Dear Friends,

The perfume of the narcissus
Scents the dancing winds
The excited trills of exuberant swallows
The intimacy of love drunken turtle doves
Slowly, softly spring arrives
Oh I envy these days as
The earth and the universe revives.

--Moshiri

This week we celebrate the spring solstice and also Norouz, the Persian New Year. But instead of welcoming a season of joy and hope, once again Iranians are fearing and facing the threat of war.

We need your help in preventing Congress from passing a pretext for war with Iran. Please read on and take action in honor of Norouz!

Take action to stop war on Iran

"The danger to our country is grave. The danger to our country is growing. The regime is seeking a nuclear bomb, and with fissile material, could build one within a year."

These words could have easily been spoken last week, when members of the U.S. Senate proclaimed support for military action against Iran to combat a presumed nuclear weapons program. Instead, this is President Bush describing Iraq. This and many more false statements set the groundwork for the launch of the Iraq invasion, ten years ago today.

The same Senate that authorized that devastating war is now moving forward with a misguided resolution that boldly states the United States "strongly supports the close military, intelligence, and security cooperation with Israel."

Senate Resolution 65 also says the U.S. "should stand with Israel and provide diplomatic, military, and economic support to the Government of Israel" if that government decides to strike Iran. The resolution provides the means for the White House to move into a full-scale war based solely on a decision by Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu to launch military action against Iran.

Tell your senator to oppose this resolution

Sixty-five senators have cosponsored the resolution. We need your help in reducing that number significantly!

1. Sign this message to all senators, sponsored by RootsAction, calling on them to oppose Senate Resolution 65.
2. See if your senators have cosponsored Senate Resolution 65.
3. Call your senators. You can call toll-free at 1-855-68-NO WAR (1-855-686-6927), courtesy of FCNL. If one or both of your senators is a cosponsor, ask them to withdraw their names from the bill; if they have not cosponsored the bill, ask them to vote against Senate Resolution 65 when it comes up.
4. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspapers. We've put together some example letters you can write, but the more you can speak from the heart, the better! Letters to the editor are among the most-read sections of the newspaper, and can easily influence large numbers of people to then contact their senators.
5. Write your senators by mail. Because email petitions and phone calls are relatively easy, written letters now have a significantly greater impact on members of Congress.

Sample letter to your senator

Dear Senator,

I am writing to express my strong opposition to S.Res.65, which would call for the U.S. to support Israeli military strikes against Iran with the promise of U.S. troops, money, and political support should Israel take such action.

This resolution will make war with Iran more likely.

As The New York Times editorial board has written, this measure "could harm negotiations" and "make diplomatic efforts even harder."

I strongly urge you to withhold cosponsorship and instead stand up for a negotiated settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue and for serious diplomacy that includes critical issues like human rights.

Here is the full text of Senate Resolution 65 for reference.

Please stand with FOR and other national anti-war groups and say NO to war with Iran.

Praying for peace,

Leila Zand
Fellowship of Reconciliation

Fellowship of Reconciliation  |  P.O. Box 271, Nyack, NY 10960
for@forusa.org  |  www.forusa.org  |  (845) 358-4601