Urgent FCNL Action Alert
Below is some very important information. One is a big pat on the
back for all of us who work toward peace and also a special thank you
to Senator Merkley in Oregon for mentioning FCNL.
The second requires a call to the Capitol--the "877" number is
included. If we shut all diplomatic channels to Iran, we are coming
closer to war with that country. The original Iran Threat Reduction
Act , H.R. 1905, that was supported by 80% of the House did not
include the new anti-diplomacy provisions. Please Call your
congressman Monday. The Capitol operator will put you through to the
office.-There is a possible vote in the House as early as Tuesday.
Read below
"Good news! For the first time, the Senate has approved legislation
calling for an end to the U.S. war in Afghanistan and your support was
a big factor in this success. Last week, the Senate added the
amendment, offered by Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley (OR) and
Republican Senator Mike Lee (UT), to the military authorization bill.
The near-unanimous approval of this amendment shows the significant
and growing dissatisfaction with the war in Congress and the power of
your action. More than 1,000 of you called your senators, and, writing
after the amendment's passage, Sen. Merkley specifically credited FCNL
and several of our allies for leading a "smart, engaged, fierce
grassroots effort" to see this amendment passed. Find out more about
FCNL's work to end the war in Afghanistan and more of our recent
successes."
"The conflict between the U.S. and Iran is reaching a point where it
could spiral out of control. In the U.S., Congress and the
administration have become more confrontational toward Iran. Iran has
done the same and withdrawn further from the international community.
Now, Congress is preparing to add fuel to this fire. Your
representative is preparing to vote on legislation that could close
off prospects for diplomatic communication between the U.S. and Iran
at the very time that such channels are critical for preventing war.
This vote could come as soon as next Tuesday. Please call your
representative today at 877-429-0678 and ask her or him to vote "no"
on the Iran Threat Reduction Act, H.R. 1905. Enter your zip code to
get talking points that reflect whether your member has publicly
supported this bill.
Although more than 80 percent of the House has cosponsored this bill,
many agreed to support it before the anti-diplomacy provisions were
added. Section 601(c) of the bill states:
No person employed with the United States Government may contact in an
official or unofficial capacity any person that--(1) is an agent,
instrumentality, or official of, is affiliated with, or is serving as
a representative of the Government of Iran; and (2) presents a threat
to the United States or is affiliated with terrorist organizations.
The president can waive this restriction only with 15 days advance
notice to Congress. In a crisis, U.S. diplomats could find themselves
unable to talk to their Iranian counterparts to prevent war from
erupting.
The former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and several U.S.
ambassadors have warned that the lack of diplomatic contact between
the U.S. and Iran could lead to war. Former ambassadors Thomas
Pickering and William Luers have called the bill "preposterous,"
noting that it "raises serious constitutional issues over the
separation of powers." Former top Middle East intelligence analyst
Paul Pillar was highly critical of the bill, saying, "this legislation
is another illustration of the tendency to think of diplomacy as some
kind of reward for the other guy, rather than what it really is: a
tool for our side."
