– 2005-10-03 08:04:04

http://capwiz.com/fconl/issues/alert/?alertid=8070211&type=TA

Your Senator’s Vote Could Bust the Nuclear “Bunker Buster” Again!

This past week, thanks to all your letters, emails, and phone calls, the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee cut funding for the nuclear “bunker buster” weapon. However, our work is not done. The Senate Military Authorization Bill, which senators could vote on next week (by October 7), contains funding for the bunker buster.

Seven key members of Congress could provide a crucial vote to cut funding for the nuclear bunker buster weapon. When the military authorization legislation comes to the floor of the full Senate, Sen. Ted Kennedy (MA) will offer an amendment to delete funding for the bunker buster.

• Please contact your senator to tell him or her to support the Kennedy amendment to the defense authorization bill.

Take Action Today
Senators Bayh (IN), Domenici (NM), Ben Nelson (NE), Bill Nelson (FL), Smith (OR), Snowe (ME), and Specter (PA) could provide the critical votes that will determine the outcome of the Kennedy amendment. They especially need to hear messages from their constituents asking them to support the Kennedy amendment on bunker busters.
You can call Senator Feinstein or any other Senator at the Capitol Switchboard — (202) 224-3121.

Or, email your senator and tell him or her to support the Kennedy amendment to the defense authorization bill. You can write to your senator from FCNL’s web site. You will
need to enter your zip code to see the sample letter.

If you do engage your Senator’s office in conversation — please also mention that you support cutting the National Ignition Facility mega-laser, a nuclear weapon design tool, under construction at Livermore Lab.

Block Funds for the NIF
While not the specific target of this FCNL action alert, TriValley CARES is asking that you add “cut NIF” as a talking point to ALL of your conversations with your elected officials over the next month or so. The Senate voted to cut NIF by $147 million — and the House gave it full funding — so its 2006 funding fate could be decided by a “Conference Committee” later this year.

Thank you — and check out www.trivalleycares.org if you need more information on either NIF or the nuclear bunker-buster bomb, which is called the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator.

In summary — while this alert targets a particular committee vote that will come up soon — there will be a number of different committee votes coming up on the nuclear weapons budget and so the overall message to CUT these dangerous new nukes and NIF should be spread far and wide!!!

No phone call on this is a “wasted” phone call.

Marylia Kelley, Executive Director, Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment), 2582 Old First Street
Livermore, CA USA 94551
http://www.trivalleycares.org
(925) 443-7148 – phone
(925) 443-0177 – fax