Proposition One Campaign for Nuclear Abolition and Energy Conversion: Lobby Congress

EZ LOBBY
Call and Write Congress!

Call, Write, and E-Mail U.S. Representatives
asking they co-sponsor HR-1653!
Ask U.S. Senators to introduce similar legislation!
Write the President! And the U.N. Nuclear Powers!
Send Letters to Editors!
Sign Online Petition!

The Congressional Switchboard is 202-225-3121. Toll-free: 866-220-0044 or 800-833-6354

The postal address for any member of Congress:

Representative (Name)
U.S. House of Representatives, Washington DC 20515
or
Senator (Name)
U.S. Senate, Washington DC 20510

IMPORTANT CURRENT AND PAST LEGISLATION

* Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act by DC's Congresswoman, Eleanor Homes Norton

* Rep. Woolsey's Nuclear Disarmament Convention Resolution (H.Res. 82)

* Rep. Markey's Stockpile Stewardship Resolution - H.Res. 74

Representatives and Senators have been provided to help you put your thoughts together, below.

If you don't know who your Representative is, you can search by your zip code at the weblinks provided below. You should be able to find your Congressional leaders' D.C. office addresses and phone numbers, state addresses and phone numbers, and e-mail addresses. You can obtain fax numbers and (if missing) email addresses by calling the legislators' offices. If your Representative serves on the House Armed Services or Foreign Affairs Committees, you will get quickest results, we're told, by addressing him or her in care of those Committees.

House Armed Services Committee
2120 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-4151
Fax: (202) 225-9077 House Foreign Affairs Committee
2170 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515 USA
(202) 225-5021 | HIRC@mail.house.gov

House Telephone Numbers
Search Representatives by Name
Senators (search out fax numbers, email and websites)
Congressional E-Mail Directory (Webslingers)
Contacting Congress by Zip Code
House of Representatives "Write Your Representative"

E-Mail, phone, or fax the United Nations, and particularly the Nuclear Powers:
- China: E-mail: chnun@undp.org
- France: E-mail: fraun@undp.org, Phone:011-33-147-42-8100, Fax:011-33-147-42-2465
- India: E-mail: indun@undp.org, Phone:011-91-11-301-3040, Fax:011-91-11-301-6857
- Israel: E-mail: pm@pmo.gov.il, Phone:011-972-270-5555, Fax:011-972-266-4838
- Pakistan: E-mail: pakistan@undp.org, Telex:5742
- Russia:E-mail: webmaster@gov.ru, Phone:011-70-95-925-3581, Fax: 011-70-95-205-4219
- UK: E-mail:gbrun@undp.org, Phone:011-44-171-270-3000, Fax:Not Available
- USA: E-mail: president@whitehouse.gov | vice-president@whitehouse.gov, Hotline:202-456-1111 and 202-456-1414 (0 for live operator), 9-5 Monday-Friday; Fax:202-456-2461; Write: c/o White House, Washington D.C. 20500

SAMPLE LETTER TO REPRESENTATIVES
(Letter to Senators) (Add your own first and last paragraphs, please!)

The Hon. __________________________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington DC 20515

Dear Representative _________________

I ask you please to actively co-sponsor Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act" (HR-1653), which she has introduced nine times, most recently on March 19, 2009.

This legislation is a timely vehicle by which Congress can signal its intent to abide by Article 6 of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. With international revelations by retired generals and admirals that nuclear weapons are unsafe, unnecessary, and insane -- with the July 8, 1996 World Court decision that nuclear weapons could and should be illegal -- with India and Pakistan first testing, and then calling for a U.N. convention to ban nuclear weapons worldwide -- with the development, use, and growing rejection of deadly depleted uranium weapons -- with development of weapons in space -- with the growing global pressure for abolition of nuclear weapons -- with constituents everywhere still looking for the "Peace Dividend" -- this bill's time has come.

Since it goes into effect when ALL countries possessing nuclear weapons join the U.S. in nuclear disarmament and conversion of their war machines, it offers very little security risk and a great deal of good public relations. Domestically, it marks those funds formerly needed to produce and deploy nuclear weapons for conversion and cleanup .

How this might work. How this might work.

In June 1998, the Brookings Institute published a book, "Atomic Audit," also known as the "Nuclear Weapons Cost Project" (http://www.brookings.org/FP/PROJECTS/NUCWCOST/WEAPONS.HTM). According to the Washington Post, this book proves that the U.S. government spent over 5.8 trillion dollars on nuclear weapons up to that time. It would be interesting to know how much has been spent on maintenance of existing nuclear weapons, and research and development of new nuclear weapons, since 1998.

Why not spend the money instead on the future: the first few years to be spent paying workers to retrain while arms manufacturers (of all varieties) to retool their factories to MASS-PRODUCE clean energy systems such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydrogen, hydro, and other quite marvelous systems which have already been built and PROVEN?

The advantages to this are clear:

a. Nuclear power plants which can produce nuclear weapons grade materials for warheads, and DO produce hideously dangerous waste which lasts for thousands of years, and which scientists still don't know what to do about, can instead stop producing any more waste and contain the existing waste WHERE IT IS for the moment.

b. Fossil Fuels are not the answer; some scientists predict that the world will run out of fossil fuels by the year 2050. Also, fossil-fuel energy systems are said to be causing the greenhouse effect, the hole in the ozone layer, global warming.

c. Whoever gets into the clean / renewable / non-nuclear, non-fossil-fuel energy businesses will make LOTS of money, just as the automobile, aviation, computer, and weapons industries did. Government subsidies may be necessary for startup, but taxpayers won't have to subsidize these new energy industries for long. If Lockheed and GE, etc., were to convert from making missiles to hi-tech clean-energy non-nuclear systems, the problem would be nearly solved. Indeed, a number of major arms and energy providers are doing basic research in renewable energy. What's needed, though, is national legislation to lure those giants into mass-producing windmills, geothermal and solar systems, rather than missiles and guns, not just in the U.S. but across the world. Given the reluctance of U.S. politicians to do the intelligent thing, it may take the pressure of worldwide prosperity, based similar concepts, to convince the U.S. government that this idea makes absolute sense.

Please advise me that you have added your name to the list of active co-sponsors of Delegate Norton's "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act." This bill can launch a peace dividend that will be emulated around the world.

Sincerely,

Name:
Address:
email / website:
fax / phone:

Initial Draft by Proposition One Committee
PO Box 27217 Washington DC 20038 USA - et@prop1.org

_______________________________________________ LETTER TO U.S. SENATORS
Washington DC 20510

Dear Senator :

Please introduce into the Senate a mirror of the House Bill, "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act" (HR-1653), introduced by Washington DC's delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton nine times, most recently on March 19, 2009, in respect of successful DC voter Initiative 37, and co-sponsored by a number of Representatives in prior sessions.

I ask you please to actively co-sponsor Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's

This legislation is a timely vehicle by which Congress can signal its intent to abide by Article 6 of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. With international revelations by retired generals and admirals that nuclear weapons are unsafe, unnecessary, and insane -- with the July 8, 1996 World Court decision that nuclear weapons could and should be illegal -- with India and Pakistan first testing, and then calling for a U.N. convention to ban nuclear weapons worldwide -- with North Korea and Iran exercising their rights to emulate U.S. arsenals -- with thedevelopment, use, and growing rejection of deadly depleted uranium weapons -- with development of weapons in space -- with the growing global pressure for abolition of nuclear weapons -- with constituents everywhere still looking for the "Peace Dividend" -- this bill's time has come.

How this might work. How this might work.

In June 1998, the Brookings Institute published a book, "Atomic Audit," also known as the "Nuclear Weapons Cost Project" (http://www.brookings.org/FP/PROJECTS/NUCWCOST/WEAPONS.HTM). According to the Washington Post, this book proves that the U.S. government spent over 5.8 trillion dollars on nuclear weapons.

Why not spend the money instead on the future: the first few years to be spent paying workers to retrain while arms manufacturers (of all varieties) retool their factories to MASS-PRODUCE clean energy systems such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydrogen, hydro, and other quite marvelous devices which have already been built and PROVEN?

The advantages to this are clear:

a. Nuclear power plants can produce nuclear weapons grade materials for warheads, and DO produce hideously dangerous waste which lasts for thousands of years, and which scientists still don't know what to do about. Therefore, we must stop producing any more waste and contain the existing waste WHERE IT IS for the moment.

b. Fossil Fuels are not the answer; some scientists predict that the world will run out of fossil fuels by the year 2050. Also, fossil-fuel energy systems are said to be causing the greenhouse effect, and the hole in the ozone layer.

c. Whoever gets into the clean / renewable energy business(es) will make money, just as the computer industry has. Government subsidies may be necessary for startup, but taxpayers won't have to subsidize these new industries for long. If Lockheed and Marietta and GE, etc., were to convert from making missiles to hi-tech clean-energy devices, the problem would be nearly solved. Indeed, a number of major arms and energy providers are doing basic research in renewable energy. What's needed, though, is legislation to lure those giants into mass-producing windmills, geothermal and hydrogen fuel systems, rather than missiles and guns.

You can start in your own state. Please advise us that you will introduce into the Senate the "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act of 2009." This bill can launch a peace dividend that will be emulated around the world.

PLEASE INTRODUCE INTO THE SENATE A MIRROR BILL TO: U.S. House Bill HR-1653 (2009-2010),

SEC. 1. The `Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act'

SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT AND ECONOMIC CONVERSION.
The United States Government shall--
(1) disable and dismantle all its nuclear weapons and refrain from replacing them at any time with any weapons of mass destruction;
(2) redirect resources that are currently being used for nuclear weapons programs to use--
(A) in converting all nuclear weapons industry employees, processes, plants, and programs smoothly to constructive, ecologically beneficial peacetime activities during the 3 years following the effective date of this Act, and
(B) in addressing human and infrastructure needs such as housing, health care, education, agriculture, and environmental restoration,
***including alternative fuel sources***;
(3) undertake vigorous good faith efforts to eliminate war, armed conflict, and all military operations; and
(4) actively promote policies to induce all other countries to join in these commitments for world peace and security.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Act shall take effect when the President certifies to the Congress that all foreign countries possessing nuclear weapons have established legal requirements comparable to those set forth in section 2 and those requirements have taken effect.

Sincerely,

(Add your name here:)
_____________________________________________________________

Ellen Thomas, Proposition One Committee / The Conversion Project, http://prop1.org

Some other signatories:

Corbin Harney, Spiritual Leader, Western Shoshone Nation; Shundahai Network, http://www.shundahai.org

Mitzi and Peter Bowman, Coordinators - Don't Waste Connecticut,

Alice Slater, New York - GRACE Public Fund, http://www.gracelinks.org

B. J. Armstrong, Peace Action, http://www.peace-action.org/

Ms. B.J. Medley, ECO - Tulsa, Oklahoma

Bob Kinsey, Colorado Peace and Justice Task Force, Rocky Mountain Conference, United Church of Christ

George Crocker, Executive Director, North American Water Office, Lake Elmo MN

Bruce A Drew, Communications Director, Prairie Island Coalition, Minneapolis MN