[Peace] Fwd: FCNL INFOLINE (1/13/03)

[Jay Mittenthal]

>Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 16:16:05 -0500 (EST)
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>Subject: FCNL INFOLINE (1/13/03)
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>FCNL INFOLINE
>January 13, 2002
>
>(To learn more about the FCNL INFOLINE, please see the end of this message.)
>
>JANUARY 21: NATIONAL LOBBY DAY TO STOP THE WAR ON IRAQ: National
>organizations working in coalition to prevent a U.S. invasion of Iraq have
>designated January 21 as a National Lobby Day to Stop the War on Iraq. On
>Jan. 21, one week before President Bush is scheduled to give the State of
>the Union address, groups of concerned citizens will be meeting with members
>of Congress in their local offices across the country to ask them to help
>pull President Bush back from the brink of war.
>
>FCNL is joining with MoveOn, the Win Without War coalition, and other
>organizations to help make this lobby day a nationwide success. Although the
>Bush Administration appears set on war, opportunities for a peaceful
>resolution of the conflict with Iraq do still exist. Pres. Bush is expected
>to use the State of the Union speech, on January 28, to announce the next
>phase of U.S. policy toward Iraq. The weeks leading up to the speech are a
>critical time for raising visible U.S. public opposition to war and pressing
>our members of Congress to take leadership roles in moving the
>Administration away from war.
>
>ACTION: Please join with others in your community to meet with your members
>of Congress on Jan. 21. Congress will be in recess, and most members will be
>home in their districts. Face-to-face visits are most effective for
>communicating your concerns. Ask your legislators to urge Pres. Bush to use
>the upcoming State of the Union address as an opportunity to affirm U.S.
>support for a diplomatic resolution of the crisis with Iraq. The President
>should publicly commit to support fully continued UN weapons inspections to
>peacefully disarm Iraq and to work through the UN Security Council for a
>diplomatic solution to the conflict with Iraq.
>
>MoveOn, a national network organization, is working to connect people in
>local communities who want to make visits to their members and to coordinate
>meetings at district congressional offices. You can register to join in the
>MoveOn visits by going to http://www.moveon.org/inspectionsmeetings/. Demand
>may be high and groups are limited to 20 persons per meeting, so if you want
>to be part of one of these groups, be sure to sign up early. Don't worry if
>the MoveOn visit for your congressional district fills up, though. You can
>always organize your own visit, individually or in coalition with others in
>your community, by contacting your local congressional offices.
>
>To find the phone numbers of your district offices, click on the link below,
>then select your state and click <Go>. Select your member and click <Go>.
>Here is the link: http://capwiz.com/fconl/dbq/officials/.
>While Members of Congress are home in their districts, they also need to see
>a strong public presence for peace. Bumper stickers, yard signs, placards,
>and window signs are a great way to demonstrate every day against war on
>Iraq. FCNL has free "War is Not the Answer" bumper stickers available which
>can be placed on your car or bike. Order yours today at
>http://www.fcnl.org/iraq-war.htm
>
>BACKGROUND: Although the Bush Administration appears set on war, FCNL
>believes opportunities for a peaceful resolution of the conflict with Iraq
>do still exist. The Administration has shifted its policy on North Korea
>toward diplomacy. Why not make a similar shift with Iraq? The costs of
>continued weapons inspections and international diplomacy are much less than
>the costs of war, which include injuries and deaths among civilians and
>soldiers (from all countries involved), regional instability, economic
>impact, environmental damage, and political fall-out.
>
>On January 27, the UN Monitoring, Verification, and Inspections Commission
>(UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will make their
>first official report to the UN Security Council on the progress of
>inspections. Thus far, weapons inspections are proceeding in Iraq without
>serious obstruction. Inspectors have said there is "no smoking gun" and they
>have not yet found significant evidence pointing to a revitalized Iraqi
>threat. U.S. allies are also working diligently to open space for a peaceful
>settlement of the crisis. The European Union has announced it will send a
>diplomatic mission to Arab states in February in an attempt to avert war.
>Turkey's government, which is under heavy U.S. pressure to serve as a base
>for launching a U.S. invasion of Iraq, has been on a diplomatic tour to seek
>a peaceful resolution of the dispute, meeting with Syria, Egypt, Jordan,
>Iran, and Saudi Arabia.
>
>Congress has an important role to play in ensuring that the Administration
>works with the international community to pursue all peaceful alternatives
>to war on Iraq. Security Council Resolution 1441, passed unanimously on
>November 8, 2002, "requests all Member States to give full support to
>UNMOVIC and the IAEA in the discharge of their mandates," including
>providing information to the inspectors to help fulfill their mission of
>identifying and dismantling any remaining weapons of mass destruction in
>Iraq. The Bush Administration, however, refuses to share all the information
>it claims to have with the UN inspectors, is dramatically increasing U.S.
>military build-up in the region, and is openly planning for post-war
>occupation of Iraq. Saddam Hussein will have no reason to continue complying
>with weapons inspections if war seems inevitable. Pres. Bush should publicly
>commit to full support for UN weapons inspections to peacefully disarm Iraq
>and pull back from the brink of war.
>--------------------------------------------
>If you have comments or questions regarding this message or other issues,
>please contact FCNL.
>
>Mail: 245 Second St, NE, Washington, DC 20002-5795
>Email:   fcnl at fcnl.org
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>
>Congressional Information: <http://capwiz.com/fconl/dbq/officials/>
>
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>--------------------------------------------
>The FCNL INFOLINE provides announcements and information from the Friends
>Committee on National Legislation (FCNL).  These messages (1) focus on
>legislative work, but do not have a legislative action component, (2)
>provide updates on FCNL's work, and/or (3) inform you about resources
>available from FCNL.  These messages are intended as a supplement to the
>Legislative Action Message and other FCNL materials.
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>This message may also be found on PeaceNet in the fcnl.updates conference.
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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...
>--------------------------------------------