Legislative Action Message: February 21, 2008

Action: Does the U.S. Want to Bomb Civilians?

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See an Interactive Map and TELL YOUR FRIENDS

The Pentagon says no, but the administration's actions tell a different story. Administration officials are trying to undermine international negotiations to protect civilians from cluster bombs. And the Pentagon is lobbying to prevent passage of the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act (S.594/H.R. 1755), which states that, "Cluster munitions will not be used where civilians are known to be present or in areas normally inhabited by civilians."

Last year, many of you joined more than 50,000 people around the country in contacting Congress about this legislation. That campaign persuaded Congress to approve a one year moratorium on exports of most cluster bombs. But that export moratorium only lasts until September. Meanwhile, the Pentagon acknowledges that it plans to continue using the types of cluster munitions that cause death and destruction in civilian areas. It's time to ban these weapons once and for all.

Take Action: Spread the Word

In a country of more than 300 million people, there must be many more people who would take action if they knew what the U.S. government was doing in their name. Help FCNL reach out to 10,000 new people to educate them about the need to protect civilians from these weapons and to encourage them to contact their senators. Take a look at our new interactive map that demonstrates the devastating impact a cluster bomb attack would have on a community you know. Then send a link to this map to three friends.

Mark your calendars now - another chance to take action: This April marks the 33rd anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Saigon. U.S. dropped cluster bombs continue to kill in Southeast Asia.

FCNL is joining with the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines and other groups in planning a month of actions across the country to commemorate the anniversary, raise funds to clean up this mess, and galvanize opposition to further U.S. use of cluster bombs. Stay tuned for more information - and let us know now if you're interested in finding out what's happening in your part of the world.