| Congress Will Send Our Message to State |
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| Written by Lisa Haugaard and Vanessa Kritzer | |
| Tuesday, 10 November 2009 | |
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We're hitting the ground running with Human Rights NOW and we need you to join us in a taking an urgent action today. Our mission? Convince as many congressional representatives as possible before December 7th to sign on to a letter calling for real change in U.S. policy towards Colombia, so that it can be sent out ASAP to Secretary of State Clinton. As of November 6th, this letter, written by Representatives McGovern, Schakowsky, Payne, and Honda, is circulating throughout the halls of Congress with a clear message: let's spend our taxpayer dollars on supporting victims of violence, not funding military abuses. This is our chance to get Congress behind the changes that we want to see and have our government start standing by our brothers and sisters in Colombia. The letter makes a strong case for why there is no time to waste in changing our policies towards Colombia. It paints a vivid picture of the Colombian government's failure to protect human rights, raising issues like the killing of civilians by the army, the persecution of human rights defenders, and the humanitarian crisis of over four million people who have been forcibly displaced from their homes. Echoing what we have been saying for a long time, it demands a cut in military aid and an increase in support for victims and those who are working for peace and justice in Colombia. It also calls for an end to harmful and ineffective aerial fumigations, investing instead in drug treatment in the United States. To get all the details, click here to read the full letter. But, this letter needs the support of many members of Congress to be effective. So, that's why we need you make sure your congressional representative signs on now. Click here to contact your representative today. And don't stop there: Tell your friends. Tell your family. Or just go ahead and forward this on to your whole address book! We won't get another chance like this again for a long time, so let's pull out all the stops and make it happen together! |
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