Friends Committee on National Legislation

A Quaker Lobby in the Public Interest

E-News: Impact on Main Street, Election 2008, and More

October 21, 2008

Financial Rescue and Economic Stimulus: What's in It for Main Street?
Fun Facts: What Do the United Nations and William Penn Have in Common?
Iraq: President Bush Asserts Right to Control Oil
Cluster Bomb Ban: Survivors Tour Wraps Up
Quote of the Week: Retired Diplomats Critique Militarization of U.S. Foreign Policy
FCNL in the News: The Eagle-Tribune (Lawrence, MA)
Election 2008: Be a Peace Voter
Charitable Giving: Tax-Free through IRA Distribution
War Is Not the Answer Photo of the Week: Hartsville, SC

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Financial Rescue and Economic Stimulus: What's in It for Main Street?

The $700 billion financial bailout is intended to help stabilize financial markets. But a recent budget update from FCNL asks what the new law does to help homeowners avoid foreclosure and suggests what should be in any additional economic legislation passed by Congress.

Fun Facts: What Do the United Nations and William Penn Have in Common?

The international organization and the 17th-century Quaker who helped found Pennsylvania both have a birthday on October 24.

Celebrate by seeing how much you know about Quakers and government and the United Nations.

Iraq: President Bush Asserts Right to Control Oil

Before signing a bill authorizing military funding last week, President George W. Bush issued a "signing statement" saying he would not be bound by certain provisions of the bill. One such provision would prohibit money to be spent “to exercise United States control of the oil resources of Iraq." This statement undercuts the will of Congress, which intended to bar the U.S. military from controlling Iraq's oil resources. Find out more.

Cluster Bomb Ban: Survivors Tour Wraps Up

The cluster bomb survivors tour through the Midwest generated endorsements of the global ban on cluster bombs from editorial writers, the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, public officials in Michigan, and thousands of others who heard the moving stories of people with firsthand experience of cluster bombs.

See some of the media coverage of the tour and read the tour's final blog entries.

Quote of the Week: Retired Diplomats Critique Militarization of U.S. Foreign Policy

''Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the diplomatic capacity of the United States has been hollowed out. . . . The work migrates by default to the military that does have the necessary people and funding but neither sufficient experience nor knowledge. The militarization of diplomacy exists and is accelerating."

~ Retired diplomats and military officials joined Sens. George Voinovich (OH), Richard Lugar (IN), and Patrick Leahy (VT), as well as Rep. Howard Berman (CA) in calling for a new direction in U.S. foreign policy. Their concerns echo some of the conclusions of a recent report from FCNL.

FCNL in the News: The Eagle-Tribune (Lawrence, MA)

FCNL constituent Michael Shirley writes in The Eagle-Tribune (Lawrence, MA), "I continue to be disturbed by a remark I heard recently, to the effect that we have more people in military bands today than in professional diplomatic service. As a former drummer in a military band, I appreciate the value of music to encourage action. But I much more appreciate the value of well dedicated and carefully placed personnel in embassies around the world representing our people to the peoples of the world." Use FCNL's website to get tips and write your own letter to the editor.

Election 2008: Be a Peace Voter

What does it mean to be a peace voter? Find out about the races, candidates, and registration deadlines in your area. Learn four steps you can take to make peace an issue in the 2008 election. Find out more.

Charitable Giving: Tax-Free through IRA Distribution

If you are 70.5 years of age or older and have an IRA, you can donate a portion of the IRA to your favorite charity (such as the FCNL Education Fund) and owe no tax on the withdrawal. Find out more.

War Is Not the Answer Photo of the Week: Hartsville, SC