Monday the Friends Committee on National Legislation is organizing a national call-in day encouraging people to call their senators (1-800-590-6313) and asking them to co-sponsor S. 416, the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2009, a bill sponsored by Sen. Feinstein (CA) and already co-sponsored by 23 other senators.
Though it’s unfortunately still somewhat short of a total ban, S. 416 would seriously curb American use of cluster bombs, particularly where they would imperil civilians. The United States is one of only a handful of nations which didn’t sign the Oslo ban on cluster bombs late last year, and has heavily used them, quite infamously, in recent wars.
On Monday, Scott Horton will also be interviewing the national coordinator of the US Campaign to Ban Landmines & Cluster Bombs Lora Lumpe on Antiwar Radio.
FCNL has a list of which senators are already on board with the measure and which ones still need to be called. With the Obama Administration yet to take a public stance on cluster bombs, this bill may be a serious chance to alter America’s policy on the matter.