Tell President Trump and Congress - We Need Talks, not War, with North Korea

The Marianist Social Justice Collaborative sent out the following action to support dialogue not war with North Korea.  Please follow the link to their website below to send a message to your representatives, senators, and the President. 

On August 9th, 72 years ago, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki - just three days after dropping one on the city of Hiroshima. It is estimated that over 150,000 people were killed over those three days.  

Now we have a U.S. president vowing to meet threats from North Korea "with fire and fury like the world has never seen."

On August 1st, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said during a briefing with the press, "We are trying to convey to the North Koreans: 'We are not your enemy, we are not your threat.'" Tillerson added that the United States hopes that "at some point," North Korea will understand and sit down for a dialogue.

The time for dialogue is now.

Join with our friends at the Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns by clicking here to let President Trump and Congress know that we need talks, not war, with North Korea.

You can read more about the situation in this excellent short background article, "Korea:Moving from Crisis to Peace" by Columban missionary priest Pat Cunningham, SSC, of Seoul, South Korea. 

Here is the text of the letter:

"As a person of faith, I am alarmed by the inflammatory rhetoric by the leaders of the United States and North Korea and the increasing threats of hostile acts and nuclear war. I urgently call upon President Trump to tone down his inflammatory rhetoric.

Furthermore, the movement of U.S. military assets to the Korean peninsula and region, including aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, bring the world closer to the possibility of hostile acts and violence. Steps must be taken immediately to avoid the possibility of a cataclysmic nuclear war and to promote peaceful coexistence.

There are 11 million people on the Korean peninsula who will immediately suffer injury or death if our leaders do not pursue dialogue and diplomacy instead of military strikes. Belligerent threats and hostile acts are not the answer to the political tensions between the U.S. and North Korea.

On August 1, Secretary Tillerson said, “We are trying to convey to the North Koreans: ‘We are not your enemy, we are not your threat.’” Tillerson added that the United States hopes that “at some point,” North Korea will understand and sit down for a dialogue. The time for such dialogue is now.

It is essential that bilateral dialogue take place, that aggressive language be discarded, and that paths to peace be pursued.

Thank you."

Sincerely,

(insert name here)