30 Oct

Call-in to BAN CLUSTER BOMBS Nov. 5

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED NOW TO HELP BAN CLUSTER BOMBS!!!

Mark your calendars to make a phone call to the offices of Senators Collins and Snowe on November 5, the National Call in Day and the Global Day of Action to Ban Cluster Bombs. Let them know that Maine wants them to cosponsor S. 594. For more information on this national call in day:

http://www.fcnl.org/issues/issue.php?issue_id=138

Did you know that civilians not soldiers account for 98% of the casualties due to cluster bombs over the past 40 years?

Cluster bombs are weapons that work by dispersing smaller explosive bomblets that spray deadly shrapnel fragments over a wide area. They pose a grave danger to civilians in situations of conflict because of the indiscriminate way the weapons are designed to kill every living creature within a specific area. Depending on the type of munition and the delivery system, one cluster bomb can scatter dozens to hundreds of bomblets over an area as large as two to four football fields. They also endanger civilians long after a conflict is over because of the high numbers of bomblets that fail to detonate, often from 5 to 25 percent or more. These unexploded bomblets then become de facto landmines.

The U.S. currently produces, stockpiles, trades, and uses cluster bombs, and has remained outside of global negotiations aimed at banning these weapons. The U.S. should heed the call of the growing number of organizations calling for a ban on the use of these unreliable, inaccurate, and inhumane weapons.

Congress Can Stop the Killing:
The best way to build support for restrictions on the use and export of cluster bombs is to urge your senators to cosponsor the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act (S. 594). The support of Republican senators, in particular, is critical to show that this common-sense bill is a bi-partisan effort.

Take Action: A broad coalition of organizations in Maine are working with the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) to make sure that the Maine congressional delegation is firmly on board to ban cluster bombs. Here is what you can do to make sure this happens:

  • Be an arm chair activist! Contact Senators Collins and Snowe through FCNL’s website ask them to cosponsor S. 594. While you’re at it, contact your representative, Reps. Allen or Michaud, and ask him to cosponsor the companion bill H.R. 1755.
  • Get out about town! Bring a petition to your local gatherings, churches and polling places. Have your neighbors, friends and townspeople sign on to this letter to their senators to take action on S. 594. (Petition attached.)
  • Get published! Write a letter to the editor. Send a brief letter in to your local newspaper, community bulletin, church or meeting newsletter. Find addresses for your local papers at the media guide section of FCNL’s website.
  • Be a peace lobbyist! Make an appointment to meet with Senators Collins and Snowe during the Senateís Thanksgiving recess (Nov. 17-Dec. 2) when they are likely to be in Maine. Remember: YOU are what a lobbyist looks like! See the FCNL website for lobbying tips.
  • MOST IMPORTANT: Mark your calendars to make a phone call to the offices of Senators Collins and Snowe on November 5 National Call in Day and the Global Day of Action to Ban Cluster Bombs. Let them know that Maine wants them to cosponsor S. 594.

For more information on this national call in day:
http://www.fcnl.org/issues/issue.php?issue_id=138

Background
Read more about cluster bombs and the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act.
Look at FCNL’s interactive map of where the U.S. has exported cluster bombs
Read about cluster bombs in Iraq: Iraq: The Deadly Footprint (6/1/2007)

Resources

Posted on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 at 11:39 am under Actions .

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