On November 13, the lame duck Congress will convene. No one knows whether the session will be short, adjourning in a week or two, or long, continuing into December. Members of Congress need to hear your appeal for them to check the power of the executive branch. They need to know that you want them to pull the purse strings on the Iraq war and occupation, that you want them to intervene to stop corrupt contractors from hogging scarce taxpayer dollars, and that you want them to believe in liberty and freedom as the corner stones of our security, especially in these threatening times. Read a message from FCNL Executive Secretary Joe Volk about the "Lame Duck" session...
Report Back: No Easy Answers for Darfur
Escalating violence in the western part of Sudan has put the conflict in Darfur back in the headlines. As both the government of Sudan and rebel groups intensify their fighting, the historically marginalized civilian population of Darfur will suffer the consequences of this new violence. The ongoing bloodshed and destruction of lives in Sudan compels urgent action. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. Read more...
From the Hill: Health Care for Indians
The Justice Department is working behind closed doors to block Senate approval of legislation that would modernize health care services for Native Americans. By late September of this year, four Senate committees had already approved legislation to reauthorize the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (S. 1057). But just before the full Senate was scheduled to vote on the legislation, the Department of Justice sent an unsigned memo, not on department letterhead, asking senators to block the legislation. Urge your senators to call for a vote on the Indian Health Care Improvement Act when Congress reconvenes in November.
United Nations: U.S. Only Country to Oppose Arms Trade Treaty
Last week the United Nations initiated a process to pursue a global arms trade treaty that would curb the trade of weapons to human rights abusers and areas of conflict. The United States, the world’s largest arms exporter, was the only country in the world to vote against the proposal. Despite U.S. opposition, the process will go forward. This U.N. vote represents an important first step toward an arms treaty the could save hundreds of thousand of lives every year.
Read FCNL’s Press Release on the UN vote...
Read an article about the U.S. role in the global arms trade...
Report Back: Building Light Scoop Photo
Get a full, 360-degree view of FCNL’s “inner light." The light scoop is one of the green features of the FCNL’s office on Capitol Hill and casts the core of the building in the glow of natural light.
Read more about FCNL’s green building...
Quakers’ Colonel: Keeping the Republic
Dan Smith reported this week on his pre-election trip to Indiana. “There is a genuine concern for the need to radically reinvigorate the processes of constitutional governance as provided for in the U.S. Constitution. People from different work backgrounds, experiences, and ages seem to understand that until the public reasserts its role as the source of power in our representative (republic) form of governance, the country will remain fundamentally at risk – not from acts of terror – but from the usurpation of the rights and privileges of citizens . . .” Read more...
Quote of the Week: How to Cut and Run
"The United States upset the regional balance in the Middle East when it invaded Iraq. Restoring it requires bold initiatives, but 'cutting and running' must precede them all. Only a complete withdrawal of all U.S. troops — within six months and with no preconditions — can break the paralysis that now enfeebles our diplomacy. And the greatest obstacles to cutting and running are the psychological inhibitions of our leaders and the public."
- Lt. Gen. William E. Odom (Ret.) writing in the Los Angeles Times.
Photo of the Week
Former FCNL interns on Capitol Hill
Order your War is Not the Answer sign today!
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