We are asking your support for the  Emergency Resolution on Cuba which the NLG Convention in Oakland unanimously passed on October 24, 2015. It urges President Obama to use his expansive legal authority to substantially lift the continuing U.S. economic blockade of Cuba, instead of waiting and blaming Congress for not fully repealing the 55 year old blockade. The Resolution points out that the President has extensive executive authority which he can use, but has almost completely withheld, to allow Cuba to sell to the U.S. market, and to import most goods. It also decries: 1) the pending & imminent action by the IRS to revoke the tax exempt 501(3)c status of Pastors for Peace/IFCO for using civil disobedience over the last 25 years to bring humanitarian supplies to the Cuban people; 2) the recent resumption administrative prosecutions seeking harsh penalties for travel to Cuba based on trips some five years ago; and 3) the continuing pattern of unreasonably delaying or denying visas for mainstream Cubans to honor invitations from the NLG and other organizations to speak and meet with us.

An article based on the NLG Resolution and the nearly unanimous UN vote a few days later, was posted in the Huffington Post on Oct. 31 [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marjorie-cohn/obama-put-your-money-wher_b_8443074.html]. As a result, the Resolution and the NLG’s analysis has been shared or posted by numerous alternate news sources including: Counterpunch, Truth Out, Truth Dig, Common Dreams, Consortium News, Monthly Review, Global Research, End The Travel Ban, Znet, Portside, National Network on Cuba, Wisconsin Coalition to Normalize Relations With Cuba, and internationally as well.

The Convention also adopted an organizing strategy designed to provide badly needed education on this reality to the U.S. public and to increase the impact of this Resolution. We thus ask you and your chapter to take the steps on the following sheet, by December 15, 2015 if possible. Please also share and publicize this to your members, allies and the media.

TAKE ACTION To REALLY Normalize Relations with Cuba!

For individuals: Send a copy of the NLG or similar resolution to the U.S. Depts. of State and Treasury officials listed below, with a cover letter from you saying that you support what it says, and you would like to see a positive response or otherwise an explanation of the government’s position why not.

For Organizations (NLG Chapters/Committees & others): Discuss and adopt or endorse the Resolution, and feel free to change & insert your group’s name, and draft an appropriate cover message or letter.

Then please send that by FAX (email and/or call) to the Secretaries of the Treasury and the State Departments (or their representatives):

1. Secretary of Treasury Jacob J. Lew
Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20220
Phone: (202) 622-2000.
Fax: (202) 622-6415 [we do not have an email for him]
Send an online fax via http://www.gotfreefax.com

[To support IFCO, also please share with the following IRS official]:
IRS Commissioner John Koskinen
Large Business and International Division
Attn: SE:LB
1111 Constitution Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20224
Phone: (202) 515-4400
Email: irs.commissioner@irs.gov
Fax: (202) 622-5756
Send an online fax via http://www.gotfreefax.com

and

2. John Kerry, Secretary
Department of State
2201 C Street NW,
Washington D.C. 20520
Phone: 202 647 6575 (State Dept. main # is 202 647 4000)
Fax: 202 647 1579

with a copy to:

Alex Lee, Deputy Asst. Secretary for South America and Cuba
Street address: Same as for John Kerry at the Department of State, above.
Phone: 202 647 5402 (Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs), his Secretary Mariana Nolan, is at ext. 78563.
Fax: 202 647 0834
Email: leeea@state.gov

3. Your Senators, and Representatives; and

4. Please send a copy & tell us what happened, to:

NLG Cuba Subcommittee c/o Art Heitzer, aheitzer@igc.org
633 W. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 1410
Milwaukee, WI 53203 USA
414-273-1040, ex. 12; fax 414-273-4859