29 Oct SINK the Law of the Sea Treaty – Vote Expected Wednesday!

October 29, 2007

Action Alert! Action Alert!

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to vote on the Law of the Sea Treaty this Wednesday, October 31. The Committee’s meeting will start at 10:30 AM and the treaty is the first item on the agenda. PLEASE TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION!

The momentum is on our side, but we need to keep it going. In the past few weeks, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has announced his opposition to the treaty. However, the last word we received was that Sen. McConnell has yet to put this treaty language before all the Senate committees that would normally have oversight. He certainly has a moral obligation to do so, if not a legal one. Far too many Congressmen know nothing of the details of the the LOST Convention. They only are being told the President Bush and his administration wants it. They’re also being told that all the old problems with LOST have been fixed; NOT TRUE!

At least five GOP candidates for President have announced their opposition, too, as have Senators Vitter and DeMint. We expect all Senate Democrats to vote a straight party line, with the possible exception of Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia. Remember, Jim Webb was Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) under President Reagan, who was staunchly opposed to the Convention. As a former SECNAV, we could hope he’d be able to persuade some of his party colleagues to oppose LOST.

In 2004, the treaty was recommended for ratification unanimously by the Senate Foreign Relations. That will not happen on Wednesday, but we need as many members of the committee as possible to vote against it to slow down the process and give more Senators an opportunity to learn about the treaty’s problems. The more people know about the treaty, the less they support it.

The Law of the Sea Treaty is a terrible deal for the U.S. It would threaten our sovereignty, place a significant portion of the world’s resources under the control of a U.N.-style body, and complicate our efforts to apprehend terrorists on the high seas by subjecting our actions to review by an international court unlikely to render decisions favorable to the U.S.

It would also help radical environmentalists achieve what they haven’t been able to achieve through legislation. Notes Greenpeace: “The benefits of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea are substantial, including its basic duties for states to protect and preserve the marine environment and to conserve marine living species.” The Natural Resources Defense Council challenged the Navy’s use of “intense active sonar,” arguing that it violates the treaty by posing a danger to marine life. The Navy ultimately agreed to scale back use of this technology. The Law of the Sea Treaty has also been used by Australia and New Zealand in an attempt to shut down an experimental blue fin tuna fishing program and by Ireland in an attempt to shut down a plant on land in England.

Were our Senate to approve the LOST convention, the odds are roughly 155 to 1 that the LOST tribunal would vote to cede U.S. claims to the North Pole and its oil riches to the Russians. The best protection of U.S. interests in the world’s oceans is the U.S. Navy, which should not and must not be subject to orders or regulations made by any international tribunal.

ACTION TO TAKE

Contact your two Senators, but give particular attention to the Minority Leader McConnell, and these Foreign Relations Committee members listed below McConnell.

YOU MUST CALL, EMAIL or FAX – there is no time to mail a letter. Tell all the following Senators they MUST NOT APPROVE the Law of the Sea Treaty! If you do not know your Senator’s phone number, or even his/her name, call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. The switchboard operator will connect you directly with the Senate office you request.

Tell them the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) remains a seriously flawed document, designed to transfer wealth and technology from industrialized states to those of the Third World. It is anathema to our Founding Principles and will threaten our national sovereignty.

Tell them the best protection of U.S. interests in the world’s oceans is the U.S. Navy, which should not and must not be subject to orders or regulations made by any international tribunal.

Phone calls are the most effective way to contact your elected representatives. We may not have time to submit written letters. Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. The switchboard operator will connect you directly with the Senate office you request. To contact the White House, you have the choice of leaving comments at (202) 456-1111, or talk with a live switchboard operator at (202) 456-1414, or fax at (202) 456-2461.

E-mails and faxes are many times ignored. Members of Congress have been changing their e-mail addresses and fax numbers when we send out alerts. If you prefer, though, you can send an e-mail by going to each member’s website at http://thomas.gov.

**     Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell. PUSH HARD!

Tel: (202) 224-2541

Fax (202) 224-2499

**     Senator Corker
Tel: (202)224-3344
Fax (202)228-0566

**     Senator Sununu
Tel: (202)224-2841
Fax (202)228-4131

**     Senator Coleman
Tel: (202)224-5641
Fax (202)224-1152

**     Senator Isakson
Tel. (202)224-3643
Fax (202)228-0724

Additionally, according to a staffer, the following may be persuaded to oppose the Convention, IF they hear from enough of us.

**     Senator Lott

Tel: (202) 224-6253

Fax (202) 224-2262

**     Senator Ensign

Tel: (202) 224-6244

Fax (202) 228-2193

**     Senator Martinez

Tel: (202) 224-3041
Fax (202) 228-5171

**     Senator Roberts

Tel: (202) 224-4774

Fax (202) 224-3514

**     Senator Shelby

Tel: (202) 224-5744

Fax (202) 224-3416

**     Senator Thune

Tel: (202) 224-2321
Fax (202) 228-5429

**     Senator Cornyn

Tel: (202) 224-2934

Fax (202) 228-2856

**     Senator Voinovich

Tel: (202) 224-3353

Fax (202) 228-1382

**     Senator Kyl

Tel: (202) 224-4521

Fax (202) 224-2207

**     Senator Coburn

Tel: (202) 224-5754
Fax (202) 224-6008

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