[Peace] Fwd: Update on Iraq from AFSC

[Jay Mittenthal]

>Following is a letter sent by Mary Ellen McNish (Generals Secretary of AFSC)
>to the Board with a request to share it widely. The Paul referred to is Paul
>Lacey (of Earlham) who is clerk of the Board of Directors. Other persons
>mentioned are AFSC staff.
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 6:22 PM
>Subject: Update on Iraq
>
>Dear Friends,
>
>We have news today that Congress has scheduled a vote on authorizing
>military action against Iraq for next Friday, September 27, 2002.  We are
>concentrating action on the Senate since the House of Representatives will
>be harder to effect results.  We need to be prepared for a possibility
>that the vote in the Senate will be 100 for and 0 against.
>
>This letter will give you short term activities, medium term activities
>and long term activates that have emerged over the past 3 days.  We ask that
>you  spread as widely as possible the action steps we are recommending.
>
>Short Term---This is what we are asking you to do.
>
>Over the next week
>
>* Organize a personal visit to the district office of your state's two
>senators.  Try to bring along other people like religious leaders or
>business leaders or just neighbors and friends.  If you can't get a
>meeting at least call their office to register your position.  You can get
>their
>district address and phone number from the fcnl.org website.
>* Call Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle's office in Washington D. C.
>to register your position as well.  His Washington Office number is
>  202-224-2321.  Your message should be:
>
>You oppose the use of military force against Iraq.  You support the
>diplomatic work in the United Nations to resolve the crisis and congress
>should too.  You think weapons inspectors should be given a fair chance.
>Military force is not the solution---it will only make things worse in the
>United States, Iraq and the whole region that encompasses the Middle East.
>
>Other things happening next week.
>
>* Paul's letter to President Bush is written and will be sent
>tomorrow.  I had a glitch in my computer so I can't seem to attach it.  I
>will ask Francine Cheeks to send it to you tomorrow.
>* Paul's letters to Saddam Hussein, Kofi Annan and Tony Blair are in
>draft form and are being worked on.
>* We will have an AFSC Statement, talking points and sample letters
>completed by Monday...Tuesday at the very latest.  You can access them on
>the afsc.org website.  We will send the statement to the English language
>press in the Middle East and Europe.
>* I am meeting at 4 P. M. Monday with some of the heads of Quaker
>organizations to try to draft a joint statement.  FWCC will only sign on
>if FUM does.  We are working on it.
>* Jim Matlack is trying to get a place for me to testify at the
>hearings next week.  Even if we can't get on the docket, I will go and try
>to meet with Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum, PA's two senators.
>* US Regional Directors have committed to getting personal visits to
>Senators in their district offices in at least 27 states. They have also
>committed to trying to place over 50 op-ed's based on the talking points
>and statements that will be available Monday. Commitments for more are still
>coming in.
>* This is an organizational mobilization so International Directors
>and other Department Directors are also trying to mobilize their
>constituencies as well as friends and family.
>* We will be dropping an emergency appeal on Tuesday to 77,000 donors,
>segmented by Senate District, asking each person to call their Senator
>with a similar message to the one above.  The correct Washington phone
>number
>for their senator will be in the letter.  Of course, we will also be asking
>them to give generously to this emergency appeal.
>
>Medium Term
>
>* Meetings are being held tomorrow to finalize the college newspaper
>ads.  They will be place in three college newspapers in 5 regions.
>Regional Directors have committed to having staff/volunteers in place to
>host
>tables at these colleges to capture the students interested in getting
>involved.
>* We now have 15,000 signers of the peace pledge.  The signers seem to
>be doubling each week.  We have made an organizational commitment to get
>100,000 signers by year end.
>
>Long Term
>
>* We had the first meeting of the Emergency Response Team planning the
>logistics for humanitarian assistance should we need to gear up quickly.
>The focus will be on providing hygiene kits which will be able to engage
>schools easily and can be used in other parts of the world if need be.
>This will possibly be in cooperation with Mennonite Central Committee.
>* We are preparing grant proposals for some foundations and possibly
>for Board funds as the specifics of these activities roll out over the
>next several months.
>
>Finally, over the next 10 days we will do everything we can.  We have to
>be ready to face the fact that we will probably lose.  We know this is only
>the first stage.  Then we have to be prepared to move into the next
>stage---mobilization to oppose the war and preparation to bring
>humanitarian assistance to Iraq.  Thank you for the wisdom and support you
>offered at the Board Meeting this [past] week-end.  It is knowing that we
>reach into the spritual depths of the Quaker values of peace and justice
>that gives us the courage to do this work yet again.
>
>Sincerely,     Mary Ellen