The following alert is circulated by our partners with the Justice and Peace office of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM).
This week (Tuesday or Wednesday) the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will have the chance to vote on war against the Islamic State. This is the first opportunity for the Senate to reject the president's plan that is perpetuating ongoing war.
Please call the Capitol switchboard at 877-429-0678. If your senator is on the committee (use link or see list below), ask to be connected to them. If not, ask to be connected to Chairman Sen. Robert Menendez (NJ). We encourage you to call for a "no" vote on a new "authorization of military force" against the Islamic State.
Here is a sample script to help you make your call:
Hi, my name is _______, and (if you're calling your senator say: "I'm from [city, state]"); (if you're calling Menendez say: "I'm a concerned Catholic U.S. citizen from "x" organization.") I strongly oppose the use of military force against the Islamic State, because there are other more effective and healthy options. Please vote "no" on authorizing the use of military force against the Islamic State when this proposal comes up in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Thank you.
Responding to violence with violence is not working -- to improve safety or to defeat violent extremism. No use of violent force, no matter how limited, will solve the problems that plague the region. Violent extremism cannot be bombed out of existence. Instead, the U.S. needs to take immediate and long-term steps to stop the violence perpetrated by the Islamic State and to help people in the region restore humane interactions.
See our religious coalition letter here, signed by 65 national religious organizations, including the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, academics, and ministers.
Please call today.
After you call, please share this message with three friends in your state. This vote could come as soon as Tuesday, so please call today.
Why should Congress vote against this new war? See this blog post, as well as frequently asked questions.
Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Menendez, Robert (NJ) , Chairman
Boxer, Barbara (CA)
Cardin, Benjamin L. (MD)
Shaheen, Jeanne (NH)
Coons, Christopher A. (DE)
Durbin, Richard J. (IL)
Udall, Tom (NM)
Murphy, Christopher (CT)
Kaine, Tim (VA)
Markey, Edward J. (MA)
Corker, Bob (TN), Ranking Member
Risch, James E. (ID)
Rubio, Marco (FL)
Johnson, Ron (WI)
Flake, Jeff (AZ)
McCain, John (AZ)
Barrasso, John (WY)
Paul, Rand (KY)