From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Russians letter to Editor Date: 01 Jun 1999 14:58:34 -0700 ) ; mruppert@copvcia.com The following Letter to the Editor from Viktor Chernomyrdin, Russian envo= y and mediator between Belgrade and NATO, ran in the Washington Post May 27. The wording was so strong, the Post didn't believe it was authentic. They checked; it was. When are U.S./NATO going to get it? What does it take to wake up our government? Threat of nuclear war? Well, now we've got that ............. 'Impossible to Talk Peace With Bombs Falling' By Viktor Chernomyrdin Thursday, May 27, 1999; Page A39 I deem it necessary to express my opinion on the Kosovo situation as the warfare escalates and the danger grows of a shift to ground operations, which would be even bloodier and more destructive. I also want to comment= on certain ideas put forward by President Clinton in his contribution of May= 16 to the New York Times. In particular, I am anxious to express my opinion of his premise that "Russia is now helping to work out a way for Belgrade to meet our conditions," and that NATO's strategy can "strengthen, not weaken, our fundamental interest in a long-term, positive relationship with Russia." In fact, Russia has taken upon itself to mediate between Belgrade and NAT= O not because it is eager to help NATO implement its strategies, which aim = at Slobodan Milosevic's capitulation and the de facto establishment of a NAT= O protectorate over Kosovo. These NATO goals run counter to Russia's stance= , which calls for the introduction of U.N. forces into Kosovo with Yugoslavia's sovereignty and territorial integrity intact. Moreover, the new NATO strategy, the first practical instance of which we are witnessing in Yugoslavia, has led to a serious deterioration in Russia-U.S. contacts. I will be so bold as to say it has set them back by several decades. Recent opinion polls back this up. Before the air raids,= 57 percent of Russians were positively disposed toward the United States, wi= th 28 percent hostile. The raids reversed those numbers to 14 percent positi= ve and 72 percent negative. Sixty-three percent of Russians blame NATO for unleashing the conflict, while only 6 percent blame Yugoslavia. These attitudes result not so much from so-called Slavic fraternity as because a sovereign country is being bombed -- with bombing seen as a way= to resolve a domestic conflict. This approach clashes with international law= , the Helsinki agreements and the entire world order that took shape after World War II. The damage done by the Yugoslavia war to Russian-U.S. relations is nowher= e greater than on the moral plane. During the years of reform, a majority o= f Russians formed a view of the United States as a genuine democracy, truly concerned about human rights, offering a universal standard worthy of emulation. But just as Soviet tanks trampling on the Prague Spring of 1968 finally shattered the myth of the socialist regime's merits, so the United States lost its moral right to be regarded as a leader of the free democratic wo= rld when its bombs shattered the ideals of liberty and democracy in Yugoslavi= a. We can only regret that it is feeding the arguments of Communists and radical nationalists, who have always viewed NATO as aggressive, have demanded skyrocketing defense expenditures and have backed isolationist policies for Russia. Now that raids against military targets have evidently proven pointless, NATO's armed force has moved to massive destruction of civilian infrastructure -- in particular, electric transmission lines, water pipes and factories. Are thousands of innocent people to be killed because of o= ne man's blunders? Is an entire country to be razed? Is one to assume that a= ir raids can win a war? I should like here to turn to the lessons of recent history. The U.S. Air Force and the RAF dropped several hundred thousand bombs on Berlin, yet i= t took a Soviet Army offensive, with its toll of several hundred thousand lives, to seize the city. American air raids in Vietnam proved pointless, and the Russian Army suffered setbacks in Chechnya. Serbs see NATO and th= e Americans as aggressors against whom they are defending their native land= . I do not think a ground war will be a success, and I am sure it will bring tremendous bloodshed. Further, it will no longer be possible to thwart the proliferation of missiles and nuclear arms -- another negative consequence of NATO's polic= y. Even the smallest of independent states will seek nuclear weapons and delivery vehicles to defend themselves after they see NATO's military machine in action. The danger of global instability looms, with more new wars and more victims. More bombing makes it pointless to plan a return of refugees. What will t= hey come back to -- homes in debris, without electricity or water? Where will they find jobs, with half of all factories in ruins and the other half doomed to be bombed in due course? It is time for NATO countries to reali= ze that more air raids will lead to a dead end. No fewer than half of the refugees are not eager to leave a prosperous Europe to return to a devastated Kosovo to live side by side with war-embittered Serbs. Of this= , I am sure. Clearly, every hundred Kosovars will have to be indefinitely protected by one or two soldiers; that is how NATO's presence in Yugoslav= ia will become permanent. Also, sooner or later NATO will be expected by the world community to pay Yugoslavia for damages, to compensate the bereaved families of innocent victims and to punish pilots who bombed civilians and their commanders wh= o issued criminal orders. Thus, the bloc is headed for a Pyrrhic victory, whether the conflict ends with the Serbs capitulating or in an invasion of Yugoslavia. The campaign will not achieve its main oals. Not all refugees will come back to Kosovo= , which will remain in some form under Yugoslav jurisdiction, and many billions of dollars will be spent rebuilding the country from the ruins. Now, a few words about the ethnic Albanian paramilitaries. They are essentially terrorist organizations. Of this, Russia is sure. They are making money chiefly from drug trafficking, with an annual turnover of $3 billion. As it maintains close contact with these paramilitaries and modernizes their weaponry, the West -- directly or indirectly -- encourag= es the emergence of a major new drug trafficking center in that part of the world. It also encourages the paramilitaries to extend their influence to neighboring countries. The Greater Albania motto may soon start to take hold. This will mean more bloodshed, more wars and more redrawings of borders. The world has never in this decade been so close as now to the brink of nuclear war. I appeal to NATO leaders to show the courage to suspend the air raids, wh= ich would be the only correct move. It is impossible to talk peace with bombs falling. This is clear now. So = I deem it necessary to say that, unless the raids stop soon, I shall advise Russia's president to suspend Russian participation in the negotiating process, put an end to all military-technological cooperation with the United States and Western Europe, put off the ratification of START II an= d use Russia's veto as the United Nations debates a resolution on Yugoslavi= a. On this, we shall find understanding from great powers such as China and India. Of this, I am sure. The writer, a former prime minister of Russia, is President Boris Yeltsin= 's special envoy for Kosovo. =A9 Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company Ginny /\ /\ /\ / \/\/ \ \/\ mtnwoman@thegrid.net 805.541.2325 San Luis Obispo, CA, USA "Imagine all the people living life in peace..." - John Lennon - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Peter Weiss Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) McReynolds: Reflections on the Indictment of Milosevic Date: 01 Jun 1999 19:46:57 -0400 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------92DA98A7569CC7EB24CC279C Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit David: I agree, of course, that justice should be "evenhanded" (although it rarely is). Nevertheless, here are a couple of quick legal points: 1. Milosevic did not get indicted for genocide. He was indicted for crimes against humanity, namel muder, deportation and persecutions. 2. On the other hand, genocide is not confined to mass killing. The second definition of genocide is "causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group" - not too far removed from what's happening in Kosovo. 3. The jurisdiction of the ICTY is limited to violations of humanitarian law. That would include the "collateral damage" bombing of civilians by NATO and the use of cluster bombs and DU, but probably not the basic illegality of "Allied Force". And I'm not sure you could say that the "collateral damage", horrible and illegal though it is, is a greater crime than the throat cutting and million-strong expulsion carried on by Milosevic in Kosovo. My own view, for what it's worth, is that everything that is going on there is grossly and shockingly immoral and illegal, so much so that there is little point in assessing greater or lesser blame. I tried to convey that feeling in the attached resolution, which IALANA adopted in the course of the Hague meeting. Regards, Peter DavidMcR@aol.com wrote: > > > The decision by the International Tribunal in The Hague to indict Slobodan > Milsoevic will probably complicate negotiations to end the war. On the one > hand it looks bad for NATO to negotiate with a man indicted of crimes, and on > the other hand Milosevic now has little incentive to settle without some > guarantee of immunity. It was always more urgent to get a peace settlement > that to indict someone. But now that an indictment has been issued there are > questions for the American and European peace, religious, and left movements. > > One question is whether the indictment is valid. I'm not a lawyer. I think, > however, that there are serious problems with the indictment. For law to be > seen as legitimate it must be seen as relatively impartial. There is no > question in my own mind that the mass expulsions from Kosov@ occured at the > orders of Milosevic, that the flight of hundreds of thousands of civilians > from Kosov@ was not, in the beginning, a response to the bombing but a result > of intimidation and violence by the Serb paramilitaries, Serb troops, etc. > And that these expulsions, without any basis in law, and without any process > of law, are, on the face of it, a crime. > > They do not in my view constitute genocide - a term I urgently wish we used > with more restraint. (If Hitler had driven six million Jews out of the Third > Reich it would have been a terrible thing - but infinitely to be preferred to > their actual fate). I am aware that at the time the bombing began, and even > before it began, the KLA had been involved in major armed conflict with the > Serb forces and that in such situations it is impossible to be sure without > careful investigation which killings were "military" (ie., between armed > forces of the KLA and the Serb military) and which were atrocities committed > against unarmed and non-resisting civilians. > > (There are various reports out of Kosov@ of some areas where Albanians seem > to be living peacefully and other reports, largely based on the refugees, of > killing. Given the past record of exaggeration on both sides during a war, > the only fact of which we can be certain is that a vast number of Albanians > have been driven out of Kosov@, and that action in itself would, I believe, > be criminal). > > However there is also the NATO attack on Yugoslavia which violated NATO's > own charter, the assurances given to the OSCE, and the Charter of the United > Nations. Walter Rockler, a Washington lawyer and a former prosecutor at the > Nuremberg War Crimes Trials is reported to have said "The Nuremberg Court > found that to initiate a war of aggression, as the U.S. has done against > Yugoslavia, is not only an international crime, it is the supreme > international crime". > > These "reflections" don't seek to excuse Milosevic on the grounds that for > justice to be done we must apply it equally to events that may now be decades > or more in the past (such as slavery, the ethnic cleansing of the Native > Americans, or even more recent events such as direct US involvement in > torture, rape, assassination, and mass murder in Central America, or the > horrors of Indochina). Rather, taking the immediate events of this time > period, and the actors involved, it is impossible to single out Milosevic and > not also indict the Muslim leader in Bosnia, or the leader in Croatia - there > is, I believe, substanial evidence that both men were involved in war crimes > and, in the case of Croatia, disturbing evidence that the US was directly > involved in the final "ethnic cleansing" of the Kraina region in Croatia, > resulting in the mass "purge" of over 200,000 Serbs, and the murder of a > number of them at the hands of the Croatian forces. > > Nor is it possible even in this very most immediate "time frame" to indict > Milosevic for one crime - ethnic cleansing - and not also indict all member > states of NATO for the more serious crime of a war of aggression. Since the > NATO bombing began, NATO has used weapons (cluster bombs) which many consider > to be criminal, it has targeted with deliberation and by its own admission > such objectives as factories, power plants and communications centers which > were primarily civilian and not military. (I leave aside the many "accidents" > including the deadly attack on the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade). > > I think all of us are disturbed by the light use of the term "war > criminal". As with the term "genocide", it should be used carefully and with > precision. Most of us have a very hard time finding "two parties both guilty > of a crime". That is, we are really happy if we can say that World War II was > a "good war" because Japan attacked us. We are very uneasy when we attack > someone else - as in Indochina. It was hard for us to confront that fact - a > certain bias toward our own nation, a certain trust of our leaders, a certain > respect for authority, all require long discussion of facts before, > gradually, over time, a new consensus is reached, as it was during the > Indochina War, that the United States was the aggressor. > > In the present war, both sides have committed genuine crimes. There is no > "good guy". Yet thus far only one side has been indicted. Unless the Hague > Tribunal follows on with indictments of Clinton, Blair, etc. etc., then the > indictments are entirely political and the Hague Tribunal is discredited. > (Which I fear is what will happen). It won't mean that Milosevic didn't > commit crimes - it will mean that the failure to indict others guilty of > crimes in this same situation means the indictment is tainted, politically > motivated, and the court itself part of a corrupt process. > > I know that some who get this - and I'll post it fairly widely - will > continue to insist that NATO had the right and even the moral duty to violate > the UN Charter. Legally, and morally, that excuse can't hold water. It was > what Hitler said when he invaded the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia in 1938, > on the grounds that the German population there was being abused by the > government. No nation, and no group of nations, can set themselves above a > clear international law. If there is confusion about this in the United > States and Great Britain it is because at the moment there is a good deal of > guilt, and a great deal of dodging the reality of how much of the rest of the > world see the present horror. And because, at the moment, the one - and the > only - reason for continuing the war is a desperate effort to save NATO's > face. The fate of the Albanians has long ceased to be of serious interest to > any of the policy makers. The Kosovars are pawns to be manipulated, not human > beings to be rescued. > > Few - outside of a handful of left sects - defend Belgrade's purge of the > Albanian popuation. Posts that one receives daily from inside Yugoslavia make > it clear there is a healthy opposition there to Milosevic, men and women who > speak out at great risk. Milosevic is guilty of indefensible conduct. But > the world has also seen the full fury of NATO's air force unleashed in what > is essentially a cowardly attack on Kosov@ and Serbia - attacks that would > rather see civilian casualties than risk the lives of US and British pilots. > The world has watched as refugee convoys, hospitals, bridges, homes, > factories, etc., etc., etc. are destroyed by massive air attack. There > cannot, really, after more than two months of such attack, be many "military" > targets left - what we have now in an effort to break the will of a whole > people. > > These attacks do not "justify" anything which Milosevic has done. Rather, > like the ethnic cleansing, these attacks are profoundly criminal in and of > themselves. We must, as individuals and organizations, be clear that what is > involved is not some "error", not some "accident", but a rogue state at > loose. the United States is that state. We have seen Clinton brutalize Sudan > and Afghanistan with air strikes to divert attention from the impeachment > hearings. Now we see the vastly more arrogant unleashing of power against a > population which fought bravely on the side of the Allies during World War > two. > > Former President Jimmy Carter, in his Op Ed piece in the Thursday edition of > the NY Times came as close to saying this as a former President can. Our > work remains complex - we do not support Milosevic. But we are dealing in a > situation where the conscience of the West is not represented at the Hague, > or #10 Downing St., or the White House. We - along with our coworkers under > air attack in Serbia - must condemn crimes and criminals, not only in distant > countries, but in our own. It is a lonely time for many of us who had looked > to European social democracy as a kind of force for civilization and have > seen it coopted by the military power of NATO. We have long known that > Clinton was a liar. Now, along with Milosevic, he is a war criminal - though > not yet indicted. > > David McReynolds > > - > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. > For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send > "help" to the same address. 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For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: AFSC Yugoslavia War Action June 3rd Support Needed Date: 02 Jun 1999 00:36:40 EDT In a message dated 6/1/99 8:45:27 PM Eastern Daylight Time, sschwartz@afsc.org writes: << Subj: AFSC Yugoslavia War Action June 3rd Support Needed Date: 6/1/99 8:45:27 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: sschwartz@afsc.org (Sandra Schwartz) DEar Friends: I thought you might be interested in this upcoming action. Sandra >Dear AFSC Executive Committee and staff members: > > Late Friday we received word that the Board Executive Committee has >decided to bring our concern about the war in the Balkans to the White >House and to the Yugoslavia Mission in Washington, D.C. Ann Scott, of >Redwood Forest Meeting in Santa Rosa, along with many others, brought this >concern to bear upon AFSC, to the extent that many from the National >Coalition for Peace in Yugoslavia (listing at end of email) at the DC >witness will risk arrest and suffer penalty to bring the message to stop >the violence to the powers that be. > > On June 3rd those who have undergone nonviolence training in Washington, >DC (contact either Jim Matlack at Davis House- 202-483-3341 or Mike Yarrow >at Philadelphia 215 523-5693 to let them know if you are intending to >participate)will worship in Lafayette Park and in front of the Yugoslavian >Mission and then try to present our concerns about the escalating violence >directly. > > Please consider joining in the weekly vigil in San Francisco at noon on >June 3rd to pray and witness in solidarity with these folk and Friends. >Their press release will have been delivered to local media and our local >comments might be welcomed. The vigil usually lasts for one hour and is at >450 Golden Gate Avenue. We wear black in solidarity with the >Belgrade-based anti-war activists, Women in Black. > > For more information, please call Sandra at (415) 565-0201 x 24. > >In the Spirit, > >Stephen McNeil >Associate Regional Director > >May 28, 1999 Email from Mike Yarrow, special AFSC Staff Person in Peace Ed >Division (formerly on Board): > >Dear Staff Sisters and Brothers, > > At a teleconference of the Board Executive Committee this morning, May 28, >1999, it was decided that the AFSC will participate as an organization in >an interfaith rally at the White House on Thursday, June 3,1999. Jim >Matlack of our DC office will also organize a demonstration at the Yugoslav >mission which may be joined by other members of the National Coalition for >Peace in Yugoslavia in order to visibly demonstrate our concern for the >ethnic violence perpetrated by the Yugoslavs as well as the devastation of >the US/NATO bombing. The BEC has approved participation in the civil >disobedience aspect of this public witness. We would like to encourage as >many staff as are able to attend this rally. At this time we are not sure >how many people will be encouraged to get arrested on the sidewalk in front >of the White House or the Yugoslav mission. If you plan to attend and also >if you would be open to participating in civil disobedience, please contact >me, Mike Yarrow at 215 523-5693 or on internal e-mail. We hope that >regional and area offices will be able to organize some kind of public >witness event that day and distribute press releases from the Washington >witness. The BEC only approved CD in the two Washington witnesses of June >3rd. > >Executive Committee Draft Minute 5/28/99 > >The Board Executive Committee, in behalf of the Board, approved AFSC >participation in the National Coalition for Peace in Yugoslavia, an newly >formed group. They also approved AFSC participation in a proposed >protest/possible civil disobedience by this group on June 3, 1999, in >Washington, DC, regarding the escalating violence in Yugoslavia. While the >Coalition's plans call for a protest at the White House, approval was given >for a simultaneous protest at the Yugoslavia Embassy in DC, and an urging >for other members of the Coalition to join us in this action. The AFSC >staff were directed to prepare a statement for distribution outlining what >is AFSC's affirmative response to this crisis. > > >Below is the memo I sent to BEC members as briefing for the teleconference. > >At its April, 1999 meeting the AFSC Board accepted a minute after a soulful >discussion instructing staff as follows: "We believe that the AFSC should >play a pivotal role in bringing together religious leaders, peace groups >and other allies to map out a strategy of public advocacy for the cessation >of all violence in the region, the implementation of nonviolent responses >to the ethnic conflict, and for the reconciliation and reconstruction that >will be essential to achieving a just and lasting peace in Yugoslavia. We >affirm staff in moving forward to realize this vision with the guidance of >appropriate committees." >Susan Segall hired Mike Yarrow as Kosovo Peace Education Coordinator for a >period of three months. On May 6 a group of traditional peace groups and >faith-based organizations with a concern for peace met in New York and >decided to form the National Coalition for Peace in Yugoslavia (see >statement and list of member organizations below). The meeting was >attended by Jack Patterson, Joe Volk, Michael Simmons, Mike Yarrow and >Michael Poulshock from Friends organizations. We decided to have a press >conference in Washington DC on May 20. At that conference Carolyn Matthews >of the Europe Program testified to our work in the region and our concern >for peace. The conference was attended by approximately 10 news >organizations. There was an article in the LATimes but we are not aware of >other significant coverage. After the meeting we met and decided in view >of the escalating bombing and threat of a ground war we would organize an >civil disobedience protest at the White House on Thursday June 3rd. We >decided to not postpone the action too long because of the urgency of the >crisis. So far Bishop Gumbleton of Detroit, John Dear, Director of FOR and >Ann Scott, a Quaker from the bay area committed themselves to be arrested. >On Wednesday, May 26 the Program Team decided to recommend that the AFSC >participate in the civil disobedience. Last evening, May 27 there was a >conference call which included Jim Matlack and Mike Yarrow from AFSC and >Kathy Guthrie from FCNL to plan the civil disobedience. John Dear of FOR >wrote a letter to the president asking for a meeting on June 3rd. If our >interfaith delegation is invited to meet with the president, we would not >commit civil disobedience. If we are not invited , the plan is to meet in >LaFayette Park (we have a permit for this rally), across from the White >House, at 11 a.m. and after statements from leaders, the leaders will walk >to the sidewalk in front of the White House or up the drive way and be >arrested, others would then follow and get arrested separately. We are >planning that people participating in the civil disobedience will contact >one of the sponsoring organizations before hand and have non-violence >training. It is evidently illegal to stop on the sidewalk in front of the >White House. A press liaison has been hired to maximize the coverage of >our message. > > It is our sense that we are in a very critical period. Nato has >approved 50,000 ground troops in countries neighboring Yugoslavia and >Milosevic has been indicted as a war criminal. We are afraid the US is >turning its back on the possibility of a negotiated settlement and is >pursuing total "victory." On the other hand, there is increasing >opposition to the war in this country, in congress and in Europe. If the >AFSC, through this action, can strengthen the voices of opposition to this >war, encourage staff, board and committee members to a strenuous effort to >effective public witness against all the violence, we may play an important >role. During the conference call last night, the participants approved a >series of future actions including sending delegations or individual >communications to members of congress during the week of June 7-11, >protesting commencement speeches by Albright and Clinton in the Chicago >area in mid June and a variety of local actions on June 24, at the end of >the 3rd month of bombing. > Mike Yarrow has made presentations about our efforts and the coalition to >the IDEC, NWPEC and a joint session of NCRC and NPEDEC. > > > >"An Appeal for Peace in Yugoslavia" > >We speak out of deepening concern and anguish over the continued bloodshed >and human suffering in Yugoslavia. We call for an immediate end to NATO >bombing and intensified efforts to bring a just peace in Kosovo. We condemn >the atrocities and human rights abuses committed by Serbian forces in >Kosovo, and we do not believe that NATO bombing will solve the problem. We >are also horrified by the environmental degradation caused by the bombing, >with its long-term consequences for all the people of the region. > >We seek a solution that ends the killing and destruction on the ground and >from the air. Proposals for diplomatic settlement have been put forth by a >number of governments and institutions of the international community. We >encourage all efforts made in good faith toward a diplomatic solution and >strongly urge our nation's leaders to pursue nonviolent alternatives. > >We urge an immediate cease-fire; a halt to NATO air attacks; and >negotiations involving all interested parties. An end to the bombing is a >prerequisite for any peace process to begin. We support the return of OSCE >monitors in conjunction with the introduction of a truly international >peacekeeping operation that would monitor the activities of the Serbian >military force and the Kosovo Liberation Army. >--- > > > >Members of the National Coalition for Peace in Yugoslavia >as of 5/20/99 > >American Friends Service Committee >Church of the Brethren, Washington Office >Episcopal Peace Fellowship >Fellowship of Reconciliation >Fourth Freedom Forum >Friends Committee on National Legislation >Fund for New Priorities in America >Mennonite Central Committee >National Priorities Project >NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby >Pax Christi USA >Peace Action >Sojourners >US-Indochina Reconciliation Project >Veterans for Peace >War Resisters League >Women's Action for New Directions >Women's International League for Peace & Freedom > > > > - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: marylia@earthlink.net (marylia) Subject: (abolition-usa) make a call! resolution! Date: 02 Jun 1999 02:37:53 -0700 (PDT) Dear abolitionists. A quick and easy phone call to your Representative's office in DC is NEEDED. Please check the list below. If your Rep. has NOT signed on to the Markey Resolution to cut Stockpile Stewardship -- CALL IMMEDIATELY. Talking points are provided below for your convenience. Thank you. Peace, Marylia ACTION ALERT! CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION TO CUT "STOCKPILE STEWARDSHIP" The Markey Resolution: House Concurrent Resolution 74 On March 24, 1999, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) and 17 other members of the U.S. House of Representatives had the courage and foresight to call for a less provocative, less wasteful, and more responsible, custodianship program for the U.S. nuclear arsenal. By May 3, 1999 House Concurrent Resolution 74 had already gathered 25 cosponsors. If your member of the U.S. House is a co-sponsor, please thank him or her. If your member of the House is not listed below, ask him or her to join the others and co-sponsor the Markey Resolution. Co-sponsors of H. Con. Res. 74 as of 5/3/99: Rep. Thomas Allen Rep. Robert Andrews Rep. Thomas Barrett Rep. Lois Capps (CA) Rep. John Conyers Rep. Diana DeGette Rep. Anna Eshoo (CA) Rep. Barney Frank Rep. Luis Gutierrez Rep. Barbara Lee (CA) Rep. Nita Lowey Rep. Carolyn Maloney Rep. Ed Markey Rep. James McGovern Rep. Cynthia McKinney Rep. Martin Meehan Rep. George Miller (CA) Rep. Jerrold Nadler Rep. Major Owens Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. Rep. Donald Payne Rep. Lynn Rivers Rep. Pete Stark (CA) Rep. John Tierney Rep. Mark Udall Rep. Lynn Woolsey (CA) Urge your Rep. to co-sponsor today. To reach your Rep., call 202-224-3121. Your Rep. can contact Markey's office at 202-225-2836. TALKING POINTS The Markey Resolution: A Necessary Antidote to Nuclear Weapons Forever The "Stockpile Stewardship" program is the new name for nuclear weapons research, development, testing, and production at the Dept. of Energy's labs and other nuclear weapons facilities. At a price tag of $4.5 billion annually, "Stockpile Stewardship" involves dozens of upgraded and new research facilities and supercomputers, enhanced weapons production capabilities, fusion devices and explosive tests using nuclear weapons material including uranium and plutonium. The nuclear weapons establishment claims that this program is needed to ensure the safety and reliability of existing nuclear weapons. However, the program has little to do with ensuring safety of the arsenal (preventing accidental detonations) or verifying reliability (assuring the bombs explode as predicted). "Stockpile Stewardship" is intended to maintain the capability to design new weapons and to train a new generation of nuclear bomb makers. The proliferation-provocative nature of U.S. "Stockpile Stewardship" was demonstrated last year when India cited this program to justify its own detonation of several underground nuclear tests. Pakistan followed suit. What is the alternative? The Markey Resolution calls for an end to "Stockpile Stewardship" and for a more responsible custodianship program that is far smaller, less expensive and requires fewer facilities than the current program. Moreover, the Markey Resolution provides for the maintenance needs of the U.S. arsenal in a manner that is consistent with U.S. obligations under the long-standing nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which is awaiting ratification by the U.S. Senate. Ask your Representative to co-sponsor the 1999 House Concurrent Resolution 74 to redirect the DOE's "Stockpile Stewardship" program. ++ Please note that my email address has changed to on 3/1/99 ++ Marylia Kelley Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment) 2582 Old First Street Livermore, CA USA 94550 - is our web site, please visit us there! Our web site will remain at this location. Only my email address has changed on 3/1/99. (925) 443-7148 - is our phone (925) 443-0177 - is our fax Working for peace, justice and a healthy environment since 1983, Tri-Valley CAREs has been a member of the nation-wide Alliance for Nuclear Accountability in the U.S. since 1989, and is a co-founding member of the international Abolition 2000 network for the elimination of nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: marylia@earthlink.net (marylia) Subject: (abolition-usa) Two for One! Abolition Special! Date: 02 Jun 1999 02:57:43 -0700 (PDT) Hi Abolitionists: Please check the list below. If your Rep. has not signed on to the Woolsey Resolution to eliminate nuclear weapons, CALL IMMEDIATELY. You can talk up both the Markey and Woolsy Resolutions in the same call. They go together like tea and scones. Peace, Marylia ACTION ALERT! U.S. CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION TO ELIMINATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS for cosponsors, how to contact your Representative and "talking points" read on... The Woolsey Resolution: House Resolution 82 On Feb. 24, 1999, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and 21 others took a giant step toward lifting the specter of nuclear annihilation from future generations by calling on the President to initiate multilateral negotiations on a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons world-wide. By May 3, House Resolution 82 had already attracted 33 co-sponsors. If your Rep. is a co-sponsor, please thank him or her. If your Rep. is not listed below, please ask him or her to join the others and co-sponsor the Woolsey Resolution. Co-sponsors of House Res. 82 as of 5/2/99: Rep. Robert Andrews Rep. Tammy Baldwin Rep. Earl Blumenauer Rep. Peter DeFazio Rep. Anna Eshoo (CA) Rep. Eni Faleomavaega Rep. Bob Filner (CA) Rep. Barney Frank Rep. Charles Gonzalez Rep. Earl Hilliard Rep. Maurice Hinchey Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick Rep. Barbara Lee (CA) Rep. Bill Luther Rep. Carolyn Maloney Rep. Ed Markey Rep. Jim McDermott Rep. James McGovern Rep. Cynthia McKinney Rep. George Miller (CA) Rep. Patsy Mink Rep. Jerrold Nadler Rep Eleanor Holmes Norton Rep. John Olver Rep. Lynn Rivers Rep. Bobby Rush Rep. Bernie Sanders Rep. Louise Slaughter Rep. Pete Stark (CA) Rep. Rep. John Tierney Rep. Edolphus Towns Rep. Robert Underwood Rep. Henry Waxman (CA) Call your Rep. at 202-224-3121. Your Rep. can contact Woolsey's office at 202-225-5161. TALKING POINTS The Woolsey Resolution: Calling for a Treaty to Abolish Nuclear Weapons A huge majority in the U.S. no longer sees any reason for maintaining a nuclear arsenal, according to a 1997 nation-wide poll conducted by Lake, Sosin, Snell & Associates. Of the 1,006 people polled, 87% wanted the U.S. to negotiate an agreement to abolish nukes. And, 84% said they would feel safer if no country, including the U.S., had such weapons. 77% responded that the U.S. spends too much on its arsenal. Unlike similar surveys conducted in decades past, this poll found no significant gender gap or regional variation. Support for eliminating nuclear arms was shared equally by Democrats and Republicans. Former head of the U.S. Strategic Air Command, General Lee Butler and more than 60 other retired general and admirals from 17 countries issued a 1996 statement that the creation of a nuclear weapons-free world is both "necessary" and "possible." Former President Jimmy Carter and more than 100 former and current heads of state and civilian leaders from 46 countries said in 1998 that there exists a "moral imperative" for the abolition of nuclear weaponry. The time has come for abolition. The Woolsey Resolution urges the President to initiate multilateral negotiations leading to the early conclusion of a global treaty on nuclear weapons elimination. The U.S. has a vital security interest in promoting the nonproliferation and disarmament of nuclear weapons, states the Woolsey Resolution. Cited are the United States' duties to pursue disarmament under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the 1996 World Court opinion that the threat or use of nuclear arms is essentially illegal. Ask your Representative to co-sponsor the 1999 House Resolution 82 to help create the political climate for a nuclear weapons-free 21st century. ++ Please note that my email address has changed to on 3/1/99 ++ Marylia Kelley Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment) 2582 Old First Street Livermore, CA USA 94550 - is our web site, please visit us there! Our web site will remain at this location. Only my email address has changed on 3/1/99. (925) 443-7148 - is our phone (925) 443-0177 - is our fax Working for peace, justice and a healthy environment since 1983, Tri-Valley CAREs has been a member of the nation-wide Alliance for Nuclear Accountability in the U.S. since 1989, and is a co-founding member of the international Abolition 2000 network for the elimination of nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Norm and Karen Cohen Subject: (abolition-usa) UNPLUG Salem 6/10 'Peoples Hearing' Date: 02 Jun 1999 12:14:13 -0400 -- Coalition for Peace and Justice and the UNPLUG Salem Campaign PO Box 2344, Cape May, NJ 08204 609-886-7988 or 609-889-8667 UNPLUG SALEM WEBSITE: http://members.aol.com/robvfp/page4/index.htm COALITION FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE WEBSITE: http://members.bellatlantic.net= /~norco/ The Coalition for Peace and Justice is a chapter of Peace Action To everyone receiving this message. Apologies for the inevtiable duplicat= ions. If you don't live near the Salem Nukes, please pass the word to any frien= ds you have. The event below is a follow-up to our 3/27 rally at Salem. Thanks Norm Cohen Executive Director > > > COALITION FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE > PO BOX 2344, CAPE MAY NJ 08204 > 609-886-7988/889-8667 > norco@bellatlantic.net= > > Date: 06/2/99 > > For Immediate Release and Community Calendars > > Environment Groups to Hold Salem Nukes =93Peop= le=92s Hearing=94 > > Groups comprising the =93Stop the Salem Fish Slaughter Campaign=94= will be holding the =93People=92s Hearing=94 on the environmental effect= s of the Salem Nuclear Plants on Thursday, June 10th, at 6:30 PM at the S= alem Quaker Meetinghouse, E. Broadway & Walnut Sts., in Salem, NJ Four e= nvironmental =93people=92s experts=94 will speak on the nuclear plants=92= impacts on the Delaware Estuary, and then area citizens will testify, as= k questions, or make comments.. > Our experts will be: Maya von Rossum, Delaware Riverkeeper, Delaw= are Riverkeeper Network, who will speak on the Salem Nuclear Plants=92 ov= erall devastating impact to the Delaware River and Estuary, and on issues= concerning the Clean Water Act and the upcoming New Jersey Department of= Environmental Protection=92s permit renewal process. This permit has all= owed the two Salem Nukes to slaughter billions of fish, fish eggs, and la= rvae, in return for allowing PSE&G, the operator of the Salem Nukes, to = attempt an experiment in creating new wetlands along the Delaware Bayshor= e. > Tony Totah, marine biologist for Clean Ocean Action, will descri= be in detail the Salem Nuclear Plants massive fishkills due to the plants= =92 lack of cooling towers and subsequent use of three billion gallons o= f Delaware Bay water every day for cooling the plant. Totah will also des= cribe PSE&G=92s Thompson=92s Beach debacle that led to the deaths of hund= reds of thousands of horseshoe crabs. > Jane Nogaki, Toxics Coordinator for the New Jersey Environmental = Federation, the largest environmental group in New Jersey, with over 90,0= 00 members statewide, will discuss the toxic threats PSE&G=92s massive he= rbiciding poses to our communities and environment. PSE&G has used massiv= e amounts of herbicide in a vain effort to kill off phragmites as part of= PSE&G=92s estuary experiment. > And Joe Mangano, Associate Director of the Radiation Public Health= Project, will speak about the threats radiation, both low-level and high= -level, pose to ordinary citizens living near the Salem Nukes. > Mangano will present the results of additional studies that will updat= e his last study that showed infant mortality downwind from the Salem Nuk= es rising higher when the nuke plants were running, and falling lower whe= n the nuke plants were off-line. > Many other citizens and environmental activists will be at the Peo= ple=92s Hearing to testify during the public testimony part of the evenin= g. Hearing organizers will be making an official record of the People=92s= Hearing, and will present this record to the NJ DEP, the US EPA, our US = Senators, Congressmen, and to our local officials so that they too can un= derstand the true facts about the environmental impacts of the Salem Nucl= ear Plants. > Citizens who are unable to attend the hearing, and anyone who has= information but who is concerned about testifying in public, are urged t= o put their testimony in writing. All evidence, including anecdotal evide= nce, whistleblowing evidence, and evidence of NJDEP errors or bias in the= ir enforcement of the current permit, are all welcomed. > This event is free and open to the public, who are strongly urged = to attend. Light refreshments will be served. Carpools are available from= throughout the South Jersey and Delaware area for anyone needing a ride.= Please call the Delaware Riverkeeper Network at 1-800-8-DELAWARE for inf= ormation, rides, or to present testimony in writing for the Hearing. > > Norm Cohen, > Executive Dire= ctor, Coalition for Peace and Justice > > Contacts: Maya von Rossum: 800-8-DELAWARE > Jane Nogaki: 609-767-1110 > Tony Totah: 609-729-3383 > Joe Mangano 718-857-9825 > Norm Cohen 609-886-7988 > > UNPLUG SALEM and STOP THE SALEM FISH SLAUGHTER CAMPAIGNS: > NJ ACORN; Affordable Housing Network; American Littoral Society (fish = campaign only); Asian American Political Coalition; Citizens=92 Energy C= ouncil; Consumers League of New Jersey; Coalition for Peace and Justice; = Craft=92s Creek Coalition; Cumberland Conservation League; C.H.O.R.D.; De= laware Riverkeeper Network (fish campaign only); Energy Photovoltaics (EP= V); Environmental Response Network; First Hopewell Baptist Church; Friend= s of Pinebrook; Grassroots Environmental Organization (GREO); Grey Panthe= rs, NJ Chapter; Ironbound Committee Against Toxic Waste; Jersey Coast Ang= lers Association; Latino Community Land Trust; Monmouth Citizens for Clea= n Air; NAACP- Paterson Branch; NJPIRG Citizen Lobby; NJ State Federation = of Sportsmen=92s Clubs; NJ Environmental Federation; Paterson Task Force = for Community Action; Physicians for Social Responsibility; Republicans f= or Environmental Protection; Seaville Friends Meeting; Urban Women=92s Ce= nter; Green Delaware; NIRS (Nuclear Information & Resource Service); Dela= ware Valley Peace Action; Salem Quaker Quarterly Meeting; SJ Campaign for= Peace and Justice; Clean Ocean Action; Philadelphia Greens; EAGLE; Anne = Arundel Peace Action; Pennsylvania Environmental Network; GEO (Glassboro = Environmental Organization, Rowan College); Stockton Peace Action; SAVE (= Stockton Action Volunteers for the Environment); Fish Unlimited; Mercer G= reens; Philadelphia Solar Association; SEAC-Region 13; Natural Law Party;= CATA; Coalition Against Toxics; Zero Waste America; NJ Sierra Club; Publ= ic Citizen; > - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) from: Scientists Against NATO War Date: 02 Jun 1999 13:06:07 EDT Friends, It may be this already appeared on one of the Abolition lists. If not, this seemed to me the best place to send it, knowing there are solid experts out there. Peace, David McReynolds << Subj: from: Scientists Against NATO War Date: 6/2/99 10:41:22 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: achis@igc.apc.org (Alex Chis & Claudette Begin) To: DavidMcR@aol.com CC: achis@igc.org Hi David, I got this (probably about some forward of mine) and thought you might be more informed as to how to help these people. Thnaks, alex chis >X-Sender: luca.nencini@infos1.casaccia.enea.it >Date: Wed, 02 Jun 1999 09:42:25 +0200 >To: achis@igc.apc.org >From: luca nencini >Subject: from: Scientists Against NATO War >Mime-Version: 1.0 > >Dear friend, > >We belong to a group of scientists trying to assess the long term effects >of the bombings on environment and human health. Our aim is to break the >courtain of silence of official media and let the Italian public opinion >understand the size the havoc of this so-called humanitarian war. > >We found in in the net your "Peacelink news". We wonder if you have more >detailed information on: >1) the (approximate) quantity of VCM, ethylene dichloride, ammonia and >chlorine lost in the atmosphere in Pancevo and/or in other plants; >2) the quantity of lost naphta, gas oil and gasoline, in general or at >least in some particular case, to be brought as an example. How much oil is >burned in a bombing and how much of it remains unburned and is spilled in >the environment? >3) we understand that Nato is bombing also transformers. How much >dielectric oil is spilled? How much is burned? > >sincerely yours, > >Lucio Triolo >senior scientist >Lab. of Agriculture and Environment >ENEA-Casaccia >via Anguillarese 301 >00060 Roma >tel. +3906 30483607 > >Luca Nencini >scientist >Lab. of Environmental Toxicology >ENEA-Casaccia >via Anguillarese 301 >00060 Roma >tel. +3906 30484126 > ************************************ * Alex Chis Books * * Alex Chis & Claudette Begin * * P.O. Box 2944 * * Fremont, CA 94536 * * 510-489-8554 * - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) NYC area / Poets Against the War Date: 02 Jun 1999 13:06:04 EDT In a message dated 6/2/99 10:20:17 AM Eastern Daylight Time, wrl@igc.apc.org writes: << Subj: Poets Against the War Date: 6/2/99 10:20:17 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: wrl@igc.apc.org (War Resisters League) Sender: owner-wrll@scn.org To: wrll@scn.org >Return-Path: >Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 22:26:57 -0400 (EDT) >From: Eliot Katz >To: War Resisters League >Subject: Re: for Chris Ney >Errors-To: ekatz@panix.com > >A Poets Gathering Against the War > >with readings by: > >Dot Antoniades * Katherine Arnoldi * Brett Axel * >Anselm Berrigan * Harold A. Bowser III * Steve Cannon * >Stacey Ann Chin * Mitchel Cohen * Marc Desmond * >Reg E. Gaines * Guy LeCharles Gonzalez * Steve Hirsch * >Bob Holman * CD Johnson * Eliot Katz * Loki Kevorkian * >Patrick Kowalchuk * Tony Medina * Nancy Mercado * >Tom Obrzut * Onome * Amy Ouzoonian * >Pedro Pietri * Aileen Reyes * Keith Roach * Bob Rosenthal * >Susan Sherman * Dan Shot * Hal Sirowitz * >Suzanne Solomon * Miriam Stanley * Eileen Sutton * >Kyrce Swenson * Meaghan Williams * Maggie Zurawski * >plus a speaker from the War Resisters League >& more > >Sunday, June 13th, 1999 * 4-8pm * Free > >A Gathering of the Tribes Gallery >285 E. 3rd Street (betw. Avenues C & D), 2nd Floor >Website: www.tribes.org * Email: info@tribes.org >Phone: 212-674-3778 > > >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) So they blew up a bridge, big deal? Date: 03 Jun 1999 00:07:17 EDT This was relayed to me by Mitchell Cohen. It is one of many small stories.=20 But the situation - the bombing in daylight, the return of the planes to bom= b=20 gain - give this story the kind of horror we feel when we hear about=20 Albanians being shot in Kosova. This is not any longer an accident of war.=20 It is what NATO is doing and what the bloody British NATO spokesman keeps so=20 cheerfuly defending - Jamie whatever his name is. I think if I hear him make=20 one more excuse for the murder of civilians . . . . David McReynolds <<=20 VARVARIN, May 31=20 The bridge struck on Sunday by NATO had crossed the river at a small Serb town, Varvarin -- whose name happens to mean Barbarian in Serbian. The following day, a group of reporters visited the scene of devastation. Here are some excerpts from a story filed by an Irish reporter, Lara Marlowe, published by the Irish Times on May 31. But we have to warn you, the text is not for the faint of heart:=20 =20 "Father Milevoj Ceric's headless body lay on the mortuary slab, just hours after he said Mass. His black shoes were polished and his pale blue shirt was still neatly tucked into the trousers of the black suit he had worn to celebrate his villagers' feast day (Sunday).=20 =20 Father Milevoj's parishioners said he was about 50 years old, but it was impossible to know what he looked like because his head - blown off in the NATO air raid - was not found.=20 =20 The man lying next to him on the slab had his guts torn out by the explosion, and his waxy, white arms were thrown back over his head as if in panic or in horror. A handsome young man was one of eight bodies laid out in the morgue, someone had put his legs beside him on the stretcher.=20 =20 NATO aircraft dropped their first bomb on the rusty old bridge across the Morava River at 12.53 p.m. They came back 14 minutes later - as townspeople including Father Milevoj, rushed out to help the victims of the first explosion - and dropped two more bombs.=20 =20 "Ten people were killed. We don't know how many more have found graves in the waters of the Morava", said Mr. Dragan Cavnic, the mayor of this pretty town of 5,000. Forty people were still missing.=20 =20 Varvarin is famous for its ros=E9 wine and vegetables. "Everybody knows tod= ay is a religious holiday here. This has been our market day for centuries. People from surrounding villages gather. They bombed as people were=20 leaving."=20 =20 The NATO spokesman, Mr Jamie Shea, said: "Our policy hasn't changed. Everything we attack is a military target. Just because there wasn't a tank on the bridge, doesn't mean it wasn't a military target."=20 =20 But the bridge was too narrow for a tank to cross. Villagers said the two NATO aircraft flew low. They believe that NATO planned to kill the maximum number of people.=20 =20 Mr. Dragoljub Stanojevic, the principal of a local school, said: "If they had bombed the bridge at night, I could believe it was a military target, but on a Sunday when it was full of people?" ----------------------------------------------- - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Timothy Bruening Subject: (abolition-usa) Letter about NATO War Crimes Date: 03 Jun 1999 04:59:32 -0700 (PDT) Below is my draft of a letter about NATO war crimes against Yugoslavia. Please suggest additions or ways to improve this letter. On May 27, Yugoslav President Milosevic was indicted for war crimes by the UN War Crimes Tribunal. I believe that the US/NATO should be indicted for war crimes also. In particular, I believe that the US/NATO should be indicted on the following charges: I. That the US/NATO attacked a sovereign nation (Yugoslavia) at a time when it wasn't attacking any other nation. This violates Article 2 of the UN Charter. II. That the US/NATO has bombed many civilian targets, including bridges (including bridges with trains and buses on them and/or "human shields" under them), refugee convoys, hospitals, homes, schools, universities, TV stations, power and water treatment plants, factories, oil refineries (dumping oil into the Danube) and the Chinese Embassy. In the past few days, (May 30-31), US/NATO has bombed a sanitarium, a retirement home, and a crowded bridge near a market. III. That the US/NATO has continued to recklessly bomb urban areas in spite of all the accidental bombings of civilians. IV. That the US/NATO has dropped cluster bombs on Yugoslavia. V. That the US/NATO has dropped bombs containing depleted uranium (DU) on Yugoslavia. DU is great at penetrating armor, but it is both radioactive and a chemical poison. When bombs containing DU hit, the DU bursts into flame and powders, spreading radioactivity all over the place. I believe that DU violates international law against poisoned weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Rich Conti Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) The Hague Appeal Conference a black mark Date: 03 Jun 1999 15:13:53 -0400 Where is the "carefully crafted" statement on Kosovo? I attended 3 evening sessions on Kosovo and I am unaware of any statement coming out of the discussions. I would like to see this statement, if you can tell me where to find it. Thanks ----Rich Conti At 08:36 AM 5/25/99 -0600, you wrote: >The Hague Appeal Conference: a black mark on peace activism > >Not only the Dutch Embassy was remiss in not granting visas to Yugoslavian >peace groups but also the organizers of the Hague Peace appeal were >derelict in their duty to ensure that a strong statement related to >Yugoslavia be issued at the conference. Why did the organizers prevent the >carefully crafted statement on Kosovo from being presented at the plenary? >Why did Bill Pace, who is purported to support the NATO bombing, be >allowed to prevent the organizers from allowing a statement? Why were two >Albanians- the most ardent supporters of NATO allowed to speak at the >plenary? Why did Cora Weiss, when asked at a press conference about a >statement on Kosovo state that there was division within the peace >movement? Why was RAmsay Clarke who was asked to participate by the Dutch >Peace groups, prevented from speaking at the conference? Why did the >organizers describe the request to have a large protest in front of the >International Court of Justice during the NATO presentations to the ICJ as >being "too political"? > > >The Hague Peace conference organizers have seriously erred and have >discredited the peace movement. I was told that the US even used the fact >that there was no statement from the peace movement in the Hague to be an >indication that there was support for the NATO intervention. > >Which groups were involved with the decision making, and whose interests >are they really serving? > > > >Joan Russow > > > > >- > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. > For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send > "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. > - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Radwaste Remediation Date: 03 Jun 1999 12:50:50 -0700 fwd [from Hal Fox http://www.pakrak.com/ine ] Dear Friend, David mentioned my name in an email. I am editor of New Energy News and also of the Journal of New Energy (quarterly peer-reviewed technical journal). In case you are interested, here is information about the transmutation process that is under development sent to day in answer to a query from Australia: SUBJECT: STABILIZATION OF SPENT-FUEL PELLETS FROM NUCLEAR PLANTS. The following is a brief description of a new technology that has the potential for transmuting high-level, radioactive wastes into stable elements. As you may know the U.S. government is planning to package, transport, and store high-level radioactive wastes (currently scheduled for Yucca Mountain in Nevada) for thousands of years. Apparently, you are faced with as similar project in Australia. We are developing an exciting new technology that can provide on-site stabilization of these high-level radioactive wastes ON-SITE without all the dangers of packaging, transportation, and long-term storage. Although the process will not be cheap, it will cost about the same as ONE-YEAR'S transportation and storage costs. The end result is the savings of billions of dollars. Here is the story: INTRODUCTION High-density charge clusters are composed of several micron-sized toroids of electrons (about one billion electrons per micron). Twenty to forty of these micron-size entities form in a ring having a diameter of about 20 microns [1]. Charge clusters are produced in a variety of ways: lightning, in some liquids by field emission from specially-prepared electrodes [2], in low-pressure gases, and are usually present in many sparks and arcs. Charge clusters can pick up and transport positive ions. The ratio of positive ions to electrons is about one in a million. Therefore, the positive ions can be carried by the combined charge clusters and accelerated toward a positively-charged anode to attain about the same velocity as would just the electron cluster [3]. Five thousand volts will produce charge cluster velocities of about 0.1 times the speed of light. It is classical physics that positive ions moving at one-tenth light speed will produce nuclear reactions on a target. TRANSMUTATION BY PARTICLE ACCELERATORS It is well known that high-energy particle accelerators can be used to transmute radioactive materials [4]. When various methods of transmutation were investigated by the National Research Council (in Washington, D.C.) under U.S. Department Of Energy contract, this new, charge-cluster technology was not known to any of the investigators. Current particle accelerators are enormously expensive due to the necessity of using millions of volts of accelerating potential. Therefore, the conclusion of the extensive report [4] was that there is no known method of handling high-level nuclear wastes more cost effective than geologic storage. Our initial laboratory results indicate that some radioactive wastes (especially liquid wastes) can best be stabilized by the production of high-density charge clusters using a special zirconium reactor [5]. Of more importance is our latest analytical work which shows that the density of the protons (ionized, low-pressure hydrogen) created by and transported by the typical high-density charge clusters can be as high as one million times the density of protons in current particle accelerators. If this analytical work is correct, as we believe, then table-top particle accelerators can be built and used to transmute high-level, crushed, fuel pellets into stable elements. Here is the logic leading to our conclusions: The typical electron charge cluster has the electron density that is about the same as atoms in a solid (Avogadro's Number). Although the charge cluster carries only about one positive ion (e.g., proton) for each 100,000 to 1,000,000 electrons, the resulting proton density is very much larger than has been achieved in standard proton-particle accelerators. This is explained by two phenomena: First the highly-dynamic flow of electrons around the periphery of the charge-cluster toroid creates a very high magnetic field which, in turn, keeps the electrons from separating by their mutual repulsion. The high-negative charge attracts the positive ions and also stabilizes a large number of positive ions that would be normally also be mutually repulsive. The end result is a much larger density of protons that can be carried to a target material. One paper has provided substantial evidence for this type of nuclear reaction using a target that was "loaded" with hydrogen [6]. The use of the combined charge clusters (electrons carrying positive ions) allows for the combination to be accelerated to desired velocities with relative low potentials. Specifically, 5,000 volts will accelerate the combined cluster to about one-tenth the speed of light. Standard proton accelerators require about nine-million volts to achieve the same velocity. Therefore, our group is confident that a new type of particle accelerator can be designed, constructed, tested, and further developed for the stabilization of spent-fuel pellets. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS Trenergy, Inc. is a Utah corporation that is intensely interested in resolving some of the radioactive pollution problems. We are communicating closely with Dr. Champ in Washington, D.C. who is working with the U.S. Congress and the Russian DUMA. Dr. Champ has a strong interest in helping to clean up some of the high-level wastes in Russia. For example, there are several rusting hulks of nuclear submarines stored in waters leading to the Arctic Ocean. Were all of this radioactivity to be released into the Arctic waters, a health hazard for all of the countries that obtain food from these waters would result. Trenergy is seeking investment funds so that this new technology can be further developed for the mutual benefit of the Navy, the DOE, and, of course, all humanity. We are highly interested in sharing information with and obtaining professional recommendations from any qualified entities for the further development of methods for stabilizing radioactive wastes. REFERENCES [1] Kenneth R. Shoulders, "Energy Conversion Using High Charge Density", U.S. Patent 5,018,180, issued May 21, 1991. [2] Robert Bass, Rod Neal, Stan Gleeson, & Hal Fox, "Electro-Nuclear Transmutation: Low-Energy Nuclear Reactions in an Electrolytic Cell", Jrnl. of New Energy, vol 1, no 3, Fall 1996, pp 81-87, 6 refs, 1 fig, 1 table. [3] Shang-Xian Jin & Hal Fox, "Characteristics of High-Density Charge Clusters: A Theoretical Model", Jrnl. of New Energy, vol 1, no 4, Winter 1996, pp 5-20, 16 refs, 2 figs. [4] Nuclear Wastes: Technologies for Separations and Transmutation, Committee on Separations Technology and Transmutation Systems, Board on Radioactive Waste Management, Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources, National Research Council, published by National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. c1996 by the National Academy of Sciences. [5] Hal Fox & Shang Xian Jin, "Low-energy Nuclear Reactions and High-density Charge Clusters", presented at the annual meeting of the American Nuclear Society, Nashville, Tennessee, June 9, 1998, 16 refs, 9 figs, 3 tables. [6] Ken Shoulders & Steve Shoulders, "Observations on the Role of Charge Clusters in Nuclear Cluster Reactions", Jrnl. of New Energy, vol 1, no 3, pp 111-121, Fall 1996, 7 refs, 22 figs. We have spent about one million dollars in our development work. Our monthly financial requirements are modest. We believe that we can secure our patent position and develop a proprietary systems with an additional investment of $500,000. The amount to be made from the use of such proprietary equipment is billions of dollars. We welcome visits by the most astute nuclear scientists in evaluating our analytical and experimental work. We have a complete business plan, an offering memorandum, and positive experimental results. Best personal regards, Hal Fox - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) EU Worried About Y2K Hitting Nuclear Power Plants (http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h Date: 03 Jun 1999 13:53:04 -0700 http://dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/tc/story.html?s=v/nm/19990602/tc/yk_eur ope_1.html - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) url: Hemp to Clean Chernobyl Radioactivity Date: 03 Jun 1999 15:58:02 -0700 http://www.newscientist.com/ns/19990410/newsstory4.html [Archive: 10 April 1999] Back to Chernobyl Lila Guterman CROPS MAY ONE DAY be grown again in the contaminated soil surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear plant, if the ideas of Spanish, Ukrainian and American researchers pay off. The teams say that, over many years, simply mulching crops could drastically reduce radioactive contamination. Around the Chernobyl plant, an area about one and a half times the size o= f Luxembourg has been declared off-limits for habitation or cultivation. In much of the exclusion zone, radioactivity is still measurable. It now pos= es little danger so long as it remains in the ground, but food grown in the area is unfit to eat. Caesium-137, which has a half-life of 30 years, is the most important rad= io- nuclide left from Chernobyl's catastrophic explosion in 1986. Researchers have been looking for ways to prevent it getting into crops planted in contaminated soil. Using lots of potassium fertiliser is one proven metho= d, as plants take up the potassium ion from soil in preference to caesium, preventing further caesium uptake. Now, Teresa Sauras Yera, a biologist at the University of Barcelona, has found that mulching, the method used by farmers and gardeners to conserve moisture and prevent weeds growing, does the job more cheaply and easily. With colleagues in Spain and at the Institute of Agricultural Radiology i= n Kiev, Sauras Yera added mulch to soil in the exclusion zone after plantin= g oat seeds over three successive years. One year, they covered the soil wi= th black polyethylene sheets. In the other two years, they used straw. Each year, they saw a reduction of 30 to 40 per cent in the levels of radio-caesium in the oats (Environmental Science & Technology, vol 33, p 882). The researchers believe the mulch protects the plants' leaves and roots f= rom radioactive particles carried by rain and wind. Since mulching is cheap, = it could be used to limit radioactive contamination, she says. However, radioactivity levels near Chernobyl are still far too high to make the oa= ts safe for consumption. But mulching still leaves the radioactive elements in the soil--so attemp= ts are being made to remove it. Slavik Dushenkov of the US biotech firm Phytotech says the fast-growing cannabis plant, the source of hemp fibre, could be an answer. Phytotech and the Ukrainian Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Glukhov have been growing hemp around Chernobyl. After processing the plants, they obtained clean hemp fibre and plant remains r= ich in caesium. The contaminated remains were burnt in a sealed incinerator t= hat caught all the radioactive ash. But so far, this method looks as if it could remove only about 1 per cent= of the caesium, as much of it is tightly bound to soil particles. "Maybe any one of the three processes will not be economic, but all put together may provide significant benefits," Dushenkov says. From New Scientist, 10 April 1999 New Scientist Home: current week _________________________ New Scientist Contents: 10 April 1999 Editorial: 10 April News: 10 April Features: April Review: 10 April Forum: 10 April Letters: 10 April Feedback: 10 April The Last Word: 10 April _________________________ Back Issues _________________________ Bizarre Science _________________________ Planet Student _________________________ Search the site _________________________ Subscribe to New Scientist =A9 Copyright New Scientist, RBI Limited 1999 - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) NYC area / More NY Democrats Picketed on War Date: 03 Jun 1999 23:38:00 EDT Since the bombing continues, so must the protests. These are actions organized by a solid coaliton of groups in NYC. Later tonight or tomorrow we will have reports of the dramatic arrest this morning at the US Mission to the UN in New York City of a number of peace activists, in a demonstration organized by the War Resisters League, Catholic Worker, etc. . . . David McReynolds For Immediate Release: Peace Activists to Picket Liberal Congressman Gary Ackerman A coalition of peace activists has targeted the district offices of Rep. Gary Ackerman for an anti-war demonstration next Friday, the 11th, at 4:30. Congressman Ackerman, who has previously called himself an anti-war activist, is supporting the use of ground troops in NATO's illegal war against Yugoslavia. The NATO bombings, ostensibly to save lives in Kosovo, have brought the opposite intended effect. Slobodon Milosevic enjoys greater popularity amongst Yugoslvian citizens, under siege of unseen attackers from the sky, and the Albanians in Kosovo have been expelled at a greater rate than ever before. The bombings have hurt not only Yugoslavia, but global democracy as well. NATO's unilateral actions violated the United Nations' Charter, and are war crimes. The United States' own involvement in the military campaign violates the Constitution and the War Powers Act. Rep. Ackerman, whose fifth Congressional district encompasses northern parts of Queens, Nassau and Suffolk, is the Ranking Democrat of the International Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere and therefore in a position to stop US involvement in the war. Peace-loving constituents want to know why he has abandoned his commitment to peace, and why he is allowing US Constitutional democracy to be flouted. These constituents will protest outside of Ackerman's Bayside offices, on 218-14 Northern Blvd., starting at 4:30 on Friday, June 11. They will be handing out leaflets and performing street theater to raise awareness of Ackerman's hypocritical position, and to demand a face-to-face meeting with the Congressman. Contact: Carmelina Cartei (718)672-6942 Shaun Richman (718)343-0850 FOLLOWUP TO PREVIOUS PICKETS: Over the past week, delegations of peace activists met with Rep. Jerry Nadler and Rep. Joseph Crowley, who were picketed on May 14. Fuller reports on the meetings will be posted in the near future. ============================================================= David L. Wilson * 212-674-9499 * The main enemy is at home. -- Karl Liebknecht, 1914 ============================================================= - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: 26 Arrested In Protest at White House Date: 04 Jun 1999 14:00:25 EDT Yes, there is a coalition speaking truth to both NATO and Milosevic! David McReynolds << 26 Arrested In Protest at White House Religious, Peace Groups Urge End to Bombing By Caryle Murphy Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, June 4, 1999; Page A29 Twenty-six people were arrested yesterday after blocking an entrance to the White House to protest NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia. The demonstration, held by the newly formed National Coalition for Peace in Yugoslavia, was the first instance of planned civil disobedience against the war since the bombing campaign began, according to coalition spokesman Adam Eidinger. Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of Detroit and at least eight other clergy members were among those arrested. They knelt in front of the White House driveway and sang "We Shall Overcome" after their request to meet with President Clinton was denied. ! The arrests followed an anti-war rally in Lafayette Square organized by the coalition, a group of 27 religious and peace organizations opposed to the war. Standing before signs that read, "Peace in Yugoslavia Now," speakers from such groups as Pax Christi, DC Stop the War, American Friends Service Committee and Fellowship of Reconciliation denounced the NATO bombing. "Violence is never the answer to violence," Gumbleton told the demonstrators. Although Russian and Western envoys have presented Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic with a plan to end the Kosovo conflict, "the feeling is that as long as the bombing continues, [the protests are] going to have to continue," Eidinger said. "I just hea! rd President Clinton say . . . the bombing will continue, so nothing is stopped. The war's not over." The arrested protesters were released after being charged with violating the terms of their Lafayette Square demonstration permit, according to a U.S. Park Police spokesman. Some of those attending the rally walked there from the closed Yugoslav Embassy on California Street NW, where they left a letter for Milosevic demanding an end to Serbian attacks on Kosovo Albanians. The letter, which also was sent to Yugoslavia's mission to the United Nations, demanded "an immediate halt to further brutalities against Albanian Kosovars that you alone can order." The coalition is holding another demonstration at noon tomorrow that will start at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and include a march to the Pentagon, Eidinger said. He said buses are bringing protesters from 28 states. * * * - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) June 21st World Peace and Prayer Day Ceremony Date: 04 Jun 1999 11:02:16 -0700 On behalf of Global Peace Walk2000 three of us are travelling to Costa Rica to take part in the June 21st World Peace and Prayer Day Ceremony there conducted by Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the 19th generation keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe of Peace http://www.worldpeaceday.com/1999 We ask you to do what you can to arrange in your location a coordinated event to help echo the prayer for "Global Peace Now!" as a universal human resolve. Your local events in conjunction with this ongoing worldwide global peace campaign can be reported to that website. The time has come when we must all issue this cry to the heavens in whatever way we can before it is too late. Perhaps even, as suggested in the post copied below from Gene Johnson, a mass global campaign is in order to shout this resolve from the rooftops and windows of homes around the world as one voice for global peace. Please do what you can to focus on this date of the summer solstice this year, the day of maximum light, to bring this message to fruition. Our thanks to the World Summit on Peace and Time for their support in enabling us to travel to Costa Rica for this ceremony and to take part in their event there at the University for Peace, June22-27, in support of the 13Moon Calendar Change Global Peace Movement. http://www.earthascending.com Thank you very much, David Williams ---------------- Global Emergency Alert Response http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000 ********************************************************* gear2000@lightspeed.net GENERAL AGENCY SERVICES David Crockett Williams 661-822-3309 20411 Steeple Court, Tehachapi CA 93561 USA ********************************************************* The Global Peace Walk 1999-2000 1999: 22APR Taos, NM, ---> Santa Fe 26APR 2000: 15JAN San Francisco --> New York 24OCT 12 OCT Washington, DC, Columbus Day Ceremony Rededicating The Washington Monument as a Symbol of Peace. October 24th is United Nations Day "GLOBAL PEACE NOW!" Global Peace Zone2000 Remove the scourge of war from future generations http://www.egroups.com/list/global-peace-walk FOR ONE HUMAN FAMILY: Love All, Serve All I think you have grasped the spirit of the intent of this "Global Peace Now!" prayer/message. I am copying to Rev. Yamato for his comments as well but you have hit the nail on the head with your suggestion. If you can help implement your idea, it WILL work. The resolve for peace must come before it can be manifest globally. What we are trying to do is wake folks up to this fact and foment the resolve. -----Original Message----- > > >David Crockett Williams wrote: > >> Your embrace of Global Peace Walk 2000 can make a significant contribution >> to the genuine cause of global peace, justice, environmental healing, and >> prosperity for all. >> >> To accomplish these goals we urge you to help us echo the prayer for "Global >> Peace Now!" until this sound becomes the universal human resolve that can >> actually achieve these goals by developing a comprehensive Global Culture of >> Peace that integrates science, art, and spirituality (the highest form of >> politics). > >Hello David, > >What do you think about the idea of a nightly, out loud, chant, for example, >Global Peace Now, >like the " I am mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore" from the film, >"Network" from years ago. > >It would be an interesting project to implement and it could be contagious in >densely populated areas. Neighbors could form a small chanting group and kindle >an area. Chant should be short enough to not be a bother to others. Snail mail >chain letters from Net original chain letters could be one way to initiate it >for both computer and non-computer persons. A dot.com and/or phone number could >be included at the end of the chant meme. Spreading of chanted memes in the >National Consciousness and a daily awareness reinforcement may be a sustaining >factor enhancing the effect of walks, speeches, and marches. Thoughts? > >Be well, >Gene > >> > - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sally Light" Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) June 21st World Peace and Prayer Day Ceremony Date: 04 Jun 1999 13:33:21 +0100 In response to Arvol Looking Horse's call, for those in the Northern California area, there will be a medicine wheel ceremony early in the morning on June 21 at Mt. Tamalpais (San Francisco Bay Area). All are welcome. If interested, please contact Sally Light at for details, directions, and so on. ---------- > From: David Crockett Williams > To: List - Change Links ; GlobalPeaceWalk eGroup ; a RainbowList agr ; a SpirWbList - Science & Spirituality ; Abolition 2000 USA ; Activist Mailing List ; BayAreaActivistList ; CTRL ; Earthwork List ; FoodNotBombs List ; InTheShadows ; SEAC Announce ; Yugoslavia Discussion List > Subject: (abolition-usa) June 21st World Peace and Prayer Day Ceremony > Date: Friday, June 04, 1999 7:02 PM > > On behalf of Global Peace Walk2000 three of us are travelling to Costa Rica > to take part in the June 21st World Peace and Prayer Day Ceremony there > conducted by Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the 19th generation keeper of the > Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe of Peace http://www.worldpeaceday.com/1999 > > We ask you to do what you can to arrange in your location a coordinated > event to help echo the prayer for "Global Peace Now!" as a universal human > resolve. Your local events in conjunction with this ongoing worldwide > global peace campaign can be reported to that website. > > The time has come when we must all issue this cry to the heavens in whatever > way we can before it is too late. Perhaps even, as suggested in the post > copied below from Gene Johnson, a mass global campaign is in order to shout > this resolve from the rooftops and windows of homes around the world as one > voice for global peace. > > Please do what you can to focus on this date of the summer solstice this > year, the day of maximum light, to bring this message to fruition. > > Our thanks to the World Summit on Peace and Time for their support in > enabling us to travel to Costa Rica for this ceremony and to take part in > their event there at the University for Peace, June22-27, in support of the > 13Moon Calendar Change Global Peace Movement. http://www.earthascending.com > > Thank you very much, > > David Williams > > > ---------------- > Global Emergency Alert Response > http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000 > ********************************************************* > gear2000@lightspeed.net > GENERAL AGENCY SERVICES > David Crockett Williams 661-822-3309 > 20411 Steeple Court, Tehachapi CA 93561 USA > ********************************************************* > The Global Peace Walk 1999-2000 > 1999: 22APR Taos, NM, ---> Santa Fe 26APR > 2000: 15JAN San Francisco --> New York 24OCT > 12 OCT Washington, DC, > Columbus Day Ceremony Rededicating > The Washington Monument as a Symbol of Peace. > October 24th is United Nations Day > "GLOBAL PEACE NOW!" Global Peace Zone2000 > Remove the scourge of war from future generations > http://www.egroups.com/list/global-peace-walk > FOR ONE HUMAN FAMILY: Love All, Serve All > > From: David Crockett Williams > To: gene johnson > Subject: Re: Embrace Global Peace Walk 2000 > Date: Sunday, May 30, 1999 9:21 PM > > I think you have grasped the spirit of the intent of this "Global Peace > Now!" prayer/message. I am copying to Rev. Yamato for his comments as well > but you have hit the nail on the head with your suggestion. If you can help > implement your idea, it WILL work. The resolve for peace must come before > it can be manifest globally. What we are trying to do is wake folks up to > this fact and foment the resolve. > > -----Original Message----- > From: gene johnson > To: David Crockett Williams ; > Date: Sunday, May 30, 1999 9:13 PM > Subject: Re: Embrace Global Peace Walk 2000 > > > > > > > >David Crockett Williams wrote: > > > >> Your embrace of Global Peace Walk 2000 can make a significant > contribution > >> to the genuine cause of global peace, justice, environmental healing, and > >> prosperity for all. > >> > >> To accomplish these goals we urge you to help us echo the prayer for > "Global > >> Peace Now!" until this sound becomes the universal human resolve that can > >> actually achieve these goals by developing a comprehensive Global Culture > of > >> Peace that integrates science, art, and spirituality (the highest form of > >> politics). > > > >Hello David, > > > >What do you think about the idea of a nightly, out loud, chant, for > example, > >Global Peace Now, > >like the " I am mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore" from the > film, > >"Network" from years ago. > > > >It would be an interesting project to implement and it could be contagious > in > >densely populated areas. Neighbors could form a small chanting group and > kindle > >an area. Chant should be short enough to not be a bother to others. Snail > mail > >chain letters from Net original chain letters could be one way to initiate > it > >for both computer and non-computer persons. A dot.com and/or phone number > could > >be included at the end of the chant meme. Spreading of chanted memes in > the > >National Consciousness and a daily awareness reinforcement may be a > sustaining > >factor enhancing the effect of walks, speeches, and marches. Thoughts? > > > >Be well, > >Gene > > > >> > > > > > > - > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. > For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send > "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Congress Abdicates to "Terrorism"? Date: 04 Jun 1999 12:33:15 -0700 Hello all this is a forward that you all should know about! v e r y s c a r y {{ keep the peace and love}} Yasa > > Becky Hasselbring wrote: > >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -- >> >> Subject: Emergency Alert - HR 1790 >> Date: Tue, 01 Jun 1999 18:19:52 -0700 >> From: Olga Jones >> To: undisclosed recipients <oj@teleport.com> >> >> I just received the following from a friend. Being a bit of a cynic, I >> called the phone number at the end of the message. Surprise, surprise! I >> had a very nice chat with Mr. Jim Rarey (who it turns out graduated from >> high school a few miles down the road from me, LOL, though he now lives >> in Michigan). This is legit, and the precedent it would set is >> terrifying. He's going to be writing a follow up in the next few days, >> and will be sending me a copy. >> >> Regards, >> Olga >> >> HR 1790, Chemical Safety Information and Site Security Act of 1999 >> >> ==================BEGIN FORWARDED >> MESSAGE================== >> MEDIUM RARE >> By Jim Rarey >> May 23, 1999 >> EMERGENCY ALERT!! >> >> Congress Set to Abdicate >> >> In the guise of fighting terrorism, the Congress is rushing through >> legislation that would delegate to the executive branch unprecedented >> >> (and unconstitutional) powers. >> >> On Wednesday, May 19th at a hearing by the House Commerce Health and >> Environmental Sub-committee, legislation drafted by the >> administration >> was discussed. The bill deals with hazardous materials and both >> accidental catastrophic spills and those caused by terrorism. The >> bill >> has been introduced by Republican (!) Representative Thomas Bliley of >> >> Virginia. The Republican leadership has scheduled the legislation to >> be >> cleared through the House and Senate for the president's signature by >> >> June 21st. >> >> Among other things, the legislation would: >> >> 1.. Preempt (strike down) all state and local laws on availability >> of government records to the public. >> 2.. Preempt all state and local Freedom of Information Acts >> (FOIA'S) >> 3.. Give the executive branch the authority to decide which >> requests for information from the federal government it would honor. >> 4.. Give the executive branch the authority to issue 'guidelines' >> as well as criminal penalties for violation of those 'guidelines'. >> 5.. Prohibit the public from obtaining (in either written or >> electronic form) information about 'offsite consequences' of >> accidental >> catastrophic chemical incidents as well as those that might be caused >> >> by terrorists. >> 6.. Allow the executive branch to establish (by executive order) >> criminal penalties for any state or local official who allows such >> information to reach the public in printed or electronic form. >> 7.. Prohibits even federal officials >from making such information >> available on the internet. >> >> Additionally, Congress has given the authority to the president to >> write 'privacy' laws if congress does not come up with acceptable >> legislation by August of this year. The president mentioned this in >> his >> public speech about his 'privacy' agenda. My congressional >> representative verified that congress had indeed given him that >> authority. Her staff is in the process of hunting down the specific >> legislation that granted that unconstitutional power. >> >> Undoubtedly this same tactic is being used by the administration in >> other areas of proposed legislation. We must mount a massive protest >> to >> the congress to stop this dangerous and unconstitutional delegation >> of >> power to the executive branch. >> >> Please forward this piece to every E-mail address you have. Then >> write >> your representative in congress and both of your senators expressing >> your outrage that they would even consider such actions. This is not >> a >> partisan issue. Both Republicans and Democrats on the sub-committee >> expressed 'reservations' about some of the provisions. However the >> Republican leadership seems determined to rush the bill through the >> House and Senate. >> >> If we lose this one, then congress has become irrelevant! >> >> permission is granted to reproduce in its entirety or call Jim Rarey >> at >> (734) 942-7667 > > - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mecta@aol.com Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Congress Abdicates to "Terrorism"? Date: 04 Jun 1999 18:55:49 EDT - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Say "No New Oil Exploration / Artic Ocean!" Date: 04 Jun 1999 16:32:05 -0700 --------------Forwarded message from Global Response below Attn: Global Response QRN Members: Here is the text of an op-ed piece, based on Global Response Action #3/99 (No New Oil Exploration / Artic Ocean). Please use this as-is or edit it, and send it to your local and regional newspapers. Feel free to sign= it with your own name. This is a great way to generate more public interest and activism on this issue. We need to influence the Boise Cascade Board= of Directors' Meeting on April 16 -- so we've got to generate letters fast! Thanks for EVERYTHING you can do to help on this! -- Paula > > A Window of Opportunity > >Camera readers have an opportunity to help redirect current plans for a >risky oil-drilling experiment in a biologically rich Arctic region. BP >Amoco is building an offshore platform on an artificial island in the >Beaufort Sea, north of Alaska. It plans to transport the oil to shore >through an underwater pipeline =96 a risky experiment never yet attempte= d in >Arctic conditions. If allowed to proceed, the experiment, called the >Northstar Project, would lead to the building of a string of oil wells >across the Beaufort Sea, and the likely devastation of the area. > >This experiment poses a double threat. In the short term, oil spills >threaten the fragile Arctic ecosystem and the native peoples who depend = on >them for their livelihoods. In the long term, continued use of fossil fu= els >will accelerate the global warming which is already happening and which >poses the single most serious threat to life on the planet. Alaska Nati= ves >and Greenpeace are asking for help in persuading BP Amoco to abandon the >Northstar Project, and to invest in developing renewable energy alternatives >=96 solar, wind, and waves. > >The Arctic is home to some of the world=92s most distinctive mammals, millions >of migratory and resident birds, a rich ice-edge community, and some of = the >world=92s major fisheries. It is a biologically and culturally unique >environment, and one of the last places on Earth where natural condition= s >still prevail over much of the region. The Arctic is also a region that= is >particularly vulnerable to human-induced climate change. > >Greenpeace gives these reasons to stop offshore oil development in the >Arctic Ocean: > >1) Global Warming. The Western Arctic, site of the Northstar Project, = is >already warming at least three times faster than the planet as a whole. The >reduction of sea ice now occurring is a major threat to the Arctic food >chain and to many unique Arctic species, including polar bears and walru= s. >If the world continues to burn even a fraction of the known reserves of >coal, oil and natural gas, catastrophic climate change will result. If w= e >are to maintain a life-supporting climate on the planet, the world can=92= t >afford to use all the oil reserves we already have. Further oil exploration >must stop. > >2. Dangerous Technology. Amoco would use untested and risky technology= to >transport oil ashore through a pipeline buried beneath the seabed. Sea = ice >in the region continually gouges the sea floor, raising serious concerns >about the safety of the pipeline. The area is either frozen solid or in >"broken ice" condition for about ten months each year. > >3. Oil spill Danger. There is up to a 1 in 4 chance of a major spill o= ver >the life of the Northstar Project (The Trans-Alaska Pipeline has reporte= d >624 spills since it opened in 1977). Any leak that occurs during the lon= g, >dark winter would likely go undetected until spring, and cleaning up an = oil >spill would be next to impossible during the "broken ice" conditions of >spring and fall. A major spill could prove disastrous for the >biologically-rich arctic ecosystem, especially the endangered bowhead whale, >polar bears, ringed seals, sea ducks, and the Inupiat Eskimo communities. > >Global Response is a remarkably effective network that has exerted a >powerful influence on a number of environmental issues. It works in >partnership with indigenous, environmental, and peace and justice >organizations around the world, and also works with elementary and high >school students to enable them to influence these issues as well. Globa= l >Response is working with Greenpeace and others to coordinate efforts to >redirect BP Amoco's activities in a less destructive direction. Camera >readers can add their impact by writing the CEO to urge Amoco to abandon >Northstar and all new oil exploration, and to lead the oil industry=92s >transition toward renewable energy. It is also possible to join others = in >such efforts by joining Global Response. > >For more information, contact Global Response at 303/444-0306, or write = to >Global Response, P.O. Box 7490, Boulder CO, USA 80306-7490. >Website: http://www.globalresponse.org > > >--Arden Buck is a enthusiastic long-time supporter of Global Response. > > > > > > >> > > GLOBAL RESPONSE is an international letter-writing network of environment= al activists. In partnership with indigenous, environmentalist and peace an= d justice organizations around the world, GLOBAL RESPONSE develops "Actions= " that describe specific, urgent threats to the environment; each "Action" asks members to write personal letters to individuals in the corporations= , governments or international organizations that have the power and responsibility to take corrective action. GR also issues "Young Environmentalists' Actions" and "Eco-Club Actions" designed to educate an= d motivate elementary and high school students to practice earth stewardshi= p. P.O. Box 7490 Phone: 303/444-0306 Boulder CO, USA 80306-7490 Fax: 303/449-9794 To receive Global Response materials by e-mail, send an e-mail message to= : majordomo@igc.apc.org In the body of your message, type this text: subscribe globresmembers Visit our website at: http://www.globalresponse.org - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) UCS on Y2K and nukes Date: 05 Jun 1999 11:54:36 -0700 Go to http://www.tmia.com/y2k.htm for more details. How might the Millennium Bug affect nuclear power plants? by David Lochbaum, Union of Concerned Scientists As ironic as it seems, the good news about nuclear power plants is t= hat much of their emergency systems use 1960=92s technology. These antique sy= stems are unlikely to be affected by the Millennium Bug because they are not computer controlled. These systems will work on January 1, 2000, as they have during the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The bad news is that nuclear power plants have non-emergency systems that may be disabled by the Millennium Bug. These failure of these second= ary systems can prevent emergency systems from functioning properly. The plan= t monitoring and the security computers are two such systems. The plant monitoring computer receives signals from thousands of sensors throughout the plant. The signals include information such as the pressure inside the reactor, the temperature of the cooling water, the amount of fuel available for the backup power systems, and opened/closed position of valves. The computer relays this data to the operators via display screens and printers in the control room. These signals are also wired directly to gauges, chart recorders, and alarms so the operators ge= t the information needed to evaluate conditions and control the plant even = if the monitoring computer fails. Operators use the monitoring computers during the vast majority of their training exercises and nearly all of their day-to-day job duties. Obtaining desired information on plant conditions from the monitoring computer has become second nature to the operators. They are less accusto= med to using the backup sources. As a result, it may take them longer to evaluate plant conditions using only the backup sources, thus delaying th= eir response to problems and increasing the chances that they will make a mistake. The reactor accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl illustrated what can happen when operators are not fully aware of plant conditions. T= he March 1979 accident at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania began as a minor disturbance that had occurred several times in the past. Mispositioned valves and a faulty component complicated matters, but the plant=92s emer= gency systems automatically started to ensure adequate cooling of the reactor core. However, the operators relied on a failed instrument =96 without checking its readily available backup =96 and turned the emergency pumps = off. Deprived of cooling water, the severely damaged reactor core released mor= e than ten million curies of radioactivity into the atmosphere. The April 1986 accident at Chernobyl I the Ukraine began during a te= st conducted at low power. Workers intentionally disabled some of the plant=92= s emergency systems for the test. When the test was delayed, the operators = did not realize that the changing conditions eliminated the established safet= y margins. When unexpected conditions were encountered during the test, the operators activated the remaining emergency systems to shut down the reactor. Their actions had the unintended effect of producing a steam explosion that ripped apart the reactor core and its containment building and ignited a fire that burned for days and released more than one hundre= d million curies of radioactivity into the atmosphere. The Three Mile Island and Chernobyl experiences do not mean that nuclear power plants face disaster if their monitoring computer systems fail. But they do tragically indicate what can happen when complex technologies are not fully understood. Security computer systems at nuclear plants are also complex technologies. The security computer receives inputs from the cameras, infrared sensors, and other devices that protect the plant from unauthori= zed entries. This computer also receives inputs from card readers for many do= ors within the plant. These card readers control access to vital plant areas = by allowing only authorized personnel to enter. If the security computer "crashes," the plant=92s external protection is degraded. More importantl= y, plant workers=92 entry to vital areas may be impeded. The card readers ar= e disabled when the security computer "crashes" and the doors default to th= e locked condition. The locked doors may be opened using a key, but plant workers do not routinely carry the keys. Their response time will be slow= ed if they have to retrieve the keys to all the doors they need to pass through. Access problems have already been a factor in a nuclear plant accide= nt. Four workers were killed at the Surry nuclear plant in Virginia in Decemb= er 1986 when a broken pipe released steam into the building where they were working. The steam also caused fire sprinklers to spray water throughout = the building. Water leaked into some of the card readers and shorted out the security computer. Locked doors slowed workers responding to the accident. Another non-emergency system at most nuclear power plants that may cause problems is the spent fuel pool cooling system. Spent fuel pools contain irradiated fuel that has been removed from the reactor core. The average nuclear plant has four to five times as much irradiated fuel in i= ts spent fuel pool as in its reactor core. Irradiated fuel releases both hea= t and radiation for many years after the reactor is shut down, which is why emergency core cooling systems are installed. But the cooling system for = the spent fuel pools at most nuclear plants is not an emergency system. Exper= ts in a Congressional hearing last year testified that the Millennium Bug mi= ght cause the electrical grid to "blackout." A nuclear plant automatically sh= uts down if there is a "blackout." Emergency diesel generators automatically start within seconds to provide power to the pumps that cool the reactor core. The system that cools the spent fuel pool is not powered by the emergency diesel generators. The irradiated fuel in the spent fuel pool continues to release heat. The temperature of the spent fuel pool water w= ill slowly increase. A watched pot may not boil, but an uncooled spent fuel p= ool will boil in a few days. A boiling spent fuel pool represents a serious radiation threat to plant workers and the public. What should we do before the Millennium Bug bites? The plant monitoring and security computers may cause serious nucle= ar plant problems if they are affected by the Millennium Bug. Therefore, all reasonable precautions must be taken. For example, training exercises for plant operators should be conducted this year with the plant monitoring computer disabled. These drills would familiarize the operators with the backup sources for monitoring plant conditions. To deal with potential security computer problems, access doors within the plants could be propp= ed open or workers could be issued keys for all doors needed to shut down th= e plant safely. The irradiated fuel in the spent fuel pools may cause serious probl= ems if the electrical grid is affected by the Millennium Bug for longer than = a day or two. Again, there are precautions that must be taken. At some plan= ts, it may be possible to power the spent fuel pool cooling system from the existing emergency diesel generators. For the remaining plants, temporary power sources =96 either diesel generators or combustible gas turbines =96 should be installed as a contingency. Only time will tell whether nuclear power plants are affected by th= e Millennium Bug. The Three Mile Island and Chernobyl experience demonstrat= es that nuclear plant problems can lead to disaster. Unlike the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl problems, the exact timing of the Millennium Bug=92s arrival is precisely known. If the recommended precautions are taken, the next countdown will likely be to the new Millennium. If not, it may be a countdown to a nuclear disaster. Year 2000 Bug Most Nuke Plants Must Meet Federal Standards by July by Garry Lenton of the Harrisburg Patriot News Most of the nation's 103 nuclear power plants are expected to meet a Ju= ly 1 deadline to ensure that their computer systems will operate safely in t= he year 2000, state and federal regulators say. But some, such as GPU Nuclear's Three Mile Island nuclear station, will not finished testing until the fall, when they take their reactors offlin= e for refueling. The timing make some nuclear observers nervous. But the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory commission, which licenses the plants, said it is willing to extend the deadline for those plants rather than force companies to go offline early and disrupt electricity supplies. "The NRC will have to look at each response and determine what, if any, actions we feel are appropriate to see that they get their facilities in shape," said Beth Hayden, a spokeswoman for the NRC. "If somebody gives u= s a huge, long laundry list, we will have some trepidation about whether they can get the work done." Pennsylvania's Public Utility Commission is requiring the state's plant= s to be Y2K compliant by March 31. "From what I know from the publicly available documents, were very encouraged by what we see," said Dennis Buckley, Y2K coordinator for PUC Chairman John Quain. A special U.S. Senate committee investigating Y2K recently warned that = the United States is likely to experience some disruptions in health-care and electric power and food distribution. Could disruptions cause a meltdown? No, say Nuclear experts, because> computers responsible for safely shutting down nuclear reactors in emergencies are based on analog systems and not subject to Y2K problems. = Y2K is a product of digital computer systems. However, Y2K problems have been found in computers that operate securit= y systems, control room display systems, engineering programs, control systems, radiation monitoring an emergency responses, according to an NRC report. PECO Energy Co. found that out on February 11, when the primary and bac= kup computers that monitor systems at the Peach Bottom Nuclear Power station = in York County went down for seven hours when a Y2K test was improperly applied. The mistake affected to plant safety display system, emergency response data system and a program that monitors temperature limits in the reactor= , according to a daily report filed with the NRC. Backup systems picked up the slack, but the incident showed the risk th= at nuclear plants face as 2000 approaches. The biggest danger facing nuclear plants is that a computer problem wil= l interrupt the interstate flow of electricity known as "the grid." If the grid becomes unstable, emergency systems at nuclear plants will automatically shutdown reactors and shift to diesel generators to keep th= e plants electrical systems running, said Scott Portzline of Three Mile Isl= and Alert . Some diesel generators are unreliable, he said. "I think there is a high probability that there will be some sort of incident, and hopefully, control room operators will have the ability to mitigate accidents, Portzline said. Nuclear activist and watchdog group's generally agree that the potentia= l for at TMI type accident is small, but they worry that there may not be enough time to catch glitches that can cause other problems. GPU's decision to wait until fall to finish testing is an example of economics taking priority over public safety, said Paul Gunter of the nuclear information and resource service a watchdog group in Washington. Economics also played a role in the NRC's decision to use a two-tiered standard for the test Gunter said. NRC guidelines allowed selected system= to qualify only as a "ready" and not a higher standard, "compliant." A compliant system has been tested and will function normally in 2000. "Rea= dy" means that the system has been temporarily rigged to perform into the new year, but it is not a permanent solution. The two-tiered standard was a concession the NRC made to the nuclear industry to save money, Gunter said. "It seems like the public health and economics are always on the scrimm= age line here," he said. "And too many times the economic issue wins out." GPU is waiting until fall to test the turbine generator and Unit 1 beca= use taking the reactor offline now would disrupt the utility schedule and cou= ld create interruptions in power at a time when demand is high. Outages are scheduled in fall because electrical demands are usually low. James Langenbach, vice president and director of TMI, said waiting unti= l the outage to complete Y2K testing poses no risk because the turbine generator has, in effect, already been tested. General Electric Co. built a replica of the unit and it passed, he said. Even if the TMI unit failed, it would take only days to bring it into compliance, he said. "I have every confidence that GPU will be Y2K compliant," Langenbach sa= id. The industry is spending millions on computer testing. GPU spend about = $3 million on Y2K since it started testing in 1996, spokesman Tom Kauffman said. The company setup software stations where employees can test their computer programs. It has had 12 people working full-time on testing he said. "It's a serious problem that we are taking very seriously," he said. GPU even set up a toll-free telephone number for residents to call for information about the testing program: 888 GPU - 4Y2K. E-mail questions c= an be sent to year2000@GPU.com. PP&L's analysis of 380 computer systems is nearly done. Most showed tha= t they would not be affected by Y2K said Herbert Woodeshick, spokesman for PP&L's Susquehanna nuclear plant in Berwick. "We have a couple where we need to do some minor modifications, but it'= s a minor job," he said. PECO, which operates the Peach Bottom and Limerick plants, will spend $= 75 million company-wide to test for Y2K problems, spokesman Bill Jones said.= It will meet the deadline, he said Links Nuclear Information and Resources Y2K site Short speech by NRC Chairman Shirley Dr. Jackson on Y2K NRC list of affected systems at nuclear plants Michael Mariotte of NIRS discusses Y2K and Nuclear Power (Real Audio by Pacifica Radio) NRC Briefing on Grid Reliability Station Blackout (NRC) United States Government Accounting Office Reports on Y2K Computing Crisi= s in=BD - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) New Scientist Report - Kosovo Depleted Uranium Date: 05 Jun 1999 13:40:59 -0700 >From New Scientist, 5 June 1999 IN 1991 Doug Rokke went to the Middle East as a US army health physicist to clean up uranium left by the Gulf War. He helped decontaminate 23 armoured vehicles hit by shells in "friendly fire" incidents. Today he has difficulty breathing. His lungs are scarred and he has skin problems and kidney damage. Rokke, a major in the US Army Reserve's Medical Service Corps, has no doubt what made him ill--contact with radioactive metal.Three years after he worked in the Gulf, the US Department of Energy tested his urine. They found that the level of uranium in his sample was over 4000 times higher than the US safety limit of 0.1 micrograms per litre. Now aged 50 and an environmental scientist at Jacksonville State University in Alabama, Rokke is campaigning to stop the US firing uranium weapons in the Balkans. "It is a war crime to use uranium munitions when men, women and children are exposed to them without any medical screening or care," he says. "It is totally, totally wrong." Depleted uranium, or DU, is a radioactive heavy metal. It is the waste left over when the isotope uranium-235 is extracted from naturally-occurring uranium to fuel nuclear power stations and build nuclear bombs. DU typically consists of 99.7 per cent uranium-238. As a by-product of the nuclear industry, DU is cheap and plentiful. And DU shells are a very effective weapon against tanks and armoured cars. They can pierce several inches of armour-plated steel thanks to DU's extremely high density. They're better at penetrating armour than traditional anti-tank weapons made of tungsten. DU was used for the first time in battle during the 1991 Gulf conflict with Iraq. The US Department of Defense says that US planes and tanks fired 860 000 rounds of ammunition containing 290 tonnes of DU. British tanks fired 100 rounds containing less than 1 tonne of DU, according to the Ministry of Defence. Gulf veterans such as Rokke believe exposure to this DU is one of the causes of Gulf War Syndrome, the unexplained illness or group of illnesses that has afflicted thousands of soldiers since the war. Iraqi scientists also claim that DU was responsible for a rise in the numbers of cancers and birth defects in southern Iraq. But both the US and British governments dispute this. They say there is no evidence that DU has damaged the health of military personnel. But the row is erupting again with the US admission it is using DU weapons in the two-month-old war against Serbia. In a press briefing in Washington DC on 3 May, Major General Charles Wald, vice-director for strategic plans and policy for the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed that A10 Warthog aircraft had fired DU munitions against Serbian forces. The US Joint Chiefs' spokesman, James Brooks, told New Scientist that AV-8 Harriers and Abrams battle tanks in the Balkans also carried DU munitions. The British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, has said that no DU is "in use" by British forces. But there are more than 20 British Challenger tanks, which fired DU ammunition in the Gulf conflict, stationed in Macedonia ready for action if ground troops move into Kosovo--a move supported by Britain as the limitations of an air offensive become apparent. NATO says that DU has been used against Serbian forces since the second week of May. "It has not been used extensively," says a NATO spokesman. "It has never been proved that the use of DU endangers the health of people. It is no more dangerous than mercury." Neither NATO nor the US will say how just much DU has been fired in the Balkans. But there are 40 A10s and 6 Harriers in action, capable of unleashing a lot of uranium. A10s, for example, are armed with a 30-millimetre Gatling gun that can fire 3900 shells a minute, one in five of which contains 300 grams of DU. This means that each A10 could release 234 kilograms of DU a minute. If US and British tanks take part in a ground offensive, observers say more DU is likely to be fired. As well as its ability to pierce armour plating, DU has the unfortunate tendency to ignite on impact, creating clouds of uranium oxide dust--facilitating its spread in the environment and increasing the danger posed by the alpha radiation it emits. Mike Thorne, a uranium expert from AEA Technology at Harwell in Oxfordshire, formerly part of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, points out that as an alpha-emitter, it poses a similar risk to plutonium if it gets inside the body. As such, even the tiniest amounts could cause cell damage that marginally increases the risk of cancer. DU also emits dangerous beta radiation. Its main component, uranium-238, has a half-life of 4.46 billion years. Thorne argues that it could in theory contribute to Gulf War Syndrome: "In view of its poorly defined biochemical effects, DU could be a contributory factor," he says. Chemically, DU poses a great threat to the kidneys, where high concentrations can lead to organ failure. But according to Thorne, even small amounts could have subtle but ill-understood effects. That is why a major study by the US Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 1989 recommended reducing the safety limit for uranium in kidneys from 3 micrograms per gram to 0.3 micrograms per gram. There is evidence that civilian authorities take the threat from DU very seriously. In the aftermath of the Gulf conflict, the UK Atomic Energy Authority came up with some frightening estimates for the potential effects of the DU contamination left by the conflict. It calculated that if 23 tonnes of DU were inhaled--8 per cent of the amount actually fired in the Gulf--this could cause "500 000 potential deaths". This was "a theoretical figure", it stressed, that indicated "a significant problem". Potential deaths The AEA's calculation was made in a confidential memo to the privatised munitions company, Royal Ordnance, dated 30 April 1991. The memo offered to send a team to Kuwait to clear up the DU--an offer that was never taken up. The high number of potential deaths was dismissed last year as "very far from realistic" by a British defence minister, Lord Gilbert. "Since the rounds were fired in the desert, many kilometres from the nearest village, it is highly unlikely that the local population would have been exposed to any significant amount of respirable oxide," he said. The Balkans war, however, is not being fought in a desert but in areas where people have, or did have, houses. As a result of earlier pressure from Gulf veterans, the British government commissioned two reports. In April this year, Lord Gilbert quoted the 1993 investigation by the Defence Radiological Protection Service, which concluded "that there was no indication that any British troops had been subjected to harmful over-exposure to DU during the Gulf conflict". But the other report, published by the Ministry of Defence in March, did acknowledge that troops could have inhaled DU dust in the Gulf and that this "could theoretically lead to damage to lung tissue and subsequently to a raised probability of lung cancer some years later". The ultimate irony is that DU could poison the very land that NATO is trying to protect, says Rokke. "The aim of this war is to enable the Kosovars to return home. But unless the uranium is cleaned up, those that survive the Serb atrocities and the NATO aerial attacks will have to return to a contaminated environment where they may become ill." _________________________________________________END FWD. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Fw: Radiation eating microbes? Date: 05 Jun 1999 21:36:22 -0700 above subject previous post may be inadvertently forwarded disinformation according to article on website below forwarded by original sender of above. -----Original Message----- >Guess I should forward this to a few more people who got my post earlier >regarding Joel Carlinsky so we are all forewarned. > >But this doesn't denigrate the question any. Just makes us cautious of the >one doing the asking. Remy C. > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: Michael Theroux >To: Remy C. >Sent: Saturday, June 05, 2004 1:58 PM >Subject: Re: Radiation eating microbes? > > >> At 11:48 AM 06/05/1999 -0400, you wrote: >> > (I received this text snail mail after I got a call from Joel >Carlinsky. >> >> Remy, >> >> I urge you to read the following: >> >> http://www.umsl.edu/~skthoma/carl.htm >> >> TOXIC DISINFORMATION: Joel Carlinsky's Bonfire of Insanity >> >> by Jim Martin (editor, Flatland) and Kenn Thomas (editor, >> Steamshovel Press) >> >> >> Michael > - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Timothy Bruening Subject: (abolition-usa) Headlines about the war Date: 06 Jun 1999 21:17:09 -0700 (PDT) I saw the following headlines about the Yugoslav war on the front page of the June 1 Sacramento Bee: Kosovo goal to save lives, Clinton says. Toll rises as NATO hits sanitarium. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Timothy Bruening Subject: (abolition-usa) After the War Date: 06 Jun 1999 21:39:55 -0700 (PDT) Now that the war appears to be almost over, what do we do now? Will we switch to such issues as A campaign to lift the sanctions against Iraq, and calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons? - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jackie Cabasso Subject: (abolition-usa) SANTA BARBARA ABOLITION CAMPAIGN UPDATE Date: 07 Jun 1999 16:36:00 -0700 Deal all -- The Facilitator's Group established at the February US abolition meeting in Santa Barbara is meeting regularly via frequent conference calls, to carry out its assigned tasks: 1) Formulate a longer-term structure; 2) Bring forward strategic activities; 3) Suggest a name for the campaign; 4) Plan the next meeting. The notes of our calls are being posted to the US abolition-caucus list serve. We are currently discussing possibilities for our next face-to-face meetings. Watch this space.... In the meantime, here's a brief update and announcement. Please consider contacting one or more or the working groups! FIRST, The Facilitators' Group is pleased to announce that we have reached agreement on a name! We are now the US CAMPAIGN TO ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS. This name was agreed upon after several rounds of consultation with meeting participants and lots of discussion. While we recognize that the name is not perfect, it is clear and it conveys our primary purpose. While it's not intended to be a temporary name, we remain open to changing or modifying it in the future, if there's a compelling reason. Thanks to all of you for your patience. SECOND, at the Santa Barbara meeting we identified potential working groups and conveners. FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF THE INITIAL US ABOLITION CAMPAIGN WORKING GROUPS. PLEASE CONTACT THE LISTED CONVENERS IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH A GROUP OR OBTAINING MORE INFORMATION ABOUT IT. FOR THOSE GROUPS WITHOUT IDENTIFIED CONVENORS, PLEASE RESPOND TO THE LIST IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING FOR THE JOB. -- STAR WARS/ABM WORKING GROUP This group was formed initially to respond quickly to the legislation pending at the time of the Santa Barbara meeting authorizing further research and limited deployment of an anti-ballistic missile system by the United States. Although there is currently no convener for this group, those on the conference call agreed that ballistic missile defense continues to be a key issue of concern for advocates of nuclear weapons abolition, due to continuing development of the system, its potential to revive a multilateral nuclear arms race, and the controversy over its possible extension in the Western Pacific. Conveners: To be determined. --CIVIL SOCIETY CAMPAIGN TO ENROLL ORGANIZATIONS IN A BRIEF ABOLITION STATEMENT AND CITY DIALOGUES ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT WITH PROMINENT MOVERS AND SHAKERS WORKING GROUP This working group covers several related efforts aimed at mobilizing opinion via existing groups in civil society and campaigns aimed at elected officials in municipalities. It includes various efforts to get mayors and city and town governing bodies to endorse abolition statements, as well as similar efforts aimed at non-governmental civic groups. Campaigns represented within this working group include A campaign aimed at creating discussion forums among "opinion leaders" in major cities on nuclear weapons and their abolition; a campaign aimed at convincing a wide range of civic groups to endorse an abolition statement; and the campaign to obtain endorsement of the Abolition 2000 statement by municipalities. Conveners: Pamela Meidell (The Atomic Mirror) pmeidell@igc.org; (805)985-5073; Ed Aguilar (Lawyers Alliance for World Security, Philadelphia)(610)668-5470 --CONGRESSIONAL FOCUS (Originally Congress and Adminsitration, now split in two) This working group will focus on initiatives relevant to nuclear weapons abolition in the U.S. Congress. Examples include the pending Markey and Woolsey resolutions, aimed respectively at scaling back U.S. nuclear weapons research and production programs and at encouraging the Administration to engage in meaningful negotiations to achieve abolition. Its work encompasses grassroots efforts to mobilize widespread attention to particular measures and issues pending in Congress. Conveners: to be determined. --ADMINISTRATION FOCUS This group will work to focus attention on the nuclear weapons policies and activities of the Executive branch, trying in particular to create forums for discussion and criticism of nuclear weapons policies. Its current initiative is a teach-in at the University of Michigan on nuclear weapons issues, with the organizers hoping to get administration officials to participate and to publicly debate critics of existing nuclear weapons policies. If the teach-in model works the hope is to extend it to other campuses. Convener: Alan Haber (Michigan Coalition of Peace and Environmental Organizations) od4life@aol.com; (734)761-7967 --YOUTH/CAMPUSES This working group aims to raise the level of awareness among young people about nuclear weapons and efforts to abolish them. It will work on the teach-ins discussed in the Administration focus working group above. It will also attempt to gather and broaden the distribution of existing nuclear weapons abolition materials aimed at a youth and campus audience. Convener: Odile Haber (Michigan Coalition of Peace and Environmental Organizations) od4life@aol.com; (734)761-7967 --DIRECT ACTION Nonviolent direct action long has been a central part of the movement to abolish nuclear weapons. Despite a lack of media coverage, direct action continues at weapons and government facilities around the country, from the Nevada Test Site, to the weapons laboratories in Livermore, California and Los Alamos, New Mexico, to Washington D.C. and the newly opened Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, also in New Mexico. This working group will be a place for people involved in particular direct action campaigns to raise national awareness of their activities and to exchange ideas and information. It also will try to provide resources which will be broadly useful, for example nonviolence training materials and lists of nonviolence trainers. Convener Matteo Ferreira (Shundahai Network) shundahai@shundahai.org; (702)647-3095 --INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ORGANIZING AND CONCERNS The cycle of nuclear materials mining and nuclear weapons testing and production always has had a disproportionate impact on indigenous people world-wide. Nuclear weapons testing has occurred for the most part on the lands of indigenous peoples, without regard for their sovereign rights, and with devastating effects on people and their lands. Indigenous people have taken the lead in many parts of the globe both in making the connections between nuclear weapons and the effects of the entire cycle of nuclear materials, nuclear power, and nuclear weapons production, and in advocating for nuclear weapons abolition. This working group will provide a focus for making these voices heard both inside and outside the movement. Conveners: Michele Xenos (Shundahai Network), shundahai@shundahai.org; (702)647-3095; Pilulaw Khus (Coastal Band, Chumash Nation), pilulaw@jps.net; (805)771-8922; Richard Salvador (Pacific Islands Association of NGOs) salvador@hawaii.edu; (818)956-8537 --NATO AND NATO 50TH ANNIVERSARY MEETING, APRIL 23 This working group initially focused on the upcoming NATO 50th anniversary meeting in Washington, D.C. and the likelihood that NATO nuclear weapons policies would be debated there. There has been interest in continuing this as a working group, since the controversy over NATO nuclear weapons policies, including a refusal to renounce first use, a potential counter-proliferation role for nuclear weapons, and the expansion of NATO's military scope to include broad out-of-area combat roles is likely to continue for a long time. Convener: Mark Mebane (Fourth Freedom Forum) mmebane@fourthfreedom.org; (219)543-3402 --INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS AND ISSUES This working group aims at coordinating the abolition campaign in the United States with efforts world-wide, including Abolition 2000 and other efforts in particular nations and regions to eliminate nuclear weapons. With the emergence of a new nuclear weapons and ballistic missile race in South Asia, growing controversy over possible theatre and domestic ballistic missile deployments, and the stagnation of arms control negotiations, this working group will help the abolition campaign in the U.S. remain aware of the effects U.S. nuclear weapons and military policies have on efforts to achieve abolition in other nuclear weapons states and globally. Conveners: Alice Slater (Global Resource Action Center for the Environment) aslater@gracelinks.org; (212)726-9161; Richard Salvador (Pacific Islands Association of NGOs)salvador@hawaii.edu; (818)956-8537or 3691; David Krieger (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation) wagingpeace@napf.org; (805)965-3443 --AFFECTED COMMUNITIES Communities across the country have been affected by half a century nuclear weapons research, testing, and production. They range from workers at DOE facilities to people who live downwind from those facilities to armed services veterans exposed to nuclear tests. Many of these groups already have organized to put pressure on the Federal government to clean up the environmental damage, to perform meaningful health and environmental studies, and to provide compensation. These groups share many of our concerns, and often already are committed to abolition of nuclear weapons. This working group will focus attention on the destructive legacy of nuclear weapons, and will work to integrate these communities and their concerns into the broader campaign. Convener: Joseph Gerson Jgerson@afsc.org; (617) 661-6130 --RESEARCH FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS COMPLEX This group will focus on the activities of the nuclear weapons and production complex, and will explore the impacts of continuing nuclear weapons research on the global test ban and nonproliferation regime and on efforts to achieve abolition. It will also examine the overlap between nuclear weapons research technologies and other emerging arms races which affect chances for abolition, including anti-ballistic missile technologies, spece weaponry, and possible next-generation nuclear weapons. The group will be both a means to coordinate research efforts and to distribute relevant information within the campaign and to a wider public. Conveners: Jackie Cabasso (Western States Legal Foundation), wslf@earthlink.net, (510)839-5877; Sally Light (Tri-Valley CAREs), sallight@earthlink.net, (925)443-7148 --MEDIA/CAMPAIGN LAUNCH This working group will be a place to develop and share media strategies. An initial focus will be efforts to coordinate a campaign launch that is cohesive and nationally visible. Convener: Steve Kent (Kent Communications)kentcom@highlands.com; ((914)424-8382 --BOTTOM UP ORGANIZING (local movement building and making the connection to other issues) Through discussing and organizing around the way nuclear weapons are connected to other social ills and injustices, from local ecological devastation, distorted government spending priorities, and a culture of violence which stretches from the state to the street to global inequality, we can deepen our own understanding of what must be done to achieve abolition of nuclear weapons, as well as the understanding of those we hope to persuade. We then open up the possibility that we will become part of a larger movement which can make the changes which could make abolition possible. This working group will explore ways to make connections on the local level with other organizing efforts which share some of our concerns, and by doing so to help create the social movement needed to achieve theabolition of nuclear weapons. Convener: Andrew Lichterman (Western States Legal Foundation), alichterman@worldnet.att.net 510-839-5877 --DEMOCRACY, POWER AND NUCLEAR WEAPONRY DRAFTING COMMITTEE This working group has taken responsibility for following through on the commitment made in Santa Barbara to develop a carefully thought out statement on the relationships between democracy, power and nuclear weapons. A draft statement is currently being prepared, to be circulated for comment in the near future. Convener: David Krieger (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation), wagingpeace@napf.org; (805)965-3443. ****************************************************** Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director WESTERN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION 1440 Broadway, Suite 500 Oakland, California USA 94612 Tel: +(510)839-5877 Fax: +(510)839-5397 E-mail: wslf@earthlink.net ****************************************************** Western States Legal Foundation is part of ABOLITION 2000 A GLOBAL NETWORK TO ELIMINATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Debate Between Sonja Licht and Srdjan Dizdarevic] Date: 07 Jun 1999 23:55:11 EDT This is a very interesting exchange between Sonja Licht, a strong woman in=20 Belgrade, clear in her views (as you will see) and someone with somewhat=20 different views. Sonja, I believe, is back in Belgrade. This debate, and the=20 flood of material coming from Grupa484 gives the lie to the repeated charge=20 that Milosevic is a "dictator" and there is no opposition in Serbia. David McReynolds << Subj:=09 Fw: [Fwd: [balkanhr] Debate Between Sonja Licht and Srdjan=20 Dizdarevic] Date:=096/7/99 7:06:04 PM Eastern Daylight Time From:=09grupa484@beotel.yu (grupa484) =20 Excerpts from a Debate Between Sonja Licht, President of Open Society Foundation (Belgrade) and Srdjan Dizdarevic, President of Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia-Herzegovina (Sarajevo). Provided by HCA Prague (26 May 1999) via Courier des Balkans (5 June 1999). =20 RFE: In Serbia almost everyone is speaking about civilian victims and about the=20 destruction of the country by NATO. At the same time NGOs from BiH, Croatia=20 and Slovenia stress the tragedy of Kosovo Albanians. How do you see it: =20 SL: First of all I want to say is that in the beginning of April, 17 NGOs from=20 Serbia issued a statement which pointed out the suffering of Kosovo Albanians as=20 well as citizens of Serbia and Montenegro because of the NATO bombing. I=20 also=20 want to mention the statement signed by 27 individuals ( I am one of them) who=20 strongly criticised both the NATO bombing and the ethnic cleansing. So, I cannot=20 agree with the remark that independent intellectuals in Serbia are focused only on=20 NATO intervention. But, among NGOs and representatives of the =93other=20 Serbia=94 an attitude is spreading that the bombing exceptionally increased=20 the=20 suffering of all citizens of the FRY. Finally, ethnic cleansing on such a large scale=20 started after the beginning of the bombing. =20 SD: For me it is clear that the current suffering of Albanians, as the fina= l act of a=20 seven year long tragedy whose author and instigator is Slobodan Milosevic,=20 brought the West to the conclusion that bombing is the only possible solution for=20 putting a =93full stop=94 to the tragedy of the territories of former Yugoslavia. I think=20 that the NATO intervention is directed against Milosevic and his regime, no= t=20 against the citizens of FRY. As a citizen of Sarajevo, I want to send a message to=20 my friends in FRY that I think that we were in the worse situation. To be a target=20 of Karadzic and Mladic was more difficult that to be, to use that cynical=20 expression, a collateral victim.=20 =20 RFE: Mrs. Licht, do you agree that Milosevic is the main target of NATO? =20 SL: No, it is not true. Milosevic and his regime have not been bombed, the whole=20 country and its infrastructure have been bombed. Kosovo has been under the=20 most intensive bombing, some towns like Pristina, Kosovska Mitrovica and Pe= c=20 are completely destroyed. The trains and buses have been bombed. I do not=20 agree with Mr. Dizdarevic that it was the only solution for putting a full stop to all=20 the tragic events which have happened. I do not believe that this bombing will put=20 a full stop on anything. On the contrary, several hundred thousand Albanian= s have=20 left Kosovo, the towns have been destroyed, the villages were destroyed prior to=20 the bombing. It is a big question where refugees could return to. Beside this, there=20 is a strong homogenisation of the people in Serbia, not in support of the regime,=20 but to resist the NATO aggression. Bill Clinton expected a Blitzkrieg, but this=20 Blitzkrieg has been changed in the continuous destruction. I do understand the=20 feeling of Sarajevans when they say that it is easier to be a target of NATO, than=20 others. I have not been a target in Sarajevo, but I know that a dead man is a dead=20 man, a dead child is a dead child. Sarajevo was under a different kind of siege,=20 there were snipers, and it lasted for a long period. But, believe me, what=20 is=20 happening in Serbia is also very big suffering.=20 =20 SD: I still think that this action is directed against Milosevic. NATO leaders are=20 repeating from day-to-day that Milosevic can just ring them up and the bombing=20 will end. It is up to him to accept the conditions of NATO and end the suffering of=20 the people of FRY. I disagree with Mrs Licht on the interpretation of what is happening in Kosovo. In=20 my opinion, this horrible exodus of Albanians is not connected with the ai= r- strikes. It is more the result of the actions of Milosevic=92s forces whos= e aim is to=20 cleanse the territory of Albanians. =20 SL: According to the phone call, mentioned by Mr Dizdarevic, I think that, after=20 first few days of bombing, even to the NATO leaders, it was clear that Milosevic=20 will not ring them up. The first interest of this regime is to stay in power, they=20 estimated that such a phone call could be politically very risky so they have not=20 rung up. With this bombing the whole country and its citizens are equalise= d with=20 President Milosevic. Is it correct that the International Community, which is calling=20 for humanitarian principles, democracy, which does not accept the principle of=20 collective guilty are now resorting to the collective punishment of the=20 whole=20 population. Beside this, the intervention which has not solved anything, brings a lot=20 of problems. The UN is by-passed, in the name of universal humanitarian=20 principles the principles on which the international order has been built u= p since=20 1945 has been endangered. I could accept this universalism if it was implemented=20 everywhere. But, in Rwanda one million people died and there was no=20 intervention. Is it because it is Africa, so the local people are worth less? In the=20 last few years in Turkey more than 35.000 Kurds were killed. Villages were burnt=20 down, chemical weapons was used against Kurds. The 30 million Kurds are=20 attacked. But, there is no intervention, on the contrary it was openly said that any=20 intervention could not be implemented because of geopolitical reasons, Turkey is=20 an important state in this part of world. There was no intervention in Algeria,=20 where, up to now, 60.000 people have been killed. If one principle is=20 implemented only when the powerful decide to implement it, than it cannot be a=20 universal principle. This principle is used only when it is suitable for someone and=20 it is extremely concerning. It does not lead to the world order it leads to the world=20 disorder. =20 =20 ------------------ balkanhr mailing list To unsubscribe please send mail to majordomo@greekhelsinki.gr with the word "unsubscribe balkanhr" (without the ") in the subject. Please report abuse at balkanhr-owner@greekhelsinki.gr >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Lichterman Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) SANTA BARBARA ABOLITION CAMPAIGN UPDATE Date: 08 Jun 1999 00:03:34 -0700 Greetings abolition 2000 and US abolition campaign folks. I am the convener of the "bottom up organizing" working group of the fledgling US campaign. In order to encourage discussion on themes relevant to this working group, I have written a strategy working paper which addresses some of the issues raised in the two organizing meetings which resulted in the current US campaign structure. If you would like a copy, drop me a note specifying the format you would like to receive it in (I can do MS word, all wordperfect formats, the various generic word processing formats --asci, rtf, etc.-- and paper). Andrew Lichterman Western States Legal Foundation 1440 Broadway Suite 500 Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 839 5877 - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Letter from Belgrade: "Who is the winner?" Date: 08 Jun 1999 13:46:57 EDT In a message dated 6/8/99 9:51:23 AM Eastern Daylight Time, jim_forest@compuserve.com writes: << Date: Tue, 08 Jun 1999 03:59:29 +0200 From: Sava Ristich To: Orthodox Peace Fellowship <101363.304@compuserve.com> Dear Jim, I appreciate your journal "In Communion". Best regards, Milan Radovanovic Belgrade * * * THE WAR ON THE BALKANS: WHO IS THE WINNER? When the war breaks out, everybody says: we want peace. The invaders say: we have attacked in order to make peace. The invaded say: we are defending ourselves in order to keep the peace. And thus the war goes on until a measure of evil has been fulfilled. PRAYER Lord, if we cannot stop the war, help us at least preserve love and peace in our hearts. BELGRADE 1999 I live in the country waging war with the greatest armed forces in the world. In the centre of Belgrade, while I am writing this, cruise missiles and bombs of enormous destructive power keep hitting my immediate surroundings. People I daily meet while shopping for bread are getting killed, while the seriously wounded cry all night long until they are rescued from the ruins. Children remain paralyzed out of shock and fear. Lines of refugees of the "opponent" party are running away from their homes into insecurity where the only secure things are famine, sickness and death. The horror of this war, as in all the preceding ones, is that those who suffer most are innocent people. BATTLE FIELD "YUGOSLAVIA" Military technology and preciseness of modern weapon have improved considerably over the past decades. That is, if we are to trust military experts. We, though, who have served as guinea pigs for testing this horrible weapon are not impressed by the above-mentioned fact. The so-called intelligent rockets and bombs cannot distinguish between victims. IS THERE A WAY OUT? The war has completely spoilt everyday life. Helplessness, despair at having lost all property and fear of death are predominant feelings in the war. Many people would like to go back to their former careless and comfortable way of life, but God does not respond to their wishes: "The anger of the Lord will not turn back until He fully accomplishes the purposes of His heart; in days to come you will understand it clearly", a long time ago used to say prophet Jeremia in a situation much like this (23,20). For a majority, there is no such thing as a secure place where to hide away from death. AN OLD PERSIAN STORY A rich and powerful Persian was taking a walk in his garden together with his servant. The servant started to cry at just having met Death, who was threating to take him. He asked his master to let him have his fastest horse - to run away to Teheran by night time. The master let him do so, and the servant ran away on horse back.. On his way home, the master saw Death herself and asked her: Why are you threatening to take my servant? "I did not threaten him", answered Death; I was just surprised at seeing him here - for I was planning to find him tonight in Teheran!" JESUS CHRIST "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life, will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me, will find it" (Math. 16, 24-25). FEAR OF DEATH Inner restlessness and fear of death are definite signs that we are far away from God. Fear of death is, in fact, fear of meaningless life. It is fear of coming in the presence of God, without having finished one's life work. It is not the war that causes that fear. It only reveals it. INCAPACITY OF EVIL If we have just a little faith, evil has neither the power nor the force to knock us down. That is why it is not only the bearers of evil and death that are separated from God, but also those who fear that evil and death. GOD While the war goes on, we feel God as being very cruel. He is not malicious, though. He expects us to respect His will, to be His collaborators in this world. He is always willing to help us do so. Difficult circumstances, such as war should not prevent us from doing so. On the contrary. The more difficult the conditions, the greater the glory. GUILT When the war happens, we tend to blame exclusively the opponent - adversary side. It seems to me that God looks at the war in a different way; for Him everyone who has not found his way in God's sight is to blame. PEACE In wartime everybody agrees that the most important thing is to stop the war and make peace. This is the way people see it. In God's view, the silence of arms is not enough; He wants the peace to dwell with love in people's hearts. FLOWER I keep watching a beautiful rose in my garden. It blossoms and gives off fragrance, even now when I'm not tending it. It doesn't mind the war, or the reed that keeps choking it, or the fact it has not been watered or dug up for months. From year to year it has been doing what God had created it to do. It is strange how distant we are from a mere rose. VICTORY The most important battle in this war is not going on in a battle field or against an invisible enemy. Our goal is not to destroy other people, or to do our best to make them better. Every battle must begin and end up with the victory within ourselves. Evil will be beaten only when we allow Divine peace and love to settle down in our hearts forever. Milan Radovanovic Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia * * * >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: War Resisters League Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) SANTA BARBARA ABOLITION CAMPAIGN UPDATE Date: 08 Jun 1999 14:07:10 -0400 Andrew, Please forward a copy to me. I prefer WordPerfect, but MS Word is fine too. Whatever is easiest for you. Thanks, Chris Ney At 12:03 AM 6/8/1999 -0700, you wrote: >Greetings abolition 2000 and US abolition campaign folks. > >I am the convener of the "bottom up organizing" working group of the fledgling US campaign. In order to >encourage discussion on themes relevant to this working group, I have written a strategy working paper which >addresses some of the issues raised in the two organizing meetings which resulted in the current US campaign >structure. If you would like a copy, drop me a note specifying the format you would like to receive it in (I >can do MS word, all wordperfect formats, the various generic word processing formats --asci, rtf, etc.-- and >paper). > >Andrew Lichterman >Western States Legal Foundation >1440 Broadway Suite 500 >Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 839 5877 > >- > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. > For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send > "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. > > ********** War Resisters League 339 Lafayette St. New York, NY 10012 212-228-0450 212-228-6193 (fax) 1-800-975-9688 (YouthPeace and A Day Without the Pentagon) wrl@igc.apc.org web address: http://www.nonviolence.org/wrl - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) The Peace March Date: 08 Jun 1999 12:07:35 -0700 For the last six months I have been promoting the idea of an ongoing series of local peace marches to effectively unify the global peace, justice, and environmental movements into an effective activity of conscience as humankind to change the path of human history off of the path towards total destruction and onto the path towards global peace and prosperity. This latest initiative in my 20+ years experience and involvement with various peace walks has come at the suggestion last Fall of a member of the coalition for Nuclear Abolition 2000 for a peace walk in the year 2000 across the United States to further the abolition of nuclear weapons. I have received a strong response from the Global Peace Walk project initiated in 1995 and numerous individual messages of support for the idea but no concrete commitments for organizational or financial support for this idea. Following the vigorous and sage advice of one member of this loose-knit coalition to abolish nuclear weapons, Anne Fagan Ginger, I am now appealing to you and the organizations(s) that you are affiliated with for your help in this effort to establish a Peace March Coalition to organize and coordinate local peace walks and a Peace March 2000 from San Francisco, California, (leaving on the birthday anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., January 15, 2000) and walking to Washington DC for Columbus Day, October 12, 2000, before concluding in New York City for the United Nations 55th anniversary, October 24, 2000, to bring attention to the need for all survival issues to be addressed as part of a comprehensive plan to fulfill the original objectives of the United Nations Charter to remove the scourge of war from the future generations in order to redirect human and financial resources towards solving today's global social and environmental emergency before it is too late to save all life on Earth. Please consult with your colleagues and organizations that you represent and let me know as soon as possible that I can count on you for your help as part of such coalition to co-sponsor The Peace March to fulfill these objectives. For more information on the organization and planning of this effort so far please see details at the website below. Thank you very much, David Crockett Williams General Agency Services gear2000@lightspeed.net http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000 Global Emergency Alert Response 661-822-3309 phone 561-658-2735 fax - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Chicago area //-ALBRIGHT COMMENCEMENT SPEECH PROTEST Date: 08 Jun 1999 21:48:02 EDT In a message dated 6/8/99 4:40:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time, eschuster2@juno.com, editor of the SP magazine, The Socialist, sent the following. Subj: Northwestern University--ALBRIGHT COMMENCEMENT SPEECH PROTEST Date: 6/8/99 4:40:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: eschuster2@juno.com (Eric A Schuster) To: SocialistsUnmoderated@debs.pinko.net Friday / June 18 / Northwestern University, Evanston, IL ALBRIGHT COMMENCEMENT SPEECH PROTEST. (5pm) "Join us in protest, so that voices of compassion may ring louder than voices of destruction." Sponsors include Voices in the Wilderness, Illinois Peace Action, Eighth Day Center for Justice, and many others. Northwestern University, Ryan Stadium, Central St. & Ashland Ave., Evanston, IL. 773-784-8065, 773-561-5131, or 312-939- 3316, ilpeace@igc.org, http://www.webcom.com/ipa >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Rosalie Tyler Paul Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) SANTA BARBARA ABOLITION CAMPAIGN UPDATE Date: 09 Jun 1999 09:02:33 -0400 Andrew - Please send a copy to us at peaceactionme.mail.ctel.net and to me here at handinhand. Many thanks, Rosalie Paul >Andrew, > >Please forward a copy to me. I prefer WordPerfect, but MS Word is fine >too. Whatever is easiest for you. > >Thanks, > >Chris Ney > > >At 12:03 AM 6/8/1999 -0700, you wrote: >>Greetings abolition 2000 and US abolition campaign folks. >> >>I am the convener of the "bottom up organizing" working group of the >fledgling US campaign. In order to >>encourage discussion on themes relevant to this working group, I have >written a strategy working paper which >>addresses some of the issues raised in the two organizing meetings which >resulted in the current US campaign >>structure. If you would like a copy, drop me a note specifying the format >you would like to receive it in (I >>can do MS word, all wordperfect formats, the various generic word >processing formats --asci, rtf, etc.-- and >>paper). >> >>Andrew Lichterman >>Western States Legal Foundation >>1440 Broadway Suite 500 >>Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 839 5877 >> >>- >> To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" >> with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. >> For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send >> "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. >> >> >********** >War Resisters League >339 Lafayette St. >New York, NY 10012 >212-228-0450 >212-228-6193 (fax) >1-800-975-9688 (YouthPeace and A Day Without the Pentagon) >wrl@igc.apc.org >web address: http://www.nonviolence.org/wrl > >- > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. > For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send > "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sally Light" Subject: (abolition-usa) International Appeal Opposing US & French Explosive Nuclear Fusion Programs Date: 12 Jun 1999 01:02:29 +0100 Friends, As co-convener of the US Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons working grou= p on Research Future of the Nuclear Weapons Complex, I am posting an international appeal that I and two colleagues (Hisham Zerriffi of I.E.E.R., USA, and Dominique Lalanne of Les Verts, France) recently creat= ed together. This appeal asks both the USA and France to immediately halt the National Ignition Facility (at Livermore Lab in the US) and Laser Megajoule (in Bordeaux, France) projects, and to declare a moratorium on all such explosive nuclear fusion programs. As you will read, this appeal is in both English and French, and is designed for circulation anywhere in the world. We hope to collect 1,000= 's of signatures which will give us an international groundswell for stoppin= g these dangerous programs. Completed appeals should be returned to Hisha= m, Dominique or myself at the addresses shown below.=20 Thanks, Sally Light Nuclear Program Analyst Tri-Valley CAREs=20 INTERNATIONAL APPEAL OPPOSING US AND FRENCH EXPLOSIVE NUCLEAR FUSION PROGRAMS We, the undersigned, state that: France and the United States both have programs to develop high energy lasers to achieve explosive nuclear fusion, the National Ignition Facilit= y (US) and Megajoule (France). The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is currently under construction in t= he US, and Megajoule's funding will be approved by the French parliament in the fall of 1999. The goals of NIF and Megajoule include achieving laboratory thermonuclear explosions and maintaining the two nations' respective nuclear weapons capabilities. Both France and the US have signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). NIF and Megajoule clearly violate the CTBT that commits the US and France "not to carry out any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion." Further, these programs are proliferation provocative by encouraging other nations to carry out similar activities. Additionally, since the achievement of a CTBT was an explicit decision ma= de in the context of the 1995 extension of the NPT, any activities which violate the CTBT should also be seen as violating the commitments made under the NPT. THEREFORE, we urge the United States and France to respect their commitments to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ba= n Treaty by discontinuing the National Ignition Facility and Megajoule, and immediately declaring a moratorium on all such programs. Name Signature Address =09 _________________________________________________________________________= ___ __________ _________________________________________________________________________= ___ __________ _________________________________________________________________________= ___ __________ _________________________________________________________________________= ___ __________ _________________________________________________________________________= ___ __________ _________________________________________________________________________= ___ __________ _________________________________________________________________________= ___ __________ _________________________________________________________________________= ___ __________ _________________________________________________________________________= ___ __________ _________________________________________________________________________= ___ __________ _________________________________________________________________________= ___ __________ _________________________________________________________________________= ___ __________ Please return completed appeals to: In the US: Sally Light, Tri-Valley CAREs, 2582 Old First Street, Livermore, CA 94550= , USA Tel.: (925) 443-7148 Hisham Zerriffi, I.E.E.R., 6935 Laurel Ave., #204, Takoma Park, MD 20912, USA Tel.: (301) 270-5500 In France: Dominique Lalanne, Accelerateur Lineaire, 91405 Orsay, France Tel.: 33 = 1 64 46 84 28 Appel international pour l'arr=EAt des programmes am=E9ricain et fran=E7a= is d'explosions nucl=E9aires de fusion --------------------------- Nous, les soussign=E9s, lan=E7ons l'appel ci-dessous: La France et les Etats-Unis d=E9veloppent actuellement des programmes de recherche sur les lasers de puissance, pour r=E9aliser en laboratoire des explosions nucl=E9aires de fusion, aux Etats-Unis avec le NIF (National Ignition Facility) et en France avec le M=E9gajoule. Le NIF est actuellement en construction aux Etats-Unis, et en France le financement du M=E9gajoule doit =EAtre adopt=E9e par l'Assembl=E9e Nation= ale lors du vote du budget, =E0 l'automne 1999. Les buts du NIF et du M=E9gajoule sont de r=E9aliser des explosions thermonucl=E9aires en laboratoire, de fa=E7on =E0 maintenir les capacit=E9= s des armements nucl=E9aires des deux nations. La France et les Etats-Unis ont sign=E9 en 1995 le trait=E9 de non-prolif=E9ration (TNP), et en 1996, le trait=E9 d'interdiction des essais nucl=E9aires (CTBT). Il est clair que le NIF et le M=E9gajoule violent le CTBT, qui engage les Etats-Unis et la France =E0 "ne pas proc=E9der =E0 des essais d'armes nuc= l=E9aires ni =E0 tout autre type d'explosion nucl=E9aire". De plus, ces programmes = sont de v=E9ritables provocations =E0 la prolif=E9ration, en encourageant les = autres nations =E0 mener aussi leurs propres essais nucl=E9aires. Par ailleurs, du fait que le CTBT ait =E9t=E9 consid=E9r=E9 en 1996 comme= une explicitation du TNP prorog=E9 l'ann=E9e pr=E9c=E9dente, toute activit=E9= qui viole le CTBT peut =EAtre interpr=E9t=E9e comme une violation du NPT lui-m=EAme. En cons=E9quence, nous appelons les Etats-Unis et la France =E0 respecter= au plus vite leurs engagements pris au moment de la signature du TNP et du CTBT, et ceci en arr=EAtant la construction du NIF et celle du M=E9gajoul= e et en d=E9clarant imm=E9diatement un moratoire sur tous ces programmes. nom adresse signature --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -------------------- --- --- --- --- --- --- Veuillez renvoyer cet appel apr=E8s signature, aux USA: > > Sally Light, Tri-Valley CAREs, 2582 Old First Street, Livermore, CA 94550, USA Tel.: (925) 443-7148 > > Hisham Zerriffi, I.E.E.R., 6935 Laurel Ave., #204, Takoma Park, MD 20912, USA Tel.: (301) 270-5500 en France: > Dominique Lalanne, Acc=E9l=E9rateur Lin=E9aire, 91405 Orsay, France =20 Tel.: 33 1 64 46 84 28 e-mail=A0: lalanne@lal.in2p3.fr - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) TFF: Is there a way out? Date: 12 Jun 1999 16:19:40 EDT In a message dated 6/12/99 10:07:14 AM Eastern Daylight Time,=20 jim_forest@compuserve.com writes: <<=20 Press Info #70 =20 THE NATO WAR, THE ETHNIC CLEANSING -=20 IS THERE AWAY OUT ? =20 June 10, 1999 =20 By Johan Galtung* Dr hc mult, Professor of Peace Studies Director, TRANSCEND: A Peace and Development Network =20 TFF Associate =20 "Where do I stand: very simply, I am against the NATO bombing, I am against ethnic cleansing, whether by Serbs or anybody else -- for instance by the immigrants to North America who in the period=20 1600-1900 cleansed away about 10,000,000 American Indians. I find nothing original in my position. The only original position would be to be in favor of both, a view probably only entertained by arms dealers. =20 There are those who try to make us believe that you have to make a choice between NATO and Milosevic; if you are against one for sure you are in favor of the other. Nonsense. Early on in this horrible decade many of the same people tried to make us believe that you had to make a choice between the Gulf war and Saddam Hussein; again, perfectly possible to be against both. =20 Then, the second example of this terrible dualism, the terror of the false dichotomy as we academics say: there was no alternative, if you do not accept the NATO bombing it means that you are co-responsible for ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. Nonsense. =20 There was an alternative and even a very good one: step of the number of observers in the OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission (KVM) from 1,200 to, say, 6,000, 12,000. Handies and binoculars, living in the villages, bringing in volunteers. But at the same time there was a civil war going on from February 1998, and one US ambassador had done what the US did in connection with the Gulf war: he (Gelbard) told Beograd that the USA was of the view that KLA were terrorists -- certainly also the Beograd position. The alternative would have been to close the border by extending the UN mandate on the Macedonian- Kosovo border, step up OSCE, and then call a major conference on South East Europe. =20 Nothing like this happened; as we know the war was decided early last fall; only a question of preparing the public through the media, and presenting Milosevic with an ultimatum he could not accept. The Rambouillet charade was about this. People started getting suspicious when they discovered that the media did not bring the text; it had to be dug out from obscure sites on the Internet. I asked some journalists to make an inquiry in one of these 19 democracies, my own, Norway: no parliamentarian had read the text. Democracy is about informed participation. The Serbs knew: loss of sovereignty and territorial integrity, unlimited NATO access to Serbia. No state signs itself into occupation and dismemberment. The Kosovars also knew: this was not the independence they wanted; it looked more like a protectorate under NATO. So they voted no. In some way or another they =20 were made to change their vote well knowing that the combination=20 No-Yes would release the bombing of the Serbs. It did, on 24 March, also releasing more hatred than ever of the Kosovars, among Serbs. Fresh in their memory was how the Croats have driven them out; with the help of USA and Germany. =20 Anyone could have told in advance; that the Kosovars would escape everybody knew. To claim the opposite is only possible if you live an isolated existence in some boys' club in a war room, capable of whipping the media into obedience so that dissenting voices are not hear. There is a difference between now and last time in the Gulf, however: on the Internet anybody can read some of the most brilliant people of our time as a counterweight to lobotomized media who bring important information, like what Rambouillet was about, two month later. Too late for democracy, good enough for democratic totalitarianism (Zinoviev.) =20 Did NATO bombing bring about the ethnic cleansing of the Kosovars in addition to producing close to one million refugees, or would the Serbs have engaged in ethnic cleansing anyhow? Again, the alternative to NATO bombing was never to do nothing, as pointed out above. There are fascist forces among the Serbs, the chetniki, Arkan's tigers, Sesel's Eagles -- it is almost unbelievable that the media and the tribunal have not focussed more on them. Why not -- because Milosevic is the symbol of the Serbian nation and the Republic of Yugoslavia, he is the one they want to hit, not the key architects of the cleansing. But leaving that aside: this is one more case of a false dichotomy. =20 Of course the NATO bombing was stimulated, among other factors, by Serbian ethnic cleansing in Croatia and Bosnia -- regardless of complex causes and others who did the same these were facts and the West (calling itself "the international community") was frustrated, aggressive, "never again". =20 And of course the NATO bombing led to ethnic cleansing as pointed out above: just imagine the post-Rambouillet hatred and the comparison with August 1995. Three times have the Serbs been maneuvered into a minority positions exposed to their old enemies without the federal protection that was basic to Tito's Yugoslavia: in Croatia, in Bosnia, in Kosovo. Three times have they overreacted, inexcusably, but not unexplainably. =20 Ethnic cleansing brought about the NATO bombing, the NATO bombing brought about more ethnic cleansing in a vicious circle of mutual causation. Murder, killing, destruction, hatred. trauma; NATO torturing the Serbs, the Serbs torturing the Kosovars, soon the time will come to the Kosovars. =20 How do we get out of this? Here is one set of ideas: =20 Peace, if wanted, could be near; guided by former UN General Secretary Perez de Cuellar's advice to Genscher December 1991:=20 be sure that any recognition is acceptable to minorities, that parts of Yugoslavia are dealt with symmetrically, and that there is a policy for Yugoslavia as a whole. But first a basic assumption that holds the key to a peace beyond ceasefire: =20 [0] Equal recognition of the suffering and rights of all: They are all victims, most of them more innocent than others, of a situation most nations would have found impossible. They need compassion, help; not guns and bombs. Divide them into "worthy" and "unworthy" victims, and peace becomes unattainable. They have all the same right to recognition and self-determination. =20 [1] Build on the symmetry Croatia-Bosnia/1995 and Serbia/1999: The 650,000 Serbian refugees in Serbia were in part driven out by the Croats/USA from Krajina/Slavonia August 1995. Serbian ultra- reactions included total condemnation of the international community, and "we can do the same". The Western media found little or no space for their suffering. Hence, both must be recognized as basic problems, they must all be guaranteed their safe return. And then upgrade the status of Krajina/Slavonia in Croatia, and Kosovo/a in Serbia, possibly to republic status. =20 [2] A possible quadrilateral deal: A (Croats) gives return and status to B (Serbs), B gives return/status to C (Kosovars), C gives access to mineral resources/harbors to D (Slavic Muslims) and D inclusion of the Croat part of Bosnia/Herzegovina to A. =20 [3] A Yugoslav confederation: If some autonomy is given to all minorities in Yugoslavia we end up with close to 15 parts. "Jedinstvo", a unitary or federal state, is out. But "bratstvo" as confederation of human rights respecting countries, is not. =20 So much for a peace outcome. For that to happen there has to be a peace process. Here are elements of a peace process: =20 [4] The killing on all sides stops, NATO/Serbia/KLA forces are withdrawn, NATO from the Balkans; Serbian and Kosovar forces from Kosova, UN forces with OSCE observers, with a composition acceptable to all parties, and in big numbers, take over. =20 [5] The UN Secretary General appoints a board of mediators known for wisdom and autonomy, like Jimmy Carter, Perez de Cuellar, Mikhail Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela, Julius Nyerere, Mary Robinson, Richard von Weizsaecker for one-on-one dialogues with all parties to identify acceptable and sustainable outcome. =20 [6] The UN Secretary General convenes a Conference for the Security and Cooperation in South East Europe (CSCSEE), with all parts of Yugoslavia, and all SE European countries as members, with points like [1]-[3] on the agenda, pending the report from the team mentioned in [5] above. =20 [7] The Presidents of Slovenia and Macedonia convene a civil society conference, using expertise in all parts of Yugoslavia, to project images of future relations within ex-Yugoslavia, and does the same for future relations within South East Europe (in cooperation with, say, Hungary and Greece). =20 [8] The peoples of Yugoslavia are invited to participate in the peace process, forming multi-national dialogue groups all over, coming forward with concrete ideas based on local dialogues. =20 [9] Reconstruction is systematically used for reconciliation by having belligerent groups cooperating, doing the task together, not giving that enormous task away to outside entrepreneurs. =20 [10] If any border has to be drawn or redrawn the principles of the Danish-German 1920 Schleswig-Holstein partition are used. =20 However, however. I started by saying that I am against both NATO bombing and ethnic cleansing. Like most people in the world, I assume, perhaps not in belligerent Western Europe, filled with the=20 self-righteousness of their interpretation of how society should be governed. Nine hundred years ago, when they launched the Crusades, it used to be their special interpretation of God and Jesus Christ, not Jewish, not Orthodox, not Muslim. They killed as many as they could lay hands on, limited only by their more artisanal killing technology those days. =20 As indicated above, I feel the problems of Yugoslavia can be solved, with more good will, more creativity, a little time and less dualism, less demonization. Milosevic is very far from a new Hitler. He does not have a new concept of world order, run from above. He is essentially an administrator of very unfortunate traits in the Serbian psyche, a megalomania and paranoia almost as high as that of the USA, about at the same level as can be found in Saddam Hussein's Iraq. In addition there are elements of the mafia boss, but they are ubiquitous in these globalizing days. =20 The other problem, NATO bombing, is more problematic. But the bombers have one good question to which they have the wrong answer. The question is: what do we do when the doctrine of national sovereignty protects the state that insults the human rights of its own population? The answer cannot possibly to insult these human rights even more. Rather, we could learn from the USA: there are federal crimes, and there is federal police pre-stationed all over. How about pre-stationing UN observers and UN troops all over as a preventive measure? =20 Human rights are universal. They are also indivisible, a country cannot detach the economic and social rights, accepting only the civil and political. Many criminals would like to do the same to the criminal code in their country as the USA does to the International Bill of Rights, ratifying one of the 16 December 1966 covenants, not the economic and social rights. =20 We are heading for a major world confrontation between the 19 NATO countries and, probably, much of the rest of the world, particularly the part caught in the US pincer move of expanding NATO eastward at the same time as they expand AMPO westward. Eurasia, the home of more than half of humanity is watching what happens with great anxiety. Who is next in line to be bombed? Or, could it be in Latin America, like Colombia, the USA not using NATO but using TIAP, the Latin American military system? =20 The world today has a major problem. That problem has a name. The name is not Milosevic, he is the small town villain. The name of the problem is United States of America. =20 Their sense of exceptionalism, being above ordinary states and nations, is attractive. To break that many international law paragraphs can only be justified if you are above the law, in a direct relation to a God of the universe who "created America to bring order to the world" (Colin Powell) or, in more secular terms, "a global nation with global interests" (Shalikashvili). Smaller states flock to the Exceptional one to reflect, like the cold moon, some of the light, not to mention the heat, burning the non-believers. An old Western tradition. =20 Let us hope that this intoxicating frenzy of violence to torture the Serbs into capitulation will be followed by some soberness. Preferably in time to prevent a Third world war. =20 * TV/Radio Interviews. Meeting at Sergels Torg, Stockholm May 24, 1999 =20 =A9 TRANSCEND, Johan Galtung & TFF 1999 =20 You are welcome to reprint, copy, archive, quote or re-post this item, but please retain the source. =20 * * * Dr. Jan Oberg Director, head of the TFF Conflict-Mitigation team to the Balkans and Georgia =20 TFF Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research Vegagatan 25 S-224 57 Lund Sweden Phone +46-46-145909 (0900-1100) Fax +46-46-144512 Email tff@transnational.org http://www.transnational.org =20 * * * >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Beware : worm on the loose Date: 13 Jun 1999 02:01:32 EDT Date: 6/13/99 1:57:16 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: DavidMcR To: ecorky@lapatera.sbceo.k12.ca.us To: martymcr@dc.seflin.org, JFKPDX, wesley-a@usa.net To: StevenAult, wrll@scn.org, COC-L@CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU To: LEFT-L@CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU, redyouth@debs.pinko.net To: jhurd_newparty@indiana.edu, spusa@netscape.net To: SocialistsUnmoderated@debs.pinko.net To: solidarity@igc.apc.org To: stormingheaven@onelist.com BCC: DavidMcR Friends, To the best of my knowledge this IS a SERIOUS warning. Note that the problem only comes IF YOU OPEN AN ATTACHMENT NAMED "ZIPPED_FILES.EXE". One warning came from France, the other from left contacts in Israel. All I'm waiting for in a final note from Bombay but I'd assume the warning is valid. There is no danger from just getting an email (such as this one) but beware attachments, downloads, etc. David McReynolds << > >Another dratted trouble maker to watch out for : the latest "worm" finding >its way into computors via an attachment. This time it is via email >attachments named "zipped_files.exe" So take care! > >> >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Surplus! What Surplus? Date: 13 Jun 1999 10:44:44 -0700 -Caveat Lector- Clinton says there "is" a surplus.. (depends what "is" is). Surplus! What surplus? There IS NO surplus. ------------------------------------------- by John Crudele, NYP THERE is no federal budget surplus. I'll say it again. There is no budget surplus. Before you even get to the issue of whether the "budget surplus" should be given back to taxpayers as the wishful Republicans suggest, or used to prop up Social Security, as the desperately- impeached President Clinton said in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, there is a small issue that needs to be taken care of -- there really is no budget surplus. Issue No. 2. There is no way people can be allowed to invest their Social Security money in the stock market. That's because the "money" -- as in cash you, I or the government would turn over to a stockbroker -- also doesn't exist. All right, here I go again trying to explain how our elected officials in Washington are perpetrating a fraud by proclaiming that there is a budget surplus. Over the past year, the federal deficit -- which is money owed by our government -- rose from $5.486 trillion to $5.618 trillion. Those are government numbers right out of Barron's. That means the federal debt climbed by $132 billion. Which means the federal budget DEFICIT last year was $132 billion. There was no surplus of $70 billion, or any other amount, as Washington is claiming. When the economy weakens -- as it always does -- the true deficit numbers will increase. The surplus claim is wrong. It's a fraud. Washington is able to pretend there is a surplus because it has been raiding the Social Security trust fund, which, you have to understand, isn't a pile a cash sitting somewhere in the Treasury. It's really a pile of government IOUs (Treasury bills, really) Washington puts into Social Security in exchange for the cash it steals. And it is our cash that is being stolen. Anyone who pays into Social Security is really unwittingly buying IOUs from a government that might not be able to pay in decades to come. Right now the Social Security system is running a surplus because more money coming in than going out. It's demographics at work -- more employees than retirees. That pleasant situation, however, will not last long. But this surplus belongs to people like me and you, who'll need it to retire someday. So Washington shouldn't pretend that it belongs to the country and part of the budget. The president wants this non-existent "budget surplus" pumped back into Social Security. What does that mean? Washington will steal $200 billion from Social Security (turning a real $132 billion deficit into a $70 billion surplus), so that it can proclaim a budget surplus, then it will return the excess money to Social Security from where it was stolen in the first place. Oddly, that's actually a preferable charade to what the Republicans suggest. At least under the president's plan the "surplus" comes full circle and ends up back in Social Security. Under the Republican plan, you would give away the "surplus" and the money will disappear from the Social Security circle all together. The president, however, is wrong in backing a plan to allow people -- in some form or another -- to invest their money in the stock market. But the endorsement is a shrewd maneuver by a president in trouble. Bill Clinton knew back in 1992 what voters cared about -- the economy and jobs. And it is the worst kept secret in American economic history that the only thing keeping this country's marvelous economy going is the stock market bubble. It's just like Japan's wonderful economy before the bubble burst a few years back. Americans -- like the Japanese -- feel rich because of the stock market. And even though companies are laying off workers faster than they were during the hard times of the early 1990s, Wall Street is keeping people content. I estimate that President Clinton has no better than a 50-50 chance of remaining in office. Those odds go down to 60-40 against his presidency once witnesses are called before the impeachment trial (some day I'll be able to tell you why.) The president can maintain his high rating if the stock market keeps the economy rolling along. But like any other Ponzi scheme, the Wall Street bubble can't continue unless fresh money keeps coming into the market. President Clinton's Social Security proposal would provide a lot of fresh money to keep the market going, which'll keep the economy perking, which will keep Clinton's rating high. It all works quite nicely -- except that the proposal to allow people to invest their Social Security money in the market is impossible to enact. Here's why. As I said, there is no cash in Social Security. So if I am allowed to, say, put $10,000 of my Social Security money into the stock market, where is the cash going to come from? Washington doesn't have the cash. And if it does raise cash that'll be put in the market, who is going to supply the cash to pay retirees? Plus, liquidating Social Security's bonds would send interest rates skyrocketing. And when the stock market crashes, the Social Security system will be in worse shape than even the pessimists are predicting. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - From: AudreyMLJ@aol.com Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 HUMPTY DUMPTY "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall..." Everything is going just great. The economy is strong, the budget is balanced, and the wall on which Humpty Dumpty is perched is as solid as a rock. We have nothing to worry about. The world-wide depression has nothing to do with us. It won't happen here because the politicians will take care of everything. We have enough money so that we can have a tax cut or perhaps some new spending programs. In his most recent State of the Union address before Congress President Clinton outlined some of the spending programs he is planning so that the public will vote for Democrats. The Republicans are relying on "ye olde tax cut at election time." But there is a little problem with all of this. If the budget is really balanced, why is it that the national debt keeps growing? A computer user can easily find many places where the official debt clock keeps ticking away. As of January 11, 1999, the NATIONAL DEBT was $5,614,992,595,555.12, and that is about $20,000 dollars for every man, woman, and child in the United States. We thought that four trillion dollars was too much debt in 1992, but now the figures exceed five and one half trillion dollars, hurtling toward a predicted SIX TRILLION at the end of the century. Clinton's response to this is that "growth will take care of it". Now that word, growth, is Clintonese for inflation! Are we to pay off the national debt by inflating the currency so that the money that we have will be worth a fraction of its present value? And indeed, inflation has already carved a great big hole in individual incomes. What a fraud on the American public. Because business has been stimulated at the expense of labor we see a temporary reduction in the deficit, but not enough to even slow down the accumulation of debt! And the politicians are quarreling over how to spend it! "And Humpty Dumpty had a great fall...." Of course, the politicians will now and then admit that there is a little problem with financing Medicare and also perhaps Social Security. We hear that these programs may "go broke" in the not too distant future. Can these programs go broke without bankrupting the entire government? No, they cannot; they are just too big now, taking too large a share of the nation's income. It is like saying this about a household budget: We can balance our personal budget. All we have to do is to declare that the house payment is "off budget", and presto! everything is balanced. See how easy it is? What will happen if we do not meet the mortgage payment? An individual would be out on the street, but when it happens to an entire country the consequences are much more severe. All we need to do to understand what default means to a country is to look around the world right now at Russia, Indonesia, and other places where governments cannot meet their obligations. The depth and breath of the tragedies there have not been dealt with in the American press, but people are starving and the major part of the populations are existing on incomes well below the poverty line. POLL YOU We are being lied to. There is no budget surplus because they are playing games with the figures. Furthermore, taxpayer's money is being used to help the politicians lie to us! They poll, they find out what words will please the average voter, and that voter is getting the bill for his own deception! Why is it so difficult for them to tell the truth? The problem is that they believe that they would not be elected if they told it like it is. So, we get deeper and deeper into debt. Lie is heaped upon lie, and the world's economies crumble around us. One of these days we are not going to be able to meet the interest obligation on that huge debt. We cannot help but wonder, will what happened to Humpty Dumpty happen to us? =2E DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance=97not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http://archive.jab.org/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/ =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM Om To unsubscribe from this mailing list, or to change your subscription to digest, go to the ONElist web site, at http://www.onelist.com and select the User Center link from the menu bar on the left. InTheShadows (formally the list known as exploration) is a discussion lis= t dedicated to keeping up-to-date with new technologies, advancements in medicine, environmental concerns, 'conspiracy theories', politics, and, o= f course, UFO stuff. Discussion is encouraged. Bashing and soapboxing wil= l get you bounced off the list. To subscribe to InTheShadows go to: http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/InTheShadows You can write me at: standingrock@pagosa.net List Moderator: Hilary Thomas }=12 - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Earth Day 2000 -- Organizing Idea #2, Sign-On Date: 14 Jun 1999 11:17:39 -0400 >Date: Fri, 11 Jun 1999 02:31:34 -0400 >Subject: Fwd: Earth Day 2000 -- Organizing Idea #2, Sign-On >To: prop1@prop1.org, nonukeshw@aol.com, mssejs@aol.com, > ippnwbos@igc.apc.org, ike@swva.net, ieer@ieer.org, hcaldic@ibm.net, > gwilkins@buffalo.edu, globenet@afn.org, forum@worldforum.org, > fishunlimited@hamptons.com, ecovillage@thefarm.org, > donadar@aol.com, btiller@psr.org, bsulzman@juno.com, > asquared@pirg.org, aslater@gracelinks.org, arjun@igc.apc.org, > apiersma@citizen.org, aav1@ctaz.com >From: smirnowb@ix.netcom.com (smirnowb@ix.netcom.com) > >------Begin forward message------------------------- > >Return-Path: >Subject: Fwd: Earth Day 2000 -- Organizing Idea #2, Sign-On > >Return-Path: >From: SUN DAY Campaign >To: "'Sustainable Energy Coalition: Weekly Update - List'" > >Subject: Earth Day 2000 -- Organizing Idea #2 >Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1999 06:12:08 -0400 > > >To: Energy & Environmental Organizations and Businesses > >Re. Earth Day 2000 -- Organizing Idea #2 > Sign-on to Letter Urging Members of Congress to Join Renewable Caucus > >As part of its contribution to the Earth Day 2000 effort, the member >groups of the Sustainable Energy Coalition will be >working to increase the membership in the U.S. Senate's Renewable Energy & >Energy Efficiency Caucus as well as in the U.S. >House of Rep >resentative's Renewable Energy Caucus. > >Currently, the Senate Caucus, founded earlier this year, includes 24 >members while the House Caucus, founded three years >ago, includes 151 members. We would like to substantially increase >congressional membership in both groups. > >Toward that end, we are inviting your organization or business to add its >name to the letter below to be delivered to those >members of the House of Representatives who have not yet joined the House >Renewable Energy Caucus. A comparable letter will >also b >e delivered to those members who have not yet joined the Senate Renewable >Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucus. > >Sign-ons are requested by Friday, June 18. > >The letter will probably be delivered on June 21. > >To supplement the letter, we encourage you to also consider sending your >own letter to the members of your congressional >delegation urging them to join the caucuse if they are not already >members. (A list of current members can be found at >omass.org>.) > >Congressional offices can be reached through the main congressional >switchboard at 202-224-3121. Members of the Senate can >be contacted c/o U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510 while members of the >House can be contacted c/o U.S. House of >Representatives, Wa >shington, DC 20515. > >We look forward to hearing from you. > >-Ken Bossong > for the members of the > Sustainable Energy Coalition > >------------------------------------------------------------------ > >SUSTAINABLE ENERGY COALITION >Washington, D.C. > >(PROPOSED GROUP LETTER TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS) > >JOIN THE HOUSE RENEWABLE ENERGY CAUCUS > > >June xx, 1999 > >attn: Energy or Environmental Staff > >Dear Representative: > >We, the undersigned xx business, environmental, consumer, and energy >policy organizations are writing to urge you to become >a member of the House Renewable Energy Caucus. > >Founded in 1996 by former Representatives Dan Schaefer (R-CO) and Scott >Klug (R-WI), the House Renewable Energy Caucus is a >non-legislative, bipartisan organization to promote greater awareness >among the members of Congress of the status and >potential of >renewable energy (i.e., solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydroelectric) >and energy efficiency technologies. In a March 26, >1996 "Dear Colleague" letter to the members of Congress, Rep. Schaefer >noted that the Caucus was formed "because of our >support fo >r renewable energy technologies which help offset fuel imports, build our >domestic economy, create major export >opportunities, and provide clean, inexhaustible energy for millions of >consumers." > >Since its formation, through a series of periodic seminars, information >alerts, and exhibits, the Caucus has served as a >information clearinghouse and helped Members and staff stay current on >renewable energy and energy efficiency developments. >It also h >elps stage an annual "Expo" at which dozens of energy companies, >government laboratories, and trade associations demonstrate >their latest technologies. The 1998 and 1999 Renewable Energy Expo's each >attracted nearly 3,000 visitors including Members >of Co >ngress, staff, Administration officials, and interested members of the >media and the general public. Overall, the existence >and growth of the caucus has been pivotal in demonstrating congressional >support for sustainable energy technologies during >the pa >st four years. > >The Caucus, presently chaired by Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) and co-chaired by >Reps. Karen Thurman (D-FL), Vern Ehlers (R-MI), >and David Minge (D-MN), has grown to include 151 members (65 R's, 85 D's, >1 I.). We urge you to join your colleagues and >become a me >mber of the House Renewable Energy Caucus and work with us to promote a >sustainable energy future. > >Sincerely, > >Alliance to Save Energy >American Bioenergy Association >American Green Network >American Public Power Association >American Solar Energy Society >American Wind Energy Association >Americans for Clean Energy >Bob Lawrence and Associates >Cascade Associates * >Clean Fuels Foundation >Communications Consortium Media Center >Environmental & Energy Study Institute >Geothermal Energy Association >Global BioRefineries, Inc. >International District Energy Association >National BioEnergy Industries Association >National Hydropower Association >Potomac Resources, Inc. >Public Citizen >Renewable Fuels Association >Safe Energy Communication Council >Solar Energy Industries Association >SUN DAY Campaign >Union of Concerned Scientists > > > > >------End forward message--------------------------- > > >------End forward message--------------------------- > Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: ACTION ALERT - BEIR VII - URGENT Date: 14 Jun 1999 11:58:01 -0400 Dear Friends, The following action alert addresses a new committee being established to review health standards for radiation. The Alliance for Nuclear Accountability is asking for letters to be sent in protest of the lack of proper representation on a committee which will have a great deal of influence on how radioactive waste is handled in this country. Please add your voices. Many thanks. Alice Slater >Date: Fri, 11 Jun 1999 10:13:05 -0400 >Subject: ACTION ALERT - BEIR VII - URGENT >Priority: non-urgent >X-FC-MachineGenerated: true >To: bananas@lists.speakeasy.org >From: sptuler@crocker.com (sptuler@crocker.com) > >ACTION ALERT ACTION ALERT ACTION ALERT ACTION ALERT ACTION ALERT > > >LETTERS ABOUT BEIR VII COMMITTEE NEEDED BY 22 JUNE, 1999 > > >Folks, > >The National Academy of Sciences has proposed members for the BEIR VII >(Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation) Committee. This committee >will >be making decisions over the next few years that will have a huge >influence >on the protectiveness of future standards for health protection, >environmental cleanup, whether irradiated metals find their ways into >commercial products and municipal landfills, etc. Its very biased, >toward the nuclear industry >and views that discount the harmful effects of ionizing radiation at low >levels of exposure. So, the composition of the committee is very >important. > >ANA nominated a number of people for the committee and none were >selected. >We were assured during DC Days meetings that the committee would be >balanced and representative and credible. Instead, the proposed >committee >members are pro-nuclear industry and several have stated positions that >are ideological and at the extreme of conservative perspectives about >the health risks of radiation, such as that >epidemiological studies have not demonstrated adverse health effects >below >exposures of 10rem > >Please send the following letter immediately to the National Academy of >Sciences, asking for a more balanced committee and to add several more >members to >correct the current biases and to look to the list ANA previously sent >for >good candidates. The main point is that the committee as currently set >up is very slanted and a sham, and that we want substantive change in >the >composition of the committee. At a minimum this positions us to >demonstrate the degree to >which NAS is irresponsibele, and unresponsive to public input. It will >also >be helpful if we are looking for political support later on. > >Deadline for public comment is June 22. > >The Health Working Group is composing a more lengthy letter with >additional >details about the biases of individuals and of the proposed committee as >a >whole. That will become an ANA letter. Nuclear Information Resource >Service and others are also writing a longer letter and will be seeking >sign-ons. Please stay tuned for rapid sign-ons to the NIRS letter. > >If you want more information about the committee, check out the NAS web >site or contact me, or Lisa Rittel. > >Thanks for your support! > >Seth > >PS: YOU CAN ALSO EMAIL YOUR COMMENTS TO >RJOSTES@NAS.EDU > >================== >Dr. Rick Jostes >Study Director >BEIR VII >National Academy of Sciences >2101 Constitution Ave., NW >Washington, DC 20418 > >Dear Dr. Jostes, > >We are writing to express our concerns about the make-up of the proposed >BEIR VII Committee. The proposed members will create a committee that >has >a very strong pro-nuclear industry bias. This calls into question the >ability for the BEIR VII study to be credible, both scientifically and >to >the public. Before the Committee membership is finalized these biases >should be corrected. > >First, a number of the proposed members have publicly stated ideological >positions regarding the health effects of low level exposures to >ionizing >radiation. At the same time, there appears to be no nominee that >strongly >advocates the validity of extrapolating below limits of epidemiological >detection. Furthermore, no nominee has the strong background required >to >review more recent research, such as studies of genomic instability. > >Second, a thorough and critical understanding of the A-Bomb survivor >studies is missing from the proposed members. Members of the BEIR VII >committee should be prepared to critically deliberate about the validity >of >the A-bomb survivor studies as well as other epidemiological research, >rather than accept results with unquestioned authority. > >Third, a number of the nominees have been expert witnesses for the >nuclear >industry and DOE contractors. In spite of these one-sided orientations, >there are, however, no nominees who have worked for community groups or >citizen plaintiffs. > >Fourth, none of the nominees are physicians or public health officials. >Nor do any of the nominees have a strong background in medical/health >ethics. > >Together, these kinds of biases call into question the ability of the >Committee to thoroughly and critically deliberate about the health >effects >of ionizing radiation at low levels of exposure. The credibility of the >results >of the BEIR VII study will accordingly also be questionable. > >The NAS should correct these biases on the Committee. Several >additional >members should be appointed who can broaden the perspectives and >expertise >on the Committee and who will balance the many varieties of biases. To >correct for these biases calls for more than an additional one or two >people to >be appointed to the Committee. A number of individuals who can >competently >represent missing scientific perspectives were nominated initially by >the >Alliance for Nuclear Accountability. The NAS should return to these >names >in its search to address these problems. > >Thank you for your time. We would appreciate a written response to this >letter, [[ADD YOUR ADDRESS HERE]] > >Sincerely, > >your name & organization > > > >-- >***************************************** >I HAVE A NEW EMAIL ADDRESS >SPTuler@crocker.com >***************************************** > >Seth Tuler >Social and Environmental Research Institute >PO Box 253 >Leverett, MA 01054-0253 >413-548-9968 > Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Nt'l Campaign for Peace in Yugoslavia June 24 Date: 14 Jun 1999 15:19:51 -0400 >Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 14:29:31 -0400 >Subject: Nt'l Campaign for Peace in Yugoslavia June 24 Congressional Actions >To: abolition-caucus@igc.apc.org >From: jgerson@afsc.org (jgerson@afsc.org) > >Dear Friends, > > Thank God the bombing and ethnic violence are at least temporarily over! >But in Washington and Europe there is a triumphalism about cruise missile >humanitarianism which leaves me with an ominous foreboding. Will the US and >NATO go on to future 23,000-bomb campaigns in the name of humanity? Will >the international community really search for constructive alternatives? >We have a chance now to raise our voices collectively for a turn away from >bomb and starve foreign policy. The National Campaign for Peace in >Yugoslavia, composed of 27 peace and human rights organizations and >religious peace fellowships, is organizing a nationwide effort to get 100 >visits to local offices of congresspeople on June 24th or some time close >to that. So get together a few friends to join you and make an appointment >to see the congressperson or their staff. If they put you off, you might >consider going anyway and waiting to be heard by your representative. Here >are some talking points you might want to use: >1. The UN needs to be funded and organized to be the world peacekeeping >mechanism. Unilateral action by the US or with a compliant regional >military alliance leads to US as world policeman with its attendant costs >in blood, money and distortion of American democratic values. >2. The US and NATO have a moral obligation to finance the rebuilding of >Yugoslavia. It is not acceptable to leave thousands of children to die of >malnutrition and cholera as we have in Iraq because we oppose the leader. >3. "Cruise Missile Humanitarianism" has caused a horrible destruction of >life, infrastructure, the environment and the relations between groups in >Yugoslavia and beyond. We have to develop constructive ways for the >international community to intervene to head off or constrain cases of mass >violence. >4. We oppose shifting national budget priorities from human needs at home >and abroad to the military. > >I hope you can find others to join you in a visit to the nearest office of >a congressperson on or around June 24th. E-mail me if you need more >information. If you do set up an appointment, contact Fran Teplitz or Jim >Bridgeman at Peace Action in Washington (202)862-9740 to report the fact. >They will be having a press conference and reporting on how many visits >will occur across the country. Fran's e-mail is fteplitz@peace-action.org. > Peace, > Mike Yarrow >PS We would like to know also if you can arrange a visit. > >Some pointers on visits to the local offices of a congressperson destilled >from the Friends Committee on National Legislation Flyer. > >1. A visit by a number of local constituents to a local congressional >office is often valuable. It demonstrates to the legilator that a number >of people from his or her home community share the concern. >2. Be as positive as possible. You might get further by suggesting >positive measures which need to be taken now rather than dwelling on the >horrors of the war and attacking the legislator for his/her support of it. >3. To maximize the effectiveness it needs to be carefully planned. > A. Try to meet before hand and select a theme. In this case maybe "We >would like to talk to the congressperson about what needs to be done in the >aftermath of the war in Yugoslavia." > B. Select a person to make the opening remarks. > C. If you want to explore the four issues listed above, you might select >someone to articulate each one. > D. Do some background reading on the issues and if you can research the >congressperson's voting record. (For background contact AFSC Kosovo Peace >Education Coordinator at (215) 523-5693 or e-mail mnyarrow@afsc.org. For >voting record, call Friends Committee on National Legislation at (202) >547-6000.) >4. Write a follow-up letter to the legislator, especially if you talk to >the aid, thanking him for the opportunity to share your views and restating >your points. > >Mike Yarrow >Kosovo Peace Education Coordinator >American Friends Service Committee >1501 Cherry Street >Philadelphia, PA 19102 >Tel:215 523-5693 >Fax:215 241-7177 >E-mail: mnyarrow@afsc.org > Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Minutes of the Abolition 2000 Annual Meeting 1999. Date: 14 Jun 1999 15:42:00 -0400 > > Dear Friends, Here are some addition, corrections to minutes: > > *Praful Bidwai (India) [pbidwai@pb.unv.ernet.in] > > 2) Religious Organizations: > Howard Hallman, (Methodists United For Peace with Justice), 1500 16th St. > NW, Washington D.C., 20036, USA, Tel: +1-301-896-0013, Fax: > +1-301-896-0013, E-Mail: mupj@igc.apc.org, > Clayton Ramey, (Fellowship of Reconciliation), 521 North Broadway, Nyack, > New York, 10960, USA, Tel: 1-914-358-4601, Fax: 1-914-358-4924, E-Mail: > cramey@igc.apc.org. > Dave Robinson, Pax Christi, 532 West 8th Street. E-mail: > Dave@paxchristiusa.org > [Howard informed the caucus that he closed this list down: To subscribe to > the working group's E-Mail list server, contact Howard Hallman.] > > 5) NATO Working Group: > [Karina Wood informed the group that she would not be on this working group > when she began her work with the HAP. She had a co-convenor: > > Karina Wood, (Peace Action), 1819 H Street, NW, Suite 420, Washington, > D.C. 20006, USA, Tel: +1-202-862-9740 ext. 3044, Fax: +1-202-862-9762, > E-Mail: kwood@igc.org. > > [Stephen Staples volunteered to organize a Corporate Working Group to address > the corporation-driven nuclear arms race and focus on the WTO meeting in > Seattle this fall.] Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Action Alert HR 45 Date: 14 Jun 1999 16:30:07 -0400 >Date: Fri, 11 Jun 1999 10:30:00 -0400 >Subject: Action Alert HR 45 >Priority: non-urgent >X-FC-MachineGenerated: true >To: cmep-list@lists.citizen.org >From: cmep@citizen.org (cmep@citizen.org) > >============================================================== >Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy Project >============================================================== >Dear Activists: > > In our ongoing effort to defeat H.R. 45 The Nuclear Waste Policy >Act >of > 1999, we are taking an unusual approach in our strategy. There >will >be a > number of components to this particular strategy in the coming >days >and > weeks and we will be calling on you to assist in the >implementation. > > HR 45 may before the House of Representatives for a full vote >within >the > next few weeks though it could also be considerably longer. When >it >comes up > for the full floor vote the Rules Committee of the House of >Representatives > will decide which amendments to the bill are allowed to be voted >on >by > Members of Congress. > > Often times the Rules Committee blocks the most critical >amendments >which > address the largest flaws in the legislation thus limiting the >debate >on > these issues. This undemocratic maneuver helps ensure leadership >and > industry priorities are retained in the legislation with little >opportunity > for opposition > > However, there is a way to reign in the Rules Committee. > > We want you to call (time is of the essence) your Member of >Congress > demanding their vote against H.R. 45 and asking them to oppose any >"rule" > that blocks critical health and safety amendments from being voted >on. > > Ask your Member to demand that the amendment process be open to >unlimited > amendments and truly fair and open debate. If the U.S. House >wants to >bail > out the nuclear industry allowing them to haul their waste across >the > country, lets force them to do it in broad daylight. > > 24 of the 29 Amendments are designed to address concerns that the >bill fails > to provide adequate measures to protect public health and safety. >We >want > the Rules Committee to allow debate on all of these amendments. > > To view all of the amendments to HR 45 go to: > http://www.house.gov/rules/yucca_amendments.htm > > For telephone numbers for the Capitol Hill office of your Member >of >Congress > go to:http://www.citizen.org/CMEP/dbases/member_info_1.HTML > > We have enclosed a sample script for you to use in your telephone > conversation. It is unlikely that you will be put through to your > Representative in which case you should ask for the Legislative >Aide > assigned to nuclear waste issues. > > As always, thank you for your continued activism. > > >**************************************************************************** > Telephone Script > > "My name is Joe Smith and I am a constituent of Congressman/woman >(name) and > I would like to speak to him / her about nuclear waste and HR 45. > > "As a voting, tax paying resident of your constituency I demand >that >you > vote against HR 45, The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1999. This >legislation > should be defeated because of the enormous risks it poses to the >health and > safety of the American public and because it is a quick, temporary >fix for a > huge problem that will not disappear simply because it is buried. > > "I would also like to ask that when the legislation comes to House >floor for > a vote that you oppose any "rule" that blocks critical health and >safety > amendments from being voted on. Please ensure that the process is >open to > unlimited amendments and a truly fair and open debate." > > "Thank you for your time." > > > Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy Project > 215 Penn Ave., SE > Washington DC 20003 > cmep@citizen.org > Ph: 202 546-4996 F: 202 547-7392 > http://www.citizen.org/cmep > >************************************************************************** > > >Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy Project >215 Penn Ave., SE >Washington DC 20003 >cmep@citizen.org >Ph: 202 546-4996 F: 202 547-7392 >http://www.citizen.org/cmep >************************************************************************** > >====================================================== >Questions about the CMEP-list can be directed to cmep@citizen.org >======================================================== > Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Russia to sign mine treaty, but not US Date: 14 Jun 1999 16:44:32 -0400 >Date: Fri, 11 Jun 1999 13:21:19 -0400 >Subject: Russia to sign mine treaty, but not US >Priority: non-urgent >X-FC-MachineGenerated: true >To: abolition@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca >X-FC-Forwarded-From: lothcol@magi.com >From: abolition@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca (abolition@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca) > > >1) Russia Plans To Sign Agreement Banning Land Mines >2) G8 backs landmine curbs, US opposes total ban > > > Russia Plans To Sign Agreement Banning Land Mines > > LD0906183099 Moscow ITAR-TASS in English 1750 GMT 9 Jun >99 [By Oleg Artyushin, Alexei Golyayev, Vladimir Smelov and >Andrei Urban] > > [FBIS Transcribed Text] COLOGNE, June 9 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia >intends to sign the international agreement banning the production >and use of land mines, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said. > > The agreement, signed in Ottawa, entered into force on March 1, >1999. It has been ratified by 80 countries. > > At their meeting in Bonn, the foreign ministers of the world's seven > major industrialised countries and Russia discussed at length the > prevention of conflicts in the world and fight against organised >crime. > > Special attention was given to ways of combatting illegal trafficking >in arms and military hardware. > > [Description of Source: ITAR-TASS -- Main government information > agency.] >### > >BC-GROUP-LANDMINES (PICTURE) > > G8 backs landmine curbs, US opposes total ban > > COLOGNE, Germany (Reuters) - Foreign ministers from the >Group of Eight big powers agreed to support efforts to remove >landmines Thursday, but the United States repeated its >opposition to a universal ban on them. > > "The G8 agrees to support ... implementation of the Ottawa >Convention on landmines," the ministers said in a joint >statement following talks in the German city of Cologne. > > Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy, whose government >has sponsored a treaty outlawing anti-personnel mines, told a >news conference he welcomed indications from Russian Foreign >Minister Igor Ivanov that Moscow was thinking of signing it. > > Russia, along with China and the United States, is a major >producer and user of landmines and, like the other two, has not >so far agreed to endorse the ban, arguing that mines provide >too useful military advantages to be abandoned outright. > > "We were very encouraged to hear the Russian foreign >minister indicate that his government is looking seriously at >signing the treaty," Axworthy said, adding that the need for >extensive removal of landmines in Kosovo as Serb forces >withdraw had focused minds on the need to curb their use. > > The Communist-led Russian parliament is unlikely, however, >to ratify the landmine treaty since it views Moscow's stockpile >of mines as a highly cost-effective part of its arsenal. > > U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright repeated that >Washington could also not support a universal ban on landmines. >American troops use them, notably, as an efficient way of >defending South Korea's border with the Communist North. > > "On landmines, the U.S. position has not changed," Albright >told the same news conference. > > She added, however, that the United States was looking for >alternatives to mines and stressed that U.S. troops would play >a leading role in removing mines from Kosovo. > > "The United States is the leader in the demining projects >and we will have played a huge role in that around the world," >she said. > > REUTERS Reut12:28 06-10-99 >### > > > >lothcol@magi.com > Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Minutes of the Abolition 2000 Annual Meeting 1999. Date: 14 Jun 1999 18:58:35 -0400 Dear Friends, In my amendments to the minutes, I mistakenly edited out the name of Ben Cramer as the co-convenor of the NATO working group. His email is Regards, Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Alert:June 24 Congressional Actions Nt'l Campaign for Peace in Date: 15 Jun 1999 13:24:55 -0400 Dear Friends, Please make every effort to circulate this Alert far and wide and to join with some friends to visit your member of Congress' office on June 24th. Peace, Alice Slater Dear Friends, Thank God the bombing and ethnic violence are at least temporarily over! But in Washington and Europe there is a triumphalism about cruise missile humanitarianism which leaves me with an ominous foreboding. Will the US and NATO go on to future 23,000-bomb campaigns in the name of humanity? Will the international community really search for constructive alternatives? We have a chance now to raise our voices collectively for a turn away from bomb and starve foreign policy. The National Campaign for Peace in Yugoslavia, composed of 27 peace and human rights organizations and religious peace fellowships, is organizing a nationwide effort to get 100 visits to local offices of congresspeople on June 24th or some time close to that. So get together a few friends to join you and make an appointment to see the congressperson or their staff. If they put you off, you might consider going anyway and waiting to be heard by your representative. Here are some talking points you might want to use: 1. The UN needs to be funded and organized to be the world peacekeeping mechanism. Unilateral action by the US or with a compliant regional military alliance leads to US as world policeman with its attendant costs in blood, money and distortion of American democratic values. 2. The US and NATO have a moral obligation to finance the rebuilding of Yugoslavia. It is not acceptable to leave thousands of children to die of malnutrition and cholera as we have in Iraq because we oppose the leader. 3. "Cruise Missile Humanitarianism" has caused a horrible destruction of life, infrastructure, the environment and the relations between groups in Yugoslavia and beyond. We have to develop constructive ways for the international community to intervene to head off or constrain cases of mass violence. 4. We oppose shifting national budget priorities from human needs at home and abroad to the military. I hope you can find others to join you in a visit to the nearest office of a congressperson on or around June 24th. E-mail me if you need more information. If you do set up an appointment, contact Fran Teplitz or Jim Bridgeman at Peace Action in Washington (202)862-9740 to report the fact. They will be having a press conference and reporting on how many visits will occur across the country. Fran's e-mail is fteplitz@peace-action.org. Peace, Mike Yarrow PS We would like to know also if you can arrange a visit. Some pointers on visits to the local offices of a congressperson destilled from the Friends Committee on National Legislation Flyer. 1. A visit by a number of local constituents to a local congressional office is often valuable. It demonstrates to the legilator that a number of people from his or her home community share the concern. 2. Be as positive as possible. You might get further by suggesting positive measures which need to be taken now rather than dwelling on the horrors of the war and attacking the legislator for his/her support of it. 3. To maximize the effectiveness it needs to be carefully planned. A. Try to meet before hand and select a theme. In this case maybe "We would like to talk to the congressperson about what needs to be done in the aftermath of the war in Yugoslavia." B. Select a person to make the opening remarks. C. If you want to explore the four issues listed above, you might select someone to articulate each one. D. Do some background reading on the issues and if you can research the congressperson's voting record. (For background contact AFSC Kosovo Peace Education Coordinator at (215) 523-5693 or e-mail mnyarrow@afsc.org. For voting record, call Friends Committee on National Legislation at (202) 547-6000.) 4. Write a follow-up letter to the legislator, especially if you talk to the aid, thanking him for the opportunity to share your views and restating your points. Mike Yarrow Kosovo Peace Education Coordinator American Friends Service Committee 1501 Cherry Street Philadelphia, PA 19102 Tel:215 523-5693 Fax:215 241-7177 E-mail: mnyarrow@afsc.org Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Urgent news from Bishop Atemije Date: 16 Jun 1999 11:11:01 EDT In a message dated 6/16/99 5:03:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time, jim_forest@compuserve.com writes: << Subj: Urgent news from Bishop Atemije Date: 6/16/99 5:03:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: jim_forest@compuserve.com (Jim Forest) Sender: jim_forest@compuserve.com (Jim Forest) To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com HITNO!!! HITNO!!! HITNO!!! APEL NJEGOVE PREOSVECENOSTI ARTEMIJA, EPISKOPA RASKO-PRIZRENSKOG Beograd 15.06.1999 22.25h By the help of radio-amateurs, from sources close to the Church, we have come to this information: The situation on the line Prizren - Pec is tragic. The last Serb inhabitants of Metohija are moving out. PRIZREN - KLA has set its check points and controls the town. KLA groups have besieged the Bishop's Court with bishop Artemije, monks and priests inside. In the church yard, monuments of emperor Dushan and Russian consul Yastrebov are destroyed. The German contingent cannot guarantee safety and security neither for the Serbs, nor for the priests and the monks, and officers advised the Bishop, the priest and monks to leave Prizren tomorrow with the remaining Serbs. THE HOLY ARCHANGEL MONASTERY (XIV century - 2 km from Prizren) This morning KLA has kidnapped one monk and some Serbs from Prizren. Their fate is uncertain. THE HOLY TRINITY MONASTERY- MUSUTISTE ( XV century) Today the monastery church has been burnt down, few days ago the monastery residence was burnt down. The nuns have escaped to the Gracanica monastery. THE SAINTS KUZMA AND DAMIAN MONASTERY -ZOCISTE (XIV century) The monks have been evacuated to Prizren. The fate of the monastery is unknown. VELIKA HOCA and surrounding villages are deserted. Line of 400 people are on the way to Pristina, although no safe evacuation has been guaranteed. THE VISOKI DECANI MONASTERY (XIV century) During Yugoslav Army pullout, 150 Albanians from Decani has found safety in the monastery and spent 2 days there, together with a group of 17 Serbs that had escaped earlier. The Italian troops are stationed near the monastery, and their officers are cooperative, and guarantee safety and security Serbs and Albanians alike. PEC - THE PATRIARCHATE OF PEC (XIII century) The Italian forces are in the town, relations are good. There are no more than 50 Serbs left in the town. The nuns at the Partriarchate are well. THE DEVIC MONASTERY (XV century) There is no information. The arrival of the French contingent is expected tomorrow. THE GORIOC MONASTERY (XIV century) No presence of KLA is registred. The arrival of the French contingent is expected. Branislav Skrobonja Draze Pavlovica 13, Beograd e-mail yuge-@eunet.yu >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) NYC area / June 30 event Date: 17 Jun 1999 17:19:28 EDT This arrived today, it looks kosher, not a pro-violence evening for one side or the other, so I am happy to pass it on. David McReynolds << Subj: June 30 event Date: 6/17/99 10:02:47 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: Sheridanpa To: DavidMcR PRESS RELEASE > >A GATHERING, A READING, AN EVENING, A PUBLIC EVENT OF NEW YORKERS READING >LETTERS, JOURNALs, POEMS, EMAILS FROM THE PEOPLE OF KOSOVA AND SERBIA. >ORGANIZED BY MARTY POTTENGER WITH KATHLEEN CHALFANT, EVE ENSLER, HENRY >FONER, ARTHUR FRENCH, JOYCE KOZLOFF, ALVAN COLON LESPIER, YOSHIKO CHUMA, >RABBI JULIE SHONFELD, REV. DAVID DYSON AND OTHERS. >June 30 1999 >St. Peter's Church >619 Lexington at 54 St. >6:00 to 8:30 PM (15 minute intermission) >Contact: Erin Dunn 212 575-7534 > Boneau, Bryan,Brown or > > Marty Pottenger 212 505-8639 >>_______________________________________________________ > On June 30, 1999 at St. Peter's Church 619 Lexington (54 St) from >6 to 8:30PM, New Yorkers from labor, theater, dance, religion, visual >arts, police, education and business will gather to read the stories of the >people of Kosova and Serbia - refugees, citizens and exiles - about the war >. The evening's writings have been collected and assembled by Artistic >Director and Executive Producer Marty Pottenger with the help of Eve >Ensler, Laura Flanders and Kathleen Chalfant and reflect the first-hand >experience of people from many different perspectives and experiences . >"Whiling away the hours in the cell I share with a murder suspect, I asked >myself what the West's aim was for "the morning after". The image of NATO >taking its finger off the trigger kept coming to mind." -- Veran Matic, >Editor-in-Chief of Belgrade's banned Radio B92. " "So when the time came >and he was forced to leave, my grandfather knew that they would burn his >home, so he took his poems and put them in the beehives, thinking maybe >they won't destroy the beehives. And perhaps they are they still there, >waiting amongst the bees, being covered in honey." -- Kosovar woman > Winning the War Peace is conceived and organized by Pottenger as >a response to the war -- "As I asked New Yorkers what they thought about >the war in the Balkans I learned that one friend had quit buying the >NYTimes for the last several weeks, not realizing until we spoke that it >was because he couldn't face news of yet another war. He'd been telling >himself that he was just too busy. My upstairs neighbor started crying when >we spoke, asking me 'How can I answer my children's' questions when I >can't even pronounce Milosevic's name properly or the names of the cities >where this is all happening?' I realized then that we need opportunities to >come together, to meet as New Yorkers, as citizens of the United States, as >people who care and are also confused, isolated and scared. As well as >debates and discussions, we need a place to simply listen to our neighbors >from Yugoslavia, both those being brutally torn from their homes, their >communities destroyed, and also those who our country was bombing, who were >being portrayed as evil monsters. Rather than try to interpret the >information and determine our response separately, here is an opportunity >to come together and turn our minds towards war and peace and perhaps >become a bit wiser -- not just for this war, but for the next, and the one >after that. > I turned to my community here in New York and asked if they would >be willing to read a short excerpt from original writings by people like >themselves. The response was tremendous. It seemed appropriate to bring >together people from my own communities, to gather us together both in >response and in respect for the people of Yugoslavia during this time - >understanding that we were all not of the same opinion - but that war is a >time when relationship and community beats at the heart of how we can move >forward together to win the peace." > >>From Obie-winning actors to labor leaders, professors, police officers, >Local 3 electricians, leaders of NYC's religious institutions, lawyers and >leaders in the field of visual arts -- the readers represent some of the >diverse communities in New York City. They have diverse and dissenting >opinions about the war. Their participation comes from a desire to gather >with others to share the stories of our neighbors in Yugoslavia and to >understand the realities of this war more deeply. Readers: Kathleen >Chalfant, Robbie McCauley, Yoshiko Chuma, Henry Foner, Arthur French, >Katherine Acey, Jane LaTour, Caron Atlas, Simin Farkondeh, Nancy Spero, >Mary McLaughlin, Linda Mancini, Brad Stokes, Azi Khalili, David White, J. >L.Pottenger Jr., Rosalba Rolon, Alvan Colon Lespier, David Calle, Rabbi >Julie Shonfeld, George Drance, Carla Peterson, Ellie Covan, Cydele Berlin, >Evan Ruderman, Martha Baker, Rev. David Dyson, Annie Lanzalotto, Matthew >Maguire, Magda Sawon, Tamas Banozich, Starr Theater, Linda Earle, Rebecca >Nelson, Marty Fishgold, Rev. Peter Laarman, Elaine Harger, Joyce Kozloff , >Diana McWilliams, Patrick O'Flaherty, Mary Beth Edelson, Freddi >Brown-Carter, Tamara Damon and others > > Artistic Director and Executive Producer Marty Pottenger is >a writer and performance ar >tist whose City Water Tunnel #3 won an Obie in 1996. Writing and performing >since 1975, she has toured nationally and internationally with her works >"Construction Stories" and "City Water Tunnel #3." A carpenter and a >trades activist for over 20 years, Pottenger is also a founding member of >Heresies: A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics. She receives >critical and generous support from the arts community including a Lila >Wallace Arts Partners Planning and Project and Rockefeller MAP. For the >last two years she has been working with the Center for Cultural >Decontamination (an anti-Milosevic, pro democracy cultural center) in >Belgrade on RJEKA/REKA (River/River), a large-scale performance journey >throughout the entire Balkans along the Sava River. She will be traveling >to Belgrade July 2nd to do research for her next play "War and Peace." > "Winning the Peace" is being created with the participation >and support of The Suitcase Fund of Dance Theater Workshop with major >support from Trust for Mutual Understanding, The Working Theater, Cornell >University School for Industrial and Labor Relations, New York State >Council on the Arts and New York Foundation for the Arts . > >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) news from the Serbian Orthodox Church Date: 17 Jun 1999 17:22:22 EDT I know from one or two posts that there are some who will rejoice at these trials. Too many of the Left have chosen sides, and have rationed their compassion. Yesterday's New York Times documented how these orthodox church folks had rescued Albanians during the worst of the troubles and given them haven, keeping them safe. Now the KLA has come, the tables are turned, and I know among the Albanians there are people as compassionate as there were a handful among the Serbs. Many are guilty on both sides, but on both sides also a few have compassion. David McReynolds Subj: news from the Serbian Orthodox Church Date: 6/17/99 4:45:21 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: jim_forest@compuserve.com (Jim Forest) Sender: jim_forest@compuserve.com (Jim Forest) To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com a related report is attached * * * Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 14:38:49 EDT Subject: Statement 6-16-99 Serbian Orthodox Church, Belgrade Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church PRAVOSLAVLJE PRESS STATEMENT Belgrade, June 16, 1999 The afflictions of the Serbian Orthodox believers, clergymen and monastics, as well as the damages caused to the churches and monasteries on Kosovo and Metohia have been aggravated to the extent of tragedy. Rt. Rev. Artemije, the Bishop of Raska and Prizren, together with local clergymen, monastics, and 250 Serbs who remained in Prizren, lived for several days in the churchyard, surounded by the Albanians, and exposed to the perils of Albanian terrorists. Today, in the afternoon, the prisoners have managed to move to the free territory, owing to the great efforts made by Rt. Rev. Atanasije, the Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina, who has been on Kosovo and Metohia for several days already. Two clergymen have stayed in Prizren. The monastic Hariton from the monastery of the Saint Archangels, near Prizren, was kidnapped yesterday by the Albanians, and nothing has been known about him since. The rest of the monastics managed to find refuge in the Gracanica monastery, near Pristina. The monastery of the Holy Trinity, near Suva Reka (its church and residential part) has been burned to the ground. The nuns from the monastery managed to leave in time, and, temporarily, to find refuge in the Gracanica monastery. The monastery Devic, abode of nuns, has been exposed to the severe attacks of the Albanians for couple of days, since it has been left without military protection. The efforts of the clergymen from Pristina to free the nuns, have not resulted in success yet. There is no clergymen, and not a single Serb in Djakovica. The situation is very difficult for the Serbs living in Pec and in other places on Kosovo and Metohia as well. The nuns of the Patriarchate of Pec monastery, and two clergymen from Pec, have stayed there with the people. Rt. Rev. Amfilohije, the Archbishop of Crna Gora and Primorje has arrived this afternoon in the Patriarchate of Pec monastery. Tomorrow, on June 17, 1999, His Holiness Pavle, the Serbian Patriarch, and his auxilliary bishop, Atanasije Rakita, the Bishop of Hvosno, will come to the Patriarchate of Pec. About 35.000 of Orthodox Serbs have been driven out of Kosovo and Metohia. They have abandoned their hearths after signing of the Peace agreement. We hope that this tragedy will be stopped with the help of God. Translated by Ivana Milicic From the Patriarchate Web site: www.spc.org.yu * * * Thu, 17 Jun 1999 http://www.inet.co.yu/ 04:10 Artemije, the Bishop of Raska and Prizren Diocese stated that local Albanian residents of Prizren are beating up and disarming Serb civilians ever since KLA entered the town. 5 Serbs, among them one monk, were abducted by KLA in Prizen yesterday. 17:45 Serbian Patriarch Pavle met KFOR chief commander, Lt.General Michael Jackson, in Prishtina at 12:00pm. He stated that he would stay in Kosovo for a while. Also, during the afternoon, Patriarch Pavle is expected to arrive in mediaeval monastery of Pec Patriarchate near Pec. 18:15 Reuters reports that about 50,000 Serbian refugees left Kosovo during last 7 days. * * * >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Patriarch Pavle plans to go to Kosovo Date: 17 Jun 1999 17:22:32 EDT In a message dated 6/17/99 8:26:55 AM Eastern Daylight Time, jim_forest@compuserve.com writes: << Here is an hour-by-hour diary of events in Kosovo yesterday. Don't overlook the plan of Patrirach Pavle announced late last night to himself go to Pec, the ancient center of the Orthodox Church. This is his personal effort to help preserve Kosovo as a muti-ethnic, multi-religious community. His going there is, of course, not without risks. Please keep him in your prayers. (I was interviewed this morning by the BBC World Service about this action by Pavle. You might hear me for a few minutes tomorrow on the program "Focus on Faith," broadcast at 12:30 London time.) Note that Bishop Artemije, on the advice of NATO soldiers, had to flee Prizren, but hopes to return. He remains in Kosovo -- in Pristina. Jim * * * source: Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 23:06:36 +0200 8:33 ITAR-TASS - Russian paratroops stationed at Pristina airport began construction of defense objects, primarily in the south part of the airport. All in all, it seems that Russians expect KLA attacks. It was also added that the nearest NATO units are 10 km from the airport and that Canadian troops have built a pillar 10 metres high, on which modern technology has been mounted for monitoring Russian troops. 17:30 USA officials announced that heavy bombers will be withdrawn from Europe in the next several days. 17:15 Italy, ANSA: As a reason for prolonging the deadline for the total withdrawal of the YU Army from Zone 1 in Kosovo (about a hundred soldiers are still there), for 24 hours more, "the intense exodus of Serbian civilians" has been stated. At the same time, it is estimated that Albanians are returning to Kosovo in a pace of about 1,000 per hour; huge confusion in Kukes. Ivanov from Helsinki: "If we don't want to risk the whole peace process in Kosovo, KLA must be disarmed as soon as possible." KLA announced this morning that Russian troops will be treated as 'enemy troops', Moscow replied it regards this statement as a "declaration of war". (Meantime, Russian contigent in Pristina has been enlarged -- published, but without any details). Americans arrested 2 Serbs near Urosevac, accusing them of 'war crimes'. Last news on RAI: Pec - KLA leader appointed as mayor of Pec. 16:30 The Ortodox monastery Holy Trinity in the village Musutiste near Prizren was burnt down completely by KLA. This monastery has been mentioned for the first time around the year 1465. Kosovo has the biggest number of Christian monasteries dating from the Middle Ages. 16:23 800 Czechs and 350 Hungarians will be included into KFOR forces. The first group of 110 Greek KFOR soldiers arrived to Urosevac today. 16:14 Studio B reports that 30 KLA members were killed today in Pristina by British KFOR forces. 14:59 A convoy of buses is leaving Pristina today for Prizren, for evacuation of the remaining 200-300 Serbs from that region. Bishop Artemije said he would leave Prizren because he's not feeling safe. He added that Serbs would be back when KFOR guaranteed safety. 23:52 Bishop of Raska-Prizren region arrived to Pristina from Prizren 23:30 Sabri Kicmari, KLA speaker in Stuttgart, is answering some questions of the TV reporter regarding the burnt monastery and revenge against serbs, which he of course denies, saying that Albanians do not do such things... 23:24 Tonight`s news of the German TV WDR -- they asked Rudolf Scharping how come YU Army is withdrawing so much armament from Kosovo when NATO claimed during the whole war that the YU Army in Kosovo is destroyed. The poor guy started to mutter and finally he could not give arguments. Germans suspect that Yugoslavia imported rubber tanks from Iraq before the war and similar things, which cost 40,000 DM a piece and provide an authentic image of a real tank from the sky. 23:03 Serbian Archbishop Pavle just said on TV that he would personally go to Pec Archbishopry in order to do what he can to protect and return the Serbs from that region. Example for politicians. 22:54 According to foreign media, mass disarmament of KLA is in process by KFOR. 22:49 UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, said today that cca 17,500 Serbs and Montenegrins left Kosovo for Monte Negro during the last week. 22:34 Refugees from Kosovo are at the entry of the town for 3-4 days now and are receiving the basic provisions and aid from the Red Cross... After that, some of them stay (where?), some go on... My heart is crying when I see convoys of poor people on tractors... If you people from abroad can send some help, please do it as soon as possible. These people have nothing else any more but the few things on their tractors. * * * Wed, 16 Jun 1999 16:47:27 -0500 source: 22:40 His Holiness the Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Pavle is going to visit Pec soon. He appealed to Serbs in Kosovo today not to leave their homes. 23:25 The Bishop of Raska and Prizren Diocese has arrived in Pristina, fleeing from Prizren from KLA. 23:40 According to official sources from Serbian Ortodox Church, more than 35,000 Serbs have fled from Kosovo so far. 00:45 KLA terrorists have grabbed monk Hariton yesterday from Holy Arhangel monastery near Prizren. Other monks managed to escape into the Gracanica monastery near Pristina. 01:15 According to the reports from Pristina, not a single Serb remained in Djakovica. * * * Orthodox Peace Fellowship Kanisstraat 5 / 1811 GJ Alkmaar / The Netherlands tel: (+31-72) 511-2545 / fax: (+31-72) 515-4180 e-mail: jim_forest@compuserve.com Orthodox Peace Fellowship web site: http://www.incommunion.org * * * - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) In war, truth is the first casualty Date: 17 Jun 1999 17:37:29 EDT Nato accused of "media blunders" * (BBC 99.06.16) Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 17:09:52 -0400 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_370000/370911.stm Wednesday, June 16, 1999 Published at 17:40 GMT 18:40 UK BBC: World: Europe ================================ Nato accused of "media blunders" ================================ General David Wilby and Jamie Shea brief the media : http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/370000/images/_370911_shea300.jpg Nato has come under fire from a media organisation for "distorting the truth" and giving "false information" about the war in Yugoslavia. In a report called War in Yugoslavia, Nato's Media Blunders, the Paris-based Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) said the problems could have arisen from simple mistakes, or could have been deliberate misinformation. "False information, exorbitant and impossible-to-check figures and the use of debatable historical references have strengthened doubts about the goodwill of certain western political and military leaders," it said in a statement. Reporters Sans Frontieres: "Doubts about goodwill of certain western leaders" : http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/370000/images/_370911_rsflogo.jpg The group illustrated its concern with the Nato confirmation of the death of ethnic Albanian leader Fehmi Agani and five others. At the Nato briefing in Brussels, General David Wilby said the report came from a reliable source and had been carefully checked. But RSF said that his source was in fact the Kosovo Information Centre in London, run by Kosovan exiles. Agani was killed, but some days later. "Making a rumour official in this wa, during the first week of bombing, would appear to be less the result of a mistake than of a deliberate decision," said the report. The report gave other examples including a Nato air strike on two convoys initially blamed on the Serbs. The attack on 14 April was admitted on 19 April. A recording of a pilot alleged to have hit the first convoy was later revealed to have mothing to do with the attacks. RSF said other features of the Nato briefings were approximate figures, debatable historic references and the use of demonising vocabulary such as "genocide". "Nato has not shown goodwill in its relations with the media," RSF said. "It could still be hoped that a coalition of democracies, which claims to have right on its side, would behave with more integrity than the dictatorship it is fighting against," the report ends. * >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Clampdown in Southern Serbia Date: 18 Jun 1999 14:18:40 EDT This is a message from a reliable (and courageous) source in Belgrade. The Socialist Party referred to has NO relationship to the Socialist Party USA (of which I'm a member). David McReynolds << Subj: Clampdown in Southern Serbia Date: 6/18/99 12:24:18 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: grupa484@beotel.yu (grupa484) To: Undisclosed.Recipients@beotel.yu Clampdown In Southern Serbia Journalists, human rights activists and opposition politicians in southern Serbia have been jailed or mobilised during NATO's bombing campaign - and the repression seems likely to continue. By an independent journalist in southern Serbia. (Published on June 13, 1999) Even before NATO launched air strikes against Yugoslavia, Leskovac and Vranje, two towns in southern Serbia, were notorious for the way in which the authorities stamped out dissent. In the wake of the bombing campaign large numbers of men were mobilised and all potential opposition silenced--and it will take more than the end of the war for a more open environment to prevail. Vranje and Leskovac are two of the poorest towns in Serbia--the average salary before the war was a meagre 50 German Marks ($27) a month--and state television has always been the principal, if not the only, medium. The circulation of independent newspapers, when available, has been minimal. In such circumstances, it is hardly surprising that Slobodan Milosevic's ruling Socialist Party has won every election since 1990. Moreover, anybody daring to oppose the local authorities has risked interrogation by the secret police, dismissal from employment and even incarceration. In silencing opposition, the authorities have made the most of the peace-time law on public information as well as extraordinary war-time decrees of the Serbian government. The most prominent victims of the clamp-down have been Dobrosav Nesic, chairman of the Committee for Human Rights in Leskovac, and Vojkan Ristic, a long-time journalist of the former independent weekly Nasa Borba, and after it was closed, Vranje correspondent of the Belgrade daily Glas Javnosti. Dobrosav Nesic was released from Leskovac prison on June 7 after serving a one-month sentence that was imposed on him on January 21 in accordance with the law on public information. The editor of an independent monthly magazine called The Rights of Man, Nesic had published a text under the headline "To Write Like All Other Normal People" in which he was critical of the way in which the local media in Leskovac operated. In addition to Nesic's 30-day sentence, the Committee for Human Rights, the magazine's publisher, was fined 17,000 German Marks ($9,140). On his release, Nesic said: "Even in the prison, I continued to speak out against the regime of Slobodan Milosevic who is destroying the future of the entire people. They put me into solitary confinement and forced me to do the most difficult jobs. "Once they beat me up. I received blows to the stomach and head, and spat blood. I told them that they had taken away my freedom, but not my dignity. I won over to my views many inmates who live in cruel conditions and who are treated in a bestial manner." Independent observers view the Committee for Human Rights' fine and Nesic's prison term as punishment for their attempts to organise an Albanian-Serbian dialogue on Kosovo. The authorities interpreted such a dialogue as a "betrayal of national interests". In the wake of the fine and the imprisonment, The Rights of Man has ceased publication. Nevertheless, Nesic says that he is now preparing a new issue "in order to inform the citizens in the south of Serbia about what the authorities are doing in their name and the tragic consequences that this entails." The independent press in Vranje disappeared with the first NATO bombs. All male members in the newsroom of the weekly Novine Vranjske were immediately drafted and, despite the peace agreement, are yet to be demobilised. As a result, the paper has not been published for the past three months. The Vranje journalist, Vojkan Ristic, spent the month to May 27 in Vranje prison. His offence, which merited a custodial sentence, was failing to change the place of residence to correspond with the new one in his identity card--for six days. In sentencing Ristic, the municipal magistrate said that, in addition to the police report and war-time legislation, he had taken into consideration "the interests of the security of the country". Independent observers suspect that the real reason for Ristic's imprisonment is his year-long investigation into and reporting of the corrupt practices of the local branch of the ruling Socialist Party, headed by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Dragomir Tomic. The most avid readers of his articles, it seems, were the secret policemen who interrogated him in February for 15 hours and "gently" advised him to "stop writing about Tomic". The prison term was presumably punishment for not heeding the advice. Upon his release, Vojkan Ristic refused to talk about his treatment in prison, but vowed to continue his investigative reporting as soon as the war-time legislation curtailing media freedom was lifted. Independent media in southern Serbia have not been the only casualties of the NATO bombing campaign. In addition to hassling and drafting journalists, the authorities have systematically mobilised leading members of opposition parties, threatening them that they would be sent to the front. Members of the Democratic Party have had most difficulties, especially after the regime media accused their leader Zoran Djindjic of being "a traitor and a foreign mercenary". A senior member of the party's executive committee in Leskovac, who wished to remain anonymous, said that he has had been receiving threatening phone calls and had been insulted by Socialist Party activists in the street. "When the war started, the regime decided to move against us. The director of the institution where I work, who is in the top leadership of the Socialist Party, gave me my notice and left me without any means to make a living. "Similar things have happened to other opposition activists and to members of our families. We are living in fear from yet more reprisals," he said.. At the end of May on a few occasions several dozen protestors gathered to demonstrate against the numbers of mobilised men of all ages from Leskovac and the surrounding area. The police broke up the demonstrations using batons and detained several of the protestors to try to find out who the organisers were. The demonstrators believe that the leading Socialist Party politician from this region, Zivojin Stefanovic, had ordered mobilisation of as many as 50,000 people from Leskovac and the surrounding area in the hope that he would be rewarded with the post of Yugoslav ambassador to Bulgaria. Stefanovic now regularly surrounds himself with bodyguards from the debt-collection agency that belongs to the notorious war crimes suspect and gangster Zeljko ("Arkan") Raznatovic. Even if the war is over, the structures of power within Serbia remain in place. The author is an independent journalist from southern Serbia whose identity has been withheld. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Decani: a monastery safegaurded by Albanians Date: 18 Jun 1999 15:33:32 EDT In the midst of unreason and revenge and war comes this post which reminds us of good folks on "both sides of the line". Of such can a new society be built. David McReynolds << June 17, 1999 / Filed at 4:34 p.m. EDT Serb Monastery Protects All Peoples By The Associated Press DECANE, Yugoslavia (AP) -- When withdrawing Serb forces pillaged this southwest Kosovo town, the abbot of the Serbian Orthodox monastery sheltered scores of ethnic Albanian villagers within the 14th-century building's stone walls. On Thursday, it was still sheltering frightened people. But this time they were Serb monks and townspeople, fearful of violence at the hands of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army. Local Albanians remembered the monastery's courage and kindness and vowed to protect those inside. "If they are going to kill them, they must kill us first," an ethnic Albanian villager, Shaban Bruqi, said of the monks. "They saved us." From Saturday to Monday, when Serb soldiers went on a final rampage of burning, looting and raping in western Kosovo, the monastery's abbot made its green grounds an oasis of peace for Serb and ethnic Albanian residents alike. It was a rare act in Kosovo. Faith and nation are almost one and the same in Serbia, for both predominantly Serbian Orthodox Serbs and predominantly Muslim ethnic Albanians. "They were honest people of all faiths and nations," the abbot Theodosia said Thursday as black-robed monks around him hacked at weeds and pushed wheelbarrows. "It was the Christian thing to do," he said, serenely. "It was the human thing to do." The town outside the monastery held about 6,000 ethnic Albanians and 700 Serbs before the war. Fighting that started months before the NATO bombing campaign chased out all but 350 of the ethnic Albanians and reduced their mosque to ruins. On June 11, with the peace accord signed, armed Serbs broke into the homes of the remaining ethnic Albanian villagers, robbing them, beating both women and men, and threatening women at gunpoint with rape. "I told the soldier, 'Here, you can have my five dinars (a few cents), just don't kill me and my father,"' 8-year-old Duresa Malaj said, sitting on her father's lap in one of the buildings still standing in Decane. "He took my money." The abbot had helped the ethnic Albanians throughout the fighting, giving them food, going to their homes and stopping them on the streets to check on their well-being. Saturday, after the rampage of the previous night, he sent for the threatened families, dispatching cars to fetch 150 ethnic Albanians and bring them to shelter inside the monastery's walls. In the town, monks took up positions outside the gated courtyards of those ethnic Albanian families who stayed in their homes. When Serb attackers came looking for ethnic Albanians, the monks told them there were none, the villagers said. Families cowered inside the monastery and their homes for three days, while a Serb woman from the town guided Serb fighters looking for homes to burn. Serb fighters appeared at the arched gate of the monastery one day -- only to tell the monks blocking their way that they were there to pray for forgiveness for what they had done, according to the townspeople. "They risked their lives for us," Bruqi said of the monks. "We are happy because we could help them," the abbot said. With the withdrawal of Serb forces from western Kosovo, Serb civilians have left as well. Only about 20 remained in Decane on Thursday, all of them old, all of them hiding in the monastery, the monks said. A NATO tank blocked the winding road to the monastery. Another blocked the gates. Further to the east in the heart of Kosovo rebel territory, CNN reported Thursday that Kosovo Liberation Army rebels ransacked and terrorized the monastery of Devic, showing images of shattered icons and reporting a nun's account of being beaten and stripped naked. But the abbot in Decane said he wasn't worried about the rebels; only about acts of individuals. The monastery and the 660-year-old church at its center were the best-preserved in all of Kosovo, he said, and had to be protected. "Churches and mosques are holy places. They are houses of God. I don't know who has the heart to touch them," Bruqi said. "The abbot, he has no reason to doubt us." * * * - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: jhurd_newparty: Re: Clampdown in Southern Serbia Date: 19 Jun 1999 02:38:58 EDT Since this post stirred several responses, I think we should be clear on two things (which are factual, not just my opinions). First, Milosevic is NOT a dictator. He won three free elections. They were NOT good elections. Worse than ours. But there are opposition parties, and he nearly lost of the elections. Second, Milosevic plays very rough, he has goon squads, and if he pulled some the stunts here that he pulls there we'd say he was worse than Giuliani. Those are facts. The opinion is that he isn't a socialist as I'd use that term, but represents what Djilas called "the new class" which has enriched itself at the expense of the working people in Serbia. Fraternally, David McReynolds << Subj: jhurd_newparty: Re: Clampdown in Southern Serbia Date: 6/18/99 8:51:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: dazey@harborside.com (Dazey) Sender: owner-jhurd_newparty@indiana.edu To: DavidMcR@AOL.COM, wrll@scn.org, COC-L@cmsa.berkeley.edu, LEFT-L@cmsa.berkeley.edu, redyouth@debs.pinko.net, jhurd_newparty@indiana.edu, SocialistsUnmoderated@debs.pinko.net, stormingheaven@onelist.com, abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com I don't understand how they can call Slob-bo a socialist. He's a dictator. LR... who hates it when people equate socialism with communism... "Liberty will not descend to a people, a people must raise themselves to liberty." Emma Goldman (1869-1940) - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Timothy Bruening Subject: (abolition-usa) War Crimes Letter Date: 19 Jun 1999 17:38:19 -0700 (PDT) Below is my draft of a letter about NATO war crimes against Yugoslavia. Please suggest ways to improve this letter. On May 27, Yugoslav President Milosevic was indicted for war crimes by the UN War Crimes Tribunal. I believe that the US/NATO has also committed war crimes, and that President Clinton and other NATO leaders should be indicted on the following charges: I. That the US/NATO attacked a sovereign nation (Yugoslavia) at a time when it wasn't attacking any other nation. This violates the UN Charter [Article 2.3. (All Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered.) and Article 2.4. (All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.)]. II. That the US/NATO has bombed many civilian targets, including bridges (including bridges with trains and buses on them and/or "human shields" under them), refugee convoys, hospitals, homes, schools, universities, TV stations, power and water treatment plants, factories, oil refineries (dumping oil into the Danube) and the Chinese Embassy. In the past few days, (May 30-31), US/NATO has bombed a sanitarium, a retirement home, and a crowded bridge near a market. III. That the US/NATO has continued to recklessly bomb urban areas in spite of all the accidental bombings of civilians. IV. That the US/NATO has dropped cluster bombs on Yugoslavia. These have hundreds of shrapnel-like metal fragments which enter the body and cannot easily be removed, causing unbearable pain. Serb children have picked up unexploded bombs and been mutilated as they exploded. V. That the US/NATO has dropped bombs containing depleted uranium (DU) on Yugoslavia. DU is Uranium-238 (non-fissionable) left over after the Uranium-235 (the type used for nuclear fission and nuclear bombs) has been removed. At a Pentagon briefing on May 4, a Major General Ward said that US planes had fired DU in Kosovo. DU, being very heavy, is great at penetrating armor, but it is both radioactive and a chemical poison. When bombs containing DU hit, the DU ignites on impact, releasing a toxic and radioactive dust. According to Dan Fahey of Swords to Plowshares, "This dust will contaminate its target, the area around it, ground water supplies, and it can be blown by the wind. This poses a great risk to civilian populations." I believe that DU violates international law against poisoned weapons. VI. That the US/NATO bombing of Yugoslavia has damaged the environment in the Balkans. Ecologically, there are several factors to be concerned about: (1) The type of bomb, e.g. with depleted uranium (DU) warheads, and the barbarous cluster bombs, will cause significant harm well beyond the war period. NATO admitted that it is dropping bombs containing depleted uranium. This DU is carried in the wind and scatters radioactive particles across the region. In humans as well as other animals, DU may penetrate the lung tissue and the blood stream, storing in the liver, kidney and bone. The increased radiation can initiate or promote cancers, as well as other illnesses. (2) The bombing of industrial targets: oil refineries, fuel depots, fertilizer plants, pharmaceutical complexes, electrical power stations (possibly containing PCB's), chemical plants (with releases of chlorine, ethylene dichloride, vinyl chloride), etc, is creating large-scale contamination of air, soil and water. Large quantities of highly toxic chemicals are released through burning. A range of unidentified pollutants, including carcinogens are being released into the Danube River, which is a source of drinking water for some 10 million people. (3) The effect on nature: National parks, protected areas and the general countryside are being bombed. Little is known of how this bombing and the pollution are affecting wildlife. Toxics in the rivers will have serious consequences for aquatic organisms, such as the sturgeons now on their spawning run, or water-dependent birds like pelicans and herons. Already there are reports of dead dolphins being washed up in the Black Sea, into which the Danube discharges its waters. And we hear of domestic animals killed by bombing or by starving when people flee. Apart from any immediate effects, the long-term build-up of toxins in the food chain, both on land and in the water, will cause illnesses in people and wildlife. Exposure to toxins can lead to the inability of some species to reproduce. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Karen Rivron Subject: (abolition-usa) T Bruening's Letter: information on DU weapons Date: 20 Jun 1999 15:15:43 +0100 Re Timothy Bruening's letter 19.6.99 Part V of the letter deals with depleted Uranium weapons. Great, but could possibly be more specific. The use of DU weapons contravenes UN Resolution 1996/16, which "urges all states to be guided in their international policies by the need to curb the production and spread of weapons of mass destruction and indiscriminate effect" - the latter includes DU weapons, and incidentally, cluster bombs - also used against Serbia. The US voted against the adoption of this Resolution. The quote from Dan Fahey is a good one - but perhaps a quote from a worthy, yet obviously anti-DU source will not appeal to sceptical readers? One could always back it up with a quote from Dr Rosalie Bartell, a renowned epidemiologist, author No Immediate Danger, and President of the International Institute of Concern for Public Health (Toronto, Canada): eg: "These aerosols [of heated Uranium] are very light and can travel more than 42km (26 miles) from the release point... When in bone, the uranium can irradiate the sensitive stem cells which form the white blood cells... Clinical manifestations of this toxicity and irradiation include kidney and liver damage, anaemia, depressed cellular immune system and general heavy metal poisoning. Uranium can pass into the placenta, causing congenital malformations and can be carried to the infant in mothers' milk. It can damage the ovum and sperm, causing genetic damage." Hope this is of help. You can get a lot of good information from CADU, the Campaign Against Depleted Uranium - e-mail gmdcnd@gn.apc.org - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: marylia@earthlink.net (marylia) Subject: (abolition-usa) New Lab Nuke Waste Treatment Plant Date: 22 Jun 1999 10:53:55 -0700 (PDT) Hi. This article is for all those who care about state environmental laws and/or nuclear weapons facilities. Happy reading... Lab to Build Nuclear Waste Complex Without Environmental Review by Marylia Kelley from Tri-Valley CAREs' June 1999 newsletter, Citizen's Watch Despite Livermore Lab's long history of toxic and radioactive spills, leaks, accidents and releases, the state of California has just given the Lab a green light to build a huge, new nuclear waste treatment complex in Livermore. Further, the state regulatory agency, called the Dept. of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), rebuffed Tri-Valley CAREs' request that it undertake a stringent, independent environmental review of the Livermore Lab's hazardous waste practices before making its decision. Our goal was two-fold: to ensure that the affected community had ample opportunity to be heard in the decision, and, equally important, to improve conditions at the Lab in order to protect workers, the public and the environment from additional contamination. Instead, DTSC approved a permit for Livermore Lab to construct and operate a new hazardous and radioactive waste treatment complex, and to do it without undergoing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), the appropriate review procedure for this type of state-level decision. Specifically, on May 27, 1999, DTSC issued a final "Hazardous Waste Facility Permit," also referred to as a Part B permit, in essence giving its blessing to the nuclear waste facility, after conducting only a preliminary "Initial Study" on Livermore Lab's permit application. According to DTSC records, the Initial Study relied on an old 1992 Lab report - which had been done by the Dept. of Energy, the Lab's parent agency. On that flimsy, and hardly independent, basis, DTSC issued a "negative declaration," certifying that a new nuclear waste facility at the Lab could not possibly have a negative impact. The permit is a "federal equivalent," meaning DTSC, as the state agency, has the final authority. Our "watchdog" efforts Tri-Valley CAREs has been active on this issue since 1985, when we offered comments to the state at the first public meeting ever held on hazardous waste at Livermore Lab. Since that time, our research has uncovered numerous volumes' worth of evidence- showing the dangers, contamination incidents and worker injuries that have happened as a result of the Lab's waste treatment and storage operations. While our monitoring efforts have led Livermore to curtail certain practices, such as the use of a semi-trailer for dumping "unknown chemicals," many problems remain unresolved. These present and future health threats are why we must continue to insist that a comprehensive, independent review be performed before a new waste complex is built. In 1997, Tri-Valley CAREs, with 40 of its members and friends, commented extensively on the Lab's proposed new waste facility. DTSC has now released its "Response to Comments" from that public hearing and comment period. We are in the process of studying the 170-page response document carefully, but some things stand out immediately. Nearly every member of the public offered clear and compelling reasons why DTSC should do an Environmental Impact Report before making a permit decision. Shockingly, this DTSC response, found on page 7, is typical: "An EIR is not appropriate where an Initial Study has determined no significant impacts to the environment. It is speculative to assume that the management of hazardous waste in storage and treatment units will be a potential source of releases..." Hardly. Tri-Valley CAREs members presented ample evidence that DTSC should consider just such a situation. Our testimonies listed dozens of recent accidents involving hazardous or radioactive wastes, including: an underground tank leak sending radioactive tritium into the soil and groundwater; a worker who lost part of his thumb when doctors extracted a sliver of plutonium; two workers who were contaminated with tritium while packaging radioactive wastes; three workers contaminated during a filter shredding operation, including one who received internal contamination; twenty five workers who had to be evacuated when a waste bulking operation resulted in reddish fumes filling the room; fourteen hazardous releases above wastewater permit levels to the City's sewage treatment plant over a one year period, and on and on. DTSC responded that, "these accidents do not support a fair argument that significant impacts to the environment may occur from the permitting of the specific hazardous waste management facilities covered by the Part B Permit" (page 69). The state comes very close to saying the accidents would have had to occur in a facility that hasn't been built yet in order for them to be deemed relevant. Specifically regarding the filter shredding accident, DTSC says: "The shredder involved in this occurrence has been taken out of service because it was heavily contaminated with radioactivity. A new shredder will be installed as part of the Project." (page 73). DTSC misses the point, here. In the end, DTSC made only a few changes in the permit language to address what are truly major problems. What the Permit Allows According the "Hazardous Waste Facility Permit" signed by DTSC, Livermore Lab will be able to store up to 808,000 gallons of hazardous and radioactive mixed waste on-site at any given time (page 12). Further, Livermore would be allowed to build new facilities and "treat" about 300,000 pounds of solid and 400,000 gallons of liquid hazardous and radioactive mixed waste each year of operation (Table 1). The permit's Table 2, "Typical Waste Streams," includes: radioactive acidic rinse waters, radioactive halogenated solvents, scrap metals with transuranic (plutonium) activity, highly dissolved solids from cleanup of chemical spills and leaky drums, and so on in a list that goes on for 13 pages. Typical treatment facilities, according to the permit, will include such things as: Solidification Unit, Shredding Unit, Centrifuge Unit, Freezer Unit, Roll-Off Bin, Tank Farm, Reactive Waste Processing, Pressure Reactor, Water Reactor, Amalgamation Reactor and Uranium Bleaching Unit, among others. The new Waste Treatment Facility will be built just north of the National Ignition Facility construction site, near Greenville Road, and will involve about a dozen buildings, storage pads etc. The DTSC permit covers hazardous and mixed radioactive wastes caused by Lab operations. Livermore Lab also generates "purely" radioactive wastes that are not counted in the numbers listed above because they are regulated by the Dept. of Energy, and not by the state. DTSC, in its public statement, notes that the Lab has been generating these wastes for years. While true, the state again begs the point. The Lab's history of problems, combined with the continuing dangers, should compel DTSC to conduct additional environmental review, not reward bad practice with a permit! Tri-Valley CAREs is evaluating its next course of action. If you are interested in helping - whether you can hand out leaflets, use a law library or offer financial support - call Marylia at (925) 443-7148. ++ Please note that my email address has changed to on 3/1/99 ++ Marylia Kelley Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment) 2582 Old First Street Livermore, CA USA 94550 - is our web site, please visit us there! Our web site will remain at this location. Only my email address has changed on 3/1/99. (925) 443-7148 - is our phone (925) 443-0177 - is our fax Working for peace, justice and a healthy environment since 1983, Tri-Valley CAREs has been a member of the nation-wide Alliance for Nuclear Accountability in the U.S. since 1989, and is a co-founding member of the international Abolition 2000 network for the elimination of nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: marylia@earthlink.net (marylia) Subject: (abolition-usa) Report from the Hague Date: 22 Jun 1999 10:59:00 -0700 (PDT) Hi nuclear abolition advocates. Here is a short report from the Hague Appeal for Peace and the Abolition 2000 international meeting that followed... On the Job: A Report From the Hague by Sally Light from Tri-Valley CAREs' June 1999 newsletter, Citizen's Watch While NATO's bombs were falling on Yugoslavia, about 9,000 people from around the globe attended the Hague Appeal for Peace (HAP), May 10-17, in the Netherlands, a NATO member nation. Ironically, just across the courtyard from HAP, the UN World Court was simultaneously hearing opening arguments by Yugoslavia as to why the bombing violates international law. Many of us at the HAP felt a grave responsibility as peace delegates to address the war, and to denounce all of its forms of violence. We hoped that, while at the HAP, we could make a statement by holding a demonstration. Our peaceful yet strong rally did take place but unfortunately, with the chaos of multiple panels and sessions, not all of the delegates got the message in time to participate. It was an intense week of more than 400 planned workshops, panels and cultural events, as well as a multitude of last-minute events. I saw many familiar faces including some from the Bay Area, and was also glad to meet many international activists I'd only known before via e-mail. Copies of our book on Livermore Lab's National Ignition Facility were very popular -- all those I brought were gone within 3 days! The international petition prepared by myself and two colleagues (from the U.S. and France), opposing both NIF and the French Laser Megajoule, was also well received. Additionally, I spoke about NIF on a panel devoted to stopping the modernization of nuclear weapons. (The petition is enclosed, please sign and circulate.) I also attended the annual meeting of Abolition 2000, the global movement to eliminate nuclear weapons, of which Tri-Valley CAREs is a co-founder. The day after HAP ended, I and 500 others walked together from The Hague to Delft (about 10 miles) on the first leg of the great Abolition 2000 peace march organized by For Mother Earth (from Belgium). This was a favorite part of my trip, as we were able to mix and mingle while walking along. We were accompanied by two Dutch mounted policemen riding large, beautiful horses -- a breed specific to Holland. I amused myself by imagining this kind of police security at Bay Area demonstrations! The peace march then proceeded to the NATO Headquarters in Brussels, some 200 miles away. Although I had to say good-bye at Delft, at least the cloth and bamboo flag I had made continued on with the marchers. ++ Please note that my email address has changed to on 3/1/99 ++ Marylia Kelley Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment) 2582 Old First Street Livermore, CA USA 94550 - is our web site, please visit us there! Our web site will remain at this location. Only my email address has changed on 3/1/99. (925) 443-7148 - is our phone (925) 443-0177 - is our fax Working for peace, justice and a healthy environment since 1983, Tri-Valley CAREs has been a member of the nation-wide Alliance for Nuclear Accountability in the U.S. since 1989, and is a co-founding member of the international Abolition 2000 network for the elimination of nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: marylia@earthlink.net (marylia) Subject: (abolition-usa) More Accidents at Livermore Lab Date: 22 Jun 1999 11:06:55 -0700 (PDT) Newly Discovered Accidents Give Lie to Lab Safety Claims by Marylia Kelley from Tri-Valley CAREs' June 1999 newsletter, Citizen's Watch Just as our California state regulators hand Livermore Lab the go-ahead to construct a major, new nuclear waste treatment and storage facility, Tri-Valley CAREs has discovered two previously unpublicized accidents, both involving violations of regulations governing the handling of hazardous wastes. These accidents belie the state's claim that everything is safe at the Lab, and that, therefore, giving the Lab a final permit without doing an environmental report is all right. (See related story -- Lab to Build Nuclear Waste Complex -- also in this month's newsletter.) We believe these incidents further demonstrate the presence of ongoing problems at the Lab and underscore our call for an Environmental Impact Report. The first accident came to our attention when we received the May 6, 1999 issue of Operating Experience Weekly Summary, (published by the Dept. of Energy's Office of Nuclear and Facility Safety). The section titled "Final Report - Chemist Receives Chemical Burns When Container Overpressures and Ruptures," outlines the incident. To quote directly from the report: "On April 1, 1998, at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a chemist received chemical burns to his head when a plastic bottle ruptured and sprayed its contents on him and throughout the hazardous waste radiological laboratory he was working in. The injured chemist was one of two chemists assigned to work on the samples. The previous day, they began mineral acid digestion of six oil samples. While these samples were in the initial stages of digestion, the chemists realized that they had already been analyzed. "One of the chemists added the samples to a transient waste collection bottle for disposal. This bottle was an empty hydrogen peroxide bottle that was being used to collect spent acids at the work station... The next morning, one of the chemists entered the laboratory, noticed that the bottle was bulging, and heard it hissing. Before he could react, the bottle ruptured. "Some of the contents of the bottle splashed on the chemist... The chemist washed the acid mixture off his face in the men's restroom. He did not use the safety shower in the room he was working in because the room was filled with acid vapors... Medical personnel noted that some acid mixture was still in his hair, so they shampooed and showered him, treating the chemical burns, and released him..." The chemical burns resulted in what the report termed "12 restricted work days" for the injured employee. Lab investigators determined that the direct cause of the accident was the inappropriate storage of the acid mixture, and that gas generation caused the container to pressurize and rupture. Further, the DOE report cited deficiencies in worker training, and stated the root cause of the accident was the failure of the Lab to follow proper procedures for waste disposal. The second accident was caused when the Lab mislableled hazardous wastes, an all too frequent occurrence. According to an internal Livermore Lab memo dated March 15, 1999, two containers in storage at the Lab's Hazardous Waste Material Area last June were both issued an identical container number, W131763. One container was filled with a federally-listed hazardous waste and the other with a different, not federally-listed, waste. According to the memo, the two containers were accidentally combined via a bulking process into a roll-off bin. The federally-listed hazardous waste (now mixed with other waste) was then mistakenly sent to a disposal facility where it was placed into a landfill without treatment. The pre-bulking concentrations of lead and chromium in the federally-listed waste exceeded both hazardous waste limits and land disposal restriction (LDR) treatment standards, according to the memo. However, when the container number duplication was detected eight month later, the Lab recalculated the concentrations based on the total weight of solid waste in the roll-off bin and found them in aggregate to be below LDR treatment standards. On March 5, 1999, Livermore Lab held a management meeting to review this event. To quote the memo, "Upon review, the consensus of upper management and legal counsel regarding the inadvertent and inappropriate consolidation was that no further notifications are required or warranted." Thus, the Lab management intentionally failed to notify regulatory agencies or the public of the mixing incident, or of their improper disposal of hazardous waste. These kinds of accidents at Livermore Lab, and management's resulting attempts to cover them up, are not isolated incidents. Instead, they are sadly familiar. Workers are hurt, the environment is polluted, and the community is continually at risk. ++ Please note that my email address has changed to on 3/1/99 ++ Marylia Kelley Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment) 2582 Old First Street Livermore, CA USA 94550 - is our web site, please visit us there! Our web site will remain at this location. Only my email address has changed on 3/1/99. (925) 443-7148 - is our phone (925) 443-0177 - is our fax Working for peace, justice and a healthy environment since 1983, Tri-Valley CAREs has been a member of the nation-wide Alliance for Nuclear Accountability in the U.S. since 1989, and is a co-founding member of the international Abolition 2000 network for the elimination of nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: [gffp] Fwd: New Progressive Website Date: 23 Jun 1999 09:04:32 -0400 =20 >Dear Sir of Madam, > >I thought you would be interested in checking out a new online resource >for political progressives called www.ProgressivePubs.com > >Here=92s what we=92ve got already: > > - An online database of more than 500 progressive foundations, which >you can use for free to find out about their funding priorities, program >officers, trustees, and contact information. > > - A bookstore featuring books, studies, and reports produced by >progressive nonprofits, where you can do one-stop shopping on hot >political issues. (If you belong to an organization that wants help >marketing all that good work you=92ve got sitting on the shelf, let us >know.) > >In addition, we=92re developing =AD hopefully, with your assistance =AD= online >databases of progressive professors, politicians, and organizations. > >Please visit us at www.ProgressivePubs.com > >You can also reach us by phone (202-238-0010), fax (202-238-0011), or >mail (P.O. Box 11335, Washington, DC 20008). Other details about >ProgressivePubs can be found on our web site. > > - Tad Williams, Marketing Director > > >P.S. =AD In case you=92re wondering, we got your e-mail address from one of >the multiple-address e-mails we=92ve received in recent months about one >progressive cause or another. This is a one time announcement (we hate >spamming as much as you do!). > >*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** > gffp@factoryfarm.org -- The email list for the=20 > GRACE Factory Farming Project Team >See draft web site at http://209.69.134.203/~p-nowak/FFIP/ > =20 Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Joan Wade Subject: (abolition-usa) Introduction Date: 23 Jun 1999 11:41:01 -0400 RE: Introduction *Please excuse cross postings Greetings Activists and Friends, I would like to introduce myself to you as the new Coordinator for the Disarmament Clearinghouse, a project of Friends Committee on National Legislation, Peace Action, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Women's Action for New Directions, and 20/20 Vision. Within the next few months I will be working on a variety of disarmament projects including organizing a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Call-In Day in July, updating the Clearinghouse website, and getting to know many new activists dedicated to disarmament. My responsibilities will also include maintenance of two listserves; CTBT-Organize and Disarm-News. While the first is an open listserve intended for the sharing of action alerts and other information pertinent to the goal of CTBT ratification, Disarm-News will feature current press about disarmament in general, including articles on CTBT, de-alerting, and missile defense. I encourage all who are not currently subscribed to do so soon. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions regarding either list. Previously, I have worked on peace and environmental issues at 20/20 Vision and international cooperation and U.N. reform with the World Federalist Association. I look forward to all that is ahead here at the Clearinghouse and am delighted with the opportunity to work with engaged citizens like you. Sincerely, Joan L. Wade Disarmament Clearinghouse Coordinator 1101 14th Street, NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202)898-0150 Fax: (202)898-0172 E-mail: disarmament@igc.org - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Karina Wood Subject: (abolition-usa) Hague Appeal Agenda now a UN document! Date: 23 Jun 1999 11:55:12 -0400 Exciting News! The Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice - now a UN Document! As of today, Wednesday, June 23, the "Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century" (the action plan discussed and launched at the Hague Appeal Conference) will be available in all of the United Nations languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. The UN reference for the Hague Agenda is A/54/98. Because this is now an official UN document, it will be delivered to all UN delegates and Secretariat staff upon its release. If you would like a copy in any of these languages, please contact the New York office of the Hague Appeal or refer to the United Nations website (http://www.un.org). We plan to have a link from our website to these documents soon so please refer all of your members/ friends/ colleagues to http://www.haguepeace.org Thank you, The Hague Appeal for Peace 1999 - New York Office c/o WFM 777 U.N. Plaza New York, NY 10017 Tel: (212) 687-2623 Fax: (212) 599-1332 http://www.haguepeace.org ----------------------- -- Karina H. Wood Field Coordinator, Project Abolition and U.S. Outreach Coordinator, Hague Appeal for Peace 85 John St. Providence, RI 02906 Ph: 401-276-0377 Fax: 401-751-1476 Email: kwood@igc.org For information on Project Abolition: www.fourthfreedom.org For information on the Hague Appeal: www.haguepeace.org - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Russian Abolition 2000 Meeting Date: 23 Jun 1999 15:12:30 -0400 Dear Friends, I just returned from an Abolition 2000 meeting in St. Petersburg, hosted by a number of Russian organizations, and Finnish, Swedish and German groups, organized by Xanthe Hall of IPPNW Germany with those groups. There will be a full report of the meeting, but I am posting the St. Petersburg declaration below, adopted by the participants which is being presented this week to the governmental conference which follows on to the Hague governmental meeting last month. It was inspiring to work with NGOs from Eastern Europe, finding common ground for our mutual goals to abolish nuclear weapons. Peace, Alice Slater ST. PETERSBURG DECLARATION St. Petersburg, Russia - 19 June 1999 Conference on Nuclear Policy and Security on the Eve of the 21st Century Abolition 2000 Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons In 1899, the Russian Czar Nicolas II took the initiative to convene a general peace conference which was hosted by the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina in The Hague. 100 years later in St. Petersburg, we, the participants in the Abolition 2000 Conference, summarize our findings on nuclear policy and security on the eve of the 21st century. These will be forwarded to the International Conference “Centennial of the Russian Initiative. From the First Peace Conference, 1899, to the Third, 1999” in St. Petersburg 22- 25 June, 1999. There can be no peace and security with nuclear weapons. The dogma of “nuclear deterrence” led to the building of ever larger arsenals by the nuclear weapons states. It is illegal, immoral and irresponsible; it must be rejected. For worldwide security, nuclear weapons must be eliminated. We must move to common security based on human and ecological values and respect for international institutions and law. NATO’s recent assertion of the right to engage in “out-of-area” operations conducted without United Nations authority is contrary to this imperative. Future European security arrangements must comply with international law, encompass all European countries including Russia, and exclude nuclear weapons. Genuine and lasting peace cannot be achieved by building and expanding military alliances. Despite reductions, the nuclear weapons states still hold enough explosive power to annihilate the planet. Nuclear weapons have not prevented war. Across the world and within Europe, at the end of the millennium, brutal conflicts rage. The spirit and the letter of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty have been broken. By maintaining and modernizing their nuclear arsenals, the United States, Russia, France, the United Kingdom and China have encouraged other states including India, Israel and Pakistan to follow their example. In the development of nuclear weapons, these governments have brought death and suffering to succeeding generations of innocent people and irreversible environmental destruction. Vast resources have been devoted to nuclear warfare preparations. In the last 50 years, the gap between rich and poor has grown, not least within the nuclear weapon states. Funds have been denied to international bodies concerned with conflict prevention, especially the United Nations and its constituent regional organizations including the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE). The OSCE is a pan-European security organization, representing 54 countries including Russia, the United States, and Canada, which promotes non-military solutions to conflict. We call for recognition and implementation of the following principles: 1. Redefine security in terms of peoples rather than states, where protection of human health and preservation of the natural environment have overriding priority; 2. Support and strengthen the role of the United Nations, which was created after World War II to resolve international disputes peacefully; 3. Place new emphasis on regional security organizations, such as OSCE, acting under Chapter VIII and the UN Charter and using political rather than military tools for conflict resolution; 4. Uphold and apply international law in a consistent and non-discriminatory manner; 5. Recognize the link between nuclear energy and proliferation, and give high priority to energy conservation and development of alternative energy sources. The following urgent measures are needed to implement these principles, which should be taken simultaneously and in parallel: 1. Massively increased funding and resources for OSCE; transparency and democracy in the creation of its forthcoming “Charter for European Security in the 21st Century” with the full involvement of civil society. 2. Taking all nuclear forces off alert status through coordinated measures lowering their readiness for use, including separation of warheads from delivery systems and withdrawal of nuclear-armed submarines from patrol; 3. Removal of US nuclear weapons from Europe back to the United States; 4. Initiation of parallel, reciprocal actions between the United States and Russia to de-alert, reduce, and account for warheads and fissile materials, bypassing the blocked START process; 5. Commencement of multilateral negotiations on the elimination of nuclear weapons to culminate in a comprehensive treaty. These negotiations could incorporate or be conducted in parallel with negotiations on interim steps including no first-use and no modernization pledges and a fissile materials ban; 6. Reduction and elimination of nuclear weapons research and development infrastructures and capabilities. This process should accompany the reduction and elimination of warheads and delivery systems. It will require a new emphasis on development of societal verification methods; 7. Reduction and elimination of other weapons of mass destruction and/or indiscriminate effect, including depleted uranium, cluster bombs, and land mines. In conclusion, we strongly endorse the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as echoed in the words of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan: “Today security is increasingly understood not just in military terms, and as far more than the absence of conflict. It is in fact a phenomenon that encompasses economic development, social justice, environmental protection, democratization, disarmament and respect for human rights. These goals - these pillars of peace - are interrelated. Progress in one area begets progress in another. But no country can get there on its own. And none is exempt from the risks and costs of doing without... The world today spends billions preparing for war; shouldn’t we spend a billion or two preparing for peace?” Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Karina Wood Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) The Hague Appeal Conference a black mark Date: 23 Jun 1999 15:14:07 -0400 Dear Rich Conti, I was waiting to see if someone more informed than me would answer you, but having seen no responses, I can at least tell you that the Hague Conference organizers received a number (at least half a dozen) of statements on Kosovo, and I'm sure each set of drafters would consider that their statement was "carefully crafted." I don't know which one Joan Russow refers to. Possibly to the statement that was produced by the Friday May 14 evening special session on Kosovo, at which a group of people stayed late and produced a statement. I have a hard copy, which I would be glad to fax to you, if you give me a number. If anyone out there is in possession of statements or reports produced from sessions in The Hague, please send them to the New York office of the Hague Appeal, preferably by email, to . Thanks, Karina Wood U.S. Outreach Coordinator, Hague Appeal for Peace Rich Conti wrote: > > Where is the "carefully crafted" statement on Kosovo? I attended 3 evening sessions on Kosovo and I am unaware of any statement coming out of the discussions. I would like to see this statement, if you can tell me where to find it. > > Thanks > > ----Rich Conti > > At 08:36 AM 5/25/99 -0600, you wrote: > >The Hague Appeal Conference: a black mark on peace activism > > > >Not only the Dutch Embassy was remiss in not granting visas to Yugoslavian > >peace groups but also the organizers of the Hague Peace appeal were > >derelict in their duty to ensure that a strong statement related to > >Yugoslavia be issued at the conference. Why did the organizers prevent the > >carefully crafted statement on Kosovo from being presented at the plenary? > >Why did Bill Pace, who is purported to support the NATO bombing, be > >allowed to prevent the organizers from allowing a statement? Why were two > >Albanians- the most ardent supporters of NATO allowed to speak at the > >plenary? Why did Cora Weiss, when asked at a press conference about a > >statement on Kosovo state that there was division within the peace > >movement? Why was RAmsay Clarke who was asked to participate by the Dutch > >Peace groups, prevented from speaking at the conference? Why did the > >organizers describe the request to have a large protest in front of the > >International Court of Justice during the NATO presentations to the ICJ as > >being "too political"? > > > > > >The Hague Peace conference organizers have seriously erred and have > >discredited the peace movement. I was told that the US even used the fact > >that there was no statement from the peace movement in the Hague to be an > >indication that there was support for the NATO intervention. > > > >Which groups were involved with the decision making, and whose interests > >are they really serving? > > > > > > > >Joan Russow > > > > > > > > > >- > > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > > with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. > > For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send > > "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. > > > - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. -- Karina H. Wood Field Coordinator, Project Abolition and U.S. Outreach Coordinator, Hague Appeal for Peace 85 John St. Providence, RI 02906 Ph: 401-276-0377 Fax: 401-751-1476 Email: kwood@igc.org For information on Project Abolition: www.fourthfreedom.org For information on the Hague Appeal: www.haguepeace.org - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Dealert99@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) IN 191 DAYS RUSSIAN MISSILES ENTER Y2K; ANYONE WORRIED? Date: 23 Jun 1999 18:04:29 EDT IN 191 DAYS RUSSIAN MISSILES ENTER Y2K; ANYONE WORRIED? Well, I am! As reported in Scientific American, November, 1997, "the two nuclear superpowers remain ready to fire a total of more than 5,000 nuclear weapons at each other within half an hour" under the current hair-trigger, launch-on-warning alert maintained by both sides. One "accidental" weapon launch would most likely cause a larger response and the use of all 5,000 weapons. This insane policy has outlived the "cold war" into our present era of "peace" between our two nations. On January 25, 1995, it brought us within 8 minutes of nuclear war through human error rather than computer malfunction! In 191 days, as we enter Y2K, the year 2000, some missile command and control computers will malfunction. There are serious concerns about the Russian ability to control their nuclear missiles in Y2K, as their command and control systems are in terrible condition with little attention given to the Y2K problem. It is possible, if not probable, that an accidental launch will occur! This is not to say that our own nuclear arsenal is safe from accidental launches, but it is probably in better condition. There is an easy solution to this crisis! It is called "de-alerting", and is merely a process of making it impossible to launch each missile within minutes, as at present, by modifications that require a day or more of preparation to restore. Warheads could be separated from their launch vehicles, guidance computers could be removed, or huge piles of earth could be placed over the silos. This would give political leaders and military commanders a day or more, not mere minutes, to learn the facts of any incident and respond accordingly. President Clinton can initiate this process by an Executive Order!! It does not require action by Congress or the Senate. President Bush set a precedent in 1991 during the attempted coup in Moscow by de-alerting a portion of our missiles, to which Gorbachev responded by de-alerting a number of Russian missiles. No de-alerting has ever been ordered by President Clinton! However, the British have fully de-alerted their nuclear missiles! Here in Lexington, MA, a group of us at church have formed the Metro-Boston Committee to De-Alert Nuclear Weapons. We have prepared an information brochure and a petition to President Clinton asking him "to initiate by means of an Executive Order a phased "de-alerting" with all nuclear powers of all nuclear missiles, to be completed before the end of 1999." The signed petitions will be sent to him, and copied to all our senators and congressional representatives on July 4. We began our campaign on May 18 with high hopes, but at this point we have only about 300 signatures. We find that we can only obtain about 20 signatures per hour at a supermarket. A street fair was productive with about 110 signatures in 6 hours. Many regard us as "Chicken Littles" who are warning that the sky is falling, perhaps because they have not heard of the dangers of the missile alert through the media. We have contacted our politicians, the clergy, the press, and influential citizens with essentially no response, save from our own church. I am not aware of more than two or three other efforts to bring the Y2K de-alerting crisis to the people in the USA! Our politicians and military leaders have had ample time to ponder the situation and respond intelligently, but nothing has been done! We need millions of ordinary, real people making their voices heard at the White House in support of de-alerting!! Our Lexington petitions won't be enough, I'm afraid. And WHERE IS THE MEDIA ON THIS CRISIS? Why isn't the public being made aware through television, radio, newspapers, and magazines of the nuclear risks ahead at Y2K? In my humble opinion, these risks are more important and serious than all that we presently see, hear, and read. SO WHY THE SILENCE? William F. Santelmann, Jr. Metro-Boston Committee to De-Alert Nuclear Weapons dealert99@aol.com - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Lachlan Forrow Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) IN 191 DAYS RUSSIAN MISSILES ENTER Y2K; Date: 24 Jun 1999 06:18:04 -0400 At 06:04 PM 6/23/99 -0400, you wrote: >IN 191 DAYS RUSSIAN MISSILES ENTER Y2K; ANYONE WORRIED? > >Well, I am! As reported in Scientific American, November, 1997, "the two >nuclear superpowers remain ready to fire a total of more than 5,000 nuclear >weapons at each other within half an hour" under the current hair-trigger, >launch-on-warning alert maintained by both sides.... It may be worth noting that Bruce Blair, co-author of the Scientific American article, and co-author with me and others of an April 1998 article on "Accidental Nuclear War" in the New England Journal of Medicine, which called for urgent steps to take weapons off alert, was this week named as one of the 1999 winners of the so-called MacArthur Foundation 'genius' awards. See www.brookings.org for more details. --LF Lachlan Forrow, MD The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Dedicated to Reverence for Life in Action since 1940 A co-sponsor of the global ABOLITION 2000 Campaign "Nuclear weapons are against international law and they have to be abolished...All negotiations regarding the abolition of atomic weapons remain without success because no international public opinion exists which demands this abolition." --Dr. Albert Schweitzer - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Peacework Subject: (abolition-usa) Aug 6/9 commemorations Date: 24 Jun 1999 10:22:55 -0400 Peacework, a monthly publication of the AFSC, will print a calendar listing of events focused on the anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in our summer issue which will come out around July 20th. Deadline--July 6. (Short notices, please--just the facts. Be sure to include a contact number.) - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) June 26th Not a Victory Parade Release/Post Boycott Date: 24 Jun 1999 16:57:01 EDT Here is some delightful info - I should add we had a good leafleting today a= t=20 Senator Schumer's office in Manhattan, posters, etc. demanding aid to all of=20 bombed Yugoslavia. David McReynolds << Subj:=09 June 26th Not a Victory Parade Release/Post Boycott Date:=096/24/99 12:03:26 PM Eastern Daylight Time From:=09CarolMoore@kreative.net (Carol Moore) To:=09dc@tao.ca (DC-Anarchists), wtr-s@igc.apc.org (WTR List) =20 To those of you who might not get this from other lists, per below boycott of Wash Post, if you can't bring a real Wash Post invoice destroy, we'll have some fake ones. If you get it delivered, try giving it up for a month anyway, just to give them administrative hassles. And write them a letter and tell them why! If you want more details on that, give me call. Carol 202-635-3739 =20 =20 > HUMANITERRORISM IS NOT A VICTORY PARADE > Sponsored by > Atlantic Anarchist Circle - DC Stop the War Now - D.C. Green Party - > International Action Center - Pax Christi - Peace Action - Red Leaf - > War Resisters League - War Tax Resisters - Washington Action Group - > Washington Peace Center > ________________________ > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Adam Eidinger > June 24, 1999 202-744-2671 > > Groups Protest NATO "Humaniterrorism" > Protesters to Demand Aid for Reconstruction of all of Yugoslavia - End > of NATO Occupation - No More NATO Bombings - Investigation of NATO for > War Crimes - Aid and Admit All Refugees > > WASHINGTON, DC (June 26, 1999) - In the aftermath of the devastating > US/NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, a growing peace movement composed of a > diverse coalition of progressive, peace and religious organizations are > holding a "Not a Victory Parade," on Saturday, June 26, 1999 at 12:00 > noon in Dupont Circle, Washington, DC. A rally at Dupont Circle will be > followed by an elaborate parade through the streets that will go to the > offices of ABC News and The Washington Post on route to the White House > to denounce their support for the mass killing of civilians in the name > of humanitarian aims. > > WHO: Sam Smith, The Progressive Review > ` Simine Royanin, Committee for Iranian Women's Human Rights > Bette Hoover, War Resisters League > Sam Husseini, Institute for Public Accuracy > Carol Moore, War Tax Resister > Diana Onken, Peace Action > > WHAT: "Not a Victory Parade," protest rally and march to The Washington > Post, ABC News and the White House =96 Larger than life puppets of world > leaders and much more! > > WHEN: Saturday, June 26, 1999 - 12:00 noon > > WHERE: Dupont Circle, Washington, DC > > Organizers of "Not a Victory Parade," want to send the message that the > US and NATO must pay for the rebuilding of all of Yugoslavia. "President > Clinton=92s declaration this week that 'Not a penny' will be spent on > rebuilding destroyed civilian infrastructure by NATO confirms that US > policy is not only immoral, but also illegal," says Malcolm Cannon, > Washington Director of the International Action Center. "IAC is > outlining a multi-point indictment of the U.S. government's conduct in > the war against Yugoslavia through a Commission of Inquiry initiated by > former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark for the International War > Crimes Tribunal." > > Carol Moore, a war tax resister since 1976, will lead protesters at the > offices of the Washington Post where they will, "destroy our invoices > for subscriptions to the newspaper because of its editorial support for > the brutal, immoral and illegal bombing of Yugoslavia." According to > Moore, "The Washington Post is a pro-war newspaper. When 10,000 marched > to the Pentagon two weeks ago, it took the Post a whole week to mention > the largest anti-war rally in nearly ten years." > > For more information about the "Not a Victory Parade," please call Adam > Eidinger at 202-744-2671. >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Carole Gallagher Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) June 26th Not a Victory Parade Release/Post Boycott Date: 24 Jun 1999 17:06:47 -0400 This is not an abolition-related posting, delightful or otherwise. DavidMcR@aol.com wrote: > Here is some delightful info - I should add we had a good leafleting to= day at > Senator Schumer's office in Manhattan, posters, etc. demanding aid to a= ll of > bombed Yugoslavia. > > David McReynolds > > << Subj: June 26th Not a Victory Parade Release/Post Boycott > Date: 6/24/99 12:03:26 PM Eastern Daylight Time > From: CarolMoore@kreative.net (Carol Moore) > To: dc@tao.ca (DC-Anarchists), wtr-s@igc.apc.org (WTR List) > > To those of you who might not get this from other lists, > per below boycott of Wash Post, if you can't bring a real Wash Post > invoice destroy, we'll have some fake ones. If you get it delivered, > try giving it up for a month anyway, just to give them administrative > hassles. And write them a letter and tell them why! If you > want more details on that, give me call. Carol 202-635-3739 > > > > HUMANITERRORISM IS NOT A VICTORY PARADE > > Sponsored by > > Atlantic Anarchist Circle - DC Stop the War Now - D.C. Green Party - > > International Action Center - Pax Christi - Peace Action - Red Leaf = - > > War Resisters League - War Tax Resisters - Washington Action Group - > > Washington Peace Center > > ________________________ > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Adam Eidinger > > June 24, 1999 202-744-2671 > > > > Groups Protest NATO "Humaniterrorism" > > Protesters to Demand Aid for Reconstruction of all of Yugoslavia - E= nd > > of NATO Occupation - No More NATO Bombings - Investigation of NATO f= or > > War Crimes - Aid and Admit All Refugees > > > > WASHINGTON, DC (June 26, 1999) - In the aftermath of the devastating > > US/NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, a growing peace movement composed of = a > > diverse coalition of progressive, peace and religious organizations = are > > holding a "Not a Victory Parade," on Saturday, June 26, 1999 at 12:0= 0 > > noon in Dupont Circle, Washington, DC. A rally at Dupont Circle wil= l be > > followed by an elaborate parade through the streets that will go to = the > > offices of ABC News and The Washington Post on route to the White Ho= use > > to denounce their support for the mass killing of civilians in the n= ame > > of humanitarian aims. > > > > WHO: Sam Smith, The Progressive Review > > ` Simine Royanin, Committee for Iranian Women's Human Rights > > Bette Hoover, War Resisters League > > Sam Husseini, Institute for Public Accuracy > > Carol Moore, War Tax Resister > > Diana Onken, Peace Action > > > > WHAT: "Not a Victory Parade," protest rally and march to The Washing= ton > > Post, ABC News and the White House =96 Larger than life puppets of = world > > leaders and much more! > > > > WHEN: Saturday, June 26, 1999 - 12:00 noon > > > > WHERE: Dupont Circle, Washington, DC > > > > Organizers of "Not a Victory Parade," want to send the message that= the > > US and NATO must pay for the rebuilding of all of Yugoslavia. "Presi= dent > > Clinton=92s declaration this week that 'Not a penny' will be spent o= n > > rebuilding destroyed civilian infrastructure by NATO confirms that U= S > > policy is not only immoral, but also illegal," says Malcolm Cannon, > > Washington Director of the International Action Center. "IAC is > > outlining a multi-point indictment of the U.S. government's conduct = in > > the war against Yugoslavia through a Commission of Inquiry initiated= by > > former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark for the International War > > Crimes Tribunal." > > > > Carol Moore, a war tax resister since 1976, will lead protesters at = the > > offices of the Washington Post where they will, "destroy our invoice= s > > for subscriptions to the newspaper because of its editorial support = for > > the brutal, immoral and illegal bombing of Yugoslavia." According t= o > > Moore, "The Washington Post is a pro-war newspaper. When 10,000 mar= ched > > to the Pentagon two weeks ago, it took the Post a whole week to ment= ion > > the largest anti-war rally in nearly ten years." > > > > For more information about the "Not a Victory Parade," please call A= dam > > Eidinger at 202-744-2671. > >> > > - > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.= com" > with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. > For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send > "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: marylia@earthlink.net (marylia) Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Aug 6/9 commemorations Date: 24 Jun 1999 17:59:07 -0700 (PDT) Hiroshima Commemoration at Livermore Lab. Date - August 6. Time - begins at 2:30 PM. Place - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where nuclear weapons are designed and a new weapons facility intended to creat thermonuclear blasts in a reactor vessel, called the National Ignition Facility, is currently under construction. Gathering will be at the corner of East Avenue and Vasco Road. After a program of speakers and music, there will be a procession to the gates of the Laboratory. this annual commemoration is sponsored by many San Fransisco Bay Area peace and environmental organizations, including the Livermore-based Tri-Valley CAREs. For more information, call us at 925-443-7148. More info available on request from us or from the Livermore Conversion Project. Peace, marylia Peacework, a monthly publication of the AFSC, will print a calendar listing >of events focused on the anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and >Nagasaki in our summer issue which will come out around July 20th. >Deadline--July 6. (Short notices, please--just the facts. Be sure to >include a contact number.) > > > >- > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. > For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send > "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ++ Please note that my email address has changed to on 3/1/99 ++ Marylia Kelley Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment) 2582 Old First Street Livermore, CA USA 94550 - is our web site, please visit us there! Our web site will remain at this location. Only my email address has changed on 3/1/99. (925) 443-7148 - is our phone (925) 443-0177 - is our fax Working for peace, justice and a healthy environment since 1983, Tri-Valley CAREs has been a member of the nation-wide Alliance for Nuclear Accountability in the U.S. since 1989, and is a co-founding member of the international Abolition 2000 network for the elimination of nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jan Harwood Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Aug 6/9 commemorations Date: 24 Jun 1999 18:43:42 -0700 Marylia: a few of us from Santa Cruz will be there at the August 6th commemoration, and we'll contribute $25. We're all proud of you for being there and keeping on keeping on, right in the belly of the beast. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) June 26th Not a Victory Parade Release/Post Date: 24 Jun 1999 22:00:49 EDT You are quite right Carole. Given one view. I don't share that view. Peace, David << Subj:=09 Re: (abolition-usa) June 26th Not a Victory Parade=20 Release/Post Boycott Date:=096/24/99 5:12:27 PM Eastern Daylight Time From:=09clgallagher@igc.org (Carole Gallagher) Sender:=09owner-abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com Reply-to:=09abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com To:=09abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com =20 This is not an abolition-related posting, delightful or otherwise. =20 DavidMcR@aol.com wrote: =20 > Here is some delightful info - I should add we had a good leafleting toda= y=20 at > Senator Schumer's office in Manhattan, posters, etc. demanding aid to all=20 of > bombed Yugoslavia. > > David McReynolds > > << Subj: June 26th Not a Victory Parade Release/Post Boycott > Date: 6/24/99 12:03:26 PM Eastern Daylight Time > From: CarolMoore@kreative.net (Carol Moore) > To: dc@tao.ca (DC-Anarchists), wtr-s@igc.apc.org (WTR List) > > To those of you who might not get this from other lists, > per below boycott of Wash Post, if you can't bring a real Wash Post > invoice destroy, we'll have some fake ones. If you get it delivered, > try giving it up for a month anyway, just to give them administrative > hassles. And write them a letter and tell them why! If you > want more details on that, give me call. Carol 202-635-3739 > > > > HUMANITERRORISM IS NOT A VICTORY PARADE > > Sponsored by > > Atlantic Anarchist Circle - DC Stop the War Now - D.C. Green Party - > > International Action Center - Pax Christi - Peace Action - Red Leaf - > > War Resisters League - War Tax Resisters - Washington Action Group - > > Washington Peace Center > > ________________________ > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Adam Eidinger > > June 24, 1999 202-744-2671 > > > > Groups Protest NATO "Humaniterrorism" > > Protesters to Demand Aid for Reconstruction of all of Yugoslavia - End > > of NATO Occupation - No More NATO Bombings - Investigation of NATO for > > War Crimes - Aid and Admit All Refugees > > > > WASHINGTON, DC (June 26, 1999) - In the aftermath of the devastating > > US/NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, a growing peace movement composed of a > > diverse coalition of progressive, peace and religious organizations ar= e > > holding a "Not a Victory Parade," on Saturday, June 26, 1999 at 12:00 > > noon in Dupont Circle, Washington, DC. A rally at Dupont Circle will = be > > followed by an elaborate parade through the streets that will go to th= e > > offices of ABC News and The Washington Post on route to the White Hous= e > > to denounce their support for the mass killing of civilians in the nam= e > > of humanitarian aims. > > > > WHO: Sam Smith, The Progressive Review > > ` Simine Royanin, Committee for Iranian Women's Human Rights > > Bette Hoover, War Resisters League > > Sam Husseini, Institute for Public Accuracy > > Carol Moore, War Tax Resister > > Diana Onken, Peace Action > > > > WHAT: "Not a Victory Parade," protest rally and march to The Washingto= n > > Post, ABC News and the White House =96 Larger than life puppets of wo= rld > > leaders and much more! > > > > WHEN: Saturday, June 26, 1999 - 12:00 noon > > > > WHERE: Dupont Circle, Washington, DC > > > > Organizers of "Not a Victory Parade," want to send the message that t= he > > US and NATO must pay for the rebuilding of all of Yugoslavia. "Preside= nt > > Clinton=92s declaration this week that 'Not a penny' will be spent on > > rebuilding destroyed civilian infrastructure by NATO confirms that US > > policy is not only immoral, but also illegal," says Malcolm Cannon, > > Washington Director of the International Action Center. "IAC is > > outlining a multi-point indictment of the U.S. government's conduct in > > the war against Yugoslavia through a Commission of Inquiry initiated b= y > > former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark for the International War > > Crimes Tribunal." > > > > Carol Moore, a war tax resister since 1976, will lead protesters at th= e > > offices of the Washington Post where they will, "destroy our invoices > > for subscriptions to the newspaper because of its editorial support fo= r > > the brutal, immoral and illegal bombing of Yugoslavia." According to > > Moore, "The Washington Post is a pro-war newspaper. When 10,000 march= ed > > to the Pentagon two weeks ago, it took the Post a whole week to mentio= n > > the largest anti-war rally in nearly ten years." > > > > For more information about the "Not a Victory Parade," please call Ada= m > > Eidinger at 202-744-2671. > >> > > - > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.co= m" > with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. > For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send > "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. =20 =20 - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. =20 >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Norm and Karen Cohen Subject: (abolition-usa) 6/29 press conf Date: 26 Jun 1999 12:53:03 -0400 > COALITION FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE > 321 Barr Ave. Linwood, NJ 08221 > 609-601-8537 or 601-8583; norco@bellatlantic.net= > http://members.bellatlantic.net/~norco/ > > For Immediate Release: > > Health of Salem County=92s Elderly and Infants At Risk:= Effects Correlated With Nuke Plants > Data to be Released Tu= esday at 6:00 PM > > The UNPLUG Salem Campaign will be holding a press conference on Tu= esday, June 29th, at 6:00 PM > in front of the John B. Campbell Community Center, 118 Walnut St., in S= alem, NJ, just before a scheduled Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) so-= called =93public=94 meeting, to be held at 7:00 PM. Speakers at the press= conference will include: Norm Cohen, Executive Director of the Coalition= for Peace and Justice, and South Jersey Coordinator of the UNPLUG Salem = Campaign, who will release the new study results; Melissa Medford, Salem = County Coordinator of the Tooth Fairy Campaign, who will ask Salem County= residents to continue to donate baby teeth to be tested for Strontium-90= ; Jane Nogaki, of the NJ Environmental Federation; Madelyn Hoffman, Exec= utive Director of GREO, Grass Roots Environmental Organization, and Green= Party Organizer; Roger Sedmont, of the NJ Animal Rights Alliance (NJARA)= ; Ruth Fisher of CAPE, and Bernard August, of Green Delaware. > The study was authored by Joe Mangano, Research Associate with the= Radiation and Public Health Project. The study is a follow-up to Mangano= =92s previous studies on the relationship between infant mortality in Sal= em County and the presence of the Salem Nuclear Plants. According to Man= gano, =93The situation is really bad. For all ages, the death rates for = cancers, pneumonia, and septicemia (blood poisoning) are all rising, well= beyond the US rate, in Salem County. THESE LOOK HORRIBLE!!!!!! The wors= t may be pneumonia. From 1979-81 to 1994-96, the pneumonia deaths in the = county rose from 38 to 100! Most affected by these diseases are the elde= rly, who are the second most sensitive sector of the population to radiat= ion (behind the very young)=94. > . =93In addition=94, continued Mangano, =93Infant death, fetal deat= h (over 20 weeks gestation), and low-birth weight (less than 5 1/2 lb..) = rates have all risen since the Salem reactors opened. Current levels of = infant deaths have only recently dropped back to levels of the late 1970s= , while levels for others are still above those of 15-20 years ago. Dea= th rates for Salem residents over 65 for cancer, pneumonia, and septicemi= a (blood poisoning) have increased since the late 1970s, at a rate much h= igher than the US Each of these disorders are strongly influenced by the= immune system's ability to fight invading organisms. Among other causes = of death in the elderly, there has been a DECLINE in death rates over the= years. A substantial portion of these are due to heart disease, stroke,= and other circulatory diseases. So it's not that Salem's elderly are in= herently sicker, it's a matter of some factor(s) directly affecting their= immune systems in the past 15-20 years, which of course brings up the is= sue of nuclear emissions and radiation=94 > Mangano concludes, =93After having done literally dozens of these = analyses, I must tell you that I've never seen a situation in which eleva= ted disease/death levels have persisted for such a long period, especiall= y among both the elderly and newborns.=94 > Commented Norm Cohen, UNPLUG Salem Coordinator: =93 These studies= should be setting off alarm bells among both the residents and public of= ficials, especially public health officials, of Salem County. These studi= es were done using data from the Center for Disease Control, data availab= le to both the public and especially to Salem County public health offici= als. While we cannot expressly conclude from this data that the Salem Nuk= es are the main culprit for this large rise in infant and elderly mortali= ty, we do know that low-level radiation has a synergistic effect on toxin= s. That is, by weakening the immune system, long term low-level radiation= combines with the toxic effects of other pollutants to make them even mo= re harmful. The EPA, the NJ DEP, the CDC should all be investigation thes= e data. The Environmental defense Fund has listed Salem County as one of = the most polluted counties in the country. Its time to clean up Salem Cou= nty=92s environment, and we can start with the Salem Nukes. And the NRC, = instead of holding so-called =93public=94 hearings to tell us how the NRC= plans to lessen oversight at the Salem Nukes, the NRC should be shutting= these poisonous nukes down now.=94 > Said Jane Nogaki, Toxics Coordinator for the New Jersey Environmen= tal federation. =93We were already concerned about the amount of herbicid= es PSE&G was putting into the environment through their ill-advised Estua= ry experiment. We are deeply concerned about this new information that sh= ows dangerous health effects at work here in Salem County.=94 > Commented Melissa Medford, Tooth Fairy Project coordinator for Sale= m County, =93We have collected 25 baby teeth, which will shortly be teste= d for Strontium-90 levels. But we need more. It will be this kind of hard= science that > will back up Mangano=92s statistical analysis. We urge Salem County par= ents to help us find out scientifically if the Salem Nukes have been emit= ting high levels of Strontium-90. We need this independent science. We ca= n=92t trust the official figures of allowable emissions that PSE&G and th= e NRC put out.=94 > The complete text of Mangano=92s study, all the data and graphical= illustrations, and additional information on the effects of low-level ra= diation, will be released to the press and public at our press conferenc= e on Tuesday. All of the speakers are available for radio and TV intervie= ws before or after the press conference. > > Contacts: Norm Cohen: 609-601-8537/8583 > Joe Mangano: 718-857-9825 > Jane Nogaki: 609-767-1110 > Madelyn Hoffman: 973-252-0797 > Roger Sedmont: 609-582-8355 > Bernard August: 302-234-0708 > Melissa Medford: 609-935-9277 > > UNPLUG SALEM and STOP THE SALEM FISH SLAUGHTER CAMPAIGNS > NJ ACORN; Affordable Housing Network; American Littoral Society (fish c= ampaign only); Asian American Political Coalition; Citizens=92 Energy Co= uncil; Consumers League of New Jersey; Coalition for Peace and Justice; C= raft=92s Creek Coalition; Cumberland Conservation League; C.H.O.R.D.; Del= aware Riverkeeper Network (fish campaign only); Energy Photovoltaics (EPV= ); Environmental Response Network; First Hopewell Baptist Church; Friends= of Pinebrook; Grassroots Environmental Organization (GREO); Grey Panther= s, NJ Chapter; Ironbound Committee Against Toxic Waste; Jersey Coast Angl= ers Association; Latino Community Land Trust; Monmouth Citizens for Clean= Air; NAACP- Paterson Branch; NJPIRG Citizen Lobby; NJ State Federation o= f Sportsmen=92s Clubs; NJ Environmental Federation; Paterson Task Force f= or Community Action; Physicians for Social Responsibility; Republicans fo= r Environmental Protection; Seaville Friends Meeting; Urban Women=92s Cen= ter; Green Delaware; NIRS (Nuclear Information & Resource Service); Delaw= are Valley Peace Action; Salem Quaker Quarterly Meeting; SJ Campaign for = Peace and Justice; Clean Ocean Action; Philadelphia Greens; EAGLE; Anne A= rundel Peace Action; Pennsylvania Environmental Network; GEO (Glassboro E= nvironmental Organization, Rowan College); Stockton Peace Action; SAVE (S= tockton Action Volunteers for the Environment); Fish Unlimited; Mercer Gr= eens; Philadelphia Solar Association; SEAC-Region 13; Natural Law Party; = CATA; Coalition Against Toxics; Zero Waste America; NJ Sierra Club; Publi= c Citizen; John Byrne, Director, Center for Energy & Environmental Policy= , University of Delaware (for i.d. only); Committee Against Plutonium Eco= nomics; Committee for Nuclear Power -- Coalition for Peace and Justice and the UNPLUG Salem Campaign 321 Barr Ave, Linwood, NJ 08221;609-601-8537 or 609-889-8583 (8583 for fa= x and answer machine) UNPLUG SALEM WEBSITE: http://members.aol.com/robvfp/page4/index.htm COALITION FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE WEBSITE: http://members.bellatlantic.net= /~norco/ The Coalition for Peace and Justice is a chapter of Peace Action Hibakusha (Hiroshima Survivors) Tour Coming to New Jersey, August 5-9. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Peter Coombes" Subject: (abolition-usa) The Global War System on Peacewire Date: 27 Jun 1999 22:02:47 -0700 "I can tell you for sure and I can document this with hard evidence, that there are approximately four different ways in which a nuclear war can start in the world. And every single one of them has had its probability increased quit substantially over the last three to four months. Every single one of them." Michael Wallace, Professor of International Affairs UBC Dear Friends, Visit WWW.PEACEwire.org to listen to Professor Michael Wallace talk about the "global nuclear priesthood" and Svend Robinson Member of Parliament tell us about his trip to Yugoslavia. You'll find Steven Staples superb paper "Confronting the Military-Corporate Complex" in the campaign ssection. Here's the full agenda of our June 12 forum, all on PEACEwire. The Global War System: From B.C. to Iraq and Yugoslavia Saturday June 12, 1999 Introduction: the Global War System Peter Coombes President of End the Arms Race BC Government Wants Nuclear Weapons out of Nanoose Bay Andrew Petter BC Minister for Intergovernmental Relations Nanoose Bay: A Roadside Shrine to the Nuclear Weapons Priesthood Michael Wallace Professor of International Relations UBC Confronting the Military-Corporate Complex Steven Staples BC Organizer Council of Canadians Strangling Iraq, Canada Choosing NATO over the UN David Morgan President Veterans Against Nuclear Arms Privatizing Oil and Re-colonization: United Nations Review of Sanctions Jillian Skeet Coordinator End the Arms Race Yugoslavia: Report from the Frontline Svend Robinson Member of Parliament Burnaby Kingsway President, End the Arms Race Suite 405 - 825 Granville Street Vancouver BC V6Z 1K9 604/ 687-3223 fax 604/ 687-3277 info@peacewire.org www.peacewire.org Peter Coombes Bernini & Co. (fundraising & communications consulting) Home/Office 238 13th Avenue East Suite 308 Vancouver BC V5T 2K4 604/ 708-0985 fax 604/ 708-0986 pcoombes@web.net - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jan Harwood Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) IN 191 DAYS RUSSIAN MISSILES ENTER Y2K; Date: 29 Jun 1999 14:22:34 -0700 Here in Santa Cruz, CA, we've been getting signatures on the Abolition 2000 petition to abolish all nuclear weapons worldwide for over a year now, every Saturday downtown, and have gathered nearly 10,000 of them. Our group, a committee of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, has also held public meetings, made talks at churches, and got as much as we could into the local media. De-alerting may be our next big push. Now we're doing radio spots, and your clear and eloquent letter is going to be a take-off point for one of them. Thanks for your efforts and your energy. Peace, Jan Harwood - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Kosova Analysis / nuclear link Date: 29 Jun 1999 17:57:04 EDT Friends, War Resisters League has just release an analysis I did, titled "Death, Bombs, and Videotape". It does have in it a reference to what I think is substantial damage to any hopes for an early curb on nuclear weapons. For anyone interested I can send this as an attachment and also if you want the printed version, send your name and address. Peace, David McReynolds - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: update on CD impasse Date: 30 Jun 1999 21:15:01 -0400 Dear Friends, Here is the international take on US nuclear policy in a disheartening= report from the Rebecca Johnson at the Acronym Institute. Peace, Alice Slater=20 >From: rej@acronym.org.uk (rej@acronym.org.uk) > >Update on the CD Impasse >Rebecca Johnson > >The Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva closed the second part of its >1999 session on 25 June, still without any agreement on its work programme, >despite the efforts of successive CD presidents. > >The ad hoc committee on a fissile materials ban is not overtly the problem, >but notwithstanding the attempts from various western delegations, it is >clear that it will not be agreed by itself. The US, Britain and France had >earlier proposed that the fissban committee should be reconvened each year >until it was concluded. Pakistan objected on grounds that creating >permanent >committees was contrary to the CD rules of procedure. India agreed that >there was no provision in the rules of procedure to do this and complained >that "this artificial separation of the elements of work and temmpts to >give >them automatic annual extensions is unprecedented in the CD..."=20 > >Despite immense reluctance from the United States, which preferred less, >and >some non-aligned delegations and China, which wanted more, the principle of >establishing ad hoc groups on nuclear disarmament and outer space seems to >have been accepted, subject to getting consensus on mandates. Therein lies >the rub. The former President, Ambassador Mohamed-Salah Dembri of Algeria, >and his successor, Ambassador Guillermo Gonz=E1lez of Argentina, have been >circulating draft mandates, but so far without agreement. In particular, >the >United States is understood to have serious difficulties obtaining >agreement >from Washington. Now a second problem has been raised: will there be any >point in agreeing a work programme this year unless there is acceptance >that >the same committees, groups and coordinators should continue in 2000? > >In addition to opposing the automatic re-establishment of the fissban >committee, India and Pakistan also appear loathe to go along with the >growing view that if a work programme can be adopted this year, there >should >be some in-principle decision that the CD would work on that basis in 2000 >and not waste months trying to put together a new or different package for >at least the next 12 months. Others fear that the alternative -- beginning >again from scratch in January -- is making the CD look ridiculous. When the >CD resumes on July 26, there will barely be time for any committees or >groups to meet, let alone decide how to address the issues. The CD starts >negotiating on its reports (if any) by mid August, and will then close on 8 >September. After months of bargaining and pressure politics to achieve a >work programme, the Conference should try for a full year to make it work. >That would get fissban negotiations started at least, as well as enabling >the CD to begin to discuss how nuclear disarmament, outer space and the >other issues might be addressed.=20 > >The draft mandate being circulated at the end of the session proposed an ad >hoc group on nuclear disarmament based on the NATO-5 proposal put forward >by >Belgium on February 2 (on behalf also of Germany, Italy, Netherlands and >Norway): to "exchange information and views on endeavours towards nuclear >disarmament and to explore further prospects that could help attain this >objective".=20 > >On outer space, the draft mandate would establish an ad hoc working group >under agenda item 3 entitled =91Prevention of an arms race in outer space= =92, >"with a view to preventing the weaponisation of outer space, to examine and >identify, through substantive and general consideration, specific topics or >proposals that might be a basis for subsequent in-depth consideration, >including aspects related to possible confidence-building or transparency >measures, general principles or treaty commitments". This carefully fuzzy >language is much less than China proposed in March, but may be further than >the United States is prepared to go, in view of its plans for missile >defence and the intense politicisation of the issue in US Congressional >politics. China had earlier proposed an ad hoc committee "negotiate and >conclude an international legal instrument banning the test[ing], >deployment >and use of any weapons, weapon systems and their components in outer space, >with a view to preventing the weaponisation of outer space" but is willing >to compromise on a lesser mechanism as a first step.=20 > >Besides ad hoc groups on nuclear disarmament and outer space, the draft >work >programme would include the ad hoc committee under agenda item 1 to >negotiate a ban on the production of fissile materials for weapons and >other >explosive purposes (fissban) and a committee to deliberate on negative >security assurances. It is probable that special coordinators for the >agenda, expansion, and the much-need =91improved functioning=92 of the CD,= as >well as landmines would also be agreed. Though names are beginning to be >floated it is too early to speculate on who would become the special >coordinators or chairs of the committees and groups. > >Outer Space >Following China=92s focus on outer space, Pakistan devoted significant time >on >June 3 to this issue. Referring to "updated [American] blueprints designed >to achieve =91full spectrum dominance=92 in the twenty-first century," >Ambassador Munir Akram continued: "Together with other revolutionary >military technologies, covering every aspect of modern-day armaments, >recommendations have been made for a constellation of space-based lasers to >provide global coverage for an array of space-orbiting vehicles which could >unleash high-density kinetic energy weapons on ground targets. We believe >that efforts towards militarisation of outer space, or deployment of other >weapon systems relying on a space dimension, will create new and dangerous >instabilities. They would deal a serious blow to efforts for nuclear >disarmament and possibly lead to a new race for more lethal and denagerous >weapons systems, including nuclear weapons." > >Russia=92s Ambassador, Vasily Siderov, also raised serious concerns, >stressing >that "outer space is a property common to all mankind". Noting that the >1967 >Treaty on outer space did not establish a general prohibition for the use >of >outer space for military purposes, Siderov said that "progressive >development of space equipment and state-of-the-art high technology weapon >systems can provide a positive incentive for some states to use this legal >loop-hole for purposes inconsistent with the peaceful activities in the >space around the earth". He argued that one of the principal tasks of the >international community should be to negotiate a "legal regime prohibiting >deployment of offensive weapons in outer space". Echoing Pakistan=92s= remark >that "prevention is better than cure", Russia considered it "better to >consider today the means of preventing an arms race in outer space rather >than waste tomorrow huge amounts of resources to disarm it".=20 > >France=92s ambassador Hubert de la Fortelle characterised prevention of an >arms race in outer space as its second priority for CD work. France >considered that the importance of this issue were borne out by recent >developments, such as the North Korean ballistic missile test and >discussion >of the possibility of adjusting the ABM Treaty, which France regarded as >the >cornerstone of stategic equilibrium. De la Fortelle made clear France=92s >support for an ad hoc committee on outer space by endorsing both the 1998 >UNGA resolution and last year=92s special coordinator=92s report, and >reasserted >its 1993 proposal for notification of launches of ballistic missiles or >space vehicles. =20 > >Others also emphasised the urgency of addressing outer space issues in the >CD, although Ukraine=92s Ambassador Mykola Maimeskoul also commented that >"not >only weaponisation, but also militarisation of outer space is perceived by >many states as a threat to their security". Some countries who deploy or >use >military surveillance satellites in outer space, including China, have >insisted on a distinction between the weaponisation and militarisation of >outer space. They want the CD to address weaponisation but not >militarisation. While many delegations accept this distinction, recognising >that preventing the weaponisation of space would be a more manageable goal >at this point than opposing the militarisation of space, some do not. In >particular, a growing number of NGOs are drawing attention to the role of >military satellites in espionage, intelligence gathering, targetting and >weapons guidance. While supporting efforts to set up a CD mechanism to >consider these issues, it is clear that much discussion will be needed to >lay the groundwork for more substantive consideration. > >Fissban >Several statements stressed the importance of convening the committee to >negotiate a fissban, as agreed in August 1998. For France, the cut-off >treaty was the major priority for CD work and de la Fortelle castigated the >CD=92s inability to get started. He said that the treaty should be >multilaterally negotiated, non-discriminatory and internationally and >effectively verifiable. Siderov also called for speedy re-establishment of >the fissban committee and said that Russia considered it wrong to "waste >time searching any alternative issues in the field of nuclear disarmament >topics...ignoring the repeatedly re-confirmed consensus on FMCT." >Ambassador >Savitri Kunadi recalled that the G-21=92s proposal for a work programme had >included a committee to negotiate the fissban and therefore India "had no >difficulty going along" with such a decision. She particularly emphasised >various other aspects of the work programme, however. Referring again to >the >proposal from Britain, France and the United States to add to the fissban >mandate that the committee be reconvened each year until negotiations are >concluded, Akram, warned that "if the FMT consensus is to be reopened, >Pakistan would also seek inclusion of the concerns reflected in the >amendments we proposed to the Canadian resolution" to the 1998 UN General >Assembly (such as reducing and controlling existing stocks).=20 > >Nuclear Disarmament >In his valedictory statement to the CD after eight years as Egypt=92s >ambassador, Mounir Zahran called the CD "totally handicapped" in its >failure >to achieve nuclear disarmament. He recalled the gains in other fora, such >as >the Canberra Commission, the 1996 advisory opinion of the International >Court of Justice, and the August 1996 G-21 programme of action for >achieving >the elimination of nuclear weapons in three stages. Like Zahran, Kunadi >harked back to the priorities set at the first UN Special Session on >Disarmament in 1978. India, which just two months earlier prevented >agreement in the UN Disarmament Commission on holding a fourth special >session on disarmament, said that although it wanted more, in the spirit of >flexibility it would support a working group on nuclear disarmament, as >proposed by the ambassador of Venezuela, when he was CD President >(CD/1575). >Akram, like the rest of the G-21 also said that Pakistan would accept an ad >hoc group as "a first step" and the "least common denominator".=20 > >While arguing against a role for the CD in nuclear disarmament, Siderov >reminded delegations that "nuclear disarmament is a time-consuming and >costly process, which requires solutions to a whole range of financial, >technical and environmental problems" despite which, the "two major powers >have already done a lot" during recent years. Russia was "in favour of >other >nuclear powers joining our efforts aimed at reducing nuclear arsenals". >Siderov also recalled that President Yeltsin=92s 1994 proposal for a Treaty >on >nuclear security and strategic stability was "still on the negotiating >table". > >Other issues >There have been angry exchanges between North and South Korea over recent >clashes in adjacent waters, further exchanges between India and Pakistan >over Kashmir, and several comments on NATO=92s bombing in Yugoslavia, >prompting a furious reply from the US ambassador, Robert Grey. In >particular, Siderov argued that "the NATO aggression against the sovereign >Yugoslavia has gravely complicated the international climate". Like Russia, >several speakers raised concerns about the role of the one remaining >superpower and attempts to dictate by force. Russia raised concerns about >ecological damange and NATO=92s use of "indiscriminate inhumane weapons,= such >as cluster bombs and depleted uranium, which bring sufffering mainly upon >the civilian population".=20 > >Ambassador Peter N=E1ray announced Hungary=92s ratification of the >comprehensive >test ban treaty, emphasising the importance of this accord, negotiated at >the CD. Ambassador Ian Soutar spoke of Britain=92s efforts to increase >transparency by providing more detailed information on its exports of arms >and military equipment. Several, including Ecuador, called for decision on >enlarging the CD by five additional countries to be taken forthwith. There >were routine references to negative security assurances, landmines and >other >disarmament-related matters, but without any new ideas or sense of urgency. > >Conclusion >While the CD=92s lack of a work programme is deplorable, the discussions >about >the priority issues are themselves diplomatic negotiations of political >importance, reflecting changing political relations among some of the major >states. Although the importance of the political difficulties should not be >masked by attempts to reach procedural compromises, it would be absurd to >get agreement on a work programme for a few weeks this year unless the >Conference is also prepared to make a commitment to give that work >programme >at least a year=92s try. Even if it is not possible under the present rules >to >make such an undertaking binding on the next CD session, every effort >should >be made to get agreement in good faith, either through the CD report or a >presidential declaration. For the four weeks interval, diplomatic attention >has turned to attempts to negotiate a verification protocol for the >Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). > >The CD will reconvene 26 July and run for barely 6 weeks, to 8 September. > > > > >The Acronym Institute >24, Colvestone Crescent, London E8 2LH, England. >telephone (UK +44) (0) 171 503 8857 >fax (0) 171 503 9153 >website http://www.acronym.org.uk > =20 Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message.