the tremendously important, time-sensitive issue to fix the national debt. You can learn more about this impending crisis at www.fixthedebt.org.

Rather than be bystanders, we have an opportunity—and I believe a responsibility—to use our company’s scale for good by sending a respectful and optimistic message to our elected officials to come together and reach common ground on this important issue. This week through December 28, partners in our Washington D.C. area stores are writing “Come Together” on customers’ cups.

It’s a small gesture, but the power of small gestures is what Starbucks is about! Imagine the power of our partners and hundreds of thousands of customers each sharing such a simple message, one cup at a time.

Never before have we asked our partners to write something specific on our customers’ cups. These words express the optimism that’s core to the holiday season, to our country’s heritage, and to our Starbucks Mission. This effort is also being amplified by our friends at AOL and Patch who are joining us in activating their hyper-local network of websites to share the “Come Together” message.

My hope is that this simple message will serve as a holiday reminder from Starbucks of the spirit that has always bridged differences and that we all have the power to come together and make a difference during every season of the year.

I wish you the warmest holiday wishes and a very happy New Year.

Howard