The international community has produced a treaty to rid the world of indiscriminate "cluster" munitions -- dangerous weapons which pose an unacceptable threat to civilians in warzones.  The agreement requires all signatory nations to halt production of these devastating weapons, and destroy their stockpiles within eight years.

Unfortunately, the Bush-Cheney Administration refused to participate in these negotiations.  So Senator Dianne Feinstein and I have introduced a resolution in Congress, urging President Bush to sign on to this important treaty – and we need your help to get it passed.

Please forward an email to your Senators today -- urge them to join our call for President Bush to sign the cluster munitions treaty.

Thank you,

Patrick Leahy
U.S. Senator

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I urge you to support the Feinstein/Leahy resolution, S.J. Res. 37, urging the Bush Administration to sign on to the global treaty to ban cluster munitions -- and I hope you will encourage your colleagues to do the same.

On May 30, 2008, 111 countries joined together and agreed to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, requiring nations to stop producing and using cluster bombs and to eliminate their stockpiles within 8 years. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration refused to participate in these negotiations.

In an age of advanced precision-guided weapons and high-resolution satellite imagery, cluster bomb threats to innocent civilians outweigh their military value. They should not be in America's military arsenal -- or that of any nation. These weapons typically scatter hundreds of deadly "bomblets" over a large area, and due to their indiscriminate nature, frequently claim the lives of noncombatants caught in the cross-fire. Furthermore, all too often undetonated bomblets kill or maim unsuspecting civilians, often children, long after military operations have ended.

That's why it's time to ban cluster munitions, once and for all. It's time for the Bush Administration to join the rest of the world community and sign on to this critical treaty.

Please support the Feinstein/Leahy resolution to ban cluster munitions.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
June 04, 2008