What you can do to help end the bloodshed in Libya

It’s time for bolder international action.

Military jets, helicopter gunships, and mercenaries with machine guns are indiscriminately attacking unarmed demonstrators while heads of state just make statements.

Only a vigorous global response can help prevent the situation from spiraling into greater violence. Please ask the US to play a leadership role in forcing the UN Security Council to act.

There are peaceful and effective international actions that could save lives in Libya. For instance, the members of the UN Security Council control a large part of the international financial system – where Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his henchmen keep their money. That means we could in short order freeze most of the regime’s assets – hitting it where it hurts most.

Add to that an embargo on military aid and supplies (including funding for mercenaries), humanitarian assistance for refugees and victims of violence, human rights investigations into officials leading the crackdown, and economic sanctions targeted at the top levels of the Libyan regime, and we’ve got a good chance of making a difference. But we have to act fast.

There have been some recent dramatic developments in Libya that international action could support, if we act quickly. Factions in the Libyan regime are refusing to follow Gaddafi’s orders. International pressure can further isolate Gaddafi. The worst violence could end if everyone in the Libyan military understands they need to choose sides.

Today there are credible reports that the death toll is rising with estimates that over 2,000 people have already lost their lives. Can you take action today?

While we press for international action, we can also call for a US ban on arms sales to countries like Libya. Countries like Bahrain and Yemen are using military force against protesters, and they are still receiving US military aid.

Thanks to peace activism, the administration announced today that it is reviewing arms sales to countries caught up in Middle East turmoil. The administration should end US military aid and arms sales to countries that use violence against people expressing their civil democratic rights.

If the US acts quickly to push for a coordinated, peaceful and global response to the bloodshed in Libya, we’ve got a shot at stopping the violence and preventing a lot of suffering. We have the means and the responsibility to make a difference.

Please write President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton and ask them to support international action that could stop the violence and prevent human suffering, while freezing military aid to dictators that are killing their own citizens.

Thank you for action when it counts the most.