[Peace-discuss] Fwd: FCNL: WAYS OUT OF U.S. POLICY QUAGMIRES: NORTH KOREA
12/11/03
Jay Mittenthal
mitten at life.uiuc.edu
Fri Dec 12 18:48:49 CST 2003
>Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2003 15:04:16 -0500 (EST)
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>Subject: FCNL: WAYS OUT OF U.S. POLICY QUAGMIRES: NORTH KOREA 12/11/03
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>FCNL LEGISLATIVE ACTION MESSAGE - 12/11/03
>
>The following action items from the Friends Committee on National
>Legislation (FCNL) focus on federal policy issues currently before
>Congress or the Administration.
>
>WAYS OUT OF U.S. POLICY QUAGMIRES: NORTH KOREA
>
>ACTION: Make History now by joining in FCNL's Call on Congress at Home:
>100 Meetings to Shine the Light to end Bush's war polices. Your
>persistence in calling, emailing, writing, and even visiting members of
>Congress has been essential in a number of legislative victories this
>year. You have diminished the impact of destructive legislation. You
>have created fault lines in congressional support for militaristic and
>otherwise dangerous policy directions, including the occupation in Iraq,
>assaults on civil liberties, and regressive energy policy. And now FCNL
>is asking you to take it one step further.
>
>Congress is home for the holiday! As the new year begins, enjoy the
>impact of a face-to-face meeting with your senator or
>representative. Together we will generate 100 congressional meetings by
>constituents in home offices by January 20 (the end of the congressional
>recess). Your meetings will help convince members to move the U.S.
>towards lasting and peaceful resolutions of U.S. policy quagmires. If
>this will be your first lobby visit, do not worry--all the tools for
>making a successful and satisfying visit can be found at the FCNL web
>site. Here is the link for steps on your January visit, or see below:
>http://www.fcnl.org/getin/steps.htm.
>
>WAYS OUT OF U.S. POLICY QUAGMIRES
>
>NORTH KOREA. Please visit your member of Congress to offer these peaceful
>solutions to the ongoing policy quagmire concerning North Korea.
>
>The Bush Administration is rightly concerned about North Korea's nuclear
>weapons aspirations, but they are making the problem worse. Although the
>Administration has publicly committed to a negotiated end to North Korea's
>nuclear weapons program, the U.S. remains deadlocked in a dangerous
>undiplomatic tug-of-war with the North. North Korea has said that it is
>willing to freeze its nuclear weapons program (the extent of which is
>unknown) in exchange for a U.S. promise not to attack, economic
>assistance, and removal from the U.S. terrorism list. President Bush says
>that a freeze is not sufficient; North Korea must first verifiably and
>irreversibly give up its nuclear weapons program. Only then will the
>U.S., along with other nations in the region, provide some sort of
>security guarantee.
>
>Meanwhile, in addition to the nuclear weapons crisis, violations of human
>rights, food shortages, hunger, and refugee concerns demonstrate the depth
>and severity of problems in North Korea. The North Korea Freedom Act, S
>1903 and HR 3573, introduced by Sen. Brownback (KS) but not yet
>considered, attempts to address these issues, but it makes the problems
>worse. It has the added purpose of declaring that U.S. policy is "to
>assist in the reunification of the Korean Peninsula under a democratic
>system of government," an indirect call for "regime change" that threatens
>North Korea. Although North Korean human rights and the needs of North
>Korean refugees are an urgent concern, there is a better, non-threatening
>way to address all of these concerns: genuine engagement with North Korea
>in a "more for more" approach.
>
>Who blinks first? To break the diplomatic deadlock, the U.S. must
>demonstrate - not just talk about - its commitment to a diplomatic
>solution. This means abandoning ultimatums, and developing a step-by step
>process in which each party to the conflict makes a concession in return
>for an equal concession. The actual details are less important than the
>procedure, and many proposals have been made. In one suggestion, the
>first U.S. offers an agreement not to attack in exchange for North Korea's
>promise to freeze its plutonium reprocessing and allow the return of
>inspectors to the known plutonium reprocessing plant in Yongbyon. Once
>the program had been refrozen, the U.S. would immediately resume fuel oil
>shipments promised under the 1994 Agreed Framework. Further positive steps
>would follow. Most importantly, the U.S. should indicate that it is ready
>to negotiate with North Korea over the long term, in a process that will
>ultimately result in the establishment of diplomatic!
> relations and U.S. support for North Korean economic changes. In order
> to support this, Congress must also abandon "regime change" tactics such
> as the North Korea Freedom Act.
>
>For information on why regime change won't work, see
>http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=630&issue_id=34, "Why Regime
>Change is Not the Answer."
>
>For information on uncertainties regarding North Korea's Nuclear Weapons,
>see http://www.fcnl.org/issues/item.php?item_id=620&issue_id=34, "The
>Uncertainties Surrounding North Korea's Nuclear Weapon's Program."
>
>REMINDER OF FCNL'S REQUEST FOR HELP FROM YOU: Let's generate 100
>congressional meetings by constituents in their home offices over the
>winter recess. Congress has adjourned, and will not return to Washington
>until January 20. As the halls of Congress empty, policymakers leave
>behind a quagmire of unresolved international and domestic problems:
>terror attacks in Istanbul; rising U.S. casualties in Iraq; increasing
>Israeli-Palestinian violence; threatening war on North Korea; questionable
>human rights conduct by the U.S. in Guantanamo; and challenges to civil
>liberties at home.
>
>You can help by organizing one of those meetings with your representative
>or one of your senators to discuss constructive ways out of U.S. policy
>quagmires. Put together a delegation of four to six persons. Write or call
>the scheduler in the local office of one of the three members
>(representative and two senators) with the specific topic and proposed
>dates. Call, email, or fax your district office today with your January
>meeting request. Remember, your district office contact information can
>be found at the FCNL Legislative Action Center.
>
>Let Valerie Fox at FCNL (valerie at fcnl.org) know about your congressional
>meetings.
>* Let Valerie know if you are willing to help.
>* Let her know if you have an appointment.
>* Let her know the results of your meeting.
>
>In turn, we will let you know which districts and states met with their
>members of Congress.
>******************
>SPECIAL NOTE FOR PEOPLE JOINING "CALL ON CONGRESS AT HOME: 100 MEETINGS TO
>SHINE THE LIGHT": The sooner you can make the appointment for your January
>meeting, the better. Call, email, or fax your district office today with
>your January meeting request. Remember, your district office contact
>information can be found at the FCNL Legislative Action Center.
>
>Together, we will generate 100 congressional meetings by constituents in
>home offices by January 20. As the halls of Congress empty, policymakers
>leave behind a quagmire of unresolved international and domestic problems:
>terror attacks in Istanbul; rising U.S. casualties in Iraq; increasing
>Israeli-Palestinian violence; threatening war on North Korea; questionable
>human rights conduct by the U.S. in Guantanamo; and challenges to civil
>liberties at home.
>
>STEPS FOR LOBBY VISITS WITH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
>
>1. Choose the legislative concern that is most important to you. Make
>sure you feel comfortable speaking about the issue.
>
>2. Assemble a small group that represents the diversity of your community
>and is interested and knowledgeable about your issue. Make sure that your
>delegation is comprised of your member's constituency. (They live in the
>congressional district of that congressperson or state of the senator.)
>
>3. Schedule an appointment. Your members' local office numbers are in the
>government pages of your phone book. If you are lobbying in Washington,
>DC, you can reach any congressional office using the Capitol switchboard,
>202-224-3121. You can also find their contact information on FCNL's web
>site. Go to www.fcnl.org. Click on "Legislative Action Center," then
>click on the "elected offices" tab.
>
>4. Do your research. Review the legislator's voting record, committee
>assignments, and any views that have been publicly stated. A good place
>to start is on the legislator's web site: for your representative's web
>site go to www.house.gov; for your Senators' web sites go to
>www.senate.gov. You can also view your legislator's voting record in
>FCNL's Special Supplemental: Winter edition of the Washington
>Newsletter. To view it online, go to
>http://www.fcnl.org/now/sectionindex.phtm. Click on "Winter (Special)."
>in the appropriate year.
>
>5. Establish a message and goal of the meeting with your delegation. Be
>specific about the desired action: vote for or against a pending bill or
>amendment; sponsor a bill; or insert an article into the "Congressional
>Record," or raise a specific concern. It may be helpful to designate
>someone to lead the discussion with the meeting with your legislator.
>
>6. Be on time to the meeting. Be positive, constructive, friendly, and
>brief. Each person should introduce themselves; they should include where
>they live and a brief reason for their involvement in the issue. It is a
>good idea to start by expressing appreciation for anything (big or small)
>you can find in their public record. Then go on to clearly articulate the
>purpose of your visit. Be concise when you present your position. Ask
>questions about it. Allow plenty of opportunity for listening to your
>legislator's views and concerns. It is a good idea to leave printed
>material that summarizes the points you made or provides additional
>background information on your concern.
>
>7. Follow-up with a thank you letter and any appropriate additional
>information.
>
>8. Let Valerie Fox at FCNL (valerie at fcnl.org) know about your
>congressional meetings.
>
>CONTACTING LEGISLATORS
>
>Capitol Switchboard: 202?224?3121
>
>Sen. ________
>U.S. Senate
>Washington, DC 20510
>
>Rep. ________
>U.S. House of Representatives
>Washington, DC 20515
>
>Information on your members is available on FCNL's web site:
>http://capwiz.com/fconl/dbq/officials/directory/directory.dbq
>
>CONTACTING THE ADMINISTRATION
>
>White House Comment Desk: 202-456-1111
>FAX: 202-456-2461
>E-MAIL: president at whitehouse.gov
>WEB PAGE: http://www.whitehouse.gov
>
>President George W. Bush
>The White House
>Washington, DC 20500
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>contact FCNL.
>
>Mail: 245 Second Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-5795
>Email: fcnl at fcnl.org
>Phone: (202) 547-6000
>Toll Free: (800) 630-1330
>Fax: (202) 547-6019
>Web: http://www.fcnl.org
>
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>
>Bumper stickers: FCNL's "WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER" bumper sticker is
>available free of charge. A great-looking, blue and white addition to your
>car or bike! Help spread a message of peace every day.
>* Click here to order: <http://www.fcnl.org/iraq_bumstker_info.php>
>* Email: Send a message to <field at fcnl.org>; include your name, complete
>mailing address, and the number of bumper stickers.
>* Phone: Call Valerie Fox at 800-630-1330, ext. 142 or leave a message
>with mailing information and number of stickers requested.
>
>"War Is Not the Answer" yard signs: Join with thousands who are making
>statements of peace right in their own neighborhoods. FCNL has locations
>all over the country from which to get yard signs. For more information
>or to inquire about yard signs use this
>link: <http://www.fcnl.org/iraq_yardsign_info.php>
>* Email: Send a message to <field at fcnl.org>; include the city or area
>where you live.
>* Phone: Call Valerie Fox at 800-630-1330, ext. 142 or leave a message
>with contact information.
>
>FCNL will not rent, sell, or trade your name to any other
>organization. We appreciate contributions for bulk orders of bumper
>stickers. The suggested donation for peace signs is $5 each.
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>We seek a world free of war and the threat of war
>We seek a society with equity and justice for all
>We seek a community where every person's potential may be fulfilled
>We seek an earth restored...
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