On August 6: Take Action—You can make a difference!

 

(suggested by Sacramento Chapter, Physicians for Social Responsibility)

On August 6, the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima by the United States telephone your Congressperson, Senators Boxer and Feinstein, and President Obama. (Call between 9am-5pm EDT.) Tell them:

• Approve the nuclear agreement with Iran (thank President Obama for bringing it about)

• Oppose any more spending on US nuclear weapons,

• Comply with the Nonproliferation Treaty: work toward the abolition of all nuclear weapons.

Capitol switchboard phone number: (202) 224-3121. 
White house comment line: (202) 456-1111. 

Points to remember:

You don’t have to convince the staffer to whom you talk; you don’t need to be an expert. Just tell them what you want from your legislator.

Officials pay attention to phone calls, as few as 20 phone calls on a particular topic will bring it to their attention; less attention to paper petitions, and little or no attention to electronic petitions. Let’s all make those calls!

Background (from Sacramento Area Peace Action)

Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT): Requires that member states with nuclear weapons must work toward reduction and eventual elimination of nuclear weapons. Nine nations have nuclear weapons. All have plans to improve their arsenals. The U.S. is projected to spend approximately $1 trillion over the next 30 years to modernize and extend the useful life of its nuclear weapons arsenal, and to upgrade nuclear weapons-related infrastructure.

Iran: Neither extensive monitoring and inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), nor intense covert surveillance by many countries, has proven that Iran has or had a nuclear weapons program. The agreement imposes restrictions and inspections on Iran that are not in the NPT and are not demanded of any other nation and will assure that Iran will not start a nuclear weapons program. But the U.S. government has said “all options are on the table”; if the agreement is not approved by the U.S., the U.S. could attack Iran militarily, even with nuclear weapons. If approved by Congress, the pact will avert that possiblity. (For more information and sample letters: www.sacpsr.org)