On Sunday, November 29th, CBS' Face the Nation broadcast a program to their 3 million viewers focused on foreign policy. Host John Dickerson interviewed three Republican presidential candidates as well as Sen. John McCain about Middle East foreign policy and followed that with a debate of some of the issues with a panel of “experts”. Yet, the panel had hardly any diversity of opinion, only different shades of hawkish ideology. As Glenn Greenwald noted, “All of the panelists...were vocal, aggressive advocates of the invasion of Iraq”. [1] So it is unsurprising that no panelist challenged the claim that US military escalation is necessary to resolve the Syrian crisis; indeed, the “debate” partially focused on the obstacles in convincing the American people that intervention is the right path. [2] There are qualified war skeptic, pro-diplomacy experts that Face the Nation could invite to challenge interventionists and, thereby, give the American people both sides. For example, Rep. Jim Himes, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee and initiated a letter with 54 other members of Congress supporting the Obama administration's diplomatic efforts to end the Syrian war, would be a great choice. [3] Urge Face the Nation to invite war-skeptic, pro-diplomacy experts to discuss diplomatic solutions to the Syria crisis by signing our petition. References: 1. https://theintercept.com/2015/11/29/what-debate-means-on-face-the-nation/ 2. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/face-the-nation-transcripts-november-29-2015-carson-bush-mccain-and-graham/ 3. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/rep-jim-himes--54-house-d_b_8222622.html; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/to-help-syrians-back-real_b_8474446.html

Reporters Without Borders [RSF] is calling on Western governments to demand that the Turkish government release Cumhuriyet editor Can Dündar and Erdem Gül, his Ankara bureau chief, who are being prosecuted for reporting on alleged arms smuggling to Syria by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization. [1] The Guardian reports that the two face lengthy jail sentences. “If these two journalists are imprisoned, it will be additional evidence that the Turkish authorities are ready to use methods worthy of a bygone age in order to suppress independent journalism in Turkey,” said RSF secretary general Christophe Deloire. [2] Urge President Obama and Members of Congress to demand that the Turkish government free these two journalists by signing our petition. References: 1. http://en.rsf.org/turkey-eu-urged-to-press-erdogan-to-free-27-11-2015,48596.html 2. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/27/turkish-journalists-charged-over-claim-that-secret-services-armed-syrian-rebels

This is simply the politics of fear run rampant by Republican posturing: By encouraging the people to cringe before the threat theoretically posed by the possibility of a few terrorists being admitted, it threatens to reverse over two hundred years of both compassionate aid to afflicted people and loyalty to democratic values. Worse yet, it gives the terrorists exactly the fearful response they want, thus encouraging more and larger terrorism and other countries to follow our pathetic example. It diminishes America’s standing to lead in meaningful action against terrorism, while increasing the likelihood we will be driven into a violent alternative, already being pushed by leading Republicans, another useless and endless American war in the Middle East. If ISIS should kill tens, hundreds or even thousands in more of their fanatical attacks, we must remember that we have weathered such brutality before, and we don’t need to encourage it with this weakness, especially not in a bill that does nothing to prevent it. What we should be doing is helping the downtrodden and taking meaningful action against the terrorists by greatly increasing the speed and scope of admitting refugees, while working to create a worldwide alliance to remove the funding, communication and territory of terrorists. France, which was the victim of the act that is the excuse for this bill, responded with continued compassion for the refugees along with firm action to find the terrorists. Finland, Greece, Canada, and Germany, among many others, are working to take in more of these unfortunates, not fewer, and certainly not none, which is the real point of this selfish nationalism. They wisely see that helping refugees is not only a moral obligation but that courageous and intelligent people like these are an asset to a country, as refugees have always been to ours. Tragic as the consequences of this bill are to refugees, to Americans, and to people who look to the United States for principled leadership, perhaps more tragic is the corrosion of the American spirit, by this cynical stimulation of fear in crass political calculation. Unfortunately this is the same calculation that led the Republican party to oppose extension of health care insurance, protection of the environment, rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure, increasing employment, raising the minimum wage, controlling firearms, reforming taxes, protecting unions, guarding voter rights, and providing safe banks, food, and drugs—in fact just about every attempt to protect the American people since 1933. Whether the issue is immigrants, fair taxes, government regulations, unemployment, or voter fraud, the Republican party always tells us to be afraid of something, and the object is always political gain for them, more wealth for the one percent, or both. Senate Democrats, you have an extraordinary opportunity to give this bill a disciplined rejection, demanding answers to issues raised and throwing inevitable misleading counter-attacks. Let the debate begin!

It's bad enough that the Export-Import Bank is corporate welfare, crony capitalism supported by Members of Congress in exchange for campaign contributions from the corporations that benefit from this taxpayer-funded subsidy. But now some Members of Congress are trying to attach a provision to the re-authorization of the Export-Import Bank that would promote Israeli settlements in the West Bank [1], which former US peace envoy [2] Martin Indyk has acknowledged are the key obstacle to a diplomatic resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Obama Administration is opposed to Congress passing such pro-settlement provisions. Urge Members of Congress to oppose attaching pro-settlement provisions to re-authorization of the Ex-Im Bank, and to oppose re-authorization of the Ex-Im Bank if pro-settlement provisions are attached, by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/export-import-bank-israel-palestinians-216165 2. http://www.timesofisrael.com/indyk-settlement-freeze-would-make-abbas-a-peace-partner-tomorrow/

One of the absurdities of U.S. policy in the Middle East is that the U.S. government loudly complains about ISIS beheading people for their beliefs but turns a blind eye when the government of Saudi Arabia does the same thing. A Saudi court sentenced a Palestinian man to death for apostasy on November 17, 2015, for alleged blasphemous statements during a discussion group and in a book of his poetry, Human Rights Watch reports. [1] The accused, Ashraf Fayadh, 35, denies the charges and claims that another man made false accusations to the country’s religious police following a personal dispute. “Regardless of what Fayadh said or didn’t say, Saudi Arabia should stop arresting people for their personal beliefs,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director. “The fact that Ashraf Fayadh is facing the prospect of being beheaded only adds to the outrageousness of this court ruling.” Saudi authorities regularly pursue charges against individuals based solely on their peaceful exercise of freedom of expression, in violation of international human rights obligations, HRW says. The Arab Charter on Human Rights, which Saudi Arabia has ratified, guarantees the right to freedom of opinion and expression under article 32. “This death sentence against Fayadh is yet another indictment of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record,” Whitson said. “The Saudi authorities should immediately vacate this sentence and order Fayadh’s release.” Urge President Obama and Members of Congress to demand that Saudi Arabia cancel the death sentence against Ashraf Fayadh and release him immediately by signing our petition. References: 1. "Saudi Arabia: Poet Sentenced to Death for Apostasy; Reverses Earlier Ruling of 4 Years, 800 Lashes," Human Rights Watch, November 23, 2015, https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/11/23/saudi-arabia-poet-sentenced-death-apostasy

This petition is directed to all government and religious leaders world wide as well as to citizens of the world who live in relative safety and security. With all of the talk about Syrian refugees we are concerned about the oncoming winter months. The inhumane conditions in refugee camps often breed terrorists. If we could invest many more of our military dollars in camps with infrastructure: clean water source, electrical power, insulated homes, schools, houses of worship and sheltered work shops, we could influence the situation in war torn areas of the world to a much greater extent. A coalition of investors from the Pope, to the US and NATO allies, to Russia and China could make a huge difference. And with the help of the able-bodied refugee men and women this could get done as fast as many of the projects on HGTV! The time is NOW.

Donald Trump is promoting fascism by supporting special databases and registration for Muslims. He promotes hate against anyone who is not white. This goes against every principle America is supposed to stand for. Why are our leaders, on both the state and federal levels, silent? I want to see the people we elected, who are supposed to protect our country and Constitution, speak out against Donald Trump.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders may disagree on other things, but one thing they strongly agree on is that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and Kuwait must contribute much more to the struggle against ISIS. The Turkey-Syria border must be sealed against ISIS; Turkey must stop bombing anti-ISIS Kurdish fighters in Syria; terrorist financing from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait must be stopped. On November 19, Hillary Clinton said: [1] “The United States should also work with our Arab partners to get them more invested in the fight against ISIS...When it comes to terrorist financing, we have to go after the nodes that facilitate illicit trade and transactions...we have to place more obligations on countries to police their own banks...once and for all, the Saudis, the Qataris and others need to stop their citizens from directly funding extremist organizations as well as the schools and mosques around the world that have set too many young people on a path to radicalization...the Saudis have a multiple level of responsibilities, first and foremost, stopping their own citizens from continuing the financing for extremists...Saudi financing is still a major source of revenue for terrorist groups inside Syria, inside Iraq elsewhere...Turkey has been more focused on the Kurds than on countering ISIS...But the threat from ISIS cannot wait...we need to get Turkey to stop bombing Kurdish fighters in Syria who are battling ISIS, and become a full partner in our coalition efforts against ISIS.” On November 19 (the same day), Bernie Sanders said: [2] “A new and strong coalition of Western powers, Muslim nations, and countries like Russia must come together in a strongly coordinated way to combat ISIS, to seal the borders that fighters are currently flowing across, to share counter-terrorism intelligence, to turn off the spigot of terrorist financing, and to end support for exporting radical ideologies...countries in the region like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE...have contributed far too little in the fight against ISIS...Saudi Arabia has the 3rd largest defense budget in the world, yet instead of fighting ISIS they have focused more on a campaign to oust Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Kuwait, a country whose ruling family was restored to power by U.S. troops after the first Gulf War, has been a well-known source of financing for ISIS and other violent extremists...Qatar will spend $200 billion on the 2022 World Cup...$200 billion on hosting a soccer event, yet very little to fight against ISIS. Worse still, it has been widely reported that the government has not been vigilant in stemming the flow of terrorist financing, and that Qatari individuals and organizations funnel money to some of the most extreme terrorist groups, including al Nusra and ISIS.” Urge President Obama and Congress to publicly demand that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and Kuwait do much more to contribute to the struggle against ISIS by signing our petition. References: 1. http://time.com/4120295/hillary-clinton-foreign-policy-isis/ 2. https://berniesanders.com/democratic-socialism-in-the-united-states/

Syrian families have lost their homes, their relatives, and jobs. Half of the entire country is now displaced. A small fraction have waited up to 3 years to gain entry to the US as refugees. They have passed the most rigorous screening of any immigrants to the US, ever. Now our governor has effectively refused them entry into Indiana. This policy does NOT reflect our values!

Mr Trump has made many offensive remarks, but has crossed the line from sensational to outright unconstitutional. He is a candidate for the presidency and should not be supported by any party if he promotes religious registration and discrimination.

I can only imagine choosing to carry my precious 1-year-old daughter, Abigail, as we flee halfway across a continent, and placing her in a rickety boat or rubber dinghy that may not survive the dangerous trip across the Mediterranean Sea, because that ordeal is still safer than staying home. That is exactly the choice parents are making in Syria today. America must be resolute in the face of terror and never allow our enemies to scare us into retreating behind walls and abandoning our values. It is not difficult to imagine a child we reject today fighting alongside the Islamic State years from now. Abandoned in a dangerous and hopeless place, that child could turn into a fighter firing rocket-propelled grenades at American helicopters, just like the one who brought down my Black Hawk 11 years ago this month. We are not powerless in that child's fate. When I was a child, I witnessed the refugee crisis borne out of people fleeing the Khmer Rouge and Pathet Lao in Southeast Asia. I remember families loading all they had into boats and risking everything on the South China Sea. I am proud the U.S. took in refugees during those years, and ever motivated by the knowledge that we could have done more. This is a time for the United States to lead with strength, not fear.

Watching what happened in Paris was a heartbreaking reminder of how important it is that we stand together as a country united against terrorism, and remember what makes America great. But far too many Republicans like Senator Ted Cruz have rushed to use those attacks as an excuse to block Syrian refugees from entering our country. He just introduced a bill that would block refugees from any country "that contains territory substantially controlled by a foreign terrorist organization." These individuals are escaping the very same terrorism that the world witnessed this week in Paris and Beirut. Thousands of Syrians have been killed, millions have been displaced, and countless livelihoods have been destroyed by the likes of ISIS (or "Daesh") and the Assad regime. Simply turning our backs on refugees fleeing political and religious persecution is not the American way. Sign the petition if you agree, and tell Congress to oppose Senator Cruz's misguided, reckless plan.