To: Middle East and Militarism Advocates
From: Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach, MCC Washington Office
Date: June 5, 2008

Issue:

On Tuesday, June 10, many organizations, including MCC, are sponsoring a National Call-In Day to Congress with the message: “It’s Time to Talk with Iran.”

Background:

The U.S. government has said that it will not talk to Iran until the Iranians stop enriching uranium. This essentially guarantees that talks will not happen, as it is unlikely that the Iranians will stop enriching uranium, which they claim is for a peaceful nuclear power program, before coming to the table. Rather, direct, unconditional and comprehensive talks should start immediately which can address this and other concerns.

  Ironically, the United States and Iran have many shared interests in the Middle East, including stability in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Until now, only limited talks on Iraq have taken place between the U.S. and Iran.

  In the absence of any meaningful diplomacy, the U.S. government has pursued other measures to pressure Iran, including tightening sanctions and threatening military action. These tactics have unfortunately created a tense environment in which small incidents can easily escalate out of proportion.

  For more information, visit the Campaign for a New American Policy on Iran’s website: http://newiranpolicy.org/.

Faith Reflection:

At a time when tensions between our two countries are high, it is critical that we as Christians help to build bridges of understanding. Through exchanges, delegations and learning tours, we can form people-to-people relationships, listening to the Iranians’ perspective and sharing our own.

  As Jesus modeled in his conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, we need to be willing to go beyond our comfort zone to engage with those who are different from us.

  We can also call on our government to take risks for peace, being willing to open up conversations with countries with whom we disagree, to hear each other’s concerns and to search for mutual areas of interest.

Action:

On Tuesday, June 10, call your senators and representative with the message “It’s Time to Talk with Iran.” In particular, ask them to support S. 2130 (in the Senate) or H.Con.Res 321 (in the House), bipartisan bills calling for stronger U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East.

  Call 1-800-788-9372 and ask to be transferred to your senators’ and representative’s offices. When your call is transferred, ask to speak with the foreign policy aide. If you are unable to talk with him/her directly, it is fine to leave a voice mail. It is a good idea to follow up later with an email reiterating the same message. Information on who your congressional representatives are, as well as how to contact them via email, is available at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov. If your representative/senator is already a co-sponsor of the legislation, be sure to thank him/her.

Sample Message:

“My name is __________, and I am a constituent from [hometown].

  “I am calling to support direct, unconditional and comprehensive talks between the U.S. and Iran. Specifically, I ask you to cosponsor [S. 2130 in the Senate or H. Con. Res. 321 in the House], which is a bipartisan bill that supports comprehensive diplomacy in the Middle East.

  “Please take a step to promote diplomacy with Iran and prevent a wider and even more tragic and costly war by cosponsoring [S. 2130 or H. Con. Res. 321]. Thank you very much for your consideration.”

  List of Co-Sponsors: Senate sponsors of S. 2130, as of June 4: Bingaman (D-N.Mex.), Casey (D-Pa.), Collins (R-Maine), Durbin (D-Ill.), Johnson (D-S.D.), Kerry (D-Mass.), Murkowski (R-Alaska), Webb (D-Va.) House sponsors of H.Con.Res. 321, as of June 4: Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Boucher (D-Va.), Carson (D-Ind.), Castle (R-Del.), Clarke (D-N.Y.), Cummings (D-Md.), English (R-Pa.), Frank (D-Mass.), Gilchrest (R-Md.), Gonzalez (D-Tex.), T. Johnson (R-Ill.), W. Jones (R-N.C.), Kaptur (D-Ohio), McCollum (D-Minn.), McDermott (D-Wash.), Meeks (D-N.Y.), Moran (D-Va.), Murtha (D-Pa.), Olver (D-Mass.), Reyes (D-Tex.), Shays (R-Conn.)

Go to www3.capwiz.com/c-span/dbq/officials for your member’s contact information.

Visits, e-mails, phone calls, faxes and letters are all good ways to contact your legislators. E-mails, phone calls and faxes are good for time-sensitive issues. Postal mail travels slowly in the Capitol, but letters have long-term impact. Be sure to include your mailing address in all correspondence to confirm your residency in a particular district and state.

We would be grateful for copies of your correspondence and any responses you receive! Please send them to