[Peace] Fwd: FCNL: Legislative Action Message (10/07/02)

Tue Oct 8 14:38:44 CDT 2002

>Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2002 17:56:34 -0400 (EDT)
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>Subject: FCNL: Legislative Action Message (10/07/02)
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>FCNL LEGISLATIVE ACTION MESSAGE - October 7, 2002
>
>The following action items from the Friends Committee on National
>Legislation (FCNL) focus on federal policy issues currently before Congress
>or the Administration.
>
>TOPIC: URGENT: RESPOND TO THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH ON IRAQ:
>
>Tonight, Monday, October 7, President Bush will bring his case for war
>against Iraq to the U.S. public in a televised speech.  He will be lobbying
>the public to contact their members of Congress and support his war
>resolution.
>
>ACTION: Please take three actions immediately following President Bush's
>speech.
>
>1. Call the White House hotline after the President's speech.  Tell the
>operator that you OPPOSE a war against Iraq.
>
>2. Call your members of Congress.  Urge them to vote against a war
>resolution.  Too many troubling questions remain unanswered.  War is not the
>answer.
>
>3.  Write a letter to the editor of your local paper.  Point out that the
>Administration has still not answered critical questions about the short-
>and long-term consequences of a unilateral, preemptive war against Iraq.  In
>the letter, urge your senators and representative to vote no on any war
>resolution.
>
>MAKE LETTER-WRITING EASIER: Start with the sample letter posted in our
>Legislative Action Center.  Modify the language to include the names of your
>members of Congress.  Then,  email or fax your message directly from our
>site.  To view the sample letter to the editor, click on the link below,
>then enter your zip code and click <Go> in the <Take Action Now> box.  Here
>is the link: <http://capwiz.com/fconl/home/>.
>
>BACKGROUND: Many questions regarding consequences of a war against Iraq have
>not been adequately addressed by the Bush Administration.  For example:
>
>* Why are alternatives to war, including renewed UN weapons inspections and
>other diplomatic measures which might have a better chance of bringing
>long-term security, not being fully pursued with the same energy as
>preparations for war?
>
>* Would a unilateral, preemptive U.S. military action encourage other
>countries to follow suit against their perceived enemies?
>
>* How many U.S. troops and Iraqis (including children, elderly people, and
>other innocent civilians) will be killed or maimed by this war?
>
>* Is there any assurance that the next regime will be any better than the
>current one with respect to democracy, human rights, disarmament, or
>maintaining peaceful relations with its neighbors?  What are U.S. plans for
>so-called "nation-building" in a post-war Iraq?
>
>* Is the U.S. willing to pay the full cost of this war and the subsequent
>long-term occupation of Iraq?  Would not a multilateral approach to the
>problem, pursued through the legitimacy of the United Nations, better serve
>U.S. interests and be more effective?
>
>* How will such a war, which will be perceived by many throughout the Muslim
>and Arab world to be an act of aggression, advance U.S. or regional
>security?  What will be the regional impact in the Middle East of a U.S. war
>against Iraq and subsequent occupation of the country?  Will a U.S. war lead
>to increased risk of terrorist attacks in the U.S. and abroad?
>
>* What other pressing global and national issues are being sidelined and
>forgotten in the rush to war?
>
>Asking these questions illustrates clearly that the costs of a U.S. war
>against Iraq are too high.  War is not the answer.
>
>HELP PREVENT WAR WITH IRAQ.  PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO FIVE FRIENDS!
>
>**********
>
>NEW POLL SHOWS MAJORITY SUPPORT FOR MULTILATERAL ALTERNATIVES: A new poll by
>the Program on International Policy Attitudes and Knowledge Networks
>suggests that the U.S. public would support multilateral, nonmilitary
>alternatives for addressing threats posed by Iraq over a U.S. preemptive,
>unilateral war. According to the polling, a majority of the public thinks
>Congress should not grant the President authority to go to war now without a
>UN Security Council resolution, does not think the U.S. should go-it-alone
>against Iraq, would prefer to see UN weapons inspections or other
>disarmament initiatives succeed rather than going to war, and believes the
>U.S. should only go to war as a last resort.  For the full findings of the
>report, follow this link
><http://www.pipa.org/OnlineReports/ConflictIraq/ConflictIraq.pdf>.
>
>**********
>
>SUBSCRIBE TO FCNL-IRAQ-INFO EMAIL LIST: FCNL has set up a new email list to
>provide updates and action messages on U.S.-Iraq relations and closely
>related issues.  To subscribe to this list, please go to
><http://www.fcnl.org/newinfo/indx.htm> and scroll down to <FCNL's Email
>Lists>.  Click on <Subscribe to FCNL's email lists>.  On the new page, check
>the box next to <fcnl-iraq-info> and fill out the short form.  Please tell
>your friends about this new list.
>
>
>
>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?command=congdi
>r
>
>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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>
>Mail: 245 Second Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-5795
>Email: fcnl at fcnl.org
>Phone: (202) 547-6000
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>Web: http://www.fcnl.org
>
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>We seek an earth restored...