ACTION ALERT!! Law of the Sea - Vote is Tomorrow!

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October 30, 2007 10:33 AM    View printable version     Link to this comment   
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May 24, 2007

Action Alert!
Action Alert!

American Policy Center website

URGENT!! Immediate Action Needed!!

SINK the Law of the Sea Treaty - Vote Expected Wednesday!

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 www.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




"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves." ~William Pitt, 1783
October 30, 2007 01:39 PM    View printable version     Link to this comment   
Member Since:
February 16, 2007

Please email  or fax these senators.  It doesn't take that much time to do them all, especially with the addresses and phone numbers provided.

This is a very important issues.  Don't let it pass you by. 

October 30, 2007 02:06 PM    View printable version     Link to this comment   
Member Since:
February 8, 2007
I called them all and Lott, Cornyn , Kyl, and Coburn say they are aposed to it and will vote no. While I was called I heard the senate say they will proceed to the childrens health insurance bill immediately after finishing this Amtrak. Then on to the Farm bill. Someone correct me if I heard wrong. I was multytasking, and Im not too good at that..lol


Deport congress and the president!!
November 2, 2007 10:38 AM    View printable version     Link to this comment   
Member Since:
May 22, 2007
You heard right, Bugsy, I found it this morning.


GET CONGRESS ATTENTION! CHANGE YOUR W-4 AT WORK AND CLAIM 10 DEPENDENTS SO NO TAXES WILL BE TAKEN FROM YOUR PAYCHECK. WHEN THE MONEY STOPS COMING IN MAYBE THEY WILL REMEMBER THEY ARE SERVANTS TO WE THE PEOPLE.
November 2, 2007 10:43 AM    View printable version     Link to this comment   
Member Since:
February 8, 2007
Are there any updates on that vote for LOST?


Deport congress and the president!!
November 2, 2007 12:00 PM    View printable version     Link to this comment   
Member Since:
May 24, 2007

LOST passed in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with a vote of 17-4. It's that pathetic. Now we must put extreme pressure on the Senate because it will come to the Senate for a full ratification vote. We need 34 NO's to kill it and I don't think there are 34 patriots in the entire Senate. The 6 Republican traitors are Lugar, Hagel, Sununu, Corker, Voinovich and Murkowski. Corker, the freshman Senator from Tennessee, was a shock. Murkowski represents the interests of big oil and totally supports LOST.

http://www.openmarket.org/2007/10/31/senate-foreign-relations-committee-sends-law-of-the-sea-treaty-to-the-senate-floor/

Yes votes
Joseph Biden (D-Del.)
Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.)
John Kerry (D-Mass.)
Russell Feingold (D-Wisc.)
Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)
Bill Nelson (D-Fla.)
Barack Obama (D-Ill.)
Robert Menendez (D-N.J.)
Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.)
Robert Casey (D-Pa.)
Jim Webb (D-Va.)
Richard Lugar (R-Ind.)
Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.)
Bob Corker (R-Tenn.)
John Sununu (R-N.H.)
George Voinovich (R-OH)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

No votes
Norm Coleman (R-Minn.)
Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.)
David Vitter (R-La.)
Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)




"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves." ~William Pitt, 1783
November 2, 2007 12:01 PM    View printable version     Link to this comment   
Member Since:
May 22, 2007
bugsygirl said: Are there any updates on that vote for LOST?

 

The Senate has adjourned for the week today.  This is all I can find on the calandar for next week:


 

Monday, Nov 5, 2007

2:00 p.m.: Convene and begin a period of morning business.


 

3:00 p.m.: Begin consideration of H.R. 2419, the Farm bill.




GET CONGRESS ATTENTION! CHANGE YOUR W-4 AT WORK AND CLAIM 10 DEPENDENTS SO NO TAXES WILL BE TAKEN FROM YOUR PAYCHECK. WHEN THE MONEY STOPS COMING IN MAYBE THEY WILL REMEMBER THEY ARE SERVANTS TO WE THE PEOPLE.
November 2, 2007 10:30 PM    View printable version     Link to this comment   
Member Since:
February 15, 2007
Everyone get busy on this.  This is vital to the U.S. sovereignty it must be voted down!   We need about 34 Senators to vote against it.  So start calling and let them know that you want them to vote no on The Law Of The Sea Treaty... Use the numbers posted by nwind above...
November 3, 2007 07:38 AM    View printable version     Link to this comment   
Member Since:
September 12, 2007

 Center for Individual Freedom

This week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to surrender United States Sovereignty to the third world and the corrupt United Nations!

Of course, we're talking about the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST)!

That means LOST will be on a fast track to the Senate floor where we will need 34 votes to TORPEDO the dangerous treaty!

In fact, Minority Leader Harry Reid and other supporters of LOST are so anxious to ram this treaty through the Senate that they are planning to force a vote any day now.

But there is hope.

A few weeks ago, when the news broke that Members of the Senate were trying to bring LOST to the floor and ratify it under the cover of darkness, patriotic Americans across the country began to protest the treaty.

And the politicians in Washington began to take notice!

Senators Jim DeMint, David Vitter, Mitch McConnell, Trent Lott, Jon Kyl and Daniel Inhofe started fighting LOST tooth and nail.

Even presidential candidates Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mike Huckabee have since spoken out against LOST!

Now that this movement to ratify LOST is out in the open, we can defeat it!

But the American people need to make one final push now because the Senate can vote on LOST at almost any time!

When the Senate tried to pass so-called "comprehensive immigration reform" to grant Amnesty to millions of illegal aliens, your efforts were instrumental in defeating it. 

You won that battle and you can STOP the Law of the Sea Treaty too!

Use the hyperlink below to send your urgent Blast Fax message to President George W. Bush and the Republican Leadership of the United States Senate.  We only need the support of 34 Senators to scuttle LOST and many of them are already starting to listen.

Tell them that, since Senate ratification of a treaty makes it U.S. law, passage of the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) will surrender our sovereignty to an organization controlled by third-world despots, dictators and international pirates at the United Nations.  Fight this treaty!  Scuttle LOST!

http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lostii... target="_blank">http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lostiinm.html

http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lostii... target="_blank">AOL Members Use This Hyperlink

If the above hyperlink does not function, you can copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.

Do You Know What's In The Law Of The Sea Treaty? 

In a nutshell, LOST is an agreement that hands over control of the high seas and the ocean floor to a newly-created International Seabed Authority, a wholly owned subsidiary of the United Nations and the third-world, and signals the end of our right to sail the world in freedom! 

According to the U.S. Constitution, if the Senate ratifies LOST, it becomes law.

That's why Ronald Reagan blocked it so many years ago.  He knew exactly what it contained and said, "Over my dead body!"   

According to Carrie E. Donovan of the Heritage Foundation, President Reagan had three major objections.

First , he objected to the International Seabed Authority (ISA), an organization designed to shake-down United States mining and maritime companies by requiring an application fee of $500,000, an annual fee of $1 million, and a percentage of profits -- up to 7 percent.  These companies will be required to share their mining and navigational technology.  In other words, the ISA would effectively have the power to tax American citizens and U.S. companies.

Second, Reagan understood the true purpose of restricting the world's supply of minerals by limiting access to the sea floor.  It was to force nations to buy from land-locked, third-world countries.       

And third, he objected to the establishment of a United Nations-style court to rule the waves and rule against the USA.

Reagan regarded himself as President of the United States rather than Savior of the Third World.  He wasn't willing to surrender an inch of American sovereignty and would never condone forcing American corporations to kneel and pay tribute to a bunch of third-world despots.

We know today what President Reagan knew then.  If this treaty is approved by the Senate, Americans will surrender freedoms they can never regain. 

Use the hyperlink below to send your urgent Blast Fax message to President George W. Bush and the Republican Leadership of the United States Senate.  We only need the support of 34 Senators to scuttle LOST and many of them are already starting to listen.

Tell them that, since Senate ratification of a treaty makes it U.S. law, passage of the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) will surrender our sovereignty to an organization controlled by third-world despots, dictators and international pirates at the United Nations.  Fight this treaty!  Scuttle LOST!

http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lostii... target="_blank">http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lostiinm.html

http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lostii... target="_blank">AOL Members Use This Hyperlink

If the above hyperlink does not function, you can copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.

 

What Will LOST Do?

In addition to the surrender of sovereignty mentioned above, here are some of the powers LOST would take away from Americans and give to a United Nations:

LOST would give a United Nations the sole power to issue permits for fishing, drilling and mining operations on the high seas.

Approval of LOST would mean Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Syria could gang up with nations the size of a postage stamp to prevent the US from ending its dependency on foreign oil.

That's not all.  It gets worse, much worse.

The Seabed Authority would be organized like the General Assembly: one nation, one vote.  That means that America's enemies would have as much power over the oceans and seas as the United States of America.

If LOST is ratified, the Seabed Authority would have the power TO IMPOSE TAXES ON THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES.

LOST would empower the agency to cripple the UNITED STATES NAVY -- one of the most powerful forces for good in the world today -- and leave us vulnerable to ship-based Cruise missiles.

Use the hyperlink below to send your urgent Blast Fax message to President George W. Bush and the Republican Leadership of the United States Senate.  We only need the support of 34 Senators to scuttle LOST and many of them are already starting to listen.

Tell them that, since Senate ratification of a treaty makes it U.S. law, passage of the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) will surrender our sovereignty to an organization controlled by third-world despots, dictators and international pirates at the United Nations.  Fight this treaty!  Scuttle LOST!

http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lostii... target="_blank">http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lostiinm.html

http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lostii... target="_blank">AOL Members Use This Hyperlink

If the above hyperlink does not function, you can copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.

 

They're Saying LOST Isn't All That Bad.  Don't Believe Them!

But wait a minute!  Advocates of LOST are saying that all the bad elements have been removed from the treaty, that it's America-friendly.  

Some are even saying that Ronald Reagan would not have a problem with LOST today.

That's a total fabrication! 

Here's what the Heritage Foundation recently wrote on the subject:

"For example, in recent Senate testimony, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte testified that Reagan declined to sign LOST solely '[d]ue to deep flaws in the deep seabed mining chapter--Part XI of the Convention' and that subsequent negotiations had resolved 'each of the objections that President Reagan had identified.'"

"In a subsequent hearing, Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) repeated that contention: 'It is telling that the President did not raise any objection to any provision of the Convention outside the deep seabed mining section. President Reagan made no demands for any other changes in the treaty.'

"Those characterizations of Reagan's objections are demonstrably false. In the recently published book The Reagan Diaries, Reagan delivered the coup de grâce to the argument that Reagan's objections to LOST were limited to the deep seabed provisions. A diary entry from June 29, 1982, reads, 'Decided in [National Security Council] meeting - will not sign 'Law of the Sea' treaty even without seabed mining provisions.'"

The truth of the matter is that this current version of LOST is little better than the one Reagan rejected years ago.

According to Columnist Doug Bandow:

"Unfortunately, the revised treaty retains many of its original flaws. There is still a complicated multinational bureaucracy that sounds like an excerpt from George Orwell's '1984': At its center is the International Seabed Authority. The Authority (as it calls itself) supervises a mining subsidiary called the Enterprise, ruled by an Assembly, Council, and various commissions and committees. Mining approval would be highly politicized and could discriminate against American operators. Companies that are allowed to mine would owe substantial fees to the Authority and be required to do surveys for the Enterprise, their government-subsidized competitor."

This is the same old scam.

And yes, if we give up our sovereignty, we give up our security.  Oliver North explains why LOST endangers the lives and freedom of Americans by tying the hands of the U.S. Navy.

"According to the U.N., the purpose of LOST is to preserve international waters for 'peaceful purposes.' But Articles 19 and 20 of the treaty would proscribe the U.S. Navy from training with weapons, collecting intelligence or interfering with enemy communications in the territorial waters of other states without their expressed permission. Military aircraft are specifically prohibited from taking off and landing in these waters, and severe limitations would be imposed on loading and unloading 'any commodity, currency or person' including military equipment. Submarines are required to travel on the surface and 'show their flag in territorial waters.' Article 30 states that warships not complying with the laws of a coastal nation can be forced to leave. Disputes over these issues would be adjudicated by international lawyers."

Why should we give up this advantage while nations like Iran and North Korea still rattle sabers, call us obscene names, and hate our guts?

Use the hyperlink below to send your urgent Blast Fax message to President George W. Bush and the Republican Leadership of the United States Senate.  We only need the support of 34 Senators to scuttle LOST and many of them are already starting to listen.

Tell them that, since Senate ratification of a treaty makes it U.S. law, passage of the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) will surrender our sovereignty to an organization controlled by third-world despots, dictators and international pirates at the United Nations.  Fight this treaty!  Scuttle LOST!

http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lostii... target="_blank">http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lostiinm.html

http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lostii... target="_blank">AOL Members Use This Hyperlink

If the above hyperlink does not function, you can copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.

 

The American People Have  Beat LOST Before.  We can Beat It Again!

The liberal media is keeping relatively quiet about this treaty, because they know it can be defeated if good Americans wake up.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed LOST -- with Hillary looking over his shoulder -- and sent it to the GOP Senate for ratification.

Heroic Jesse Helms -- long-time chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee -- managed to bottle up the bill UNTIL George W. Bush was elected. 

Then -- for reasons only RINOs could possibly understand -- Senator Richard Lugar, Helms's replacement, put LOST on the front burner in 2004.

He allowed only supporters of the treaty to testify in support of LOST.

Then he tried to ram this monstrous surrender of our sovereignty through the   Senate -- WITHOUT DEBATE AND WITHOUT A RECORDED VOTE.

Why?  So the American people would never know how their senators conspired to betray them!

And recently, they tried to do it again. 

But guess what?  Now that you are awake... they are listening! 

NOW IT'S TIME TO FINISH THE JOB!

Use the hyperlink below to send your urgent Blast Fax message to President George W. Bush and the Republican Leadership of the United States Senate.  We only need the support of 34 Senators to scuttle LOST and many of them are already starting to listen.

Tell them that, since Senate ratification of a treaty makes it U.S. law, passage of the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) will surrender our sovereignty to an organization controlled by third-world despots, dictators and international pirates at the United Nations.  Fight this treaty!  Scuttle LOST!

http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lostii... target="_blank">http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lostiinm.html

http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lostii... target="_blank">AOL Members Use This Hyperlink

If the above hyperlink does not function, you can copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.


 

 

Yours In Freedom,

Jeff Mazzella
President
http://www.cfif.org" target="_blank">www.cfif.org

 

P.S.  Please forward this e-mail to at least 10 of your friends.

 

The CFIF Action Alert is a service to the conservative community.  If you would like to subscribe please go to http://www.cfif.org/signup" target="_blank">www.cfif.org/signup.


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"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams
November 3, 2007 08:02 AM    View printable version     Link to this comment   
Member Since:
June 16, 2007
Thanks for the post SP.


CITIZEN OF TEXAS....."GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!"- Patrick Henry, March 23, 1775

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