From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) US/Global Nuclear Disarmament Plan, Nov1'99 draft edition Date: 01 Nov 1999 01:41:16 -0800 US/Global Nuclear Disarmament Plan, Nov1'99 draft edition [[[please forward this text draft around the world for its support]]] This Plan is offered to suggest a way to effectively increase the number of activists involved in the nuclear aboliton movement while combining a global approach to nuclear disarmament and economic conversion with a stronger US grassroots movement to capture the momentum of the US Presidential Campaign2000 as well as the timeclock-like increasing pubic and media exposure due to the Global Peace Walk2000 uniting all survival issue messages under the banner of "Global Peace Now!" to further Nuclear Abolition2000 and actually achieve a workable worldwide Global Nuclear Disarmament legal agreement by the end of the Year2000. The multilateral global abolition of nuclear weapons is by this time almost a "mainstream conservative" issue but, while many are in favor of this result, few can overcome the appearance of this goal as a "mission impossible" given the size of its economic infrastructure and inertia (corresponding resistence to economic change). While many special issue group activists are in favor "in principle" of nuclear abolition, because it seems such a daunting task most chose to focus their activism primarily on other "survival issue messages". A serious opportunity to unite all other "survival issue messages" and their activists in a cohesive action plan for nuclear abolition may be an overlooked "side effect" of the proposal from Proposition One in Washington DC embodied in the pending Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act HR 2545 as described in its Section 2. (2) (A) and (B), to wit, SEC 2. REQUIREMENT FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT AND ECONOMIC CONVERSION. (2) redirect resources that are currently being used for nuclear weapons programs to use- (A) in converting all nuclear weapons industry employees, processes, plants, and programs smoothly to constructive, ecologically beneficial peacetime activities during the 3 years following the effective date of this Act, and (B) in addressing human and infrastructure needs such as housing, health care, education, agriculture, and enviromnental restoration; The "economic leverage" inherent in this new law lies in its ability to provide funding previously allocated to nuclear weapons to pay for programs to solve problems associated with other important survival issue messages indexed to catagories spelled out in Sec.2.(2)(A)&(B) of HR 2545 above. Passing this Bill into Law then also offers a way to solve other important problems of concern to frustrated activists and motivates them by this understanding to unite behind the nuclear abolition issue and this legislative vehicle to accomplish it. Since even after its passage by the House and the Senate into law the US is not required to implement nuclear disarmament until "the President certifies to the Congress that all foreign countries possessing nuclear weapons have established legal requirements comparable to those set forth in section 2 and those requirements have taken effect", ie, "disable and dismantle all its nuclear weapons and refrain from replacing them at any time with any weapons of mass destruction", this offers an ideal opportunity to immediately interject into this stage of the US Presidental campaign arena a cry from the people at every campaign appearance of every candidate questioning: "If you were elected President would you strive to implement HR 2545?" It would be very hard for any candidate to say no to that question and in this way HR2545 may be readily introduced also to Congressional election campaigns via the "media election circus" and by sufficient constituents demanding an answer to this question before deciding who they will vote for. Other suggestions for inclusion in this US/Global Nuclear Disarmament Plan are interspersed below between existing sections of the following proposal which forms the Plan Foundation. Suggestions for additions are [bracketed], for deletions are ((parenthetical)) with explanatory {comments}. PROPOSAL TO BUILD A GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT TO PRESSURE THE U.S. POLITICAL SYSTEM FOR [GLOBAL] NUCLEAR WEAPONS ABOLITION October, 31,1999 (Updated)--revised draft suggestions In order to abolish nuclear weapons before the end of the ((century)) [year 2000], or, for that matter, at any time in the future, it is essential to build a strong U.S. abolition campaign. We hope this proposal will be considered during evaluation and development of specific strategies and activities to create a broadly inclusive campaign that will inject denuclearization and the elimination of nuclear weapons into the political mainstream. BACKGROUND FACTS: The United States (1) was first to research, produce, test, and deploy nuclear weapons, and first to use them against human targets, (2) has led the world in the development and production of innovative nuclear weapons and delivery systems throughout the nuclear age, and (3) notwithstanding the NPT and CTBT, continues to test, develop, and produce new weapons systems. No wonder the U.N. resolutions for a nuclear weapons abolition convention are getting nowhere fast. We believe that as long as the nuclear weapons policy of the United States remains unchanged, it is highly unlikely that anyone is going to take suggestions for international abolition seriously. Most of the world is snickering at the blatant NPT/CTBT/Subcritical hypocrisy of the United States. Of course, this has always been a major obstacle to using the NPT or CTBT as tools for securing an international convention on nuclear weapons. Today international credibility of these treaties is even more suspect. ((At the very moment that this proposal is being written, the)) The US Senate ((is debating)) [has defeated] ratification of the CTBT. ((Opponents of the treaty, confident that they can kill the measure, are pressing for a ratification vote.)) In the meantime the US is conducting tests of anti-ballistic missile systems, imperiling both the ABM and SALT treaties. If we are to be practical, we must accept the fact that neither treaties nor mere resolutions alone will necessarily turn this problem around. [, even if working towards these goals keeps nuclear abolition movement activists busy and comforted by "at least trying" and doing "something".] Zia Mian alluded to this fact in his address to the NPT Preparatory Committee at the U.N.: "We believe it is time for these opinions to be acted upon. Words are cheap. It is the responsibility of all the states who have supported these resolutions in the General Assembly and the Conference on Disarmament to force negotiations upon those who will not negotiate. Otherwise they are doing no more than standing on the sidelines wringing their hands, they are providing cover for those countries who have no intention of negotiating." <{Date?}> We must question the direction of those dedicated to interjecting the elimination of nuclear weapons into the political mainstream. [and answer with a more successful course determined by a realistic specific action plan]. Until now, the entire political movement within the United States could be summed up in three proposed House Resolutions, H. Res. 74 and H.Res. 177, proposed by Congressman Markey, and H. Res. 82, proposed by Congresswoman Woolsey. These ideas - Markey's de-alerting and stockpile stewardship, and Woolsey's global convention to abolish nuclear weapons - are positive expressions. As resolutions, however, even if passed by Congress, they would have very little enforceable effect toward denuclearization. PROPOSED STRATEGY FOR MAJOR POLITICAL CHANGE WITHIN THE UNITED STATES Any meaningful strategy must necessarily go beyond educating, outreaching, conferencing and mere talk in general. A successful strategy must be based on promoting some tangible, workable vehicle that is actually capable of carrying an abolition movement to its desired culmination. A strong foundation for exerting decisive political pressure on the United States to abolish nuclear weapons was laid by U.S. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton in 1994, '95, '97, and '99, when she introduced the Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act (presently H.R. 2545) to the U.S. House of Representatives. In essence, the bill would mandate that the U.S. government eliminate its nuclear weapons if all other countries do, and that it redirect its nuclear weapons budget towards converting the nuclear weapons industries and restoring the environment. It is a statement of principle, enforceable in stages. The text of H.R. 2545 appears at the end of this proposal. The official government version of the bill can be accessed online at http://thomas.loc.gov/home/ -- type "H.R. 2545" into the box, and click "Search." The text and a great deal more information is also available online at http://prop1.org/prop1/hr2545ab.htm. Obviously, if Mrs. Norton's bill were to become law it would send an unmistakably clear message to the world that the United States is actually sincere about trying to reverse the nuclear weapons program it's been pursuing, and the strategic objective for achieving major political change within the United States would be accomplished. Unfortunately, although Mrs. Norton has introduced the Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act four separate times (H.R. 3750 in 1994, HR. 1647 in 1995, and H.R. 827 in 1997, and now a significantly re-ordered H.R. 2545), thus far it has failed to gain enough political support to make its way out of committee. However, as the focus of a broad-based grassroots movement H.R. 2545 could easily gain widespread political support. PROPOSED TACTICS TO ACHIEVE THE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE The following are possible or current joint activities by grassroots groups around the country. The listing is not exhaustive. 1. Due to the existence of Mrs. Norton's Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion bill, the most obvious opportunity for grassroots joint activity is banding together in support of this existing legislation. The only thing standing between Norton's bill becoming the law of the land is lack of legislative support. The only thing lacking for legislative support is U.S. voter pressure upon congressional representatives. 2. Building voter initiative movements, similar to the Freeze initiatives of the early 80's, in states where Representatives won't support the bill would impress upon the politicians that there is popular support for the idea. 3. The inclusion of abolition initiatives on ballots around the country would guarantee that the subject would be center stage in the electoral debates. {Many "successful" activists are associated with power/funding sources established as tax exempt organizations. As a general rule the staff and directors of tax exempt organizations feel prevented by their (usually) 501(c)(3) IRS status from engaging in "political activities" and so often completely ignore the ballot initiative process which has demonstrated itself so successful in quickly establishing large networks of supporters for various issues (and for their organizations as a "side effect") as exemplified in the case of HR2545 which was only introduced to congress by mandate of a successful Washington DC ballot initiative. Part of this proposal then could well include a section 3a which offers the correct legal citations that authorize tax exempt organizations to participate in the ballot initiative process and (while they cannot support specific candidates in elections) whether they are also allowed to then promote the passage of a bill such as HR2545.} 4. Petition drives. Although simple petitions do not usually carry great weight with politicians in office, petitions that qualify voter initiatives for the ballot have significant weight unto themselves. 5. Producing educational materials and a designated website would be essential to any political movement. Of course, we already have a website (http://prop1.org), as does the Abolition movement and we've produced a couple of video tapes. 6. Public television documentary could feature commentary from experts like General Lee Butler, Eugene Carroll, and Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev, as well as economic authorities, who would explain how much the United States has spent on its nuclear arsenal, and offer alternatives as to how that money might be constructively spent. A documentary of this nature could be a significant moment of public engagement with the nuclear issue and would serve as method of mobilizing public support for lobby and/or voter initiative participation. "Y2K-WASH" and "Cry at the End of the 20th Century" are two excellent examples. 7. Speaking tours by people like General Lee Butler, Admiral Stansfield Turner, other former government officials, and nuclear, religious, or economic authorities, building public exposure on issues of Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion. Couple with #8: 8. Outreach to colleges and universities. A special effort could be made to encourage debates, teach-ins, and conferences on college and university campuses, as a way of engaging students and faculty in the challenge of eliminating nuclear weapons, and enlisting them into practical lobbying and electoral projects. See, for example, the "Campus Outreach Project" and questionnaire at http://prop1.org/prop1/outreach.htm and http://prop1.org/prop1/question.htm. 9. Outreach to the religious community would be a natural. After all, even most fundamentalist Christians agree Jesus wouldn't build a nuclear weapon, and most fundamentalist Moslems agree that nukes aren't acceptable for use in ((a)) Jihad. 10. Introducing the idea in town meetings of abolishing nuclear weapons by outlawing them is another way of stimulating participation in the movement. Abolition proposals have already been adopted by a number of city councils. Providing a legislative vehicle to transform these proposals into law would ((enlarge)) [empower] these efforts to [actuallly] have a practical effect. 11. Abolition walks. Long distance walks [can] offer an activity that brings people together and ((almost)) assure[s] media exposure. ((Whether this is an activity that can or should be repeated as a political tactic might be considered in light of past successes and failures.)) [The Nuclear Abolition2000 message will be carried across the American continent to the public, media, and governments by the Global Peace Walk Project of the Yucca Foundation of San Francisco which is taking the lead role in sponsoring Global Peace Walk 2000 from San Francisco to Washington DC to New York City for the United Nations 55th anniversary October 24, 2000, inaugurating the UN Decade of Creating a Culture of Peace for the 21st Century http://www.globalpeacenow.org ] [12] [Global/International networking pressure. Via internet activism encourage correspondents in other countries to not only seek similar Proposition One initiatives and laws, as codefied by HR2545, in their own countries but very importantly ask them to spread the word in their own nations for everyone that has friends, relatives, business associates, or email correspondents who live in the United States to lobby and encourage them to become active here in mobilizing US citizens, voters and the youth to push for passage of HR2545] [suggestions respectfully offered by David Crockett Williams] Sincerely, Proposition One Committee PO Box 27217, Washington DC 20038 USA 202-462-0757 (fax 202-265-5389) prop1@prop1.org -- http://prop1.org Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act of 1999 (Introduced in the House) HR 2545 IH 106th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2545 To provide for nuclear disarmament and economic conversion in accordance with District of Columbia Initiative Measure Number 37 of 1992. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 16, 1999 --{{{NOTICE coincident date 54th A-Bomb anniversary}}}--- Ms. NORTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on International Relations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. [Co-sponsors as of August 5, 1999: Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), John Lewis (D-GA). Additional co-sponsors in past years were Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), Earl Hilliard (D-AL), James Oberstar (D-MN), David Minge (D-MN), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Al Wynn (D-MD), Walter Tucker III (D-CA).] A BILL To provide for nuclear disarmament and economic conversion in accordance with District of Columbia Initiative Measure Number 37 of 1993 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act of 1999". SEC 2. REQUIREMENT FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT AND ECONOMIC CONVERSION. (1) disable and dismantle all its nuclear weapons and refrain from replacing them at any time with any weapons of mass destruction; (2) redirect resources that are currently being used for nuclear weapons programs to use- (A) in converting all nuclear weapons industry employees, processes, plants, and programs smoothly to constructive, ecologically beneficial peacetime activities during the 3 years following the effective date of this Act, and (B) in addressing human and infrastructure needs such as housing, health care, education, agriculture, and enviromnental restoration; (3) undertake vigorous good faith efforts to eliminate war, armed conflict, and all military operations; and (4) actively promote policies to induce all other countries to join in these commitments for world peace and security. SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act shall take effect when the President certifies to the Congress that all foreign countries possessing nuclear weapons have established legal requirements comparable to those set forth in section 2 and those requirements have taken effect. ##### ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON District of Columbia Congress of the United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 815 15th Street N.W., Suite 100 Washington, D.C. 20005-2201 (202) 783-6065 (202) 783-5211 (Fax) 1424 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D C 20515-5101 (202) 225-8050 (202) 225-3002 (Fax) (202) 225-7529 (TDD) www.house.gov/norton 2041 MARTIN L. KING Avenue, S.E. Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20030?5734 (202) 678-8900 (202) 578-5544 (FAX) COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE SUBCOMMITTEES AVIATION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC BULDINGS, HAZARDOUS MATERIALS AND PIPELINE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM SUBCOMMITTEES RANKING MINORITY MEMBER, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, CIVIL SERVICE ____________________________________________________________ * Peace Through Reason - http://prop1.org -Convert the War Machines! * ____________________________________________________________ David Crockett Williams gear2000@lightspeed.net Chartered Life Underwriter Bachelor of Science, Chemistry New Energy Technology Designs Phone: 661-822-3309 Fax: 561-658-2735 20411 Steeple Court, Tehachapi, CA, 93561 General Agency Services http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/genagency.html Global Emergency Alert Response http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000 Capital Hills Research Center http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/chrc.html Global Peace Walk old website http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/gpw.html Global Peace Walk 2000 main website http://www.globalpeacenow.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) GW Bush flies in CIA drug smuggler's airplane, Why? Date: 01 Nov 1999 01:59:11 -0800 Why Does George W. Bush Fly in Drug Smuggler Barry Seal's Airplane? by Daniel Hopsicker and Michael C. Ruppert www.copvcia.com (c) Excerpts:* From The Wilderness, Vol. II., No. 8, October 31, 1999 It has all the makings of a major box office thriller: Texas Governor and Republican Presidential contender George W. Bush and his brother Jeb, allegedly caught on videotape in 1985 picking up kilos of cocaine at a Florida airport in a DEA sting set up by Barry Seal... An ensuing murderous cover-up featuring Seal's public assassination less than a year later by a hit team...the members of which, when caught, reveal to their attorneys during trial that their actions were being directed by then, National Security Council (NSC) staffer - Lt. Colonel Oliver North... And a private turboprop King Air 200 supposedly caught on tape in the sting with FAA ownership records leading directly to the CIA and some of the perpetrators of the most notorious (and never punished) major financial frauds of the '80s. ...Greek shippers paying bribes to obtain loans from American companies that would never be repaid....An American executive snatching the charred remains of a $10,000 payoff check from an ashtray in an Athens restaurant...Swiss police finding bank accounts used for kickbacks and bribes... Add to this mix the now irrefutable proof, some of it from the CIA itself, that then Vice President George H.W. Bush was a decision maker in illegal Contra support operations connected to the "unusual" acquisition of aircraft and that his staff participated in key financial, operational and political decisions... All these events lead inexorably to one unanswered question: How did this one plane go from being controlled by Barry Seal, the biggest drug smuggler in American history, to becoming, according to state officials, a favored airplane of Texas Governor George W. Bush? Three months into an exhaustive investigation of persistent reports dating to 1995 that there exists an incriminating videotape of current Republican Presidential front-runner Bush caught in a hastily-aborted DEA cocaine sting, the central allegation remains unproven... But some startling details have been confirmed, amid a raft of new suspicions emerging from conflicting FAA records. Those records, along with other irrefutable documents, point to the existence of far more than mere happenstance or dark "conspiracy theorist speculations" in the matter of how George W. Bush came to be flying the friendly Texas skies in an airplane that was a crown jewel in the drug smuggling fleet of the notorious Barry Seal. Those documents reveal - beyond any doubt - that in the 1980s Barry Seal, with whom the CIA has consistently denied any relationship, piloted and controlled airplanes owned by the same Phoenix Arizona company, Greycas, which in a 1998 bankruptcy filing, was revealed to have been a subsidiary of the same company that owned the now defunct CIA proprietary airline Southern Air Transport. The investigation started with a lead into the history of the aircraft (a 1982 Beechcraft King Air 200 with FAA registration number N6308F - Serial Number BB-1014). The handwritten tail number was found in records kept by Seal's widow and later linked to other "hard paper" records left by Seal after his 1986 assassination by "drug traffickers" who were subsequently connected to Oliver North. Those records, including leasing agreements, insurance policies and maintenance records, exhibit a deliberately-confusing "paper trail" of convoluted ownership recalling the 'glory' days of the Iran Contra hearings, where the machinations of American covert intelligence operators were unmasked before a disbelieving public. Combined with revelations in a 1998 CIA Inspector General's report of Contra-era cocaine trafficking in which the CIA admits to "briefing" then Vice President Bush on how it lied to Congress about cocaine trafficking by its agents, it becomes clear that father and son have common secrets to conceal from the American public. That report, Volume II of the CIA Inspector General's report into allegations of Contra cocaine trafficking can be viewed at http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/cocaine2/index.html. A detailed discussion of that report, along with relevant excerpts is available at www.copvcia.com. Unraveling the plane's tangled and colorful history requires, first, a brief look backwards at the momentous year of 1982, when President Reagan first introduced the public version of "Project Democracy," in which he called for a "crusade for freedom." What it became instead was a license to murder, loot and steal. This climate was the nursery into which N6308F was born.... [Excerpted* from From The Wilderness, Vol. II., No. 8, October 31, 1999 - Single issues are available for $5.00 from FTW, P.O. Box 6061-350, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413 - subscriptions available from a secure server at www.copvcia.com ] * Subscribe now and read the whole story. See how much documentation exists and why some are already predicting that "W" is toast! [Total length 5,000 words - (c) 1999 From The Wilderness, Daniel Hopsicker and Michael C. Ruppert. Reproduction or reprinting prohibited without express written permission.] FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT MIKE RUPPERT OR TIM BARKER AT 818-788-8791 OR VIA E-MAIL AT mruppert@copvcia.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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) RE: New play about the Plowshares in NYC!! Date: 01 Nov 1999 08:24:38 -0600 Dear Dan: Thanks for this play on behalf of THE PLOWSHARES. I will be sure to put this notice in circulation on the anti-nuclear lists. It is known that the US Department of Justice has established a special strike force to monitor THE PLOWSHARES--treating THEM like organized crime. Yet another reason why I would encourage those on this list to nominate THE PLOWSHARES MOVEMENT for the Nobel Peace Prize. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free! Yours very truly, Francis A. Boyle -----Original Message----- Sent: Sunday, October 31, 1999 11:44 PM Dear Friends (and there are so many of you now!) Attached is the press release for my new play about the Plowshares Movement entitled THE BLOOD OF LAMBS. There are nine people in the cast, so I don't think we're going to take it on tour--if you want to see it, you'll either have to see it in New York or you'll have to convince a local theatre company to perform it. This is the largest cast undertaking I've done in oh, four years. They're terrific, the show is terrific, and if you come on September 12, you'll be part of a special benefit for the Kairos Plowshares NY organization. Also, if you're a veteran, there's a special discount on opening night in honor of veteran's day. See you there. Daniel Kinch _____________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 'THE BLOOD OF LAMBS', A NEW PLAY ABOUT FBI ATTEMPTS TO INFILTRATE A CHRISTIAN PEACE COMMUNITY, TO BE PRODUCED AT KAIROS THEATRE (135 W 4TH STREET, NYC) THURSDAYS THROUGH SUNDAYS NOVEMBER 11-21: SPECIAL TICKET PRICES ON VETERANS DAY; PLOWSHARES BENEFIT RECEPTION ON NOVEMBER 12. CALL 212-615-6668 FOR DETAILS. Contact: Daniel Kinch Kairos Theatre (718) 253-4862 Kairos Theatre Company, a professional theatre company in residence at Washington Square United Methodist Church, is pleased to announce the Showcase production of The Blood Of Lambs, a new play by Daniel Kinch. The production will run November 11-13 and 18-20 (Thursday through Saturday) at 8:00PM, and November 14 and 21 (Sundays) at 5:00 PM. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for students and seniors. Kairos Theatre Company is located at Washington Square United Methodist Church, 135 W 4th Street, New York. For reservations, call 212-615-6668. The play is about the FBI's attempts to infiltrate Isaiah House, a peace community in Baltimore, Maryland, whose residents are affiliated with the 'Plowshares' movement. The Plowshares are peace activists who take literally the admonition of the Biblical Prophet Isaiah to 'Turn Swords Into Plowshares'. Since 1980, there have been over 60 'Plowshares' actions worldwide, with over 160 activists going to prison for 'disarming' military weapons (primarily nuclear weapons or their delivery systems-bombers, submarines and ships). In The Blood of Lambs, the FBI director of counter-terrorism, Jack Rogers, has watched in dismay as three women activists from Isaiah House have successfully penetrated security at Norfolk Naval Air Station in a Christmas Day 'Disarmament' action of a nuclear attack submarine. Furious at his agency's inability to prevent these acts of sabotage, Rogers enlists Mary Swallow, a newly-graduated FBI agent whose specialty is profiling, to write a 'profile' of the movement and its leaders. Of particular interest to Rogers is Isaiah House founder Paul Merton. Merton, a defrocked priest with a long history of civil disobedience, was Rogers' teacher in the 1960's when Rogers was a seminarian. Rogers was forced out of the seminary in 1968 when a Merton-organized protest against the Vietnam War went badly. Too young to remember the struggles over Vietnam, Mary Swallow immerses herself in study of the Plowshares movement. In the course of her interviews, she finds herself wondering whether she is on the right side of the debate over America's Nuclear Empire. And she sees the worst end of the criminal justice system as a courtroom observer of the trial of the three women Plowshares activists. The Blood of Lambs is an examination of the obligations that faith requires. It is a play about the way that people hide behind professional masks. And it is about the manner in which people of faith must open their hearts to potential heartbreak when they face the unknown. The Blood of Lambs was written by Daniel Kinch and is directed by Veronica Garvey. The cast includes Rick Randig, Lindy Rogers, David Blanton, Stuart Brooks, Charlotte Hampden, Ben Roberts, Noelle Dupuy, Tom Wilson, and Stephanie Barton-Farcas. Special Events: Veterans Opening Night: In honor of November 11 (Veterans Day), Kairos Theatre will offer $6 (half-price) tickets to American Veterans (bring an old ID card, 'dogtags', uniform items or medals, whatever). Veterans groups will receive special group rates for five or more tickets. Contact our box office at (212) 615-6668 for more information. Plowshares Benefit: On November 12, there will be a special performance to benefit the work of Kairos/Plowshares New York, a peace community committed to nonviolent direct action to oppose injustice, militarism, and the continued deployment of nuclear weapons. Plowshares activists will be on hand to meet with the public. There will be a reception and informal discussion after the play. About Kairos Theatre: Kairos Theatre Company is a ministry of Washington Square United Methodist Church. Kairos is about creative process in the context of a revolutionary Christian Community. It is Theatre with the specific intention of promoting social justice, peace, and non-violence. ##30## - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) RE: ROCKY FLATS GRAND JURY FOREMAN: "NO ACCOUNTABILITY IN GOVERN Date: 01 Nov 1999 11:39:01 -0600 Several years ago, I worked on the very last anti-nuclear protest case at the Rocky Flats Arsenal before the US government shut it down. At the time I advised these courageous anti-nuclear resisters that we would have a much stronger case to win if they let us delve into criminal environmental law violations at the Rocky Flats Arsenal by US government officials and their private sector contractors, and had a brief ready to go along these lines on their behalf. Their response to me was that they had protested at the Rocky Flats Arsenal because of international law, including the Nuremberg Charter, Judgement and Principles. Therefore, they did not want to argue the criminal environmental law violations even if that meant they stood a higher chance of being convicted. Despite my best efforts, they were in a State Court in Golden, Colorado. But not before we put on one heck of a fight on their behalf by placing on trial the Rocky Flats Arsenal as criminal under international law. I have a nice framed picture of them all here in my office taken right outside the Golden Colorado court house in front of the mountain, and a paper opener saying:"Thanks. Rocky Flats Civil Resistance." After our trial, the Government announced its intention to shut down the Rocky Flats arsenal. But the real criminals are still at large: US government officials and their private sector contractors, as this story points out. Francis A. Boyle -----Original Message----- Sent: Monday, November 01, 1999 10:47 AM hightower@essential.org GOVERNMENT" Dear Folks: In my "Environmental Ethics" class at the University of Colorado at Boulder, I invited Wes McKinley, Foreman of the Rocky Flats Special Grand Jury to speak to my students. Following is the Colorado Daily's story of his remarks, for your interest. Adrienne Anderson Environmental Ethics Program University of Colorado at Boulder - CB 339 Boulder, Colorado 80309-0339 Phone: (303)492-2952 (message) Fax: (303)329-0217 ------------ 'There needs to be accountability' Rocky Flats jury foreman addresses CU students Friday, October 29th, 1999 By TERJE LANGELAND Colorado Daily Staff Writer Wes McKinley knows all about the crimes against society allegedly perpetrated at Rocky Flats. He knows the perpetrators will probably never be brought to justice. And as much as he'd like to, he can't tell a soul what he knows. Yet McKinley says he doesn't lose any sleep at night. A rancher from southeastern Colorado, McKinley served as foreman of the grand jury that investigated allegations of environmental crimes at Rocky Flats, the former nuclear weapons plant south of Boulder, from 1989 to 1992. While the grand jury reportedly wanted to indict officials of the plant's contractor at the time, Rockwell International, as well as federal government officials, a U.S. attorney in the end refused to follow jury recommendations and instead struck a plea agreement with Rockwell. The judge in the case then sealed the grand jury's report, and grand jurors were told that if they divulged information from their secret proceedings, they would face charges of criminal contempt of court. To this day, and likely for the rest of his life, McKinley is barred from telling the truth about what really happened. Still, he says it wasn't all for nothing. "What would bother me is if I couldn't do anything," McKinley said during a visit to CU-Boulder Thursday. Every now and then, he said, he is invited to talk to high school and college classes and private organizations. On Thursday, he addressed a class taught by Adrienne Anderson, a CU environmental ethics instructor, who called McKinley a "hero." He still has to be careful what he says. To illustrate the point, Anderson teasingly asked him, "just for fun," detailed questions about testimony given to the grand jury. Seemingly unfazed, McKinley quoted grand jury rules and explained that he could face 25 years in prison if he answered her questions. So instead, McKinley talks about what he says was the chief lesson learned from the Rocky Flats grand jury proceedings: "There is no accountability in government," McKinley asserted. Painting a complex picture of government power structures and political relationships, McKinley suggested that the grand jury's recommendations were suppressed because of political interests and because they might lead to the imprisonment of government officials. He also quoted other instances in which he said grand juries have been barred from indicting government organizations or individuals. "We see a pattern in America, really," McKinley said. "Don't step too close to government officials." While grand juries -- composed of ordinary citizens -- are supposed to have great independent powers, the government still manages through various means to render them ineffective when doing so serves its purposes, he said. The Rocky Flats grand jurors swore to "do what we felt was right, and not take directions from the court," McKinley said. But in the end, the courts nonetheless prevented grand jurors from following their consciences, he said. "What is justice in America?" McKinley asked. "The government circumvents the law system." Little if anything has changed as a result of the grand jury proceedings, McKinley said. Although Rocky Flats has closed, the government is still producing plutonium pits for nuclear weapons at Los Alamos, N.M. And even though Rockwell pleaded guilty to environmental crimes and agreed to pay $18 million in fines (a "slap on the wrist," McKinley said), no individuals ever went to jail, and Rockwell is still in business. But at least, by telling people about his experiences, McKinley said he hopes he can get them to think about how the federal government works -- or in many instances doesn't. "There needs to be accountability," he said. ############ - 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: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Subject: (abolition-usa) From Jo Vallentine/People for Nuclear Disarmament, Perth Date: 01 Nov 1999 11:55:49 -0800 (PST) Dear Abolition 2000 caucus For the week starting March 1, People for Nuclear Disarmament in Perth, Western Australia are considering to expand the idea of our annual swim for peace, which is one of our major fundraisers each year. Seeing the weather is still hot down under at that time, we will endeavour to get some notables, even Olympic swimming hopefuls, to do their thing, in bikinis (to educate about Bikini Atoll tests), to prepare some ground for the NPT review process. We're wondering whether the idea of an interrnational newspaper advertisement around the beginning time of NPT has got any response. We would use funds raised at our bikini swimathon to help fund such an ad. Is someone working on a suitable text for global use? with graphics/layout? We feel that we might be able to get the idea floated if it were part of such an intn'l campaign. But we're not volunteering to do either the text or layout. But getting the thousands of dollars from sponsoring groups would take quite some time, so it needs to be moving along ....... Also, I'd like to report briefly on my lobbying trip to Canberra to see politicians and bureaucrats about NAC, in the hope of getting Australia to shift from an absention to a yes vote in in the UN. Unfortunately, the govt and bureaucrats seem to be stuck on NPT thinking - it's served us well, they say, why upset the NWS making impossible demands. No matter how good a N-weapons treaty might sound, what's the point if the NWS don't want to sign on? that kind of talk was rather depressing. It seems that it will be difficult to move the Oz. govt. on NAC, despite quite a bit of lobbying from various groups ;like Friends of the Earth et. al. So, when we moved on to talk of NPT review, they said it was too soon - no position yet - so I take that to be an opening for further arguing the case for article 6 to be the focus. I got much further when addressing an issue closer to home (no suprise in that - we're very parochial).....that of Pangea's planned intn'l n. waste dump. Hardly anyone will plublicly support that. State and Federal govts. are being asked to support legislation prohibiting nuclear waste dumping. Lots of arguments about the fact that n'materials are already prohibited imports (but subject only to ministerial approval for that to change). We had an unwelcome rally near Pangea's fancy new offices in Perth last week. Very spirited crowd of 600 people. We have collected over thrity thousand signatures against the dump in the last four months. Political parties all say they are opposed to it. But BNFL has a budget of $5m. p.a. to turn the initial community no into a yes. Please be aware of this Pangea proposal in your anti-nuclear deliberations - the transport risks alone are enough to say no way! With good wishes to everyone, towards a nuclear-free future, Jo Vallentine. - 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) Need info for getting off the llist Date: 01 Nov 1999 15:10:37 EST Friends, I've already tried once to get off the Abolition USA list, made a slight error in my technical note, will try again. However I don't know the precise technical wording for getting off the Abolition Caucus list. The reason is very simple - I'm running as the Socialist Party candidate for President in 2000. The 200 or so posts a day is more than I can handle and even do my laundry. (Well, I could actually do the laundry and clean the cat box but to campaign for a weekend and come home to find 600 posts!). I hope the WRL office and the London office can keep me on top of issues. I send a cc to the Disarmament Task Force list to urge anyone on that list who wants to be on the Abolition 2000 list to do so, since I can't forward key posts any longer. Appreciating the technical words I need to enter to unsubscribe. If all goes well and I'm not elected (I'd make a terrible President), I will sign back on next November. (Anyone who wants info on the campaign can go to the web page: http://votesocialist.org - at least the US will have one solid peace candidate). 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: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Subject: (abolition-usa) CTB RALLY on Veterans Day in KS Date: 01 Nov 1999 13:07:47 -0800 (PST) For immediate release Contact: Allan Hanson: Tel. 841-3026 e-mail: hanson@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu Rally for the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in observance of Veterans Day 1999... because a nuclear war would have no veterans. The Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice and the Oread Friends have announced plans for a rally to promote reconsideration of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Planned in observance of Veteran's Day, the rally, called "Save the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty," will take place on Saturday, November 6th at 11:00 a.m. Participants will meet at the north end of Buford Watson park and march to South Park (Lawrence, Kansas). Allan Hanson, Coordinator of the Coalition, believes that the failure of the Senate to ratify the treaty represents a major foreign policy mistake for the United States, one which the Senate can and should correct by reversing its action. "The vote sends a message to the rest of the world that the United States intends to restart the arms race, and other nations are likely to react by stepping up their own nuclear weapons programs," said Hanson. "Eighty percent of Americans support ratification of the treaty, seeing it as an important step toward greater security in the world, but that message was not broadly communicated. We want to let the people of Lawrence know that the issue should not be considered settled and that there are people who care about continuing our historic progress toward nuclear disarmament." The Coalition and Oread Friends will be joined by other organizations as co-sponsors of the event. ******************************************************* Pannirselvam Kanagaratnam Radar Systems and Remote Sensing Lab University of Kansas 2291 Irving Hill Road Lawrence, KS 66044. Tel: 785/864-7735 Fax: 785/864-7789 E-mail: pkanagar@rsl.ukans.edu Homepage: http://www.rsl.ukans.edu/~pkanagar/ ******************************************************* - 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: "Helen Caldicott" Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Assn of State Green Parties supports activities regarding Nukes andWeapons in Space (fwd) Date: 01 Nov 1999 08:30:08 +1100 Bruce, This all looks good, Warmly Helen ----- Original Message ----- Sent: Sunday, October 31, 1999 8:24 AM regarding Nukes andWeapons in Space (fwd) > > > Bruce K. Gagnon > Coordinator > Global Network > PO Box 90083, Gainesville, Fl 32607 > Web site: http://www.globenet.free-online.co.uk/ > (352) 337-9274 > > > The Association of State Green Parties has voted unanimously to support the > planned actions as described below. Please use our name and let us know how > we can help in other ways. > > Sincerely, > Dean Myerson, > ASGP Secretary > > Association of State Green Parties > ------------------------------- > Green Party of Arkansas > Arizona Green Party > Green Party of California > Green Party of Colorado > Green Party of Connecticut > Georgia Green Party > District of Columbia Green Party > Hawai'i Green Party > Massachusetts Green Party > Maine Green Party > Green Party of Michigan > Green Party of Minnesota > Nevada Green Party > Green Party of New Jersey > New Mexico Green Party > Green Party of New York State > Green Choice Party > Green Party of Ohio > Pacific Green Party of Oregon > Pennsylvania Green Party > Green Party of Rhode Island > Green Party of Tennessee > Green Party of Utah > Green Party of Virginia > Wisconsin Green Party > Wyoming Green Party > > ================================= > > 1) The ASGP will respond to Dr. Helen Caldicott , Dr. > Michio Kaku, David McReynolds and the War Resister's League, and The Global > Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space of > ASGP's decision to join Global Network as an endorser of the call to > action, and to lend the ASGP name to the publicity as an endorsor of the > April 14-17, 20000 events; > > 2) The ASGP will publicize the events in newsletter and email > correspondence to our member states; > > 3) The ASGP will issue a press release and a position statement about our > position against militarization of space in general, and against the > Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system, specifically; > > 4) The ASGP will encourage member states to also endorse, publicize and > participate; and > > 5) The ASGP will encourage each member state to send at least one > representative to the events. > > 6) The ASGP will send at least one official representative from the ASGP > International Committee, who will participate in the events of April 14th > to April 17, 2000 as delineated: > > FRIDAY, APRIL 14: A non-violent rally on the steps of the Treasury > Department to illustrate the enormous waste of our tax-dollars on Star > Wars. To date over $100 billion has been spent on space weapons development > while social spending is under relentless attack. Following the rally a "No > BMD, No Star Wars" message will be delivered to Clinton at the White House. > > SATURDAY, APRIL 15: "Star Wars Revisited: An International Conference on > Preventing an Arms Race In Space". This day long event will focus on sharing > information about the latest developments in the U.S. plan to become the > "Master of Space". Leaders in the international movement to keep space for > peace will be the featured speakers. > > SUNDAY, APRIL 16: Training on Lobbying Congress in the morning; Afternoon > meeting of the Global Network to plan international strategies to "Stop > Star Wars". > > MONDAY, APRIL 17: Lobby Day: Give Congress the message about our growing > international movement to prevent a new arms race in space. Representatives > of peace groups around the world will hold a DAY LONG VIGIL on the Capitol > steps. > > > > > - > 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: "bob kinsey" Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) PLEASE SIGN LETTER ON Y2K/DE-ALERTING N-WEAPONS TO DEFENCE SECYCOHEN/CLINTON Date: 31 Oct 1999 19:27:08 -0700 Please sign me on to the de-alert letter ************************************************* Bob Kinsey Peace and Justice Task Force Rocky Mountain Conference, United Church of Christ bkinsey@peacemission .org 6555 Ward Road, Arvada, Colorado, 80004 "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God" -- Jesus of Nazareth - 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: JTLOWE@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Need Information on "BB" demonstration Date: 01 Nov 1999 20:55:43 EST Hi, I have been sked to spek to a group of high school students and would love to have the "recipe" for the BB demonstration of the number of ncuear missiles. We used to do this in the Freeze days but that info is long gone. I recently saw a member of BENS or waht used to be bens do this. I HEED HELP, thanks colby Lowe - 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: JTLOWE@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) re BB's Date: 01 Nov 1999 20:58:58 EST Re BB , if you have info plese send directly to lowcolby@aol.com thanks again - 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: Ellen Thomas Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) PLEASE SIGN LETTER ON Y2K/DE-ALERTING Date: 02 Nov 1999 05:46:34 -0500 John, one small favor. Would you spell out "-1" on Proposition One? Also, please add our name to the Yeltsin fax as well. Thanks Ellen Thomas At 03:29 PM 11/1/99 +1000, you wrote: () >Signed () >Ellen Thomas, Proposition-1 Committee, Washington DC., PROPOSITION ONE COMMITTEE P.O. Box 27217, Washington, DC 20038 USA 202-462-0757 (phone) | 202-265-5389 (fax) http://prop1.org | prop1@prop1.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: Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space Subject: (abolition-usa) UN Space Resolution Passes Date: 02 Nov 1999 08:46:14 -0500 (EST) PEACE IN SPACE RESOLUTION PASSES U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY By a vote of 138-0 (with two abstentions) the U.N. resolution entitled "Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space" passed the General Assembly on November 1, 1999. The two nations that abstained were the United States and Israel. The resolution reaffirmed that the "will of all States that the exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall be for peaceful purposes and shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interest of all countries...." The passage of the resolution is significant because it reflects the growing consciousness that a global democratic debate must now ensue if we are to keep space from becoming the next area of military war fighting operations as the U.S. Space Command envisions. The next step that is required from the U.N. is the strengthening of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. Please make an effort to urge the U.N. delegation from your nation to help make this happen. Following is the list of all nations that voted for the resolution: - Algeria - Andorra - Argentina - Armenia - Australia - Austria - Azerbaijan - Bahrain - Bangladesh - Barbados - Belarus - Belgium - Bhutan - Bolivia - Bosnia/Herzeg - Botswana - Brazil - Brunei Dar-Salam - Bulgaria - Burkina Faso - Cambodia - Canada - Cape Verde - Chad - Chile - China - Colombia - Costa Rica - Cote D'Ivoire - Croatia - Cuba - Cyprus - Czech Republic - Dem PR of Korea - Denmark - Djibouti - Dominican Republic - Ecuador - Egypt - El Salvador - Eritrea - Estonia - Ethiopia - Fiji - Finland - France - Georgia - Germany - Ghana - Greece - Guatemala - Guinea - Guyana - Haiti - Hungary - Iceland - India - Indonesia - Iran - Ireland - Italy - Jamaica - Japan - Kazakhstan - Kenya - Lao Pdr - Latvia - Lebanon - Libyan AJ - Liechtenstein - Lithuania - Luxembourg - Madagascar - Malaysia - Maldives - Mali - Malta - Mauritius - Mexico - Monaco - Mongola - Morocco - Mozambique - Myanmar - Namibia - Nepal - Netherlands - New Zealand - Nicaragua - Nigeria - Norway - Oman - Pakistan - Panama - Papua N Guinea - Paraguay - Peru - Philippines - Poland - Portugal - Qatar - Rep of Korea - Rep of Moldova - Romania - Russian Federation - San Marino - Saudi Arabia - Senegal - Sierra Leone - Singapore - Slovakia - Slovenia - Solomon Islands - South Africa - Spain - Sri Lanka - Sudan - Swaziland - Sweden - Syrian AR - Thailand - Thefyr Macedonia - Togo - Trinidad-Tobago - Tunisia - Turkey - Turkmenistan - Uganda - Ukraine - U A Emirates - United Kingdom - Uruguay - Uzbekistan - Venezuela - Viet Nam - Yemen - Zimbabwe Bruce K. Gagnon Coordinator Global Network PO Box 90083, Gainesville, Fl 32607 Web site: http://www.globenet.free-online.co.uk/ (352) 337-9274 - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) RE: ROCKY FLATS GRAND JURY FOREMAN: "NO ACCOUNTABILITY IN GOVERN Date: 02 Nov 1999 08:25:18 -0600 that is correct. there had been an entire series of protests at Rocky Flats over the production of the plutonium pits for thermonuclear warheads over the years. we had not really gotten anywhere. usually, people would enter Rocky Flats, get arrested, and be prosecuted under US federal law in a US federal district court--part of the U.S. Nuclear Empire.These last people were smarter. They sat down on the state road in front of the main entrance of the base in order to prevent all traffic going in and out. Hence, when they were arrested and prosecuted, they were under state law in a state court before a state judge and jury in Golden. During my research and preparation for the trial, i went through all the scientific literature about the environmental contamination and pollution in, at and around Rocky Flats, including by air and in the water, as well as the cancer rates for people living in the surrounding area, which are astounding. On the basis of this research, i recommended to the Rocky Flats Resisters (RFR) that we raise these issues at trial--it would give us a better chance at an acquittal because the environmental and human catastrophe created by Rocky Flats was so obviously criminal under federal and state environmental laws. They considered my recommendation but rejected it. It was not that they were insensitive to the environmental matters. Rather, they had read my book Defending Civil Resistance and agreed with my position that the production of nuclear weapons was criminal under international law, including the Nuremberg Charter, Judgement and Principles. It was this consideration that had motivated them to resist, get arrested, go on trial,and risk jail, not the environmental catastrophe. So we went to trial in Golden Colorado to put Rocky Flats on trial for the criminal production of plutonium pits for thermonuclear warheads. They knew full well that they would have a better chance of an acquittal if we had also raised the environmental catastrophe produced at Rocky Flats. But as a matter of firm principle, they rejected that alternative. They were going after the production of the plutonium pits for nuclear warheads pure and simple. There would be no compromise! So that is what we did at trial. It was close, but no cigar. But right after the trial was over, the United States government announced that it was shutting down the production of plutonium pits for nuclear warheads at Rocky Flats. Our People got what they had wanted, what they risked jail for. Of course Rocky Flats continues today poisoning and polluting the ground, air, water and People living between Boulder and Denver, including my brother, his wife and their son, my nephew,Timothy Francis Boyle. But i still have a nice brief here that could be dusted off and updated if there are some protests on environmental grounds on the state road in front of Rocky Flats. Francis A. Boyle -----Original Message----- Sent: Monday, November 01, 1999 12:54 PM nukenet@envirolink.org; mattwald@nytimes.com; jmike@bullatomsci.org; hightower@essential.org; abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com; abolition-caucus@igc.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org; tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org GOVERNMENT" In a message dated 11/1/99 10:40:03 AM Mountain Standard Time, FBOYLE@LAW.UIUC.EDU writes: << Several years ago, I worked on the very last anti-nuclear protest case at the Rocky Flats Arsenal before the US government shut it down. >> Wes is absolutely right. There seems to be no accountability in government. An even stranger side note is that the taxpayers paid for the multimillion defense, because Rockwell billed the DOE for it's cadre of attorney's defending itself. Jim Stone's False Claims Act case against Rockwell was successful, but it is in appeal of course. Small point of correction...IT is the (ahem, former) Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant, northwest of Denver (northwest of Arvada, south of Boulder), which is much confused with the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, that is on the northeast side of Denver (north of Montbello, and east of Commerce CIty). The term "shut down" is a media term applied, when the only thing shut down at the time was pit production, while other activities and projects continued for many years. Rocky Flats is like a small city, and is bustling with activity with more than three times the employee population now, than it had during the cold war peak production years. Not much cleanup has occurred, offsite and buffer zone contamination has been "written off", and they are concentrating activities in the Industrial Area stabilizing plutonium stocks, draining tanks, etc. Rocky Flats is not CLOSED, just not making or recovering plutonium. Yours, Paula Elofson-Gardine Executive Director Environmental Information Network >From the fallout zone of Rocky Flats - 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) End Nuclear Threat Now Date: 02 Nov 1999 08:54:52 -0800 Support the global Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act of 1999, H.R. 2545, by urging your Congressperson to sign on as a cosponsor, by doing ballot intitatives in your state, and by demanding all Election2000 candidates take a stand on this new law. Give this message to your Congressperson indexed by zipcode at 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121. Full details are posted at http://www.prop1.org/prop1/ehn99716.htm Please support, and help combine all survival issues in a "united front approach" for, the global nuclear abolition coalition initiation on January 15th of Global Peace Walk2000 from San Francisco to Washington DC to New York City for the United Nations 55th anniversary, October 24, 2000, inaugurating the UN Decade for Creating a Culture of Peace for the 21st Century. Over a million people are expected for the Millennial Peace Ceremony at the Washington Monument on October 9th. Be one. http://www.globalpeacenow.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: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Subject: (abolition-usa) Senate Vote Leaves the World a more Dangerous Place Date: 02 Nov 1999 11:00:51 -0800 (PST) SENATE VOTE LEAVES THE WORLD A MORE DANGEROUS PLACE By David Krieger* In failing to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the US Senate played partisan politics with an issue of utmost importance to the security of the US and the world. Observing the debates in the Senate on this issue, I was once again left with the impression that our Senators do not fully understand nor particularly care that the rest of the world pays attention to what they say and do. Much of the world looks to the United States for leadership, but there is little to be found these days in the highest offices of our government. In 1995 I attended the Review and Extension Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). It was and remains clearly in the interests of the United States and all other countries in the world to prevent further proliferation of nuclear weapons. At that Treaty Conference the US was fighting for the indefinite extension of the Treaty. However, many other countries were questioning whether the Treaty should be extended indefinitely since the US and other nuclear weapons states had not kept their promise for good faith negotiations on nuclear disarmament during the first 25 years of the Treaty's existence. In the end, the NPT was extended indefinitely. To achieve this result the US and the other nuclear weapons states agreed to a set of Principles and Objectives that included "a universal and internationally and effectively verifiable Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty no later than 1996." This Treaty was, in fact, negotiated and opened for signatures in September 1996. The first country to sign was the United States. The Comprehensive Test Ban is a treaty that is very much in our interests. After all, we have already conducted some 1,050 atmospheric and underground nuclear test explosions, more than any other nation. The Treaty allows conducting laboratory tests by computer simulation. The US has also been conducting sub-critical nuclear tests at the Nevada Test Site, although these violate the spirit if not the letter of the Treaty. We are currently spending some $4.5 billion annually on our Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program to maintain and further improve our nuclear arsenal. When a few weeks ago the Senate defeated the ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty we were saying to the world that we have little interest in providing leadership toward a nuclear weapons free world. Rather, we want to hold open the option of further testing of our nuclear weapons free of current restraints. This means, of course, that other nations may well decide to do the same. Prior to the Senate vote, leaders of our key allies in Europe -- President Jacques Chirac of France, Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, and Chancellor Gerhard Schroder of Germany -- wrote: "Rejection of the treaty in the Senate would remove the pressure from other states still hesitating about whether to ratify it. Rejection would give great encouragement to proliferators. Rejection would also expose a fundamental divergence within NATO." But the Senate was not to be swayed by either friends or logic. They chose instead to place their bets on continued reliance on nuclear weapons. They have also, along with the Members of the House of Representatives, voted to deploy a National Missile Defense System "as soon as technologically feasible." This would result in the undermining of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, an arms control measure that came into force under the Nixon administration. Despite assurances by the Defense Department that the planned missile defense system is aimed at so-called "rogue" nations and not at the Russians, the Russians have indicated that such a system could mean the end of further reductions in nuclear armaments and possibly the beginning of a new offensive nuclear arms race. Neither we nor the Russians must return to the days of the Cold War. We know the price that was extracted in terms of risks to humanity and dollar expenditures (more than $5.5 trillion spent by the U.S. alone). We live in a dangerous world. But, as many top US military leaders who have begun to speak out against nuclear arms have pointed out, there is no problem that nuclear weapons would not make worse. Lest we forget, here is what nuclear weapons can do. One nuclear weapon could destroy a city. Two small nuclear weapons destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Ten nuclear weapons could destroy a country. Imagine the US with New York, Washington, DC, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle destroyed by nuclear blasts. One hundred nuclear weapons could destroy civilization. One thousand nuclear weapons could destroy the human species and most life on Earth. And yet, there remain some 35,000 nuclear weapons in the world. Some 5,000 of these are on hair-trigger alert despite the fact that the Cold War ended ten years ago. Congress is displaying an ostrich-like mentality, believing that we can threaten others with our nuclear weapons while putting up a "shield" to protect ourselves. What is most disturbing about this world view is that while we keep our collective heads in the sand, we are missing the opportunity to show real leadership in moving toward a world free of nuclear weapons. This opportunity may not come again. In April 1999 the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation presented its Distinguished Peace Leadership Award to General Lee Butler, a former Commander-in-Chief of the United States Strategic Command. General Butler was once in charge of all US strategic nuclear weapons. He was the man responsible for advising the President of the United States on whether or not to use nuclear weapons in a crisis situation. While he held this position, General Butler could never be more than three rings from his telephone. He is now an ardent advocate of abolishing all nuclear weapons. While with us in Santa Barbara, General Butler recalled: "When I retired in 1994, I was persuaded that we were on a path that was miraculous, that was irreversible, and that gave us the opportunity to actually pursue a set of initiatives, acquire a new mindset, and re-embrace a set of principles having to do with the sanctity of life and the miracle of existence that would take us on the path to zero. I was dismayed, mortified, and ultimately radicalized by the fact that within a period of a year that momentum again was slowed. A process that I have called the creeping re-rationalization of nuclear weapons was introduced...." The Senate vote on the CTBT is reflective of this "creeping re-rationalization of nuclear weapons." It will undoubtedly be a major subject of concern when the Review Conference for the Non-Proliferation Treaty is held in the year 2000. Representatives of many countries will note that the US and other nuclear weapons states have not ratified the CTBT, and they will wonder why. They will wonder whether they should not hold open their own options for developing nuclear arsenals. They will ask: "If the world's most powerful nation chooses to base its security on nuclear weapons and keeps open its options to continue testing these weapons, shouldn't we consider doing so as well?" In the end, the Senate's vote was arrogant and shortsighted. It leaves the world a more dangerous place, and the future in greater doubt. * David Krieger, is president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. Further information can be found at the Foundation's web site: www.wagingpeace.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: Coalition for Peace Action Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) PLEASE SIGN LETTER ON Y2K/DE-ALERTING N-WEAPONS TO DEFENCE SECYCOHEN/CLINTON Date: 02 Nov 1999 03:43:40 -0500 We're also happy to sign the letter. -- Rev. Robert Moore, Executive Director, Coalition for Peace Action 40 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ 08542 (609) 924-5022 voice, (609) 924-3052 fax cfpa@cyberenet.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: "Helen Caldicott" Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) UN Space Resolution Passes Date: 03 Nov 1999 09:12:41 +1100 Ecxellent work Bruce! now you've just got to grab the US, the international outlaw, Helen ----- Original Message ----- Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 12:46 AM > > > > PEACE IN SPACE RESOLUTION PASSES U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY > > By a vote of 138-0 (with two abstentions) the U.N. resolution entitled > "Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space" passed the General Assembly on > November 1, 1999. > > The two nations that abstained were the United States and Israel. > > The resolution reaffirmed that the "will of all States that the > exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial > bodies, shall be for peaceful purposes and shall be carried out for the > benefit and in the interest of all countries...." > > The passage of the resolution is significant because it reflects the > growing consciousness that a global democratic debate must now ensue if we > are to keep space from becoming the next area of military war fighting > operations as the U.S. Space Command envisions. > > The next step that is required from the U.N. is the strengthening of the > 1967 Outer Space Treaty. Please make an effort to urge the U.N. > delegation from your nation to help make this happen. > > Following is the list of all nations that voted for the resolution: > > - Algeria > - Andorra > - Argentina > - Armenia > - Australia > - Austria > - Azerbaijan > - Bahrain > - Bangladesh > - Barbados > - Belarus > - Belgium > - Bhutan > - Bolivia > - Bosnia/Herzeg > - Botswana > - Brazil > - Brunei Dar-Salam > - Bulgaria > - Burkina Faso > - Cambodia > - Canada > - Cape Verde > - Chad > - Chile > - China > - Colombia > - Costa Rica > - Cote D'Ivoire > - Croatia > - Cuba > - Cyprus > - Czech Republic > - Dem PR of Korea > - Denmark > - Djibouti > - Dominican Republic > - Ecuador > - Egypt > - El Salvador > - Eritrea > - Estonia > - Ethiopia > - Fiji > - Finland > - France > - Georgia > - Germany > - Ghana > - Greece > - Guatemala > - Guinea > - Guyana > - Haiti > - Hungary > - Iceland > - India > - Indonesia > - Iran > - Ireland > - Italy > - Jamaica > - Japan > - Kazakhstan > - Kenya > - Lao Pdr > - Latvia > - Lebanon > - Libyan AJ > - Liechtenstein > - Lithuania > - Luxembourg > - Madagascar > - Malaysia > - Maldives > - Mali > - Malta > - Mauritius > - Mexico > - Monaco > - Mongola > - Morocco > - Mozambique > - Myanmar > - Namibia > - Nepal > - Netherlands > - New Zealand > - Nicaragua > - Nigeria > - Norway > - Oman > - Pakistan > - Panama > - Papua N Guinea > - Paraguay > - Peru > - Philippines > - Poland > - Portugal > - Qatar > - Rep of Korea > - Rep of Moldova > - Romania > - Russian Federation > - San Marino > - Saudi Arabia > - Senegal > - Sierra Leone > - Singapore > - Slovakia > - Slovenia > - Solomon Islands > - South Africa > - Spain > - Sri Lanka > - Sudan > - Swaziland > - Sweden > - Syrian AR > - Thailand > - Thefyr Macedonia > - Togo > - Trinidad-Tobago > - Tunisia > - Turkey > - Turkmenistan > - Uganda > - Ukraine > - U A Emirates > - United Kingdom > - Uruguay > - Uzbekistan > - Venezuela > - Viet Nam > - Yemen > - Zimbabwe > > > Bruce K. Gagnon > Coordinator > Global Network > PO Box 90083, Gainesville, Fl 32607 > Web site: http://www.globenet.free-online.co.uk/ > (352) 337-9274 > > > > > - > 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Y2K DE-ALERT LETTER TO US DEFENCE SECY COHEN PLS SIGN Date: 03 Nov 1999 14:31:32 +1000 John Hallam =46riends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, =46ax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html DEAR ALL: THIS LETTER IS TO BE FAXED THIS COMING SATURDAY SYDNEY TIME (18 hours before US time, so friday US time). Please sign it by emailing nonukes@foesyd.org.au, with your organisations physical adress and your title. It asks US Defence Secy Cohen to take nuclear weapons off alert over the y2K rollover period. If you think it's insane to have 2,000 US warheads (and 3.600 Russian ones) capable of being launched over 20 minutes, over the Y2K rollover, let secretary Cohen know. If you want to sign on to a similar letter to Yeltsin and Sergeyev, please sign the existing Yeltsin/Clinton sign on, on http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html (YOU SIGN BY SENDING ME AN EMAIL TO THIS ADRESS). A global fax campaign will commence (or re-commence - one already exists) on November 7. My apologies for the inevitable double-postings. TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461, +1-202-456-2883. Y2K AND DE-ALERTING OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS Dear President Clinton and Secretary for Defence Cohen, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. It is particularly disturbing that you are reported as having stated in Moscow that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are equally vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. We are well aware that the chief of Stratcom, Admiral Mies has said in congressional testimony in April and July 1999 that the defence department is well advanced in terms of its Y2K-remediation program. The Y2K problem is such that it is just not possible to be as certain as Mies is in his testimony. This is because very nature of this kind of problem prohibits you from being certain that every possible programming glitch is truly fixed. In fact no - one will be completely certain until the real date change itself, and indeed until well into the new year. And even if you are able to convincingly prove that US strategic nuclear computer systems are truly Y2K compliant and that they are 'fail safe', you will be well aware of the great concern that has been voiced over the Y2K readiness of Russia. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. Perimiter seems to offer additional pathways by which Y2K -related command and control failures could lead to an accidental launch of missiles, possibly by Y2K - related failures in sensors combined with system blackout fooling the system into thinking that an attack had taken place. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as the public is aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is itself far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The recently admitted Y2K vulnerabilities discovered, according to Reuters reports of congressional testimony, in six of the seven hotlines established during the cold war period are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Agenda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September. (Text of these resolutions has been passed on to you by the deputy president of our Senate, Senator Sue West.) Mr. Clinton and Mr. Cohen, we believe that in taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. We believe that failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a letter in response to a sign on letter from over 270 (now 460) NGOs, Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov said that: "The questions of removing from the military duty of Russian and American nuclear armaments which you mention in your appeal may become the matter for discussion between the two countries in the context of negotiations on further limitation of the strategic nuclear weapons" This hardly indicates that De-alerting is 'off the table' as far as the Russian Government is concerned. It should be very much on the table as far as your administration is concerned. (Text of the Russian reply with english translation to our letter is enclosed). In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. Signed John Hallam, Nuclear Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Sydney. Ak Malten, Global Anti-Nuclear Alliance, The Hague, Tom Mc Donald, British-American Security Information Council,(BASIC) London, Marion Hancock, Aotearoa Peace Foundation, Auckland, NZ., Alice Slater, Global Resource and Action Centre for the Environment, NY., Ellen Thomas, Proposition-1 Committee, Washington DC., Marylia Kelley, Executive Director, Tri -Valley CAREs, (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment), Livermore, CA, Laurie grossman, Y2K-WASH,(World Atomic Safety Holiday) San Francisco, Carah Ong, Abolition 2000 Coordinator, - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) LETTERS ON Y2K AND DE-ALERTING URL Date: 03 Nov 1999 15:11:18 +1000 Dear Abolition 2000 Network Friends, The following letters about the Y2K problem can now be found at: http://www.cornnet.nl/~akmalten/letters.html Which is a sub-index of my GANA's News-index, with the following URL: http://www.cornnet.nl/~akmalten/news.html These Letters are there to read: ** Y2K N-Weapons DE-Alerting Sign-on Letter To US Defence Secretary Cohen And President Clinton ** Y2K N-Weapons DE-Alerting Sign-on Letter To President Yeltsin And President Clinton ** A highly significant discussion of the depth, complexity and confusion of the "Y2K Problem" by Dale W. Way, Chairman Year 2000 Technical Information Focus Group Technical Activities Board, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in his Critique of Ed Yourdon's "End Game" Essay If you would like to receive an e-mail copy of one of these letters, you the could send a request to: akmalten@cornnet.nl with the title of the letter in text body and the subject: yes, I would like to receive this letter. Peace, or saved by the pigeon, Ak Malten, Global Anti-Nuclear Alliance ============================================================= The Global Anti-Nuclear Alliance (GANA) -- is a member of The Abolition 2000 Network, A Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons Address: c/o Ak Malten Irisstraat 134 Tel:+31.70.3608905 2565TP The Hague Fax:+31.70.3608905 The Netherlands E-Mail: akmalten@cornnet.nl GANA's website: http://www.cornnet.nl/~akmalten/welcome.html The ICJ Advisory Opinion on Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons, **including ALL the Separate Opinions of ALL the Judges**, the Canberra Report, the CTBT Text and Protocol, the NPT text and the 1925 Gas Protocol, the Nuremberg Principles and the MODEL Nuclear Weapons Convention can be found at: http://www.cornnet.nl/~akmalten/docs.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) Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 21:41:58 -0800 Date: 02 Nov 1999 22:48:19 -0700 - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) Hanford/Chernobyl: Poison from Rocky Flats Date: 03 Nov 1999 11:30:10 -0600 another very interesting precedent here, involving an intersection of anti-nuclear weapons and environmental concerns. Many years ago I worked on an anti-nuclear protest case at the Hanford Reservation, protesting the manufacture of nuclear warheads there. At that time, Hanford had the only nuclear reactor in America that was like Chernobyl, only this was before the disaster at Chernobyl. In any event, we were in State court because the protest took place in front of the entrance to the Hanford Reservation, but all the shots were being called by the federal government. We filed papers convincing the judge to allow us to put on a necessity defense with respect to international law, dealing with the use of the Chernobyl-type reactor to manufacture nuclear weapons. Our first witness was a scientist, who was going to testify about how many people in the immediate vicinity would die from cancer if there was an accident at Hanford--along the lines of what later happened at Chernobyl. The government objected to the witness. The judge overruled the objection, pursuant to his earlier ruling.After a brief break in the action, the government dropped all charges. Obviously, they had checked with the Feds. And obviously, the Feds had concluded that they did not want our expert to get on the stand, under oath, and explain to the people living near Hanford how many of them would die from cancer in the event of an accident at the Chernobyl-type reactor. Our people took a walk--into freedom. Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 10:41 AM jmike@bullatomsci.org; hightower@essential.org; abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com; abolition-caucus@igc.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org; tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org Thanks for the message back. Yes, the danger to human health and safety continues. It is interesting how different groups of people working on issues perceive those issues and actions. WE were vilified by the no-nukes crowd when we entered the issue from 1986 on, because they thought we diminished "their issue" because of our focus on environment, health impacts, and safety. It takes a lot of people working on all sides to successfully tackle a huge problem such as this. Thanks to people such as my sister Susan Hurst, Jim Stone, and other whistleblowers begging the FBI to investigate and go after Rocky Flats for environmental crimes, action was finally taken. Ironically, in 1991 Rockwell plead guilty in federal court to the Clean Water Act violations my sister took to the FBI in 1986. Pressure comes from all sides, and chips away at the big stone. Reading over 100 cubic feet of documents on environmental, unplanned events, UOR's, technical, and safety problems, has given us perspective we would at times rather not have, and it has been exhausting work. I appreciate seeing more details on your contribution to this effort. I would love to see YOUR briefs. Yours, Paula Elofson-Gardine Executive Director Environmental Information Network >From the Fallout Zone of Rocky Flats In a message dated 11/2/99 7:30:49 AM Mountain Standard Time, FBOYLE@LAW.UIUC.EDU writes: << Of course Rocky Flats continues today poisoning and polluting the ground, air, water and People living between Boulder and Denver, including my brother, his wife and their son, my nephew,Timothy Francis Boyle. But i still have a nice brief here that could be dusted off and updated if there are some protests on environmental grounds on the state road in front of Rocky Flats. Francis A. Boyle >> - 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: (abolition-usa) Y2K sign on letter Date: 03 Nov 1999 13:05:27 -0500 Please sign us on Peace Action Maine Scott Miller, Director PO Box 3842 Portland, ME 04104 207-772-0680 peaceactionme@ctel.net www.peaceactionme.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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) Hanford/Chernobyl: Poison from Rocky Flats Date: 03 Nov 1999 11:30:10 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' another very interesting precedent here, involving an intersection of anti-nuclear weapons and environmental concerns. Many years ago I worked on an anti-nuclear protest case at the Hanford Reservation, protesting the manufacture of nuclear warheads there. At that time, Hanford had the only nuclear reactor in America that was like Chernobyl, only this was before the disaster at Chernobyl. In any event, we were in State court because the protest took place in front of the entrance to the Hanford Reservation, but all the shots were being called by the federal government. We filed papers convincing the judge to allow us to put on a necessity defense with respect to international law, dealing with the use of the Chernobyl-type reactor to manufacture nuclear weapons. Our first witness was a scientist, who was going to testify about how many people in the immediate vicinity would die from cancer if there was an accident at Hanford--along the lines of what later happened at Chernobyl. The government objected to the witness. The judge overruled the objection, pursuant to his earlier ruling.After a brief break in the action, the government dropped all charges. Obviously, they had checked with the Feds. And obviously, the Feds had concluded that they did not want our expert to get on the stand, under oath, and explain to the people living near Hanford how many of them would die from cancer in the event of an accident at the Chernobyl-type reactor. Our people took a walk--into freedom. Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 10:41 AM jmike@bullatomsci.org; hightower@essential.org; abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com; abolition-caucus@igc.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org; tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org Thanks for the message back. Yes, the danger to human health and safety continues. It is interesting how different groups of people working on issues perceive those issues and actions. WE were vilified by the no-nukes crowd when we entered the issue from 1986 on, because they thought we diminished "their issue" because of our focus on environment, health impacts, and safety. It takes a lot of people working on all sides to successfully tackle a huge problem such as this. Thanks to people such as my sister Susan Hurst, Jim Stone, and other whistleblowers begging the FBI to investigate and go after Rocky Flats for environmental crimes, action was finally taken. Ironically, in 1991 Rockwell plead guilty in federal court to the Clean Water Act violations my sister took to the FBI in 1986. Pressure comes from all sides, and chips away at the big stone. Reading over 100 cubic feet of documents on environmental, unplanned events, UOR's, technical, and safety problems, has given us perspective we would at times rather not have, and it has been exhausting work. I appreciate seeing more details on your contribution to this effort. I would love to see YOUR briefs. Yours, Paula Elofson-Gardine Executive Director Environmental Information Network >From the Fallout Zone of Rocky Flats In a message dated 11/2/99 7:30:49 AM Mountain Standard Time, FBOYLE@LAW.UIUC.EDU writes: << Of course Rocky Flats continues today poisoning and polluting the ground, air, water and People living between Boulder and Denver, including my brother, his wife and their son, my nephew,Timothy Francis Boyle. But i still have a nice brief here that could be dusted off and updated if there are some protests on environmental grounds on the state road in front of Rocky Flats. Francis A. Boyle >> - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) Hanford/Chernobyl: Poison from Rocky Flats Date: 03 Nov 1999 11:30:10 -0600 another very interesting precedent here, involving an intersection of anti-nuclear weapons and environmental concerns. Many years ago I worked on an anti-nuclear protest case at the Hanford Reservation, protesting the manufacture of nuclear warheads there. At that time, Hanford had the only nuclear reactor in America that was like Chernobyl, only this was before the disaster at Chernobyl. In any event, we were in State court because the protest took place in front of the entrance to the Hanford Reservation, but all the shots were being called by the federal government. We filed papers convincing the judge to allow us to put on a necessity defense with respect to international law, dealing with the use of the Chernobyl-type reactor to manufacture nuclear weapons. Our first witness was a scientist, who was going to testify about how many people in the immediate vicinity would die from cancer if there was an accident at Hanford--along the lines of what later happened at Chernobyl. The government objected to the witness. The judge overruled the objection, pursuant to his earlier ruling.After a brief break in the action, the government dropped all charges. Obviously, they had checked with the Feds. And obviously, the Feds had concluded that they did not want our expert to get on the stand, under oath, and explain to the people living near Hanford how many of them would die from cancer in the event of an accident at the Chernobyl-type reactor. Our people took a walk--into freedom. Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 10:41 AM jmike@bullatomsci.org; hightower@essential.org; abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com; abolition-caucus@igc.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org; tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org Thanks for the message back. Yes, the danger to human health and safety continues. It is interesting how different groups of people working on issues perceive those issues and actions. WE were vilified by the no-nukes crowd when we entered the issue from 1986 on, because they thought we diminished "their issue" because of our focus on environment, health impacts, and safety. It takes a lot of people working on all sides to successfully tackle a huge problem such as this. Thanks to people such as my sister Susan Hurst, Jim Stone, and other whistleblowers begging the FBI to investigate and go after Rocky Flats for environmental crimes, action was finally taken. Ironically, in 1991 Rockwell plead guilty in federal court to the Clean Water Act violations my sister took to the FBI in 1986. Pressure comes from all sides, and chips away at the big stone. Reading over 100 cubic feet of documents on environmental, unplanned events, UOR's, technical, and safety problems, has given us perspective we would at times rather not have, and it has been exhausting work. I appreciate seeing more details on your contribution to this effort. I would love to see YOUR briefs. Yours, Paula Elofson-Gardine Executive Director Environmental Information Network >From the Fallout Zone of Rocky Flats In a message dated 11/2/99 7:30:49 AM Mountain Standard Time, FBOYLE@LAW.UIUC.EDU writes: << Of course Rocky Flats continues today poisoning and polluting the ground, air, water and People living between Boulder and Denver, including my brother, his wife and their son, my nephew,Timothy Francis Boyle. But i still have a nice brief here that could be dusted off and updated if there are some protests on environmental grounds on the state road in front of Rocky Flats. Francis A. Boyle >> - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) Hanford/Chernobyl: Poison from Rocky Flats Date: 03 Nov 1999 11:30:10 -0600 another very interesting precedent here, involving an intersection of anti-nuclear weapons and environmental concerns. Many years ago I worked on an anti-nuclear protest case at the Hanford Reservation, protesting the manufacture of nuclear warheads there. At that time, Hanford had the only nuclear reactor in America that was like Chernobyl, only this was before the disaster at Chernobyl. In any event, we were in State court because the protest took place in front of the entrance to the Hanford Reservation, but all the shots were being called by the federal government. We filed papers convincing the judge to allow us to put on a necessity defense with respect to international law, dealing with the use of the Chernobyl-type reactor to manufacture nuclear weapons. Our first witness was a scientist, who was going to testify about how many people in the immediate vicinity would die from cancer if there was an accident at Hanford--along the lines of what later happened at Chernobyl. The government objected to the witness. The judge overruled the objection, pursuant to his earlier ruling.After a brief break in the action, the government dropped all charges. Obviously, they had checked with the Feds. And obviously, the Feds had concluded that they did not want our expert to get on the stand, under oath, and explain to the people living near Hanford how many of them would die from cancer in the event of an accident at the Chernobyl-type reactor. Our people took a walk--into freedom. Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 10:41 AM jmike@bullatomsci.org; hightower@essential.org; abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com; abolition-caucus@igc.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org; tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org Thanks for the message back. Yes, the danger to human health and safety continues. It is interesting how different groups of people working on issues perceive those issues and actions. WE were vilified by the no-nukes crowd when we entered the issue from 1986 on, because they thought we diminished "their issue" because of our focus on environment, health impacts, and safety. It takes a lot of people working on all sides to successfully tackle a huge problem such as this. Thanks to people such as my sister Susan Hurst, Jim Stone, and other whistleblowers begging the FBI to investigate and go after Rocky Flats for environmental crimes, action was finally taken. Ironically, in 1991 Rockwell plead guilty in federal court to the Clean Water Act violations my sister took to the FBI in 1986. Pressure comes from all sides, and chips away at the big stone. Reading over 100 cubic feet of documents on environmental, unplanned events, UOR's, technical, and safety problems, has given us perspective we would at times rather not have, and it has been exhausting work. I appreciate seeing more details on your contribution to this effort. I would love to see YOUR briefs. Yours, Paula Elofson-Gardine Executive Director Environmental Information Network >From the Fallout Zone of Rocky Flats In a message dated 11/2/99 7:30:49 AM Mountain Standard Time, FBOYLE@LAW.UIUC.EDU writes: << Of course Rocky Flats continues today poisoning and polluting the ground, air, water and People living between Boulder and Denver, including my brother, his wife and their son, my nephew,Timothy Francis Boyle. But i still have a nice brief here that could be dusted off and updated if there are some protests on environmental grounds on the state road in front of Rocky Flats. Francis A. Boyle >> - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) Hanford/Chernobyl: Poison from Rocky Flats Date: 03 Nov 1999 11:30:10 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' another very interesting precedent here, involving an intersection of anti-nuclear weapons and environmental concerns. Many years ago I worked on an anti-nuclear protest case at the Hanford Reservation, protesting the manufacture of nuclear warheads there. At that time, Hanford had the only nuclear reactor in America that was like Chernobyl, only this was before the disaster at Chernobyl. In any event, we were in State court because the protest took place in front of the entrance to the Hanford Reservation, but all the shots were being called by the federal government. We filed papers convincing the judge to allow us to put on a necessity defense with respect to international law, dealing with the use of the Chernobyl-type reactor to manufacture nuclear weapons. Our first witness was a scientist, who was going to testify about how many people in the immediate vicinity would die from cancer if there was an accident at Hanford--along the lines of what later happened at Chernobyl. The government objected to the witness. The judge overruled the objection, pursuant to his earlier ruling.After a brief break in the action, the government dropped all charges. Obviously, they had checked with the Feds. And obviously, the Feds had concluded that they did not want our expert to get on the stand, under oath, and explain to the people living near Hanford how many of them would die from cancer in the event of an accident at the Chernobyl-type reactor. Our people took a walk--into freedom. Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 10:41 AM jmike@bullatomsci.org; hightower@essential.org; abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com; abolition-caucus@igc.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org; tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org Thanks for the message back. Yes, the danger to human health and safety continues. It is interesting how different groups of people working on issues perceive those issues and actions. WE were vilified by the no-nukes crowd when we entered the issue from 1986 on, because they thought we diminished "their issue" because of our focus on environment, health impacts, and safety. It takes a lot of people working on all sides to successfully tackle a huge problem such as this. Thanks to people such as my sister Susan Hurst, Jim Stone, and other whistleblowers begging the FBI to investigate and go after Rocky Flats for environmental crimes, action was finally taken. Ironically, in 1991 Rockwell plead guilty in federal court to the Clean Water Act violations my sister took to the FBI in 1986. Pressure comes from all sides, and chips away at the big stone. Reading over 100 cubic feet of documents on environmental, unplanned events, UOR's, technical, and safety problems, has given us perspective we would at times rather not have, and it has been exhausting work. I appreciate seeing more details on your contribution to this effort. I would love to see YOUR briefs. Yours, Paula Elofson-Gardine Executive Director Environmental Information Network >From the Fallout Zone of Rocky Flats In a message dated 11/2/99 7:30:49 AM Mountain Standard Time, FBOYLE@LAW.UIUC.EDU writes: << Of course Rocky Flats continues today poisoning and polluting the ground, air, water and People living between Boulder and Denver, including my brother, his wife and their son, my nephew,Timothy Francis Boyle. But i still have a nice brief here that could be dusted off and updated if there are some protests on environmental grounds on the state road in front of Rocky Flats. Francis A. Boyle >> - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) Hanford/Chernobyl: Poison from Rocky Flats Date: 03 Nov 1999 11:30:10 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' another very interesting precedent here, involving an intersection of anti-nuclear weapons and environmental concerns. Many years ago I worked on an anti-nuclear protest case at the Hanford Reservation, protesting the manufacture of nuclear warheads there. At that time, Hanford had the only nuclear reactor in America that was like Chernobyl, only this was before the disaster at Chernobyl. In any event, we were in State court because the protest took place in front of the entrance to the Hanford Reservation, but all the shots were being called by the federal government. We filed papers convincing the judge to allow us to put on a necessity defense with respect to international law, dealing with the use of the Chernobyl-type reactor to manufacture nuclear weapons. Our first witness was a scientist, who was going to testify about how many people in the immediate vicinity would die from cancer if there was an accident at Hanford--along the lines of what later happened at Chernobyl. The government objected to the witness. The judge overruled the objection, pursuant to his earlier ruling.After a brief break in the action, the government dropped all charges. Obviously, they had checked with the Feds. And obviously, the Feds had concluded that they did not want our expert to get on the stand, under oath, and explain to the people living near Hanford how many of them would die from cancer in the event of an accident at the Chernobyl-type reactor. Our people took a walk--into freedom. Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 10:41 AM jmike@bullatomsci.org; hightower@essential.org; abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com; abolition-caucus@igc.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org; tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org Thanks for the message back. Yes, the danger to human health and safety continues. It is interesting how different groups of people working on issues perceive those issues and actions. WE were vilified by the no-nukes crowd when we entered the issue from 1986 on, because they thought we diminished "their issue" because of our focus on environment, health impacts, and safety. It takes a lot of people working on all sides to successfully tackle a huge problem such as this. Thanks to people such as my sister Susan Hurst, Jim Stone, and other whistleblowers begging the FBI to investigate and go after Rocky Flats for environmental crimes, action was finally taken. Ironically, in 1991 Rockwell plead guilty in federal court to the Clean Water Act violations my sister took to the FBI in 1986. Pressure comes from all sides, and chips away at the big stone. Reading over 100 cubic feet of documents on environmental, unplanned events, UOR's, technical, and safety problems, has given us perspective we would at times rather not have, and it has been exhausting work. I appreciate seeing more details on your contribution to this effort. I would love to see YOUR briefs. Yours, Paula Elofson-Gardine Executive Director Environmental Information Network >From the Fallout Zone of Rocky Flats In a message dated 11/2/99 7:30:49 AM Mountain Standard Time, FBOYLE@LAW.UIUC.EDU writes: << Of course Rocky Flats continues today poisoning and polluting the ground, air, water and People living between Boulder and Denver, including my brother, his wife and their son, my nephew,Timothy Francis Boyle. But i still have a nice brief here that could be dusted off and updated if there are some protests on environmental grounds on the state road in front of Rocky Flats. Francis A. Boyle >> - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) Hanford/Chernobyl: Poison from Rocky Flats Date: 03 Nov 1999 11:30:10 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' another very interesting precedent here, involving an intersection of anti-nuclear weapons and environmental concerns. Many years ago I worked on an anti-nuclear protest case at the Hanford Reservation, protesting the manufacture of nuclear warheads there. At that time, Hanford had the only nuclear reactor in America that was like Chernobyl, only this was before the disaster at Chernobyl. In any event, we were in State court because the protest took place in front of the entrance to the Hanford Reservation, but all the shots were being called by the federal government. We filed papers convincing the judge to allow us to put on a necessity defense with respect to international law, dealing with the use of the Chernobyl-type reactor to manufacture nuclear weapons. Our first witness was a scientist, who was going to testify about how many people in the immediate vicinity would die from cancer if there was an accident at Hanford--along the lines of what later happened at Chernobyl. The government objected to the witness. The judge overruled the objection, pursuant to his earlier ruling.After a brief break in the action, the government dropped all charges. Obviously, they had checked with the Feds. And obviously, the Feds had concluded that they did not want our expert to get on the stand, under oath, and explain to the people living near Hanford how many of them would die from cancer in the event of an accident at the Chernobyl-type reactor. Our people took a walk--into freedom. Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 10:41 AM jmike@bullatomsci.org; hightower@essential.org; abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com; abolition-caucus@igc.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org; tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org Thanks for the message back. Yes, the danger to human health and safety continues. It is interesting how different groups of people working on issues perceive those issues and actions. WE were vilified by the no-nukes crowd when we entered the issue from 1986 on, because they thought we diminished "their issue" because of our focus on environment, health impacts, and safety. It takes a lot of people working on all sides to successfully tackle a huge problem such as this. Thanks to people such as my sister Susan Hurst, Jim Stone, and other whistleblowers begging the FBI to investigate and go after Rocky Flats for environmental crimes, action was finally taken. Ironically, in 1991 Rockwell plead guilty in federal court to the Clean Water Act violations my sister took to the FBI in 1986. Pressure comes from all sides, and chips away at the big stone. Reading over 100 cubic feet of documents on environmental, unplanned events, UOR's, technical, and safety problems, has given us perspective we would at times rather not have, and it has been exhausting work. I appreciate seeing more details on your contribution to this effort. I would love to see YOUR briefs. Yours, Paula Elofson-Gardine Executive Director Environmental Information Network >From the Fallout Zone of Rocky Flats In a message dated 11/2/99 7:30:49 AM Mountain Standard Time, FBOYLE@LAW.UIUC.EDU writes: << Of course Rocky Flats continues today poisoning and polluting the ground, air, water and People living between Boulder and Denver, including my brother, his wife and their son, my nephew,Timothy Francis Boyle. But i still have a nice brief here that could be dusted off and updated if there are some protests on environmental grounds on the state road in front of Rocky Flats. Francis A. Boyle >> - 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: Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space Subject: (abolition-usa) U.S. News: Wars in Space (fwd) Date: 03 Nov 1999 17:31:52 -0500 (EST) Bruce K. Gagnon Coordinator Global Network PO Box 90083, Gainesville, Fl 32607 Web site: http://www.globenet.free-online.co.uk/ (352) 337-9274 =20 Cover Story 11/8/99 U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT=20 THE NEW SPACE RACE The Pentagon envisions a war in the heavens, but can it defend the ultima= te=20 high ground? BY RICHARD J. NEWMAN=20 The war was not going well. Serbian forces were sowing terror across Koso= vo.=20 NATO pilots squinting through clouds could do little to stop them. Errant= =20 NATO bombs had killed dozens of civilians and shaken support for the=20 alliance. Then the Pentagon saw it had another problem. A Colorado outfit= =20 called Space Imaging was about to launch a picture-tak- ing satellite wit= h=20 clarity nearly as good as that of U.S. spy satellites. The company could = have=20 sold photos of NATO air bases or troop encampments to, say, Serbian=20 operatives. That had to be stopped. But how?=20 The brass canvassed its experts for recommendations. The U.S.-licensed fi= rm=20 could simply be ordered not to take pictures over a broad swath of Europe= . A=20 similar ban could be issued for a few key areas, such as northern Albania= . In=20 the end, however, no order was issued. "We got lucky," says a U.S. offici= al:=20 A malfunction sent Space Imaging's satellite plunging in- to the Pacific=20 Ocean 30 min-utes after it lifted off on April 27.=20 Fortune may not be so kind next time. Space Imaging launched another=20 satellite in September and plans to start selling pictures from it in=20 January. Several other companies are right behind it. Before too long, an= =20 international bazaar for high-quality satellite imagery will be open for=20 business. And potential foes are making headway with their own satellite=20 capabilities. "There's a new proliferation [of space-based capabilities],= "=20 says Gen. Richard Myers, head of the Pentagon's U.S. Space Command in=20 Colorado Springs, Colo. "Plus, our Cold War-era capabilities have atrophi= ed." That's pushing the Pentagon into a whole new kind of warfare. In the futu= re,=20 the U.S. military will be responsible for "countering . . . space systems= and=20 services used for hostile purposes," says a Pentagon space policy paper=20 published in July. That's a nice way of saying the Pentagon needs to be=20 prepared to defend the ultimate high ground by attacking hostile satellit= es.=20 The new policy also directs the Space Command to start developing tactics= and=20 doctrine for conducting warfare in the heavens. It must also come up with= =20 plans for deploying space-based lasers or other weapons that could be use= d=20 against targets anywhere on Earth or above it. If the United States=20 ultimately deploys such weaponry, not only would it break one of the grea= t=20 taboos of the past 40 years, but it could also transform the way America=20 structures its military and fights wars.=20 But aggressive "space control," as the military calls its quest for domin= ance=20 in the sky, could backfire. "The military view is, it would be the neates= t=20 thing in the world to have a death ray in space," says one Space Command=20 official. "But will deploying it lead to a war with somebody?" Very possibly, some critics say. Virginia Democrat Charles Robb, a member= of=20 the Senate Armed Services Committee, argued in a recent article that=20 developing space weapons would be "a mistake of historic proportions" tha= t=20 would trigger an arms race in space. He foresees scenarios in which other= =20 nations follow the U.S. example and scramble to launch their own space=20 weapons while frantic generals, unable to tell exactly who has put what i= nto=20 orbit, plead for extravagant countermeasures. In Pentagon war games, just= =20 trying to defend U.S. satellites causes problems. "If you defend the=20 satellite, you often widen the war," says Sam Gardiner, a retired Air For= ce=20 colonel and war-gaming expert. "The thing ends up being the problem and n= ot=20 the solution." Tempting targets. Still, the Pentagon may have no choice but to fight in=20 space. Some military analysts believe that with U.S. companies likely to=20 invest $500 billion in space by 2010, the military will be called upon to= =20 defend American interests in space much as navies were formed to protect = sea=20 commerce in the 1700s. "U.S. interests and investments in space must be f= ully=20 protected to ensure our nation's freedom of action in space," reads Space= =20 Command's Long Range Plan. And intelligence reports show that attacking U= .S.=20 space systems may be an irresistible option for potential foes who could=20 never match the United States tank for tank or jet for jet. That's partly= =20 because of the Pentagon's huge dependence on space during military=20 operations. During the war against Serbia, the Pentagon's global-position= ing=20 constellation was essential for guiding precision bombs to their targets = in=20 bad weather. Spy satellites monitored Serbian troop movements and interce= pted=20 conversations among top Serbian officials. A system of satellites designe= d to=20 pick up missile launches tracked the exact impact point of thousands of N= ATO=20 bombs, helping to determine whether they fell where they were supposed to. The overmatched Serbs had little recourse against U.S. space systems. But= the=20 Pentagon expects tougher challenges down the road. A classified 1997 stud= y=20 found that the military's nearly total dependence on space today, combine= d=20 with new threats, should make protecting satellites a much higher priorit= y=20 than during the Cold War. Last winter=96shortly before the Kosovo war=96t= he Space=20 Command stopped publishing information on the whereabouts of the 27=20 satellites that make up the Global-Positioning System (GPS), which up til= l=20 then had been posted on a NASA Internet site. "It is incumbent on us," sa= id a=20 memo explaining the decision, "to ensure [that] space assets essential to= our=20 nation's defense are protected from potential adversaries." One problem is that many U.S. satellites lack basic self-defense measures= =20 like those that are integral to warplanes. Except for some highly classif= ied=20 spy systems, most satellites can't tell if they are tracked or targeted b= y=20 ground radar, illuminated by a laser beam, or even attacked outright. The= Air=20 Force is developing some technologies that would identify threats and dev= elop=20 targeting data. But such self-defense options add extra weight, which can= =20 make launch costs prohibitively high.=20 Until recently, there was little apparent need to defend satellites. The=20 Soviet Union developed antisatellite weapons as early as the 1970s, but "= an=20 attack on satellites was like an act of nuclear war," says Allen Thomson,= a=20 retired CIA analyst who tracks space issues. "The government felt nobody=20 would do this." Not anymore. A 1998 Pentagon report says China may already have lasers or= =20 other devices that can blind the optical sensors on U.S. spy satellites.=20 India is trying to buy antisatellite lasers from Russia, according to a s= tudy=20 by the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, a think tank in Cambridge,=20 Mass. New ballistic missiles being developed by Iran and North Korea are = also=20 a threat. Using those to disperse something as simple as buckshot into lo= w=20 Earth orbit=96which ranges up to about 1,500 miles above Earth, where=20 reconnaissance satellites operate=96could create a series of space pileup= s,=20 since even small objects can produce disastrous collisions at orbital spe= eds=20 of 17,000 miles per hour. Space watchers even worry that a maverick dicta= tor=20 might strap a crude nuclear device to a rocket and explode it in space. S= uch=20 a blast would be harmless to people on Earth, but the Pentagon estimates = that=20 at the proper altitude the radiation could fry every satellite in low Ear= th=20 orbit.=20 And an enemy wouldn't have to actually go to space to kill a satellite.=20 Computer hackers could interrupt signals sent between satellites and thei= r=20 ground operators. Commandos could attack ground stations that serve as=20 control centers or relay points for data, some of which aren't even manne= d.=20 Security is even lower at operations centers for private satellite compan= ies=20 such as Iridium, which the Pentagon plans to use increasingly for much of= its=20 communications. "You could take out the whole Iridium constellation by ta= king=20 down one building," an expert says. Already, there's a sort of spy-versus-spy game going on in the skies. The= =20 Pentagon calls this "navigation warfare"=96or NavWar. The Pentagon plans = to=20 install GPS guidance kits on nearly 90,000 gravity bombs by 2008. The=20 technology is critical for maneuvering ships or troops in unfamiliar terr= ain.=20 American forces would be vulnerable without it. "Wiping out our GPS syste= m,=20 that would be a critical advantage [for an enemy]," says a defense offici= al.=20 "We'd come crashing down, while they'd be about the same." Potential foes have noticed. The Pentagon believes the Chinese may be abl= e to=20 completely interdict the GPS signal within 10 years. A Russian company ha= s=20 developed handheld GPS jammers with an advertised range of about 150 mile= s.=20 At one Moscow arms show, according to intelligence officials, the Russian= =20 firm displayed a map of Iraq that showed how many jammers it would take t= o=20 block the GPS signal throughout the country=96and, theoretically, confoun= d U.S.=20 weapons. The Pentagon is working on ways to strengthen the GPS signal=96o= r at=20 least the part of it the U.S. military uses. That would force an enemy to= =20 field bigger jammers that would be easier to target and destroy.=20 Scud sharpshooters. Pentagon researchers are also puzzling over how to=20 prevent an enemy from using GPS to make its own weapons more accurate=96w= hile=20 still providing the signal to U.S. forces likely to be fighting them righ= t=20 across the front lines. Since GPS travels like radio waves, it is availab= le=20 to anybody with a receiver. That means countries such as North Korea, Ira= q,=20 and Iran could strap cheap GPS guidance kits onto clumsy weapons like Scu= d=20 missiles and suddenly be able to deliver them to within 50 or 100 feet of= a=20 target. "Precision [weapons] in the hands of others is going to drive us=20 crazy," predicts retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Bill Jones. Classified NavWa= r=20 tactics being developed include "spoofing" the GPS signal by sending out = a=20 corrupted version that appears to be the real thing, or blocking the GPS=20 signal over a limited area, perhaps by using jammers loaded onto unmanned= =20 aircraft.=20 Even American spy satellites=96for years the crown jewels of the U.S.=20 intelligence system=96are becoming less effective as the rest of the worl= d=20 becomes more space-savvy. Technologically, U.S. capabilities remain the=20 world's best. Reconnaissance satellites 500 miles high are thought to be = able=20 to distinguish objects on the ground as small as 6 inches wide. Others us= e=20 radar to take pictures through clouds and camouflage. But some newcomers = are=20 beginning to match U.S. capabilities. The Canadian Space Agency plans to=20 launch a radar satellite in 2001 that will be nearly as capable as the=20 Pentagon's Lacrosse spy satellite. And those under surveillance have lear= ned=20 how to evade the American eye in the sky by studying U.S. tactics and=20 developing ways to track the satellites. When Indian officials were getti= ng=20 ready to explode a nuclear bomb last year, for instance, they predicted w= hen=20 U.S. satellites would be passing overhead and moved workers indoors durin= g=20 those times. They also created a diversion by setting up a test of an=20 air-defense missile system several hundred miles away=96guessing correctl= y that=20 U.S. analysts would cue the satellites to zoom in on that. When the nucle= ar=20 test occurred, critics called it the biggest intelligence failure in year= s.=20 Intelligence officials say part of the problem is that the spy satellites= in=20 orbit now were designed to take periodic peeks at Soviet military=20 installations=96not to offer unblinking surveillance capability over far=20 corners of the globe where the United States typically finds itself=20 monitoring crises these days. The next generation of sky spies, due to be= =20 launched around 2005, will be smaller and more numerous. Instead of the f= ive=20 or six spy satellites believed to be in orbit now, there could be two doz= en=20 or more. That will increase "revisit times" over a given area, leaving fe= wer=20 gaps for conducting surreptitious activity. Thomson, the retired CIA anal= yst,=20 points to some satellites that have mysteriously disappeared over the pas= t=20 decade as evidence that the United States has developed stealthy satellit= es=20 and techniques for "storing" satellites in deep orbits where they are har= d to=20 detect, then maneuvering them close to Earth as needed. But with India, China, Russia, and many private companies rapidly crowdin= g=20 into space, keeping the U.S. edge will require more than technological=20 superiority. That's why the Pentagon is tiptoeing down the path toward sp= ace=20 warfare. In a report prepared for Congress this summer, the Pentagon gave= a=20 few clues about what it has in mind. "Physical destruction of [enemy]=20 satellites is not the preferred approach," says the report. That's not=20 because the Pentagon can't do it; when the Army test-fired a laser at an=20 aging Air Force satellite in 1997, it inflicted significant damage. But=20 blowing up a satellite would unleash debris that could damage U.S. space=20 systems. The Pentagon report stated that "we must retain the option for=20 irreversible denial"=96military jargon for smashing something to smithere= ens.=20 But it also emphasized tactics like jamming and disrupting satellite sign= als=20 as the best ways to carry out space control.=20 That's what's known as "soft kill." The approach has proved more effectiv= e=20 than blowing stuff up. During the first weeks of the war against Serbia, = NATO=20 commanders became increasingly concerned about propaganda being broadcast= on=20 Yugoslav television. Finally, on April 23, NATO bombed Yugoslavia's main = TV=20 transmitting tower. But the Serbs made repairs and were broadcasting agai= n=20 within days. Then NATO tried another approach: It asked EUTELSAT, a Europ= ean=20 space consortium, to shut off the satellite service that sent the TV sign= al=20 throughout Yugoslavia. That did the trick.=20 A real space standoff might not be so easy to resolve. The Army set up a = war=20 game last year, for instance, in which the United States fought a fictiti= ous=20 Middle Eastern country called the "New Islamic Republic." In the exercise= ,=20 China provided satellite imagery of U.S. troop movements to the enemy. Th= at=20 left U.S. decision makers debating whether to try to knock out China's=20 satellites=96almost certain to draw China into the war. Another complicat= ion=20 was that the New Islamic Republic sent military communications over the s= ame=20 international satellites used by journalists to send their war stories ba= ck=20 home. Deciding whether to attack those satellites, said Richard Armitage,= a=20 former top Pentagon official who played the role of commander in chief, w= as a=20 matter of "how much of the world we want to piss off." In the end, he dec= ided=20 not that much. The best course, Armitage concluded, was to do nothing. "Energy rods." As touchy as talk of space warfare may be, some still thin= k=20 the Pentagon isn't going far enough. A recent Senate report argued that=20 instead of treating space merely as an "information medium," the Defense=20 Department needs to start focusing on space as "the strategic high ground= =20 from which to project power." That means developing lasers or "kinetic en= ergy=20 rods" or other weapons that could be used to attack enemy spacecraft or=20 missiles or even ground targets like bridges and buildings. The Pentagon = has=20 looked into the idea=96and the possibilities sound mesmerizing. A space-b= ased=20 military force "could deliver precisely calibrated effects, from taking a= =20 picture to dropping a precision munition, anywhere on Earth, in less than= an=20 hour from the 'go' order, with surprise and immunity to most defenses,"=20 according to a 1998 study by the Air Force's scientific advisory board. I= n=20 one war game last year, the Air Force tested three types of forces=96one = armed=20 mainly with space weapons and two more conventionally equipped=96against = the=20 same "enemy." The space force won the war in days, while the other outfit= s=20 took months and required three times as many troops. The Pentagon does have at least one space-based weapon in the works=96the= =20 space-based laser, which could be carried on a space-shuttlelike vehicle.= The=20 laser's purpose would be to shoot down ballistic missiles like the Scud=96= but=20 space experts say it could easily be reconfigured to attack other objects= in=20 space or on the ground. The space-based laser isn't due until at least 20= 20,=20 however, and the Pentagon does not appear eager to court the controversy = that=20 would come from anything more ambitious. The Russians, for one, have alre= ady=20 objected to U.S. plans to field a national missile defense system. That w= ould=20 rely on satellites only to detect launches and relay data rapidly to grou= nd=20 stations=96not to fire any weapons. But the Russians argue that detection= alone=20 would violate the 1972 antiballistic missile treaty. The Clinton=20 administration is seeking to modify the treaty and may withdraw from it i= f=20 the Russians don't agree to a compromise. Doves aloft? But some still say the Pentagon is, of all things, going sof= t on=20 space. Sen. Bob Smith of New Hampshire, who chairs the Senate subcommitte= e on=20 strategic forces, has threatened congressional action to establish a fift= h=20 military service=96a Space Force=96if the Air Force, which has responsibi= lity for=20 most of the Pentagon's orbiting systems, doesn't pursue space weapons mor= e=20 aggressively. Some critics argue that costly programs like the $60 billio= n=20 F-22 fighter jet are soaking up funds that could be spent more wisely on=20 cutting-edge space programs, such as a proposed constellation to do full-= time=20 surveillance of key parts of the globe. Retired Gen. Howell Estes, who he= aded=20 the Space Command until 1998, has argued that the Air Force should be muc= h=20 more aggressive in pursuing new satellites that would monitor missile=20 launches far better than existing systems.=20 But the prospect of a space force puzzles some analysts. "What would it b= e?"=20 wonders John Correll, editor of Air Force Magazine. "A kind of paramilita= ry=20 NASA?" Air Force Secretary F. Whitten Peters defends the Air Force's spac= e=20 programs by pointing out that the service will double the proportion of m= oney=20 it spends on space over the next five years. And new satellites for detec= ting=20 missile launches, he argues, have little value if there's no missile defe= nse=20 system for shooting them down. "Why do you want to put up a satellite bef= ore=20 you need it?" he asks. Better computers, says Peters, are helping enhance= the=20 capabilities of existing satellites.=20 But after years of theoretical debate, many now believe it is inevitable = that=20 weapons will invade space. "It's a question of whether the threat is so=20 compelling as to persuade a president to cross this line and put weapons = in=20 space," says Robert Bell, President Clinton's former special assistant fo= r=20 arms control. In the end, it may take a Pearl Harbor-like attack on a=20 satellite to justify such a momentous move. But if that day arrives, the=20 Pentagon may pull a few surprises of its own off the shelf.=20 =20 =20 =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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) RE: Hanford/Chernobyl: Poison from Rocky Flats Date: 03 Nov 1999 16:38:01 -0600 all i can say is that the feds will do the best they can to keep any of this information from every coming out in any legal proceedings anywhere--like at Rocky Flats. fab -----Original Message----- Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 3:44 PM Cc: y2k-nuclear@egroups.com; nukenet@envirolink.org; abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com; abolition-europe@vlberlin.comlink.de On 11/03/99 11:30:10 you wrote: > Francis, Is there any way of legally compelling Federal and/or State authorities to publicly tell communities, cities, states, & regions how many people would be killed [not die] via cancer and other radiation induced diseases? Also, how much economic damage could be expected? If so, do you think that it can be made compulsory that such informational dissemenation be made on a regular [annual?] basis and that it be forced to be taught in schools? I'm also very concerned about the potential for saboatge at nuclear power plants. Can this danger be used legally to insure that people have the right know what dangers they would face in light of saboatge and what threats and close calls we've already had from would be saboteurs? A listing of some of these very real sabotage threats is at: http://www.pipeline.com/~happen/threat.html Please see http://www.geocities.com/mothersalert/crac.html and http://www.tmia.com/y2k.htm -Bill Smirnow >another very interesting precedent here, involving an intersection of >anti-nuclear weapons and environmental concerns. Many years ago I worked on >an anti-nuclear protest case at the Hanford Reservation, protesting the >manufacture of nuclear warheads there. At that time, Hanford had the only >nuclear reactor in America that was like Chernobyl, only this was before the >disaster at Chernobyl. In any event, we were in State court because the >protest took place in front of the entrance to the Hanford Reservation, but >all the shots were being called by the federal government. We filed papers >convincing the judge to allow us to put on a necessity defense with respect >to international law, dealing with the use of the Chernobyl-type reactor to >manufacture nuclear weapons. Our first witness was a scientist, who was >going to testify about how many people in the immediate vicinity would die >from cancer if there was an accident at Hanford--along the lines of what >later happened at Chernobyl. The government objected to the witness. The >judge overruled the objection, pursuant to his earlier ruling.After a brief >break in the action, the government dropped all charges. Obviously, they had >checked with the Feds. And obviously, the Feds had concluded that they did >not want our expert to get on the stand, under oath, and explain to the >people living near Hanford how many of them would die from cancer in the >event of an accident at the Chernobyl-type reactor. Our people took a >walk--into freedom. >Francis A. Boyle >Professor of International Law > > - 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 stuff! Tri-Valley CAREs! On our website! Date: 03 Nov 1999 20:56:27 -0800 (PST) Greetings peace and environmental advocates. Tri-Valley CAREs now has the October issue of its newsletter, Citizen's Watch, ready for your viewing pleasure on its website at . You will find such stories as: * "Criticality Accident in Japan Revives Memories at Livermore." Read all about the 1963 criticality accident at Livermore Lab, including one worker's first-hand account of the shocking "cleanup operation" that followed the accident. * "The National Ignition Facility: Over Budget and Under Fire." Get the latest scoop on this beleaguered nuclear weapons facility, including the advent of a GAO investigation into cost overruns, technical difficulties, schedule slips and mismanagement. Read, too, about Livermore Lab's "fall-back" proposal. * "Print Bites" Don't miss these short items on subcritical nuclear testing, DOE reorganization, radioactive metal recycling and plutonium in Livermore. * Late-breaking news items, calendar section, opportunities to get involved with Tri-Valley CAREs and more! * Also, take our pop quiz on nukes, pollution and Livermore Lab, then click on for answers. * Look through back issues of our newsletter. * Check out our action alerts, fact sheets etc. * And, while you are there, download artwork and text to make your very own nuclear weapons de-alerting postcards. Enjoy! Peace, Marylia 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! (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: "Peter Coombes" Subject: (abolition-usa) Forum: The Global War System & the WTO Date: 03 Nov 1999 20:55:32 -0800 Forum: The World Trade organization and the Global War System Sunday, November 28th 1999 The growing power of the World Trade Organization and corporate globalization means that the economic interests of transnational corporations are protected by the technological advanced militaries of their Western allies. And this means that occasionally, 'cruise missile diplomacy" is used against non-conforming nations - i.e. Iraq and Yugoslavia. Learn more about the relationship between economic globalization and militarism. WTO and Economic Globalization * Susan George - Transnational Institution * David Korten - Positive Futures Network The Military-Corporate Complex * Steven Staples - International network on Disarmament and Globalization Nuclear Weapons and their Abolition * Alice Slater - Abolition 2000 / GRACE Plymouth Congregational Church 1212 6th Avenue (at University Street) Seattle WA 2:30 pm - 5:00 pm For more information: (206) 547-0952 Email: sstaples@randomlink.com Peter Coombes End the Arms Race 405 - 825 Granville Street Vancouver BC V6Z 1K9 (604) 687-3223 fax 687-3277 info@peacewire.org http://www.peacewire.org pcoombes@peacewire.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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) FOR MOTHER EARTH!: FME New address, phone and fax numbers Date: 04 Nov 1999 08:45:38 -0600 "Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley." Dear Anti-Nuclear Colleagues: What Pol does not point out is that the sick and demented people running the Nevada Nuclear Test Site actually blew off a bomb while Pol and Mother Earth were standing above the Site. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time that such a crime had actually been deliberately inflicted on human beings. The usual practice was that when people entered the test site, they would postpone the blast until the people had been removed, then prosecute them in the local courts. Over the years we had fought them to a standstill in the Nye county court system so that there were no further prosecutions there. But for some reason, in the case of Mother Earth (perhaps because it was known they were not US citizens) they departed from prior practice and deliberately blew the bomb off under them. Given the fact that all such explosions vent nuclear particles, undoubtedly Pol and Mother Earth were deliberately subjected to nuclear contamination and poisoning--a Nuremberg Crime against Humanity:"...and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war..." Then the United States government had the audacity to prosecute Mother Earth for trespass onto the test site. There are large numbers of courageous anti-nuclear resisters who have emerged during the past 20 years since the first Plowshares Action. Pol and Mother Earth stand right there at the top of the list. My congratulations to them on taking this "American experience" back home, putting it to good use, establishing this organization, and continuing the struggle. Best wishes on the new office. Live long and prosper! Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 5:57 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Dear friends, Please make some changes in your database as we have moved to our new office!! Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium and the new phone numbers of the For Mother Earth office in Gent For Mother Earth International Phone +32-9-242 87 52 Fax +32-9-242 87 51 Also new is the For Mother Earth info-shop and organic restaurant which can be reached in the same address and fax. Note however the seperate phonenumber !! Sogo Bia Oyon'd (Mother Earth) Phone +32-9-242 87 50 Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley. Our E-mail accounts go unchanged. We hope to meet many of you in our new ecological home which is right across the square of the main railway station of Gent. And please note that my personal adress and phone goes unchanged. Lange Steenstraat 16-d, 9000 Gent Phone +32-9-233 84 39 Mobile +32-495-28 02 59 The numbers +32-9-233 49 24 and +32-9-223 31 02 to reach amongst others Katri, Krista, Hanna, ... are now out of use. Thank you for making the necessary changes, Pol D'Huyvetter NEW ADDRESS, PHONE AND FAX !! *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth International office * *************************************************************** * Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium * * Phone +32-9-242 87 52 * Fax +32-9-242 87 51 * * Mobile +32-95-28 02 59 * * E-mail: international@motherearth.org * *************************************************************** * WWW: http://www.motherearth.org/ * *************************************************************** * Postal account : 000-1618561-19 * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth is member of Abolition 2000 - the global * *network to eliminate nuclear weapons, the International Peace* * Bureau (IPB), World Information Service on Energy (WISE), * * International Netwerk on Sustainable Energy and Eurosolar * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth has offices in Belgium, Bulgaria, * * Romania, Slovakia, Sri Lanka and USA, aswell as * * contacts/groups in Belarus, France, * * Finland, Germany and Netherlands * *************************************************************** WHEN SPIDERS UNITE, THEY CAN TIE DOWN A LION -Ethiopian Proverb - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) FOR MOTHER EARTH!: FME New address, phone and fax numbers Date: 04 Nov 1999 08:45:38 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' "Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley." Dear Anti-Nuclear Colleagues: What Pol does not point out is that the sick and demented people running the Nevada Nuclear Test Site actually blew off a bomb while Pol and Mother Earth were standing above the Site. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time that such a crime had actually been deliberately inflicted on human beings. The usual practice was that when people entered the test site, they would postpone the blast until the people had been removed, then prosecute them in the local courts. Over the years we had fought them to a standstill in the Nye county court system so that there were no further prosecutions there. But for some reason, in the case of Mother Earth (perhaps because it was known they were not US citizens) they departed from prior practice and deliberately blew the bomb off under them. Given the fact that all such explosions vent nuclear particles, undoubtedly Pol and Mother Earth were deliberately subjected to nuclear contamination and poisoning--a Nuremberg Crime against Humanity:"...and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war..." Then the United States government had the audacity to prosecute Mother Earth for trespass onto the test site. There are large numbers of courageous anti-nuclear resisters who have emerged during the past 20 years since the first Plowshares Action. Pol and Mother Earth stand right there at the top of the list. My congratulations to them on taking this "American experience" back home, putting it to good use, establishing this organization, and continuing the struggle. Best wishes on the new office. Live long and prosper! Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 5:57 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Dear friends, Please make some changes in your database as we have moved to our new office!! Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium and the new phone numbers of the For Mother Earth office in Gent For Mother Earth International Phone +32-9-242 87 52 Fax +32-9-242 87 51 Also new is the For Mother Earth info-shop and organic restaurant which can be reached in the same address and fax. Note however the seperate phonenumber !! Sogo Bia Oyon'd (Mother Earth) Phone +32-9-242 87 50 Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley. Our E-mail accounts go unchanged. We hope to meet many of you in our new ecological home which is right across the square of the main railway station of Gent. And please note that my personal adress and phone goes unchanged. Lange Steenstraat 16-d, 9000 Gent Phone +32-9-233 84 39 Mobile +32-495-28 02 59 The numbers +32-9-233 49 24 and +32-9-223 31 02 to reach amongst others Katri, Krista, Hanna, ... are now out of use. Thank you for making the necessary changes, Pol D'Huyvetter NEW ADDRESS, PHONE AND FAX !! *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth International office * *************************************************************** * Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium * * Phone +32-9-242 87 52 * Fax +32-9-242 87 51 * * Mobile +32-95-28 02 59 * * E-mail: international@motherearth.org * *************************************************************** * WWW: http://www.motherearth.org/ * *************************************************************** * Postal account : 000-1618561-19 * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth is member of Abolition 2000 - the global * *network to eliminate nuclear weapons, the International Peace* * Bureau (IPB), World Information Service on Energy (WISE), * * International Netwerk on Sustainable Energy and Eurosolar * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth has offices in Belgium, Bulgaria, * * Romania, Slovakia, Sri Lanka and USA, aswell as * * contacts/groups in Belarus, France, * * Finland, Germany and Netherlands * *************************************************************** WHEN SPIDERS UNITE, THEY CAN TIE DOWN A LION -Ethiopian Proverb - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) PS: FOR MOTHER EARTH!: FME New address, phone and fax numbers Date: 04 Nov 1999 10:09:55 -0600 There is one other important point of clarification to keep in mind: The Shoshone People maintain that they still have legal title to the Nevada Test Site, which was illegally stolen from them by the United States government in violation of the Treaty of Ruby Valley. As the valid title holders, they have given permission to groups of individuals to enter upon the Nevada Test Site in order to protest nuclear bomb explosions. So far, we have been unsuccessful in making these points in court, though we have tried. fab. -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 8:46 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org; 'NUKENET@envirolink.org'; 'abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com' "Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley." Dear Anti-Nuclear Colleagues: What Pol does not point out is that the sick and demented people running the Nevada Nuclear Test Site actually blew off a bomb while Pol and Mother Earth were standing above the Site. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time that such a crime had actually been deliberately inflicted on human beings. The usual practice was that when people entered the test site, they would postpone the blast until the people had been removed, then prosecute them in the local courts. Over the years we had fought them to a standstill in the Nye county court system so that there were no further prosecutions there. But for some reason, in the case of Mother Earth (perhaps because it was known they were not US citizens) they departed from prior practice and deliberately blew the bomb off under them. Given the fact that all such explosions vent nuclear particles, undoubtedly Pol and Mother Earth were deliberately subjected to nuclear contamination and poisoning--a Nuremberg Crime against Humanity:"...and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war..." Then the United States government had the audacity to prosecute Mother Earth for trespass onto the test site. There are large numbers of courageous anti-nuclear resisters who have emerged during the past 20 years since the first Plowshares Action. Pol and Mother Earth stand right there at the top of the list. My congratulations to them on taking this "American experience" back home, putting it to good use, establishing this organization, and continuing the struggle. Best wishes on the new office. Live long and prosper! Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 5:57 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Dear friends, Please make some changes in your database as we have moved to our new office!! Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium and the new phone numbers of the For Mother Earth office in Gent For Mother Earth International Phone +32-9-242 87 52 Fax +32-9-242 87 51 Also new is the For Mother Earth info-shop and organic restaurant which can be reached in the same address and fax. Note however the seperate phonenumber !! Sogo Bia Oyon'd (Mother Earth) Phone +32-9-242 87 50 Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley. Our E-mail accounts go unchanged. We hope to meet many of you in our new ecological home which is right across the square of the main railway station of Gent. And please note that my personal adress and phone goes unchanged. Lange Steenstraat 16-d, 9000 Gent Phone +32-9-233 84 39 Mobile +32-495-28 02 59 The numbers +32-9-233 49 24 and +32-9-223 31 02 to reach amongst others Katri, Krista, Hanna, ... are now out of use. Thank you for making the necessary changes, Pol D'Huyvetter NEW ADDRESS, PHONE AND FAX !! *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth International office * *************************************************************** * Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium * * Phone +32-9-242 87 52 * Fax +32-9-242 87 51 * * Mobile +32-95-28 02 59 * * E-mail: international@motherearth.org * *************************************************************** * WWW: http://www.motherearth.org/ * *************************************************************** * Postal account : 000-1618561-19 * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth is member of Abolition 2000 - the global * *network to eliminate nuclear weapons, the International Peace* * Bureau (IPB), World Information Service on Energy (WISE), * * International Netwerk on Sustainable Energy and Eurosolar * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth has offices in Belgium, Bulgaria, * * Romania, Slovakia, Sri Lanka and USA, aswell as * * contacts/groups in Belarus, France, * * Finland, Germany and Netherlands * *************************************************************** WHEN SPIDERS UNITE, THEY CAN TIE DOWN A LION -Ethiopian Proverb - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) FOR MOTHER EARTH!: FME New address, phone and fax numbers Date: 04 Nov 1999 08:45:38 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' "Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley." Dear Anti-Nuclear Colleagues: What Pol does not point out is that the sick and demented people running the Nevada Nuclear Test Site actually blew off a bomb while Pol and Mother Earth were standing above the Site. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time that such a crime had actually been deliberately inflicted on human beings. The usual practice was that when people entered the test site, they would postpone the blast until the people had been removed, then prosecute them in the local courts. Over the years we had fought them to a standstill in the Nye county court system so that there were no further prosecutions there. But for some reason, in the case of Mother Earth (perhaps because it was known they were not US citizens) they departed from prior practice and deliberately blew the bomb off under them. Given the fact that all such explosions vent nuclear particles, undoubtedly Pol and Mother Earth were deliberately subjected to nuclear contamination and poisoning--a Nuremberg Crime against Humanity:"...and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war..." Then the United States government had the audacity to prosecute Mother Earth for trespass onto the test site. There are large numbers of courageous anti-nuclear resisters who have emerged during the past 20 years since the first Plowshares Action. Pol and Mother Earth stand right there at the top of the list. My congratulations to them on taking this "American experience" back home, putting it to good use, establishing this organization, and continuing the struggle. Best wishes on the new office. Live long and prosper! Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 5:57 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Dear friends, Please make some changes in your database as we have moved to our new office!! Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium and the new phone numbers of the For Mother Earth office in Gent For Mother Earth International Phone +32-9-242 87 52 Fax +32-9-242 87 51 Also new is the For Mother Earth info-shop and organic restaurant which can be reached in the same address and fax. Note however the seperate phonenumber !! Sogo Bia Oyon'd (Mother Earth) Phone +32-9-242 87 50 Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley. Our E-mail accounts go unchanged. We hope to meet many of you in our new ecological home which is right across the square of the main railway station of Gent. And please note that my personal adress and phone goes unchanged. Lange Steenstraat 16-d, 9000 Gent Phone +32-9-233 84 39 Mobile +32-495-28 02 59 The numbers +32-9-233 49 24 and +32-9-223 31 02 to reach amongst others Katri, Krista, Hanna, ... are now out of use. Thank you for making the necessary changes, Pol D'Huyvetter NEW ADDRESS, PHONE AND FAX !! *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth International office * *************************************************************** * Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium * * Phone +32-9-242 87 52 * Fax +32-9-242 87 51 * * Mobile +32-95-28 02 59 * * E-mail: international@motherearth.org * *************************************************************** * WWW: http://www.motherearth.org/ * *************************************************************** * Postal account : 000-1618561-19 * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth is member of Abolition 2000 - the global * *network to eliminate nuclear weapons, the International Peace* * Bureau (IPB), World Information Service on Energy (WISE), * * International Netwerk on Sustainable Energy and Eurosolar * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth has offices in Belgium, Bulgaria, * * Romania, Slovakia, Sri Lanka and USA, aswell as * * contacts/groups in Belarus, France, * * Finland, Germany and Netherlands * *************************************************************** WHEN SPIDERS UNITE, THEY CAN TIE DOWN A LION -Ethiopian Proverb - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) PS: FOR MOTHER EARTH!: FME New address, phone and fax numbers Date: 04 Nov 1999 10:09:55 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' There is one other important point of clarification to keep in mind: The Shoshone People maintain that they still have legal title to the Nevada Test Site, which was illegally stolen from them by the United States government in violation of the Treaty of Ruby Valley. As the valid title holders, they have given permission to groups of individuals to enter upon the Nevada Test Site in order to protest nuclear bomb explosions. So far, we have been unsuccessful in making these points in court, though we have tried. fab. -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 8:46 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org; 'NUKENET@envirolink.org'; 'abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com' "Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley." Dear Anti-Nuclear Colleagues: What Pol does not point out is that the sick and demented people running the Nevada Nuclear Test Site actually blew off a bomb while Pol and Mother Earth were standing above the Site. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time that such a crime had actually been deliberately inflicted on human beings. The usual practice was that when people entered the test site, they would postpone the blast until the people had been removed, then prosecute them in the local courts. Over the years we had fought them to a standstill in the Nye county court system so that there were no further prosecutions there. But for some reason, in the case of Mother Earth (perhaps because it was known they were not US citizens) they departed from prior practice and deliberately blew the bomb off under them. Given the fact that all such explosions vent nuclear particles, undoubtedly Pol and Mother Earth were deliberately subjected to nuclear contamination and poisoning--a Nuremberg Crime against Humanity:"...and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war..." Then the United States government had the audacity to prosecute Mother Earth for trespass onto the test site. There are large numbers of courageous anti-nuclear resisters who have emerged during the past 20 years since the first Plowshares Action. Pol and Mother Earth stand right there at the top of the list. My congratulations to them on taking this "American experience" back home, putting it to good use, establishing this organization, and continuing the struggle. Best wishes on the new office. Live long and prosper! Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 5:57 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Dear friends, Please make some changes in your database as we have moved to our new office!! Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium and the new phone numbers of the For Mother Earth office in Gent For Mother Earth International Phone +32-9-242 87 52 Fax +32-9-242 87 51 Also new is the For Mother Earth info-shop and organic restaurant which can be reached in the same address and fax. Note however the seperate phonenumber !! Sogo Bia Oyon'd (Mother Earth) Phone +32-9-242 87 50 Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley. Our E-mail accounts go unchanged. We hope to meet many of you in our new ecological home which is right across the square of the main railway station of Gent. And please note that my personal adress and phone goes unchanged. Lange Steenstraat 16-d, 9000 Gent Phone +32-9-233 84 39 Mobile +32-495-28 02 59 The numbers +32-9-233 49 24 and +32-9-223 31 02 to reach amongst others Katri, Krista, Hanna, ... are now out of use. Thank you for making the necessary changes, Pol D'Huyvetter NEW ADDRESS, PHONE AND FAX !! *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth International office * *************************************************************** * Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium * * Phone +32-9-242 87 52 * Fax +32-9-242 87 51 * * Mobile +32-95-28 02 59 * * E-mail: international@motherearth.org * *************************************************************** * WWW: http://www.motherearth.org/ * *************************************************************** * Postal account : 000-1618561-19 * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth is member of Abolition 2000 - the global * *network to eliminate nuclear weapons, the International Peace* * Bureau (IPB), World Information Service on Energy (WISE), * * International Netwerk on Sustainable Energy and Eurosolar * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth has offices in Belgium, Bulgaria, * * Romania, Slovakia, Sri Lanka and USA, aswell as * * contacts/groups in Belarus, France, * * Finland, Germany and Netherlands * *************************************************************** WHEN SPIDERS UNITE, THEY CAN TIE DOWN A LION -Ethiopian Proverb - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) PS: FOR MOTHER EARTH!: FME New address, phone and fax numbers Date: 04 Nov 1999 10:09:55 -0600 There is one other important point of clarification to keep in mind: The Shoshone People maintain that they still have legal title to the Nevada Test Site, which was illegally stolen from them by the United States government in violation of the Treaty of Ruby Valley. As the valid title holders, they have given permission to groups of individuals to enter upon the Nevada Test Site in order to protest nuclear bomb explosions. So far, we have been unsuccessful in making these points in court, though we have tried. fab. -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 8:46 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org; 'NUKENET@envirolink.org'; 'abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com' "Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley." Dear Anti-Nuclear Colleagues: What Pol does not point out is that the sick and demented people running the Nevada Nuclear Test Site actually blew off a bomb while Pol and Mother Earth were standing above the Site. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time that such a crime had actually been deliberately inflicted on human beings. The usual practice was that when people entered the test site, they would postpone the blast until the people had been removed, then prosecute them in the local courts. Over the years we had fought them to a standstill in the Nye county court system so that there were no further prosecutions there. But for some reason, in the case of Mother Earth (perhaps because it was known they were not US citizens) they departed from prior practice and deliberately blew the bomb off under them. Given the fact that all such explosions vent nuclear particles, undoubtedly Pol and Mother Earth were deliberately subjected to nuclear contamination and poisoning--a Nuremberg Crime against Humanity:"...and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war..." Then the United States government had the audacity to prosecute Mother Earth for trespass onto the test site. There are large numbers of courageous anti-nuclear resisters who have emerged during the past 20 years since the first Plowshares Action. Pol and Mother Earth stand right there at the top of the list. My congratulations to them on taking this "American experience" back home, putting it to good use, establishing this organization, and continuing the struggle. Best wishes on the new office. Live long and prosper! Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 5:57 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Dear friends, Please make some changes in your database as we have moved to our new office!! Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium and the new phone numbers of the For Mother Earth office in Gent For Mother Earth International Phone +32-9-242 87 52 Fax +32-9-242 87 51 Also new is the For Mother Earth info-shop and organic restaurant which can be reached in the same address and fax. Note however the seperate phonenumber !! Sogo Bia Oyon'd (Mother Earth) Phone +32-9-242 87 50 Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley. Our E-mail accounts go unchanged. We hope to meet many of you in our new ecological home which is right across the square of the main railway station of Gent. And please note that my personal adress and phone goes unchanged. Lange Steenstraat 16-d, 9000 Gent Phone +32-9-233 84 39 Mobile +32-495-28 02 59 The numbers +32-9-233 49 24 and +32-9-223 31 02 to reach amongst others Katri, Krista, Hanna, ... are now out of use. Thank you for making the necessary changes, Pol D'Huyvetter NEW ADDRESS, PHONE AND FAX !! *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth International office * *************************************************************** * Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium * * Phone +32-9-242 87 52 * Fax +32-9-242 87 51 * * Mobile +32-95-28 02 59 * * E-mail: international@motherearth.org * *************************************************************** * WWW: http://www.motherearth.org/ * *************************************************************** * Postal account : 000-1618561-19 * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth is member of Abolition 2000 - the global * *network to eliminate nuclear weapons, the International Peace* * Bureau (IPB), World Information Service on Energy (WISE), * * International Netwerk on Sustainable Energy and Eurosolar * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth has offices in Belgium, Bulgaria, * * Romania, Slovakia, Sri Lanka and USA, aswell as * * contacts/groups in Belarus, France, * * Finland, Germany and Netherlands * *************************************************************** WHEN SPIDERS UNITE, THEY CAN TIE DOWN A LION -Ethiopian Proverb - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) PS: FOR MOTHER EARTH!: FME New address, phone and fax numbers Date: 04 Nov 1999 10:09:55 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' There is one other important point of clarification to keep in mind: The Shoshone People maintain that they still have legal title to the Nevada Test Site, which was illegally stolen from them by the United States government in violation of the Treaty of Ruby Valley. As the valid title holders, they have given permission to groups of individuals to enter upon the Nevada Test Site in order to protest nuclear bomb explosions. So far, we have been unsuccessful in making these points in court, though we have tried. fab. -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 8:46 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org; 'NUKENET@envirolink.org'; 'abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com' "Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley." Dear Anti-Nuclear Colleagues: What Pol does not point out is that the sick and demented people running the Nevada Nuclear Test Site actually blew off a bomb while Pol and Mother Earth were standing above the Site. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time that such a crime had actually been deliberately inflicted on human beings. The usual practice was that when people entered the test site, they would postpone the blast until the people had been removed, then prosecute them in the local courts. Over the years we had fought them to a standstill in the Nye county court system so that there were no further prosecutions there. But for some reason, in the case of Mother Earth (perhaps because it was known they were not US citizens) they departed from prior practice and deliberately blew the bomb off under them. Given the fact that all such explosions vent nuclear particles, undoubtedly Pol and Mother Earth were deliberately subjected to nuclear contamination and poisoning--a Nuremberg Crime against Humanity:"...and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war..." Then the United States government had the audacity to prosecute Mother Earth for trespass onto the test site. There are large numbers of courageous anti-nuclear resisters who have emerged during the past 20 years since the first Plowshares Action. Pol and Mother Earth stand right there at the top of the list. My congratulations to them on taking this "American experience" back home, putting it to good use, establishing this organization, and continuing the struggle. Best wishes on the new office. Live long and prosper! Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 5:57 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Dear friends, Please make some changes in your database as we have moved to our new office!! Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium and the new phone numbers of the For Mother Earth office in Gent For Mother Earth International Phone +32-9-242 87 52 Fax +32-9-242 87 51 Also new is the For Mother Earth info-shop and organic restaurant which can be reached in the same address and fax. Note however the seperate phonenumber !! Sogo Bia Oyon'd (Mother Earth) Phone +32-9-242 87 50 Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley. Our E-mail accounts go unchanged. We hope to meet many of you in our new ecological home which is right across the square of the main railway station of Gent. And please note that my personal adress and phone goes unchanged. Lange Steenstraat 16-d, 9000 Gent Phone +32-9-233 84 39 Mobile +32-495-28 02 59 The numbers +32-9-233 49 24 and +32-9-223 31 02 to reach amongst others Katri, Krista, Hanna, ... are now out of use. Thank you for making the necessary changes, Pol D'Huyvetter NEW ADDRESS, PHONE AND FAX !! *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth International office * *************************************************************** * Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium * * Phone +32-9-242 87 52 * Fax +32-9-242 87 51 * * Mobile +32-95-28 02 59 * * E-mail: international@motherearth.org * *************************************************************** * WWW: http://www.motherearth.org/ * *************************************************************** * Postal account : 000-1618561-19 * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth is member of Abolition 2000 - the global * *network to eliminate nuclear weapons, the International Peace* * Bureau (IPB), World Information Service on Energy (WISE), * * International Netwerk on Sustainable Energy and Eurosolar * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth has offices in Belgium, Bulgaria, * * Romania, Slovakia, Sri Lanka and USA, aswell as * * contacts/groups in Belarus, France, * * Finland, Germany and Netherlands * *************************************************************** WHEN SPIDERS UNITE, THEY CAN TIE DOWN A LION -Ethiopian Proverb - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) PS: FOR MOTHER EARTH!: FME New address, phone and fax numbers Date: 04 Nov 1999 10:09:55 -0600 There is one other important point of clarification to keep in mind: The Shoshone People maintain that they still have legal title to the Nevada Test Site, which was illegally stolen from them by the United States government in violation of the Treaty of Ruby Valley. As the valid title holders, they have given permission to groups of individuals to enter upon the Nevada Test Site in order to protest nuclear bomb explosions. So far, we have been unsuccessful in making these points in court, though we have tried. fab. -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 8:46 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org; 'NUKENET@envirolink.org'; 'abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com' "Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley." Dear Anti-Nuclear Colleagues: What Pol does not point out is that the sick and demented people running the Nevada Nuclear Test Site actually blew off a bomb while Pol and Mother Earth were standing above the Site. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time that such a crime had actually been deliberately inflicted on human beings. The usual practice was that when people entered the test site, they would postpone the blast until the people had been removed, then prosecute them in the local courts. Over the years we had fought them to a standstill in the Nye county court system so that there were no further prosecutions there. But for some reason, in the case of Mother Earth (perhaps because it was known they were not US citizens) they departed from prior practice and deliberately blew the bomb off under them. Given the fact that all such explosions vent nuclear particles, undoubtedly Pol and Mother Earth were deliberately subjected to nuclear contamination and poisoning--a Nuremberg Crime against Humanity:"...and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war..." Then the United States government had the audacity to prosecute Mother Earth for trespass onto the test site. There are large numbers of courageous anti-nuclear resisters who have emerged during the past 20 years since the first Plowshares Action. Pol and Mother Earth stand right there at the top of the list. My congratulations to them on taking this "American experience" back home, putting it to good use, establishing this organization, and continuing the struggle. Best wishes on the new office. Live long and prosper! Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 5:57 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Dear friends, Please make some changes in your database as we have moved to our new office!! Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium and the new phone numbers of the For Mother Earth office in Gent For Mother Earth International Phone +32-9-242 87 52 Fax +32-9-242 87 51 Also new is the For Mother Earth info-shop and organic restaurant which can be reached in the same address and fax. Note however the seperate phonenumber !! Sogo Bia Oyon'd (Mother Earth) Phone +32-9-242 87 50 Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley. Our E-mail accounts go unchanged. We hope to meet many of you in our new ecological home which is right across the square of the main railway station of Gent. And please note that my personal adress and phone goes unchanged. Lange Steenstraat 16-d, 9000 Gent Phone +32-9-233 84 39 Mobile +32-495-28 02 59 The numbers +32-9-233 49 24 and +32-9-223 31 02 to reach amongst others Katri, Krista, Hanna, ... are now out of use. Thank you for making the necessary changes, Pol D'Huyvetter NEW ADDRESS, PHONE AND FAX !! *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth International office * *************************************************************** * Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium * * Phone +32-9-242 87 52 * Fax +32-9-242 87 51 * * Mobile +32-95-28 02 59 * * E-mail: international@motherearth.org * *************************************************************** * WWW: http://www.motherearth.org/ * *************************************************************** * Postal account : 000-1618561-19 * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth is member of Abolition 2000 - the global * *network to eliminate nuclear weapons, the International Peace* * Bureau (IPB), World Information Service on Energy (WISE), * * International Netwerk on Sustainable Energy and Eurosolar * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth has offices in Belgium, Bulgaria, * * Romania, Slovakia, Sri Lanka and USA, aswell as * * contacts/groups in Belarus, France, * * Finland, Germany and Netherlands * *************************************************************** WHEN SPIDERS UNITE, THEY CAN TIE DOWN A LION -Ethiopian Proverb - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) PS: FOR MOTHER EARTH!: FME New address, phone and fax numbers Date: 04 Nov 1999 10:09:55 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' There is one other important point of clarification to keep in mind: The Shoshone People maintain that they still have legal title to the Nevada Test Site, which was illegally stolen from them by the United States government in violation of the Treaty of Ruby Valley. As the valid title holders, they have given permission to groups of individuals to enter upon the Nevada Test Site in order to protest nuclear bomb explosions. So far, we have been unsuccessful in making these points in court, though we have tried. fab. -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 8:46 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org; 'NUKENET@envirolink.org'; 'abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com' "Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley." Dear Anti-Nuclear Colleagues: What Pol does not point out is that the sick and demented people running the Nevada Nuclear Test Site actually blew off a bomb while Pol and Mother Earth were standing above the Site. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time that such a crime had actually been deliberately inflicted on human beings. The usual practice was that when people entered the test site, they would postpone the blast until the people had been removed, then prosecute them in the local courts. Over the years we had fought them to a standstill in the Nye county court system so that there were no further prosecutions there. But for some reason, in the case of Mother Earth (perhaps because it was known they were not US citizens) they departed from prior practice and deliberately blew the bomb off under them. Given the fact that all such explosions vent nuclear particles, undoubtedly Pol and Mother Earth were deliberately subjected to nuclear contamination and poisoning--a Nuremberg Crime against Humanity:"...and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war..." Then the United States government had the audacity to prosecute Mother Earth for trespass onto the test site. There are large numbers of courageous anti-nuclear resisters who have emerged during the past 20 years since the first Plowshares Action. Pol and Mother Earth stand right there at the top of the list. My congratulations to them on taking this "American experience" back home, putting it to good use, establishing this organization, and continuing the struggle. Best wishes on the new office. Live long and prosper! Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 5:57 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Dear friends, Please make some changes in your database as we have moved to our new office!! Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium and the new phone numbers of the For Mother Earth office in Gent For Mother Earth International Phone +32-9-242 87 52 Fax +32-9-242 87 51 Also new is the For Mother Earth info-shop and organic restaurant which can be reached in the same address and fax. Note however the seperate phonenumber !! Sogo Bia Oyon'd (Mother Earth) Phone +32-9-242 87 50 Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley. Our E-mail accounts go unchanged. We hope to meet many of you in our new ecological home which is right across the square of the main railway station of Gent. And please note that my personal adress and phone goes unchanged. Lange Steenstraat 16-d, 9000 Gent Phone +32-9-233 84 39 Mobile +32-495-28 02 59 The numbers +32-9-233 49 24 and +32-9-223 31 02 to reach amongst others Katri, Krista, Hanna, ... are now out of use. Thank you for making the necessary changes, Pol D'Huyvetter NEW ADDRESS, PHONE AND FAX !! *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth International office * *************************************************************** * Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium * * Phone +32-9-242 87 52 * Fax +32-9-242 87 51 * * Mobile +32-95-28 02 59 * * E-mail: international@motherearth.org * *************************************************************** * WWW: http://www.motherearth.org/ * *************************************************************** * Postal account : 000-1618561-19 * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth is member of Abolition 2000 - the global * *network to eliminate nuclear weapons, the International Peace* * Bureau (IPB), World Information Service on Energy (WISE), * * International Netwerk on Sustainable Energy and Eurosolar * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth has offices in Belgium, Bulgaria, * * Romania, Slovakia, Sri Lanka and USA, aswell as * * contacts/groups in Belarus, France, * * Finland, Germany and Netherlands * *************************************************************** WHEN SPIDERS UNITE, THEY CAN TIE DOWN A LION -Ethiopian Proverb - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) PS: FOR MOTHER EARTH!: FME New address, phone and fax numbers Date: 04 Nov 1999 10:09:55 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' There is one other important point of clarification to keep in mind: The Shoshone People maintain that they still have legal title to the Nevada Test Site, which was illegally stolen from them by the United States government in violation of the Treaty of Ruby Valley. As the valid title holders, they have given permission to groups of individuals to enter upon the Nevada Test Site in order to protest nuclear bomb explosions. So far, we have been unsuccessful in making these points in court, though we have tried. fab. -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 8:46 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org; 'NUKENET@envirolink.org'; 'abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com' "Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley." Dear Anti-Nuclear Colleagues: What Pol does not point out is that the sick and demented people running the Nevada Nuclear Test Site actually blew off a bomb while Pol and Mother Earth were standing above the Site. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time that such a crime had actually been deliberately inflicted on human beings. The usual practice was that when people entered the test site, they would postpone the blast until the people had been removed, then prosecute them in the local courts. Over the years we had fought them to a standstill in the Nye county court system so that there were no further prosecutions there. But for some reason, in the case of Mother Earth (perhaps because it was known they were not US citizens) they departed from prior practice and deliberately blew the bomb off under them. Given the fact that all such explosions vent nuclear particles, undoubtedly Pol and Mother Earth were deliberately subjected to nuclear contamination and poisoning--a Nuremberg Crime against Humanity:"...and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war..." Then the United States government had the audacity to prosecute Mother Earth for trespass onto the test site. There are large numbers of courageous anti-nuclear resisters who have emerged during the past 20 years since the first Plowshares Action. Pol and Mother Earth stand right there at the top of the list. My congratulations to them on taking this "American experience" back home, putting it to good use, establishing this organization, and continuing the struggle. Best wishes on the new office. Live long and prosper! Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 5:57 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; a-days@motherearth.org Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Dear friends, Please make some changes in your database as we have moved to our new office!! Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium and the new phone numbers of the For Mother Earth office in Gent For Mother Earth International Phone +32-9-242 87 52 Fax +32-9-242 87 51 Also new is the For Mother Earth info-shop and organic restaurant which can be reached in the same address and fax. Note however the seperate phonenumber !! Sogo Bia Oyon'd (Mother Earth) Phone +32-9-242 87 50 Sogo Bia Oyon'd is the Shoshone translation of 'For Mother Earth'. Our group found its origin in 1991 as we were planning a 5.500 Walk from New York City to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. The nuclear test site was established with agreement of the Shoshone Native Americans who are the caretakers of the land according to the Treaty of Ruby Valley. Our E-mail accounts go unchanged. We hope to meet many of you in our new ecological home which is right across the square of the main railway station of Gent. And please note that my personal adress and phone goes unchanged. Lange Steenstraat 16-d, 9000 Gent Phone +32-9-233 84 39 Mobile +32-495-28 02 59 The numbers +32-9-233 49 24 and +32-9-223 31 02 to reach amongst others Katri, Krista, Hanna, ... are now out of use. Thank you for making the necessary changes, Pol D'Huyvetter NEW ADDRESS, PHONE AND FAX !! *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth International office * *************************************************************** * Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6, 9000 Gent, Belgium * * Phone +32-9-242 87 52 * Fax +32-9-242 87 51 * * Mobile +32-95-28 02 59 * * E-mail: international@motherearth.org * *************************************************************** * WWW: http://www.motherearth.org/ * *************************************************************** * Postal account : 000-1618561-19 * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth is member of Abolition 2000 - the global * *network to eliminate nuclear weapons, the International Peace* * Bureau (IPB), World Information Service on Energy (WISE), * * International Netwerk on Sustainable Energy and Eurosolar * *************************************************************** * For Mother Earth has offices in Belgium, Bulgaria, * * Romania, Slovakia, Sri Lanka and USA, aswell as * * contacts/groups in Belarus, France, * * Finland, Germany and Netherlands * *************************************************************** WHEN SPIDERS UNITE, THEY CAN TIE DOWN A LION -Ethiopian Proverb - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) Stopping Malicious Looping Date: 04 Nov 1999 12:47:36 -0600 Dear Anti-Nuclear Friends: It appears that someone who does not like what I am doing/saying has written a program that loops my messages to these anti-nuclear lists back to these lists on multiple occasions. Although I am not a technical person, I have been told it is easy enough to do. I have seen it done before. As i understand it, the list administrators can determine who the real culprit is and remove that person from the lists if they so desire. Sorry for any inconvenience. Francis A. Boyle. Francis A. Boyle Law Building 504 E. Pennsylvania Avenue Champaign, Ill. 61820 217-333-7954 (voice) 217-244-1478 (fax) fboyle@law.uiuc.edu - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) RE: Stopping Malicious Looping Date: 04 Nov 1999 13:11:36 -0600 At first I too thought that using the Reply to All button was the problem. But my original messages have also been multiplied for each list. In addition, as far as I can tell, at least one other message has been put into this loop-- by Tracey Moavero, which i have gotten several times already today, as indicated below. Also, these problems have NOT occurred on any of the other lists that i have been posting on today. So my conclusion is that someone else has maliciously set up an automatic loop. fab. Dear friends, Below is the final edition of the sign-on letter to support the New Agenda resolution and the International Court of Justice resolution at the U.N. General Assembly. We have 160 organizations in 22 countries signed on. Thank you to all of our signers. We are in the process of getting this delivered to all the First Committee delegations, which should be completed by today. Keep the pressure up on your governments for positive votes! All the best, Tracy Moavero Peace Action International Office November 1, 1999 Your Excellency, As citizens' organizations working to end the threat of nuclear war, we urge your government to support two important resolutions which are before the United Nations General Assembly First Committee for consideration. The "Towards a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World: The Need for a New Agenda" resolution reflects our concerns about the urgent need for complete nuclear disarmament. The concrete steps in it lay important groundwork for moving stalled processes and creating new opportunities for progress. Far from hindering any existing efforts, this resolution strengthens them by taking them out of isolation and bringing them together to create momentum. The sponsors' commitment to building consensus is clear from this year's text, which takes into consideration concerns raised by some delegations when this resolution was considered last year. We also support the resolution affirming the 1996 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice that there exists a legal obligation to pursue and conclude nuclear disarmament negotiations. As the United Nations becomes increasingly important in enforcing the rule of law to build and keep peace, this resolution strengthens the position of the U.N. in that regard. Anything less than a strong affirmative vote would send an ambiguous message about respect for international law. The timing of these resolutions is crucial. We are distressed not only by the slow pace of progress toward disarmament, but also by the disturbing signs that nuclear arsenals are becoming even more entrenched in the security policies of some nations. Failure of the U.N. General Assembly to strongly support these resolutions at this time would send a dangerous signal to those who are trying to invigorate nuclear weapons programs. We recognize the vital role of the United Nations in fostering nuclear disarmament and see ourselves as partners in those efforts. While the undersigned organizations are from many different parts of the globe, we are working together to build support for these resolutions. NGO representatives will be using the Internet to send up-to-the-minute updates, allowing organizations around the world to closely follow First Committee proceedings and plan their work accordingly. We were pleased that the fifty-third session of the General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted these resolutions, confirming the broad support - among both civil society and governments - for swift and concerted action for complete nuclear disarmament. We await similar and even stronger results this year. Nuclear disarmament is often noted as an "ultimate goal." The time has come for that "ultimate goal" to be realized. Sincerely, (See attached list of Civil Society Organizations) Contact: Tracy Moavero Peace Action International Office 866 United Nations Plaza, Room 4053 New York, NY 10017-1822 Phone: (212) 750-5795 Fax: (212) 750-5849 Email: paintl@igc.org Signatures to the letter supporting the New Agenda and International Court of Justice resolutions Total 160 in 22 countries INTERNATIONAL (15) British-American Security Council (BASIC) For Mother Earth International Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space Grandmothers for Peace International Greenpeace International International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) International Peace Bureau (IPB) International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) International Student Movement for the U.N. Pacific Campaign for Disarmament and Security Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (PIANGO) Pax Christi International Women's Environment and Development Organization Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Working Group Eurobomb/Project on European Nuclear Non-Proliferation (PENN) AUSTRALIA (6) Australian Peace Committee (South Australian Branch) Australian Peace Committee National Office Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament Friends of the Earth Australia People for Nuclear Disarmament (Western Australia) Medical Association for Prevention of War (MEDACT SA) South Australian Branch BELGIUM (1) War Resisters International / Flemish section CANADA (6) Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Centre De Ressources Sur La Non-Violence The Simons Foundation of Canada Physicians for Global Survival Physicians for Global Survival Calgary Chapter No Nukes! DENMARK (2) Enhedslisten Aalborg Green Party FRANCE (3) Appel des Cent Pour la Paix -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 1:04 PM Caucus List (E-mail)'; NUKENET@envirolink.org; 'TP2000'; a-days@motherearth.org The problem appears to be that personal responses are being made by replying to "all" rather than just the sender. Personal messages addressed to all are creating a heavy load. Some people are on multiple lists and therefore recieve duplicate (or more) messages. Scott P. - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) Stopping Malicious Looping Date: 04 Nov 1999 12:47:36 -0600 Dear Anti-Nuclear Friends: It appears that someone who does not like what I am doing/saying has written a program that loops my messages to these anti-nuclear lists back to these lists on multiple occasions. Although I am not a technical person, I have been told it is easy enough to do. I have seen it done before. As i understand it, the list administrators can determine who the real culprit is and remove that person from the lists if they so desire. Sorry for any inconvenience. Francis A. Boyle. Francis A. Boyle Law Building 504 E. Pennsylvania Avenue Champaign, Ill. 61820 217-333-7954 (voice) 217-244-1478 (fax) fboyle@law.uiuc.edu - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) Stopping Malicious Looping Date: 04 Nov 1999 12:47:36 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Dear Anti-Nuclear Friends: It appears that someone who does not like what I am doing/saying has written a program that loops my messages to these anti-nuclear lists back to these lists on multiple occasions. Although I am not a technical person, I have been told it is easy enough to do. I have seen it done before. As i understand it, the list administrators can determine who the real culprit is and remove that person from the lists if they so desire. Sorry for any inconvenience. Francis A. Boyle. Francis A. Boyle Law Building 504 E. Pennsylvania Avenue Champaign, Ill. 61820 217-333-7954 (voice) 217-244-1478 (fax) fboyle@law.uiuc.edu - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) RE: Stopping Malicious Looping Date: 04 Nov 1999 13:11:36 -0600 At first I too thought that using the Reply to All button was the problem. But my original messages have also been multiplied for each list. In addition, as far as I can tell, at least one other message has been put into this loop-- by Tracey Moavero, which i have gotten several times already today, as indicated below. Also, these problems have NOT occurred on any of the other lists that i have been posting on today. So my conclusion is that someone else has maliciously set up an automatic loop. fab. Dear friends, Below is the final edition of the sign-on letter to support the New Agenda resolution and the International Court of Justice resolution at the U.N. General Assembly. We have 160 organizations in 22 countries signed on. Thank you to all of our signers. We are in the process of getting this delivered to all the First Committee delegations, which should be completed by today. Keep the pressure up on your governments for positive votes! All the best, Tracy Moavero Peace Action International Office November 1, 1999 Your Excellency, As citizens' organizations working to end the threat of nuclear war, we urge your government to support two important resolutions which are before the United Nations General Assembly First Committee for consideration. The "Towards a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World: The Need for a New Agenda" resolution reflects our concerns about the urgent need for complete nuclear disarmament. The concrete steps in it lay important groundwork for moving stalled processes and creating new opportunities for progress. Far from hindering any existing efforts, this resolution strengthens them by taking them out of isolation and bringing them together to create momentum. The sponsors' commitment to building consensus is clear from this year's text, which takes into consideration concerns raised by some delegations when this resolution was considered last year. We also support the resolution affirming the 1996 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice that there exists a legal obligation to pursue and conclude nuclear disarmament negotiations. As the United Nations becomes increasingly important in enforcing the rule of law to build and keep peace, this resolution strengthens the position of the U.N. in that regard. Anything less than a strong affirmative vote would send an ambiguous message about respect for international law. The timing of these resolutions is crucial. We are distressed not only by the slow pace of progress toward disarmament, but also by the disturbing signs that nuclear arsenals are becoming even more entrenched in the security policies of some nations. Failure of the U.N. General Assembly to strongly support these resolutions at this time would send a dangerous signal to those who are trying to invigorate nuclear weapons programs. We recognize the vital role of the United Nations in fostering nuclear disarmament and see ourselves as partners in those efforts. While the undersigned organizations are from many different parts of the globe, we are working together to build support for these resolutions. NGO representatives will be using the Internet to send up-to-the-minute updates, allowing organizations around the world to closely follow First Committee proceedings and plan their work accordingly. We were pleased that the fifty-third session of the General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted these resolutions, confirming the broad support - among both civil society and governments - for swift and concerted action for complete nuclear disarmament. We await similar and even stronger results this year. Nuclear disarmament is often noted as an "ultimate goal." The time has come for that "ultimate goal" to be realized. Sincerely, (See attached list of Civil Society Organizations) Contact: Tracy Moavero Peace Action International Office 866 United Nations Plaza, Room 4053 New York, NY 10017-1822 Phone: (212) 750-5795 Fax: (212) 750-5849 Email: paintl@igc.org Signatures to the letter supporting the New Agenda and International Court of Justice resolutions Total 160 in 22 countries INTERNATIONAL (15) British-American Security Council (BASIC) For Mother Earth International Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space Grandmothers for Peace International Greenpeace International International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) International Peace Bureau (IPB) International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) International Student Movement for the U.N. Pacific Campaign for Disarmament and Security Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (PIANGO) Pax Christi International Women's Environment and Development Organization Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Working Group Eurobomb/Project on European Nuclear Non-Proliferation (PENN) AUSTRALIA (6) Australian Peace Committee (South Australian Branch) Australian Peace Committee National Office Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament Friends of the Earth Australia People for Nuclear Disarmament (Western Australia) Medical Association for Prevention of War (MEDACT SA) South Australian Branch BELGIUM (1) War Resisters International / Flemish section CANADA (6) Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Centre De Ressources Sur La Non-Violence The Simons Foundation of Canada Physicians for Global Survival Physicians for Global Survival Calgary Chapter No Nukes! DENMARK (2) Enhedslisten Aalborg Green Party FRANCE (3) Appel des Cent Pour la Paix -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 1:04 PM Caucus List (E-mail)'; NUKENET@envirolink.org; 'TP2000'; a-days@motherearth.org The problem appears to be that personal responses are being made by replying to "all" rather than just the sender. Personal messages addressed to all are creating a heavy load. Some people are on multiple lists and therefore recieve duplicate (or more) messages. Scott P. - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) RE: Stopping Malicious Looping Date: 04 Nov 1999 13:11:36 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' At first I too thought that using the Reply to All button was the problem. But my original messages have also been multiplied for each list. In addition, as far as I can tell, at least one other message has been put into this loop-- by Tracey Moavero, which i have gotten several times already today, as indicated below. Also, these problems have NOT occurred on any of the other lists that i have been posting on today. So my conclusion is that someone else has maliciously set up an automatic loop. fab. Dear friends, Below is the final edition of the sign-on letter to support the New Agenda resolution and the International Court of Justice resolution at the U.N. General Assembly. We have 160 organizations in 22 countries signed on. Thank you to all of our signers. We are in the process of getting this delivered to all the First Committee delegations, which should be completed by today. Keep the pressure up on your governments for positive votes! All the best, Tracy Moavero Peace Action International Office November 1, 1999 Your Excellency, As citizens' organizations working to end the threat of nuclear war, we urge your government to support two important resolutions which are before the United Nations General Assembly First Committee for consideration. The "Towards a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World: The Need for a New Agenda" resolution reflects our concerns about the urgent need for complete nuclear disarmament. The concrete steps in it lay important groundwork for moving stalled processes and creating new opportunities for progress. Far from hindering any existing efforts, this resolution strengthens them by taking them out of isolation and bringing them together to create momentum. The sponsors' commitment to building consensus is clear from this year's text, which takes into consideration concerns raised by some delegations when this resolution was considered last year. We also support the resolution affirming the 1996 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice that there exists a legal obligation to pursue and conclude nuclear disarmament negotiations. As the United Nations becomes increasingly important in enforcing the rule of law to build and keep peace, this resolution strengthens the position of the U.N. in that regard. Anything less than a strong affirmative vote would send an ambiguous message about respect for international law. The timing of these resolutions is crucial. We are distressed not only by the slow pace of progress toward disarmament, but also by the disturbing signs that nuclear arsenals are becoming even more entrenched in the security policies of some nations. Failure of the U.N. General Assembly to strongly support these resolutions at this time would send a dangerous signal to those who are trying to invigorate nuclear weapons programs. We recognize the vital role of the United Nations in fostering nuclear disarmament and see ourselves as partners in those efforts. While the undersigned organizations are from many different parts of the globe, we are working together to build support for these resolutions. NGO representatives will be using the Internet to send up-to-the-minute updates, allowing organizations around the world to closely follow First Committee proceedings and plan their work accordingly. We were pleased that the fifty-third session of the General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted these resolutions, confirming the broad support - among both civil society and governments - for swift and concerted action for complete nuclear disarmament. We await similar and even stronger results this year. Nuclear disarmament is often noted as an "ultimate goal." The time has come for that "ultimate goal" to be realized. Sincerely, (See attached list of Civil Society Organizations) Contact: Tracy Moavero Peace Action International Office 866 United Nations Plaza, Room 4053 New York, NY 10017-1822 Phone: (212) 750-5795 Fax: (212) 750-5849 Email: paintl@igc.org Signatures to the letter supporting the New Agenda and International Court of Justice resolutions Total 160 in 22 countries INTERNATIONAL (15) British-American Security Council (BASIC) For Mother Earth International Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space Grandmothers for Peace International Greenpeace International International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) International Peace Bureau (IPB) International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) International Student Movement for the U.N. Pacific Campaign for Disarmament and Security Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (PIANGO) Pax Christi International Women's Environment and Development Organization Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Working Group Eurobomb/Project on European Nuclear Non-Proliferation (PENN) AUSTRALIA (6) Australian Peace Committee (South Australian Branch) Australian Peace Committee National Office Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament Friends of the Earth Australia People for Nuclear Disarmament (Western Australia) Medical Association for Prevention of War (MEDACT SA) South Australian Branch BELGIUM (1) War Resisters International / Flemish section CANADA (6) Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Centre De Ressources Sur La Non-Violence The Simons Foundation of Canada Physicians for Global Survival Physicians for Global Survival Calgary Chapter No Nukes! DENMARK (2) Enhedslisten Aalborg Green Party FRANCE (3) Appel des Cent Pour la Paix -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 1:04 PM Caucus List (E-mail)'; NUKENET@envirolink.org; 'TP2000'; a-days@motherearth.org The problem appears to be that personal responses are being made by replying to "all" rather than just the sender. Personal messages addressed to all are creating a heavy load. Some people are on multiple lists and therefore recieve duplicate (or more) messages. Scott P. - 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: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Subject: (abolition-usa) Listserve Difficulties Date: 04 Nov 1999 13:31:00 -0800 (PST) Dear Friends, As the list moderator for the Abolition Global Caucus and the Abolitio-USA listserves, please allow me to apologize for the inconveniences caused by the recent multiple postings of the same messages from certain senders. I am currently on the phoone with our technical support and we are determining who has infected the list serve. Consequently, the person who set the automatic loop will be removed from the listserve. I appreciate your patience in this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your continued support. Yours In Peace, Carah Carah Lynn Ong Coordinator, Abolition 2000 Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 1187 Coast Village Road PMB 121, Suite 1 Santa Barbara CA 93108 Phone (805) 965 3443 FAX(805) 568 0466 Email: A2000@silcom.com Website http://www.wagingpeace.org/abolition2000 Join the Abolition-USA or Abolition-Global Caucus list serve to regularly receive updates about the Abolition movement. Both caucus' also provide a forum for conversation on nuclear-related issues as well as they are used to post important articles and information pertaining to nuclear abolition. To subscribe to the Abolition-USA listerve, send a message (with no subject) to: abolition-usa-request@lists.xmission.com In the body of the message, write: "subscribe abolition-usa" (do not include quotation marks) To post a message to the Abolition-USA list, mail your message to: abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com To subscribe to the International Abolition-caucus, send a message (with no subject) to: majordomo@igc.org In the body of the message, write: "subscribe abolition-caucus" (do not include quotation marks) To post a message to the International Abolition list, mail your message to: abolition-caucus@igc.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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: RE: (abolition-usa) Listserve Difficulties Date: 04 Nov 1999 15:33:59 -0600 Dear Carah: I also think that person put some type of worm in there that has infected the other anti-nuclear lists as well. Francis. -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 3:31 PM Dear Friends, As the list moderator for the Abolition Global Caucus and the Abolitio-USA listserves, please allow me to apologize for the inconveniences caused by the recent multiple postings of the same messages from certain senders. I am currently on the phoone with our technical support and we are determining who has infected the list serve. Consequently, the person who set the automatic loop will be removed from the listserve. I appreciate your patience in this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your continued support. Yours In Peace, Carah Carah Lynn Ong Coordinator, Abolition 2000 Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 1187 Coast Village Road PMB 121, Suite 1 Santa Barbara CA 93108 Phone (805) 965 3443 FAX(805) 568 0466 Email: A2000@silcom.com Website http://www.wagingpeace.org/abolition2000 Join the Abolition-USA or Abolition-Global Caucus list serve to regularly receive updates about the Abolition movement. Both caucus' also provide a forum for conversation on nuclear-related issues as well as they are used to post important articles and information pertaining to nuclear abolition. To subscribe to the Abolition-USA listerve, send a message (with no subject) to: abolition-usa-request@lists.xmission.com In the body of the message, write: "subscribe abolition-usa" (do not include quotation marks) To post a message to the Abolition-USA list, mail your message to: abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com To subscribe to the International Abolition-caucus, send a message (with no subject) to: majordomo@igc.org In the body of the message, write: "subscribe abolition-caucus" (do not include quotation marks) To post a message to the International Abolition list, mail your message to: abolition-caucus@igc.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. - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) Stopping Malicious Looping Date: 04 Nov 1999 12:47:36 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Dear Anti-Nuclear Friends: It appears that someone who does not like what I am doing/saying has written a program that loops my messages to these anti-nuclear lists back to these lists on multiple occasions. Although I am not a technical person, I have been told it is easy enough to do. I have seen it done before. As i understand it, the list administrators can determine who the real culprit is and remove that person from the lists if they so desire. Sorry for any inconvenience. Francis A. Boyle. Francis A. Boyle Law Building 504 E. Pennsylvania Avenue Champaign, Ill. 61820 217-333-7954 (voice) 217-244-1478 (fax) fboyle@law.uiuc.edu - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) Stopping Malicious Looping Date: 04 Nov 1999 12:47:36 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Dear Anti-Nuclear Friends: It appears that someone who does not like what I am doing/saying has written a program that loops my messages to these anti-nuclear lists back to these lists on multiple occasions. Although I am not a technical person, I have been told it is easy enough to do. I have seen it done before. As i understand it, the list administrators can determine who the real culprit is and remove that person from the lists if they so desire. Sorry for any inconvenience. Francis A. Boyle. Francis A. Boyle Law Building 504 E. Pennsylvania Avenue Champaign, Ill. 61820 217-333-7954 (voice) 217-244-1478 (fax) fboyle@law.uiuc.edu - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) RE: Stopping Malicious Looping Date: 04 Nov 1999 13:11:36 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' At first I too thought that using the Reply to All button was the problem. But my original messages have also been multiplied for each list. In addition, as far as I can tell, at least one other message has been put into this loop-- by Tracey Moavero, which i have gotten several times already today, as indicated below. Also, these problems have NOT occurred on any of the other lists that i have been posting on today. So my conclusion is that someone else has maliciously set up an automatic loop. fab. Dear friends, Below is the final edition of the sign-on letter to support the New Agenda resolution and the International Court of Justice resolution at the U.N. General Assembly. We have 160 organizations in 22 countries signed on. Thank you to all of our signers. We are in the process of getting this delivered to all the First Committee delegations, which should be completed by today. Keep the pressure up on your governments for positive votes! All the best, Tracy Moavero Peace Action International Office November 1, 1999 Your Excellency, As citizens' organizations working to end the threat of nuclear war, we urge your government to support two important resolutions which are before the United Nations General Assembly First Committee for consideration. The "Towards a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World: The Need for a New Agenda" resolution reflects our concerns about the urgent need for complete nuclear disarmament. The concrete steps in it lay important groundwork for moving stalled processes and creating new opportunities for progress. Far from hindering any existing efforts, this resolution strengthens them by taking them out of isolation and bringing them together to create momentum. The sponsors' commitment to building consensus is clear from this year's text, which takes into consideration concerns raised by some delegations when this resolution was considered last year. We also support the resolution affirming the 1996 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice that there exists a legal obligation to pursue and conclude nuclear disarmament negotiations. As the United Nations becomes increasingly important in enforcing the rule of law to build and keep peace, this resolution strengthens the position of the U.N. in that regard. Anything less than a strong affirmative vote would send an ambiguous message about respect for international law. The timing of these resolutions is crucial. We are distressed not only by the slow pace of progress toward disarmament, but also by the disturbing signs that nuclear arsenals are becoming even more entrenched in the security policies of some nations. Failure of the U.N. General Assembly to strongly support these resolutions at this time would send a dangerous signal to those who are trying to invigorate nuclear weapons programs. We recognize the vital role of the United Nations in fostering nuclear disarmament and see ourselves as partners in those efforts. While the undersigned organizations are from many different parts of the globe, we are working together to build support for these resolutions. NGO representatives will be using the Internet to send up-to-the-minute updates, allowing organizations around the world to closely follow First Committee proceedings and plan their work accordingly. We were pleased that the fifty-third session of the General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted these resolutions, confirming the broad support - among both civil society and governments - for swift and concerted action for complete nuclear disarmament. We await similar and even stronger results this year. Nuclear disarmament is often noted as an "ultimate goal." The time has come for that "ultimate goal" to be realized. Sincerely, (See attached list of Civil Society Organizations) Contact: Tracy Moavero Peace Action International Office 866 United Nations Plaza, Room 4053 New York, NY 10017-1822 Phone: (212) 750-5795 Fax: (212) 750-5849 Email: paintl@igc.org Signatures to the letter supporting the New Agenda and International Court of Justice resolutions Total 160 in 22 countries INTERNATIONAL (15) British-American Security Council (BASIC) For Mother Earth International Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space Grandmothers for Peace International Greenpeace International International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) International Peace Bureau (IPB) International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) International Student Movement for the U.N. Pacific Campaign for Disarmament and Security Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (PIANGO) Pax Christi International Women's Environment and Development Organization Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Working Group Eurobomb/Project on European Nuclear Non-Proliferation (PENN) AUSTRALIA (6) Australian Peace Committee (South Australian Branch) Australian Peace Committee National Office Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament Friends of the Earth Australia People for Nuclear Disarmament (Western Australia) Medical Association for Prevention of War (MEDACT SA) South Australian Branch BELGIUM (1) War Resisters International / Flemish section CANADA (6) Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Centre De Ressources Sur La Non-Violence The Simons Foundation of Canada Physicians for Global Survival Physicians for Global Survival Calgary Chapter No Nukes! DENMARK (2) Enhedslisten Aalborg Green Party FRANCE (3) Appel des Cent Pour la Paix -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 1:04 PM Caucus List (E-mail)'; NUKENET@envirolink.org; 'TP2000'; a-days@motherearth.org The problem appears to be that personal responses are being made by replying to "all" rather than just the sender. Personal messages addressed to all are creating a heavy load. Some people are on multiple lists and therefore recieve duplicate (or more) messages. Scott P. - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) RE: Stopping Malicious Looping Date: 04 Nov 1999 13:11:36 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' At first I too thought that using the Reply to All button was the problem. But my original messages have also been multiplied for each list. In addition, as far as I can tell, at least one other message has been put into this loop-- by Tracey Moavero, which i have gotten several times already today, as indicated below. Also, these problems have NOT occurred on any of the other lists that i have been posting on today. So my conclusion is that someone else has maliciously set up an automatic loop. fab. Dear friends, Below is the final edition of the sign-on letter to support the New Agenda resolution and the International Court of Justice resolution at the U.N. General Assembly. We have 160 organizations in 22 countries signed on. Thank you to all of our signers. We are in the process of getting this delivered to all the First Committee delegations, which should be completed by today. Keep the pressure up on your governments for positive votes! All the best, Tracy Moavero Peace Action International Office November 1, 1999 Your Excellency, As citizens' organizations working to end the threat of nuclear war, we urge your government to support two important resolutions which are before the United Nations General Assembly First Committee for consideration. The "Towards a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World: The Need for a New Agenda" resolution reflects our concerns about the urgent need for complete nuclear disarmament. The concrete steps in it lay important groundwork for moving stalled processes and creating new opportunities for progress. Far from hindering any existing efforts, this resolution strengthens them by taking them out of isolation and bringing them together to create momentum. The sponsors' commitment to building consensus is clear from this year's text, which takes into consideration concerns raised by some delegations when this resolution was considered last year. We also support the resolution affirming the 1996 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice that there exists a legal obligation to pursue and conclude nuclear disarmament negotiations. As the United Nations becomes increasingly important in enforcing the rule of law to build and keep peace, this resolution strengthens the position of the U.N. in that regard. Anything less than a strong affirmative vote would send an ambiguous message about respect for international law. The timing of these resolutions is crucial. We are distressed not only by the slow pace of progress toward disarmament, but also by the disturbing signs that nuclear arsenals are becoming even more entrenched in the security policies of some nations. Failure of the U.N. General Assembly to strongly support these resolutions at this time would send a dangerous signal to those who are trying to invigorate nuclear weapons programs. We recognize the vital role of the United Nations in fostering nuclear disarmament and see ourselves as partners in those efforts. While the undersigned organizations are from many different parts of the globe, we are working together to build support for these resolutions. NGO representatives will be using the Internet to send up-to-the-minute updates, allowing organizations around the world to closely follow First Committee proceedings and plan their work accordingly. We were pleased that the fifty-third session of the General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted these resolutions, confirming the broad support - among both civil society and governments - for swift and concerted action for complete nuclear disarmament. We await similar and even stronger results this year. Nuclear disarmament is often noted as an "ultimate goal." The time has come for that "ultimate goal" to be realized. Sincerely, (See attached list of Civil Society Organizations) Contact: Tracy Moavero Peace Action International Office 866 United Nations Plaza, Room 4053 New York, NY 10017-1822 Phone: (212) 750-5795 Fax: (212) 750-5849 Email: paintl@igc.org Signatures to the letter supporting the New Agenda and International Court of Justice resolutions Total 160 in 22 countries INTERNATIONAL (15) British-American Security Council (BASIC) For Mother Earth International Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space Grandmothers for Peace International Greenpeace International International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) International Peace Bureau (IPB) International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) International Student Movement for the U.N. Pacific Campaign for Disarmament and Security Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (PIANGO) Pax Christi International Women's Environment and Development Organization Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Working Group Eurobomb/Project on European Nuclear Non-Proliferation (PENN) AUSTRALIA (6) Australian Peace Committee (South Australian Branch) Australian Peace Committee National Office Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament Friends of the Earth Australia People for Nuclear Disarmament (Western Australia) Medical Association for Prevention of War (MEDACT SA) South Australian Branch BELGIUM (1) War Resisters International / Flemish section CANADA (6) Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Centre De Ressources Sur La Non-Violence The Simons Foundation of Canada Physicians for Global Survival Physicians for Global Survival Calgary Chapter No Nukes! DENMARK (2) Enhedslisten Aalborg Green Party FRANCE (3) Appel des Cent Pour la Paix -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 1:04 PM Caucus List (E-mail)'; NUKENET@envirolink.org; 'TP2000'; a-days@motherearth.org The problem appears to be that personal responses are being made by replying to "all" rather than just the sender. Personal messages addressed to all are creating a heavy load. Some people are on multiple lists and therefore recieve duplicate (or more) messages. Scott P. - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) Stopping Malicious Looping Date: 04 Nov 1999 12:47:36 -0600 Dear Anti-Nuclear Friends: It appears that someone who does not like what I am doing/saying has written a program that loops my messages to these anti-nuclear lists back to these lists on multiple occasions. Although I am not a technical person, I have been told it is easy enough to do. I have seen it done before. As i understand it, the list administrators can determine who the real culprit is and remove that person from the lists if they so desire. Sorry for any inconvenience. Francis A. Boyle. Francis A. Boyle Law Building 504 E. Pennsylvania Avenue Champaign, Ill. 61820 217-333-7954 (voice) 217-244-1478 (fax) fboyle@law.uiuc.edu - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: RE: (abolition-usa) Listserve Difficulties Date: 04 Nov 1999 15:33:59 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Dear Carah: I also think that person put some type of worm in there that has infected the other anti-nuclear lists as well. Francis. -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 3:31 PM Dear Friends, As the list moderator for the Abolition Global Caucus and the Abolitio-USA listserves, please allow me to apologize for the inconveniences caused by the recent multiple postings of the same messages from certain senders. I am currently on the phoone with our technical support and we are determining who has infected the list serve. Consequently, the person who set the automatic loop will be removed from the listserve. I appreciate your patience in this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your continued support. Yours In Peace, Carah Carah Lynn Ong Coordinator, Abolition 2000 Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 1187 Coast Village Road PMB 121, Suite 1 Santa Barbara CA 93108 Phone (805) 965 3443 FAX(805) 568 0466 Email: A2000@silcom.com Website http://www.wagingpeace.org/abolition2000 Join the Abolition-USA or Abolition-Global Caucus list serve to regularly receive updates about the Abolition movement. Both caucus' also provide a forum for conversation on nuclear-related issues as well as they are used to post important articles and information pertaining to nuclear abolition. To subscribe to the Abolition-USA listerve, send a message (with no subject) to: abolition-usa-request@lists.xmission.com In the body of the message, write: "subscribe abolition-usa" (do not include quotation marks) To post a message to the Abolition-USA list, mail your message to: abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com To subscribe to the International Abolition-caucus, send a message (with no subject) to: majordomo@igc.org In the body of the message, write: "subscribe abolition-caucus" (do not include quotation marks) To post a message to the International Abolition list, mail your message to: abolition-caucus@igc.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. - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) RE: Stopping Malicious Looping Date: 04 Nov 1999 13:11:36 -0600 At first I too thought that using the Reply to All button was the problem. But my original messages have also been multiplied for each list. In addition, as far as I can tell, at least one other message has been put into this loop-- by Tracey Moavero, which i have gotten several times already today, as indicated below. Also, these problems have NOT occurred on any of the other lists that i have been posting on today. So my conclusion is that someone else has maliciously set up an automatic loop. fab. Dear friends, Below is the final edition of the sign-on letter to support the New Agenda resolution and the International Court of Justice resolution at the U.N. General Assembly. We have 160 organizations in 22 countries signed on. Thank you to all of our signers. We are in the process of getting this delivered to all the First Committee delegations, which should be completed by today. Keep the pressure up on your governments for positive votes! All the best, Tracy Moavero Peace Action International Office November 1, 1999 Your Excellency, As citizens' organizations working to end the threat of nuclear war, we urge your government to support two important resolutions which are before the United Nations General Assembly First Committee for consideration. The "Towards a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World: The Need for a New Agenda" resolution reflects our concerns about the urgent need for complete nuclear disarmament. The concrete steps in it lay important groundwork for moving stalled processes and creating new opportunities for progress. Far from hindering any existing efforts, this resolution strengthens them by taking them out of isolation and bringing them together to create momentum. The sponsors' commitment to building consensus is clear from this year's text, which takes into consideration concerns raised by some delegations when this resolution was considered last year. We also support the resolution affirming the 1996 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice that there exists a legal obligation to pursue and conclude nuclear disarmament negotiations. As the United Nations becomes increasingly important in enforcing the rule of law to build and keep peace, this resolution strengthens the position of the U.N. in that regard. Anything less than a strong affirmative vote would send an ambiguous message about respect for international law. The timing of these resolutions is crucial. We are distressed not only by the slow pace of progress toward disarmament, but also by the disturbing signs that nuclear arsenals are becoming even more entrenched in the security policies of some nations. Failure of the U.N. General Assembly to strongly support these resolutions at this time would send a dangerous signal to those who are trying to invigorate nuclear weapons programs. We recognize the vital role of the United Nations in fostering nuclear disarmament and see ourselves as partners in those efforts. While the undersigned organizations are from many different parts of the globe, we are working together to build support for these resolutions. NGO representatives will be using the Internet to send up-to-the-minute updates, allowing organizations around the world to closely follow First Committee proceedings and plan their work accordingly. We were pleased that the fifty-third session of the General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted these resolutions, confirming the broad support - among both civil society and governments - for swift and concerted action for complete nuclear disarmament. We await similar and even stronger results this year. Nuclear disarmament is often noted as an "ultimate goal." The time has come for that "ultimate goal" to be realized. Sincerely, (See attached list of Civil Society Organizations) Contact: Tracy Moavero Peace Action International Office 866 United Nations Plaza, Room 4053 New York, NY 10017-1822 Phone: (212) 750-5795 Fax: (212) 750-5849 Email: paintl@igc.org Signatures to the letter supporting the New Agenda and International Court of Justice resolutions Total 160 in 22 countries INTERNATIONAL (15) British-American Security Council (BASIC) For Mother Earth International Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space Grandmothers for Peace International Greenpeace International International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) International Peace Bureau (IPB) International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) International Student Movement for the U.N. Pacific Campaign for Disarmament and Security Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (PIANGO) Pax Christi International Women's Environment and Development Organization Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Working Group Eurobomb/Project on European Nuclear Non-Proliferation (PENN) AUSTRALIA (6) Australian Peace Committee (South Australian Branch) Australian Peace Committee National Office Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament Friends of the Earth Australia People for Nuclear Disarmament (Western Australia) Medical Association for Prevention of War (MEDACT SA) South Australian Branch BELGIUM (1) War Resisters International / Flemish section CANADA (6) Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Centre De Ressources Sur La Non-Violence The Simons Foundation of Canada Physicians for Global Survival Physicians for Global Survival Calgary Chapter No Nukes! DENMARK (2) Enhedslisten Aalborg Green Party FRANCE (3) Appel des Cent Pour la Paix -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 1:04 PM Caucus List (E-mail)'; NUKENET@envirolink.org; 'TP2000'; a-days@motherearth.org The problem appears to be that personal responses are being made by replying to "all" rather than just the sender. Personal messages addressed to all are creating a heavy load. Some people are on multiple lists and therefore recieve duplicate (or more) messages. Scott P. - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) Stopping Malicious Looping Date: 04 Nov 1999 12:47:36 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Dear Anti-Nuclear Friends: It appears that someone who does not like what I am doing/saying has written a program that loops my messages to these anti-nuclear lists back to these lists on multiple occasions. Although I am not a technical person, I have been told it is easy enough to do. I have seen it done before. As i understand it, the list administrators can determine who the real culprit is and remove that person from the lists if they so desire. Sorry for any inconvenience. Francis A. Boyle. Francis A. Boyle Law Building 504 E. Pennsylvania Avenue Champaign, Ill. 61820 217-333-7954 (voice) 217-244-1478 (fax) fboyle@law.uiuc.edu - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) RE: Stopping Malicious Looping Date: 04 Nov 1999 13:11:36 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' At first I too thought that using the Reply to All button was the problem. But my original messages have also been multiplied for each list. In addition, as far as I can tell, at least one other message has been put into this loop-- by Tracey Moavero, which i have gotten several times already today, as indicated below. Also, these problems have NOT occurred on any of the other lists that i have been posting on today. So my conclusion is that someone else has maliciously set up an automatic loop. fab. Dear friends, Below is the final edition of the sign-on letter to support the New Agenda resolution and the International Court of Justice resolution at the U.N. General Assembly. We have 160 organizations in 22 countries signed on. Thank you to all of our signers. We are in the process of getting this delivered to all the First Committee delegations, which should be completed by today. Keep the pressure up on your governments for positive votes! All the best, Tracy Moavero Peace Action International Office November 1, 1999 Your Excellency, As citizens' organizations working to end the threat of nuclear war, we urge your government to support two important resolutions which are before the United Nations General Assembly First Committee for consideration. The "Towards a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World: The Need for a New Agenda" resolution reflects our concerns about the urgent need for complete nuclear disarmament. The concrete steps in it lay important groundwork for moving stalled processes and creating new opportunities for progress. Far from hindering any existing efforts, this resolution strengthens them by taking them out of isolation and bringing them together to create momentum. The sponsors' commitment to building consensus is clear from this year's text, which takes into consideration concerns raised by some delegations when this resolution was considered last year. We also support the resolution affirming the 1996 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice that there exists a legal obligation to pursue and conclude nuclear disarmament negotiations. As the United Nations becomes increasingly important in enforcing the rule of law to build and keep peace, this resolution strengthens the position of the U.N. in that regard. Anything less than a strong affirmative vote would send an ambiguous message about respect for international law. The timing of these resolutions is crucial. We are distressed not only by the slow pace of progress toward disarmament, but also by the disturbing signs that nuclear arsenals are becoming even more entrenched in the security policies of some nations. Failure of the U.N. General Assembly to strongly support these resolutions at this time would send a dangerous signal to those who are trying to invigorate nuclear weapons programs. We recognize the vital role of the United Nations in fostering nuclear disarmament and see ourselves as partners in those efforts. While the undersigned organizations are from many different parts of the globe, we are working together to build support for these resolutions. NGO representatives will be using the Internet to send up-to-the-minute updates, allowing organizations around the world to closely follow First Committee proceedings and plan their work accordingly. We were pleased that the fifty-third session of the General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted these resolutions, confirming the broad support - among both civil society and governments - for swift and concerted action for complete nuclear disarmament. We await similar and even stronger results this year. Nuclear disarmament is often noted as an "ultimate goal." The time has come for that "ultimate goal" to be realized. Sincerely, (See attached list of Civil Society Organizations) Contact: Tracy Moavero Peace Action International Office 866 United Nations Plaza, Room 4053 New York, NY 10017-1822 Phone: (212) 750-5795 Fax: (212) 750-5849 Email: paintl@igc.org Signatures to the letter supporting the New Agenda and International Court of Justice resolutions Total 160 in 22 countries INTERNATIONAL (15) British-American Security Council (BASIC) For Mother Earth International Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space Grandmothers for Peace International Greenpeace International International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) International Peace Bureau (IPB) International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) International Student Movement for the U.N. Pacific Campaign for Disarmament and Security Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (PIANGO) Pax Christi International Women's Environment and Development Organization Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Working Group Eurobomb/Project on European Nuclear Non-Proliferation (PENN) AUSTRALIA (6) Australian Peace Committee (South Australian Branch) Australian Peace Committee National Office Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament Friends of the Earth Australia People for Nuclear Disarmament (Western Australia) Medical Association for Prevention of War (MEDACT SA) South Australian Branch BELGIUM (1) War Resisters International / Flemish section CANADA (6) Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Centre De Ressources Sur La Non-Violence The Simons Foundation of Canada Physicians for Global Survival Physicians for Global Survival Calgary Chapter No Nukes! DENMARK (2) Enhedslisten Aalborg Green Party FRANCE (3) Appel des Cent Pour la Paix -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 1:04 PM Caucus List (E-mail)'; NUKENET@envirolink.org; 'TP2000'; a-days@motherearth.org The problem appears to be that personal responses are being made by replying to "all" rather than just the sender. Personal messages addressed to all are creating a heavy load. Some people are on multiple lists and therefore recieve duplicate (or more) messages. Scott P. - 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: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Subject: (abolition-usa) Abolition Global Caucus Date: 04 Nov 1999 16:39:45 -0800 (PST) Dear Friends, I am happy to announce that Egroups.com will now host the Abolition Global Caucus. For those who were previously subscribed to the list hosted by IGC, you have automatically been subscribed to the new egroups list. Below is some information concerning the new list. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Anyone may join the global caucus. To join, simply do one of the following: 1. Send a message to the list moderator at A2000@silcom.com 2. Visit the Abolition-caucus website (shown below) and submit a membership form. 3. Visit the Abolition 2000 website and submit a membership form. 4. Send an e-mail to: abolition-caucus-subscribe@egroups.com (leave the subject line and body of the message blank). To post a message to the caucus, send a message to: abolition-caucus@egroups.com Only members of the Abolition Global Caucus may submit a message. Messages can now be accessed from the internet. To view any posted messages or to find any other group information, please visit: http://www.egroups.com/list/abolition-caucus/ Yours In Peace, Carah Lynn Ong Carah Lynn Ong Coordinator, Abolition 2000 Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 1187 Coast Village Road PMB 121, Suite 1 Santa Barbara CA 93108 Phone (805) 965 3443 FAX(805) 568 0466 Email: A2000@silcom.com Website http://www.wagingpeace.org/abolition2000 Join the Abolition-USA or Abolition-Global Caucus list serve to regularly receive updates about the Abolition movement. Both caucus' also provide a forum for conversation on nuclear-related issues as well as they are used to post important articles and information pertaining to nuclear abolition. To subscribe to the Abolition Global Caucus, please do one of the following: 1. Send a message to the list moderator at A2000@silcom.com 2. Visit the Abolition-caucus website (shown below) and submit a membership form. 3. Visit the Abolition 2000 website and submit a membership form. 4. Send an e-mail to: abolition-caucus-subscribe@egroups.com (leave the subject line and body of the message blank). To post a message to the Abolition Global Caucus, send your message to: abolition-caucus@egroups.com To subscribe to the Abolition-USA listerve, send a message (with no subject) to: abolition-usa-request@lists.xmission.com In the body of the message, write: "subscribe abolition-usa" (do not include quotation marks) To post a message to the Abolition-USA list, mail your message to: abolition-usa@lists.xmission.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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) 24 HOURS TO SIGN Y2K NUKE WEAPONS DE-ALERT LETTER TO US DEFENCE Date: 05 Nov 1999 10:39:45 +1000 John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html DEAR ALL: THIS LETTER IS TO BE FAXED THIS COMING SATURDAY SYDNEY TIME. (18 hours before US time, so friday US time). YOU THEREFORE HAVE ROUGHLY 24 HOURS IN WHICH YOUR ORGANISATION CAN SIGN IT. Please sign it by emailing nonukes@foesyd.org.au, with your organisations physical address and your title. It asks US Defence Secy Cohen to take nuclear weapons off alert over the y2K rollover period. If you think it's insane to have 2,000 US warheads (and 3.600 Russian ones) capable of being launched over 20 minutes, over the Y2K rollover, let secretary Cohen know. If you want to sign on to a similar letter to Yeltsin and Sergeyev, please sign the existing Yeltsin/Clinton sign on, on http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html As above, sign this letter by emailing me at: nonukes@foesyd.org.au A global fax campaign will commence (or re-commence - one already exists) on Sunday November 7. My apologies for the inevitable double-postings. TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461, +1-202-456-2883. Y2K AND DE-ALERTING OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS Dear President Clinton and Secretary for Defence Cohen, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. It is particularly disturbing that you are reported as having stated in Moscow that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are equally vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. We are well aware that the chief of Stratcom, Admiral Mies has said in congressional testimony in April and July 1999 that the defence department is well advanced in terms of its Y2K-remediation program. The Y2K problem is such that it is just not possible to be as certain as Mies is in his testimony. This is because very nature of this kind of problem prohibits you from being certain that every possible programming glitch is truly fixed. In fact no - one will be completely certain until the real date change itself, and indeed until well into the new year. And even if you are able to convincingly prove that US strategic nuclear computer systems are truly Y2K compliant and that they are 'fail safe', you will be well aware of the great concern that has been voiced over the Y2K readiness of Russia. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. Perimiter seems to offer additional pathways by which Y2K -related command and control failures could lead to an accidental launch of missiles, possibly by Y2K - related failures in sensors combined with system blackout fooling the system into thinking that an attack had taken place. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as the public is aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is itself far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The recently admitted Y2K vulnerabilities discovered, according to Reuters reports of congressional testimony, in six of the seven hotlines established during the cold war period are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Agenda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September. (Text of these resolutions has been passed on to you by the deputy president of our Senate, Senator Sue West.) Mr. Clinton and Mr. Cohen, we believe that in taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. We believe that failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a letter in response to a sign on letter from over 270 (now 460) NGOs, Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov said that: "The questions of removing from the military duty of Russian and American nuclear armaments which you mention in your appeal may become the matter for discussion between the two countries in the context of negotiations on further limitation of the strategic nuclear weapons" This hardly indicates that De-alerting is 'off the table' as far as the Russian Government is concerned. It should be very much on the table as far as your administration is concerned. (Text of the Russian reply with english translation to our letter is enclosed). In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. Signed John Hallam, Nuclear Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Sydney. Ak Malten, Global Anti-Nuclear Alliance, The Hague, Tom Mc Donald, British-American Security Information Council,(BASIC) London, Marion Hancock, Aotearoa Peace Foundation, Auckland, NZ., Alice Slater, Global Resource and Action Centre for the Environment, NY., Ellen Thomas, Proposition-1 Committee, Washington DC., Marylia Kelley, Executive Director, Tri -Valley CAREs, (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment), Livermore, CA, Laurie grossman, Y2K-WASH,(World Atomic Safety Holiday) San Francisco, Carah Ong, Abolition 2000 Coordinator, - 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: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Listserve Difficulties Date: 04 Nov 1999 17:46:59 -0800 (PST) Dear All, The Abolition Global Caucus listserve was infected by an individual. I did find the culprit and removed the email address from the list, but not before a worm had infected the server. Due to technical difficulties, the Abolition Global Caucus will now be hosted at Egroups.com. Thank you for your concern. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. >Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' >------------------------------------------------------- > >Dear Cara and Francis, > >The problem is clearly with the "owner-motherearth-a-days@motherearth.org" >list, since when I post to Pol and to other names using that list, I get back >the multiple replies. I've deleted NUKENET from this response, and tp20000 >because they use different providers and don't seem to be the problem (and >I've had confirmation from them that I am not on their lists and therefore >can't be getting mail from them. > >I'm also not getting posts directly from the Abolition nets - 2000 and USA. >Only when "motherearth" is in the list do I find the posts went to them. > >Don't know who has access to or control over the motherearth net but the >problem clearly is on that list. > >Thanks for your help, > >David McReynolds > ><< Subj: RE: (abolition-usa) Listserve Difficulties > Date: 11/4/99 4:34:39 PM Eastern Standard Time > From: FBOYLE@law.uiuc.edu (Boyle, Francis) > Sender: owner-motherearth-a-days@motherearth.org > To: abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com >('abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com'), abolition-caucus@igc.org, >tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org ('TP2000'), a-days@motherearth.org >('a-days@motherearth.org'), NUKENET@envirolink.org ('NUKENET@envirolink.org') > > Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' > ------------------------------------------------------- > > Dear Carah: > I also think that person put some type of worm in there that has > infected the other anti-nuclear lists as well. Francis. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation [mailto:a2000@silcom.com] > Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 3:31 PM > To: abolition-caucus@igc.org; abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com > Subject: (abolition-usa) Listserve Difficulties > > > Dear Friends, > > As the list moderator for the Abolition Global Caucus and the Abolitio-USA > listserves, please allow me to apologize for the inconveniences caused by > the recent multiple postings of the same messages from certain senders. I > am currently on the phoone with our technical support and we are > determining who has infected the list serve. Consequently, the person who > set the automatic loop will be removed from the listserve. I appreciate > your patience in this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, > please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your continued support. > > Yours In Peace, > Carah > > > Carah Lynn Ong > Coordinator, Abolition 2000 > Nuclear Age Peace Foundation > 1187 Coast Village Road PMB 121, Suite 1 > Santa Barbara CA 93108 > > Phone (805) 965 3443 FAX(805) 568 0466 > Email: A2000@silcom.com > Website http://www.wagingpeace.org/abolition2000 > > >> Carah Lynn Ong Coordinator, Abolition 2000 Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 1187 Coast Village Road PMB 121, Suite 1 Santa Barbara CA 93108 Phone (805) 965 3443 FAX(805) 568 0466 Email: A2000@silcom.com Website http://www.wagingpeace.org/abolition2000 Join the Abolition-USA or Abolition-Global Caucus list serve to regularly receive updates about the Abolition movement. Both caucus' also provide a forum for conversation on nuclear-related issues as well as they are used to post important articles and information pertaining to nuclear abolition. To subscribe to the Abolition Global Caucus, please do one of the following: 1. Send a message to the list moderator at A2000@silcom.com 2. Visit the Abolition-caucus website (shown below) and submit a membership form. 3. Visit the Abolition 2000 website and submit a membership form. 4. Send an e-mail to: abolition-caucus-subscribe@egroups.com (leave the subject line and body of the message blank). To post a message to the Abolition Global Caucus, send your message to: abolition-caucus@egroups.com To subscribe to the Abolition-USA listerve, send a message (with no subject) to: abolition-usa-request@lists.xmission.com In the body of the message, write: "subscribe abolition-usa" (do not include quotation marks) To post a message to the Abolition-USA list, mail your message to: abolition-usa@lists.xmission.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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: RE: (abolition-usa) Listserve Difficulties Date: 04 Nov 1999 15:33:59 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Dear Carah: I also think that person put some type of worm in there that has infected the other anti-nuclear lists as well. Francis. -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 3:31 PM Dear Friends, As the list moderator for the Abolition Global Caucus and the Abolitio-USA listserves, please allow me to apologize for the inconveniences caused by the recent multiple postings of the same messages from certain senders. I am currently on the phoone with our technical support and we are determining who has infected the list serve. Consequently, the person who set the automatic loop will be removed from the listserve. I appreciate your patience in this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your continued support. Yours In Peace, Carah Carah Lynn Ong Coordinator, Abolition 2000 Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 1187 Coast Village Road PMB 121, Suite 1 Santa Barbara CA 93108 Phone (805) 965 3443 FAX(805) 568 0466 Email: A2000@silcom.com Website http://www.wagingpeace.org/abolition2000 Join the Abolition-USA or Abolition-Global Caucus list serve to regularly receive updates about the Abolition movement. Both caucus' also provide a forum for conversation on nuclear-related issues as well as they are used to post important articles and information pertaining to nuclear abolition. To subscribe to the Abolition-USA listerve, send a message (with no subject) to: abolition-usa-request@lists.xmission.com In the body of the message, write: "subscribe abolition-usa" (do not include quotation marks) To post a message to the Abolition-USA list, mail your message to: abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com To subscribe to the International Abolition-caucus, send a message (with no subject) to: majordomo@igc.org In the body of the message, write: "subscribe abolition-caucus" (do not include quotation marks) To post a message to the International Abolition list, mail your message to: abolition-caucus@igc.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. - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) 24 HOURS TO SIGN Y2K NUKE WEAPONS DE-ALERT LETTER TO US DEFENCE Date: 05 Nov 1999 10:39:45 +1000 John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html DEAR ALL: THIS LETTER IS TO BE FAXED THIS COMING SATURDAY SYDNEY TIME. (18 hours before US time, so friday US time). YOU THEREFORE HAVE ROUGHLY 24 HOURS IN WHICH YOUR ORGANISATION CAN SIGN IT. Please sign it by emailing nonukes@foesyd.org.au, with your organisations physical address and your title. It asks US Defence Secy Cohen to take nuclear weapons off alert over the y2K rollover period. If you think it's insane to have 2,000 US warheads (and 3.600 Russian ones) capable of being launched over 20 minutes, over the Y2K rollover, let secretary Cohen know. If you want to sign on to a similar letter to Yeltsin and Sergeyev, please sign the existing Yeltsin/Clinton sign on, on http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html As above, sign this letter by emailing me at: nonukes@foesyd.org.au A global fax campaign will commence (or re-commence - one already exists) on Sunday November 7. My apologies for the inevitable double-postings. TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461, +1-202-456-2883. Y2K AND DE-ALERTING OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS Dear President Clinton and Secretary for Defence Cohen, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. It is particularly disturbing that you are reported as having stated in Moscow that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are equally vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. We are well aware that the chief of Stratcom, Admiral Mies has said in congressional testimony in April and July 1999 that the defence department is well advanced in terms of its Y2K-remediation program. The Y2K problem is such that it is just not possible to be as certain as Mies is in his testimony. This is because very nature of this kind of problem prohibits you from being certain that every possible programming glitch is truly fixed. In fact no - one will be completely certain until the real date change itself, and indeed until well into the new year. And even if you are able to convincingly prove that US strategic nuclear computer systems are truly Y2K compliant and that they are 'fail safe', you will be well aware of the great concern that has been voiced over the Y2K readiness of Russia. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. Perimiter seems to offer additional pathways by which Y2K -related command and control failures could lead to an accidental launch of missiles, possibly by Y2K - related failures in sensors combined with system blackout fooling the system into thinking that an attack had taken place. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as the public is aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is itself far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The recently admitted Y2K vulnerabilities discovered, according to Reuters reports of congressional testimony, in six of the seven hotlines established during the cold war period are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Agenda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September. (Text of these resolutions has been passed on to you by the deputy president of our Senate, Senator Sue West.) Mr. Clinton and Mr. Cohen, we believe that in taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. We believe that failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a letter in response to a sign on letter from over 270 (now 460) NGOs, Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov said that: "The questions of removing from the military duty of Russian and American nuclear armaments which you mention in your appeal may become the matter for discussion between the two countries in the context of negotiations on further limitation of the strategic nuclear weapons" This hardly indicates that De-alerting is 'off the table' as far as the Russian Government is concerned. It should be very much on the table as far as your administration is concerned. (Text of the Russian reply with english translation to our letter is enclosed). In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. Signed John Hallam, Nuclear Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Sydney. Ak Malten, Global Anti-Nuclear Alliance, The Hague, Tom Mc Donald, British-American Security Information Council,(BASIC) London, Marion Hancock, Aotearoa Peace Foundation, Auckland, NZ., Alice Slater, Global Resource and Action Centre for the Environment, NY., Ellen Thomas, Proposition-1 Committee, Washington DC., Marylia Kelley, Executive Director, Tri -Valley CAREs, (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment), Livermore, CA, Laurie grossman, Y2K-WASH,(World Atomic Safety Holiday) San Francisco, Carah Ong, Abolition 2000 Coordinator, - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) 24 HOURS TO SIGN Y2K NUKE WEAPONS DE-ALERT LETTER TO US DEFENCE Date: 05 Nov 1999 10:39:45 +1000 John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html DEAR ALL: THIS LETTER IS TO BE FAXED THIS COMING SATURDAY SYDNEY TIME. (18 hours before US time, so friday US time). YOU THEREFORE HAVE ROUGHLY 24 HOURS IN WHICH YOUR ORGANISATION CAN SIGN IT. Please sign it by emailing nonukes@foesyd.org.au, with your organisations physical address and your title. It asks US Defence Secy Cohen to take nuclear weapons off alert over the y2K rollover period. If you think it's insane to have 2,000 US warheads (and 3.600 Russian ones) capable of being launched over 20 minutes, over the Y2K rollover, let secretary Cohen know. If you want to sign on to a similar letter to Yeltsin and Sergeyev, please sign the existing Yeltsin/Clinton sign on, on http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html As above, sign this letter by emailing me at: nonukes@foesyd.org.au A global fax campaign will commence (or re-commence - one already exists) on Sunday November 7. My apologies for the inevitable double-postings. TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461, +1-202-456-2883. Y2K AND DE-ALERTING OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS Dear President Clinton and Secretary for Defence Cohen, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. It is particularly disturbing that you are reported as having stated in Moscow that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are equally vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. We are well aware that the chief of Stratcom, Admiral Mies has said in congressional testimony in April and July 1999 that the defence department is well advanced in terms of its Y2K-remediation program. The Y2K problem is such that it is just not possible to be as certain as Mies is in his testimony. This is because very nature of this kind of problem prohibits you from being certain that every possible programming glitch is truly fixed. In fact no - one will be completely certain until the real date change itself, and indeed until well into the new year. And even if you are able to convincingly prove that US strategic nuclear computer systems are truly Y2K compliant and that they are 'fail safe', you will be well aware of the great concern that has been voiced over the Y2K readiness of Russia. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. Perimiter seems to offer additional pathways by which Y2K -related command and control failures could lead to an accidental launch of missiles, possibly by Y2K - related failures in sensors combined with system blackout fooling the system into thinking that an attack had taken place. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as the public is aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is itself far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The recently admitted Y2K vulnerabilities discovered, according to Reuters reports of congressional testimony, in six of the seven hotlines established during the cold war period are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Agenda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September. (Text of these resolutions has been passed on to you by the deputy president of our Senate, Senator Sue West.) Mr. Clinton and Mr. Cohen, we believe that in taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. We believe that failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a letter in response to a sign on letter from over 270 (now 460) NGOs, Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov said that: "The questions of removing from the military duty of Russian and American nuclear armaments which you mention in your appeal may become the matter for discussion between the two countries in the context of negotiations on further limitation of the strategic nuclear weapons" This hardly indicates that De-alerting is 'off the table' as far as the Russian Government is concerned. It should be very much on the table as far as your administration is concerned. (Text of the Russian reply with english translation to our letter is enclosed). In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. Signed John Hallam, Nuclear Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Sydney. Ak Malten, Global Anti-Nuclear Alliance, The Hague, Tom Mc Donald, British-American Security Information Council,(BASIC) London, Marion Hancock, Aotearoa Peace Foundation, Auckland, NZ., Alice Slater, Global Resource and Action Centre for the Environment, NY., Ellen Thomas, Proposition-1 Committee, Washington DC., Marylia Kelley, Executive Director, Tri -Valley CAREs, (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment), Livermore, CA, Laurie grossman, Y2K-WASH,(World Atomic Safety Holiday) San Francisco, Carah Ong, Abolition 2000 Coordinator, - 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: Charles F Hilfenhaus Subject: (abolition-usa) Subcritical Test "Oboe 2" Date: 05 Nov 1999 13:12:18 EST November 4, 1999 at about 4:00 p.m. PST the U.S. Department of Energy conducted a dry run in preparation for the Subcritical nuclear test "Oboe 2". The timing of this dry run is consistent with a test date in mid to late December. This will be the third U.S. subcritical test of 1999 and the last nuclear test of the twentieth century. Charlie Hilfenhaus Alliance of Atomic Veterans Atomic Workers Division ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj. - 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: "bob kinsey" Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) 24 HOURS TO SIGN Y2K NUKE WEAPONS DE-ALERT LETTER TO US DEFENCESECY COHEN Date: 05 Nov 1999 14:09:18 -0700 please sign us on ************************************************* Bob Kinsey Peace and Justice Task Force Rocky Mountain Conference, United Church of Christ bkinsey@peacemission .org 6555 Ward Road, Arvada, Colorado, 80004 "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God" -- Jesus of Nazareth - 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: (abolition-usa) WSLF CTBT vote response flyer available Date: 05 Nov 1999 18:10:56 -0800 WSLF has available a 6 page flyer responding to the U.S. Senate vote on the Comprehensive Test Ban. The flyer, "Reclaiming the Comprehensive Test Ban: A Step on the Road to Elimination of Nuclear Weapons," is available in pdf (Acrobat) format. The flyer contains a brief analysis of the CTBT vote, background on nuclear testing and U.S. nuclear weapons "stockpile stewardship" activities, and information about the Abolition 2000 global network for the elimination of nuclear weapons and about the new US Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons, a part of Abolition 2000. If you would like a copy of this flyer sent to you as an enclosed file, please e-mail me at this address. Andrew Lichterman Western States Legal Foundation - 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: (abolition-usa) WSLF CTBT vote response flyer available Date: 05 Nov 1999 18:13:20 -0800 WSLF has available a 6 page flyer responding to the U.S. Senate vote on the Comprehensive Test Ban. The flyer, "Reclaiming the Comprehensive Test Ban: A Step on the Road to Elimination of Nuclear Weapons," is available in pdf (Acrobat) format. The flyer contains a brief analysis of the CTBT vote, background on nuclear testing and U.S. nuclear weapons "stockpile stewardship" activities, and information about the Abolition 2000 global network for the elimination of nuclear weapons and about the new US Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons, a part of Abolition 2000. If you would like a copy of this flyer sent to you as an enclosed file, please e-mail me at this address. Andrew Lichterman Western States Legal Foundation - 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) FYI-DOE weapons "Megastrategy" letter Date: 05 Nov 1999 18:54:34 -0800 (PST) Dear peace and enviro advocates: Here is a final copy of the letter we sent to DOE regarding its plans to enhance -- and move around -- various aspects of the nuclear weapons research and development program called "Stockpile Stewardship." The DOE calls this particular proposal its "Mega Strategy." One hundred organizations signed the letter (thanks!) along with Tri-Valley CAREs, Western States Legal Foundation and Physicians for Social Responsibility - San Francisco Bay Area chapter. If your group signed on, please accept our appreciation, and this email copy. If your group did not sign on, please look over the letter for its infomational value -- this issue will come up again! The signatory list follows the letter, below (sorry for the loss in formatting via email). Also, as signers came from a varitiey of "list-serves" I am posting to several. Please understand that mean some folks may recieve duplicate copies. And, finally, special thanks goes to Sally Light for her work in drafting and circulating the letter. Peace, Marylia October 26, 1999 US Department of Energy 1000 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20585 Attn: Gilbert Weigand, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Weapons Research & Development Re: Department of Energy's Plans for Major Changes in Nuclear Weapons Complex Dear Mr. Weigand, We are writing on behalf of Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment), Western States Legal Foundation and Physicians for Social Responsibility - Greater San Francisco Bay Area Chapter. All three organizations have a long-time interest in public health and safety issues concerning Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and other facilities within the nuclear weapons complex. Tri-Valley CAREs is a 16-year-old environmental group that "watchdogs" LLNL. Among other things, it holds two US Environmental Protection Agency Technical Assistance Grants to monitor environmental cleanup at LLNL. Western States Legal Foundation has been deeply involved in monitoring nuclear weapons programs and environmental activities at LLNL since 1982. The San Francisco Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility has kept watch over LLNL worker and community issues for a number of years. Further, this letter represents the interests and concerns of the 100 public interest organizations who have joined us in sending this letter. These organizations are listed on signatory pages that follow. We have recently obtained information concerning the Department of Energy's (DOE) plans to reconfigure, expand, enhance and/or move certain aspects of the nuclear weapons program carried out by the various facilities within the nuclear weapons complex. This information is from briefing papers, which we understand you used to brief high-level Clinton administration officials on the DOE plan. Changes proposed by DOE include the following: 1. DOE will "move promptly" the W80 nuclear warhead workload from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This would involve more plutonium pit work at LLNL. The briefing papers reveal what appear to be changes in the warhead -2- that go far, far beyond any maintenance procedures that may be necessary to preserve the existing weapon's "safety" or "reliability" while it remains in the arsenal. 2. DOE will also "move promptly" the plutonium pit surveillance mission and workload from LANL to LLNL. DOE expressly says that one goal is to give Livermore Lab more plutonium workload, which means that pits from weapons, in addition to those of the W80 program discussed in #1 above, will come to Livermore. Further, the plan suggests that some or all of the surveillance work for each of the US weapon types will come to Livermore Lab, which means nuclear weapons components would be taken apart and "destructively tested" at Livermore. Concerning both #1 and #2 above, Livermore Lab already has about 880 pounds of plutonium, and also has a history of accidents, spills, leaks, and plutonium safety violations. In fact, its plutonium facility was recently shut down on the recommendation of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, and is only now "restarting." We are worried that the DOE's proposed changes will result in increased risks to worker and public health and safety. 3. LANL's Appaloosa program would be expanded. Appaloosa is the code-name for a hydrodynamic test program wherein high explosives and surrogate bomb cores, called pits (including full-scale pits fabricated with plutonium 242), are detonated in above-ground heavy steel containment vessels. 4. DOE will consolidate its hydrodynamic program at LANL, although the Clinton administration has been informed that LLNL will still keep its hydrodynamic program, including the new "Contained Firing Facility" now under construction at Livermore. 5. A huge proton accelerator is to be constructed at LANL. 6. DOE will construct additional underground subcritical nuclear tests for the W80 and W88 programs. The briefing papers also indicate that additional subcritical tests will involve "weapon relevant shapes." 7. DOE will move the ATLAS and Pegasus facilities from LANL to Nevada (ATLAS is a new pulse power facility under construction at LANL, and Pegasus an older machine). These two facilities would be used to develop the technology allowing for "explosively driven pulse power for future SNM [special nuclear material - i.e., plutonium] experiments in U1A." U1A is the underground complex of tunnels and rooms where subcritical nuclear experiments are now detonated at the Nevada Test Site. 8. DOE will build a new "infrastructure for weapons microsystems components...MESA" at Sandia Lab in New Mexico, supporting "future AF&F (arming, firing and fusing) needs." This aspect of the plan is reported to cost $300 million. Although these are major moves and expansion of nuclear weapons activities, the DOE has failed -3- to discuss technical or policy justifications for them. DOE has also failed to discuss overall the comparative proliferation impacts, costs, and environmental impacts of its proposed action and all reasonable alternatives thereto. Nor does DOE indicate any intended public disclosure or process for public review and comment. This plan has gone forward in secret, and the public has been inappropriately excluded from any knowledge or decision-making role. Earlier this year, DOE and Livermore Lab held a public meeting at which officials testified that no major changes were contemplated to Livermore Lab's operations over the next 5 years. Based on this, DOE and Livermore Lab decided on March 10, 1999, not to conduct a new site-wide environmental review. In view of the above proposed changes, it is difficult for us not to think that DOE and LLNL may have acted in bad faith at that public meeting. We are outraged by these decisions and demand that a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory with full public hearings and disclosure be part of the process to decide whether any funding should be requested/expended. Certainly, this EIS must be done before any of these changes occur, and before anything is moved. There should be no repeat of the situation at Paducah and Portsmouth, where both workers and the public were misled for years, and revelations about plutonium contamination are just now becoming public. Further, the DOE has completed a Stockpile Stewardship & Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (SSM PEIS) which is silent on this plan. In fact, some of the SSM PEIS' siting elements actually ran contrary to the latest DOE scheme described above. OMB is on record stating that DOE must undertake a revision of the SSM PEIS before moving forward. DOE, however, has already requested initial monies from Congress to begin, according to a Senate report. It appears to us that a Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, with public hearings held across the country, is necessary as well. We hope to have your response in the very near future. If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate in contacting us. Sincerely, Marylia Kelley, Executive Director Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment) Robert M. Gould, M.D., President Physicians for Social Responsibility Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director Western States Legal Foundation -4- Public Interest Organization Sign-Ons - United States Alan Moore, Director & Founder, Mendocino Coast Environmental Center, 1563 Solano Ave., #477, Berkeley, CA 94707 Alan Senauke, Executive Director, Buddhist Peace Fellowship, P.O. Box 4650, Berkeley, CA 94704 Ali Harris, Director, San Jose Peace Center, 48 South 7th St., San Jose, CA 95112 Alice Slater, Executive Director, Global Resource Action Center for the Environment, 15 East 26th St., Room 915, New York, NY 10010 Art Schroeder, Convener, Gray Panthers of West Contra Costa County, 706 Sea View Dr., El Cerrito, CA 94530 Arthur J. Miller, Coordinator, Northwest Leonard Peltier Support Network, Tacoma, WA Barbara Lubin, Director, Mid East Children's Alliance, 905 Parker St., Berkeley, CA 94710 Barbara Wiedner, Director, Grandmothers for Peace International, 9444 Medstead Way, Elk Grove, CA 95758 Bishop Walter F. Sullivan, President; Dave Robinson, Director of Programs; Nancy Small, National Coordinator, Pax Christi USA, 532 W. 8th St., Erie, PA 16502 Bob Kinsey, Peace and Justice Task Force, Rocky Mountain Conference, United Church of Christ, 6555 Ward Rd., Arvada, CO 80004 Bradley Angel, Executive Director, Greenaction, 1095 Market St., #608, San Francisco, CA 94103 Bruce K. Gagnon, Coordinator, Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, P.O. Box 90083, Gainesville, FL 32607 Carol Ewell, Field Teacher, Web of Life School, 220 Cloister Lane, Aptos, CA 95003 Carol Jahnkow, Executive Director, Peace Resource Center of San Diego, P.O. Box 15307, San Diego, CA 92175 Carol Wagner, Executive Director, Mt. Diablo Peace Center, 55 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 Christopher Sewall, Staff, Western Shoshone Defense Project, P.O. Box 211308, Crescent Valley, NV 89821 Chris Paine, Senior Researcher, Nuclear Program, Natural Resources Defense Council, 1535 Dairy Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903 Cindy Pile, Executive Director, and Marcus Page, Las Vegas Director, Nevada Desert Experience, P.O. Box 46645, Las Vegas, NV 89114 Corbin Harney, Executive Director, Shundahai Network, 5007 Elmhurst St., Las Vegas, NV 89108 Dale Nesbitt, Chair, 20-20 Vision (7th, 9th, 10th and 13th Congressional Districts of California), 1712 Marin Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707 Danielle Babineau, Southern California Political Director, California Peace Action, 1436 South La Cienega Blvd., #208, Los Angeles, CA 90035 David Kreiger, Ph.D., President, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, 1187 Coast Village Road, #123. Santa Barbara, CA 93108 David McReynolds, War Resisters League, 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 (for identification purposes only) -5- David Seaborg, President, World Rainforest Fund, 1888 Pomar Way, Walnut Creek, CA 94598 Diane Estrin, Executive Director, Women's Cancer Resource Center, 3023 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 Don Moniak, STAND of Amarillo, Inc., 7105 W. 34th Ave., #E, Amarillo, TX 79109 Doris Copperman, Convener, Gray Panthers of Central Contra Costa County, 3 Penwith Walk, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 Elizabeth Brown, Chair, East Bay Peace Action, P.O. Box 6574, Albany, CA 94706 E.M.T. O'Nan, Director, Protect All Children's Environment, 2261 Buck Creek Road, Marion, NC 28752 Eric Parfrey, Chair, Peace and Justice Network of San Joaquin Valley, P.O. Box 4123, Stockton, CA 95204 Ernest Goitein, Coordinator, Californians for Radioactive Safeguards, 167 Almendral Ave., Atherton, CA 94027 Father Bill O'Donnell, St. Joseph the Worker Social Justice Committee, 1640 Addison St., Berkeley, CA 94703 Francis U. Macy, Director, Center for Safe Energy, 2812 Cherry St., Berkeley, CA 94705 Fred Allingham, Executive Director, National Association of Radiation Survivors, P.O. Box 2815, Weaverville, CA 96093 Fusako de Angelis, Project Coordinator, Plutonium Free Future, P.O. Box 2589, Berkeley, CA 94702 Gar Smith, Editor, Earth Island Journal, 300 Broadway, Suite 28, San Francisco, CA 94133 Gene Bernardi and Pamela Sihvola, Co-Chairs, Committee to Minimize Toxic Waste, P.O. Box 9464, Berkeley, CA 94709 George Levenson, Member, Informed Democracy, P.O. Box 67, Santa Cruz, CA 95063 Giuliana Milanese, Steering Committee Member, Committees of Correspondence - Northern California, 522 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110 Greg Mello, Executive Director, Los Alamos Study Group, 212 E. Marcy St., Santa Fe, NM 87501 Helen Caldicott, Founding President, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Founder, Women's Action for New Directions (for identification purposes only) Henry Clark, Executive Director, West County Toxics Coalition, 1019 McDonald Ave., Richmond, CA 94801 Henry Rogers, Carolina Peace Resource Center, 305 S. Salvda Ave., Columbia, SC 29205 Hisham Zerriffi, Project Scientist, Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, 6935 Laurel Ave., Takoma Park, MD 20912 Jack and Felice Cohen-Joppa, Editors, The Nuclear Resister, P.O. Box 43383, Tucson, AZ 85733 Jan Harwood, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom - Santa Cruz Branch and Santa Cruz Committee for Abolition 2000, P.O. Box 61, Santa Cruz, CA 95063 Jane Williams, California Communities Against Toxics, 3813 50th St., Rosamund, CA 93560 Jay Coghlan, LANL Program Director, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, 107 Cienega St., Santa Fe, NM 87501 Jennifer Olaranna Viereck, Alliance Coordinator, Healing Global Wounds, P.O. Box 420, -6- Tecopa, CA 92389 Jim Heddle, Nuclear Democracy Network, P.O. Box 1047, Bolinas, CA 95924 Joan Holtzman, Executive Director, Center for Economic Conversion, 222 View St., Mountain View, CA 94306 Jonathan Parfrey, Executive Director, Physicians for Social Responsibility - Los Angeles, 1316 3rd St. Promenade, Suite B1, Santa Monica, CA 90401 John Burroughs, Executive Director, Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, 211 E. 43rd St., Suite 1204, New York, NY 10017 John Knox, Executive Director, Earth Island Institute, 300 Broadway, Suite 28, San Francisco, CA 94133 Joy Crocker, Director, Quantum Leap, 3065 Monterey Blvd., Oakland, CA 94602 June Casey, San Francisco Area Liaison, Peace Links, 521 Westfield Way, Oakland, CA 94619 Kelly Quirke, Executive Director, Rainforest Action Network, 221 Pine St., #500, San Francisco, CA 94104 Kristan Markey, Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission, 235 E. Fountain Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80903 Laura Hunter, Navy Toxic Campaign Director, Environmental Health Coalition, 1717 Kettner, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92101 Lillian Nurmela, Disarmament Chair, Women for Peace - East Bay, 145 Monte Cresta Ave., #201, Oakland, CA 94611 Lyle Talbot, Desert Citizens Against Pollution, 3183 50th St., Rosamund, CA 93560 Lynette Hiilani Cruz, Ahupua'a Action Alliance, 2505-A La'i Road, Honolulu, HI 96816 Madeline Duckles, Co-Chair, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom - East Bay, 145 Monte Cresta Ave., #201, Oakland, CA 94611 Marguerite Young, State Director, Clean Water Action, 944 Market St., Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94102 Mario Galvan, President, Sacramento/Yolo Peace Action, 909 12th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 Marion Pack, Executive Director, Alliance for Survival, 230 E. 17th St., #210, Costa Mesa, CA 92627 Mary Beth Brangan, Co-Coordinator for US Branch of World Atomic Safety Holiday, 1000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., San Anselmo, CA 94960 Mary Davis, Project Director, Uranium Enrichment Project of Earth Island Institute, P.O. Box 131, Georgetown, KY 40324 Max Bollock, Legislative Director, San Mateo County Peace Action, P.O. Box 425, San Mateo, CA 94401 Michael Green, Executive Director, Center for Environmental Health, 528 61st Street, Suite A, Oakland, CA 94609 Mike Niece, Executive Director, Magdalene House, 1678 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94602 Norm Cohen, Executive Director, Coalition for Peace and Justice, 321 Barr Ave., Linwood, NJ 08221 Pamela Ransom, Women's Environment and Development Organization, 355 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10017 -7- Paul George, Director, Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, 457 Kingsley Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301 Paula Palmer, Executive Director, Global Response, P.O Box 7490, Boulder, CO 80306 Peter Ferenbach, Executive Director, and Andrew Page, Northern California Political Director, California Peace Action, 2800 Adeline St., Berkeley, CA 94703 Phil Klasky, BAN Waste, 2760 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, CA 94118 Ralph Hutchison, Coordinator, Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, 100 Tulsa Road, Suite 4A, Oak Ridge, TN 37830 Robert Lepley, Director, Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives, 38 Old Country Road, Garden City, NY 11530 Robert W. Tiller, Director of Security Programs, Physicians for Social Responsibility, 1101 14th Street, Washington, D.C. 20005 Rose Brodie, Seattle Women Act for Peace, 3842 NE 90th Street, Seattle, WA 98115 Sherry Larsen-Beville, Board Member, Livermore Conversion Project, P.O. Box 31835, Oakland, CA 94604 Stella Paton, Co-Chair, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom - San Francisco Branch, P.O. Box 591390, San Francisco, CA 94159 Susan Shaer, Women's Action for New Directions, 691, Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, MA 02147 Suzanne Ragalado, Executive Director, and Russ Jorgensen, Board Member, Sonoma County Peace and Justice Center, 540 Pacific Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95404 Tom Marshall, Coordinator, Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, P.O. Box 1156, Boulder, CO 80306 Tom Rauch, President, Colorado Coalition for the Prevention of Nuclear War, 1738 Wynkoop St., Suite 1, Denver, CO 80202 Vina Colley, Portsmouth-Piketon Residents for Environmental Safety and Security, 3706 McDermott Pond Creek, McDermott, OH 45652 Wanda Ballentine, Secretary, Citizens for Public Accountability, 955 Lewis Ave., #4, Eugene, OR 97402 William Smirnow, Nuclear Free New York, 168 Maple Hill Road, Huntington, NY 11743 Public Interest Organization Sign-Ons - International Bernd Damisch, Board Member, and Sabine Schenk, Member, Working Circles Indians Today Germany, Dr. Kulztstrasse 3, 08468 Reichenbach, i.V., Germany Di McDonald, Network Information Project, 30 Westwood Rd., Southampton, S017 1DN, UK Irene Gale, Secretary, Australian Peace Committee (SA Branch), Inc., 11 South Tee, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia Jenny Maxwell, Treasurer, West Midlands Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, 54 Allison St., Digbeth, Birmingham, B5 5th, UK John Hallam, Friends of the Earth - Sydney, 17 Lord St., Newtown, NSW, Australia Pol D'Huyvetter, Mother Earth International, Lange Steenstraat 16/D, 900 Gent, Belgium Renate Domnick, Board Member, Society of Threatened Peoples, Hansaplatz 5, 20099 Hamburg, Germany -8- Ronald S. McCoy, Malaysian Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, 17 Jalan Tanjung (5/4), 46000 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia Solange Fernex, President, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom - France, Biederthal 68480, France Xanthe Hall, Co-Director, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Koertestrasse 10, D-10967 Berlin, Germany 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! (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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Y2K DE-ALERTING LETTER FAXED TODAY TO US SECY OF DEFENCE COHEN, Date: 06 Nov 1999 14:25:58 +1000 John Hallam =46riends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, =46ax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html The Following has been faxed today to US Secretary for Defence William Cohen, all US Presidential fax numbers, Russian Minister for Defence Igor Sergeyev, Russian foreign minister I. Ivanov, John Koskinen, and Senators Dodd and Bennett. With it has also been faxed the FOE Sydney response to the Russian reply from I Ivanov, I. Ivanov's reply, and the most recent collation of the large sign on letter to Yeltsin and Clinton, now with over 460 organisations worldwide signed on to it, asking for nuclear forces to be stood down over the y2K rollover period. It is also to be emailed to all US congresspeople, all Australian parliamentarians, all members of the European parliament all UN missions and all heads of state with the current collation of the large sign on letter. I commend this and the large sign on letter expecially to your earnest attention. TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, +1-202-456-2461, +1-202-456-2883, +1-202-456-6201, +1-202-456-6218 cc IGOR SERGEYEV, DEFENCE MINISTER OF RUSSIA +7-095-247-2722, +7-095-293-3323, +7-095-293-3313, +7-095-247-2795 I.IVANOV, FOREIGN MINISTER OF RUSSIA, +7-095-244-3276, +7-095-244-2203 JOHN A. KOSKINEN, +1-202-456-7172 SENATOR BOB BENNETT +1-202-224-4908 SENATOR CHRIS DODD+1-202-224-1083 Y2K AND DE-ALERTING OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS Dear Secretary for Defence Cohen and President Clinton, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. It is particularly disturbing that you are reported as having stated in Moscow that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are equally vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. We are well aware that the chief of Stratcom, Admiral Mies has said in congressional testimony in April and July 1999 that the defence department is 'well advanced' in terms of its Y2K-remediation program. The Y2K problem is such that it is just not possible to be as certain as Mies is in his testimony. This is because very nature of this kind of problem prohibits you from being certain that every possible programming glitch is truly fixed. In fact no-one will be completely certain until the real date change itself, and indeed until well into the new year. And even if you are able to convincingly prove that US strategic nuclear computer systems are truly Y2K compliant and that they are 'fail safe', you will be well aware of the great concern that has been voiced over the Y2K readiness of Russia. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. Perimeter seems to offer additional pathways by which Y2K -related command and control failures could lead to an accidental launch of missiles, possibly by Y2K-related failures in sensors, combined with system blackout fooling the system into thinking that an attack had taken place. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as the public is aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is itself far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The recently admitted Y2K vulnerabilities discovered, according to Reuters reports of congressional testimony, in six of the seven hotlines established during the cold war period are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Agenda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20 September. (Text of these resolutions has been passed on to you by the deputy president of our Senate, Senator Sue West, copy is enclosed.) Mr. Clinton and Mr. Cohen, we believe that in taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. We believe that failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a letter in response to a sign on letter from over 270 (now 460) NGOs, Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov said that: "The questions of removing from the military duty of Russian and American nuclear armaments which you mention in your appeal may become the matter for discussion between the two countries in the context of negotiations on further limitation of the strategic nuclear weapons" This hardly indicates that De-alerting is 'off the table' as far as the Russian Government is concerned. It should be very much on the table as far as your administration is concerned. In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. (Text of the Russian reply with English translation to our letter is enclosed, together with our response to the Russian reply.). (The latest compilation of the large sign on letter to Yeltsin and Clinton, asking for nuclear weapons to be taken off hairtrigger alert is also enclosed.) Signed John Hallam, Nuclear Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Sydney, Ricardo Navarro, Friends of the Earth El Salvador, Nnimmo Bassey, Director, Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Benin City, Nigeria, Kika Kapela, Friends of the Earth Cyprus, Yumi Kikuchi, Co-Founder and International Coordinator, Y2K-WASH (World Atomic Safety Holiday) Chiba, Japan, Ak Malten, Global Anti-Nuclear Alliance, The Hague, Xanthe Hall, IPPNW(Germany), Berlin, Germany, Tom Mc Donald, British-American Security Information Council,(BASIC) London, Paul Swann, Y2K WASH (World Atomic Safety Holiday), London, Jenny Maxwell, West Midlands Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Birmingham, U= K., Anni Rainbow and Lindis Percy, Campaign for the Accountability of US Bases, Yorkshire, UK., George Thomas, Founder/Coordinator, Earth Millennium Project, London, UK, Di Mc Donald, Network Information Project, Southampton, UK, Solange Fernex, President, Womens International League for Peace and =46reedom,(WILPF) Paris, France, Bruno Barrillot, Directeur, Centre de Documentation et de Recherche sur la Paix et les Conflits, Lyon, France, Maurice Sistermans, Netherlands Centre for Indigenous Peoples, Amsterdam. Klaus Biegert, Nuclear-Free Future Award, Munich, Germany, Bernd Frieboese, Barseb=E4ckoffensiv, Germany, Prof., Dirk Siefkes, Techn. Universitaet Informatik, Berlin, Ada Amon, Executive Director, Energy Club, Budapest, Hungary, Ulla Lehtinen, First Peoples, Finland, Marion Hancock, Aotearoa Peace Foundation, Auckland, NZ., Dr. Komei Hosokawa, Saga University, Saga City, Japan, Pan-Hellenic Network of Environment Organizations Greece, Gordon Edwards, President, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, Montreal, Canada, Alice Slater, Global Resource and Action Centre for the Environment, NY., Ellen Thomas, Proposition-One Committee, Washington DC., Marylia Kelley, Executive Director, Tri-Valley CAREs, (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment), Livermore, CA, Carah Ong, Abolition 2000 Coordinator, David Krieger, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Sanata Barbara, California, Robert W. Tiller, Physicians for Social Responsibility, USA, Michael Marriotte, Executive Director, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Washington DC., Bill Smirnow, Nuclear Free New York, Huntingdon, NY, William F. Santlemann, Metro-Boston Committee to De-Alert Nuclear Weapons, Judith H. Johnsrud, Environmental Coalition on Nuclear Power, Pennsylvania, Laurie Grossman, Y2K-WASH,(World Atomic Safety Holiday) San Francisco, Mary Beth Branagan, Y2K-WASH San Francisco, Robyn Wolf, World Atomic Safety Holiday, Richmond, CA., Annie Wildwood, Y2K-WASH, Bolinas, California, Bob Kinsey, Peace and Justice Task Force, United Church of Christ, Rocky Mountain Conference, Arvada, Colorado, Reverend Robert Moore, Coalition for Peace Action, Princeton, NJ, Reverends Eleanor Mercer and Meredith Jordan, Rogers Mc Kay, Maine, Byron Plumley, American Friends Service Committee, Colorado, Anthony Guarisco, Alliance of Atomic Veterans, USA., Mel H. Kernahan, Alliance for Survival, Orange County, California, Mary Byrd Davis, Director, Ygdrassil Institute,(Earth Island) Georgetown, Ky= , Scott Miller, Director, Peace Action Maine, Portland, Me, Rosalie Tyler Paul, Peace Action Maine, Portland, Me, Dan Ogden, Sawmill River Watershed Alliance, Ma, USA., Barbara Messana, Lawrence Grassroots Initiative, Lawrence, Ma, Christopher H. Peters, Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development, Arcata, Calif, Nick Cooney, Student Activists Group, Hofstra University, NY., Deb Katz, Director, Citizen Awareness Network, MA., Ed Meagher, Merrimac Valley People for Peace Elsie Harvey, Greater Lansing Peace Education Centre, Michigan, Mark Krumholtz, Centre for Particle Astrophysics, University of California, Berkley, Dr. Julian Borrill, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, Berkley, Calif, Prof. Wendy Griffin, California State University, Long Beach, Calif, Caroll S. Wallace, Director, Everywomans Centre, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, Irene Gale AM, Babs Fuller-Quinn, Australian Peace Committee, Adelaide/Sydne= y, Gareth Devenish, Goongerah Environment Centre, Galen White, Treefrog Consulting Pty Ltd., Information technology Consultants, - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Y2K DE-ALERTING LETTER FAXED TODAY TO US SECY OF DEFENCE COHEN, Date: 06 Nov 1999 14:25:58 +1000 John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html The Following has been faxed today to US Secretary for Defence William Cohen, all US Presidential fax numbers, Russian Minister for Defence Igor Sergeyev, Russian foreign minister I. Ivanov, John Koskinen, and Senators Dodd and Bennett. With it has also been faxed the FOE Sydney response to the Russian reply from I Ivanov, I. Ivanov's reply, and the most recent collation of the large sign on letter to Yeltsin and Clinton, now with over 460 organisations worldwide signed on to it, asking for nuclear forces to be stood down over the y2K rollover period. It is also to be emailed to all US congresspeople, all Australian parliamentarians, all members of the European parliament all UN missions and all heads of state with the current collation of the large sign on letter. I commend this and the large sign on letter expecially to your earnest attention. TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, +1-202-456-2461, +1-202-456-2883, +1-202-456-6201, +1-202-456-6218 cc IGOR SERGEYEV, DEFENCE MINISTER OF RUSSIA +7-095-247-2722, +7-095-293-3323, +7-095-293-3313, +7-095-247-2795 I.IVANOV, FOREIGN MINISTER OF RUSSIA, +7-095-244-3276, +7-095-244-2203 JOHN A. KOSKINEN, +1-202-456-7172 SENATOR BOB BENNETT +1-202-224-4908 SENATOR CHRIS DODD+1-202-224-1083 Y2K AND DE-ALERTING OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS Dear Secretary for Defence Cohen and President Clinton, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. It is particularly disturbing that you are reported as having stated in Moscow that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are equally vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. We are well aware that the chief of Stratcom, Admiral Mies has said in congressional testimony in April and July 1999 that the defence department is 'well advanced' in terms of its Y2K-remediation program. The Y2K problem is such that it is just not possible to be as certain as Mies is in his testimony. This is because very nature of this kind of problem prohibits you from being certain that every possible programming glitch is truly fixed. In fact no-one will be completely certain until the real date change itself, and indeed until well into the new year. And even if you are able to convincingly prove that US strategic nuclear computer systems are truly Y2K compliant and that they are 'fail safe', you will be well aware of the great concern that has been voiced over the Y2K readiness of Russia. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. Perimeter seems to offer additional pathways by which Y2K -related command and control failures could lead to an accidental launch of missiles, possibly by Y2K-related failures in sensors, combined with system blackout fooling the system into thinking that an attack had taken place. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as the public is aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is itself far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The recently admitted Y2K vulnerabilities discovered, according to Reuters reports of congressional testimony, in six of the seven hotlines established during the cold war period are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Agenda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20 September. (Text of these resolutions has been passed on to you by the deputy president of our Senate, Senator Sue West, copy is enclosed.) Mr. Clinton and Mr. Cohen, we believe that in taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. We believe that failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a letter in response to a sign on letter from over 270 (now 460) NGOs, Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov said that: "The questions of removing from the military duty of Russian and American nuclear armaments which you mention in your appeal may become the matter for discussion between the two countries in the context of negotiations on further limitation of the strategic nuclear weapons" This hardly indicates that De-alerting is 'off the table' as far as the Russian Government is concerned. It should be very much on the table as far as your administration is concerned. In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. (Text of the Russian reply with English translation to our letter is enclosed, together with our response to the Russian reply.). (The latest compilation of the large sign on letter to Yeltsin and Clinton, asking for nuclear weapons to be taken off hairtrigger alert is also enclosed.) Signed John Hallam, Nuclear Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Sydney, Ricardo Navarro, Friends of the Earth El Salvador, Nnimmo Bassey, Director, Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Benin City, Nigeria, Kika Kapela, Friends of the Earth Cyprus, Yumi Kikuchi, Co-Founder and International Coordinator, Y2K-WASH (World Atomic Safety Holiday) Chiba, Japan, Ak Malten, Global Anti-Nuclear Alliance, The Hague, Xanthe Hall, IPPNW(Germany), Berlin, Germany, Tom Mc Donald, British-American Security Information Council,(BASIC) London, Paul Swann, Y2K WASH (World Atomic Safety Holiday), London, Jenny Maxwell, West Midlands Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Birmingham, UK., Anni Rainbow and Lindis Percy, Campaign for the Accountability of US Bases, Yorkshire, UK., George Thomas, Founder/Coordinator, Earth Millennium Project, London, UK, Di Mc Donald, Network Information Project, Southampton, UK, Solange Fernex, President, Womens International League for Peace and Freedom,(WILPF) Paris, France, Bruno Barrillot, Directeur, Centre de Documentation et de Recherche sur la Paix et les Conflits, Lyon, France, Maurice Sistermans, Netherlands Centre for Indigenous Peoples, Amsterdam. Klaus Biegert, Nuclear-Free Future Award, Munich, Germany, Bernd Frieboese, Barsebäckoffensiv, Germany, Prof., Dirk Siefkes, Techn. Universitaet Informatik, Berlin, Ada Amon, Executive Director, Energy Club, Budapest, Hungary, Ulla Lehtinen, First Peoples, Finland, Marion Hancock, Aotearoa Peace Foundation, Auckland, NZ., Dr. Komei Hosokawa, Saga University, Saga City, Japan, Pan-Hellenic Network of Environment Organizations Greece, Gordon Edwards, President, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, Montreal, Canada, Alice Slater, Global Resource and Action Centre for the Environment, NY., Ellen Thomas, Proposition-One Committee, Washington DC., Marylia Kelley, Executive Director, Tri-Valley CAREs, (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment), Livermore, CA, Carah Ong, Abolition 2000 Coordinator, David Krieger, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Sanata Barbara, California, Robert W. Tiller, Physicians for Social Responsibility, USA, Michael Marriotte, Executive Director, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Washington DC., Bill Smirnow, Nuclear Free New York, Huntingdon, NY, William F. Santlemann, Metro-Boston Committee to De-Alert Nuclear Weapons, Judith H. Johnsrud, Environmental Coalition on Nuclear Power, Pennsylvania, Laurie Grossman, Y2K-WASH,(World Atomic Safety Holiday) San Francisco, Mary Beth Branagan, Y2K-WASH San Francisco, Robyn Wolf, World Atomic Safety Holiday, Richmond, CA., Annie Wildwood, Y2K-WASH, Bolinas, California, Bob Kinsey, Peace and Justice Task Force, United Church of Christ, Rocky Mountain Conference, Arvada, Colorado, Reverend Robert Moore, Coalition for Peace Action, Princeton, NJ, Reverends Eleanor Mercer and Meredith Jordan, Rogers Mc Kay, Maine, Byron Plumley, American Friends Service Committee, Colorado, Anthony Guarisco, Alliance of Atomic Veterans, USA., Mel H. Kernahan, Alliance for Survival, Orange County, California, Mary Byrd Davis, Director, Ygdrassil Institute,(Earth Island) Georgetown, Ky, Scott Miller, Director, Peace Action Maine, Portland, Me, Rosalie Tyler Paul, Peace Action Maine, Portland, Me, Dan Ogden, Sawmill River Watershed Alliance, Ma, USA., Barbara Messana, Lawrence Grassroots Initiative, Lawrence, Ma, Christopher H. Peters, Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development, Arcata, Calif, Nick Cooney, Student Activists Group, Hofstra University, NY., Deb Katz, Director, Citizen Awareness Network, MA., Ed Meagher, Merrimac Valley People for Peace Elsie Harvey, Greater Lansing Peace Education Centre, Michigan, Mark Krumholtz, Centre for Particle Astrophysics, University of California, Berkley, Dr. Julian Borrill, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, Berkley, Calif, Prof. Wendy Griffin, California State University, Long Beach, Calif, Caroll S. Wallace, Director, Everywomans Centre, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, Irene Gale AM, Babs Fuller-Quinn, Australian Peace Committee, Adelaide/Sydney, Gareth Devenish, Goongerah Environment Centre, Galen White, Treefrog Consulting Pty Ltd., Information technology Consultants, - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Y2K DE-ALERTING LETTER FAXED TODAY TO US SECY OF DEFENCE COHEN, Date: 06 Nov 1999 14:25:58 +1000 John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html The Following has been faxed today to US Secretary for Defence William Cohen, all US Presidential fax numbers, Russian Minister for Defence Igor Sergeyev, Russian foreign minister I. Ivanov, John Koskinen, and Senators Dodd and Bennett. With it has also been faxed the FOE Sydney response to the Russian reply from I Ivanov, I. Ivanov's reply, and the most recent collation of the large sign on letter to Yeltsin and Clinton, now with over 460 organisations worldwide signed on to it, asking for nuclear forces to be stood down over the y2K rollover period. It is also to be emailed to all US congresspeople, all Australian parliamentarians, all members of the European parliament all UN missions and all heads of state with the current collation of the large sign on letter. I commend this and the large sign on letter expecially to your earnest attention. TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, +1-202-456-2461, +1-202-456-2883, +1-202-456-6201, +1-202-456-6218 cc IGOR SERGEYEV, DEFENCE MINISTER OF RUSSIA +7-095-247-2722, +7-095-293-3323, +7-095-293-3313, +7-095-247-2795 I.IVANOV, FOREIGN MINISTER OF RUSSIA, +7-095-244-3276, +7-095-244-2203 JOHN A. KOSKINEN, +1-202-456-7172 SENATOR BOB BENNETT +1-202-224-4908 SENATOR CHRIS DODD+1-202-224-1083 Y2K AND DE-ALERTING OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS Dear Secretary for Defence Cohen and President Clinton, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. It is particularly disturbing that you are reported as having stated in Moscow that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are equally vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. We are well aware that the chief of Stratcom, Admiral Mies has said in congressional testimony in April and July 1999 that the defence department is 'well advanced' in terms of its Y2K-remediation program. The Y2K problem is such that it is just not possible to be as certain as Mies is in his testimony. This is because very nature of this kind of problem prohibits you from being certain that every possible programming glitch is truly fixed. In fact no-one will be completely certain until the real date change itself, and indeed until well into the new year. And even if you are able to convincingly prove that US strategic nuclear computer systems are truly Y2K compliant and that they are 'fail safe', you will be well aware of the great concern that has been voiced over the Y2K readiness of Russia. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. Perimeter seems to offer additional pathways by which Y2K -related command and control failures could lead to an accidental launch of missiles, possibly by Y2K-related failures in sensors, combined with system blackout fooling the system into thinking that an attack had taken place. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as the public is aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is itself far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The recently admitted Y2K vulnerabilities discovered, according to Reuters reports of congressional testimony, in six of the seven hotlines established during the cold war period are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Agenda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20 September. (Text of these resolutions has been passed on to you by the deputy president of our Senate, Senator Sue West, copy is enclosed.) Mr. Clinton and Mr. Cohen, we believe that in taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. We believe that failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a letter in response to a sign on letter from over 270 (now 460) NGOs, Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov said that: "The questions of removing from the military duty of Russian and American nuclear armaments which you mention in your appeal may become the matter for discussion between the two countries in the context of negotiations on further limitation of the strategic nuclear weapons" This hardly indicates that De-alerting is 'off the table' as far as the Russian Government is concerned. It should be very much on the table as far as your administration is concerned. In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. (Text of the Russian reply with English translation to our letter is enclosed, together with our response to the Russian reply.). (The latest compilation of the large sign on letter to Yeltsin and Clinton, asking for nuclear weapons to be taken off hairtrigger alert is also enclosed.) Signed John Hallam, Nuclear Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Sydney, Ricardo Navarro, Friends of the Earth El Salvador, Nnimmo Bassey, Director, Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Benin City, Nigeria, Kika Kapela, Friends of the Earth Cyprus, Yumi Kikuchi, Co-Founder and International Coordinator, Y2K-WASH (World Atomic Safety Holiday) Chiba, Japan, Ak Malten, Global Anti-Nuclear Alliance, The Hague, Xanthe Hall, IPPNW(Germany), Berlin, Germany, Tom Mc Donald, British-American Security Information Council,(BASIC) London, Paul Swann, Y2K WASH (World Atomic Safety Holiday), London, Jenny Maxwell, West Midlands Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Birmingham, UK., Anni Rainbow and Lindis Percy, Campaign for the Accountability of US Bases, Yorkshire, UK., George Thomas, Founder/Coordinator, Earth Millennium Project, London, UK, Di Mc Donald, Network Information Project, Southampton, UK, Solange Fernex, President, Womens International League for Peace and Freedom,(WILPF) Paris, France, Bruno Barrillot, Directeur, Centre de Documentation et de Recherche sur la Paix et les Conflits, Lyon, France, Maurice Sistermans, Netherlands Centre for Indigenous Peoples, Amsterdam. Klaus Biegert, Nuclear-Free Future Award, Munich, Germany, Bernd Frieboese, Barsebäckoffensiv, Germany, Prof., Dirk Siefkes, Techn. Universitaet Informatik, Berlin, Ada Amon, Executive Director, Energy Club, Budapest, Hungary, Ulla Lehtinen, First Peoples, Finland, Marion Hancock, Aotearoa Peace Foundation, Auckland, NZ., Dr. Komei Hosokawa, Saga University, Saga City, Japan, Pan-Hellenic Network of Environment Organizations Greece, Gordon Edwards, President, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, Montreal, Canada, Alice Slater, Global Resource and Action Centre for the Environment, NY., Ellen Thomas, Proposition-One Committee, Washington DC., Marylia Kelley, Executive Director, Tri-Valley CAREs, (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment), Livermore, CA, Carah Ong, Abolition 2000 Coordinator, David Krieger, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Sanata Barbara, California, Robert W. Tiller, Physicians for Social Responsibility, USA, Michael Marriotte, Executive Director, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Washington DC., Bill Smirnow, Nuclear Free New York, Huntingdon, NY, William F. Santlemann, Metro-Boston Committee to De-Alert Nuclear Weapons, Judith H. Johnsrud, Environmental Coalition on Nuclear Power, Pennsylvania, Laurie Grossman, Y2K-WASH,(World Atomic Safety Holiday) San Francisco, Mary Beth Branagan, Y2K-WASH San Francisco, Robyn Wolf, World Atomic Safety Holiday, Richmond, CA., Annie Wildwood, Y2K-WASH, Bolinas, California, Bob Kinsey, Peace and Justice Task Force, United Church of Christ, Rocky Mountain Conference, Arvada, Colorado, Reverend Robert Moore, Coalition for Peace Action, Princeton, NJ, Reverends Eleanor Mercer and Meredith Jordan, Rogers Mc Kay, Maine, Byron Plumley, American Friends Service Committee, Colorado, Anthony Guarisco, Alliance of Atomic Veterans, USA., Mel H. Kernahan, Alliance for Survival, Orange County, California, Mary Byrd Davis, Director, Ygdrassil Institute,(Earth Island) Georgetown, Ky, Scott Miller, Director, Peace Action Maine, Portland, Me, Rosalie Tyler Paul, Peace Action Maine, Portland, Me, Dan Ogden, Sawmill River Watershed Alliance, Ma, USA., Barbara Messana, Lawrence Grassroots Initiative, Lawrence, Ma, Christopher H. Peters, Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development, Arcata, Calif, Nick Cooney, Student Activists Group, Hofstra University, NY., Deb Katz, Director, Citizen Awareness Network, MA., Ed Meagher, Merrimac Valley People for Peace Elsie Harvey, Greater Lansing Peace Education Centre, Michigan, Mark Krumholtz, Centre for Particle Astrophysics, University of California, Berkley, Dr. Julian Borrill, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, Berkley, Calif, Prof. Wendy Griffin, California State University, Long Beach, Calif, Caroll S. Wallace, Director, Everywomans Centre, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, Irene Gale AM, Babs Fuller-Quinn, Australian Peace Committee, Adelaide/Sydney, Gareth Devenish, Goongerah Environment Centre, Galen White, Treefrog Consulting Pty Ltd., Information technology Consultants, - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) FAX NOW TO TAKE N-WEAPONS OFF ALERT FOR Y2K Date: 07 Nov 1999 12:55:50 +1000 FAX COHEN, YELTSIN NOW TO TAKE N-WEAPONS OFF ALERT FOR Y2K (Please forward this email to everyone you know. Sorry for the inevitable multiple postings.) Dear All who recieve this email, I am emailing you to ask you to send a fax to the US Secretary for Defence, William Cohen and to President Yeltsin and his Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev, asking them to take their strategic nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period at least. Arguably it could be the most important fax you ever make. That is why I have sent this out to so many people unasked, and thats why this appeal will be posted a few times. I ask you to be patient with that, as the subject is (at least potentially) literally the end of the world. If you are an organisation, I also urge you to sign on to the global de-alerting letter to Yeltsin and Clinton, now signed by over 460 organisations, that can be found on: http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html We are 54 days away from the Year2000 date change. The largest, oldest, and initially at least, the least Y2K compliant computer systems in the world are those that control and monitor nuclear weapons systems in the US and Russia. The US has some2,000 nuclear warheads in land- based silos, and the Russians have some 3,600 warheads in land based silos. (this doesn't count weapons in submarines, bombers, etc). These land- based missiles are able to be launched at a few minutes notice. A number of respected commentators have said that unless nuclear forces in Russia and the US are taken off hairtrigger alert before late December, there will be small but definite risk of accidental nuclear war due to simple Y2K- related computer error. In any case, with or without Y2K, taking nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert is a commonsense idea, strongly reccommended by the 1996 Canberra Commission and by a number of UN resolutions including one passed in the last few days. A global campaign exists to take all nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert. The UK has already done so. If you think it's an irresponsible risk to the entire planet to keep nuclear forces on alert even over the Y2K rollover, when no matter how much has been spent on Y2K 'remediation' we cannot be certain that it is all going to work flawlessly on the day, then PLEASE let Secretary Cohen, Clinton, Yeltsin and Sergeyev (in that order of priority) know that you want them taken off alert. You can fax US Defence Secretary Cohen on +1-703-695-1149, Clinton on +1-202-456-2461, and Yeltsin and Sergeyev on +7-095-205-4330, If you have the time it's best to fax all three. if you can only fax one, fax Cohen. Sample letters are below. Study them and write your own, or just send this as below. Do study the sample letters below and fax to Cohen/Clinton and Yeltsin/Sergeyev. And if you are an organisation, do please sign the big sign-on letter. It will help to make the planet a safer place! 1)SAMPLE LETTER TO COHEN/CLINTON (THIS IS FOR INDIVIDUALS TO USE TO SEND TO COHEN AND CLINTON YOURSELVES.) TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461 Dear President Clinton and Secretary for Defence Cohen, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. It is particularly disturbing that you are reported as having stated in Moscow that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. The very nature of the Y2K problem makes it impossible to be sure everything has been fixed until well into the new year. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. This system seems to include additional ways in which Y2K failure might lead to an accidental launch. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as we the public are aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The Y2K vulnerabilities discovered in six of the seven hotlines established during the cold war period are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Aganda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September. In taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. Failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low, but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. (SIGNED) etc. 2)SAMPLE LETTER TO YELTSIN/DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEYEV (THIS SAMPLE LETTER IS FOR YOU PERSONALLY TO FAX, CUSTOMIZED AS YOU FEEL BEST, TO YELTSIN AND DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEYEV. PLEASE DO FAX IT AND SEND IT NOW.) PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN, IGOR SERGEYEV, RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER, +7-095-205-4330, 'Dear Defence Minister Sergeyev and President Yeltsin, I am writing to convey my deep concern that Y2K-related computer failures in the command and control systems for nuclear weapons may lead to an accidental nuclear war. I am aware that both Russia and the US have taken this problem seriously enough to establish a joint strategic stability center in Colorado. However, I am very much concerned that this facility will come into operation only by 27th December 1999, so that a delay of just four days will make it useless. I am also very much concerned that Y2K problems have been found in six out of seven of the 'hotlines' that would be used if a crisis of any sort arose over the Y2K rollover period. I am aware that there have been a number of occasions when either the US or Russia have mistakenly believed that the other nation was in the process of launching a nuclear attack. With 3,600 Russian warheads on 700 missiles and 2,000 US warheads on 500 missiles, with each side capable to launch within roughly 20 minutes, this must never be allowed to happen, either over the Y2K 'rollover', or at any other time. The use of 5,600 warheads would certainly mean the end of what we call civilization, would likely mean the end of the human race and could possibly mean the end of all life. I therefore urge both you and the United States, to place all your nuclear forces in a status in which at least days not minutes, would be required to launch . The United Kingdom has, I understand, already done this. The immediate stakes are so high and the potential for global catastrophe is so great, that mutually verified de-alerting of nuclear forces in the face of the Y2K computer problem must take precedence over all other considerations of political and national security.' (Signed) etc. John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) FAX NOW TO TAKE N-WEAPONS OFF ALERT FOR Y2K Date: 07 Nov 1999 12:55:50 +1000 FAX COHEN, YELTSIN NOW TO TAKE N-WEAPONS OFF ALERT FOR Y2K (Please forward this email to everyone you know. Sorry for the inevitable multiple postings.) Dear All who recieve this email, I am emailing you to ask you to send a fax to the US Secretary for Defence, William Cohen and to President Yeltsin and his Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev, asking them to take their strategic nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period at least. Arguably it could be the most important fax you ever make. That is why I have sent this out to so many people unasked, and thats why this appeal will be posted a few times. I ask you to be patient with that, as the subject is (at least potentially) literally the end of the world. If you are an organisation, I also urge you to sign on to the global de-alerting letter to Yeltsin and Clinton, now signed by over 460 organisations, that can be found on: http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html We are 54 days away from the Year2000 date change. The largest, oldest, and initially at least, the least Y2K compliant computer systems in the world are those that control and monitor nuclear weapons systems in the US and Russia. The US has some2,000 nuclear warheads in land- based silos, and the Russians have some 3,600 warheads in land based silos. (this doesn't count weapons in submarines, bombers, etc). These land- based missiles are able to be launched at a few minutes notice. A number of respected commentators have said that unless nuclear forces in Russia and the US are taken off hairtrigger alert before late December, there will be small but definite risk of accidental nuclear war due to simple Y2K- related computer error. In any case, with or without Y2K, taking nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert is a commonsense idea, strongly reccommended by the 1996 Canberra Commission and by a number of UN resolutions including one passed in the last few days. A global campaign exists to take all nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert. The UK has already done so. If you think it's an irresponsible risk to the entire planet to keep nuclear forces on alert even over the Y2K rollover, when no matter how much has been spent on Y2K 'remediation' we cannot be certain that it is all going to work flawlessly on the day, then PLEASE let Secretary Cohen, Clinton, Yeltsin and Sergeyev (in that order of priority) know that you want them taken off alert. You can fax US Defence Secretary Cohen on +1-703-695-1149, Clinton on +1-202-456-2461, and Yeltsin and Sergeyev on +7-095-205-4330, If you have the time it's best to fax all three. if you can only fax one, fax Cohen. Sample letters are below. Study them and write your own, or just send this as below. Do study the sample letters below and fax to Cohen/Clinton and Yeltsin/Sergeyev. And if you are an organisation, do please sign the big sign-on letter. It will help to make the planet a safer place! 1)SAMPLE LETTER TO COHEN/CLINTON (THIS IS FOR INDIVIDUALS TO USE TO SEND TO COHEN AND CLINTON YOURSELVES.) TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461 Dear President Clinton and Secretary for Defence Cohen, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. It is particularly disturbing that you are reported as having stated in Moscow that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. The very nature of the Y2K problem makes it impossible to be sure everything has been fixed until well into the new year. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. This system seems to include additional ways in which Y2K failure might lead to an accidental launch. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as we the public are aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The Y2K vulnerabilities discovered in six of the seven hotlines established during the cold war period are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Aganda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September. In taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. Failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low, but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. (SIGNED) etc. 2)SAMPLE LETTER TO YELTSIN/DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEYEV (THIS SAMPLE LETTER IS FOR YOU PERSONALLY TO FAX, CUSTOMIZED AS YOU FEEL BEST, TO YELTSIN AND DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEYEV. PLEASE DO FAX IT AND SEND IT NOW.) PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN, IGOR SERGEYEV, RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER, +7-095-205-4330, 'Dear Defence Minister Sergeyev and President Yeltsin, I am writing to convey my deep concern that Y2K-related computer failures in the command and control systems for nuclear weapons may lead to an accidental nuclear war. I am aware that both Russia and the US have taken this problem seriously enough to establish a joint strategic stability center in Colorado. However, I am very much concerned that this facility will come into operation only by 27th December 1999, so that a delay of just four days will make it useless. I am also very much concerned that Y2K problems have been found in six out of seven of the 'hotlines' that would be used if a crisis of any sort arose over the Y2K rollover period. I am aware that there have been a number of occasions when either the US or Russia have mistakenly believed that the other nation was in the process of launching a nuclear attack. With 3,600 Russian warheads on 700 missiles and 2,000 US warheads on 500 missiles, with each side capable to launch within roughly 20 minutes, this must never be allowed to happen, either over the Y2K 'rollover', or at any other time. The use of 5,600 warheads would certainly mean the end of what we call civilization, would likely mean the end of the human race and could possibly mean the end of all life. I therefore urge both you and the United States, to place all your nuclear forces in a status in which at least days not minutes, would be required to launch . The United Kingdom has, I understand, already done this. The immediate stakes are so high and the potential for global catastrophe is so great, that mutually verified de-alerting of nuclear forces in the face of the Y2K computer problem must take precedence over all other considerations of political and national security.' (Signed) etc. John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.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: Ellen Thomas Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Abolition Global Caucus Date: 07 Nov 1999 07:38:16 -0500 Is this instead of igc.apc.org? Ellen At 04:39 PM 11/4/99 -0800, you wrote: >Dear Friends, > >I am happy to announce that Egroups.com will now host the Abolition Global >Caucus. ____________________________________________________________ * Peace Through Reason - http://prop1.org - Convert the War Machines! * ____________________________________________________________ - 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) US Nuclear Weapons Program Date: 07 Nov 1999 21:26:41 -0800 (PST) I am trying to write a letter to the editor about our nuclear weapons program. What new nuclear weapons are we preparing to produce over the next few years? How many nuclear weapons will we produce, and for how much? (I have heard or read 80 nuclear weapons, and $24.6 billion per year for nuclear weapons, and $4.5 billion/year for the Stockpile Stewardship Program). What is the difference between Stockpile Stewardship, and the total nuclear weapons program? - 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) Nuclear Weapons and 10th Anniversary Of End Of Cold War Date: 07 Nov 1999 22:02:38 -0800 (PST) Below is a letter I sent to the editor about nuclear weapons: To the editor: November 9th is the 10th anniversary of the end of the Cold War and the opening of the Berlin Wall. On this 10th anniversary, I would like the great reporters of this great newspaper to ask President Clinton, Presidential candidates, and other politicians the following questions: I. Ten years after the end of the Cold War, both the US and Russia continue to keep the bulk of their nuclear missiles on high level "hair-trigger" alert, ready to launch on the mere warning of an attack. Within just a few minutes of receiving instructions to fire, a large fraction of the US and Russian land-based rockets (which are armed with about 2,000 and 3,500 warheads respectively) could begin their 25-minute flights over the North Pole to their targets. Less than 15 minutes after receiving the order to attack, six US Trident submarines at sea could fire about 1,000 warheads and several Russian ballistic missile submarines could launch between 300 and 400. Why do the U.S. and Russia still maintain thousands of nuclear warheads on hair trigger alert, ready to blow up each other within half an hour? Do you believe that such a situation enhances our security? II. 10 years after the end of the Cold War, the U.S. still deploys 6,000 nuclear warheads. Why do we still have so many nuclear weapons (when the Pentagon says that 5,000 would be enough, and it would take only a few hundred at most to devastate any nation in the world)? III. The U.S. has a "Stockpile Stewardship and Management" program, intended to maintain and expand U.S. nuclear weapons capabilities well into the next century. A DOE document admits that "The ability to design nuclear weapons is the core of DOE program and is utilized in all other aspects of the program ... The nuclear design capability will be maintained by pursuing an understanding of the underlying physics of nuclear weapons and exercising the process of design of nuclear weapons ... A limited number of new nuclear component design requirements are foreseeable in the future." (U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Defense Programs, Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan, February 29, 1996, unclassified version, p. VII-3). The Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program includes "subcritical" nuclear tests (7 since 1997, using amounts of plutonium too small to "go critical" and cause a nuclear explosion), supercomputer simulations of nuclear explosions, and the National Ignition Facility (which would use 192 lasers to cause small fusion explosions, helping weapons scientists advance their knowledge of nuclear explosions). During the next decade, taxpayers will spend about $45 billion for this program, an annual rate higher than the Cold War average. How can the U.S. expect other nations to not develop or test nuclear weapons if we conduct nuclear tests and continue to develop nuclear weapons? Why is the U.S. still developing new nuclear weapons, such as an earth penetrating warhead (B61-11)? With the USSR gone, who are we planning to use nuclear weapons against? IV. In response to our 7 subcritical nuclear tests (which the DOE claims is "fully consistent with the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty"), the Russians have conducted their own subcritical nuclear tests at Novaya Zemlya. Opponents of the CTBT seized on the Russian subcritical tests as a reason to vote against the CTBT. How can U.S. subcritical tests be consistent with the CTBT and Russian subcritical tests be inconsistent with the CTBT? Isn't this hypocritical? V. Opponents of the recently rejected CTBT argued that it would prevent further US advances in nuclear weapons. This implies that they favor continued U.S. development of nuclear weapons. How do they expect other nations to not develop nuclear weapons if the U.S. continues to develop 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) letters, faxes, emails, burnout, and excess Date: 08 Nov 1999 16:51:12 +1000 Lately I've been trying to revive a campaign to get people to send faxes to William Cohen, US defence secretary, and Yeltsin. This was preceded by a sign on letter to US Defence Secretary Cohen. The sign on letter was faxed with around 100 signatures on Saturday, Sydney time (18 hours ahead of US time, or 6 hours behind on the following day). The feedback I recieved is that people may not understand whay I am asking them to fax 'again'. This is the first time Cohen has been faxed. He has not been targeted before. He said not so long ago in Moscow that de-alerting was 'off the table', and as he is the responsible US official, this is bad news. He needs to hear, especially from US people, but from others also that this is a bad mistake and that he should put it back on the table very quickly. That's why I am asking people not only to sign on to the letter to Cohen, which has now gone, but also to fax him yourselves. I have certainly been persistent with this message but...yesterday was in fact the first time I had actually posted a request to people in the US to fax Cohen, and only the second time I have actually posted one to fax Yeltsin and Sergeyev. There have been many many requests to sign the big sign on letter. That is not the same thing. I will be posting similar requests at regular intervals till Mid december. Do please if you have not done so, don't just press delete until you have actually faxed or mailed either one or both of the folk I'm asking you to fax. This isn't meant to spam you, but to if possible, get nuclear weapons taken off alert. - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) letters, faxes, emails, burnout, and excess Date: 08 Nov 1999 16:51:12 +1000 Lately I've been trying to revive a campaign to get people to send faxes to William Cohen, US defence secretary, and Yeltsin. This was preceded by a sign on letter to US Defence Secretary Cohen. The sign on letter was faxed with around 100 signatures on Saturday, Sydney time (18 hours ahead of US time, or 6 hours behind on the following day). The feedback I recieved is that people may not understand whay I am asking them to fax 'again'. This is the first time Cohen has been faxed. He has not been targeted before. He said not so long ago in Moscow that de-alerting was 'off the table', and as he is the responsible US official, this is bad news. He needs to hear, especially from US people, but from others also that this is a bad mistake and that he should put it back on the table very quickly. That's why I am asking people not only to sign on to the letter to Cohen, which has now gone, but also to fax him yourselves. I have certainly been persistent with this message but...yesterday was in fact the first time I had actually posted a request to people in the US to fax Cohen, and only the second time I have actually posted one to fax Yeltsin and Sergeyev. There have been many many requests to sign the big sign on letter. That is not the same thing. I will be posting similar requests at regular intervals till Mid december. Do please if you have not done so, don't just press delete until you have actually faxed or mailed either one or both of the folk I'm asking you to fax. This isn't meant to spam you, but to if possible, get nuclear weapons taken off alert. - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) letters, faxes, emails, burnout, and excess Date: 08 Nov 1999 16:51:12 +1000 Lately I've been trying to revive a campaign to get people to send faxes to William Cohen, US defence secretary, and Yeltsin. This was preceded by a sign on letter to US Defence Secretary Cohen. The sign on letter was faxed with around 100 signatures on Saturday, Sydney time (18 hours ahead of US time, or 6 hours behind on the following day). The feedback I recieved is that people may not understand whay I am asking them to fax 'again'. This is the first time Cohen has been faxed. He has not been targeted before. He said not so long ago in Moscow that de-alerting was 'off the table', and as he is the responsible US official, this is bad news. He needs to hear, especially from US people, but from others also that this is a bad mistake and that he should put it back on the table very quickly. That's why I am asking people not only to sign on to the letter to Cohen, which has now gone, but also to fax him yourselves. I have certainly been persistent with this message but...yesterday was in fact the first time I had actually posted a request to people in the US to fax Cohen, and only the second time I have actually posted one to fax Yeltsin and Sergeyev. There have been many many requests to sign the big sign on letter. That is not the same thing. I will be posting similar requests at regular intervals till Mid december. Do please if you have not done so, don't just press delete until you have actually faxed or mailed either one or both of the folk I'm asking you to fax. This isn't meant to spam you, but to if possible, get nuclear weapons taken off alert. - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) letters, faxes, emails, burnout, and excess Date: 08 Nov 1999 16:51:12 +1000 Lately I've been trying to revive a campaign to get people to send faxes to William Cohen, US defence secretary, and Yeltsin. This was preceded by a sign on letter to US Defence Secretary Cohen. The sign on letter was faxed with around 100 signatures on Saturday, Sydney time (18 hours ahead of US time, or 6 hours behind on the following day). The feedback I recieved is that people may not understand whay I am asking them to fax 'again'. This is the first time Cohen has been faxed. He has not been targeted before. He said not so long ago in Moscow that de-alerting was 'off the table', and as he is the responsible US official, this is bad news. He needs to hear, especially from US people, but from others also that this is a bad mistake and that he should put it back on the table very quickly. That's why I am asking people not only to sign on to the letter to Cohen, which has now gone, but also to fax him yourselves. I have certainly been persistent with this message but...yesterday was in fact the first time I had actually posted a request to people in the US to fax Cohen, and only the second time I have actually posted one to fax Yeltsin and Sergeyev. There have been many many requests to sign the big sign on letter. That is not the same thing. I will be posting similar requests at regular intervals till Mid december. Do please if you have not done so, don't just press delete until you have actually faxed or mailed either one or both of the folk I'm asking you to fax. This isn't meant to spam you, but to if possible, get nuclear weapons taken off alert. - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) letters, faxes, emails, burnout, and excess Date: 08 Nov 1999 16:51:12 +1000 Lately I've been trying to revive a campaign to get people to send faxes to William Cohen, US defence secretary, and Yeltsin. This was preceded by a sign on letter to US Defence Secretary Cohen. The sign on letter was faxed with around 100 signatures on Saturday, Sydney time (18 hours ahead of US time, or 6 hours behind on the following day). The feedback I recieved is that people may not understand whay I am asking them to fax 'again'. This is the first time Cohen has been faxed. He has not been targeted before. He said not so long ago in Moscow that de-alerting was 'off the table', and as he is the responsible US official, this is bad news. He needs to hear, especially from US people, but from others also that this is a bad mistake and that he should put it back on the table very quickly. That's why I am asking people not only to sign on to the letter to Cohen, which has now gone, but also to fax him yourselves. I have certainly been persistent with this message but...yesterday was in fact the first time I had actually posted a request to people in the US to fax Cohen, and only the second time I have actually posted one to fax Yeltsin and Sergeyev. There have been many many requests to sign the big sign on letter. That is not the same thing. I will be posting similar requests at regular intervals till Mid december. Do please if you have not done so, don't just press delete until you have actually faxed or mailed either one or both of the folk I'm asking you to fax. This isn't meant to spam you, but to if possible, get nuclear weapons taken off alert. - 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: Charles F Hilfenhaus Subject: (abolition-usa) Oboe 2 scheduled 11-9-99 Date: 08 Nov 1999 09:19:48 EST Fooled me! Major correction to Oboe 2 posting of 11-5! Las Vegas Review Journal 11-8-99 Page B1 " Energy officials are planning a subcritical experiment Tuesday at the Nevada Test Site, another in the ongoing Oboe series. The Oboe series will continue through 2000 at the test sites U1A complex 85 miles northwest of Las Vegas" Security has been much tighter than previous tests which is why I was so far off on the test date. Charlie Hilfenhaus, Alliance of Atomic Veterans, Atomic Workers Division ___________________________________________________________________ Get the Internet just the way you want it. Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month! Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj. - 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: Re: (abolition-usa) letters, faxes, emails, burnout, and excess Date: 08 Nov 1999 12:18:40 -0400 So what's the fax number for Cohen? - 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) Sign On or Write Your Own Missile Defense Comments! Date: 08 Nov 1999 16:06:02 -0500 > To: Opponents of National Missile Defense > Fm: Stephen Young and Joan Wade > > Re: Sign-or or sample comments on Draft NMD EIS > > The Pentagon recently finished a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) > on the proposed national missile defense. They are accepting public > comments on the EIS until November 15, 1999. > > Below is the text of a written comment on the Draft EIS recently released > on the proposed deployment of a national missile defense. Organizations are > encouraged to submit their own comments to: > > Ms. Julia Hudson > U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command > Attn: SMDC-EN-V > P.O. Box 1500 > Huntsville, AL 35807-3801. > > Alternatively, organizations can sign on to this statement by contacting > Joan Wade at Disarmament Clearinghouse by email: disarmament@igc.org or > phone 202-898-0150 ext. 232, or fax: 202-898-0172. > > Written comments are to the Pentagon due by November 15. Sign-ons must be > received by COB Thursday, November 11. > > You can also provide comments over the internet, at: > > http://www.acq.osd.mil/bmdo/bmdolink/html/pubcomm.html > > or via email: nmdeis@smdc.army.mil > > + + + + + > > Written Comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement > on National Missile Defense Deployment > > The following organizations are strongly opposed to the proposed deployment > of a national missile defense. > > President Clinton has announced he will decide whether to deploy a national > missile defense in June or July 2000. According to the President, that > decision will be based on four factors: the readiness of the technology, > the impact on arms control and relations with Russia, the cost > effectiveness, and the threat. On each of these counts, the case for > deployment is weak at best. > > 1. The technology is unproven, and cannot be shown to be reliable or > effective by next summer's scheduled decision. > > 2. Unless Russia agrees to modify it, deployment would violate the > Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, a move that could unravel the entire > nuclear non-proliferation regime and substantially increase the nuclear > threat to the United States. > > 3. The cost of the system is unclear and likely to spiral upwards far > beyond the $10.5 billion the Clinton Administration has budgeted over the > next five years. The system cannot be shown to be effective and reliable > under the current budget and deployment schedule. > > 4. The low-risk threat cited as justification for deployment, particulary > North Korea's small and untested long-range missile arsenal, does not > warrant the damage U.S. missile defense deployment would wreak on relations > with Russia and China. > > Each of these factors is reviewed below in more detail. > > 1. The readiness of the technology: Unproven by next summer, and by 2005 > By next June, the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization will have > conducted only three intercept tests of the proposed national missile > defense system. Nineteen such tests are scheduled before the first limited > system is scheduled to go online, in late 2005. The first intercept > attempt, on October 2, hit its target. However, this was only a test of the > "kill vehicle," the last component that destroys the incoming warhead. The > booster rocket, the radars, and the integrated management system were not > tested. In fact, only one of the first three tests will involve the > complete system, and all three will use surrogate parts, not the actual > components. > > So few tests cannot show the system to be reliable and effective by next > summer's scheduled deployment decision. Even by 2005, when the system is > scheduled to finish its initial deployment, the additional tests cannot > prove this highly complex system to be reliable against real-world threats. > For example, the Patriot, adopted from an anti-aircraft missile system, > achieved a perfect test record, hitting its target in all 17 of its > intercept attempts. However, when used in the field during the Gulf War, it > failed dramatically. > > 2. The effect on arms control: Increasing nuclear dangers > The Clinton Administration is currently discussing with Russia > modifications to the ABM Treaty that would allow the U.S. to deploy a > "limited" national missile defense. Both Clinton Administration and Russian > officials have repeatedly stated that the ABM Treaty remains the > "cornerstone of strategic stability." To date, Russia has opposed all > changes to the ABM Treaty and declared that U.S. withdrawal from it or > insistence on changes would end the START process that is reducing > strategic nuclear arsenals. This would leave Russia with 6,000 warheads > that could hit the United States, many ready for launch within 15 minutes > of a decision to attack. China already perceives that U.S. efforts to build > a missile defense are intended to weaken the Chinese deterrent. China's > current arsenal is around 20 long-range, single warhead missiles. However, > it is in a slow modernization program to build longer-range missiles with > multiple warheads. China would likely react to U.S. deployment of a missile > defense by increasing the both the size of its arsenal and the pace of its > improvements. Evidence of China's response to U.S. talk of abrogating the > ABM Treaty is already developing, with Reuters reporting on October 25 that > China recently added $9.7 billion to its defense budget to improve its > nuclear arsenal. > > 3. Cost Effectiveness: Unsubstantiated > In January 1999, the Clinton Administration added $6.6 billion for > procurement to its five year plans for national missile defense, creating a > $10.5 billion total budget. However, most estimates expect even the small > initial system envisioned in that budget would cost far more. The General > Accounting Office estimated that it would cost $18 to $28 billion to deploy > a small system. This merely adds to the over $60 billion spent since > President Ronald Reagan launched his Strategic Defense Initiative in 1983, > money that has not lead to the deployment of a single effective system. It > will take far more testing, and substantially increased budgets, to deploy > a system that can be shown to be reliable and effective. > > 4. The Threat: Does not warrant rushed early deployment > The proposed national missile defense system is being developed in an > attempt to respond to the potential threat from so-called rogue states, > specifically North Korea, Iran, and Iraq. North Korea, which has of these > three by far the most advanced capability, recently agreed to halt its > missile flight test program while negotiating with the United States. It > has not tested a missile capable of hitting the United States with a > nuclear warhead. > > On Iran, experts are divided on whether it will be able to field a missile > that could threaten the U.S. within the next decade. Iraq is under severe > international sanctions that effectively hinder it from developing any new > missiles. Neither country would be able to field an intercontinental > missile if the decision to deploy is delayed until the missile defense > technology is shown to be effective. > > Conclusion > Postponing the decision to deploy a national missile defense is an > extremely low-risk course of action. Put simply, deploying a national > missile defense MAY slightly reduce the low risk of a catastrophic attack > on the U.S. carried out by a very few nuclear-armed missiles. That is true > IF it proves capable of effectively intercepting incoming warheads. > However, it WILL increase the risk of massive attack carried out with > hundreds or thousands of such missiles that will destroy the United States > entirely, along with much of the globe. > > ___________________________________ > > Stephen Young, Deputy Director > Coalition to Reduce Nuclear Dangers > 110 Maryland Ave. NE #505 > Washington DC 20002 > p: (202)546-0795 ext. 102; fax: (202)546-7970 > website: > ___________________________________ -- Joan L. Wade Disarmament Clearinghouse Coordinator 1101 14th Street, NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC, 20010 Ph: (202) 898-0150 x232 Fax: (202) 898-0172 E-mail: disarmament@igc.org Web: http://www.disarmament.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: "Esther Pank" Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Sign On or Write Your Own Missile Defense Comments! Date: 09 Nov 1999 21:18:09 -0500 Peace Links will submit our own statement. Thanks. Esther ----- Original Message ----- Sent: Monday, November 08, 1999 4:06 PM > > To: Opponents of National Missile Defense > > Fm: Stephen Young and Joan Wade > > > > Re: Sign-or or sample comments on Draft NMD EIS > > > > The Pentagon recently finished a Draft Environmental Impact Statement > (EIS) > > on the proposed national missile defense. They are accepting public > > comments on the EIS until November 15, 1999. > > > > Below is the text of a written comment on the Draft EIS recently released > > on the proposed deployment of a national missile defense. Organizations > are > > encouraged to submit their own comments to: > > > > Ms. Julia Hudson > > U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command > > Attn: SMDC-EN-V > > P.O. Box 1500 > > Huntsville, AL 35807-3801. > > > > Alternatively, organizations can sign on to this statement by contacting > > Joan Wade at Disarmament Clearinghouse by email: disarmament@igc.org or > > phone 202-898-0150 ext. 232, or fax: 202-898-0172. > > > > Written comments are to the Pentagon due by November 15. Sign-ons must be > > received by COB Thursday, November 11. > > > > You can also provide comments over the internet, at: > > > > http://www.acq.osd.mil/bmdo/bmdolink/html/pubcomm.html > > > > or via email: nmdeis@smdc.army.mil > > > > + + + + + > > > > Written Comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement > > on National Missile Defense Deployment > > > > The following organizations are strongly opposed to the proposed > deployment > > of a national missile defense. > > > > President Clinton has announced he will decide whether to deploy a > national > > missile defense in June or July 2000. According to the President, that > > decision will be based on four factors: the readiness of the technology, > > the impact on arms control and relations with Russia, the cost > > effectiveness, and the threat. On each of these counts, the case for > > deployment is weak at best. > > > > 1. The technology is unproven, and cannot be shown to be reliable or > > effective by next summer's scheduled decision. > > > > 2. Unless Russia agrees to modify it, deployment would violate the > > Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, a move that could unravel the entire > > nuclear non-proliferation regime and substantially increase the nuclear > > threat to the United States. > > > > 3. The cost of the system is unclear and likely to spiral upwards far > > beyond the $10.5 billion the Clinton Administration has budgeted over the > > next five years. The system cannot be shown to be effective and reliable > > under the current budget and deployment schedule. > > > > 4. The low-risk threat cited as justification for deployment, particulary > > North Korea's small and untested long-range missile arsenal, does not > > warrant the damage U.S. missile defense deployment would wreak on > relations > > with Russia and China. > > > > Each of these factors is reviewed below in more detail. > > > > 1. The readiness of the technology: Unproven by next summer, and by 2005 > > By next June, the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization will have > > conducted only three intercept tests of the proposed national missile > > defense system. Nineteen such tests are scheduled before the first limited > > system is scheduled to go online, in late 2005. The first intercept > > attempt, on October 2, hit its target. However, this was only a test of > the > > "kill vehicle," the last component that destroys the incoming warhead. The > > booster rocket, the radars, and the integrated management system were not > > tested. In fact, only one of the first three tests will involve the > > complete system, and all three will use surrogate parts, not the actual > > components. > > > > So few tests cannot show the system to be reliable and effective by next > > summer's scheduled deployment decision. Even by 2005, when the system is > > scheduled to finish its initial deployment, the additional tests cannot > > prove this highly complex system to be reliable against real-world > threats. > > For example, the Patriot, adopted from an anti-aircraft missile system, > > achieved a perfect test record, hitting its target in all 17 of its > > intercept attempts. However, when used in the field during the Gulf War, > it > > failed dramatically. > > > > 2. The effect on arms control: Increasing nuclear dangers > > The Clinton Administration is currently discussing with Russia > > modifications to the ABM Treaty that would allow the U.S. to deploy a > > "limited" national missile defense. Both Clinton Administration and > Russian > > officials have repeatedly stated that the ABM Treaty remains the > > "cornerstone of strategic stability." To date, Russia has opposed all > > changes to the ABM Treaty and declared that U.S. withdrawal from it or > > insistence on changes would end the START process that is reducing > > strategic nuclear arsenals. This would leave Russia with 6,000 warheads > > that could hit the United States, many ready for launch within 15 minutes > > of a decision to attack. China already perceives that U.S. efforts to > build > > a missile defense are intended to weaken the Chinese deterrent. China's > > current arsenal is around 20 long-range, single warhead missiles. However, > > it is in a slow modernization program to build longer-range missiles with > > multiple warheads. China would likely react to U.S. deployment of a > missile > > defense by increasing the both the size of its arsenal and the pace of its > > improvements. Evidence of China's response to U.S. talk of abrogating the > > ABM Treaty is already developing, with Reuters reporting on October 25 > that > > China recently added $9.7 billion to its defense budget to improve its > > nuclear arsenal. > > > > 3. Cost Effectiveness: Unsubstantiated > > In January 1999, the Clinton Administration added $6.6 billion for > > procurement to its five year plans for national missile defense, creating > a > > $10.5 billion total budget. However, most estimates expect even the small > > initial system envisioned in that budget would cost far more. The General > > Accounting Office estimated that it would cost $18 to $28 billion to > deploy > > a small system. This merely adds to the over $60 billion spent since > > President Ronald Reagan launched his Strategic Defense Initiative in 1983, > > money that has not lead to the deployment of a single effective system. It > > will take far more testing, and substantially increased budgets, to deploy > > a system that can be shown to be reliable and effective. > > > > 4. The Threat: Does not warrant rushed early deployment > > The proposed national missile defense system is being developed in an > > attempt to respond to the potential threat from so-called rogue states, > > specifically North Korea, Iran, and Iraq. North Korea, which has of these > > three by far the most advanced capability, recently agreed to halt its > > missile flight test program while negotiating with the United States. It > > has not tested a missile capable of hitting the United States with a > > nuclear warhead. > > > > On Iran, experts are divided on whether it will be able to field a missile > > that could threaten the U.S. within the next decade. Iraq is under severe > > international sanctions that effectively hinder it from developing any new > > missiles. Neither country would be able to field an intercontinental > > missile if the decision to deploy is delayed until the missile defense > > technology is shown to be effective. > > > > Conclusion > > Postponing the decision to deploy a national missile defense is an > > extremely low-risk course of action. Put simply, deploying a national > > missile defense MAY slightly reduce the low risk of a catastrophic attack > > on the U.S. carried out by a very few nuclear-armed missiles. That is true > > IF it proves capable of effectively intercepting incoming warheads. > > However, it WILL increase the risk of massive attack carried out with > > hundreds or thousands of such missiles that will destroy the United States > > entirely, along with much of the globe. > > > > ___________________________________ > > > > Stephen Young, Deputy Director > > Coalition to Reduce Nuclear Dangers > > 110 Maryland Ave. NE #505 > > Washington DC 20002 > > p: (202)546-0795 ext. 102; fax: (202)546-7970 > > website: > > ___________________________________ > -- > Joan L. Wade > Disarmament Clearinghouse Coordinator > 1101 14th Street, NW, Suite 700 > Washington, DC, 20010 > Ph: (202) 898-0150 x232 > Fax: (202) 898-0172 > E-mail: disarmament@igc.org > Web: http://www.disarmament.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. - 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: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Subject: (abolition-usa) Please do not post messages to abolition-caucus@igc.apc.org Date: 09 Nov 1999 09:58:05 -0800 (PST) Dear All, Please DO NOT send out or post any messages to the previous Abolition Global Caucus at the address "abolition-caucus@igc.apc.org." This account has been closed! Please post any new messages to "abolition-caucus@egroups.com" as Egroups.com will now host our listserve. The listserve at IGC no longer exists and posting messages to the igc address only further perpetuates the virus that has infected many members. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me. I appreciate your immediate attention and cooperation in this matter. Yours In Peace, Carah Ong Carah Lynn Ong Coordinator, Abolition 2000 Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 1187 Coast Village Road PMB 121, Suite 1 Santa Barbara CA 93108 Phone (805) 965 3443 FAX(805) 568 0466 Email: A2000@silcom.com Website http://www.wagingpeace.org/abolition2000 Join the Abolition-USA or Abolition-Global Caucus list serve to regularly receive updates about the Abolition movement. Both caucus' also provide a forum for conversation on nuclear-related issues as well as they are used to post important articles and information pertaining to nuclear abolition. To subscribe to the Abolition Global Caucus, please do one of the following: 1. Send a message to the list moderator at A2000@silcom.com 2. Visit the Abolition-caucus website at: Http://www.egroups.com/list/abolition-caucus/ and submit a membership form. 3. Visit the Abolition 2000 website and submit a membership form. 4. Send an e-mail to: abolition-caucus-subscribe@egroups.com (leave the subject line and body of the message blank). To post a message to the Abolition Global Caucus, send your message to: abolition-caucus@egroups.com To subscribe to the Abolition-USA listerve, send a message (with no subject) to: abolition-usa-request@lists.xmission.com In the body of the message, write: "subscribe abolition-usa" (do not include quotation marks) To post a message to the Abolition-USA list, mail your message to: abolition-usa@lists.xmission.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: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Subject: (abolition-usa) Please do not post messages to abolition-caucus@igc.apc.org Date: 09 Nov 1999 09:58:05 -0800 (PST) Dear All, Please DO NOT send out or post any messages to the previous Abolition Global Caucus at the address "abolition-caucus@igc.apc.org." This account has been closed! Please post any new messages to "abolition-caucus@egroups.com" as Egroups.com will now host our listserve. The listserve at IGC no longer exists and posting messages to the igc address only further perpetuates the virus that has infected many members. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me. I appreciate your immediate attention and cooperation in this matter. Yours In Peace, Carah Ong Carah Lynn Ong Coordinator, Abolition 2000 Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 1187 Coast Village Road PMB 121, Suite 1 Santa Barbara CA 93108 Phone (805) 965 3443 FAX(805) 568 0466 Email: A2000@silcom.com Website http://www.wagingpeace.org/abolition2000 Join the Abolition-USA or Abolition-Global Caucus list serve to regularly receive updates about the Abolition movement. Both caucus' also provide a forum for conversation on nuclear-related issues as well as they are used to post important articles and information pertaining to nuclear abolition. To subscribe to the Abolition Global Caucus, please do one of the following: 1. Send a message to the list moderator at A2000@silcom.com 2. Visit the Abolition-caucus website at: Http://www.egroups.com/list/abolition-caucus/ and submit a membership form. 3. Visit the Abolition 2000 website and submit a membership form. 4. Send an e-mail to: abolition-caucus-subscribe@egroups.com (leave the subject line and body of the message blank). To post a message to the Abolition Global Caucus, send your message to: abolition-caucus@egroups.com To subscribe to the Abolition-USA listerve, send a message (with no subject) to: abolition-usa-request@lists.xmission.com In the body of the message, write: "subscribe abolition-usa" (do not include quotation marks) To post a message to the Abolition-USA list, mail your message to: abolition-usa@lists.xmission.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: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Subject: (abolition-usa) Please do not post messages to abolition-caucus@igc.apc.org Date: 09 Nov 1999 09:58:05 -0800 (PST) Dear All, Please DO NOT send out or post any messages to the previous Abolition Global Caucus at the address "abolition-caucus@igc.apc.org." This account has been closed! Please post any new messages to "abolition-caucus@egroups.com" as Egroups.com will now host our listserve. The listserve at IGC no longer exists and posting messages to the igc address only further perpetuates the virus that has infected many members. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me. I appreciate your immediate attention and cooperation in this matter. Yours In Peace, Carah Ong Carah Lynn Ong Coordinator, Abolition 2000 Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 1187 Coast Village Road PMB 121, Suite 1 Santa Barbara CA 93108 Phone (805) 965 3443 FAX(805) 568 0466 Email: A2000@silcom.com Website http://www.wagingpeace.org/abolition2000 Join the Abolition-USA or Abolition-Global Caucus list serve to regularly receive updates about the Abolition movement. Both caucus' also provide a forum for conversation on nuclear-related issues as well as they are used to post important articles and information pertaining to nuclear abolition. To subscribe to the Abolition Global Caucus, please do one of the following: 1. Send a message to the list moderator at A2000@silcom.com 2. Visit the Abolition-caucus website at: Http://www.egroups.com/list/abolition-caucus/ and submit a membership form. 3. Visit the Abolition 2000 website and submit a membership form. 4. Send an e-mail to: abolition-caucus-subscribe@egroups.com (leave the subject line and body of the message blank). To post a message to the Abolition Global Caucus, send your message to: abolition-caucus@egroups.com To subscribe to the Abolition-USA listerve, send a message (with no subject) to: abolition-usa-request@lists.xmission.com In the body of the message, write: "subscribe abolition-usa" (do not include quotation marks) To post a message to the Abolition-USA list, mail your message to: abolition-usa@lists.xmission.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: "Helen Caldicott" Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) letters, faxes, emails, burnout, and excess Date: 10 Nov 1999 10:04:48 +1100 John, I havn't received the money yet and I need it ASAP, where is it? Regards Helen Caldicott ----- Original Message ----- ; ; Sent: Monday, November 08, 1999 5:51 PM > Lately I've been trying to revive a campaign to get people to send faxes to > William Cohen, US defence secretary, and Yeltsin. > > This was preceded by a sign on letter to US Defence Secretary Cohen. > > The sign on letter was faxed with around 100 signatures on Saturday, Sydney > time (18 hours ahead of US time, or 6 hours behind on the following day). > > The feedback I recieved is that people may not understand whay I am asking > them to fax 'again'. > > This is the first time Cohen has been faxed. > > He has not been targeted before. > > He said not so long ago in Moscow that de-alerting was 'off the table', and > as he is the responsible US official, this is bad news. > > He needs to hear, especially from US people, but from others also that this > is a bad mistake and that he should put it back on the table very quickly. > > That's why I am asking people not only to sign on to the letter to Cohen, > which has now gone, but also to fax him yourselves. > > I have certainly been persistent with this message but...yesterday was in > fact the first time I had actually posted a request to people in the US to > fax Cohen, and only the second time I have actually posted one to fax > Yeltsin and Sergeyev. > > There have been many many requests to sign the big sign on letter. That is > not the same thing. > > I will be posting similar requests at regular intervals till Mid december. > > Do please if you have not done so, don't just press delete until you have > actually faxed or mailed either one or both of the folk I'm asking you to > fax. This isn't meant to spam you, but to if possible, get nuclear weapons > taken off alert. > > > > - > 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: PeaceFirst@aol.com Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) letters, faxes, emails, burnout, and excess Date: 10 Nov 1999 16:22:03 EST money for what? - 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: Current Co-sponsors of HCon 177 Date: 10 Nov 1999 16:44:46 -0500 >Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 15:18:39 -0500 >Subject: Current Co-sponsors of HCon 177 >Priority: non-urgent >X-FC-MachineGenerated: true >To: dealertingana@lists.speakeasy.org, dkimball@clw.org, jsmith@clw.org, syoung@clw.org, kathy@fcnl.org, rachel@fcnl.org, ieer@ieer.org, mupj@igc.org, cpaine@nrdc.org, fteplitz@peace-action.org, epank@peacenet.org, kathycrandall@earthlink.net, kroberts@psr.org, btiller@psr.org, brian@taxpayer.net, ctbt@2020vision.org, laura@2020vision.org, tcollina@ucsusa.org, wand@wand.org, cferg@fas.org, sara@fcnl.org, disarmament@igc.org, fellow@2020vision.org, ggilhool@ix.netcom.com >From: maureene@earthlink.net (maureene@earthlink.net) > >Listed below are the current co-sponsors of the De-alerting resolution. It >looks like Congress will be back next week, so keep calling on getting more >co-sponsors. >-M > > > >Name p-s >Earl Hilliard D-AL >Nancy Pelosi D-CA >Barbara Lee D-CA >Bob Filner D-CA >Henry Waxman D-CA >Lois Capps D-CA >Lynn Woolsey D-CA >Anna Eshoo D-CA >Maxine Waters D-CA >Pete Stark D-CA >Zoe Lofgren D-CA >Sam Farr D-CA >Mark Udall D-CO >Elanor Holmes Norton D-DC >John Lewis D-GA >Cynthia McKinney D-GA >Neil Abercrombie D-HI >Patsy Mink D-HI >Janice Schakowsky D-IL >Luis Gutierrez D-IL >Rod Blagojevich D-IL >Jesse Jackson, Jr. D-IL >Ed Markey D-MA >Jim McGovern D-MA >Marty Meehan D-MA >Richard Neal D-MA >Michael Capuana D-MA >Joe Moakley D-MA >John Tierney D-MA >William Delahunt D-MA >Barney Frank D-MA >John Olver D-MA >Elijah Cummings D-MD >John Baldacci D-ME >Tom Allen D-ME >David Bonior D-MI >Sandy Levin D-MI >James Barcia D-MI >Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick D-MI >Marty Sabo D-MN >Bruce Vento D-MN >Bill Luther D-MN >James Oberstar D-MN >Karen McCarthy D-MO >Melvin Watt D-NC >Rush Holt D-NJ >Frank Pallone D-NJ >Tom Udall D-NM >Edolphus Towns D-NY >Carolyn Malony D-NY >Jerry Nadler D-NY >Jose Serrano D-NY >Joseph Crowley D-NY >Major Owens D-NY >Maurice Hinchey D-NY >Anthony David Weiner D-NY >Nita Lowy D-NY >Gregory Meeks D-NY >Dennis Kucinich D-OH >Tom Sawyer D-OH >Marcy Kaptur D-OH >Sherrod Brown D-OH >Peter DeFazio D-OR >William Coyne D-PA >Robert Weygand D-RI >Patrick Kennedy D-RI >Sheila Jackson-Lee D-TX >Lloyd Doggett D-TX >Jim McDermott D-WA >Tammy Baldwin D-WI >Tom Barrett D-WI > >Maureen Eldredge >Program Director >Alliance for Nuclear Accountability > >Ph: 202-833-4668 >Fax: 202-234-9536 >email: maureene@earthlink.net > 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: Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space Subject: (abolition-usa) Report on Vieques Trip Date: 11 Nov 1999 12:44:45 -0500 (EST) REPORT ON TRIP TO VIEQUES: Stop the Bombing Navy Out No Weapons in Space =20 By Bruce K. Gagnon =20 On November 4-8 a delegation of four Floridians traveled to Puerto Rico a= t=20 the invitation of Victor Rodriguez , a leader of the Global Network affil= iate=20 called Comit=E9 Contra las Experimentaciones Ambientales. The four perso= ns=20 were Joe McIntire (Florida Coalition for Peace & Justice), Don & Matt Loc= kard=20 (St Augustine) and Bruce Gagnon (Global Network). =20 The Comit=E9 Contra las Experimentaciones Ambientales is the organization= that=20 led the protests against NASA in 1998-99 that forced cancellation of the=20 Coqui Two rocket launches in the town of Vega Baja. The Coqui Two were a= =20 series of atmospheric experiments by NASA. The rockets released chemica= ls=20 into different layers of the atmosphere in order to test their effects on= =20 communications and radar signals. Protests forced NASA to close down the= =20 operation after eight tests even though 11 had been scheduled. Upon arrival in Puerto Rico our four-person delegation met with several k= ey=20 Puerto Rican activists to discuss the content of a news conference that w= e=20 would be speaking at the following day. The news conference, held at a=20 beautiful cultural center in San Juan, featured representatives from the=20 Comit=E9 Contra Las Experimentaciones Ambientales, el Proyecto Caribe=F1o= de=20 Justicia y Paz, Misi=F3n Industrial de Puerto Rico, the FCPJ, and the Glo= bal=20 Network. The content of the news conference covered the existence of nuc= lear=20 weapons in Puerto Rico despite denials by the U.S. Navy and the plans to = put=20 weapons in space by the U.S. Space Command. The largest paper in Puerto = Rico=20 "El Mundo" covered the event and ran a good story with color picture the = next=20 day. The top ranked TV station in Puerto Rico, TPR also featured the new= s=20 conference and ran the story two days in a row. =20 The next day our delegation, plus a large group from the Congreso Naciona= l=20 Hostosiano, took the one-hour ferry ride from Fajardo to Vieques. Hundre= ds=20 of people were on the ferry, some going to a baseball game on the island,= =20 other just visiting, but many going for protests against the Navy bombing= on=20 the beautiful island. I sat next to New York City Councilwoman Olga Mend= ez=20 who was part of a 75 person New York political delegation going to Vieque= s =20 Also on the ferry was an old man named Carmelo who was born on the island= and=20 remains one of the leaders in the struggle to stop the 50-year naval bomb= ing=20 of Vieques. He told me how he has trained wasps to attack Marines when t= hey=20 invade Vieques on maneuvers and how he disperses poison ivy dust, which g= ets=20 into the troops' clothes and drives them crazy. The Navy controls about =BE of Vieques. The people live near the center = of the=20 small, elongated island with the military bombing ranges on both sides of= =20 them. From the port in Vieques we took a 30 ft. fishing boat with two 20= 0=20 horsepower engines on the 20- minute rough ride to the camps inside the=20 occupied zone. Along the short journey we passed 3-4 other fully loaded=20 boats heading back to the port with Puerto Rican flags flying and people=20 waving to us. My first reaction when we landed on the beach was awe at the sheer beauty= of=20 the water and the rock cliffs and mountains. My second reaction was disg= ust=20 to see the evidence of bomb parts in the water and on the land. But the = most=20 remarkable thing was to see the Puerto Rican flags flying each direction = I=20 looked: up on top of one hill where there was a camp; down the beach at=20 another camp; on a far away mountain top, another. People were taking ov= er=20 the island. The Navy must be going crazy! I was to stay in the new "school" recently built by the Congresso Naciona= l. =20 The chickee-style shelter with a tin roof was just next door to the small= =20 chapel, also newly erected. Immediately after we arrived people began=20 installing the solar electric system that they had carried over from San=20 Juan. Within a couple of hours three compact florescent light bulbs were= =20 working. I learned that day that the U.S. is now saying that it will send in 350=20 Spanish speaking federal marshals in December to arrest those now occupyi= ng=20 Vieques in opposition to Navy bombing. N.Y. Councilwoman Mendez had told= me=20 on the ferry that she would return to do civil disobedience if this happe= ned=20 even though she had never before believed in CD as a political tactic. Just down the beach a camp had been set up by a group of teachers from th= e=20 village on Vieques. They were cooking fish and offered me food and drink= . =20 They told the story about Angel Rodriquez Crist=F3bal who had been hung j= ust 20=20 years ago in a Tallahassee, Florida jail after having been arrested for=20 non-violent civil resistance on Vieques. Twenty-one people had been arre= sted=20 on that occasion, among them a Catholic bishop. I also learned that 67% of Puerto Rican people receive food stamps. At t= he=20 same time K-Mart, Sears and JC Penney stores sell more product in Puerto = Rico=20 than in 30 other states. It was so clear that the colonization process h= as=20 had a staggering affect on the people and the environment of the=20 "commonwealth". Puerto Ricans have been made to be dependent on the U.S.= and=20 our corporate masters. But in spite of that, the spirit for independence= =20 remains strong. The resistance on Vieques is but one example. Our friends Victor and Juan Rosario showed us around old San Juan that,=20 except for the cars and the paint on the buildings, reminded me of Havana= in=20 Cuba. One huge fountain with several statues of people and nature was a=20 striking symbol of Puerto Rican nationalism. The statue and fountain had= =20 been commissioned as a celebration of 500 years since the Columbus discov= ery.=20 We were told the story about how the artist had revealed that the centerp= iece=20 of the statue, a woman on a rock with arms raised to the sky and holding = two=20 eagle feathers, was really a celebration of her taking the feathers off t= he=20 U.S. eagle. Signs of that pesky spirit of independence once again. I was asked to do a presentation at the school on Vieques about the GN's = work=20 on space. With Joe McIntire ably translating, I spoke about U.S. plans f= or=20 control and domination in space and showed the 20 people present the Visi= on=20 for 2020 brochure and the poster of a space-based laser weapon with the U= .S.=20 flag flying overhead. I talked about the connections between space and=20 Vieques, saying that the U.S. intends to make the whole earth and space a= bove=20 a colony like we have done to Puerto Rico. I later learned that this=20 workshop was the first such event in the school on Vieques. It was an ho= nor=20 to have helped christen the school. The next day was unforgettable. Victor took our delegation on a long hik= e,=20 up the mountain top to one camp and then down the beach to another. We=20 visited the camp of a national congress senator from the Puerto Rican=20 independence party who has been on Vieques for the last six months. As w= e=20 walked here and there we saw the enormous evidence of years of destructio= n on=20 the island. Bombs -- exploded and unexploded - were everywhere. Wetland= s=20 were drained and bombed. Trucks, tanks, and planes were scattered everyw= here=20 as targets. One tank is now being used to hold up a tarp for shelter at = one=20 hill-top camp. As we looked out over the beautiful ocean beyond Vieques = we=20 saw a U.S. navy submarine in the near distance probably sending a warning= to=20 the occupiers. When it was time to leave the island to return home our fishing boat anch= or=20 got caught on a bomb on the ocean floor. Our captain very carefully work= ed=20 the anchor free and you could see the fear on the faces of the passengers= . =20 We saw bombs sticking up out of the water near the shore and we saw tiny=20 islands just off Vieques that had been blasted to bits. In fact, endange= red=20 coral reefs are being destroyed all around Vieques from the years of bom= bing=20 by the Navy. Our friends in Puerto Rico are urging activists from all over the world t= o=20 join them on Vieques as soon as possible to help block any attempts to re= move=20 them from the island. It is very easy to get there and once there all yo= u=20 need is a sleeping bag and some food and water to share. You will be mad= e to=20 feel most welcome on this otherwise tropical paradise. Be sure to bring = your=20 bathing suit! If you'd like to go to Vieques just fly into San Juan and take a bus to t= he=20 port of Fajardo and then for $2 take the ferry to Vieques. Once in Viequ= es=20 there are regular fishing shuttles to the camps in the occupied zones. C= all=20 first and let Robert Rabin from the local Vieques committee know that you= are=20 coming. His phone is (787) 741-1717 or (787) 741-8651. =20 Please help do what you can to offer solidarity to our courageous friends= in=20 Puerto Rico. - 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: WAND Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Current Co-sponsors of HCon 177 Date: 11 Nov 1999 15:07:42 -0500 For the record, it's Capuano of Mass, not Capuana. It looks like Congress will be back next week, so keep calling on getting more co-sponsors. >>-M >> >> >> >>Name p-s >>Earl Hilliard D-AL >>Nancy Pelosi D-CA >>Barbara Lee D-CA >>Bob Filner D-CA >>Henry Waxman D-CA >>Lois Capps D-CA >>Lynn Woolsey D-CA >>Anna Eshoo D-CA >>Maxine Waters D-CA >>Pete Stark D-CA >>Zoe Lofgren D-CA >>Sam Farr D-CA >>Mark Udall D-CO >>Elanor Holmes Norton D-DC >>John Lewis D-GA >>Cynthia McKinney D-GA >>Neil Abercrombie D-HI >>Patsy Mink D-HI >>Janice Schakowsky D-IL >>Luis Gutierrez D-IL >>Rod Blagojevich D-IL >>Jesse Jackson, Jr. D-IL >>Ed Markey D-MA >>Jim McGovern D-MA >>Marty Meehan D-MA >>Richard Neal D-MA >>Michael Capuana D-MA >>Joe Moakley D-MA >>John Tierney D-MA >>William Delahunt D-MA >>Barney Frank D-MA >>John Olver D-MA >>Elijah Cummings D-MD >>John Baldacci D-ME >>Tom Allen D-ME >>David Bonior D-MI >>Sandy Levin D-MI >>James Barcia D-MI >>Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick D-MI >>Marty Sabo D-MN >>Bruce Vento D-MN >>Bill Luther D-MN >>James Oberstar D-MN >>Karen McCarthy D-MO >>Melvin Watt D-NC >>Rush Holt D-NJ >>Frank Pallone D-NJ >>Tom Udall D-NM >>Edolphus Towns D-NY >>Carolyn Malony D-NY >>Jerry Nadler D-NY >>Jose Serrano D-NY >>Joseph Crowley D-NY >>Major Owens D-NY >>Maurice Hinchey D-NY >>Anthony David Weiner D-NY >>Nita Lowy D-NY >>Gregory Meeks D-NY >>Dennis Kucinich D-OH >>Tom Sawyer D-OH >>Marcy Kaptur D-OH >>Sherrod Brown D-OH >>Peter DeFazio D-OR >>William Coyne D-PA >>Robert Weygand D-RI >>Patrick Kennedy D-RI >>Sheila Jackson-Lee D-TX >>Lloyd Doggett D-TX >>Jim McDermott D-WA >>Tammy Baldwin D-WI >>Tom Barrett D-WI >> left,left,left,left,left,left***************************************** Susan Shaer, Executive Director WAND, Women's Action for New Directions 691 Massachusetts Avenue Arlington, MA 02476 781-643-6740 fax 781-643-6744 < Mission: To empower women to act politically to reduce militarism and violence and to redirect excessive military spending to human and environmental needs. WAND is the only national peace organization linking women legislators across the country with local women activists as well as women in Congress in order to address issues of militarism, violence, and human needs. - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) Vieques: Puerto Rico:Self-determination&Human Rights Date: 11 Nov 1999 14:55:48 -0600 Since we had the report on Vieques, thought i would share with you some = work i just did down there as well that is related to Vieques. fab. -----Original Message----- Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 1999 12:57 PM =20 Self-determination and Human Rights in Puerto Rico by Professor Francis A. Boyle before Puerto Rico's Rights to Human Dignity: Conference on Behalf of Amnesty Petition for Puerto Rican Political Prisoners San Juan, Puerto Rico 28 August 1999 Draft Only Check Against Oral Delivery. =A91999 by Francis A. Boyle. All Rights Reserved. I am very happy to be back in Puerto Rico at this critical time = in the history of the Puerto Rican People. I would also like to thank the Organizers of this Conference, and especially my friend and fellow = attorney Dr. Luis Nieves Falcon, for honoring me with the opportunity to speak = at this most important Conference. In order to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus's = invasion of the Americas, in 1992 I was asked by the Organizers of the = International Tribunal of Indigenous Peoples and Oppressed Nations in the U.S.A. to = serve as Special Prosecutor of the United States government for committing international crimes against Indigenous Peoples, People of Color, and Oppressed Nationalities, including and especially the Puerto Rican = People. The Conference was initiated by the American Indian Movement (AIM) with = the support of representatives of the Puerto Rican People, the New African People, the Mexicano People, and progressive White North Americans. Of course, I do not consider myself to be a "White North American." I was = born an Irish Catholic, and I will die an Irish Catholic! During the past = 800 years of resisting one of the most brutal and cruel colonial = occupations in the history of humankind, we Irish Catholics know what = self-determination, genocide , and gross violations of our most fundamental human rights = are all about in our beloved Ireland, which still continue as of today. In my capacity as Special Prosecutor of the United States = Federal Government, I drew up an Indictment under international law that was = served upon the Attorney General of the United States and the United States Attorney in San Francisco prior to the convening of the Tribunal near "Columbus Day" 1992, with a demand that they appear to defend the = United States government from the charges. I take it they saw no point in = trying to defend the indefensible because no-one showed up to defend the United = States government, though they did publicly acknowledge receipt of our service = of process. I will not go through all 37 charges of my Indictment here. = But the proceedings of this seminal International Tribunal have been recorded = in a formal Verdict by the Tribunal; in a Video of the Tribunal; and in a = Book on the Tribunal--all under the title U.S.A. On Trial: The International Tribunal on Indigenous Peoples and Oppressed Nations in the United = States. For the purpose of this Conference, I want to briefly discuss = the eight charges that I filed against the United States government for committing international crimes against the People and State of Puerto = Rico. I believe that these eight charges succinctly state the fundamental principles of international law concerning the People and State of = Puerto Rico. Obviously, these eight charges of my Indictment cannot answer all = the questions the Puerto Rican People might have with respect to = international law. But I do submit that these eight charges provide a solid = foundation for providing guidance to the Puerto Rican People as to their basic rights = under international law that can be used in the future in order to resolve problems and issues as they arise to confront you. These eight charges of my Indictment read as follows: Indictment of the Federal Government of the United States of America for the Commission of International Crimes and Petition for Orders = Mandating its Proscription and Dissolution as an International Criminal = Conspiracy and a Criminal Organization .... Bill of Particulars Against the Federal Government of the United States of America .... The People and State of Puerto Rico Since its illegal invasion of Puerto Rico in 1898, Defendant has perpetrated innumerable Crimes Against Peace, Crimes Against Humanity = and War Crimes against the People and State of Puerto Rico as recognized by = the Nuremberg Charter, Judgment, and Principles. The Defendant has perpetrated the International Crime of Genocide against the Puerto Rican People as recognized by the 1948 Genocide Convention. The Defendant has perpetrated the International Crime of Apartheid against the Puerto Rican People as recognized by the 1973 Apartheid Convention. The Defendant has perpetrated a gross and consistent pattern of violations of the most fundamental human rights of the Puerto Rican = People as recognized by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the = two aforementioned United Nations Human Rights Covenants of 1966. The Defendant has perpetrated a gross and consistent pattern of violations of the 1965 Racism Convention against the Puerto Rican = People. The Defendant has denied and violated the international legal right of the Puerto Rican People to self-determination as recognized by the = United Nations Charter, the two United Nations Human Rights Covenants of 1966, customary international law, and jus cogens. The Defendant has illegally refused to apply the United Nations Decolonization Resolution of 1960 to Puerto Rico. Pursuant thereto, = the Defendant has an absolute international legal obligation to decolonize Puerto Rico immediately and to transfer all powers it currently = exercises there to the Puerto Rican People. The Defendant has illegally refused to accord full-scope protections as Prisoners-of-War to captured Puerto Rican independence fighters in violation of the Third Geneva Convention of 1949 and Additional = Protocol I thereto of 1977. The Defendant's treatment of captured Puerto Rican independence fighters as "common criminals" and "terrorists" = constitutes a "grave breach" of the Geneva Accords and thus a serious war crime. The distinguished Judges composing this International Tribunal consisted of seven independent Experts on human rights drawn from all = over the world. In their Verdict, Preliminary Findings, and Order of 4 = October 1992, the Indigenous Peoples' Tribunal did not accept all of the 37 = charges that I filed in my Indictment against the United States government for perpetrating international crimes against Indigenous Peoples, People of Color, and Oppressed Nations. But interestingly enough, when it came to = the Puerto Rican People, the International Tribunal accepted all of my = charges against the United States government, and by a unanimous vote. In its own words, the exact findings of this Tribunal on the = People and State of Puerto Rico were as follows: PUERTO RICAN PEOPLE With respect to the charges brought by the Puerto Rican People, the Defendant, the federal Government of the United States of America is, = by unanimous vote, guilty as charged in: Since its illegal invasion of Puerto Rico in 1898, Defendant has perpetrated innumerable Crimes Against Peace, Crimes Against Humanity = and War Crimes against the People and State of Puerto Rico as recognized by = the Nuremberg Charter, Judgment, and Principles. The Defendant has perpetrated the International Crime of Genocide against the Puerto Rican People as recognized by the 1948 Genocide Convention. The Defendant has perpetrated the International Crime of Apartheid against the Puerto Rican People as recognized by the 1973 Apartheid Convention. The Defendant has perpetrated a gross and consistent pattern of violations of the most fundamental human rights of the Puerto Rican = People as recognized by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the = two aforementioned United Nations Human Rights Covenants of 1966. The Defendant has perpetrated a gross and consistent pattern of violations of the 1965 Racism Convention against the Puerto Rican = People. The Defendant has denied and violated the international legal right of the Puerto Rican People to self-determination as recognized by the = United Nations Charter, the two United Nations Human Rights Covenants of 1966, customary international law, and jus cogens. The Defendant has illegally refused to apply the United Nations Decolonization Resolution of 1960 to Puerto Rico. Pursuant thereto, the Defendant has an absolute international legal obligation to decolonize Puerto Rico immediately and to transfer all powers it currently = exercises there to the Puerto Rican People. The Defendant has illegally refused to accord full-scope protections as Prisoners-of-War to captured Puerto Rican independence fighters in violation of the Third Geneva Convention of 1949 and Additional = Protocol I thereto of 1977. The Defendant's treatment of captured Puerto Rican independence fighters as "common criminals" and "terrorists" = constitutes a "grave breach" of the Geneva Accords and thus a serious war crime. As Special Prosecutor for the Tribunal, it came as no surprise = to me that the Judges unanimously accepted all of my charges against the = United States government with respect to the People and State of Puerto Rico. = This is because the principles of international law with respect to the = People and State of Puerto Rico are incontestible, and thus so glaringly = obvious for the entire world to see. I most respectfully submit that the Puerto Rican People must use this analysis and the Tribunal's Verdict, = Preliminary Findings, and Order in order to support, promote, and defend your basic rights under international law. In the final section of its Verdict, the Tribunal also rendered = the following unanimous decision that directly concerns the international = legal rights of the People and State of Puerto Rico: ADDITIONAL FINDINGS In light of the foregoing findings, this Tribunal also, by unanimous vote, finds the Defendant guilty as charged in paragraph 37, which, as amended, reads: In light of the foregoing international crimes, the Defendant constitutes a Criminal Conspiracy and a Criminal Organization in = accordance with the Nuremberg Charter, Judgment, and Principles and the other = sources of public international law specified above, and the Federal Government = of the United States of America is similar to the Nazi government of World = War II Germany. [Emphasis added.] This powerful Finding speaks for itself and requires no explanation by = me. The Tribunal concluded its Verdict with the following Order to = the United States government: "Now therefore, it is ordered, adjudged and decreed that the Defendant cease and desist from the commission of the crimes it has been found guilty of herein." Of course, the United = States government paid no attention to the Order of this Tribunal. Likewise, = the United States has paid no attention to the decisions of the = International Court of Justice in The Hague, the so-called World Court of the United Nations System. Nevertheless, the Verdict, Preliminary Findings, and = Order of this Indigenous Peoples' Tribunal qualify as a "judicial decision" = within the meaning of Article 38(1)(d)of the Statute of the International = Court of Justice. Pursuant thereto, this Verdict, Preliminary Findings, and = Order constitute "subsidiary means for the determination of rules of law" for international law and practice. Furthermore, the Statute of the International Court of Justice is an "integral part" of the United = Nations Charter under Article 92 thereof. Hence the Indigenous Peoples' = Tribunal's Verdict, Preliminary Findings, and Order can be relied upon by the International Court of Justice itself, by the Permanent International Criminal Court now being organized, by some other International = Tribunal, or by any other Court in the world today, as well as by any People or = State of the World Community--including and especially by the Puerto Rican = People. Obviously, in my brief presentation here today, I do not have = the time to go through each and every one of these nine charges; to discuss = all of the factual evidence that supports these nine charges; or to provide = you with an analysis of the international legal basis for each one of these charges. For that type of information, I refer you to the Video and the = Book on the Tribunal as well as to the Verdict, Preliminary Findings, and = Order itself. But in the discussion that follows, I will be happy to answer = any questions you might have. Thank you. =20 F.A.B. - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) FW: IADL on Puerto Rican POWs Date: 11 Nov 1999 15:04:49 -0600 -----Original Message----- Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 1999 10:46 AM August 25, 1999 Mr. John Podesta, Chief of Staff White House, Washington, D.C. By Telecopier: (202) 456-1907 Dear Mr. Podesta: As Vice-President and Permanent Representative to the United Nations for the International Association of Democratic Lawyers, I write to congratulate President Clinton and to thank all who have been involved in the review of the status of the 15 Puerto Rican political prisoners. You have taken an important step in the direction of executive clemency by your effective recognition that these prisoners' sentences were excessively harsh. Our Association, founded in 1946 to support law in the service of peace, has consistently argued for respect for all human rights, including the right to self-determination. We were in the forefront of the campaign for a free and democratic South Africa, we have been strong advocates of the Northern Ireland Peace Process towards which President Clinton has made such a positive and principled contribution and we have campaigned for the right of the Puerto Rican people to determine their own future. In this connection, we believe that the approach to all of the politically motivated Puerto Rican prisoners should mirror that taken by the British and Irish governments toward those imprisoned as a result of the Northern Ireland conflict. Indeed, it is noteworthy that the British government appointed to oversee this process the same South African lawyer whom Nelson Mandela had picked to review the release of politically motivated prisoners in his own country. The common thread that connects these issues is the recognition that the prisoners themselves have an important contribution to make in redirecting the political dialog away from paramilitary violence and toward building the confidence of civil society in the use of democratic processes. Like the IRA's cease-fire and Sinn Fein's endorsement of the Mitchell Principles, the Puerto Rican prisoners have already signaled, in a collective statement submitted to the U.S. House Resources Committee, that they intend to integrate themselves into the civic and civil life and legal political process of their communities, that they understand that times have changed, and they have indicated their willingness to participate in a truly democratic, inclusive process to resolve what they and many others consider to be the colonial status of Puerto Rico. We believe that, just like IRA prisoners, they should be released without the requirement to report to parole officers and without any restrictions imposed on the freedom of association, speech, assembly and travel to which they are entitled under international human rights law. No individual IRA or loyalist prisoner is required to sign any formal undertaking, to report to any governmental agency or to submit to any restrictions on his or her freedoms of association, speech, assembly or travel. It is noteworthy that the United States campaigned for the unconditional release of Nelson Mandela, who was jailed on charges identical to those for which the Puerto Rican prisoners have been imprisoned. Many IRA and loyalist paramilitaries serving life sentences for multiple homicides are now free on license with their sentences reduced by decades. The peace process has been strengthened immeasurably by this recognition of the important role of the prisoners. Even were that process to break down, it would not be the fault of the prisoners but rather of politicians who are too hesitant to move forward to equality and democracy. This is not a time for hesitation over the Puerto Rican prisoners either. It is time to permit them to return to their homes and communities to continue their commitment to peaceable means of achieving their full human rights. We urge their immediate and unconditional release as a humanitarian gesture and an act of political reconciliation. Very truly yours, Lennox S. Hinds, Esq., Vice-President and Permanent U.N. Representative Private reply: "Boyle, Francis" Public replies: forintlaw@law.wuacc.edu To signoff, send message to: listserv@law.wuacc.edu message merely says: unsubscribe forintlaw Questions? Rebecca Alexander, zzalex@washburn.edu Washburn's WashLawWEB, a comprehensive legal research site: http://www.washlaw.edu/ - 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: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Subject: (abolition-usa) Three Things You Can Do! Date: 11 Nov 1999 18:04:17 -0800 (PST) Dear Abolition 2000 Network Members, Now, more than ever, your action and support are needed to make a difference. As the year 2000 quickly approaches, we must unite in our common endeavors to create a more peaceful and just world, free from the threat of nuclear weapons. Although our different organizations are unique and have a variety of priorities and agendas, we all are striving for the same end...nuclear abolition. Did you know that the sunflower is not just one flower, but actually a collection of as many as 2,000 individual flowers assembled together to appear as one united being? As you may know, the sunflower is the official logo for Abolition 2000, and how appropriate! Abolition 2000 is like the sunflower because it is not just one organization, but rather a network of organizations united by our common work. Here are three things you can do to unite and strengthen the Network: 1. In May 1999, at our annual general meeting held at the Hague Appeal for Peace conference, we agreed that the year 2000 poses a critical challenge for the Network and we set a goal of enrolling 2000 sponsors by the NPT Review Conference which will begin in April 2000. Currently there are 1,377 organizations in 89 countries who have endorsed the Abolition 2000 statement. We need your commitment to outreach to youth groups, religious groups, environmental groups, women's groups and all sectors of society and enroll organizations if we are going to reach our goal. 2. Please continue to circulate and collect signatures for the Abolition 2000 International Petition. To date, more than 13,280,718 signatures have been collected. Please use the petition as a tool to bring awareness and outreach to both individuals and organizations. 3. The Network needs the financial support of its members to sustain coordination of the Network's activities and offer travel costs for our annual general meetings to participants from resource poor countries and indigenous participants who would otherwise not be able to participate. Please commit to making a donation, however large or small to forward our common work and goals for this upcoming critical year. Thank you for your commitment in our common endeavor to rid the world of nuclear weapons. Your support is greatly appreciated. In Peace, The Abolition 2000 Coordinating Committee Janet Bloomfield, UK Jackie Cabasso, US Pol Huyvetter, Netherlands David Krieger, US Richard Salvador, Belau Alice Slater, US Hiro Umebashi, Japan Ross Wilcock, Canada Alyn Ware, Aotearoa - 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: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Subject: (abolition-usa) [abolition-caucus] Three Things You Can Do! Date: 11 Nov 1999 18:04:17 -0800 (PST) Dear Abolition 2000 Network Members, Now, more than ever, your action and support are needed to make a difference. As the year 2000 quickly approaches, we must unite in our common endeavors to create a more peaceful and just world, free from the threat of nuclear weapons. Although our different organizations are unique and have a variety of priorities and agendas, we all are striving for the same end...nuclear abolition. Did you know that the sunflower is not just one flower, but actually a collection of as many as 2,000 individual flowers assembled together to appear as one united being? As you may know, the sunflower is the official logo for Abolition 2000, and how appropriate! Abolition 2000 is like the sunflower because it is not just one organization, but rather a network of organizations united by our common work. Here are three things you can do to unite and strengthen the Network: 1. In May 1999, at our annual general meeting held at the Hague Appeal for Peace conference, we agreed that the year 2000 poses a critical challenge for the Network and we set a goal of enrolling 2000 sponsors by the NPT Review Conference which will begin in April 2000. Currently there are 1,377 organizations in 89 countries who have endorsed the Abolition 2000 statement. We need your commitment to outreach to youth groups, religious groups, environmental groups, women's groups and all sectors of society and enroll organizations if we are going to reach our goal. 2. Please continue to circulate and collect signatures for the Abolition 2000 International Petition. To date, more than 13,280,718 signatures have been collected. Please use the petition as a tool to bring awareness and outreach to both individuals and organizations. 3. The Network needs the financial support of its members to sustain coordination of the Network's activities and offer travel costs for our annual general meetings to participants from resource poor countries and indigenous participants who would otherwise not be able to participate. Please commit to making a donation, however large or small to forward our common work and goals for this upcoming critical year. Thank you for your commitment in our common endeavor to rid the world of nuclear weapons. Your support is greatly appreciated. In Peace, The Abolition 2000 Coordinating Committee Janet Bloomfield, UK Jackie Cabasso, US Pol Huyvetter, Netherlands David Krieger, US Richard Salvador, Belau Alice Slater, US Hiro Umebashi, Japan Ross Wilcock, Canada Alyn Ware, Aotearoa A shopper’s dream come true! Find practically anything on earth at eBay! Come and browse the more than 2 million items up for bid at any time. You never know what you might find at eBay! http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/1140 To subscribe to the Abolition Global Caucus, send an email from the account you wish to be subscribed to: "abolition-caucus-subscribe@egroups.com" Do not include a subject line or any text in the body of the message. -- Easily schedule meetings and events using the group calendar! -- http://www.egroups.com/cal?listname=abolition-caucus&m=1 - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) GLOBAL NUKE-WEAPONS APPEAL HANDED TO BUSH, GORBACHEV, FISCHER, IN Date: 12 Nov 1999 13:29:14 +1000 The Following Press release was faxed out today from Friends of the Earth Sydney. GLOBAL NUKE-WEAPONS APPEAL HANDED TO BUSH, GORBACHEV, FISCHER, IN BERLIN A global appeal signed by over 460 organisations to take nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert for the Y2K 'rollover' was handed to ex-presidents Bush and Gorbachev in Berlin on 9/11/1999, by Women for Peace Activist and ex-member of the European Parliament Eva Quistorp, via the President of the Bundestag. Similar letters have been handed to German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, and environment minister Jurgen Trittin, asking Germany to appeal to the US and Russia to de-alert their nuclear weapons. The appeal to Yeltsin and Clinton to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K rollover so that Y2K induced computer errors do not induce an accidental nuclear war has so far been signed by over 460 organizations worldwide including 22 Australian parliamentarians, 9NZ parliamentarians, 4 Canadian parliamentarians, 10 members of the European Parliament, 2 US congresspeople, and one MP from Moldova. It has been signed by the largest International environment groups in the world, Friends of the Earth International and Greenpeace International, by the British-American Security Information Council, the Centre for Defence Information in Washington, by the International Peace Bureau, by various national branches of IPPNW, Womens International League for Peace and Freedom, (WILPF) and a vast number of national and local groups. The possibility of accidental nuclear war as a result of Y2K induced computer error has been the subject of serious concern by strategic analysts, in view of the possibility of false information leading to 'unintended deadly consequences'. Official spokespeople have dismissed these claims, and US systems are claimed to be fully fixed, but the very nature of the Y2K problem is such that it is not possible to be sure that everything is 100% fixed. Y2K-related problems have been discovered in the US/Russsian 'hotlines'. The joint US/Russian Y2K strategic Stability Centre is not scedu;led to operate until 27 Dec, and depends on those hotlines. There is a small but real chance therefore of global catastrophe, which will be vastly reduced by taking nuclear weapons systems off current hairtrigger alert status. The Australian Senate has already passed two motions expressing concern over the possibility of accidental nuclear war over the Y2K rollover. A motion is now gathering support in the US Congress, and another is gathering support in the European Parliament. The United Nations General Assembly in its First Committee, approved a motion put by India, asking for nuclear weapons to be taken off alert. Bush and Gorbachev in 1991, took nuclear bomber forces off alert. All Nuclear Forces should be taken off alert now. Contact: Eva Quistorp, 49-30-323-9543. John Hallam, Friends of the Earth Sydney 61-2-9517-3903 h61-2-9810-2598 - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) GLOBAL NUKE-WEAPONS APPEAL HANDED TO BUSH, GORBACHEV, FISCHER, IN Date: 12 Nov 1999 13:29:14 +1000 The Following Press release was faxed out today from Friends of the Earth Sydney. GLOBAL NUKE-WEAPONS APPEAL HANDED TO BUSH, GORBACHEV, FISCHER, IN BERLIN A global appeal signed by over 460 organisations to take nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert for the Y2K 'rollover' was handed to ex-presidents Bush and Gorbachev in Berlin on 9/11/1999, by Women for Peace Activist and ex-member of the European Parliament Eva Quistorp, via the President of the Bundestag. Similar letters have been handed to German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, and environment minister Jurgen Trittin, asking Germany to appeal to the US and Russia to de-alert their nuclear weapons. The appeal to Yeltsin and Clinton to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K rollover so that Y2K induced computer errors do not induce an accidental nuclear war has so far been signed by over 460 organizations worldwide including 22 Australian parliamentarians, 9NZ parliamentarians, 4 Canadian parliamentarians, 10 members of the European Parliament, 2 US congresspeople, and one MP from Moldova. It has been signed by the largest International environment groups in the world, Friends of the Earth International and Greenpeace International, by the British-American Security Information Council, the Centre for Defence Information in Washington, by the International Peace Bureau, by various national branches of IPPNW, Womens International League for Peace and Freedom, (WILPF) and a vast number of national and local groups. The possibility of accidental nuclear war as a result of Y2K induced computer error has been the subject of serious concern by strategic analysts, in view of the possibility of false information leading to 'unintended deadly consequences'. Official spokespeople have dismissed these claims, and US systems are claimed to be fully fixed, but the very nature of the Y2K problem is such that it is not possible to be sure that everything is 100% fixed. Y2K-related problems have been discovered in the US/Russsian 'hotlines'. The joint US/Russian Y2K strategic Stability Centre is not scedu;led to operate until 27 Dec, and depends on those hotlines. There is a small but real chance therefore of global catastrophe, which will be vastly reduced by taking nuclear weapons systems off current hairtrigger alert status. The Australian Senate has already passed two motions expressing concern over the possibility of accidental nuclear war over the Y2K rollover. A motion is now gathering support in the US Congress, and another is gathering support in the European Parliament. The United Nations General Assembly in its First Committee, approved a motion put by India, asking for nuclear weapons to be taken off alert. Bush and Gorbachev in 1991, took nuclear bomber forces off alert. All Nuclear Forces should be taken off alert now. Contact: Eva Quistorp, 49-30-323-9543. John Hallam, Friends of the Earth Sydney 61-2-9517-3903 h61-2-9810-2598 - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Why Cohen? What to do to get Nuke Weapons Taken off Alert Date: 12 Nov 1999 16:46:00 +1000 WHY COHEN? Since I posted the last alert, those who didn't just say 'take me off the list' have asked 'Why Defence secretary Cohen?' People have also said 'Didn't we fax him before? (No, you didn't - A big sign on letter has been sent to him, but we did not fax him before - unless you just faxed in the last few days). =46or those who wonder why its thought appropriate to send faxes to Defence Secretary Cohen asking for US strategic nuclear weapons to be taken off alert when the previous 'targets' of the last fax campaign have been Boris Yeltsin and Bill Clinton, it is worthwhile to go back to an item posted by Alice Slater entitled 'read this and weep'. (below, after the end of this). Cohen is the responsible US official and he is also clearly a major opponent of de-alerting. He's said in Moscow, that de- alerting is 'off the table'. He needs to be told to put it back on the table. The response given by Russian foreign Minister Ivanov (The US administration has not bothered to reply) to the idea of de-alerting was that it would have to be a matter for negotiation between the US and Russia. Indeed so. Here's some relatively simple things that we can all do that make our chances of getting 5000 nuclear weapons now on 24 hour a day hairtrigger alert, taken off alert, a bit better: 1) Fax Cohen, asking him to de- alert (and Clinton and Yeltsin if you have the energy and the money) 2)Support HCon 177, the Markey De-Alerting resolution, which now has an impressive list of sponsors. Call your representative at: 202-224-3121. 3)(If you are an organisation or a congressperson) sign on to the big de-alerting sign-on letter, on http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html (to do that you email me on this adress) HOW TO FAX Cohen's fax number is +1-703-695-1149. It does work - I have faxed it many times. Sometimes however, you will get a recorded message saying you have the wrong number. Try again. Clintons is +1-202-456-2461. Yeltsin can be faxed on +7-095-205-4330. It's the slowest fax in the universe, but works. Defence minister Sergeyev can be faxed on+7-095-247-2722. This one is erratic, keep trying. YOU CAN FAX FOR FREE ON http://www.fax4free.com (According to Carol Moore. I have not tried this one) WHAT TO FAX Sample letters (with the correct fax numbers on) are at the very end of this email after the interview with Cohen. Feel free to be creative, these are only for giving an idea what to say. May the fax gremlins smile upon you. ___________________________________________________________________ >Interview: William Cohen, US Secretary of Defense > by Bryan Bender, Washington Bureau Chief > September 22, 1999 > Jane=92s Defence Weekly > > The first official talks between US Defense Secretary William Cohen and >his Russian counterpart since the NATO air campaign against Yugoslavia >indicate relations between the two countries have warmed considerably. > > Cohen believes, however, that prospects for significant progress on >US-Russian strategic arms control issues remain dim, at least until after >both countries' respective national elections next year. "I didn't expect >any major breakthroughs," Cohen says. "It's going to take a little time. >They have their elections coming up and so do we. Their focus in the near >term may not be on this." (A large slab deleted here) > > On the potential for the USA and Russia "de-alerting" their nuclear >forces as a stability-building measure, Cohen says such a proposal is now >off the table. "The better course is reduction, limiting the number of >weapons and establishing shared early warning centres." > >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 SAMPLE LETTERS 1)SAMPLE LETTER TO COHEN/CLINTON (THIS IS FOR INDIVIDUALS TO USE TO SEND TO COHEN AND CLINTON YOURSELVES.) TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461 Dear President Clinton and Secretary for Defence Cohen, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. It is particularly disturbing that you are reported as having stated in Moscow that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. The very nature of the Y2K problem makes it impossible to be sure everything has been fixed until well into the new year. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. This system seems to include additional ways in which Y2K failure might lead to an accidental launch. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as we the public are aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The Y2K vulnerabilities discovered in six of the seven hotlines established during the cold war period are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Aganda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September. In taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. Failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low, but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. (SIGNED) etc. 2)SAMPLE LETTER TO YELTSIN/DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEYEV (THIS SAMPLE LETTER IS FOR YOU PERSONALLY TO FAX, CUSTOMIZED AS YOU FEEL BEST, TO YELTSIN AND DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEYEV. PLEASE DO FAX IT AND SEND IT NOW.) PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN, IGOR SERGEYEV, RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER, +7-095-205-4330, 'Dear Defence Minister Sergeyev and President Yeltsin, I am writing to convey my deep concern that Y2K-related computer failures in the command and control systems for nuclear weapons may lead to an accidental nuclear war. I am aware that both Russia and the US have taken this problem seriously enough to establish a joint strategic stability center in Colorado. However, I am very much concerned that this facility will come into operation only by 27th December 1999, so that a delay of just four days will make it useless. I am also very much concerned that Y2K problems have been found in six out of seven of the 'hotlines' that would be used if a crisis of any sort arose over the Y2K rollover period. I am aware that there have been a number of occasions when either the US or Russia have mistakenly believed that the other nation was in the process of launching a nuclear attack. With 3,600 Russian warheads on 700 missiles and 2,000 US warheads on 500 missiles, with each side capable to launch within roughly 20 minutes, this must never be allowed to happen, either over the Y2K 'rollover', or at any other time. The use of 5,600 warheads would certainly mean the end of what we call civilization, would likely mean the end of the human race and could possibly mean the end of all life. I therefore urge both you and the United States, to place all your nuclear forces in a status in which at least days not minutes, would be required to launch . The United Kingdom has, I understand, already done this. The immediate stakes are so high and the potential for global catastrophe is so great, that mutually verified de-alerting of nuclear forces in the face of the Y2K computer problem must take precedence over all other considerations of political and national security.' (Signed) etc. John Hallam =46riends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, =46ax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Why Cohen? What to do to get Nuke Weapons Taken off Alert Date: 12 Nov 1999 16:46:00 +1000 WHY COHEN? Since I posted the last alert, those who didn't just say 'take me off the list' have asked 'Why Defence secretary Cohen?' People have also said 'Didn't we fax him before? (No, you didn't - A big sign on letter has been sent to him, but we did not fax him before - unless you just faxed in the last few days). For those who wonder why its thought appropriate to send faxes to Defence Secretary Cohen asking for US strategic nuclear weapons to be taken off alert when the previous 'targets' of the last fax campaign have been Boris Yeltsin and Bill Clinton, it is worthwhile to go back to an item posted by Alice Slater entitled 'read this and weep'. (below, after the end of this). Cohen is the responsible US official and he is also clearly a major opponent of de-alerting. He's said in Moscow, that de- alerting is 'off the table'. He needs to be told to put it back on the table. The response given by Russian foreign Minister Ivanov (The US administration has not bothered to reply) to the idea of de-alerting was that it would have to be a matter for negotiation between the US and Russia. Indeed so. Here's some relatively simple things that we can all do that make our chances of getting 5000 nuclear weapons now on 24 hour a day hairtrigger alert, taken off alert, a bit better: 1) Fax Cohen, asking him to de- alert (and Clinton and Yeltsin if you have the energy and the money) 2)Support HCon 177, the Markey De-Alerting resolution, which now has an impressive list of sponsors. Call your representative at: 202-224-3121. 3)(If you are an organisation or a congressperson) sign on to the big de-alerting sign-on letter, on http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html (to do that you email me on this adress) HOW TO FAX Cohen's fax number is +1-703-695-1149. It does work - I have faxed it many times. Sometimes however, you will get a recorded message saying you have the wrong number. Try again. Clintons is +1-202-456-2461. Yeltsin can be faxed on +7-095-205-4330. It's the slowest fax in the universe, but works. Defence minister Sergeyev can be faxed on+7-095-247-2722. This one is erratic, keep trying. YOU CAN FAX FOR FREE ON http://www.fax4free.com (According to Carol Moore. I have not tried this one) WHAT TO FAX Sample letters (with the correct fax numbers on) are at the very end of this email after the interview with Cohen. Feel free to be creative, these are only for giving an idea what to say. May the fax gremlins smile upon you. ___________________________________________________________________ >Interview: William Cohen, US Secretary of Defense > by Bryan Bender, Washington Bureau Chief > September 22, 1999 > Jane’s Defence Weekly > > The first official talks between US Defense Secretary William Cohen and >his Russian counterpart since the NATO air campaign against Yugoslavia >indicate relations between the two countries have warmed considerably. > > Cohen believes, however, that prospects for significant progress on >US-Russian strategic arms control issues remain dim, at least until after >both countries' respective national elections next year. "I didn't expect >any major breakthroughs," Cohen says. "It's going to take a little time. >They have their elections coming up and so do we. Their focus in the near >term may not be on this." (A large slab deleted here) > > On the potential for the USA and Russia "de-alerting" their nuclear >forces as a stability-building measure, Cohen says such a proposal is now >off the table. "The better course is reduction, limiting the number of >weapons and establishing shared early warning centres." > >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 SAMPLE LETTERS 1)SAMPLE LETTER TO COHEN/CLINTON (THIS IS FOR INDIVIDUALS TO USE TO SEND TO COHEN AND CLINTON YOURSELVES.) TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461 Dear President Clinton and Secretary for Defence Cohen, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. It is particularly disturbing that you are reported as having stated in Moscow that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. The very nature of the Y2K problem makes it impossible to be sure everything has been fixed until well into the new year. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. This system seems to include additional ways in which Y2K failure might lead to an accidental launch. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as we the public are aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The Y2K vulnerabilities discovered in six of the seven hotlines established during the cold war period are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Aganda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September. In taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. Failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low, but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. (SIGNED) etc. 2)SAMPLE LETTER TO YELTSIN/DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEYEV (THIS SAMPLE LETTER IS FOR YOU PERSONALLY TO FAX, CUSTOMIZED AS YOU FEEL BEST, TO YELTSIN AND DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEYEV. PLEASE DO FAX IT AND SEND IT NOW.) PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN, IGOR SERGEYEV, RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER, +7-095-205-4330, 'Dear Defence Minister Sergeyev and President Yeltsin, I am writing to convey my deep concern that Y2K-related computer failures in the command and control systems for nuclear weapons may lead to an accidental nuclear war. I am aware that both Russia and the US have taken this problem seriously enough to establish a joint strategic stability center in Colorado. However, I am very much concerned that this facility will come into operation only by 27th December 1999, so that a delay of just four days will make it useless. I am also very much concerned that Y2K problems have been found in six out of seven of the 'hotlines' that would be used if a crisis of any sort arose over the Y2K rollover period. I am aware that there have been a number of occasions when either the US or Russia have mistakenly believed that the other nation was in the process of launching a nuclear attack. With 3,600 Russian warheads on 700 missiles and 2,000 US warheads on 500 missiles, with each side capable to launch within roughly 20 minutes, this must never be allowed to happen, either over the Y2K 'rollover', or at any other time. The use of 5,600 warheads would certainly mean the end of what we call civilization, would likely mean the end of the human race and could possibly mean the end of all life. I therefore urge both you and the United States, to place all your nuclear forces in a status in which at least days not minutes, would be required to launch . The United Kingdom has, I understand, already done this. The immediate stakes are so high and the potential for global catastrophe is so great, that mutually verified de-alerting of nuclear forces in the face of the Y2K computer problem must take precedence over all other considerations of political and national security.' (Signed) etc. John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.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: marylia@earthlink.net (marylia) Subject: (abolition-usa) NIF nuke facility public hearing Date: 12 Nov 1999 09:29:41 -0800 (PST) Action alert -- Call the speaker sign up number today! Public Hearing on the Construction and Operation of the National Ignition Facility What: Public Hearing on the Draft Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on Construction and Operation of the National Ignition Facility in an area contaminated by toxics. This review is mandated by a court order -- issued in the lawsuit brought by 39 plaintiff groups to challenge the DOE's environmental review of its "Stockpile Stewardship" program. When: Dec. 8, 1999, 3 to 5 PM and 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Where: Livermore Lab -- south cafeteria, located in an "open area" off East Ave. between Vasco & Greenville. Speaker sign up: (877) 388-4930. Reserve your 10 minute (time approximate) slot today. More information: Call Tri-Valley CAREs (925) 443-7148 Note: There will be a Washington, DC public hearing on Dec. 1, 1999 at DOE headquarters. For more information about this hearing, call the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability at (202) 833-4668. Or, just call the speaker sign up number -- it is the same for both hearings. Additional Note: You may also call the speaker sign up number to inquire about submitting written or verbal comments during the comment period -- even if you cannot attend a public hearing. Public comment period ends Dec. 20, 1999. "Talking points" and other materials will be posted by Tri-Valley CAREs, Western States Legal Foundation and other colleague organizations by the end of November. 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! (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: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) How to end (Drug)War, Mike Ruppert GPW2000 support letter Date: 12 Nov 1999 13:11:55 -0800 [Most Excellent Message Mike, thanks!!]--dcw Michael C. Ruppert Publisher/Editor From The Wilderness http://www.copvcia.com November 11, 1999 Message In Support of Global Peace Walk 2000 To David Crockett Williams and all of the dedicated organizers of Global Peace Walk 2000... Mankind's entry into a new era is a forgone conclusion. It is in progress all around us. What remains unclear is how the exact nature of this new era will be realized as we get there. In one case there is evidence of an increasingly repressive political and economic hegemony, driven by out-of-control pressures and the need to dominate world markets. There is still other evidence that imminent breakdowns and shortcomings of technology may usher in an era of retrogression, conflict and fear. At the same moment other evidence points to the unbridled, creative expansion of the human spirit through the uncensored and ever expanding Internet and our newly discovered ability to reach all parts of the planet with the speed of thought. In the midst of all of this, regional conflicts, wars, atrocities and rumors of war continue to rob mankind of the spiritual legs needed to cross the cusp of the new era - and to define its essence. From my perspective, as one who has devoted twenty years to exposing a shadow government of intelligence, financial and political operatives - protected by a wall of unhealthy, destructive laws - who wage a so-called "war on drugs" with huge budgets while, at the same time, hypocritically benefiting from the profits of the drug trade, I cannot state strongly enough that a powerful demonstration of the desire for peace in all areas of life is essential at this moment in our history. The effects of war are clear: destruction of the human spirit, destruction of property, destruction of human rights, the illegal transfer of wealth, destruction of the environment, the violation of nature, the dissolution of families and social structure. All of these things are byproducts of a war on drugs which today consumes $70 billion of American resources, incarcerates an ever increasing number of non-violent drug offenders and gives rise to the incremental erosion of legal and human rights all over the planet. As evidenced in Colombia, Burma, Pakistan, Kosovo, Mexico and right here at home, the drug trade also leads to wholesale slaughter and bloodshed. Any quest for peace cannot be successful without addressing the causes of war. Throughout mankind's history perhaps the primary cause of war has been the quest for economic power and political security. Any quest to remove the causes of war is neither honest nor sincere unless it challenges the billions of dollars generated by the drug trade which provide an almost inexhaustible stream of money to purchase the weapons of war in use around the planet. Any quest for peace must also fail if it does not address events that sever mankind from its Creator. The irrational demonization of a God-created plant, like cannabis, and the prohibition of its use as a medicine for the suffering exemplifies the lack of reason behind all war. It shows that the war on drugs, as practiced, is also a war on the human spirit. Having participated in preparatory events for the Global Peace Walk 2000, and being in complete harmony with its objectives, please permit me to express my complete support to Reverend Yusen Yamato, David Crockett Williams and all of the organizers who have worked so hard to make it a success. Let the action of your kegs, moving in harmony and rhythm across this nation remind those with louder voices, bigger laws, more guns and who are driven by fear that the human spirit, in its hunger for peace, is more powerful than anything. Let Global Peace Walk 2000 be the unpretentious and irresistible calling card of the new era. Michael C. Ruppert Publisher/Editor From The Wilderness http://www.copvcia.com DCW: Michael Ruppert is a former Los Angeles Police Department narcotics investigator whose free lance investigative journalism and research over the last 20 years has convinced him of a potentially sinister side of the "drug war" as documented in the recent US Department of Justice Inspector General's Report Volume II, now in Congressional committee regarding acknowledged CIA complicity with the illicit drug trade to fund covert operations (wars). See his website for details including pending class action lawsuit against DoJ and CIA, based on evidence in this report still being hidden from public view by Congress, on behalf of Oakland and South Central Los Angeles residents with unanimous resolution of support from Oakland City Council. You can support his fine work by subscribing to his newsletter at his website above. For information on Mike's message and participation at GPW2000's Global Crisis Solutions Conference at UC Berkeley, March 1, 1999, see http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/gcsc2.html This is one example of the many fine letters and proclamations of support which Global Peace Walk2000 will be carrying across country next year from San Francisco (January 15th) to deliver in Washington DC (October 7-12) and to the United Nations in New York City for its 55th anniversary October 24, 2000, to help inaugurate the UN Year and Decade of Creating a Culture of Peace for the 21st Century. Other letters of support with your global peace and survival issue messages are welcomed and needed and will also be posted at GPW2000 website http://www.globalpeacenow.org We hope to have more boxes of papers to deliver to Congress next October than Ken Starr did! We need all the support we can get for this important project to ensure all important issues are included in Global Peace Platform to be addressed by all Election2000 candidates, nationally and locally across America. Your letters of support may be emailed to me at gear2000@lightspeed.net, or to the GPW2000 office in San Francisco at GPZone@aol.com, and hardcopy mailed to Global Peace Walk 2000, PO Box 170245, San Francisco CA 94117-0245, to which address may also be mailed available financial offerings for GPW2000 payable to Yucca Foundation [a California 501(c)(3) association]. GPW2000 sponsorship info available on request to help GPW2000 promote your organization to over 50million people over next 11+months. For "Global Peace Now!" David Crockett Williams gear2000@lightspeed.net Global Emergency Alert Response http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000 Global Peace Walk 2000 http://www.globalpeacenow.org http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/gpw.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) Clinton's National Emergency Order regarding weapons of mass destruction Date: 12 Nov 1999 18:52:31 -0800 Thus begins the sixth year of an official Presidentially declared nationa= l emergency regarding nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. Can't this be an additional good angle for Abolition2000 to address this offici= al national emergency with references to this order in all press releases, etc., and offer as how Abolition2000 campaign is trying to help the President to alleviate this specific national emergency? Wouldn't this s= eem to be a logical reason to motivate the citizens and all national legislat= ors to support HR 2545 http://www.prop1.org to remediate this national emerge= ncy officially declared as such just since Nov'94? This certainly seems to negate the popular impression that its all ok now that the Soviet Union broke up and the "cold war ended". Am I missing something here or is this a real lever with which to lift public awareness and opinion about the need for abolition 2000? This seems like an important email list to be on from the White House. I wonder how one subscribes? Activist Mailing List - http://get.to/activist Sent: Friday, November 12, 1999 2:35 PM Destruction > THE WHITE HOUSE > > Office of the Press Secretary > ________________________________________________________________________ > For Immediate Release November 10, 1999 > > > NOTICE > > - - - - - - - > > CONTINUATION OF EMERGENCY REGARDING > WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION > > > On November 14, 1994, by Executive Order 12938, I declared a > national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat > to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United > States posed by the pro-liferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical > weapons ("weapons of mass destruction") and the means of delivering such > weapons. Because the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and > the means of delivering them continues to pose an unusual and > extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and > economy of the United States, the national emergency first declared on > November 14, 1994, and extended on November 14, 1995, November 12, 1996, > November 13, 1997, and November 12, 1998, must continue in effect beyond > November 14, 1999. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the > National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing the > national emergency declared in Executive Order 12938. > > This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and > transmitted to the Congress. > > > > > WILLIAM J. CLINTON > THE WHITE HOUSE, > November 10, 1999. > > > > # # # =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Paul Pureau , International Management Desk/ Asian Desk One Global One Ameri-Advocate New York, Santa Cruz, Amsterdam, New Zealand , Canada Free:Leonard Peltier,Mumia Abu Jamal, Bob Peace , End Ethnic Cleansing of American Indian People visit us at : http://members.tripod.com/~ellis_smith/ameri-advocate.html feed the hungry: http://www.thehungersite.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to Activist_List-unsubscribe@listbot.com Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/ =F5=04 - 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) [abolition-caucus] Clinton's National Emergency Order regarding weapons of mass destruction Date: 12 Nov 1999 18:52:31 -0800 Thus begins the sixth year of an official Presidentially declared national emergency regarding nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. Can't this be an additional good angle for Abolition2000 to address this official national emergency with references to this order in all press releases, etc., and offer as how Abolition2000 campaign is trying to help the President to alleviate this specific national emergency? Wouldn't this seem to be a logical reason to motivate the citizens and all national legislators to support HR 2545 http://www.prop1.org to remediate this national emergency officially declared as such just since Nov'94? This certainly seems to negate the popular impression that its all ok now that the Soviet Union broke up and the "cold war ended". Am I missing something here or is this a real lever with which to lift public awareness and opinion about the need for abolition 2000? This seems like an important email list to be on from the White House. I wonder how one subscribes? Activist Mailing List - http://get.to/activist Sent: Friday, November 12, 1999 2:35 PM Destruction > THE WHITE HOUSE > > Office of the Press Secretary > ________________________________________________________________________ > For Immediate Release November 10, 1999 > > > NOTICE > > - - - - - - - > > CONTINUATION OF EMERGENCY REGARDING > WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION > > > On November 14, 1994, by Executive Order 12938, I declared a > national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat > to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United > States posed by the pro-liferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical > weapons ("weapons of mass destruction") and the means of delivering such > weapons. Because the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and > the means of delivering them continues to pose an unusual and > extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and > economy of the United States, the national emergency first declared on > November 14, 1994, and extended on November 14, 1995, November 12, 1996, > November 13, 1997, and November 12, 1998, must continue in effect beyond > November 14, 1999. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the > National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing the > national emergency declared in Executive Order 12938. > > This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and > transmitted to the Congress. > > > > > WILLIAM J. CLINTON > THE WHITE HOUSE, > November 10, 1999. > > > > # # # ===== Paul Pureau , International Management Desk/ Asian Desk One Global One Ameri-Advocate New York, Santa Cruz, Amsterdam, New Zealand , Canada Free:Leonard Peltier,Mumia Abu Jamal, Bob Peace , End Ethnic Cleansing of American Indian People visit us at : http://members.tripod.com/~ellis_smith/ameri-advocate.html feed the hungry: http://www.thehungersite.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to Activist_List-unsubscribe@listbot.com Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/ õ A shopper’s dream come true! Find practically anything on earth at eBay! Come and browse the more than 2 million items up for bid at any time. You never know what you might find at eBay! http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/1140 To subscribe to the Abolition Global Caucus, send an email from the account you wish to be subscribed to: "abolition-caucus-subscribe@egroups.com" Do not include a subject line or any text in the body of the message. -- 20 megs of disk space in your group's Document Vault -- http://www.egroups.com/docvault/abolition-caucus/?m=1 - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) [abolition-caucus] GLOBAL NUKE-WEAPONS APPEAL HANDED TO BUSH, GORBACHEV, FISCHER, IN Date: 12 Nov 1999 13:29:14 +1000 The Following Press release was faxed out today from Friends of the Earth Sydney. GLOBAL NUKE-WEAPONS APPEAL HANDED TO BUSH, GORBACHEV, FISCHER, IN BERLIN A global appeal signed by over 460 organisations to take nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert for the Y2K 'rollover' was handed to ex-presidents Bush and Gorbachev in Berlin on 9/11/1999, by Women for Peace Activist and ex-member of the European Parliament Eva Quistorp, via the President of the Bundestag. Similar letters have been handed to German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, and environment minister Jurgen Trittin, asking Germany to appeal to the US and Russia to de-alert their nuclear weapons. The appeal to Yeltsin and Clinton to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K rollover so that Y2K induced computer errors do not induce an accidental nuclear war has so far been signed by over 460 organizations worldwide including 22 Australian parliamentarians, 9NZ parliamentarians, 4 Canadian parliamentarians, 10 members of the European Parliament, 2 US congresspeople, and one MP from Moldova. It has been signed by the largest International environment groups in the world, Friends of the Earth International and Greenpeace International, by the British-American Security Information Council, the Centre for Defence Information in Washington, by the International Peace Bureau, by various national branches of IPPNW, Womens International League for Peace and Freedom, (WILPF) and a vast number of national and local groups. The possibility of accidental nuclear war as a result of Y2K induced computer error has been the subject of serious concern by strategic analysts, in view of the possibility of false information leading to 'unintended deadly consequences'. Official spokespeople have dismissed these claims, and US systems are claimed to be fully fixed, but the very nature of the Y2K problem is such that it is not possible to be sure that everything is 100% fixed. Y2K-related problems have been discovered in the US/Russsian 'hotlines'. The joint US/Russian Y2K strategic Stability Centre is not scedu;led to operate until 27 Dec, and depends on those hotlines. There is a small but real chance therefore of global catastrophe, which will be vastly reduced by taking nuclear weapons systems off current hairtrigger alert status. The Australian Senate has already passed two motions expressing concern over the possibility of accidental nuclear war over the Y2K rollover. A motion is now gathering support in the US Congress, and another is gathering support in the European Parliament. The United Nations General Assembly in its First Committee, approved a motion put by India, asking for nuclear weapons to be taken off alert. Bush and Gorbachev in 1991, took nuclear bomber forces off alert. All Nuclear Forces should be taken off alert now. Contact: Eva Quistorp, 49-30-323-9543. John Hallam, Friends of the Earth Sydney 61-2-9517-3903 h61-2-9810-2598 A shopper’s dream come true! Find practically anything on earth at eBay! Come and browse the more than 2 million items up for bid at any time. You never know what you might find at eBay! http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/1140 To subscribe to the Abolition Global Caucus, send an email from the account you wish to be subscribed to: "abolition-caucus-subscribe@egroups.com" Do not include a subject line or any text in the body of the message. eGroups.com Home: http://www.egroups.com/group/abolition-caucus/ http://www.egroups.com - Simplifying group communications - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) PD58.& Clinton's National Emergency Order regarding weapons of ma Date: 13 Nov 1999 16:20:01 -0600 Let us not forget Presidential Directive Number 58, signed into law by that great liberal President Jimmy Carter, and probably still on the books. Basically, President Directive Number 58 (signed in conjunction with the infamous President Directive 59 on waging a limited nuclear war--see my World Politics and International Law (Duke:1985),) provides that in the event of a "nuclear emergency" that is not defined, the President asserts the authority to place the country under martial law. I grew up during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when at school the principal came on the PA system and told us all to say a prayer because the Soviet ships were now moving towards the US naval blockade of Cuba. So let us suppose there is a repeat of this scenario. Only this time, hundreds of thousands of American citizens take to the streets and demand that we not be blown up. Presumably, under Presidential Directive 58 and its ilk, the President could shut down citizen protests designed to save our lives and the life of the world.This National Emergency Order by Clinton simply provides the legal predicate for the invocation of Presidential Directive 58 and its successors. Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law Survivor of the Cuban Missile Fiasco -----Original Message----- Sent: Friday, November 12, 1999 8:53 PM Cc: Peace through Reason; *Global Peace Walk Project; =Trilight - SF GPW2000 HQ; Paul Pureau weapons of mass destruction Thus begins the sixth year of an official Presidentially declared national emergency regarding nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. Can't this be an additional good angle for Abolition2000 to address this official national emergency with references to this order in all press releases, etc., and offer as how Abolition2000 campaign is trying to help the President to alleviate this specific national emergency? Wouldn't this seem to be a logical reason to motivate the citizens and all national legislators to support HR 2545 http://www.prop1.org to remediate this national emergency officially declared as such just since Nov'94? This certainly seems to negate the popular impression that its all ok now that the Soviet Union broke up and the "cold war ended". Am I missing something here or is this a real lever with which to lift public awareness and opinion about the need for abolition 2000? This seems like an important email list to be on from the White House. I wonder how one subscribes? Activist Mailing List - http://get.to/activist Sent: Friday, November 12, 1999 2:35 PM Destruction > THE WHITE HOUSE > > Office of the Press Secretary > ________________________________________________________________________ > For Immediate Release November 10, 1999 > > > NOTICE > > - - - - - - - > > CONTINUATION OF EMERGENCY REGARDING > WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION > > > On November 14, 1994, by Executive Order 12938, I declared a > national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat > to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United > States posed by the pro-liferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical > weapons ("weapons of mass destruction") and the means of delivering such > weapons. Because the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and > the means of delivering them continues to pose an unusual and > extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and > economy of the United States, the national emergency first declared on > November 14, 1994, and extended on November 14, 1995, November 12, 1996, > November 13, 1997, and November 12, 1998, must continue in effect beyond > November 14, 1999. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the > National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing the > national emergency declared in Executive Order 12938. > > This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and > transmitted to the Congress. > > > > > WILLIAM J. CLINTON > THE WHITE HOUSE, > November 10, 1999. > > > > # # # ===== Paul Pureau , International Management Desk/ Asian Desk One Global One Ameri-Advocate New York, Santa Cruz, Amsterdam, New Zealand , Canada Free:Leonard Peltier,Mumia Abu Jamal, Bob Peace , End Ethnic Cleansing of American Indian People visit us at : http://members.tripod.com/~ellis_smith/ameri-advocate.html feed the hungry: http://www.thehungersite.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to Activist_List-unsubscribe@listbot.com Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/ õ - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) PD58.& Clinton's National Emergency Order regarding weapons of ma Date: 13 Nov 1999 16:20:01 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Let us not forget Presidential Directive Number 58, signed into law by that great liberal President Jimmy Carter, and probably still on the books. Basically, President Directive Number 58 (signed in conjunction with the infamous President Directive 59 on waging a limited nuclear war--see my World Politics and International Law (Duke:1985),) provides that in the event of a "nuclear emergency" that is not defined, the President asserts the authority to place the country under martial law. I grew up during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when at school the principal came on the PA system and told us all to say a prayer because the Soviet ships were now moving towards the US naval blockade of Cuba. So let us suppose there is a repeat of this scenario. Only this time, hundreds of thousands of American citizens take to the streets and demand that we not be blown up. Presumably, under Presidential Directive 58 and its ilk, the President could shut down citizen protests designed to save our lives and the life of the world.This National Emergency Order by Clinton simply provides the legal predicate for the invocation of Presidential Directive 58 and its successors. Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law Survivor of the Cuban Missile Fiasco -----Original Message----- Sent: Friday, November 12, 1999 8:53 PM Cc: Peace through Reason; *Global Peace Walk Project; =Trilight - SF GPW2000 HQ; Paul Pureau weapons of mass destruction Thus begins the sixth year of an official Presidentially declared national emergency regarding nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. Can't this be an additional good angle for Abolition2000 to address this official national emergency with references to this order in all press releases, etc., and offer as how Abolition2000 campaign is trying to help the President to alleviate this specific national emergency? Wouldn't this seem to be a logical reason to motivate the citizens and all national legislators to support HR 2545 http://www.prop1.org to remediate this national emergency officially declared as such just since Nov'94? This certainly seems to negate the popular impression that its all ok now that the Soviet Union broke up and the "cold war ended". Am I missing something here or is this a real lever with which to lift public awareness and opinion about the need for abolition 2000? This seems like an important email list to be on from the White House. I wonder how one subscribes? Activist Mailing List - http://get.to/activist Sent: Friday, November 12, 1999 2:35 PM Destruction > THE WHITE HOUSE > > Office of the Press Secretary > ________________________________________________________________________ > For Immediate Release November 10, 1999 > > > NOTICE > > - - - - - - - > > CONTINUATION OF EMERGENCY REGARDING > WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION > > > On November 14, 1994, by Executive Order 12938, I declared a > national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat > to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United > States posed by the pro-liferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical > weapons ("weapons of mass destruction") and the means of delivering such > weapons. Because the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and > the means of delivering them continues to pose an unusual and > extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and > economy of the United States, the national emergency first declared on > November 14, 1994, and extended on November 14, 1995, November 12, 1996, > November 13, 1997, and November 12, 1998, must continue in effect beyond > November 14, 1999. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the > National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing the > national emergency declared in Executive Order 12938. > > This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and > transmitted to the Congress. > > > > > WILLIAM J. CLINTON > THE WHITE HOUSE, > November 10, 1999. > > > > # # # ===== Paul Pureau , International Management Desk/ Asian Desk One Global One Ameri-Advocate New York, Santa Cruz, Amsterdam, New Zealand , Canada Free:Leonard Peltier,Mumia Abu Jamal, Bob Peace , End Ethnic Cleansing of American Indian People visit us at : http://members.tripod.com/~ellis_smith/ameri-advocate.html feed the hungry: http://www.thehungersite.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to Activist_List-unsubscribe@listbot.com Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/ õ - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) [abolition-caucus] PD58.& Clinton's National Emergency Order regarding weapons of ma Date: 13 Nov 1999 16:20:01 -0600 Let us not forget Presidential Directive Number 58, signed into law by that great liberal President Jimmy Carter, and probably still on the books. Basically, President Directive Number 58 (signed in conjunction with the infamous President Directive 59 on waging a limited nuclear war--see my World Politics and International Law (Duke:1985),) provides that in the event of a "nuclear emergency" that is not defined, the President asserts the authority to place the country under martial law. I grew up during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when at school the principal came on the PA system and told us all to say a prayer because the Soviet ships were now moving towards the US naval blockade of Cuba. So let us suppose there is a repeat of this scenario. Only this time, hundreds of thousands of American citizens take to the streets and demand that we not be blown up. Presumably, under Presidential Directive 58 and its ilk, the President could shut down citizen protests designed to save our lives and the life of the world.This National Emergency Order by Clinton simply provides the legal predicate for the invocation of Presidential Directive 58 and its successors. Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law Survivor of the Cuban Missile Fiasco -----Original Message----- Sent: Friday, November 12, 1999 8:53 PM Cc: Peace through Reason; *Global Peace Walk Project; =Trilight - SF GPW2000 HQ; Paul Pureau weapons of mass destruction Thus begins the sixth year of an official Presidentially declared national emergency regarding nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. Can't this be an additional good angle for Abolition2000 to address this official national emergency with references to this order in all press releases, etc., and offer as how Abolition2000 campaign is trying to help the President to alleviate this specific national emergency? Wouldn't this seem to be a logical reason to motivate the citizens and all national legislators to support HR 2545 http://www.prop1.org to remediate this national emergency officially declared as such just since Nov'94? This certainly seems to negate the popular impression that its all ok now that the Soviet Union broke up and the "cold war ended". Am I missing something here or is this a real lever with which to lift public awareness and opinion about the need for abolition 2000? This seems like an important email list to be on from the White House. I wonder how one subscribes? Activist Mailing List - http://get.to/activist Sent: Friday, November 12, 1999 2:35 PM Destruction > THE WHITE HOUSE > > Office of the Press Secretary > ________________________________________________________________________ > For Immediate Release November 10, 1999 > > > NOTICE > > - - - - - - - > > CONTINUATION OF EMERGENCY REGARDING > WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION > > > On November 14, 1994, by Executive Order 12938, I declared a > national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat > to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United > States posed by the pro-liferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical > weapons ("weapons of mass destruction") and the means of delivering such > weapons. Because the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and > the means of delivering them continues to pose an unusual and > extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and > economy of the United States, the national emergency first declared on > November 14, 1994, and extended on November 14, 1995, November 12, 1996, > November 13, 1997, and November 12, 1998, must continue in effect beyond > November 14, 1999. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the > National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing the > national emergency declared in Executive Order 12938. > > This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and > transmitted to the Congress. > > > > > WILLIAM J. CLINTON > THE WHITE HOUSE, > November 10, 1999. > > > > # # # ===== Paul Pureau , International Management Desk/ Asian Desk One Global One Ameri-Advocate New York, Santa Cruz, Amsterdam, New Zealand , Canada Free:Leonard Peltier,Mumia Abu Jamal, Bob Peace , End Ethnic Cleansing of American Indian People visit us at : http://members.tripod.com/~ellis_smith/ameri-advocate.html feed the hungry: http://www.thehungersite.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to Activist_List-unsubscribe@listbot.com Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/ õ - 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. A shopper’s dream come true! Find practically anything on earth at eBay! Come and browse the more than 2 million items up for bid at any time. You never know what you might find at eBay! http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/1140 To subscribe to the Abolition Global Caucus, send an email from the account you wish to be subscribed to: "abolition-caucus-subscribe@egroups.com" Do not include a subject line or any text in the body of the message. -- 20 megs of disk space in your group's Document Vault -- http://www.egroups.com/docvault/abolition-caucus/?m=1 - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) PD58.& Clinton's National Emergency Order regarding weapons of ma Date: 13 Nov 1999 16:20:01 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Let us not forget Presidential Directive Number 58, signed into law by that great liberal President Jimmy Carter, and probably still on the books. Basically, President Directive Number 58 (signed in conjunction with the infamous President Directive 59 on waging a limited nuclear war--see my World Politics and International Law (Duke:1985),) provides that in the event of a "nuclear emergency" that is not defined, the President asserts the authority to place the country under martial law. I grew up during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when at school the principal came on the PA system and told us all to say a prayer because the Soviet ships were now moving towards the US naval blockade of Cuba. So let us suppose there is a repeat of this scenario. Only this time, hundreds of thousands of American citizens take to the streets and demand that we not be blown up. Presumably, under Presidential Directive 58 and its ilk, the President could shut down citizen protests designed to save our lives and the life of the world.This National Emergency Order by Clinton simply provides the legal predicate for the invocation of Presidential Directive 58 and its successors. Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law Survivor of the Cuban Missile Fiasco -----Original Message----- Sent: Friday, November 12, 1999 8:53 PM Cc: Peace through Reason; *Global Peace Walk Project; =Trilight - SF GPW2000 HQ; Paul Pureau weapons of mass destruction Thus begins the sixth year of an official Presidentially declared national emergency regarding nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. Can't this be an additional good angle for Abolition2000 to address this official national emergency with references to this order in all press releases, etc., and offer as how Abolition2000 campaign is trying to help the President to alleviate this specific national emergency? Wouldn't this seem to be a logical reason to motivate the citizens and all national legislators to support HR 2545 http://www.prop1.org to remediate this national emergency officially declared as such just since Nov'94? This certainly seems to negate the popular impression that its all ok now that the Soviet Union broke up and the "cold war ended". Am I missing something here or is this a real lever with which to lift public awareness and opinion about the need for abolition 2000? This seems like an important email list to be on from the White House. I wonder how one subscribes? Activist Mailing List - http://get.to/activist Sent: Friday, November 12, 1999 2:35 PM Destruction > THE WHITE HOUSE > > Office of the Press Secretary > ________________________________________________________________________ > For Immediate Release November 10, 1999 > > > NOTICE > > - - - - - - - > > CONTINUATION OF EMERGENCY REGARDING > WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION > > > On November 14, 1994, by Executive Order 12938, I declared a > national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat > to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United > States posed by the pro-liferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical > weapons ("weapons of mass destruction") and the means of delivering such > weapons. Because the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and > the means of delivering them continues to pose an unusual and > extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and > economy of the United States, the national emergency first declared on > November 14, 1994, and extended on November 14, 1995, November 12, 1996, > November 13, 1997, and November 12, 1998, must continue in effect beyond > November 14, 1999. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the > National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing the > national emergency declared in Executive Order 12938. > > This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and > transmitted to the Congress. > > > > > WILLIAM J. CLINTON > THE WHITE HOUSE, > November 10, 1999. > > > > # # # ===== Paul Pureau , International Management Desk/ Asian Desk One Global One Ameri-Advocate New York, Santa Cruz, Amsterdam, New Zealand , Canada Free:Leonard Peltier,Mumia Abu Jamal, Bob Peace , End Ethnic Cleansing of American Indian People visit us at : http://members.tripod.com/~ellis_smith/ameri-advocate.html feed the hungry: http://www.thehungersite.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to Activist_List-unsubscribe@listbot.com Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/ õ - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) [abolition-caucus] PD58.& Clinton's National Emergency Order regarding weapons of ma Date: 13 Nov 1999 16:20:01 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Let us not forget Presidential Directive Number 58, signed into law by that great liberal President Jimmy Carter, and probably still on the books. Basically, President Directive Number 58 (signed in conjunction with the infamous President Directive 59 on waging a limited nuclear war--see my World Politics and International Law (Duke:1985),) provides that in the event of a "nuclear emergency" that is not defined, the President asserts the authority to place the country under martial law. I grew up during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when at school the principal came on the PA system and told us all to say a prayer because the Soviet ships were now moving towards the US naval blockade of Cuba. So let us suppose there is a repeat of this scenario. Only this time, hundreds of thousands of American citizens take to the streets and demand that we not be blown up. Presumably, under Presidential Directive 58 and its ilk, the President could shut down citizen protests designed to save our lives and the life of the world.This National Emergency Order by Clinton simply provides the legal predicate for the invocation of Presidential Directive 58 and its successors. Francis A. Boyle Professor of International Law Survivor of the Cuban Missile Fiasco -----Original Message----- Sent: Friday, November 12, 1999 8:53 PM Cc: Peace through Reason; *Global Peace Walk Project; =Trilight - SF GPW2000 HQ; Paul Pureau weapons of mass destruction Thus begins the sixth year of an official Presidentially declared national emergency regarding nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. Can't this be an additional good angle for Abolition2000 to address this official national emergency with references to this order in all press releases, etc., and offer as how Abolition2000 campaign is trying to help the President to alleviate this specific national emergency? Wouldn't this seem to be a logical reason to motivate the citizens and all national legislators to support HR 2545 http://www.prop1.org to remediate this national emergency officially declared as such just since Nov'94? This certainly seems to negate the popular impression that its all ok now that the Soviet Union broke up and the "cold war ended". Am I missing something here or is this a real lever with which to lift public awareness and opinion about the need for abolition 2000? This seems like an important email list to be on from the White House. I wonder how one subscribes? Activist Mailing List - http://get.to/activist Sent: Friday, November 12, 1999 2:35 PM Destruction > THE WHITE HOUSE > > Office of the Press Secretary > ________________________________________________________________________ > For Immediate Release November 10, 1999 > > > NOTICE > > - - - - - - - > > CONTINUATION OF EMERGENCY REGARDING > WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION > > > On November 14, 1994, by Executive Order 12938, I declared a > national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat > to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United > States posed by the pro-liferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical > weapons ("weapons of mass destruction") and the means of delivering such > weapons. Because the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and > the means of delivering them continues to pose an unusual and > extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and > economy of the United States, the national emergency first declared on > November 14, 1994, and extended on November 14, 1995, November 12, 1996, > November 13, 1997, and November 12, 1998, must continue in effect beyond > November 14, 1999. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the > National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing the > national emergency declared in Executive Order 12938. > > This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and > transmitted to the Congress. > > > > > WILLIAM J. CLINTON > THE WHITE HOUSE, > November 10, 1999. > > > > # # # ===== Paul Pureau , International Management Desk/ Asian Desk One Global One Ameri-Advocate New York, Santa Cruz, Amsterdam, New Zealand , Canada Free:Leonard Peltier,Mumia Abu Jamal, Bob Peace , End Ethnic Cleansing of American Indian People visit us at : http://members.tripod.com/~ellis_smith/ameri-advocate.html feed the hungry: http://www.thehungersite.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to Activist_List-unsubscribe@listbot.com Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/ õ - 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. A shopper’s dream come true! Find practically anything on earth at eBay! Come and browse the more than 2 million items up for bid at any time. You never know what you might find at eBay! http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/1140 To subscribe to the Abolition Global Caucus, send an email from the account you wish to be subscribed to: "abolition-caucus-subscribe@egroups.com" Do not include a subject line or any text in the body of the message. -- 20 megs of disk space in your group's Document Vault -- http://www.egroups.com/docvault/abolition-caucus/?m=1 - 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) Your letter/message Date: 14 Nov 1999 16:58:52 -0800 I am asking for your pet "survival issue messages" such as anti-war, anti-nuclear, environment, indigenous struggles, medical cannabis relegalization, human rights, drug war/policy reform, prison/justice related legal reforms, etc., (see some issues catagories at http://www.globalpeacenow.org/issue.html ) to be discussed and addressed in your letter of support for Global Peace Walk 2000 that will be posted at http://www.globalpeacenow.org , emailed to national media and activist lists, and carried by Global Peace Walk 2000 in its compilation of survival issue messages, for the cause of "Global Peace Now!" as a universal human resolve, from San Francisco for delivery to Washington DC and to the United Nations (Jan14-Oct24,2000). GPW2000 supporters are not necessarily supporters of each and every issue that the walk is carrying, just the ones most important to them, all issues uniting to manifest "Global Peace Now!". We have recently received letters from (inter)national leaders involved in some of these issues such as author/speaker Jack Herer http://www.globalpeacenow.org/jackherer.html , White House Anti-nuclear Peace Park Vigilers for HR2545 gobal Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Acti of 1999 (http://www.prop1.org), Big Mountain Dineh Traditionalist resident/activist Tom Bedonie http://www.globalpeacenow.org/bigmountain.html , Electrifying Times Editor Remy Chevalier http://www.endsecrecy.com and Michael Ruppert, Editor of "From The Wilderness" newsletter ( http://www.copvcia.com ) whose letter is reproduced below and will also be soon posted to www.globalpeacenow.org . Ruppert along with Dr. Brian O'Leary ( http://www.maui.net/~oleary ) and Chris Conrad (http://www.chrisconrad.com ) were among the fine speakers at the GPW2000 Global Crisis Solutions Conference at UC Berkeley March1st offering their messages for GPW2000 to carry http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/gcsc2.html We have previously gathered a large number of such letters and proclamations of support since the 1995 Global Peace Walk from New York to San Francisco including numerous political figures, e.g. recently, San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland CA mayors, Mayor of Rome NY presentation of Global Peace Zone proclamation on stage at Woodstock'99, etc. (selected texts are at http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/listproc.html , others at http://www.globalpeacenow.org/support2000.html ) A long list of previous support letters/proclamations, newspaper articles, etc., for the Global Peace Walk project 1995-1999 are at http://www.globalpeacenow.org/support.html If you yourself, or someone you know that you can forward this post to, can compose a letter summarizing/detailing important aspects of these or any other survival issue messages for Global Peace Walk to help promote, please email as soon as possible so these can be sent out to activist and media lists right away to mobilize and inspire others to compose and submit theirs as well as to afford additional advance publicity for this important Global Peace Walk 2000 project. It will be very helpful to my promotion of this project such letters/messages of support for GPW2000 can be emailed to me as soon as possible. It would be great if under your name (a P.S. at letter's end) you can give some info about yourself, affiliations, website if you have one, etc. In addition to emailing letters/messages to me, we would also appreciate signed hardcopies, to reprint in GPW2000 letters compilation, mailed to Global Peace Walk project, PO Box 170245, San Francisco, CA 94117-0245, if you can/will. If you have a website please also post your letter there and a link to http://www.globalpeacenow.org Thanks very much, David Crockett Williams gear2000@lightspeed.net Global Emergency Alert Response http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000 Global Peace Walk 2000 http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/gpw.html http://www.globalpeacenow.org [Most Excellent Message Mike, thanks!!]--dcw Michael C. Ruppert Publisher/Editor >From The Wilderness http://www.copvcia.com November 11, 1999 Message In Support of Global Peace Walk 2000 To David Crockett Williams and all of the dedicated organizers of Global Peace Walk 2000... Mankind's entry into a new era is a forgone conclusion. It is in progress all around us. What remains unclear is how the exact nature of this new era will be realized as we get there. In one case there is evidence of an increasingly repressive political and economic hegemony, driven by out-of-control pressures and the need to dominate world markets. There is still other evidence that imminent breakdowns and shortcomings of technology may usher in an era of retrogression, conflict and fear. At the same moment other evidence points to the unbridled, creative expansion of the human spirit through the uncensored and ever expanding Internet and our newly discovered ability to reach all parts of the planet with the speed of thought. In the midst of all of this, regional conflicts, wars, atrocities and rumors of war continue to rob mankind of the spiritual legs needed to cross the cusp of the new era - and to define its essence. >From my perspective, as one who has devoted twenty years to exposing a shadow government of intelligence, financial and political operatives - protected by a wall of unhealthy, destructive laws - who wage a so-called "war on drugs" with huge budgets while, at the same time, hypocritically benefiting from the profits of the drug trade, I cannot state strongly enough that a powerful demonstration of the desire for peace in all areas of life is essential at this moment in our history. The effects of war are clear: destruction of the human spirit, destruction of property, destruction of human rights, the illegal transfer of wealth, destruction of the environment, the violation of nature, the dissolution of families and social structure. All of these things are byproducts of a war on drugs which today consumes $70 billion of American resources, incarcerates an ever increasing number of non-violent drug offenders and gives rise to the incremental erosion of legal and human rights all over the planet. As evidenced in Colombia, Burma, Pakistan, Kosovo, Mexico and right here at home, the drug trade also leads to wholesale slaughter and bloodshed. Any quest for peace cannot be successful without addressing the causes of war. Throughout mankind's history perhaps the primary cause of war has been the quest for economic power and political security. Any quest to remove the causes of war is neither honest nor sincere unless it challenges the billions of dollars generated by the drug trade which provide an almost inexhaustible stream of money to purchase the weapons of war in use around the planet. Any quest for peace must also fail if it does not address events that sever mankind from its Creator. The irrational demonization of a God-created plant, like cannabis, and the prohibition of its use as a medicine for the suffering exemplifies the lack of reason behind all war. It shows that the war on drugs, as practiced, is also a war on the human spirit. Having participated in preparatory events for the Global Peace Walk 2000, and being in complete harmony with its objectives, please permit me to express my complete support to Reverend Yusen Yamato, David Crockett Williams and all of the organizers who have worked so hard to make it a success. Let the action of your kegs, moving in harmony and rhythm across this nation remind those with louder voices, bigger laws, more guns and who are driven by fear that the human spirit, in its hunger for peace, is more powerful than anything. Let Global Peace Walk 2000 be the unpretentious and irresistible calling card of the new era. Michael C. Ruppert Publisher/Editor >From The Wilderness http://www.copvcia.com DCW: Michael Ruppert is a former Los Angeles Police Department narcotics investigator whose free lance investigative journalism and research over the last 20 years has convinced him of a potentially sinister side of the "drug war" as documented in the recent US Department of Justice Inspector General's Report Volume II, now in Congressional committee regarding acknowledged CIA complicity with the illicit drug trade to fund covert operations (wars). See his website for details including pending class action lawsuit against DoJ and CIA, based on evidence in this report still being hidden from public view by Congress, on behalf of Oakland and South Central Los Angeles residents with unanimous resolution of support from Oakland City Council. You can support his fine work by subscribing to his newsletter at his website above. For information on Mike's message and participation at GPW2000's Global Crisis Solutions Conference at UC Berkeley, March 1, 1999, see http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/gcsc2.html This is one example of the many fine letters and proclamations of support which Global Peace Walk2000 will be carrying across country next year from San Francisco (January 15th) to deliver in Washington DC (October 7-12) and to the United Nations in New York City for its 55th anniversary October 24, 2000, to help inaugurate the UN Year and Decade of Creating a Culture of Peace for the 21st Century. Other letters of support with your global peace and survival issue messages are welcomed and needed and will also be posted at GPW2000 website http://www.globalpeacenow.org We hope to have more boxes of papers to deliver to Congress next October than Ken Starr did! We need all the support we can get for this important project to ensure all important issues are included in Global Peace Platform to be addressed by all Election2000 candidates, nationally and locally across America. Your letters of support may be emailed to me at gear2000@lightspeed.net, or to the GPW2000 office in San Francisco at GPZone@aol.com, and hardcopy mailed to Global Peace Walk 2000, PO Box 170245, San Francisco CA 94117-0245, to which address may also be mailed available financial offerings for GPW2000 payable to Yucca Foundation [a California 501(c)(3) association]. GPW2000 sponsorship info available on request to help GPW2000 promote your organization to over 50million people over next 11+months. For "Global Peace Now!" David Crockett Williams gear2000@lightspeed.net Global Emergency Alert Response http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000 Global Peace Walk 2000 http://www.globalpeacenow.org http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/gpw.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) [abolition-caucus] Your letter/message Date: 14 Nov 1999 16:58:52 -0800 I am asking for your pet "survival issue messages" such as anti-war, anti-nuclear, environment, indigenous struggles, medical cannabis relegalization, human rights, drug war/policy reform, prison/justice related legal reforms, etc., (see some issues catagories at http://www.globalpeacenow.org/issue.html ) to be discussed and addressed in your letter of support for Global Peace Walk 2000 that will be posted at http://www.globalpeacenow.org , emailed to national media and activist lists, and carried by Global Peace Walk 2000 in its compilation of survival issue messages, for the cause of "Global Peace Now!" as a universal human resolve, from San Francisco for delivery to Washington DC and to the United Nations (Jan14-Oct24,2000). GPW2000 supporters are not necessarily supporters of each and every issue that the walk is carrying, just the ones most important to them, all issues uniting to manifest "Global Peace Now!". We have recently received letters from (inter)national leaders involved in some of these issues such as author/speaker Jack Herer http://www.globalpeacenow.org/jackherer.html , White House Anti-nuclear Peace Park Vigilers for HR2545 gobal Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Acti of 1999 (http://www.prop1.org), Big Mountain Dineh Traditionalist resident/activist Tom Bedonie http://www.globalpeacenow.org/bigmountain.html , Electrifying Times Editor Remy Chevalier http://www.endsecrecy.com and Michael Ruppert, Editor of "From The Wilderness" newsletter ( http://www.copvcia.com ) whose letter is reproduced below and will also be soon posted to www.globalpeacenow.org . Ruppert along with Dr. Brian O'Leary ( http://www.maui.net/~oleary ) and Chris Conrad (http://www.chrisconrad.com ) were among the fine speakers at the GPW2000 Global Crisis Solutions Conference at UC Berkeley March1st offering their messages for GPW2000 to carry http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/gcsc2.html We have previously gathered a large number of such letters and proclamations of support since the 1995 Global Peace Walk from New York to San Francisco including numerous political figures, e.g. recently, San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland CA mayors, Mayor of Rome NY presentation of Global Peace Zone proclamation on stage at Woodstock'99, etc. (selected texts are at http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/listproc.html , others at http://www.globalpeacenow.org/support2000.html ) A long list of previous support letters/proclamations, newspaper articles, etc., for the Global Peace Walk project 1995-1999 are at http://www.globalpeacenow.org/support.html If you yourself, or someone you know that you can forward this post to, can compose a letter summarizing/detailing important aspects of these or any other survival issue messages for Global Peace Walk to help promote, please email as soon as possible so these can be sent out to activist and media lists right away to mobilize and inspire others to compose and submit theirs as well as to afford additional advance publicity for this important Global Peace Walk 2000 project. It will be very helpful to my promotion of this project such letters/messages of support for GPW2000 can be emailed to me as soon as possible. It would be great if under your name (a P.S. at letter's end) you can give some info about yourself, affiliations, website if you have one, etc. In addition to emailing letters/messages to me, we would also appreciate signed hardcopies, to reprint in GPW2000 letters compilation, mailed to Global Peace Walk project, PO Box 170245, San Francisco, CA 94117-0245, if you can/will. If you have a website please also post your letter there and a link to http://www.globalpeacenow.org Thanks very much, David Crockett Williams gear2000@lightspeed.net Global Emergency Alert Response http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000 Global Peace Walk 2000 http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/gpw.html http://www.globalpeacenow.org [Most Excellent Message Mike, thanks!!]--dcw Michael C. Ruppert Publisher/Editor >From The Wilderness http://www.copvcia.com November 11, 1999 Message In Support of Global Peace Walk 2000 To David Crockett Williams and all of the dedicated organizers of Global Peace Walk 2000... Mankind's entry into a new era is a forgone conclusion. It is in progress all around us. What remains unclear is how the exact nature of this new era will be realized as we get there. In one case there is evidence of an increasingly repressive political and economic hegemony, driven by out-of-control pressures and the need to dominate world markets. There is still other evidence that imminent breakdowns and shortcomings of technology may usher in an era of retrogression, conflict and fear. At the same moment other evidence points to the unbridled, creative expansion of the human spirit through the uncensored and ever expanding Internet and our newly discovered ability to reach all parts of the planet with the speed of thought. In the midst of all of this, regional conflicts, wars, atrocities and rumors of war continue to rob mankind of the spiritual legs needed to cross the cusp of the new era - and to define its essence. >From my perspective, as one who has devoted twenty years to exposing a shadow government of intelligence, financial and political operatives - protected by a wall of unhealthy, destructive laws - who wage a so-called "war on drugs" with huge budgets while, at the same time, hypocritically benefiting from the profits of the drug trade, I cannot state strongly enough that a powerful demonstration of the desire for peace in all areas of life is essential at this moment in our history. The effects of war are clear: destruction of the human spirit, destruction of property, destruction of human rights, the illegal transfer of wealth, destruction of the environment, the violation of nature, the dissolution of families and social structure. All of these things are byproducts of a war on drugs which today consumes $70 billion of American resources, incarcerates an ever increasing number of non-violent drug offenders and gives rise to the incremental erosion of legal and human rights all over the planet. As evidenced in Colombia, Burma, Pakistan, Kosovo, Mexico and right here at home, the drug trade also leads to wholesale slaughter and bloodshed. Any quest for peace cannot be successful without addressing the causes of war. Throughout mankind's history perhaps the primary cause of war has been the quest for economic power and political security. Any quest to remove the causes of war is neither honest nor sincere unless it challenges the billions of dollars generated by the drug trade which provide an almost inexhaustible stream of money to purchase the weapons of war in use around the planet. Any quest for peace must also fail if it does not address events that sever mankind from its Creator. The irrational demonization of a God-created plant, like cannabis, and the prohibition of its use as a medicine for the suffering exemplifies the lack of reason behind all war. It shows that the war on drugs, as practiced, is also a war on the human spirit. Having participated in preparatory events for the Global Peace Walk 2000, and being in complete harmony with its objectives, please permit me to express my complete support to Reverend Yusen Yamato, David Crockett Williams and all of the organizers who have worked so hard to make it a success. Let the action of your kegs, moving in harmony and rhythm across this nation remind those with louder voices, bigger laws, more guns and who are driven by fear that the human spirit, in its hunger for peace, is more powerful than anything. Let Global Peace Walk 2000 be the unpretentious and irresistible calling card of the new era. Michael C. Ruppert Publisher/Editor >From The Wilderness http://www.copvcia.com DCW: Michael Ruppert is a former Los Angeles Police Department narcotics investigator whose free lance investigative journalism and research over the last 20 years has convinced him of a potentially sinister side of the "drug war" as documented in the recent US Department of Justice Inspector General's Report Volume II, now in Congressional committee regarding acknowledged CIA complicity with the illicit drug trade to fund covert operations (wars). See his website for details including pending class action lawsuit against DoJ and CIA, based on evidence in this report still being hidden from public view by Congress, on behalf of Oakland and South Central Los Angeles residents with unanimous resolution of support from Oakland City Council. You can support his fine work by subscribing to his newsletter at his website above. For information on Mike's message and participation at GPW2000's Global Crisis Solutions Conference at UC Berkeley, March 1, 1999, see http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/gcsc2.html This is one example of the many fine letters and proclamations of support which Global Peace Walk2000 will be carrying across country next year from San Francisco (January 15th) to deliver in Washington DC (October 7-12) and to the United Nations in New York City for its 55th anniversary October 24, 2000, to help inaugurate the UN Year and Decade of Creating a Culture of Peace for the 21st Century. Other letters of support with your global peace and survival issue messages are welcomed and needed and will also be posted at GPW2000 website http://www.globalpeacenow.org We hope to have more boxes of papers to deliver to Congress next October than Ken Starr did! We need all the support we can get for this important project to ensure all important issues are included in Global Peace Platform to be addressed by all Election2000 candidates, nationally and locally across America. Your letters of support may be emailed to me at gear2000@lightspeed.net, or to the GPW2000 office in San Francisco at GPZone@aol.com, and hardcopy mailed to Global Peace Walk 2000, PO Box 170245, San Francisco CA 94117-0245, to which address may also be mailed available financial offerings for GPW2000 payable to Yucca Foundation [a California 501(c)(3) association]. GPW2000 sponsorship info available on request to help GPW2000 promote your organization to over 50million people over next 11+months. For "Global Peace Now!" David Crockett Williams gear2000@lightspeed.net Global Emergency Alert Response http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000 Global Peace Walk 2000 http://www.globalpeacenow.org http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/gpw.html - A shopper’s dream come true! Find practically anything on earth at eBay! Come and browse the more than 2 million items up for bid at any time. You never know what you might find at eBay! http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/1140 To subscribe to the Abolition Global Caucus, send an email from the account you wish to be subscribed to: "abolition-caucus-subscribe@egroups.com" Do not include a subject line or any text in the body of the message. -- Create a poll/survey for your group! -- http://www.egroups.com/vote?listname=abolition-caucus&m=1 - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Letter Supporting Markey Resolution - Fax/Email something similar Date: 15 Nov 1999 17:48:23 +1000 Dear All, Here is a letter in support of the Markey Resolution, H Con. res 177. With it (at the end) I have enclosed the entire email list for the Congress. (the list is not perfect). I suggest that you: (a)Fax it to your local congressperson (b)Email it, suitably customised, to the list. (at the end) Here is Carol Moore's note re free faxing: Since I discovered http://www.fax4free.com I can start faxing too :-) Check it out if you need faxing capability. Carol FRIENDS OF THE EARTH SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (PUT YOUR NAME HERE) RE: H.CON.RES 177 Dear Member of Congress, I am writing to you in support of H Con Res 177, introduced by Edward Markey, which seeks to take nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert, in particular over the Y2K rollover period. I understand that this resolution now has around 70 co-sponsors and that the list is growing. The taking of nuclear weapons off alert status was advocated strongly by the Canberra Commission (on which General Lee Butler served), as a way to generate trust and to move toward a world in which the threat of nuclear annihilation could be eliminated. In particular, the taking of nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert was seen as a crucial way in which the threat of accidental nuclear war could be eliminated. Some 460 organizations and parliamentarians worldwide have signed a letter to Presidents Yeltsin and Clinton, asking them to take nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert as H Con. Res 177 asks. The advent of the Y2K 'rollover' has generated well- founded concerns over the possibility that the vast computerized command and control systems of both US and Russian nuclear weapons systems may malfunction in a manner that generates false indications of attack. This has already occurred on a number of occasions without the additional problems posed by Y2K. While the implementation of a joint Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is clearly helpful, it is cause for concern that this center is not scheduled to be operational until 27 December, and will be itself dependent on communication 'hotlines', when Y2K vulnerabilities were pinpointed in those hotlines by the Dodd and Bennett Senate Committee on Y2K. Similar problems or worse undoubtedly exist with Russian strategic nuclear weapons systems. The taking of nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert as H.Con.Res 177 recommends and as recommended by the Australian Senate in a motion on 20 September, as well as by the recently passed New Agenda resolution in the United Nations General Assembly, would eliminate completely the possibility of what your Senate calls 'unintended deadly consequences'. I strongly commend H Con res 177 to you and hope you will be able to support it. John Hallam, Nuclear Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Sydney Australia. (PUT YOUR OWN NAME HERE) -------- HERE IS THE CONGRESSIONAL EMAIL LIST. email@murkowski.senate.gov, Senator_Stevens@stevens.senate.gov, senator@sessions.senate.gov, senator@shelby.senate.gov, blance_lincoln@lincoln.senate.gov, Senator.Hutchinson@hutchinson.senate.gov, info@kyl.senate.gov, JohnMc_Cain@mccain.senate.gov, senator@boxer.senate.gov, senator@feinstein.senate.gov, administrator@cambell.senate.gov, senator_allard@exchange.senate.gov, senator@dodd.senate.gov, senator_lieberman@lieberman.senate.gov, senator@biden.senate.gov, comments@roth.senate.gov, bob_graham@graham.senate.gov, connie@mack.senate.gov, senator_max_cleland@cleland.senate.gov, senator_coverdell@coverdel.senate.gov, senator@akaka.senate.gov, senator@inouye.senate.gov, tom_harkin@harkin.senate.gov, chuck_grassley@grassley.senate.gov, larry_craig@craig.senate.gov, senator_fitzgerald@fitzgerald.senate.gov, dick@durbin.senate.gov, senator_lugar@lugar.senate.gov, sam_brownback@brownback.senate.gov, pat_roberts@roberts.senate.gov, jim_bunning@bunning.senate.gov, senator@mcconnell.senate.gov, senator@breaux.senate.gov, senator@landrieu.senate.gov, senator@kennedy.senate.gov, john_kerry@kerry.senate.gov, senator@mikulski.senate.gov, senator@sarbanes.senate.gov, Olympia@snowe.senate.gov, senator@colins.senate.gov, senator@levin.senate.gov,michigan@abraham.senate.gov, senator@wellstone.senate.gov, mail_grams@grams.gov, kit_bond@bond.senate.gov, john_ashcroft@ashcroft.senate.gov, senator@cochran.senate.gov, senatorlott@lott.senate.gov,max@baucus.senate.gov, conrad_burns@burns.senate.gov, senator@edwards.senate.gov, jesse_helms@helms.senate.gov, senator@conrad.senate.gov, senator@dorgan.senate.gov, chuck_hagel@hagel.senate.gov, mailbox@gregg.senate.gov, opinion@smith.senate.gov, senator@torrichelli.senate.gov, Frank_Lautenberg@Lautenberg.senate.gov, senator_Bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov, senator_domenici@domenici.senate.gov, senator@bryan.senate.gov, senator_reid@reid.senate.gov, senator@dpm.senate.gov, senator@schumer.senate.gov, senator_voivovich@voinovich.senate.gov, senator_dewine@dewine.senate.gov, jim_inhofe@inhofe.senate.gov, senator@nickles.senate.gov, Oregon@gsmith.senate.gov, senator@wyden.senate.gov, senator_specter@specter.senate.gov, jack@reed.senate.gov, senator_chafee@chafee.senate.gov, senator@thurmond.senate.gov, tom_daschle@daschle.senate.gov,tim@johnson.senate.gov, senator_thompson@thompson.senate.gov, senator_frist@frist.senate.gov, senator@hutchinson.senate.gov, philgramm@gramm.senate.gov, senator@bennett.senate.gov,senator_hatch@hatch.senate.gov, senator@robb.senate.gov, senator@warner.senate.gov, senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov, vermont@jeffords.senate.gov, senator_murray@murray.senate.gov, russell_feingold@feingold.senate.gov, senator_kohl@kohl.senate.gov, senator_byrd@byrd.senate.gov, senator@rockefeller.senate.gov, senator@enzi.senate.gov, craig@thomas.senate.gov, Don.Young@mail.house.gov, sonny.callahan@mail.house.gov, Terry.Everett@mail.house.gov, bob.riley@mail.house.gov, robert.aderholt@mail.house.gov, budmail@mail.house.gov, snyder.congres@mail.house.gov, asa.hutchinson@mail.house.gov, talk2Jay@mail.house.gov, faleomavaega@mail.house.gov, matt.salmon@mail.house.gov, ed.pastor@mail.house.gov, j.shadegg@mail.house.gov, jim.kolbe@mai.huse.gov, m.thompson@mail.house.gov, doug.ose@mail.house.gov, doolittle@mail.house.gov, lynn.woolsey@mail.house.gov, George.Miller-Pub@mail.house.gov, sf.nancy@mail.house.gov, barbara.lee@mail.house.gov, ellen.tauscher@mail.house.gov, rpombo@mail.house.gov, petemail@stark.house.gov, cambell@mail.house.gov, anagram@mail.house.gov, zoegram@mail.house.gov, samfarr@mail.house.gov, gary.condit@mail.house.gov, george.radanovitch@mail.house.gov, lois.capps@mail.house.gov, brad.sherman@mail.house.gov, tellbuck@mail.house.gov, howard.berman@mail.house.gov, jer@mail.huse.gov, grace@mai.house.gov, millender.mcdonald@mail.house.gov, stephen.horn@mail.house.gov, ed.royce@mail.house.gov, talk2geb@mail.house.gov, dana@mail.house.gov, loretta@mail.house.gov, christopher.cox@mail.house.gov, rep.packard@mail.house.gov, brian.bilbray@mail.house.gov, TalkToBobFilner@mail.house.gov, degette@mail.house.gov, mark.udall@mail.house.gov, rep.schaffer@mail.house.gov, tom.tancredo@mail.house.gov, bozrah@mail.house.gov, rep.shays@mail.house.gov, Delaware@mail.house.gov, f101@mail.house.gov, rep.boyd@mail.house.gov, thurman@mail.house.gov, cstearns@mail.house.gov, John.Mica@mail.house.gov, bill.mccollum@mail.house.gov, f109@mail.house.gov, Rep.Charles.Canady@mail.house.gov, miller13@mail.house.gov, porter.goss@mail.house.gov, fla15@mail.house.gov, markfoley@mail.house.gov, pdeutsch.pub@mail.house.gov, alcee.pubhastings@mail.house.gov, jack.kingston@mail.house.gov, mac.collins@mail.house.gov, cymck@mail.house.gov, john.lewis@mail.house.gov, ga06@mail.house.gov, barr.ga@mail.house.gov, saxby.chambliss@mail.house.gov, john.lindr@mail.house.gov, guamtodc@mail.house.gov, neil.abercombie@mail.house.gov, leach.ia01@mail.house.gov, nussleia@mail.house.gov,rep.boswell.ia03@mail.house.gov, Rep.Ganske@mail.house.gov, tom.latham@mail.house.gov, ask.helen@mail.house.gov, mike.simpson@mail.house.gov, bobbyrush@mail.house.gov, comments@jessejacksonjr.gov, luis.guttierrez@mail.house.gov, judiciary@mail.house.gov, danny.davis@mail.house.gov, jan.schakowsky@mail.house.gov, jerry.weller@mail.house.gov, jfc.ill2@mail.house.gov, dhaster@mail.house.gov, speaker@mail.house.gov, lane.evans@mail.house.gov, gary.meltz@mail.house.gov, tim.roemer@mail.house.gov, souder@mail.house.gov, pease@mail.house.gov, John.Hostettler@mail.house.gov, rep.carson@mail.house.gov, jerry.moran@mail.house.gov, dennis.moore@mail.house.gov, tiahrt@mail.house.gov, ed.whitfield@mail.house.gov, ron.lewis@mail.house.gov, rep.northup@mail.house.gov, write.kenlucas@mail.house.gov, ernest.fletcher@mail.house.gov, - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Three Ways You Can Help Get Nukes Off Alert Date: 15 Nov 1999 17:48:09 +1000 There are three ways that people in the US (not that I am in Australia) can help to take nuclear weapons off alert. 1)You can support the Markey Resolution, H Con Res 177. (See previous email letter to Congress), with free faxing website courtest Carol Moore). Call Jeff Duncan in Ed Markey s office at 202-225-2836 Congressional Switchboard 202-224-312 2)You can sign on to the electronic petition, coordinated by NAPF. It's at Http://www.napf.org/abolition2000/intlpetition.html 3) You can send a fax direct to the US energy secretary William S. Cohen, on +1-703-695-1149, or to Clinton on +1-202-456-2461 (Sample Letter below). free faxing can be done according to Crol Moore, on http://www.fax4free.com Happy lobbying, signing, and emailing. TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461 Dear President Clinton and Secretary for Defence Cohen, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. It is particularly disturbing that you are reported as having stated in Moscow that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. The very nature of the Y2K problem makes it impossible to be sure everything has been fixed until well into the new year. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. This system seems to include additional ways in which Y2K failure might lead to an accidental launch. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as we the public are aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The Y2K vulnerabilities discovered in six of the seven hotlines established during the cold war period are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Aganda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September. In taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. Failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low, but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. (SIGNED) etc. John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Letter Supporting Markey Resolution - Fax/Email something similar Date: 15 Nov 1999 17:48:23 +1000 Dear All, Here is a letter in support of the Markey Resolution, H Con. res 177. With it (at the end) I have enclosed the entire email list for the Congress. (the list is not perfect). I suggest that you: (a)Fax it to your local congressperson (b)Email it, suitably customised, to the list. (at the end) Here is Carol Moore's note re free faxing: Since I discovered http://www.fax4free.com I can start faxing too :-) Check it out if you need faxing capability. Carol FRIENDS OF THE EARTH SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (PUT YOUR NAME HERE) RE: H.CON.RES 177 Dear Member of Congress, I am writing to you in support of H Con Res 177, introduced by Edward Markey, which seeks to take nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert, in particular over the Y2K rollover period. I understand that this resolution now has around 70 co-sponsors and that the list is growing. The taking of nuclear weapons off alert status was advocated strongly by the Canberra Commission (on which General Lee Butler served), as a way to generate trust and to move toward a world in which the threat of nuclear annihilation could be eliminated. In particular, the taking of nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert was seen as a crucial way in which the threat of accidental nuclear war could be eliminated. Some 460 organizations and parliamentarians worldwide have signed a letter to Presidents Yeltsin and Clinton, asking them to take nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert as H Con. Res 177 asks. The advent of the Y2K 'rollover' has generated well- founded concerns over the possibility that the vast computerized command and control systems of both US and Russian nuclear weapons systems may malfunction in a manner that generates false indications of attack. This has already occurred on a number of occasions without the additional problems posed by Y2K. While the implementation of a joint Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is clearly helpful, it is cause for concern that this center is not scheduled to be operational until 27 December, and will be itself dependent on communication 'hotlines', when Y2K vulnerabilities were pinpointed in those hotlines by the Dodd and Bennett Senate Committee on Y2K. Similar problems or worse undoubtedly exist with Russian strategic nuclear weapons systems. The taking of nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert as H.Con.Res 177 recommends and as recommended by the Australian Senate in a motion on 20 September, as well as by the recently passed New Agenda resolution in the United Nations General Assembly, would eliminate completely the possibility of what your Senate calls 'unintended deadly consequences'. I strongly commend H Con res 177 to you and hope you will be able to support it. John Hallam, Nuclear Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Sydney Australia. (PUT YOUR OWN NAME HERE) -------- HERE IS THE CONGRESSIONAL EMAIL LIST. email@murkowski.senate.gov, Senator_Stevens@stevens.senate.gov, senator@sessions.senate.gov, senator@shelby.senate.gov, blance_lincoln@lincoln.senate.gov, Senator.Hutchinson@hutchinson.senate.gov, info@kyl.senate.gov, JohnMc_Cain@mccain.senate.gov, senator@boxer.senate.gov, senator@feinstein.senate.gov, administrator@cambell.senate.gov, senator_allard@exchange.senate.gov, senator@dodd.senate.gov, senator_lieberman@lieberman.senate.gov, senator@biden.senate.gov, comments@roth.senate.gov, bob_graham@graham.senate.gov, connie@mack.senate.gov, senator_max_cleland@cleland.senate.gov, senator_coverdell@coverdel.senate.gov, senator@akaka.senate.gov, senator@inouye.senate.gov, tom_harkin@harkin.senate.gov, chuck_grassley@grassley.senate.gov, larry_craig@craig.senate.gov, senator_fitzgerald@fitzgerald.senate.gov, dick@durbin.senate.gov, senator_lugar@lugar.senate.gov, sam_brownback@brownback.senate.gov, pat_roberts@roberts.senate.gov, jim_bunning@bunning.senate.gov, senator@mcconnell.senate.gov, senator@breaux.senate.gov, senator@landrieu.senate.gov, senator@kennedy.senate.gov, john_kerry@kerry.senate.gov, senator@mikulski.senate.gov, senator@sarbanes.senate.gov, Olympia@snowe.senate.gov, senator@colins.senate.gov, senator@levin.senate.gov,michigan@abraham.senate.gov, senator@wellstone.senate.gov, mail_grams@grams.gov, kit_bond@bond.senate.gov, john_ashcroft@ashcroft.senate.gov, senator@cochran.senate.gov, senatorlott@lott.senate.gov,max@baucus.senate.gov, conrad_burns@burns.senate.gov, senator@edwards.senate.gov, jesse_helms@helms.senate.gov, senator@conrad.senate.gov, senator@dorgan.senate.gov, chuck_hagel@hagel.senate.gov, mailbox@gregg.senate.gov, opinion@smith.senate.gov, senator@torrichelli.senate.gov, Frank_Lautenberg@Lautenberg.senate.gov, senator_Bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov, senator_domenici@domenici.senate.gov, senator@bryan.senate.gov, senator_reid@reid.senate.gov, senator@dpm.senate.gov, senator@schumer.senate.gov, senator_voivovich@voinovich.senate.gov, senator_dewine@dewine.senate.gov, jim_inhofe@inhofe.senate.gov, senator@nickles.senate.gov, Oregon@gsmith.senate.gov, senator@wyden.senate.gov, senator_specter@specter.senate.gov, jack@reed.senate.gov, senator_chafee@chafee.senate.gov, senator@thurmond.senate.gov, tom_daschle@daschle.senate.gov,tim@johnson.senate.gov, senator_thompson@thompson.senate.gov, senator_frist@frist.senate.gov, senator@hutchinson.senate.gov, philgramm@gramm.senate.gov, senator@bennett.senate.gov,senator_hatch@hatch.senate.gov, senator@robb.senate.gov, senator@warner.senate.gov, senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov, vermont@jeffords.senate.gov, senator_murray@murray.senate.gov, russell_feingold@feingold.senate.gov, senator_kohl@kohl.senate.gov, senator_byrd@byrd.senate.gov, senator@rockefeller.senate.gov, senator@enzi.senate.gov, craig@thomas.senate.gov, Don.Young@mail.house.gov, sonny.callahan@mail.house.gov, Terry.Everett@mail.house.gov, bob.riley@mail.house.gov, robert.aderholt@mail.house.gov, budmail@mail.house.gov, snyder.congres@mail.house.gov, asa.hutchinson@mail.house.gov, talk2Jay@mail.house.gov, faleomavaega@mail.house.gov, matt.salmon@mail.house.gov, ed.pastor@mail.house.gov, j.shadegg@mail.house.gov, jim.kolbe@mai.huse.gov, m.thompson@mail.house.gov, doug.ose@mail.house.gov, doolittle@mail.house.gov, lynn.woolsey@mail.house.gov, George.Miller-Pub@mail.house.gov, sf.nancy@mail.house.gov, barbara.lee@mail.house.gov, ellen.tauscher@mail.house.gov, rpombo@mail.house.gov, petemail@stark.house.gov, cambell@mail.house.gov, anagram@mail.house.gov, zoegram@mail.house.gov, samfarr@mail.house.gov, gary.condit@mail.house.gov, george.radanovitch@mail.house.gov, lois.capps@mail.house.gov, brad.sherman@mail.house.gov, tellbuck@mail.house.gov, howard.berman@mail.house.gov, jer@mail.huse.gov, grace@mai.house.gov, millender.mcdonald@mail.house.gov, stephen.horn@mail.house.gov, ed.royce@mail.house.gov, talk2geb@mail.house.gov, dana@mail.house.gov, loretta@mail.house.gov, christopher.cox@mail.house.gov, rep.packard@mail.house.gov, brian.bilbray@mail.house.gov, TalkToBobFilner@mail.house.gov, degette@mail.house.gov, mark.udall@mail.house.gov, rep.schaffer@mail.house.gov, tom.tancredo@mail.house.gov, bozrah@mail.house.gov, rep.shays@mail.house.gov, Delaware@mail.house.gov, f101@mail.house.gov, rep.boyd@mail.house.gov, thurman@mail.house.gov, cstearns@mail.house.gov, John.Mica@mail.house.gov, bill.mccollum@mail.house.gov, f109@mail.house.gov, Rep.Charles.Canady@mail.house.gov, miller13@mail.house.gov, porter.goss@mail.house.gov, fla15@mail.house.gov, markfoley@mail.house.gov, pdeutsch.pub@mail.house.gov, alcee.pubhastings@mail.house.gov, jack.kingston@mail.house.gov, mac.collins@mail.house.gov, cymck@mail.house.gov, john.lewis@mail.house.gov, ga06@mail.house.gov, barr.ga@mail.house.gov, saxby.chambliss@mail.house.gov, john.lindr@mail.house.gov, guamtodc@mail.house.gov, neil.abercombie@mail.house.gov, leach.ia01@mail.house.gov, nussleia@mail.house.gov,rep.boswell.ia03@mail.house.gov, Rep.Ganske@mail.house.gov, tom.latham@mail.house.gov, ask.helen@mail.house.gov, mike.simpson@mail.house.gov, bobbyrush@mail.house.gov, comments@jessejacksonjr.gov, luis.guttierrez@mail.house.gov, judiciary@mail.house.gov, danny.davis@mail.house.gov, jan.schakowsky@mail.house.gov, jerry.weller@mail.house.gov, jfc.ill2@mail.house.gov, dhaster@mail.house.gov, speaker@mail.house.gov, lane.evans@mail.house.gov, gary.meltz@mail.house.gov, tim.roemer@mail.house.gov, souder@mail.house.gov, pease@mail.house.gov, John.Hostettler@mail.house.gov, rep.carson@mail.house.gov, jerry.moran@mail.house.gov, dennis.moore@mail.house.gov, tiahrt@mail.house.gov, ed.whitfield@mail.house.gov, ron.lewis@mail.house.gov, rep.northup@mail.house.gov, write.kenlucas@mail.house.gov, ernest.fletcher@mail.house.gov, - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Three Ways You Can Help Get Nukes Off Alert Date: 15 Nov 1999 17:48:09 +1000 There are three ways that people in the US (not that I am in Australia) can help to take nuclear weapons off alert. 1)You can support the Markey Resolution, H Con Res 177. (See previous email letter to Congress), with free faxing website courtest Carol Moore). Call Jeff Duncan in Ed Markey s office at 202-225-2836 Congressional Switchboard 202-224-312 2)You can sign on to the electronic petition, coordinated by NAPF. It's at Http://www.napf.org/abolition2000/intlpetition.html 3) You can send a fax direct to the US energy secretary William S. Cohen, on +1-703-695-1149, or to Clinton on +1-202-456-2461 (Sample Letter below). free faxing can be done according to Crol Moore, on http://www.fax4free.com Happy lobbying, signing, and emailing. TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461 Dear President Clinton and Secretary for Defence Cohen, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. It is particularly disturbing that you are reported as having stated in Moscow that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. The very nature of the Y2K problem makes it impossible to be sure everything has been fixed until well into the new year. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. This system seems to include additional ways in which Y2K failure might lead to an accidental launch. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as we the public are aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The Y2K vulnerabilities discovered in six of the seven hotlines established during the cold war period are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Aganda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September. In taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. Failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low, but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. (SIGNED) etc. John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Three Ways You Can Help Get Nukes Off Alert Date: 15 Nov 1999 19:03:30 +1000 There are three ways that people in the US (though I am writing from Australia) can help to take nuclear weapons off alert. 1)You can support the Markey Resolution, H Con Res 177. (See previous email letter to Congress), (with free faxing website courtesy Carol Moore). Call Jeff Duncan in Ed Markey s office at 202-225-2836 Congressional Switchboard 202-224-312 2)You can sign on to the electronic petition, coordinated by NAPF. It's at Http://www.napf.org/abolition2000/intlpetition.html 3) You can send a fax direct to the US energy secretary William S. Cohen, on +1-703-695-1149, or to Clinton on +1-202-456-2461 (Sample Letter below). free faxing can be done according to Crol Moore, on http://www.fax4free.com Happy lobbying, signing, and emailing. TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461 Dear President Clinton and Secretary for Defence Cohen, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. It is particularly disturbing that you are reported as having stated in Moscow that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. The very nature of the Y2K problem makes it impossible to be sure everything has been fixed until well into the new year. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. This system seems to include additional ways in which Y2K failure might lead to an accidental launch. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as we the public are aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The Y2K vulnerabilities discovered in six of the seven hotlines established during the cold war period are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Aganda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September. In taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. Failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low, but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. (SIGNED) etc. John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Three Ways You Can Help Get Nukes Off Alert Date: 15 Nov 1999 19:03:30 +1000 There are three ways that people in the US (though I am writing from Australia) can help to take nuclear weapons off alert. 1)You can support the Markey Resolution, H Con Res 177. (See previous email letter to Congress), (with free faxing website courtesy Carol Moore). Call Jeff Duncan in Ed Markey s office at 202-225-2836 Congressional Switchboard 202-224-312 2)You can sign on to the electronic petition, coordinated by NAPF. It's at Http://www.napf.org/abolition2000/intlpetition.html 3) You can send a fax direct to the US energy secretary William S. Cohen, on +1-703-695-1149, or to Clinton on +1-202-456-2461 (Sample Letter below). free faxing can be done according to Crol Moore, on http://www.fax4free.com Happy lobbying, signing, and emailing. TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461 Dear President Clinton and Secretary for Defence Cohen, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. It is particularly disturbing that you are reported as having stated in Moscow that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. The very nature of the Y2K problem makes it impossible to be sure everything has been fixed until well into the new year. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. This system seems to include additional ways in which Y2K failure might lead to an accidental launch. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as we the public are aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The Y2K vulnerabilities discovered in six of the seven hotlines established during the cold war period are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Aganda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September. In taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. Failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low, but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. (SIGNED) etc. John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) RE: PB 15.11.99 Ploughshares Hold Up Nuke Base Date: 15 Nov 1999 13:30:15 -0600 In my book Defending Civil Resistance under International Law, see Chapter 4 on the case of People v.Jarka, where we successfully defended a group of people for sitting down on the road in front of the Pentagon's Great Lakes Naval Training Center, successfully impeding ingress to and egress from the base. They were protesting the Reagan administration's war against Nicaragua and their offensive nuclear weapons build-up. We got them off charges of mob action and resisting arrest. One of the jurors publicly stated after the trial that he was so incensed about what the Reagan administration was doing that he was going to go out and protest himself! FAB -----Original Message----- Sent: Monday, November 15, 1999 7:11 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; plowshares@onelist.com; abolition-caucus@egroups.com Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Trident Ploughshares 2000 Press Briefing 15th November 1999 Ploughshares "Crimestoppers" Hold up Nuke Base This morning (Monday 15th November) a group of Trident Ploughshares activists managed for over an hour to prevent workers entering the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport, Loch Long, where Britain's Trident nuclear warheads are stored. There were 13 arrests, mostly for Breach of the Peace. Among those arrested were Morag Balfour and Roz Bullen, both Scottish wheel-chair users and long-time peace activists. They formed part of a linked obstruction across the road. Sylvia Boyes from Birmingham, Marjan Willemsen from the Netherlands and Jenny Gaiwyn from Faslane Peace Camp locked-on to three separate buses to blockade a second gate before being removed and arrested. This was Sylvia's second arrest this weekend and she was due in court this morning for a previous peace-related charge, as was Jenny. A Trident Ploughshares spokesperson said: "This morning with 30 activists we were able to disrupt the criminal activities of the base for over an hour. The Gimblett ruling in Greenock is helping more and more people to realise that Trident is deployed and is actively threatening genocide and that they have a perfect right to take peaceful and accountable direct action against it. We are looking forward to February 14th, when we expect to have hundreds of people ready to act to uphold the law." Contacts: Coulport Campsite: 01436 850448 Maggie Charnley or Jane Tallents 01436 679194 Trident Ploughshares website: http://www.gn.apc.org/tp2000/ Scottish CND website (Especially useful on Trident): http://ds.dial.pipex.com/cndscot/ Hi-8 video footage available of this morning's action. Also of yesterday's actions: pre-sunrise vigil at Coulport; religious service outside Faslane North gate; walk across the moors above Kilcreggen to put a placard on a Trident-related communications mast. ENDS Trident Ploughshares 2000, 42-46 Bethel Street, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1NR, UK tel + 44 (0) 1603 611953 fax + 44 (0) 1603 633174 http://www.gn.apc.org/tp2000/ Email : tp2000@gn.apc.org Nuclear weapons are immoral, dangerous, polluting, a terrible waste of resources and were found to be generally illegal by the International Court of Justice on 8th July 1996. - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) RE: PB 15.11.99 Ploughshares Hold Up Nuke Base Date: 15 Nov 1999 13:30:15 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' In my book Defending Civil Resistance under International Law, see Chapter 4 on the case of People v.Jarka, where we successfully defended a group of people for sitting down on the road in front of the Pentagon's Great Lakes Naval Training Center, successfully impeding ingress to and egress from the base. They were protesting the Reagan administration's war against Nicaragua and their offensive nuclear weapons build-up. We got them off charges of mob action and resisting arrest. One of the jurors publicly stated after the trial that he was so incensed about what the Reagan administration was doing that he was going to go out and protest himself! FAB -----Original Message----- Sent: Monday, November 15, 1999 7:11 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; plowshares@onelist.com; abolition-caucus@egroups.com Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Trident Ploughshares 2000 Press Briefing 15th November 1999 Ploughshares "Crimestoppers" Hold up Nuke Base This morning (Monday 15th November) a group of Trident Ploughshares activists managed for over an hour to prevent workers entering the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport, Loch Long, where Britain's Trident nuclear warheads are stored. There were 13 arrests, mostly for Breach of the Peace. Among those arrested were Morag Balfour and Roz Bullen, both Scottish wheel-chair users and long-time peace activists. They formed part of a linked obstruction across the road. Sylvia Boyes from Birmingham, Marjan Willemsen from the Netherlands and Jenny Gaiwyn from Faslane Peace Camp locked-on to three separate buses to blockade a second gate before being removed and arrested. This was Sylvia's second arrest this weekend and she was due in court this morning for a previous peace-related charge, as was Jenny. A Trident Ploughshares spokesperson said: "This morning with 30 activists we were able to disrupt the criminal activities of the base for over an hour. The Gimblett ruling in Greenock is helping more and more people to realise that Trident is deployed and is actively threatening genocide and that they have a perfect right to take peaceful and accountable direct action against it. We are looking forward to February 14th, when we expect to have hundreds of people ready to act to uphold the law." Contacts: Coulport Campsite: 01436 850448 Maggie Charnley or Jane Tallents 01436 679194 Trident Ploughshares website: http://www.gn.apc.org/tp2000/ Scottish CND website (Especially useful on Trident): http://ds.dial.pipex.com/cndscot/ Hi-8 video footage available of this morning's action. Also of yesterday's actions: pre-sunrise vigil at Coulport; religious service outside Faslane North gate; walk across the moors above Kilcreggen to put a placard on a Trident-related communications mast. ENDS Trident Ploughshares 2000, 42-46 Bethel Street, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1NR, UK tel + 44 (0) 1603 611953 fax + 44 (0) 1603 633174 http://www.gn.apc.org/tp2000/ Email : tp2000@gn.apc.org Nuclear weapons are immoral, dangerous, polluting, a terrible waste of resources and were found to be generally illegal by the International Court of Justice on 8th July 1996. - 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: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) RE: PB 15.11.99 Ploughshares Hold Up Nuke Base Date: 15 Nov 1999 13:30:15 -0600 Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' In my book Defending Civil Resistance under International Law, see Chapter 4 on the case of People v.Jarka, where we successfully defended a group of people for sitting down on the road in front of the Pentagon's Great Lakes Naval Training Center, successfully impeding ingress to and egress from the base. They were protesting the Reagan administration's war against Nicaragua and their offensive nuclear weapons build-up. We got them off charges of mob action and resisting arrest. One of the jurors publicly stated after the trial that he was so incensed about what the Reagan administration was doing that he was going to go out and protest himself! FAB -----Original Message----- Sent: Monday, November 15, 1999 7:11 AM tp2000.lst.grp@gn.apc.org; plowshares@onelist.com; abolition-caucus@egroups.com Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes' Trident Ploughshares 2000 Press Briefing 15th November 1999 Ploughshares "Crimestoppers" Hold up Nuke Base This morning (Monday 15th November) a group of Trident Ploughshares activists managed for over an hour to prevent workers entering the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport, Loch Long, where Britain's Trident nuclear warheads are stored. There were 13 arrests, mostly for Breach of the Peace. Among those arrested were Morag Balfour and Roz Bullen, both Scottish wheel-chair users and long-time peace activists. They formed part of a linked obstruction across the road. Sylvia Boyes from Birmingham, Marjan Willemsen from the Netherlands and Jenny Gaiwyn from Faslane Peace Camp locked-on to three separate buses to blockade a second gate before being removed and arrested. This was Sylvia's second arrest this weekend and she was due in court this morning for a previous peace-related charge, as was Jenny. A Trident Ploughshares spokesperson said: "This morning with 30 activists we were able to disrupt the criminal activities of the base for over an hour. The Gimblett ruling in Greenock is helping more and more people to realise that Trident is deployed and is actively threatening genocide and that they have a perfect right to take peaceful and accountable direct action against it. We are looking forward to February 14th, when we expect to have hundreds of people ready to act to uphold the law." Contacts: Coulport Campsite: 01436 850448 Maggie Charnley or Jane Tallents 01436 679194 Trident Ploughshares website: http://www.gn.apc.org/tp2000/ Scottish CND website (Especially useful on Trident): http://ds.dial.pipex.com/cndscot/ Hi-8 video footage available of this morning's action. Also of yesterday's actions: pre-sunrise vigil at Coulport; religious service outside Faslane North gate; walk across the moors above Kilcreggen to put a placard on a Trident-related communications mast. ENDS Trident Ploughshares 2000, 42-46 Bethel Street, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1NR, UK tel + 44 (0) 1603 611953 fax + 44 (0) 1603 633174 http://www.gn.apc.org/tp2000/ Email : tp2000@gn.apc.org Nuclear weapons are immoral, dangerous, polluting, a terrible waste of resources and were found to be generally illegal by the International Court of Justice on 8th July 1996. - 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) Canada GPW2000 Support Letter Date: 16 Nov 1999 07:23:01 -0800 Thanks, Paul, it's a very good letter and should be posted soon at http://www.globalpeacenow.org. Thanks for taking the time to do it so we can expand the survival issue messages being carried by Global Peace Walk 2000 and inspire others to submit their letters/messages of support with their most important survival issues to be publicized and carried by GPW2000 from San Francisco to Washington DC to the United Nations next year. Based on responses so far, the nuclear abolition activists are not responding as well as others including the anti-war and anti-drug-war activists. We do not ask or expect supporters of Global Peace Walk 2000 to all endorse every survival issue message being carried by the walk, just to unite all messages and activists in the cause of "Global Peace Now!" as a universal human resolve and then to share the messages with the public, media, and governments, which those committed to this cause feel are most important for consideration to accomplish this goal. To David Crockett Williams and all other organizers and supporters of the Global Peace Walk 2000: I will admit from the beginning that I am not the best of letter writers, but this is one cause that deserves to be promoted and encouraged. With the 3rd mellenium fast approaching and wars of one sort or another still going on in all parts of our world, we must find a way to end them. For now we are trying to limit the effects of war by decreasing the amount of nuclear weapons. Though this will decrease the destruction caused by war, it will not keep the war from starting in the first place. We fight for human rights, but how will we ever keep our human rights, when we as people are giving them all away in the name of the "War on Drugs". We no longer feel safe talking over the phone, or the computer or some of us even to have private conversation in our own homes. For me the best way to stop nuclear weapons is to stop the need for war in the first place. The best way to stop most of the wars, is to end the drug war that is going on now. Only when people can feel safe from government persecution, will it be possible to gain any sort of true human rights. And one of the best ways to end the drug war, is to end the prohibition that causes the drug war in the first place. It has already been shown the harms and ills that prohibition causes, one of them being the vast military and prison complexes that are being built all over the world. Isn't it sad that one of the most booming investments at this time is prisons and prison suppliers? Wouldn't it be much better if we were using all that money to build housing for the homeless, producing food for the poor, better schools for our kids, and many more things to that effect. Yes the 3rd millennium is fast approaching, but if it means I will not be free, I think I would rather skip it. End prohibition, after that everything will fall back into place, including the abolishment of nuclear weapons. Peace, Love and Light shine on all, Paul Giroux windofchange P.S. My name is Paul Giroux, I live in Quebec. I am trying to organize a Canadian branch of the GPW 2000. I would like to emphasize the ending of prohibition on the march. I would like to get all the smokers to just stand up for their rights in order to end prohibition. Everything else for now is secondary to me. Remember May 6th, 2000 is Mayday and it will be time to stand up. http://www.cures-not-wars.org GPW 2000 will help to drive it home. This is the year to make prohibition go away and start the new millennium with acceptance of others' way of life. If you would like to help out let me know. Email address is: girouxp@globetrotter.qc.ca - 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) [abolition-caucus] Canada GPW2000 Support Letter Date: 16 Nov 1999 07:23:01 -0800 Thanks, Paul, it's a very good letter and should be posted soon at http://www.globalpeacenow.org. Thanks for taking the time to do it so we can expand the survival issue messages being carried by Global Peace Walk 2000 and inspire others to submit their letters/messages of support with their most important survival issues to be publicized and carried by GPW2000 from San Francisco to Washington DC to the United Nations next year. Based on responses so far, the nuclear abolition activists are not responding as well as others including the anti-war and anti-drug-war activists. We do not ask or expect supporters of Global Peace Walk 2000 to all endorse every survival issue message being carried by the walk, just to unite all messages and activists in the cause of "Global Peace Now!" as a universal human resolve and then to share the messages with the public, media, and governments, which those committed to this cause feel are most important for consideration to accomplish this goal. To David Crockett Williams and all other organizers and supporters of the Global Peace Walk 2000: I will admit from the beginning that I am not the best of letter writers, but this is one cause that deserves to be promoted and encouraged. With the 3rd mellenium fast approaching and wars of one sort or another still going on in all parts of our world, we must find a way to end them. For now we are trying to limit the effects of war by decreasing the amount of nuclear weapons. Though this will decrease the destruction caused by war, it will not keep the war from starting in the first place. We fight for human rights, but how will we ever keep our human rights, when we as people are giving them all away in the name of the "War on Drugs". We no longer feel safe talking over the phone, or the computer or some of us even to have private conversation in our own homes. For me the best way to stop nuclear weapons is to stop the need for war in the first place. The best way to stop most of the wars, is to end the drug war that is going on now. Only when people can feel safe from government persecution, will it be possible to gain any sort of true human rights. And one of the best ways to end the drug war, is to end the prohibition that causes the drug war in the first place. It has already been shown the harms and ills that prohibition causes, one of them being the vast military and prison complexes that are being built all over the world. Isn't it sad that one of the most booming investments at this time is prisons and prison suppliers? Wouldn't it be much better if we were using all that money to build housing for the homeless, producing food for the poor, better schools for our kids, and many more things to that effect. Yes the 3rd millennium is fast approaching, but if it means I will not be free, I think I would rather skip it. End prohibition, after that everything will fall back into place, including the abolishment of nuclear weapons. Peace, Love and Light shine on all, Paul Giroux windofchange P.S. My name is Paul Giroux, I live in Quebec. I am trying to organize a Canadian branch of the GPW 2000. I would like to emphasize the ending of prohibition on the march. I would like to get all the smokers to just stand up for their rights in order to end prohibition. Everything else for now is secondary to me. Remember May 6th, 2000 is Mayday and it will be time to stand up. http://www.cures-not-wars.org GPW 2000 will help to drive it home. This is the year to make prohibition go away and start the new millennium with acceptance of others' way of life. If you would like to help out let me know. Email address is: girouxp@globetrotter.qc.ca A shopper’s dream come true! Find practically anything on earth at eBay! Come and browse the more than 2 million items up for bid at any time. You never know what you might find at eBay! http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/1140 To subscribe to the Abolition Global Caucus, send an email from the account you wish to be subscribed to: "abolition-caucus-subscribe@egroups.com" Do not include a subject line or any text in the body of the message. -- Check out your group's private Chat room -- http://www.egroups.com/ChatPage?listName=abolition-caucus&m=1 - 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: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Subject: (abolition-usa) Action Alert! Date: 17 Nov 1999 12:56:48 -0800 (PST) November 17, 1999 To date, the following cities will hold demonstrations this Friday, Nov. 19 in support of Vieques and to send a message that WE ARE MORE UNITED THAN EVER in the struggle to get the US Navy out of Vieques and not allow one more bomb to be dropped or one more bullet to be fired in Vieques. (For updates, visit "Events" in viequeslibre.org): Vieques, Puerto Rico Washington, DC New York City, NY San Francisco, CA Providence, RI Jersey City, NJ Hartford, CT Cleveland, OH Cambridge, MA Baltimore, MD Minneapolis, MN Philadelphia, PA Vieques, Puerto Rico "Todo Puerto Rico Pa' Vieques" Habra movilizacion para Vieques desde el viernes 19 de Noviembre. Para informacin llamar al 250-1588 o al localizador 333-3997. WE ARE MORE UNITED THAN EVER! SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR VIEQUES Jersey City, NJ Thursday November 18 Time: 6 pm Comite Pro Vieques, Puerto Rico de Hudson County is organizing a March On November 18, 1999 6pm from Roberto Clemente Little League Field (6th and Manila Avenue) to Jersey City Hall (280 Grove Street.) Contact: Anthony Cruz 201-7927609 Vieques Support Campaign - ViequesSupport@worldnet.att.net New York City, NY Friday November 19 Time: 5 pm sharp Demonstration and picket in an afternoon of world-wide solidarity for The immediate removal of the U.S. Navy from the island municipality of Vieques, Puerto Rico! Where: The Federal Building, 26 Federal Plaza (Broadway & Reade St. Downtown Manhattan) Take N, R trains to City Hall or 4, 5, 6, J, M to Brooklyn Bridge or Chambers Contact: Vieques Support Campaign - ViequesSupport@worldnet.att.net Washington, DC Friday November 19 Time: 6:00PM Rally For Vieques in front of the White House (Lafayette Park-SW Quadrant and the White House Sidewalk) 6:00PM this Friday in front of the White House, with drums, banners, picket signs, bull horns, etc., and demand from President Clinton once again, loud and clear, that he must order the US Navy out of Vieques now and must not allow one more bomb to be dropped or one more bullet to be fired in Vieques. Contact: Flavio Cumpiano, Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques, Washington, DC (202-721-4688) - cumpiano@HUGHESHUBBARD.COM [Flyer- Ready to Print & Distribute] In .doc format for Word Hartford, Connecticut Friday November 19 Time:3:30 PM Frente de a la Corte Federal de Hartford In front of the Federal Court Contact: Iv·n Ramos - ivanr67@hotmail.com Todo Connecticut con Vieques:(860)342-0512 /(860) 543-8575 Baltimore, MD Friday November 19 Time: 5:00PM Join the Vieques Support Campaign this Friday -5PM-at the corner of Hanover and Lombard Streets (Federal Building) for a picket of worldwide solidarity with Vieques! Demand the U.S. Navy leave the island immediately. Contact: Organized by the Vieques Support Campaign-Baltimore 475 St. Brides Ct., Severna Park, MD 21146 Phone: (410)544-7943 oburlingame@hotmail.com Providence, Rhode Island Friday November 19 Time: 6:00PM ComitÈ Todo Rhode Island Con Vieques (All of Rhode Island With Vieques Committee) 385 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903 (401) 351-8159 Rally For Vieques in front of the Federal Court Kennedy Plaza, Providence, RI this Friday November 19 at 6:00PM Contact: Francisco J. Cruz (401) 351-8159 - AllRIwithVieques@aol.com [Flyer- Ready to Print & Distribute] Cambridge, MA Friday November 19 Time: 6:00-7:30PM PEACE FOR VIEQUES VIGIL HARVARD YARD (IN FRONT OF JOHN HARVARD STATUE) HARVARD PRESS EXPECTED TO ATTEND HOT COFFE WILL BE SERVED-CAFE' CALIENTE COME AND HELP US STOP THE BOMBING OF VIEQUES, PUERTO RICO!!! Contact: Hans Perl-Matanzo - matanzo@fas.harvard.edu San Francisco, CA Friday November 19 Mobilization called by the Vieques Solidarity Coalition. Contact: Ed Rosario - unite@igc.org Minneapolis, MN Friday November 19 Time: 4:30 PM Where: The new US NAVY Recruiting Station at 119 E Lake St, Minneapolis (1 block west of K-Mart on Lake, by no coincidence in el corazÛn of the Latino community.) Contact: Committee for Vieques. For more info, e-mail boricano@hotmail.com or call (612) 729-6832. Philadelphia, PA Friday November 19 Time: 4-6PM Where: Federal Building (6+Market) Contact: Called by the US Navy Out of Vieques Now Coalition; C/ Phila IAC (215) 724-1618 - BJoubert@compuserve.com Cleveland, OH Sunday November 22 Time: 4:30 PM There will be a Peace Walk for Vieques in Cleveland on Monday, November 22. People will gather at Massimo de Milano Restaurant on 1400 W. 25th Street from 4:30. At 5:30 pm, people will walk over to the Peace Monument for a Rally and then on to City Hall where a resolution on Vieques will be presented to the City Council by Councilman Cintron. Contact: ikutan@ucc.org ************************************************************** ENVIA ESTE MENSAJE A OTROS COMPA-EROS y COMPA-ERAS. ************************************************************** RedBetances apoya la lucha del Pueblo de Vieques y la jornada por la liberaciÛn de nuestros prisioneros polÌticos. Vista en Calendario de Actividades en RedBetances e incluye tus actividades. Visita Paz para Vieques en RedBetances: http://www.RedBetances.com. ************************************************************** El Registro de RedBetances contiene un listado de correos electrÛnicos de amigas(os) y visitantes de RedBetances que interesan recibir comunicaciones directas y periÛdicas sobre informaciÛn, noticias, actividades, eventos, artÌculos de Claridad, artÌculos de colaboradores, etc. contenidas en RedBetances. Para ser incluido en Registro RedBetances enviar su mensaje a RedBetances-suscribe@listbot.com. Su participaciÛn en el Registro de RedBetances es voluntaria. En cualquier momento puede retirarse. Para ser retirado o removido de la lista envie su mensaje a RedBetances-unsuscribe@listbot.com. Visite RedBetances: http://www.RedBetances.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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Yahoo, Bennett, *BOTH* got EUROPARL Resolution Wrong! (Did Yahoo Date: 20 Nov 1999 15:13:48 +1000 John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html Dear All, Both Yahoo News and Senator Bennett have misinterpreted the Y2K resolution in the EP, and it's clear enough I think, that Bennet has simply taken the Yahoo account of the resolution and not looked at the text. Given that he is chair of the Senate Y2K committee this is pretty bad. Whether there is anything wilful and/or perverse about Benetts misinterpretation - (he has clearly taken a misinterpretation that suits his purpose) - is another question. But note the following: The Yahoo account of the resolution says that the EP deputies voted to 'Shut down nuclear weapon alert systems' over the Y2K rollover. If the deputies had done that then they would indeed have taken leave of their senses. That is NOT what the resolution said! It's precisely because Y2K problems may do exactly that or else provide false alarms that the EP has asked and we ask, to de- alert weapons systems. That is, to place them in a status in which immediate launch is not possible, whether by altering firing circuits, pinning open switches, reprogramming, removing batteries, switching of gyros or whatever. Needless to say they didn't, and there is no way that the phrase 'de-Alerting' in the EP Y2K resolution can possibly be taken to mean anything other than to do the same as the UK has done, namely to move the 'notice to fire' from monutes to days, so that an immediate retaliation to a most likely nonexistent attack is simply not possible. That amounts (for Alan Philips benefit) to a renunciation of 'launch on Warning'. It certainly makes LOW impossible. I have included below 1)The YAHOO account of the resolution 2)Bennetts riposte 3)The FOE Sydney release and the text of the resolution, as already posted. Do read all of them and you'll see that while there is no foundation in the text of the resolution for Bennets comments, there is in the Yahoo account. Lesson (esp for those who used the Yahoo account and didn't wait for the text which I posted as soon as I knew that the resolution had in fact actually passed - reasonable caution) - don't trust secondary sources such as YAHOO, or at least prefer the original text of the resolution! If anyone would like to write to Bennett and point out his error, please do so. His fax number is 1-202-224-4908. I'll be writing myself with one or two others. 1)YAHOO ACCOUNT OF THE RESOLUTION - Note error between **. >Euro Deputies Warn Y2K Could Cause Atomic Disaster > >http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991118/tc/europe_nuclear_1.html > >STRASBOURG (Reuters) - The European Parliament voted Thursday to ask >countries to *shut down their nuclear weapon alert systems* over New Year to >avoid accidental launches caused by the millennium bug computer problem. > >Deputies said they would appeal to the United States and Russia in >particular to guard against possible errors in computer systems that cannot >recognize the date change to 2000. > >U.S. and Russian military officials are due to spend New Year's Eve together >in a special command center designed to avoid accidents caused by the >millennium bug. > >The parliament voted to ask countries with nuclear power stations to shut >them down over New Year's Eve unless they had been shown to be millennium >compliant. > >Deputies said their appeal would be aimed specifically at countries in >central and Eastern Europe, Turkey, Russia and members of the former Soviet >Union. 2) BENNET RIPOSTE [Copied from the Bennet webpage, typos mine] BENNETT TROUBLED BY EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VOTE TO SHUT DOWN NUCLEAR WARNING SYSTEMS FOR Y2K WASHINGTON, DC: US Senator Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah) Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on the year 2000 Technology Problem, today said he was troubled by a vote in the European Parliament to reccommend that countries shut down nuclear weapon alert systems over the millenium date change due to fears of accidental, Y2K- induced ballistic missile launches. "This vote is particularly troubling in that it demonstrates an overall lack of awareness with regard to Y2K's potential effects on a country's infrastructure, with a propfound misunderstanding of Y2K's potential effect on ballistic missile systems" said Bennett, who was instrumental inconvincing US and Russian officials tp participate in a joint early warning center in Colorado Springs that will monitor launch information during the millenium date change. "Shutting down missile warning systems would be far more dangerous than any problem that may arise from Y2K. What the European Parliament is asking countries to do is to wear blindfolds during the crucial date rollover" During a senate Y2K hearing on September 28, deputy special advisor John Beyrle of the US State department said that "close collaboration between our militaries to minimise Y2K problems will result in [the US and Russia] being less vulnerable to accidental missile launches" Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind) co-author of the Nunn-Lugar cooperative Threat Reduction Program also said during Committee testimony that in visits to Russia and briefings with experts, he was "convinced that the chances of an accidental missile launch as a result of a Y2K problem are almost nonexistent" "Missiles don't launch themselves" said Bennett "There is always a human being that is an integral part of the command process. The real danger lies in the generation of inaccurate information that could result in false alarms.[Yes! Thats precisely what we are concerned about!] Or worse still, the lack of any information at all. Recognising false alarms takes cooperation and well - trained military personell who are supported by Governments and understand the Y2K challenge. International cooperation and awareness are the keys to avoiding a Y2K catastrophe, not pulling the plug and hoping for the best" 3)EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SAYS TAKE N-WEAPONS OFF ALERT FOR Y2K The European Parliament today passed by a substantial majority a resolution called 'On the year 2000 Bug in the Civil and Military Sectors', in which it called for nuclear weapons to be taken off hairtrigger alert and for nuclear reactors to be shut down over the Y2K rollover. The European Parliament has been lobbied by an unprecedented combination of Australian, US, Japanese, and European activists who are concerned that the year 2000 date change does not see either global nuclear catastrophe or one or more major reactor accidents. According to Friends of the Earth Sydney Australia nuclear campaigner John Hallam: "The European Parliament has shown commendable commonsense. The Canberra Commission of 1996, the Tokyo Forum, and two resolutions last year in the United Nations General Assembly as well as two resolutions this year in the same body have called for the de-alerting of strategic nuclear weapons. The Senate here in Australia has passed two measures aimed at the avoidance of what the US Senate has called 'unintended deadly consequences' as a result of computer-generated false alarms in nuclear weapons related systems, and 71 US congressional representatives have signed on to a motion in the US Congress calling for nuclear weapons to be taken off alert." "A variety of bodies in the US, Europe, and Japan have pointed to the unwisdom of allowing nuclear reactors in which safety functions are controlled by complex computer software to operate through the date change. Especial concern has been expressed concerning reactors in Russia and Ukraine, but concern exists across the board in Europe (east and west), Japan, the US, and Russia." "We hope the year 2000 date change will pass without incident. However, the measures we have asked for are commonsense ones, which have been advocated for their intrinsic benefit, with or without Y2K. If nothing happens over the Y2K rollover, so much the better. But why not take commonsense precautions such as taking 5,600 nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert, and ensuring that nuclear reactors have adequate backup power supplies when these are things that should be done anyway?" "These measures are far from radical. They are commonsense responses to a problem that requires a cautious, responsible, and realistic approach. We commend the resolution." Contact: John Hallam, Nuclear Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Sydney, 61-2-9517-3903, H61-2-9810-2598, >COMPROMISE RESOLUTION > >Tabled by >Elly Plooij-Van Gorsel on behalf of the ELDR Group, >Maj-Britt Theorin on behalf of the PSE Group, >Heidi Hautala and others on behalf of the Green/EFA Group, >Giles Chichester and others on behalf of the PPE Group, >?? on behalf of the GUE Group > > >To replace resolutions B5-268/99 (ELDR), B5-279/99 (PSE), B5-292/99 >(Green/EFA), B5-303/99 (PPE), > > >On the Year 2000 Bug in the civil and military sectors > > >The European Parliament, > >- having regard to the responsibilites of the EU in the areas of major >accidents and their consequences, relating to radioactive and chemical >pollution, and its role in nuclear safety under the Euratom Treaty, > >- having regard to the report of Parliament on the 'Year 2000 problem, >which requested a 3 monthly update from the Commission, as well as various >reports from the Commission, and the conclusions and the resolution of >Council, as well as the work of the G8 and the IAEA, > >- having regard to the update given by the Commission to the Industry, >External Trade, Research and Energy Committee on November 8th, > >A. noting growing concern worldwide that the failure of computers to >recognize the year 2000 date change could affect control systems at >nuclear and other environmentally sensitive plants, as well as off-site >electrical supplies from the networks to such plant, in addition to >command, control, communications and intelligence systems of nuclear >forces, > >B. whereas nuclear power plant safety systems are not generally digitally >based, though monitoring systems normally are, and while the Commission >has recognised that enormous progress has been made, there is also >increasing acceptance about the infeasibility of bringing all such >computerised systems to year 2000 computer compliance, resulting in some >risk of infrastructure disruption, and a lack or preparedness amongst >SMEs, > >C. noting that as a result, according to respected analysts, there exists >a small but unacceptable risk of serious nuclear or other accidents, >especially in Central and Eastern Europe, and the NIS, especially where >nuclear plant use plutonium fuel, and similar risk of an accidental >nuclear war, > >D. whereas there are hundreds of operating nuclear plants and research >reactors and thousands of other environment-sensitive plants around the >globe, and whereas there are such installations in all EU Member States, >and whereas data errors have caused mishaps and near accidents at nuclear >power stations in the past, > >E. whereas date errors and false signals may also affect the nuclear armed >forces, with potentially disastrous consequences, notably where nuclear >weapons are on "hair-trigger" alert, such as in the United States of >America and the Russian Federation, and whereas two EU Member States have >nuclear armed forces which may be affected by year 2000 computer problems, > >F. welcoming the UK government's announcement that it has relaxed the >notice to fire of its nuclear forces from minutes to days, > >G. noting that in 1996 the Canberra Commission on the Elimination of >Nuclear Weapons recommended that all nuclear forces be taken off >hair-trigger alert, preferably by physical separation of the warheads from >delivery vehicles, > >H. noting that a number of resolutions in the UN General Assembly, notably >Resolution 53/77Y "Towards a nuclear weapon- free world: the need for a >new agenda", have called for nuclear forces to be de-alerted, > >1. Calls on the governments of the states having a nuclear weapon >capability to take all the necessary steps to avoid that year 2000 >computer problems may lead to the accidental or unintended firing of >nuclear weapons by 'de-alerting' those weapons; > >2. Calls on all non-nuclear-weapons Member States of the European Union to >make vigorous representations to that effect; > >3. Calls on all governments to instruct the operators of all nuclear or >other environment-sensitive plant not able to verifiably demonstrate their >complete Y2K compliance, that such plant must be at least temporarily shut >down at the Millennium, and that in any case stand-by electrical power >should be available for up to 60 days at all nuclear plant to operate >cooling pumps and safety systems, and longer term back-up must be provided >for spent fuel cooling ponds; suggests that the Council and Commission >press all governments accordingly, especially in Central and Eastern >Europe, Russia and the NIS, and Turkey; > >4. Recalls and restates its resolution of 25/02/99 on "The Year 2000 >Computer Problem", and notes that in the meantime two particular problems >seem to persist: >- the degree of progress in some Member States is not sufficient, which >may lead to consequences in view of existing cross-border global and >sectorial levels of integration; >- SMEs are more exposed to possible disruption than big international >companies and a certain number of them may be liable to suffer heavy >financial consequences if they do not adjust in time, requiring urgent >action by the Commission, and national and regional administrations; > >5. Strongly recomments that the European Council of Helsinki, to be held >just a couple of weeks before the turn of the century, adopt appropriate >measures, and make an awareness statement to the European citizens on the >precise situation of the problem and the potential risks; > >6. Calls on the OECD Members to urgently provide specific resources to >Central and Eastern European countries and the NIS for the purpose of >financing alternatives to their nuclear power plants at the Millennium and >in the medium term, to close down those nuclear power plants no longer >fulfilling internationally recognised safety standards and to fund >alternative sources of energy; > >7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, >the Council, the UN Security Council, the IAEA, the governments of the >Member States and the applicant states and the Members of the OECD and the >IAEA. - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Yahoo, Bennett, *BOTH* got EUROPARL Resolution Wrong! (Did Yahoo Date: 20 Nov 1999 15:13:48 +1000 John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html Dear All, Both Yahoo News and Senator Bennett have misinterpreted the Y2K resolution in the EP, and it's clear enough I think, that Bennet has simply taken the Yahoo account of the resolution and not looked at the text. Given that he is chair of the Senate Y2K committee this is pretty bad. Whether there is anything wilful and/or perverse about Benetts misinterpretation - (he has clearly taken a misinterpretation that suits his purpose) - is another question. But note the following: The Yahoo account of the resolution says that the EP deputies voted to 'Shut down nuclear weapon alert systems' over the Y2K rollover. If the deputies had done that then they would indeed have taken leave of their senses. That is NOT what the resolution said! It's precisely because Y2K problems may do exactly that or else provide false alarms that the EP has asked and we ask, to de- alert weapons systems. That is, to place them in a status in which immediate launch is not possible, whether by altering firing circuits, pinning open switches, reprogramming, removing batteries, switching of gyros or whatever. Needless to say they didn't, and there is no way that the phrase 'de-Alerting' in the EP Y2K resolution can possibly be taken to mean anything other than to do the same as the UK has done, namely to move the 'notice to fire' from monutes to days, so that an immediate retaliation to a most likely nonexistent attack is simply not possible. That amounts (for Alan Philips benefit) to a renunciation of 'launch on Warning'. It certainly makes LOW impossible. I have included below 1)The YAHOO account of the resolution 2)Bennetts riposte 3)The FOE Sydney release and the text of the resolution, as already posted. Do read all of them and you'll see that while there is no foundation in the text of the resolution for Bennets comments, there is in the Yahoo account. Lesson (esp for those who used the Yahoo account and didn't wait for the text which I posted as soon as I knew that the resolution had in fact actually passed - reasonable caution) - don't trust secondary sources such as YAHOO, or at least prefer the original text of the resolution! If anyone would like to write to Bennett and point out his error, please do so. His fax number is 1-202-224-4908. I'll be writing myself with one or two others. 1)YAHOO ACCOUNT OF THE RESOLUTION - Note error between **. >Euro Deputies Warn Y2K Could Cause Atomic Disaster > >http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991118/tc/europe_nuclear_1.html > >STRASBOURG (Reuters) - The European Parliament voted Thursday to ask >countries to *shut down their nuclear weapon alert systems* over New Year to >avoid accidental launches caused by the millennium bug computer problem. > >Deputies said they would appeal to the United States and Russia in >particular to guard against possible errors in computer systems that cannot >recognize the date change to 2000. > >U.S. and Russian military officials are due to spend New Year's Eve together >in a special command center designed to avoid accidents caused by the >millennium bug. > >The parliament voted to ask countries with nuclear power stations to shut >them down over New Year's Eve unless they had been shown to be millennium >compliant. > >Deputies said their appeal would be aimed specifically at countries in >central and Eastern Europe, Turkey, Russia and members of the former Soviet >Union. 2) BENNET RIPOSTE [Copied from the Bennet webpage, typos mine] BENNETT TROUBLED BY EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VOTE TO SHUT DOWN NUCLEAR WARNING SYSTEMS FOR Y2K WASHINGTON, DC: US Senator Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah) Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on the year 2000 Technology Problem, today said he was troubled by a vote in the European Parliament to reccommend that countries shut down nuclear weapon alert systems over the millenium date change due to fears of accidental, Y2K- induced ballistic missile launches. "This vote is particularly troubling in that it demonstrates an overall lack of awareness with regard to Y2K's potential effects on a country's infrastructure, with a propfound misunderstanding of Y2K's potential effect on ballistic missile systems" said Bennett, who was instrumental inconvincing US and Russian officials tp participate in a joint early warning center in Colorado Springs that will monitor launch information during the millenium date change. "Shutting down missile warning systems would be far more dangerous than any problem that may arise from Y2K. What the European Parliament is asking countries to do is to wear blindfolds during the crucial date rollover" During a senate Y2K hearing on September 28, deputy special advisor John Beyrle of the US State department said that "close collaboration between our militaries to minimise Y2K problems will result in [the US and Russia] being less vulnerable to accidental missile launches" Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind) co-author of the Nunn-Lugar cooperative Threat Reduction Program also said during Committee testimony that in visits to Russia and briefings with experts, he was "convinced that the chances of an accidental missile launch as a result of a Y2K problem are almost nonexistent" "Missiles don't launch themselves" said Bennett "There is always a human being that is an integral part of the command process. The real danger lies in the generation of inaccurate information that could result in false alarms.[Yes! Thats precisely what we are concerned about!] Or worse still, the lack of any information at all. Recognising false alarms takes cooperation and well - trained military personell who are supported by Governments and understand the Y2K challenge. International cooperation and awareness are the keys to avoiding a Y2K catastrophe, not pulling the plug and hoping for the best" 3)EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SAYS TAKE N-WEAPONS OFF ALERT FOR Y2K The European Parliament today passed by a substantial majority a resolution called 'On the year 2000 Bug in the Civil and Military Sectors', in which it called for nuclear weapons to be taken off hairtrigger alert and for nuclear reactors to be shut down over the Y2K rollover. The European Parliament has been lobbied by an unprecedented combination of Australian, US, Japanese, and European activists who are concerned that the year 2000 date change does not see either global nuclear catastrophe or one or more major reactor accidents. According to Friends of the Earth Sydney Australia nuclear campaigner John Hallam: "The European Parliament has shown commendable commonsense. The Canberra Commission of 1996, the Tokyo Forum, and two resolutions last year in the United Nations General Assembly as well as two resolutions this year in the same body have called for the de-alerting of strategic nuclear weapons. The Senate here in Australia has passed two measures aimed at the avoidance of what the US Senate has called 'unintended deadly consequences' as a result of computer-generated false alarms in nuclear weapons related systems, and 71 US congressional representatives have signed on to a motion in the US Congress calling for nuclear weapons to be taken off alert." "A variety of bodies in the US, Europe, and Japan have pointed to the unwisdom of allowing nuclear reactors in which safety functions are controlled by complex computer software to operate through the date change. Especial concern has been expressed concerning reactors in Russia and Ukraine, but concern exists across the board in Europe (east and west), Japan, the US, and Russia." "We hope the year 2000 date change will pass without incident. However, the measures we have asked for are commonsense ones, which have been advocated for their intrinsic benefit, with or without Y2K. If nothing happens over the Y2K rollover, so much the better. But why not take commonsense precautions such as taking 5,600 nuclear weapons off hairtrigger alert, and ensuring that nuclear reactors have adequate backup power supplies when these are things that should be done anyway?" "These measures are far from radical. They are commonsense responses to a problem that requires a cautious, responsible, and realistic approach. We commend the resolution." Contact: John Hallam, Nuclear Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Sydney, 61-2-9517-3903, H61-2-9810-2598, >COMPROMISE RESOLUTION > >Tabled by >Elly Plooij-Van Gorsel on behalf of the ELDR Group, >Maj-Britt Theorin on behalf of the PSE Group, >Heidi Hautala and others on behalf of the Green/EFA Group, >Giles Chichester and others on behalf of the PPE Group, >?? on behalf of the GUE Group > > >To replace resolutions B5-268/99 (ELDR), B5-279/99 (PSE), B5-292/99 >(Green/EFA), B5-303/99 (PPE), > > >On the Year 2000 Bug in the civil and military sectors > > >The European Parliament, > >- having regard to the responsibilites of the EU in the areas of major >accidents and their consequences, relating to radioactive and chemical >pollution, and its role in nuclear safety under the Euratom Treaty, > >- having regard to the report of Parliament on the 'Year 2000 problem, >which requested a 3 monthly update from the Commission, as well as various >reports from the Commission, and the conclusions and the resolution of >Council, as well as the work of the G8 and the IAEA, > >- having regard to the update given by the Commission to the Industry, >External Trade, Research and Energy Committee on November 8th, > >A. noting growing concern worldwide that the failure of computers to >recognize the year 2000 date change could affect control systems at >nuclear and other environmentally sensitive plants, as well as off-site >electrical supplies from the networks to such plant, in addition to >command, control, communications and intelligence systems of nuclear >forces, > >B. whereas nuclear power plant safety systems are not generally digitally >based, though monitoring systems normally are, and while the Commission >has recognised that enormous progress has been made, there is also >increasing acceptance about the infeasibility of bringing all such >computerised systems to year 2000 computer compliance, resulting in some >risk of infrastructure disruption, and a lack or preparedness amongst >SMEs, > >C. noting that as a result, according to respected analysts, there exists >a small but unacceptable risk of serious nuclear or other accidents, >especially in Central and Eastern Europe, and the NIS, especially where >nuclear plant use plutonium fuel, and similar risk of an accidental >nuclear war, > >D. whereas there are hundreds of operating nuclear plants and research >reactors and thousands of other environment-sensitive plants around the >globe, and whereas there are such installations in all EU Member States, >and whereas data errors have caused mishaps and near accidents at nuclear >power stations in the past, > >E. whereas date errors and false signals may also affect the nuclear armed >forces, with potentially disastrous consequences, notably where nuclear >weapons are on "hair-trigger" alert, such as in the United States of >America and the Russian Federation, and whereas two EU Member States have >nuclear armed forces which may be affected by year 2000 computer problems, > >F. welcoming the UK government's announcement that it has relaxed the >notice to fire of its nuclear forces from minutes to days, > >G. noting that in 1996 the Canberra Commission on the Elimination of >Nuclear Weapons recommended that all nuclear forces be taken off >hair-trigger alert, preferably by physical separation of the warheads from >delivery vehicles, > >H. noting that a number of resolutions in the UN General Assembly, notably >Resolution 53/77Y "Towards a nuclear weapon- free world: the need for a >new agenda", have called for nuclear forces to be de-alerted, > >1. Calls on the governments of the states having a nuclear weapon >capability to take all the necessary steps to avoid that year 2000 >computer problems may lead to the accidental or unintended firing of >nuclear weapons by 'de-alerting' those weapons; > >2. Calls on all non-nuclear-weapons Member States of the European Union to >make vigorous representations to that effect; > >3. Calls on all governments to instruct the operators of all nuclear or >other environment-sensitive plant not able to verifiably demonstrate their >complete Y2K compliance, that such plant must be at least temporarily shut >down at the Millennium, and that in any case stand-by electrical power >should be available for up to 60 days at all nuclear plant to operate >cooling pumps and safety systems, and longer term back-up must be provided >for spent fuel cooling ponds; suggests that the Council and Commission >press all governments accordingly, especially in Central and Eastern >Europe, Russia and the NIS, and Turkey; > >4. Recalls and restates its resolution of 25/02/99 on "The Year 2000 >Computer Problem", and notes that in the meantime two particular problems >seem to persist: >- the degree of progress in some Member States is not sufficient, which >may lead to consequences in view of existing cross-border global and >sectorial levels of integration; >- SMEs are more exposed to possible disruption than big international >companies and a certain number of them may be liable to suffer heavy >financial consequences if they do not adjust in time, requiring urgent >action by the Commission, and national and regional administrations; > >5. Strongly recomments that the European Council of Helsinki, to be held >just a couple of weeks before the turn of the century, adopt appropriate >measures, and make an awareness statement to the European citizens on the >precise situation of the problem and the potential risks; > >6. Calls on the OECD Members to urgently provide specific resources to >Central and Eastern European countries and the NIS for the purpose of >financing alternatives to their nuclear power plants at the Millennium and >in the medium term, to close down those nuclear power plants no longer >fulfilling internationally recognised safety standards and to fund >alternative sources of energy; > >7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, >the Council, the UN Security Council, the IAEA, the governments of the >Member States and the applicant states and the Members of the OECD and the >IAEA. - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) U.S. SENATE Y2K CHIEF GETS EURO-VOTE WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Date: 21 Nov 1999 11:42:48 +1000 FRIENDS OF THE EARTH AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIAN PEACE COMMITTEE U.S. SENATE Y2K CHIEF GETS EURO-VOTE WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Australian antinuclear activists who lobbied for the European Parliament to pass a motion last Thursday, for US and Russian strategic nuclear weapons to be taken off hairtrigger alert are shocked by utterly incorrect statements from Senator Robert Bennett (R-Utah), that the European Parliament has voted for nuclear early warning systems to be shut down. According to Friends of the Earth nuclear campaigner John Hallam, who has been coordinating a monster sign-on letter to presidents Yeltsin and Clinton asking for nuclear weapons to be taken off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K rollover, and helped lobby for the EP Y2K resolution, "To be misrepresented in this way by Senator Bennett in his capacity as US Senate Y2K Special Committee chief is shocking. Its clear that he has simply not read the text of the Europarliamentary resolution." "What it calls for is for the US and Russia in particular to de-alert nuclear weapons systems. De-Alerting has been called for by a variety of bodies starting with Australia's own Canberra Commission, the Tokyo Forum, two recent resolutions of the Australian Senate, and two recent resolutions of the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, as well as two General Assembly resolutions last year. There has never been any implication that it meant switching off early warning systems as Senator Bennett says. Nobody has ever said warning systems should be switched off and no- one ever will." "It is precisely because Y2K - related computer malfunctions may indeed shut down or degrade warning systems that the European Parliament has enacted a very cautious and responsible motion, namely that nuclear weapons should be de-alerted, that is, taken off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K rollover so that it is not possible to fire them in error, or as a result of false alarms caused by defective warning systems. The British have already done the needful by changing the 'notice to fire' on their nuclear weapons from minutes to days, and this is exactly what the EP is asking for." "The resolution of the European Parliament deserves first of all correct reporting, and second, applause. We call on Senator Bennett to actually read the motion, which we have faxed him, and to withdraw his irresponsible statements." John Hallam, Friends of the Earth Sydney Nuclear Campaigner, 61-2-9517-3903 h 61-2-9810-2598 - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) U.S. SENATE Y2K CHIEF GETS EURO-VOTE WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Date: 21 Nov 1999 11:42:48 +1000 FRIENDS OF THE EARTH AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIAN PEACE COMMITTEE U.S. SENATE Y2K CHIEF GETS EURO-VOTE WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Australian antinuclear activists who lobbied for the European Parliament to pass a motion last Thursday, for US and Russian strategic nuclear weapons to be taken off hairtrigger alert are shocked by utterly incorrect statements from Senator Robert Bennett (R-Utah), that the European Parliament has voted for nuclear early warning systems to be shut down. According to Friends of the Earth nuclear campaigner John Hallam, who has been coordinating a monster sign-on letter to presidents Yeltsin and Clinton asking for nuclear weapons to be taken off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K rollover, and helped lobby for the EP Y2K resolution, "To be misrepresented in this way by Senator Bennett in his capacity as US Senate Y2K Special Committee chief is shocking. Its clear that he has simply not read the text of the Europarliamentary resolution." "What it calls for is for the US and Russia in particular to de-alert nuclear weapons systems. De-Alerting has been called for by a variety of bodies starting with Australia's own Canberra Commission, the Tokyo Forum, two recent resolutions of the Australian Senate, and two recent resolutions of the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, as well as two General Assembly resolutions last year. There has never been any implication that it meant switching off early warning systems as Senator Bennett says. Nobody has ever said warning systems should be switched off and no- one ever will." "It is precisely because Y2K - related computer malfunctions may indeed shut down or degrade warning systems that the European Parliament has enacted a very cautious and responsible motion, namely that nuclear weapons should be de-alerted, that is, taken off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K rollover so that it is not possible to fire them in error, or as a result of false alarms caused by defective warning systems. The British have already done the needful by changing the 'notice to fire' on their nuclear weapons from minutes to days, and this is exactly what the EP is asking for." "The resolution of the European Parliament deserves first of all correct reporting, and second, applause. We call on Senator Bennett to actually read the motion, which we have faxed him, and to withdraw his irresponsible statements." John Hallam, Friends of the Earth Sydney Nuclear Campaigner, 61-2-9517-3903 h 61-2-9810-2598 - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Can You Get this to your Local Media? Date: 22 Nov 1999 16:41:56 +1000 Dear All, According to Paul Laurie, >In the US on NBC tonite, there is a TV drama about Y2K. It includes drama >The press is very interested in talking to us. Please have everyone you know >call them now. I believe the next few days because of this nbc show will be >very hot. If the result of the NBC show is to suddenly make the press interested in Y2K, and in talking to us, can people get this to their local media? It concerns Senator Bennetts egregious misrepresentation of the Europarliament Y2K resolution. I suggest using your own names on it (and making whatever changes are necessary), or else using both mine and your own names. But it's perfectly OK to substitute your own names. Make whatever changes you see as necessary to get a local angle. Go for it! John Hallam U.S. SENATE Y2K CHIEF GETS EURO- Y2K-VOTE WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Antinuclear activists who lobbied for the European Parliament to pass a motion last Thursday, for US and Russian strategic nuclear weapons to be taken off hairtrigger alert are shocked by utterly incorrect statements from Senator Robert Bennett (R-Utah), that the European Parliament has voted for nuclear early warning systems to be shut down. According to(insert name) "To be misrepresented in this way by Senator Bennett in his capacity as US Senate Y2K Special Committee chief is shocking. Its clear that he has simply not read the text of the Europarliamentary resolution." "What it calls for is for the US and Russia in particular to de-alert nuclear weapons systems. De-Alerting has been called for by a variety of bodies starting with Australia's own Canberra Commission, the Tokyo Forum, two recent resolutions of the Australian Senate, and two recent resolutions of the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, as well as two General Assembly resolutions last year. There has never been any implication that it meant switching off early warning systems as Senator Bennett says. Nobody has ever said warning systems should be switched off and no- one ever will." "It is precisely because Y2K - related computer malfunctions may indeed shut down or degrade warning systems that the European Parliament has enacted a very cautious and responsible motion, namely that nuclear weapons should be de-alerted, that is, taken off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K rollover so that it is not possible to fire them in error, or as a result of false alarms caused by defective warning systems. The British have already done the needful by changing the 'notice to fire' on their nuclear weapons from minutes to days, and this is exactly what the EP is asking for." "The resolution of the European Parliament deserves first of all correct reporting, and second, applause. We call on Senator Bennett to actually read the motion, which we have faxed him, and to withdraw his irresponsible statements." (insert name) John Hallam, Friends of the Earth Sydney Nuclear Campaigner, 61-2-9517-3903 h 61-2-9810-2598 >COMPROMISE RESOLUTION > >Tabled by >Elly Plooij-Van Gorsel on behalf of the ELDR Group, >Maj-Britt Theorin on behalf of the PSE Group, >Heidi Hautala and others on behalf of the Green/EFA Group, >Giles Chichester and others on behalf of the PPE Group, >?? on behalf of the GUE Group > > >To replace resolutions B5-268/99 (ELDR), B5-279/99 (PSE), B5-292/99 >(Green/EFA), B5-303/99 (PPE), > > >On the Year 2000 Bug in the civil and military sectors > > >The European Parliament, > >- having regard to the responsibilites of the EU in the areas of major >accidents and their consequences, relating to radioactive and chemical >pollution, and its role in nuclear safety under the Euratom Treaty, > >- having regard to the report of Parliament on the 'Year 2000 problem, >which requested a 3 monthly update from the Commission, as well as various >reports from the Commission, and the conclusions and the resolution of >Council, as well as the work of the G8 and the IAEA, > >- having regard to the update given by the Commission to the Industry, >External Trade, Research and Energy Committee on November 8th, > >A. noting growing concern worldwide that the failure of computers to >recognize the year 2000 date change could affect control systems at >nuclear and other environmentally sensitive plants, as well as off-site >electrical supplies from the networks to such plant, in addition to >command, control, communications and intelligence systems of nuclear >forces, > >B. whereas nuclear power plant safety systems are not generally digitally >based, though monitoring systems normally are, and while the Commission >has recognised that enormous progress has been made, there is also >increasing acceptance about the infeasibility of bringing all such >computerised systems to year 2000 computer compliance, resulting in some >risk of infrastructure disruption, and a lack or preparedness amongst >SMEs, > >C. noting that as a result, according to respected analysts, there exists >a small but unacceptable risk of serious nuclear or other accidents, >especially in Central and Eastern Europe, and the NIS, especially where >nuclear plant use plutonium fuel, and similar risk of an accidental >nuclear war, > >D. whereas there are hundreds of operating nuclear plants and research >reactors and thousands of other environment-sensitive plants around the >globe, and whereas there are such installations in all EU Member States, >and whereas data errors have caused mishaps and near accidents at nuclear >power stations in the past, > >E. whereas date errors and false signals may also affect the nuclear armed >forces, with potentially disastrous consequences, notably where nuclear >weapons are on "hair-trigger" alert, such as in the United States of >America and the Russian Federation, and whereas two EU Member States have >nuclear armed forces which may be affected by year 2000 computer problems, > >F. welcoming the UK government's announcement that it has relaxed the >notice to fire of its nuclear forces from minutes to days, > >G. noting that in 1996 the Canberra Commission on the Elimination of >Nuclear Weapons recommended that all nuclear forces be taken off >hair-trigger alert, preferably by physical separation of the warheads from >delivery vehicles, > >H. noting that a number of resolutions in the UN General Assembly, notably >Resolution 53/77Y "Towards a nuclear weapon- free world: the need for a >new agenda", have called for nuclear forces to be de-alerted, > >1. Calls on the governments of the states having a nuclear weapon >capability to take all the necessary steps to avoid that year 2000 >computer problems may lead to the accidental or unintended firing of >nuclear weapons by 'de-alerting' those weapons; > >2. Calls on all non-nuclear-weapons Member States of the European Union to >make vigorous representations to that effect; > >3. Calls on all governments to instruct the operators of all nuclear or >other environment-sensitive plant not able to verifiably demonstrate their >complete Y2K compliance, that such plant must be at least temporarily shut >down at the Millennium, and that in any case stand-by electrical power >should be available for up to 60 days at all nuclear plant to operate >cooling pumps and safety systems, and longer term back-up must be provided >for spent fuel cooling ponds; suggests that the Council and Commission >press all governments accordingly, especially in Central and Eastern >Europe, Russia and the NIS, and Turkey; > >4. Recalls and restates its resolution of 25/02/99 on "The Year 2000 >Computer Problem", and notes that in the meantime two particular problems >seem to persist: >- the degree of progress in some Member States is not sufficient, which >may lead to consequences in view of existing cross-border global and >sectorial levels of integration; >- SMEs are more exposed to possible disruption than big international >companies and a certain number of them may be liable to suffer heavy >financial consequences if they do not adjust in time, requiring urgent >action by the Commission, and national and regional administrations; > >5. Strongly recomments that the European Council of Helsinki, to be held >just a couple of weeks before the turn of the century, adopt appropriate >measures, and make an awareness statement to the European citizens on the >precise situation of the problem and the potential risks; > >6. Calls on the OECD Members to urgently provide specific resources to >Central and Eastern European countries and the NIS for the purpose of >financing alternatives to their nuclear power plants at the Millennium and >in the medium term, to close down those nuclear power plants no longer >fulfilling internationally recognised safety standards and to fund >alternative sources of energy; > >7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, >the Council, the UN Security Council, the IAEA, the governments of the >Member States and the applicant states and the Members of the OECD and the >IAEA. - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Can You Get this to your Local Media? Date: 22 Nov 1999 16:41:56 +1000 Dear All, According to Paul Laurie, >In the US on NBC tonite, there is a TV drama about Y2K. It includes drama >The press is very interested in talking to us. Please have everyone you know >call them now. I believe the next few days because of this nbc show will be >very hot. If the result of the NBC show is to suddenly make the press interested in Y2K, and in talking to us, can people get this to their local media? It concerns Senator Bennetts egregious misrepresentation of the Europarliament Y2K resolution. I suggest using your own names on it (and making whatever changes are necessary), or else using both mine and your own names. But it's perfectly OK to substitute your own names. Make whatever changes you see as necessary to get a local angle. Go for it! John Hallam U.S. SENATE Y2K CHIEF GETS EURO- Y2K-VOTE WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Antinuclear activists who lobbied for the European Parliament to pass a motion last Thursday, for US and Russian strategic nuclear weapons to be taken off hairtrigger alert are shocked by utterly incorrect statements from Senator Robert Bennett (R-Utah), that the European Parliament has voted for nuclear early warning systems to be shut down. According to(insert name) "To be misrepresented in this way by Senator Bennett in his capacity as US Senate Y2K Special Committee chief is shocking. Its clear that he has simply not read the text of the Europarliamentary resolution." "What it calls for is for the US and Russia in particular to de-alert nuclear weapons systems. De-Alerting has been called for by a variety of bodies starting with Australia's own Canberra Commission, the Tokyo Forum, two recent resolutions of the Australian Senate, and two recent resolutions of the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, as well as two General Assembly resolutions last year. There has never been any implication that it meant switching off early warning systems as Senator Bennett says. Nobody has ever said warning systems should be switched off and no- one ever will." "It is precisely because Y2K - related computer malfunctions may indeed shut down or degrade warning systems that the European Parliament has enacted a very cautious and responsible motion, namely that nuclear weapons should be de-alerted, that is, taken off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K rollover so that it is not possible to fire them in error, or as a result of false alarms caused by defective warning systems. The British have already done the needful by changing the 'notice to fire' on their nuclear weapons from minutes to days, and this is exactly what the EP is asking for." "The resolution of the European Parliament deserves first of all correct reporting, and second, applause. We call on Senator Bennett to actually read the motion, which we have faxed him, and to withdraw his irresponsible statements." (insert name) John Hallam, Friends of the Earth Sydney Nuclear Campaigner, 61-2-9517-3903 h 61-2-9810-2598 >COMPROMISE RESOLUTION > >Tabled by >Elly Plooij-Van Gorsel on behalf of the ELDR Group, >Maj-Britt Theorin on behalf of the PSE Group, >Heidi Hautala and others on behalf of the Green/EFA Group, >Giles Chichester and others on behalf of the PPE Group, >?? on behalf of the GUE Group > > >To replace resolutions B5-268/99 (ELDR), B5-279/99 (PSE), B5-292/99 >(Green/EFA), B5-303/99 (PPE), > > >On the Year 2000 Bug in the civil and military sectors > > >The European Parliament, > >- having regard to the responsibilites of the EU in the areas of major >accidents and their consequences, relating to radioactive and chemical >pollution, and its role in nuclear safety under the Euratom Treaty, > >- having regard to the report of Parliament on the 'Year 2000 problem, >which requested a 3 monthly update from the Commission, as well as various >reports from the Commission, and the conclusions and the resolution of >Council, as well as the work of the G8 and the IAEA, > >- having regard to the update given by the Commission to the Industry, >External Trade, Research and Energy Committee on November 8th, > >A. noting growing concern worldwide that the failure of computers to >recognize the year 2000 date change could affect control systems at >nuclear and other environmentally sensitive plants, as well as off-site >electrical supplies from the networks to such plant, in addition to >command, control, communications and intelligence systems of nuclear >forces, > >B. whereas nuclear power plant safety systems are not generally digitally >based, though monitoring systems normally are, and while the Commission >has recognised that enormous progress has been made, there is also >increasing acceptance about the infeasibility of bringing all such >computerised systems to year 2000 computer compliance, resulting in some >risk of infrastructure disruption, and a lack or preparedness amongst >SMEs, > >C. noting that as a result, according to respected analysts, there exists >a small but unacceptable risk of serious nuclear or other accidents, >especially in Central and Eastern Europe, and the NIS, especially where >nuclear plant use plutonium fuel, and similar risk of an accidental >nuclear war, > >D. whereas there are hundreds of operating nuclear plants and research >reactors and thousands of other environment-sensitive plants around the >globe, and whereas there are such installations in all EU Member States, >and whereas data errors have caused mishaps and near accidents at nuclear >power stations in the past, > >E. whereas date errors and false signals may also affect the nuclear armed >forces, with potentially disastrous consequences, notably where nuclear >weapons are on "hair-trigger" alert, such as in the United States of >America and the Russian Federation, and whereas two EU Member States have >nuclear armed forces which may be affected by year 2000 computer problems, > >F. welcoming the UK government's announcement that it has relaxed the >notice to fire of its nuclear forces from minutes to days, > >G. noting that in 1996 the Canberra Commission on the Elimination of >Nuclear Weapons recommended that all nuclear forces be taken off >hair-trigger alert, preferably by physical separation of the warheads from >delivery vehicles, > >H. noting that a number of resolutions in the UN General Assembly, notably >Resolution 53/77Y "Towards a nuclear weapon- free world: the need for a >new agenda", have called for nuclear forces to be de-alerted, > >1. Calls on the governments of the states having a nuclear weapon >capability to take all the necessary steps to avoid that year 2000 >computer problems may lead to the accidental or unintended firing of >nuclear weapons by 'de-alerting' those weapons; > >2. Calls on all non-nuclear-weapons Member States of the European Union to >make vigorous representations to that effect; > >3. Calls on all governments to instruct the operators of all nuclear or >other environment-sensitive plant not able to verifiably demonstrate their >complete Y2K compliance, that such plant must be at least temporarily shut >down at the Millennium, and that in any case stand-by electrical power >should be available for up to 60 days at all nuclear plant to operate >cooling pumps and safety systems, and longer term back-up must be provided >for spent fuel cooling ponds; suggests that the Council and Commission >press all governments accordingly, especially in Central and Eastern >Europe, Russia and the NIS, and Turkey; > >4. Recalls and restates its resolution of 25/02/99 on "The Year 2000 >Computer Problem", and notes that in the meantime two particular problems >seem to persist: >- the degree of progress in some Member States is not sufficient, which >may lead to consequences in view of existing cross-border global and >sectorial levels of integration; >- SMEs are more exposed to possible disruption than big international >companies and a certain number of them may be liable to suffer heavy >financial consequences if they do not adjust in time, requiring urgent >action by the Commission, and national and regional administrations; > >5. Strongly recomments that the European Council of Helsinki, to be held >just a couple of weeks before the turn of the century, adopt appropriate >measures, and make an awareness statement to the European citizens on the >precise situation of the problem and the potential risks; > >6. Calls on the OECD Members to urgently provide specific resources to >Central and Eastern European countries and the NIS for the purpose of >financing alternatives to their nuclear power plants at the Millennium and >in the medium term, to close down those nuclear power plants no longer >fulfilling internationally recognised safety standards and to fund >alternative sources of energy; > >7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, >the Council, the UN Security Council, the IAEA, the governments of the >Member States and the applicant states and the Members of the OECD and the >IAEA. - 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) ACTION ALERT-NATO REVIEW Date: 22 Nov 1999 13:04:38 -0500 Dear Abolitionists, NATO promised, at the 50th Anniversary meeting in April, to review its nuclear policy at their meeting during the first week in December in Brussels. Pol Huyvetter, Chair of our Abolition Days Direct Action Working Group is organizing demonstrations at the NATO headquarters on December 2nd and 3rd. If you can't get to Brussels, there's still a lot you can do. Regardless of whether or not you live in a NATO state, please contact your legislators, heads of state, foreign ministers, and ask either that your government as a member of NATO act to change NATO nuclear policy to reflect the post-cold war reality, or if your country is not a member of NATO, that your government contact NATO states to realize the promise of nuclear disarmament 10 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. ITS IMPORTANT THAT WE KEEP THE PRESSURE ON!! EVEN THOUGH THE US RELUCTANTLY AGREED TO REVIEW NATO NUCLEAR POLICY AT THE APRIL 50TH ANNIVERSARY, THERE IS INFORMATION THAT THE US WILL ONCE AGAIN TRY TO SWEEP IT UNDER THE TABLE!! WE MUST NOT LET THAT HAPPEN!! Ask that you government demand steps consistent with our Abolition Statement: 1. An immediate commitment to begin negotiations for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. 2. Guarantees of No First Use 3. Taking all nuclear weapons off alert 4. Taking all US nuclear weapons out of Europe Letters to the editor, op-ed pieces, etc. will be helpful too. SPREAD THIS MESSAGE TO ALL YOUR EMAIL LISTS--IF YOU ARE IN A MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATION ASK YOUR MEMBERS TO HELP CREATE A GROUNDSWELL FOR MEANINGFUL STEPS TOWARDS NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT AT THE NATO REVIEW. Many thanks for your help. 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: Hisham Zerriffi Subject: (abolition-usa) De-Alerting: Launch of New Campaign Date: 22 Nov 1999 15:17:25 -0500 Back from the Brink Campaign Launched New Video Released On January 25, 1995, millions of people were minutes away from being incinerated by a mistaken nuclear weapons launch. Russian radar had detected a US-Norwegian rocket that looked like a US Trident nuclear missile. The routine notice that it was a weather rocket was lost in the bureaucracy. The black suitcase containing Russian nuclear launch codes was already with President Yeltsin when he was informed that it was a mistaken alert. There have been many false alerts on the US side as well, including one in which a nuclear warfare training tape being run on the command center computer was mistaken for the real thing. The Cold War officially ended after the Soviet Union fell apart eight years ago. Yet today, the people of the United States and Russia still face the risk of being evaporated in an accidental nuclear war. That risk is increasing because of deteriorating infrastructure and the poor state of the Russian economy. There is something that can be done to greatly reduce this risk: take nuclear weapons off of hair trigger alert. De-alerting nuclear weapons does not require a change in the size of the US or Russian arsenals. Nor are lengthy arms reduction negotiations or legislative debates needed. De-alerting simply requires a determination by national leaders to increase nuclear safety and abandon confrontational nuclear postures. On December 9, 1999, a major national effort to de-alert nuclear weapons, the "Back from the Brink Campaign," will be launched. That morning, a new video made by the Center for Defense Information, discussing nuclear dangers and how de-alerting can reduce them, will be released at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Speakers will include: Bruce Blair, one of the world's foremost authorities on the subject and a MacArthur Fellow; former Senator Dale Bumpers, now head of the Center for Defense Information; Beatrice Brailsford, Program Director of the Snake River Alliance, a statewide peace and environmental group in Idaho, and Arjun Makhijani, President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research in Takoma Park, Maryland. The heart of the campaign will be outside Washington, DC. That's where the pressure to persuade President Clinton as well as the House and Senate to de-alert nuclear weapons must come from. You can participate in the launch of the Back from the Brink Campaign by showing the video at a house party or on your local cable access channel. Free copies of the Back from the Brink Campaign video are available. To get one, send an e-mail to srabb@earthlink.net or write the temporary campaign office at 310 E. Center, Suite 205, Pocatello, Idaho 83201. After December 1, 1999, you can call our toll free number at 1-877-55BESAFE. You can also arrange a news briefing in your community around the showing of the video. The campaign can send you sample press materials and other information in a packet that you can use and distribute to local media. The website of the campaign is at www.dealert.com ************************************** ************************************** Arjun Makhijani President, Institute for Energy and Environmental Research 6935 Laurel Ave., Suite 204 Takoma Park, Maryland 20912, U.S.A. Phone 301-270-5500 Fax: 301-270-3029 e-mail: arjun@ieer.org web page: http://www.ieer.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) Fwd: Fw: NMD Test A Fake Date: 22 Nov 1999 16:33:39 -0500 >Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1999 14:48:46 -0500 >Subject: Fw: NMD Test A Fake >X-FC-MachineGenerated: true >From: globalnet@mindspring.com (globalnet@mindspring.com) > >>> >>> All Rights Reserved NewsMax.com >>> >>> >>> Monday November 22, 12:01 AM >>> >RECENT NMD TEST WAS "FIXED", COUNTERPUNCH SAYS >>> >>> All the world stood in awe as we watched the video last month of a >successful ABM test. >>> >>> The Pentagon test purported to show an interceptor missile - known as an >EKV or Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle - strike and destroy an incoming "dummy" >ICBM. The dummy ICBM was fired from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base >and struck by the EKV as it neared its target over the mid-Pacific Ocean. >>> >>> For the first time it appeared the Pentagon had figured out a way to >>"hit >a bullet with a bullet." There has been growing support for an effective >Anti-Ballistic Missile or ABM system - and even Clinton administration >doves >have been joining the chorus for one. >>> >>> Critics of an ABM system have contended the technology didn't exist to >create an effective interceptor missile. During the Gulf War the Patriot >missile was hailed as an example of how ABM technology could work. Later it >was revealed the Patriot had a dismal success rate. >>> >>> CounterPunch, a monthly investigative newsletter edited by Alexander >Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair, reports that a classified Pentagon document >reveals how the ABM test was "fixed." >>> >>> According to CounterPunch, the dummy ICBM "was tracked by an on-board >C-band beacon and GPS. Ground track radars were neither needed nor used to >guide the EKV." >>> >>> In other words, the dummy ICBM had two homing devices that guided the >interceptor missile - the EKV - right to the kill. This means the latest >Pentagon ABM technology will work if Russia, North Korea and China will be >so kind as to put a homing beacon in their missiles - enabling us to guide >our interceptor missiles at them. Our guess is they won't be so kind. >>> >>> That's why building an adequate ABM system should have been among the >nation's highest priorities. The Clinton administration has blocked, >stymied >and delayed implementation of such a system during most of the past decade. >>> >>> Inside Cover notes that Russia already has an effective ABM system. >>Former >Defense Intelligence Analyst William Lee reports that Russia has a >nation-wide system of ABM defenses, with battle management radar. According >to Lee, Russia also figured out how to get around the "bullet hitting the >bullet" problem. The Russians outfitted their ABM interceptors with neutron >warheads. Russian interceptor missiles need not hit their targets >precisely, >just get close enough to fall victim to a nuclear explosion. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> HotBot - Search smarter. >>> http://www.hotbot.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: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Subject: (abolition-usa) Abolition 2000 Grassroots Newsletter November 1999 Date: 23 Nov 1999 20:56:31 -0800 (Apologies to anyone who receive duplicate posts due to list cross-overs) Abolition 2000 Grassroots Newsletter November 1999 ************************ In This Edition... ************************ I. Introduction II. New Organizations III. Articles IV. Commentary V. Actions You Can Take VI. Calendar Events VII. Resources VIII. Letter from the Editor ************************ Introduction ************************ This year at the Abolition 2000 annual general meeting held at Hague Appeal for Peace, we set the goal of enrolling 2000 organizations by the year 2000. Currently, the Network is comprised of 1,391 organizations in 89 countries and 239 Municipalities have endorsed the Abolition 2000 Municipal Resolution. We are seeking your support to help us reach our goal. Please join me in wishing a warm welcome to the following organizations and municipalities which have recently endorsed the Abolition 2000 statement and joined the network. I urge you to support those within the network and continue building relationships with like-minded individuals and organizations. Please set a goal of enrolling at least one new organization during the month of December. Thank you for your continued support. ************************ New Organizations ************************ Association Togolaise des Jeunes Scientifiques, Togo/West Africa Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Berkeley/California Citizens Awareness Network, Shelburne Falls/Ohio Citizens Protecting Ohio, Bexley/Ohio Earth Action Congo, Brazaville/Republic of Congo Global Forum International and Christian Religion for Peace, Justice and Freedom, Benin/Nigeria Gray Panthers of Metro Detroit, Royal Oak/Michigan International Center for Peace Initiatives, Mumbai/India Nagasaki Peace Institute, Nagasaki/Japan Northern New Jersey Nation Associates, Hackensack/New Jersey Pathways to Peace, Larkspur/California Pax Christi, Michigan Resource Center for Non-Governmental Organizations (CREST), Romania The Romanian Multiple Schlerosis-MS Society, Romania Waldron Island Nuclear Free Zone, Waldron Island/Washington Youth for Environmental Sanity or YES!, California/US YWCA Aotearoa, Wellington/Aotearoa ************************ Articles ************************ "Oboe 2": Protesting the Effects of Subcritical Testing "It's in our backyard... it's in our front yard. This nuclear contamination is shortening all life. Were going to have to unite as a people and say no more! We, the people, are going to have to put our thoughts together to save our planet here. We only have One Water...One Air...One Mother Earth." -Corbin Harney- Newe (Western Shoshone) Spiritual leader, Founder / Executive Director of Shundahai Network On Tuesday, November 9 at 2:19 p.m., "Oboe 2", a subcritical nuclear experiment was detonated at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site, just 85 miles north of Las Vegas. Members of the Shundahai Network sponsored a non-violent protest of the nuclear experiment and six activists were arrested at the Mercury entrance to the test site. Protesters also rallied in front of the Foley building in Las Vegas, protesting the fact that the Department of Energy (DoE) is "expanding their nuclear testing program while becoming increasingly secretive about their testing." Gregor Gable, a spokesperson for the Shundahai Network, stated that despite the fall of the Berlin Wall ten years ago, "the DoE has accelerated their nuclear testing program after the US rejection of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, demonstrating their desire to return to full-scale nuclear weapons testing...with no end in sight." While the DoE claims their past nuclear tests have not contaminated any groundwater, they remain uncertain about the effects of subcritical testing and continue to jeopardize public safety for current and future generations by dispersing more plutonium in the earth. For more information on "Oboe 2" and the Shundahai Network please contact: Shundahai Network 5007 Elmhurst Las Vegas NV 89108 Tel: (702) 647 3095 Fax: (702) 647 9385 Email: shundahai@shundahai.org URL: Http://www.shundahai.org Voters Call for Nuclear Weapons Abolition In Cambridge and Newton, Massachusetts, local activists placed the question of whether or not the President of the United States should be instructed to negotiate a treaty to abolish nuclear weapons on a local referendum. Councilor Kathleen Born brought the petition to the Council to give voters the opportunity to voice their opinion in a message to President Clinton. On September 13th, the Cambridge City Council voted unanimously to put the "Citizen's Advisory Question" on the November ballot. The advisory, addressed to President Clinton, asked him to initiate negotiations for a treaty calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons, in a specific timetable with effective verification and enforcement measures. The ballot question stressed that in signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty Extension in 1995, the US, Russia, the UK, France and China committed themselves to reducing nuclear weapons globally, and ultimately to eliminating them. However, nuclear weapons continue to threaten all life on earth. Developing and maintaining nuclear arsenals is costly and diverts resources from social programs such as health and medical care, education, welfare and protecting the environment. On November 2nd, election day, unofficial results indicated that voters in Cambridge endorsed the negotiation of a nuclear weapons abolition treaty by a margin of 75-25%. The pro-abolition vote in Newton was even higher! Similar ballot questions have been passed by 33 towns in Vermont and by a wide margin in Framingham, Falmouth and Lincoln, MA. For more information, please contact: Joseph Gerson American Friends Service Committee Email: Jgerson@afsc.org Landmark Decision Serves Justice for TP2000 Women On Thursday October 21, 1999, Sheriff Margaret Gimblet instructed a jury at the Greenock Sheriff Court to acquit three members of the Trident Ploughshares 2000, who had been charged with causing £80,000 damage to a Trident barge. Angie Zelter, Ellen Moxley and Ulla Roder were cleared from charges on four accounts of maliciously and willfully damaging the "Maytime", a floating laboratory that provides operational support for Trident submarines on the waters of Loch Long in Scotland. After an 18 day trial, the Sheriff (or judge) concluded that the women had acted without malice and without criminal intent. The Defense brought in five expert witnesses, who argued that International Law applies in Scotland. The Defense argued that the ruling of the International Court of Justice, which declared the threat or use of nuclear weapons to be against International Law, applies everywhere, including Scotland, and the deployment of Trident is therefore a threat. After convincing arguments from the Defense, Sheriff Gimblet was convinced that the illegality of the Trident system under international law justified the actions of the three women and she directed the jury to acquit the women on all charges. In her address to the jury Sheriff Gimblett stated, "I have to conclude that the three in company with others were justified in thinking that Great Britain in their use of Trident ......could be construed as a threat and as such is an infringement of international and customary law. ...I have heard nothing which would make it seem to me that the accused acted with criminal intent." For more information, please contact: Trident Ploughshares 2000, 42-46 Bethel Street, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1NR, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1603 611953 Fax: +44 (0) 1603 633174 Email : tp2000@gn.apc.org URL: Http://www.gn.apc.org/tp2000 Global Fax Campaign Targets Clinton and Cohen On September 1, a global fax campaign was initiated by John Hallam, Friends of the Earth/Sydney, requesting Presidents Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin to take nuclear forces off alert during the Year 2000 (Y2K) roll-over period in order to prevent global nuclear catastrophe. In response to the original letter, which has now been signed by more than 460 NGO's, Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov stated, "The question of removing from the military duty of Russian and American nuclear armaments which you mention in your appeal may become the matter for discussion between the two countries in the context of negotiations on further limitation of the strategic nuclear weapons." Beginning November 7, fax a letter to President Bill Clinton and Secretary of Defense William Cohen asking them to address concerns about Y2K vulnerabilities and convincing them that taking nuclear weapons off "hair-trigger" alert is the most appropriate and effective means of preventing a global nuclear catastrophe. In order to avoid Global Nuclear Catastrophe, it is imperative that President Bill Clinton and President Boris Yeltsin take nuclear weapons off alert during the Year 2000 (Y2K) roll-over period. Taking US and Russian nuclear missiles off alert is the most important issue facing the world between now and December 31st, before the Y2K bug wreaks havoc on their command and control systems. Background Although the Cold War ended years ago, nations such as the United States and Russia continue to maintain their nuclear arsenal. Nearly five thousand nuclear weapons remain on high-alert, threatening all of creation and that which we hold most precious - life. Although the US and Russia have announced their formal "de-targeting" of one another, the agreement is meaningless as both countries maintain their weapons on "hair-trigger" alert and in "launch-on" warning posture. Contrary to conventional thought, keeping nuclear weapons on hair-trigger alert does not enforce the security of any nation. In fact, it actually has the adverse effect in that it makes every individual and nation less secure. The Canberra Commission concluded in its 1996 report that taking nuclear weapons off alert is an immediate action and practical step to reduce the risk of nuclear war and enhance the security of all states. As you may know, the US and Russia came to the "brink" of launching their nuclear weapons on several occasions because of miscommunication, misunderstanding or poor data. Removing nuclear weapons from high-alert status would eliminate the risk of global catastrophe caused by a hasty reaction from any nuclear weapons-holding nation, especially during the year 2000 rollover period when so many questions about computer-related glitches are still unanswered. Action You Can Take Beginning November 7, 1999, fax a letter to President Bill Clinton and Secretary of Defense Cohen, requesting them to take nuclear weapons off alert to avoid a global nuclear catastrophe. A letter drafted by John Hallam, Friends of the Earth/Sydney, is posted at the Abolition 2000 website for you to download and fax to the numbers listed below. WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461, +1-202-456-2883. Abolition 2000 Working Group on Corporate Issues to Co-Host Forum on the World Trade Organization The Abolition 2000 Working Group on Corporate Issues will conduct a forum and non-violent direct actions during the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial in Seattle throughout the week of November 27 to December 3, 1999. Pacific Northwest Disarmament Coalition (US) and End the Arms Race (Canada) have co-organized a forum on the WTO and the Global War System that will cover topics such as WTO and Economic Globalization, Weapons Corporations and Economic Conversion, and Nuclear Weapons and their Abolition. Representatives from more than 10,000 non-governmental organizations and unions are expected to protest during the WTO Ministerial Meeting. The official meeting is scheduled from November 30 to December 2 1999, to set a new agenda of international trade negotiations. With power far beyond just promoting and regulating trade, the WTO is now considered one of the most important multilateral institutions in the world, often marginalizing the role of the United Nations as the main forum for international relations. The WTO also directly contributes to some of the root causes of war, including poverty, human rights violations, and environmental degradation, by promoting unobstructed capitalism at the cost of a government's ability to control its own economy. The Abolition 2000 Working Group on Corporate Issues hopes that the joint actions will strengthen the international network of activists and organizations working to promote nuclear abolition, peace, human rights, workers rights, and sustainable development. For more information on activities and a calendar of events, please contact: Steven D.Staples Tel: (604) 688-8846 Email: sstaples@canadians.org For more information on the WTO, please visit: End the Arms Race's Arms Trade and Globalization Campaign (Peacewire) Http://www.peacewire.org/campaigns/content.html World Trade Organization Http://www.wto.org Increased Municipal Support for Nuclear Abolition 53% of Municipal councils in Aotearoa have endorsed the Abolition 2000 statement and an additional 26% have endorsed its goals. An inspiring chart, representing support for Abolition 2000 in Aotearoa, has been provided by Lawrence Carter and is now available on the Abolition 2000 website at: Http://www.napf.org/abolition2000/nz-nuclear-free-zones.htm. In Japan, 2,451 out of 3,300 municipalities have passed resolutions declaring themselves nuclear free. The same number of municipalities has also signed petitions requesting that the Japanese government endorse a treaty calling for the total elimination of nuclear weapons. For more information about support for nuclear abolition in Japan, please contact the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs at antiatom@twics.com Follow their lead in your community with the Abolition 2000 Nuclear-Free Municipal Declaration. For information on how to introduce legislation into your city or municipal council, please download and print the Abolition 2000 Municipal Resolution available on the website or contact Carah Ong at A2000@silcom.com. ************************ Commentary ************************ "Nuclear disarmament should be sped up! " "Nuclear disarmament should be sped up! " was the conclusion of participants after two working days convened by the Mouvement de la Paix. In Bordeaux (South west), fifty peace activists met on a barge, anchored in the Garonne river. They came from local committees of the Mouvement de la paix in Bordeaux, Toulouse, Mont-de Marsan, Cahors, Pau, as well as from groups of the Appel des Cent pour la paix, Coalition Stop-Essais, Greenpeace and French IPPNW. They discussed the urgent need to sign a Convention on the abolition of nuclear weapons to confront the new threats of proliferation and of a new nuclear armamament race. Participants decided to take a regional and international initiative in March-April 2000 at the Barp, as part of Abolition 2000. Participants vigorously challenged the development of simulation programmes and lab tests everywhere including Le Barp, near Bordeaux (megajoule laser) and Livermore Lab in California. Participants urged the French and American government to declare an immediate moratorium on this research. In order to inform the public and develop a necessary public discussion, the minutes of the meeting will be broadly sent out to activists in the civil society, to elected representatives, scholars and scientists. In Brittanny, fifty activists met in Crozon, across the Ile Longue and its nuclear submarine base. They came from local groups of the Mouvement de la Paix in Brittanny (Brest, Crozon, Morlaix, Rennes, St.-Brieuc, Angers, St-Nazaire) as well as CND Exeter, CND Cornwall and the World Court Project, and from union members of the CGT in Finistère and from the Brest arsenal. The demand for the total elimination of nuclear weapons was vigorously expressed, based on the diverse approaches of participants. Many emphasized how much the continued modernization of nuclear weapons were incompatible with the NPT and the CTBT, if not with the law, as indicated by the International Court of Justice. Nuclear weapons remain an instrument of domination and power which goes against building a world of collective security, cooperation and justice. New initiatives will take place in the year 2000 in the region, in order to train activists and inform the public. After these two abolition days, the Mouvement de la Paix nationally renewed its request to President Chirac of having France initiate an International conference in the year 2000 in Paris, in order to complete an international convention on the abolition of nuclear weapons. For more information, please contact: Lysiane Alezard Le Mouvement de la Paix 139 BD VICTOR HUGO - F-93400 SAINT-OUEN Email: mvtpaix@globenet.org URL: Http://www.asi.fr/~ddurand/ ************************ Action You Can Take ************************ Strengthen the Network! Now, more than ever, your action and support are needed to make a difference. As the year 2000 quickly approaches, we must unite in our common endeavors to create a more peaceful and just world, free from the threat of nuclear weapons. Although our different organizations are unique and have a variety of priorities and agendas, we all are striving for the same end...nuclear abolition. Here are three things you can do to unite and strengthen the Network: 1. Enroll Commit to enrolling at least one other organization in the month of December. 2. Circulate the Abolition 2000 International Petition among your friends, family and in your community and introduce the Municipal Resolution to your local government. 3. Donate Please commit to making a donation, however large or small to forward our common work and goals for this upcoming critical year. Global Peace Now! The Year 2000 Global Peace Walk will begin on January 15, 2000 at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in San Francisco, California. Peace Walkers will embark on a nine month journey across the US, carrying petitions and messages of peace. Among other survival issues, the Global Peace Walk has agreed to carry the Abolition 2000 message and petition. The journey will conclude in Washington, D.C. on October 8, 2000 (Indigenous People's Day) and the various petitions and messages will be delivered to governmental leaders. Support from Abolition 2000 members is needed to help carry the message of disarmament to various communities. If you are interested hosting activities surrounding the Year 2000 Global Peace Walk in your city or in becoming a supporter, please contact: Global Peace Walk P.O. Box 170245 San Francisco, CA 94117-0245 Tel: (415) 863-2084 E-Fax: (413) 895-8588 Email: GPZONE2000@aol.com or Gear2000@lightspeed.net URL: Http://www.globalpeacenow.org Y2K: Ready or Not? Did you know that there are 433 nuclear reactors around the world and each will be susceptible to Y2K-related software glitches? There are also approximately 4,400 nuclear weapons in the US and Russia that are still on hair-trigger alert. Visit the World Atomic Safety Holiday website at Http://www.y2kwash.org or email: y2kwash@y2kwash.org to find out more about the issues surrounding the Y2K roll over and sign the on-line petition to make nuclear installations safe for Y2K. For further information on Y2K and De-Alerting, please visit the following sites: Friends of the Earth/Sydney Http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd Http://www.nirs.org Http://www.enviroweb.org/nukenet/ Http://www.kisnet.or.jp/wash/ Http://www.basicint.org/y2krept.htm Http://www.noradiation.org/main.htm Http://www.kreative.net/carolmoore/4-reasons-nuke-war.html Put Pressure on NATO At the 50th Anniversary meeting in April, NATO vowed to review its nuclear policy at their meeting during the first week of December in Brussels. Pol Huyvetter, Chair of our Abolition Days Direct Action Working Group is organizing demonstrations at the NATO headquarters on December 2nd and 3rd. Please contact your legislators, heads of state and foreign ministers, and tell them to support change in NATO nuclear policy. For information about the demonstrations, contact: Pol D'Huyvetter Abolition -Days Tel: +32-9-233 84 39 Fax: +32-9-233 73 02 Email: a-days@motherearth.org ************************ Events ************************ November 25-26 DAPHNE International Seminar on Gender and Militarism will be held in Leeds, UK at Bodington Hall. Themes include: "Violence Against Women in Peace an War", "Military Masculinities and Constructions of National Security", "Are Women More Peaceful than Men?". For more information, please contact: Jane Gregory, Conference Administrator Email: Jgregory@lmu.ac.uk Research Centre on Violence, Abuse and Gender Relations School of Cultural Studies, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK LS1 3HE 26-December 3 is YouthPeace Week 1999. For information on how you can join a coalition of organizations and individuals who want to make peace and justice a global youth priority, please contact the War Resisters League at: youthpeace@imaginemail.com or call 1-800-975-9688 December 9-10 A lecture on "Arms and the Environment: Preventing the Perils of Disarmament", sponsored by the National Energy-Environment Law and Policy Institute will take place at the University of Oklahoma at Tulsa. For more information please contact Dr. Lakshman Guruswamy at the University of Tulsa College of Law. 310 E. Fourth Place Tulsa Oklahoma 74104 USA Tel: (918) 631-2431 Fax: (918) 631-2194 Email: nelpi@utulsa.edu 30-January 2 The Nevada Desert Experience is announces "Walking the Ways of Peace", a non-violent demonstration that will be held at Bishop Gormon High School, Las Vegas and the Nevada Test site. Join a candlelight procession onto the Test Site at midnight on December 31st. For more information, please contact the Nevada Desert Experience at: Telephone: (702) 646-4814 Email: nde@igc.apc.org URL: http://www.shundahai.org/nde January 15-October 8 Year 2000 Global Peace Walk will journey from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., carrying petitions and messages of peace. For more information visit: Http://www.globalpeacenow.org 31 A protest vigil sponsored by the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space will be held from 10 am to 1 pm in front of the Hyatt Regency in New Mexico during the 17th Annual Symposium on Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion. For more information visit: Http://www.globenet.free-online.co.uk/ April '00 24-28 Auckland, New Zealand College of Humanities and Social Sciences Massey University (at Albany) is holding a conference entitled "Enhancing the prospect of peace within pluralistic societies and the pluralistic global body, across the realms of Community, Nationality, International Relations, and Individuality". For further information on conference themes and registration, please visit the website at: http://www.massey.ac.nz/~wwsocial/homepage.htm or contact: Dr. Warwick Tie (conference convenor), School of Sociology and Women's Studies Massey University, Private Bag & Helli, North Shore Mail Centre, New Zealand. Fax +64 09 443 9716 Email: W.J.Tie@massey.ac.nz 24-May 19 Mark your Calendars! The 2000 NPT Review Conference will be held at the UN in New York. Stay tuned for forthcoming information on action you can take to demand disarmament from the nuclear weapons states. May 7-13 Shoshone Walk and Run for the Damaged Land, Warm Springs to Mercury. Please call Johnnie Bobb of the Western Shoshone Nation, Yomba Tribe at (775) 964-2210 ************************ Resources ************************ Videos The Hague Appeal Mobilization Video is now available for purchase. The video features some of the campaigns, including Abolition 2000, that were present at the Hague Appeal for Peace Conference this past May. Running time is approximately 17 minutes. To purchase a copy of the video, please send your request along with a $20 payment to: Hague Appeal for Peace c/o IWTC 3rd Floor, 777 UN Plaza New York, NY 10017 Tel: 212-687-2623 Fax: 212-661-2704 Email: hap99@igc.org The Y2K WASH briefing video is a 20-minute video outlining the Y2K vulnerabilities faced by nuclear power plants and weapons systems. The emphasis is on nuclear power plants and the video promotes the World Atomic Safety Holiday platform for nuclear safety. The video is designed for briefing decision-makers and citizens and is produced by Options 2000 International. The VHS cassette is available for $20 USD or PAL format copies for $25 USD including shipping and handling. Please make checks payable to Y2K WASH and send your request to: P.O.Box 1047, Bolinas, CA 94924 Books "The Moruroa Blues: a tale of spontaneous protest sailing adventure in the South Pacific"* by Lyn Pistollis a story that begins in June of 1995 when French President Jacques Chirac made the decision to resume nuclear testing in the South Pacific. Shortly after the announcement, 14 New Zealand yachts were prepared and provisioned for a 3000 nautical mile voyage to Moruroa, to protest against the French madness. The account reveals the inside story of the protest from the view of one skipper. It covers the struggle, challenges, and achievement of organizing and preparing for the venture. The campaign focused world-wide attention on the French program, and ultimately resulted in the signing of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty; ending five decades of nuclear testing by the superpower States. The book is 204 pages long with 70 supporting pictures and illustrations. It was published September 1999 and is available for $24.95. Order forms can be obtained from Peace Movement Aotearoa at: http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/sept99.htm or send a request to: PMA PO Box 9314, Wellington, Aotearoa / New Zealand; fax + 64 382 8173; pma@xtra.co.nz *Full review can be found at: http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/muroroab.htm The revised edition of the briefing book "Fast Track to Zero Nuclear Weapons" by Rob Green is now available through the Middle Powers Initiative and IPPNW. This book highlights the deepening nuclear weapons crisis, makes the case for the feasibility and desirability of rapid nuclear disarmament and explores the role that middle power governments, supported by citizens, can play in abolishing nuclear weapons. The book is 88 page long and includes illustrations. Copies are available for $10 USD each or $6 USD each for orders of 10 or more. US shipping/handling is $2 each and international is $4 each. Please send your request with a check in the proper amount of US funds to: IPPNW 727 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139. Phone: (617) 492-9189 Email mpi@ippnw.org The German edition is available from Xanthe Hall, Co-Director of IPPNW Germany in Berlin. For more information please contact Xanthe at: Koertestrasse 10, D-10967 Berlin 61,Germany. Tel: +49 (0)30 693 0244 Fax: +49 (0)30 693 8166 Email: IPPNW@OLN.comlink.apc.org http://www.ippnw.de The Japanese edition is available through Hiromichi Umebayashi, Executive Director of the Peace Depot. For more information, please contact Mr. Umebayashi at: 3-3-1 Minowa-cho, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, 223-0051, Japan Tel: 81-45-563-5101 Fax: 81 45 563-9907 Email: CXJ15621@nifty.ne.jp For information about the Finnish edition please contact MPI for information at: Suzanne Pearce, Coordinator Middle Powers Initiative 727 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139, USA Tel: 617 492-9189 Fax: 617 868-2560 MPI webpage: www.middlepowers.org ************************** Letter from the Editor ************************** "If humanity is to maintain hope for the future, we must act now with courage and decisiveness to achieve a nuclear-free world." Takashi Hiraoka, 1995 Mayor of Hiroshima Dear Friends and Activists, Did you know that the sunflower is not just one flower, but actually a collection of as many as 2,000 individual flowers, united together to appear as one organic whole? The sunflower is the official logo for Abolition 2000, and how appropriate! Abolition 2000 is like the sunflower because it is not just one organization, but rather a network of organizations united by our common work. Now, more than ever, your action and support are needed to make a difference. As the 1999 comes to a close, I am preparing a report on the status of the Network at the Year 2000. This comprehensive report is intended to evaluate the diverse aspects of the Network, produce appreciation for all actions that have contributed to the Abolition 2000 movement and inspire action. I would like to hear of significant events, pertaining to the Network, that have taken place in your country/region/organization throughout 1999 and what plans are being made for the year 2000. I intend to have this report finished and available to all by the end of December 1999. I would greatly appreciate input from your country/region/organization by December 15, if possible. Suggested topics: 1. What significant events relating to Abolition 2000 or the abolition of nuclear weapons have taken place in your country/region/organization this year? 2. What plans pertaining to the Abolition 2000 network or actions towards abolishing nuclear weapons does your country/region/organization have for the year 2000? 3. How does your country/region/organization envision the future of the Network? What is your country/region/organization doing to carry out that vision? 4. How can the network be more effective in the year 2000? What type of actions should the Network take to become more unified and to achieve our goal of nuclear abolition? Thank you for your continued actions in support of the Abolition 2000 network. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Please be encouraged to continue in your various endeavors, knowing that the effects of our actions together produce a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Yours In Peace, Carah Carah Lynn Ong Coordinator, Abolition 2000 Nuclear Age Peace Foundation 1187 Coast Village Road PMB 121, Suite 1 Santa Barbara CA 93108 Phone (805) 965 3443 FAX(805) 568 0466 Email: A2000@silcom.com Website http://www.wagingpeace.org/abolition2000 Join the Abolition-USA or Abolition-Global Caucus list serve to regularly receive updates about the Abolition movement. Both caucus' also provide a forum for conversation on nuclear-related issues as well as they are used to post important articles and information pertaining to nuclear abolition. To subscribe to the Abolition Global Caucus, please do one of the following: 1. Send a message to the list moderator at A2000@silcom.com 2. Visit the Abolition-caucus website at: Http://www.egroups.com/list/abolition-caucus/ and submit a membership form. 3. Visit the Abolition 2000 website and submit a membership form. 4. Send an e-mail to: abolition-caucus-subscribe@egroups.com (leave the subject line and body of the message blank). To post a message to the Abolition Global Caucus, send your message to: abolition-caucus@egroups.com To subscribe to the Abolition-USA listerve, send a message (with no subject) to: abolition-usa-request@lists.xmission.com In the body of the message, write: "subscribe abolition-usa" (do not include quotation marks) To post a message to the Abolition-USA list, mail your message to: abolition-usa@lists.xmission.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: marylia@earthlink.net (marylia) Subject: (abolition-usa) NEW! On Tri-Valley CAREs' web site! Date: 25 Nov 1999 12:35:25 -0800 (PST) Dear peace and environmental advocates: For your reading and "surfing" pleasure -- Tri-Valley CAREs has just put great new information on its web site. Go to http://www.igc.org/tvc and find: 1. The November issue of our newsletter "Citizen's Watch," including: * The CTBT: A debacle and a ray of hope * Public Hearing on the National Ignition Facility * Independent experts speak on "Radiation and Risk" * Public meeting on nuclear fuel rods and their transportation * Community calendar and MORE! 2. New press release, flier and fact sheet on "Radiation and Risk," including: * information on the Precautionary Principle -- revolutionizing the relationship between communities and polluters. * info on "Town Meeting" in Livermore December 1 * info on "Brown Bag Lunch" at Livermore Lab December 2 3. You will also find information on de-alerting nuclear weapons, the U.S. Dept. of Energy's euphemistically-titled "Stockpile Stewardship" program, radioactive and toxic pollution around Livermore Lab and MUCH, MUCH MORE! With apologies for any duplicate postings you may receive... Peace, Marylia 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! (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: Dealert99@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Y2K LONG SHOT: US-RUSSIAN NUCLEAR WAR (Boston Globe) Date: 25 Nov 1999 23:11:16 EST The following article appeared on the front page of the Boston Globe for=20 Sunday, November 21, 1999. It has disappeared already from the Boston Globe=20 on-line archives! When I contacted John Donnelly about the word *disarmament= *=20 in his second sentence, pointing out that this word gives a totally mistaken= =20 view of our work to de-alert, he told me that he used "disarming" meaning=20 "de-alerting", but "disarmament" was edited in. So please understand that he= =20 meant "de-alerting" here. Please forgive the cross-posting. I believe this is a significant addition=20 to our work to de-alert, and I don't want to miss anyone! William Santelmann, for the Metro-Boston Committee to De-Alert Nuclear Weapons dealert99@aol.com 781.862.1753 30 Fairlawn Lane Lexington, MA 02420-2715 Y2K LONG SHOT: US-RUSSIAN NUCLEAR WAR By John Donnelly, Boston Globe staff. WASHINGTON -- It would be the world's most extreme Y2K computer glitch. As improbable as it may be, the possibility of a mistaken launch of nuclear=20 missiles just as the world celebrates the new millennium has antiatomic=20 activists pushing anew for *disarmament* of all US and Russian nuclear=20 missiles. US officials say flatly that Y2K computer problems will not cause any=20 accidental launch of a nuclear missile. But arms control specialists cannot completely rule out a Y2K doomsday=20 scenario, which could start with computer malfunctions in Russia that cause=20 early-warning systems to give erroneous indications of a missile attack. Then, under this hypothetical scenario, Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin=20 could order the activation of the country's "dead hand" system, which ensure= s=20 nuclear retaliation in case an attack kills the entire Moscow leadership.=20 Next, the Y2K bug could shut down the communication between Russia's central= =20 command and the dead hand computer apparatus, which would proceed to launch=20 missiles on the basis of the false indications of an incoming attack. And that, according to some disarmament activists, could bring nuclear=20 holocaust as Russia sends hundreds of nuclear missiles toward the United=20 States. Much would have to go wrong for such a cataclysmic event to occur, but such=20 technical and human error is not absolutely out of the question, some arms=20 specialists warn. Earlier this year, to add another layer of safety to prevent an accidental=20 launch, President Clinton and Yeltsin created a joint Y2K control room at=20 Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. There Russian and US officials=20 will sit side-by-side beginning in late December to minimize the chances of=20= a=20 Y2K-triggered false alarm. But the scenario described above is based on a "Dr. Strangelove"-like system= =20 that exists in Russia, notably the dead hand computer program, which remains= =20 in the hands of Moscow despite the joint command center in Colorado. And the scenario comes against a backdrop of rising Russian anger against th= e=20 United States, the most recent point of conflict occurring last week in=20 Clinton's pointed criticism of the war in Chechnya. Pentagon officials say=20 Russia has embarked on a campaign of nuclear muscle-flexing to show its=20 displeasure, including a recent test of two submarine-launched missiles and=20 Russia's threats to send nuclear bombers to Cuba and Vietnam. But an ongoing worry persists around Russia's deteriorating and incomplete=20 early-missile warning system, underscoring the dangers of having an estimate= d=20 5,000 Russian and US nuclear missiles on a hair-trigger -- Y2K or no Y2K. While the missiles are no longer targeted on cities and nuclear sites, they=20 are loaded with guidance systems that, on the United States side, can be=20 programmed in as little time as 10 seconds, literally a flip of the switch=20 and then two computer keystrokes, analysts said. "Even if the Y2K risks are low, it's important for people to appreciate the=20 overall risks here," said Bruce Blair, a Brookings Institution senior fellow= =20 and a recipient this year of a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant," who has=20 written extensively about possible doomsday nuclear scenarios, including the= =20 dead hand possibility. In the view of Blair and others, Y2K is a unique event, and thus the threat=20 cannot be calculated. "It is inestimable," Blair said. "Anyone who claims to know the probability=20 of Y2K early-warning failure in Russia is pulling it out of thin air." In recent months, US and Russian officials have tried to assure the public=20 that Y2K poses no risk of a nuclear shoot-out. Following a federal government report on the Y2K problem earlier this month,= =20 the White House said in a statement: "Y2K problems will not cause nuclear=20 weapons to launch themselves. Nuclear weapons launch requires human=20 intervention." A Pentagon official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the worrie= s=20 of Y2K problems with Russia's nuclear system "have gotten blown way out of=20 proportion. We expect minor glitches in Russia, nothing of great severity." At the Colorado center, American officials will share data from the US globa= l=20 early warning network. But distrust lingers, even at the joint command center. US officials will no= t=20 share everything from the early-warning network for fear of giving away=20 secrets to the Russians, and the Russians have rejected US requests to set u= p=20 another joint Y2K control center in Russia because of their own wariness of=20 giving away intelligence secrets. Ill feeling has gradually built up between the two nation's militaries since= =20 the early euphoria following the breakup of the Soviet Union. It deepened=20 among the Russian military hierarchy in recent months with the expansion of=20 NATO eastward to include three more countries; with NATO's war against Serb=20 forces in Kosovo; and with US intentions to build a national missile defense= =20 system that would violate the antiballistic missile treaty. Five US arms control specialists, some working for the Clinton administratio= n=20 or Congress and some at universities, have said recently that their contacts= =20 in Russia have dried up because Russian intelligence agents have told=20 scientists to cease contacts with Americans. In the last month, the possible Y2K threat has galvanized many antinuclear=20 activists, including Helen M. Caldicott, author Jonathan Schell, and former=20 arms negotiator Paul Nitze, who have called on Clinton in full-page newspape= r=20 advertisements to "de-alert" thousands of nuclear missiles. De-alerting=20 literally means taking missiles off high alert, removing the hair trigger by= =20 dismantling missile components. Last summer, Representative Edward J. Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat,=20 introduced a resolution calling for immediate de-alerting of nuclear missile= s. But US and Russian officials have rejected the idea. US Defense Secretary=20 William S. Cohen said in Moscow recently that de-alerting was "off the table= ." The obstacles, according to Pentagon officials and arms control specialists,= =20 lie in verification and lack of trust. "As long as the US and Russia see each as potential adversaries, this is=20 going to be the situation" of missiles on hair-trigger, said Theodore A.=20 Postol, a MIT professor of science, technology, and national security policy= .=20 "That will also be the situation if one side sees itself as vulnerable to a=20 damaging strike." That now would be Russia, because its nuclear forces are "extremely=20 vulnerable to a US strike," Postol said. Many Russian nuclear missiles are=20 either in silos or are collected together in corrugated steel buildings,=20 making them a possible lucrative target in a nuclear war. Many US nuclear=20 missiles, in comparison, are on submarines, which can evade detection. A US arms control official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said=20 de-alerting would be extremely difficult in practice because of the=20 difficulty of verification. "You have to imagine all sorts of shenanigans=20 there would be over verification," the official said. "Once you mention the=20 word 'verification,' the idea loses some of its attractiveness." But for some arms control analysts, there seems little reason to keep so man= y=20 missiles on high alert a decade after the fall of the Berlin Wall. "What's the threat? Does anyone think there is going to be a=20 bolt-out-of-the-blue attack?" said Joseph Cirincione, senior associate at th= e=20 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington think tank. "Does=20 anyone believe that the Russians would do this for some reason, that they=20 would try to do a preemptive strike? I think it's just insane at this point.= " Blair, the Brookings analyst who has had extensive contacts with Russian=20 counterparts, said while both the United States and Russia find a preemptive= =20 strike scenario "bizarre," the issue cannot be totally dismissed because of=20 Russia's rising distrust of the United States. Asked if the Y2K doomsday scenario, which has been so roundly dismissed by U= S=20 officials, was cause for losing sleep, Blair did not respond reassuringly. "Why should you sleep at night? Why should you sleep if nobody knows? Maybe=20 you need a sleeping pill," he said. "You can hope and trust that the=20 probability is extremely small. But we certainly don't know that." All content herein is =A9 1999 Globe Newspaper Company and may not be=20 republished without permission. - 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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) EUROPE SAYS TAKE 5,600 WARHEADS OFF ALERT. 35 DAYS, KEEP FAXING! Date: 26 Nov 1999 13:38:24 +1000 EUROPE SAYS TAKE 5,600 WARHEADS OFF ALERT. 35 DAYS TO Y2K, KEEP FAXING! Sorry for double posting - but please spread this message far and wide. Dear All, There are now just 35 days until the Y2K 'rollover'. There's not much time to get 5,600 warheads off alert. Last Thursday (18 November), the European Parliament passed a resolution on Y2K nuclear` reactors and nuclear weapons, in which it asked for nuclear forces to be taken off alert over the Y2K rollover period, as well as for reactors to be shut down. We need to keep the faxes that have been rolling in to Cohen, Clinton, and Yeltsin, coming! There are signs from the Pentagon that they are being forced to respond! There are currently 3,600 Russian warheads and 2000US warheads on permanent, 24- hour, 'hairtrigger' alert. (this is simply the warheads in silo- based missiles and does not include submarine or bomber or other weapons.) These warheads can be launched at 15-20 minutes notice. The UK on the other hand, has recently moved the 'notice to fire ' for its warheads, from minutes to days. We are asking the US and Russia to do likewise. 'De-Alerting', as it is called has now been called for by the 1996 Canberra Commission, by the Tokyo Forum, by two resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly last year and by the same resolutions again this year, by the Australian senate, and now by the European Parliament. A resolution by Rep. Edward Markey has gathered 71 co- sponsors. There are signs that the Pentagon may be feeling the impact of your faxes - so keep faxing! Do Please write to Cohen, Clinton, and Yeltsin, something similar to the letters below if you haven't already done so (or even if you have). If you are an organisation and want to sign a large sign- on letter, please sign the letter to presidents Yeltsin and Clinton that is being periodicaly faxed to them on http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html (I strongly suggest that you don't use these letters word for word but customise them or paraphrase, and shorten.) The fax numbers have all been tried many times and work. The Russian fax number is very slow. You can fax defence secy Cohen on +1-703-695-1149, You can fax Clinton on +1-202-456-2461, You can fax Yeltsin on +7-095-205-4330, You can fax for free on http://www.fax4free.com 2)You can sign on to the electronic petition, coordinated by NAPF. It's at Http://www.napf.org/abolition2000/intlpetition.html 1)SAMPLE LETTER TO COHEN/CLINTON (This is for individuals to sent to Us Secretary for Defence Cohen and President Clinton. You can also post it to The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington DC.) TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461, +1-202-456-2883. Dear President Clinton and Secretary for Defence Cohen, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. As you will be aware, the European Parliament recently voted to ask you and President Yeltsin to do as the UK has already done, and de-alert nuclear weapons. It is particularly disturbing that Secretary Cohen has been reported as having stated in Moscow some time ago that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. The recent Europarliament vote clearly puts de- alerting back on the table. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 and then by the Tokyo Forum, as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Agenda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. It has also been reccommended by a resolution specifically on the subject passed by last years General Assembly and by this years First Committee on Reduction of Nuclear Dangers. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September, and finally it has been clearly requested by the European Parliament. It is also the subject of congressional resolution H.Con Res177 put by Edward Markey, and most recently, the City of Berkley has asked for it. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. The very nature of the Y2K problem makes it impossible to be sure everything has been fixed until well into the new year. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. This system seems to include additional ways in which Y2K failure might lead to an accidental launch. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as we the public are aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The Y2K vulnerabilities recently discovered in six of the seven hotlines on which US/Russian communications depends, are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. In taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. Failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low, but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. (SIGNED) etc. 2)SAMPLE LETTER TO YELTSIN/DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEYEV THIS SAMPLE LETTER IS FOR YOU PERSONALLY TO FAX, CUSTOMIZED AS YOU FEEL BEST, TO YELTSIN AND DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEYEV. PLEASE DO FAX IT AND SEND IT NOW. You can also post it to Boris Yeltsin, C/O The Kremlin, Moscow - but its really too slow. A single A4 page fax will cost you about a dollar. PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN, IGOR SERGEYEV, RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER, +7-095-205-4330, 'Dear Defence Minister Sergeyev and President Yeltsin, I am writing to convey my deep concern that Y2K-related computer failures in the command and control systems for nuclear weapons may lead to an accidental nuclear war. I am aware that both Russia and the US have taken this problem seriously enough to establish a joint strategic stability center in Colorado. However, I am very much concerned that this facility will come into operation only by 27th December 1999, so that a delay of just four days will make it useless. I am also very much concerned that Y2K problems have been found recently in six out of seven of the 'hotlines' that would be used if a crisis of any sort arose over the Y2K rollover period. I am aware that there have been a number of occasions when either the US or Russia have mistakenly believed that the other nation was in the process of launching a nuclear attack. With 3,600 Russian warheads on 700 missiles and 2,000 US warheads on 500 missiles, with each side capable to launch within roughly 20 minutes, this must never be allowed to happen, either over the Y2K 'rollover', or at any other time. The use of 5,600 warheads would certainly mean the end of what we call civilization, would likely mean the end of the human race and could possibly mean the end of all life. I therefore urge both you and the United States, to place all your nuclear forces in a status in which at least days not minutes, would be required to launch . The United Kingdom has, I understand, already done this. The European Parliament has recently called on both the US and Russia to de-alert nuclear weapons and to place them in a state similar to that in which the UK has placed its weapons. The recent Europarliament vote clearly puts de- alerting back on the table. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 and then by the Tokyo Forum, as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Agenda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. It has also been reccommended by a resolution specifically on the subject passed by last years General Assembly and by this years First Committee on Reduction of Nuclear Dangers. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September, and finally it has been clearly requested by the European Parliament. It is also the subject of congressional resolution H.Con Res177 put by Edward Markey, and most recently, the City of Berkley has asked for it. The immediate stakes are so high and the potential for global catastrophe is so great, that mutually verified de-alerting of nuclear forces in the face of the Y2K computer problem must take precedence over all other considerations of political and national security.' (Signed) etc. John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) EUROPE SAYS TAKE 5,600 WARHEADS OFF ALERT. 35 DAYS, KEEP FAXING! Date: 26 Nov 1999 13:38:24 +1000 EUROPE SAYS TAKE 5,600 WARHEADS OFF ALERT. 35 DAYS TO Y2K, KEEP FAXING! Sorry for double posting - but please spread this message far and wide. Dear All, There are now just 35 days until the Y2K 'rollover'. There's not much time to get 5,600 warheads off alert. Last Thursday (18 November), the European Parliament passed a resolution on Y2K nuclear` reactors and nuclear weapons, in which it asked for nuclear forces to be taken off alert over the Y2K rollover period, as well as for reactors to be shut down. We need to keep the faxes that have been rolling in to Cohen, Clinton, and Yeltsin, coming! There are signs from the Pentagon that they are being forced to respond! There are currently 3,600 Russian warheads and 2000US warheads on permanent, 24- hour, 'hairtrigger' alert. (this is simply the warheads in silo- based missiles and does not include submarine or bomber or other weapons.) These warheads can be launched at 15-20 minutes notice. The UK on the other hand, has recently moved the 'notice to fire ' for its warheads, from minutes to days. We are asking the US and Russia to do likewise. 'De-Alerting', as it is called has now been called for by the 1996 Canberra Commission, by the Tokyo Forum, by two resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly last year and by the same resolutions again this year, by the Australian senate, and now by the European Parliament. A resolution by Rep. Edward Markey has gathered 71 co- sponsors. There are signs that the Pentagon may be feeling the impact of your faxes - so keep faxing! Do Please write to Cohen, Clinton, and Yeltsin, something similar to the letters below if you haven't already done so (or even if you have). If you are an organisation and want to sign a large sign- on letter, please sign the letter to presidents Yeltsin and Clinton that is being periodicaly faxed to them on http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html (I strongly suggest that you don't use these letters word for word but customise them or paraphrase, and shorten.) The fax numbers have all been tried many times and work. The Russian fax number is very slow. You can fax defence secy Cohen on +1-703-695-1149, You can fax Clinton on +1-202-456-2461, You can fax Yeltsin on +7-095-205-4330, You can fax for free on http://www.fax4free.com 2)You can sign on to the electronic petition, coordinated by NAPF. It's at Http://www.napf.org/abolition2000/intlpetition.html 1)SAMPLE LETTER TO COHEN/CLINTON (This is for individuals to sent to Us Secretary for Defence Cohen and President Clinton. You can also post it to The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington DC.) TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461, +1-202-456-2883. Dear President Clinton and Secretary for Defence Cohen, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. As you will be aware, the European Parliament recently voted to ask you and President Yeltsin to do as the UK has already done, and de-alert nuclear weapons. It is particularly disturbing that Secretary Cohen has been reported as having stated in Moscow some time ago that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. The recent Europarliament vote clearly puts de- alerting back on the table. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 and then by the Tokyo Forum, as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Agenda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. It has also been reccommended by a resolution specifically on the subject passed by last years General Assembly and by this years First Committee on Reduction of Nuclear Dangers. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September, and finally it has been clearly requested by the European Parliament. It is also the subject of congressional resolution H.Con Res177 put by Edward Markey, and most recently, the City of Berkley has asked for it. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. The very nature of the Y2K problem makes it impossible to be sure everything has been fixed until well into the new year. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. This system seems to include additional ways in which Y2K failure might lead to an accidental launch. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as we the public are aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The Y2K vulnerabilities recently discovered in six of the seven hotlines on which US/Russian communications depends, are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. In taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. Failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low, but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. (SIGNED) etc. 2)SAMPLE LETTER TO YELTSIN/DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEYEV THIS SAMPLE LETTER IS FOR YOU PERSONALLY TO FAX, CUSTOMIZED AS YOU FEEL BEST, TO YELTSIN AND DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEYEV. PLEASE DO FAX IT AND SEND IT NOW. You can also post it to Boris Yeltsin, C/O The Kremlin, Moscow - but its really too slow. A single A4 page fax will cost you about a dollar. PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN, IGOR SERGEYEV, RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER, +7-095-205-4330, 'Dear Defence Minister Sergeyev and President Yeltsin, I am writing to convey my deep concern that Y2K-related computer failures in the command and control systems for nuclear weapons may lead to an accidental nuclear war. I am aware that both Russia and the US have taken this problem seriously enough to establish a joint strategic stability center in Colorado. However, I am very much concerned that this facility will come into operation only by 27th December 1999, so that a delay of just four days will make it useless. I am also very much concerned that Y2K problems have been found recently in six out of seven of the 'hotlines' that would be used if a crisis of any sort arose over the Y2K rollover period. I am aware that there have been a number of occasions when either the US or Russia have mistakenly believed that the other nation was in the process of launching a nuclear attack. With 3,600 Russian warheads on 700 missiles and 2,000 US warheads on 500 missiles, with each side capable to launch within roughly 20 minutes, this must never be allowed to happen, either over the Y2K 'rollover', or at any other time. The use of 5,600 warheads would certainly mean the end of what we call civilization, would likely mean the end of the human race and could possibly mean the end of all life. I therefore urge both you and the United States, to place all your nuclear forces in a status in which at least days not minutes, would be required to launch . The United Kingdom has, I understand, already done this. The European Parliament has recently called on both the US and Russia to de-alert nuclear weapons and to place them in a state similar to that in which the UK has placed its weapons. The recent Europarliament vote clearly puts de- alerting back on the table. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 and then by the Tokyo Forum, as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Agenda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. It has also been reccommended by a resolution specifically on the subject passed by last years General Assembly and by this years First Committee on Reduction of Nuclear Dangers. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September, and finally it has been clearly requested by the European Parliament. It is also the subject of congressional resolution H.Con Res177 put by Edward Markey, and most recently, the City of Berkley has asked for it. The immediate stakes are so high and the potential for global catastrophe is so great, that mutually verified de-alerting of nuclear forces in the face of the Y2K computer problem must take precedence over all other considerations of political and national security.' (Signed) etc. John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Keeping The Pentagon Busy: Fax Campaign Starting to Hit Home Date: 29 Nov 1999 14:17:39 +1000 Dear All, There are two parts to this message - An article published in the Boston Globe last week, posted by Bill Santlemann, which in spite of inaccuracies gives an excellent series of reasons to keep on sending faxes to Defence Secretary Cohen, Clinton, Yeltsin, and Sergeyev (order of priority should be Cohen, Sergeyev, Yeltsin, Clinton) - and a series of emails from Amy Hadden, which detail conversations between her and one Ed Hirsch in the Pentagon. The conversations seem to suggest that we are making headway of some kind, and that the fax campaign should we should therefore keep right on faxing, noting the EP resolution as we do so. Finally I append the alert I did last friday, with sample letters and free faxing website. You can fax defence secy Cohen on +1-703-695-1149, You can fax Clinton on +1-202-456-2461, You can fax Yeltsin/Sergeyev on +7-095-205-4330, You can fax for free on http://www.fax4free.com *If you are an organisation* and want to sign a large sign- on letter, please sign the letter to Presidents Yeltsin and Clinton that is being periodicaly faxed to them on http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html Please distribute this as far and wide as you can. Y2K LONG SHOT: US-RUSSIAN NUCLEAR WAR By John Donnelly, Boston Globe staff. WASHINGTON -- It would be the world's most extreme Y2K computer glitch. As improbable as it may be, the possibility of a mistaken launch of nuclear missiles just as the world celebrates the new millennium has antiatomic activists pushing anew for *disarmament* of all US and Russian nuclear missiles. US officials say flatly that Y2K computer problems will not cause any accidental launch of a nuclear missile. But arms control specialists cannot completely rule out a Y2K doomsday scenario, which could start with computer malfunctions in Russia that cause early-warning systems to give erroneous indications of a missile attack. Then, under this hypothetical scenario, Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin could order the activation of the country's "dead hand" system, which ensures nuclear retaliation in case an attack kills the entire Moscow leadership. Next, the Y2K bug could shut down the communication between Russia's central command and the dead hand computer apparatus, which would proceed to launch missiles on the basis of the false indications of an incoming attack. And that, according to some disarmament activists, could bring nuclear holocaust as Russia sends hundreds of nuclear missiles toward the United States. Much would have to go wrong for such a cataclysmic event to occur, but such technical and human error is not absolutely out of the question, some arms specialists warn. Earlier this year, to add another layer of safety to prevent an accidental launch, President Clinton and Yeltsin created a joint Y2K control room at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. There Russian and US officials will sit side-by-side beginning in late December to minimize the chances of a Y2K-triggered false alarm. But the scenario described above is based on a "Dr. Strangelove"-like system that exists in Russia, notably the dead hand computer program, which remains in the hands of Moscow despite the joint command center in Colorado. And the scenario comes against a backdrop of rising Russian anger against the United States, the most recent point of conflict occurring last week in Clinton's pointed criticism of the war in Chechnya. Pentagon officials say Russia has embarked on a campaign of nuclear muscle-flexing to show its displeasure, including a recent test of two submarine-launched missiles and Russia's threats to send nuclear bombers to Cuba and Vietnam. But an ongoing worry persists around Russia's deteriorating and incomplete early-missile warning system, underscoring the dangers of having an estimated 5,000 Russian and US nuclear missiles on a hair-trigger -- Y2K or no Y2K. While the missiles are no longer targeted on cities and nuclear sites, they are loaded with guidance systems that, on the United States side, can be programmed in as little time as 10 seconds, literally a flip of the switch and then two computer keystrokes, analysts said. "Even if the Y2K risks are low, it's important for people to appreciate the overall risks here," said Bruce Blair, a Brookings Institution senior fellow and a recipient this year of a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant," who has written extensively about possible doomsday nuclear scenarios, including the dead hand possibility. In the view of Blair and others, Y2K is a unique event, and thus the threat cannot be calculated. "It is inestimable," Blair said. "Anyone who claims to know the probability of Y2K early-warning failure in Russia is pulling it out of thin air." In recent months, US and Russian officials have tried to assure the public that Y2K poses no risk of a nuclear shoot-out. Following a federal government report on the Y2K problem earlier this month, the White House said in a statement: "Y2K problems will not cause nuclear weapons to launch themselves. Nuclear weapons launch requires human intervention." A Pentagon official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the worries of Y2K problems with Russia's nuclear system "have gotten blown way out of proportion. We expect minor glitches in Russia, nothing of great severity." At the Colorado center, American officials will share data from the US global early warning network. But distrust lingers, even at the joint command center. US officials will not share everything from the early-warning network for fear of giving away secrets to the Russians, and the Russians have rejected US requests to set up another joint Y2K control center in Russia because of their own wariness of giving away intelligence secrets. Ill feeling has gradually built up between the two nation's militaries since the early euphoria following the breakup of the Soviet Union. It deepened among the Russian military hierarchy in recent months with the expansion of NATO eastward to include three more countries; with NATO's war against Serb forces in Kosovo; and with US intentions to build a national missile defense system that would violate the antiballistic missile treaty. Five US arms control specialists, some working for the Clinton administration or Congress and some at universities, have said recently that their contacts in Russia have dried up because Russian intelligence agents have told scientists to cease contacts with Americans. In the last month, the possible Y2K threat has galvanized many antinuclear activists, including Helen M. Caldicott, author Jonathan Schell, and former arms negotiator Paul Nitze, who have called on Clinton in full-page newspaper advertisements to "de-alert" thousands of nuclear missiles. De-alerting literally means taking missiles off high alert, removing the hair trigger by dismantling missile components. Last summer, Representative Edward J. Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, introduced a resolution calling for immediate de-alerting of nuclear missiles. But US and Russian officials have rejected the idea. US Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said in Moscow recently that de-alerting was "off the table." The obstacles, according to Pentagon officials and arms control specialists, lie in verification and lack of trust. "As long as the US and Russia see each as potential adversaries, this is going to be the situation" of missiles on hair-trigger, said Theodore A. Postol, a MIT professor of science, technology, and national security policy. "That will also be the situation if one side sees itself as vulnerable to a damaging strike." That now would be Russia, because its nuclear forces are "extremely vulnerable to a US strike," Postol said. Many Russian nuclear missiles are either in silos or are collected together in corrugated steel buildings, making them a possible lucrative target in a nuclear war. Many US nuclear missiles, in comparison, are on submarines, which can evade detection. A US arms control official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said de-alerting would be extremely difficult in practice because of the difficulty of verification. "You have to imagine all sorts of shenanigans there would be over verification," the official said. "Once you mention the word 'verification,' the idea loses some of its attractiveness." But for some arms control analysts, there seems little reason to keep so many missiles on high alert a decade after the fall of the Berlin Wall. "What's the threat? Does anyone think there is going to be a bolt-out-of-the-blue attack?" said Joseph Cirincione, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington think tank. "Does anyone believe that the Russians would do this for some reason, that they would try to do a preemptive strike? I think it's just insane at this point." Blair, the Brookings analyst who has had extensive contacts with Russian counterparts, said while both the United States and Russia find a preemptive strike scenario "bizarre," the issue cannot be totally dismissed because of Russia's rising distrust of the United States. Asked if the Y2K doomsday scenario, which has been so roundly dismissed by US officials, was cause for losing sleep, Blair did not respond reassuringly. "Why should you sleep at night? Why should you sleep if nobody knows? Maybe you need a sleeping pill," he said. "You can hope and trust that the probability is extremely small. But we certainly don't know that." PENTAGON RESPONSE TO CALLS TO DE-ALERT _ _ _ _ _ > >Message 1 - Nov 20: > > Tom: > I hope this finds all of you well. For your information, yesterday >morning I received a call from Ed Kirsch at the PENTAGON, of all places, >in response to a letter I wrote to President Clinton about placing nuke >weapons on de-alert status. Ed and I spoke for about 45 minutes. He >said on more than one occasion that "no nuclear weapons will be launched >as result of Y2K problems" or "no nuclear weapons will be accidentally >launched." I was surprised that a government official would issue that >precise of a statement since most of the time, gov't is non-committal >with its "neither confirm nor deny" stance. I don't believe that this >was a bogus call since I didn't send a copy of the letter anywhere else. >Perhaps there is some sort of reassurance available that nukes will not >go off after all... He told me that missiles in silos and subs have >been de-targeted. I think I know what that means; but, will contact Ed >again for verification before I broadcast it to others. I doubt that >nukes will be placed on de-alert status by New Year's; but, I urge >people to continue writing in favor of it. Perhaps it will eventually >de-stall START talks and ratification of START II in Russia... > If you would like more details about the conversation, feel free to >ask. It was interesting. I assume Ed is calling lots of people but I'm >not sure what the criteria is for receiving a call. I mean, I don't >know if he is calling everyone who writes in or what. > >Thanks. Amy Hadden Marsh, Glenwood Springs, Colorado > >_ _ _ _ _ _ I had another conversation with him today re: the >EC's decision to put nukes on de-alert status. Pentagon guy says that >this will not influence Clinton's decision because it would take more >than the EC. Namely, Russia. It seems that if Russia does, the U.S. >might. ----- Original Message ----- ...called me this morning. His name is Ed Kirsch. He works in the Y2K department or whatever they call it. We spoke for about 45 minutes about Y2K and the reasons it's okay not to be prepared. (I declined to tell him that I have been preparing for over a year.) He originally called because I had written Clinton about placing weapons on de-alert status. I had also added that I was not reassured just because a few Russians and Americans would be sitting next to each other in Colorado Springs on New Year's Eve watching screens to see if weapons had been launched. Mr. Kirsch was an interesting fellow and a pretty real guy. He said on more than one occasion, that no nuclear weapons will be launched as result of Y2K glitches. He also said that in order for the U.S. to take weapons off de-alert status, Russia would have to do that,too. He said that there is nothing that U.S. citizens could do to help that to occur at this point. He also stated that missiles in silos and subs have been de-targeted; but, until START II is ratified in Russia, de-alert status probably won't happen. He mentioned your name and I asked him how he knew you. Apparently, he had spoken with you on the phone when you were in DC. At any rate, I thought it was interesting that the U.S. Gov't is spending money, and most likely lots of it, to contact each person who has written in about Y2K concerns. I think more people should write in so it will keep Mr. Kirsch busy. > >_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ SO KEEP RIGHT ON FAXING! HERE IS FRIDAYS ALERT INCLUDING SAMPLE LETTERS AND FAX FOR FREE WEBSITE: EUROPE SAYS TAKE 5,600 WARHEADS OFF ALERT. 35 DAYS TO Y2K, KEEP FAXING! Sorry for double posting - but please spread this message far and wide. Dear All, There are now just 35 days until the Y2K 'rollover'. There's not much time to get 5,600 warheads off alert. Last Thursday (18 November), the European Parliament passed a resolution on Y2K nuclear` reactors and nuclear weapons, in which it asked for nuclear forces to be taken off alert over the Y2K rollover period, as well as for reactors to be shut down. We need to keep the faxes that have been rolling in to Cohen, Clinton, and Yeltsin, coming! There are signs from the Pentagon that they are being forced to respond! There are currently 3,600 Russian warheads and 2000US warheads on permanent, 24- hour, 'hairtrigger' alert. (this is simply the warheads in silo- based missiles and does not include submarine or bomber or other weapons.) These warheads can be launched at 15-20 minutes notice. The UK on the other hand, has recently moved the 'notice to fire ' for its warheads, from minutes to days. We are asking the US and Russia to do likewise. 'De-Alerting', as it is called has now been called for by the 1996 Canberra Commission, by the Tokyo Forum, by two resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly last year and by the same resolutions again this year, by the Australian senate, and now by the European Parliament. A resolution by Rep. Edward Markey has gathered 71 co- sponsors. There are signs that the Pentagon may be feeling the impact of your faxes - so keep faxing! Do Please write to Cohen, Clinton, and Yeltsin, something similar to the letters below if you haven't already done so (or even if you have). If you are an organisation and want to sign a large sign- on letter, please sign the letter to presidents Yeltsin and Clinton that is being periodicaly faxed to them on http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html (I strongly suggest that you don't use these letters word for word but customise them or paraphrase, and shorten.) The fax numbers have all been tried many times and work. The Russian fax number is very slow. You can fax defence secy Cohen on +1-703-695-1149, You can fax Clinton on +1-202-456-2461, You can fax Yeltsin on +7-095-205-4330, You can fax for free on http://www.fax4free.com 2)You can sign on to the electronic petition, coordinated by NAPF. It's at Http://www.napf.org/abolition2000/intlpetition.html 1)SAMPLE LETTER TO COHEN/CLINTON (This is for individuals to sent to Us Secretary for Defence Cohen and President Clinton. You can also post it to The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington DC.) TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461, +1-202-456-2883. Dear President Clinton and Secretary for Defence Cohen, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. As you will be aware, the European Parliament recently voted to ask you and President Yeltsin to do as the UK has already done, and de-alert nuclear weapons. It is particularly disturbing that Secretary Cohen has been reported as having stated in Moscow some time ago that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. The recent Europarliament vote clearly puts de- alerting back on the table. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 and then by the Tokyo Forum, as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Agenda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. It has also been reccommended by a resolution specifically on the subject passed by last years General Assembly and by this years First Committee on Reduction of Nuclear Dangers. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September, and finally it has been clearly requested by the European Parliament. It is also the subject of congressional resolution H.Con Res177 put by Edward Markey, and most recently, the City of Berkley has asked for it. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. The very nature of the Y2K problem makes it impossible to be sure everything has been fixed until well into the new year. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. This system seems to include additional ways in which Y2K failure might lead to an accidental launch. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as we the public are aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The Y2K vulnerabilities recently discovered in six of the seven hotlines on which US/Russian communications depends, are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. In taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. Failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low, but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. (SIGNED) etc. 2)SAMPLE LETTER TO YELTSIN/DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEYEV THIS SAMPLE LETTER IS FOR YOU PERSONALLY TO FAX, CUSTOMIZED AS YOU FEEL BEST, TO YELTSIN AND DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEYEV. PLEASE DO FAX IT AND SEND IT NOW. You can also post it to Boris Yeltsin, C/O The Kremlin, Moscow - but its really too slow. A single A4 page fax will cost you about a dollar. PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN, IGOR SERGEYEV, RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER, +7-095-205-4330, 'Dear Defence Minister Sergeyev and President Yeltsin, I am writing to convey my deep concern that Y2K-related computer failures in the command and control systems for nuclear weapons may lead to an accidental nuclear war. I am aware that both Russia and the US have taken this problem seriously enough to establish a joint strategic stability center in Colorado. However, I am very much concerned that this facility will come into operation only by 27th December 1999, so that a delay of just four days will make it useless. I am also very much concerned that Y2K problems have been found recently in six out of seven of the 'hotlines' that would be used if a crisis of any sort arose over the Y2K rollover period. I am aware that there have been a number of occasions when either the US or Russia have mistakenly believed that the other nation was in the process of launching a nuclear attack. With 3,600 Russian warheads on 700 missiles and 2,000 US warheads on 500 missiles, with each side capable to launch within roughly 20 minutes, this must never be allowed to happen, either over the Y2K 'rollover', or at any other time. The use of 5,600 warheads would certainly mean the end of what we call civilization, would likely mean the end of the human race and could possibly mean the end of all life. I therefore urge both you and the United States, to place all your nuclear forces in a status in which at least days not minutes, would be required to launch . The United Kingdom has, I understand, already done this. The European Parliament has recently called on both the US and Russia to de-alert nuclear weapons and to place them in a state similar to that in which the UK has placed its weapons. The recent Europarliament vote clearly puts de- alerting back on the table. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 and then by the Tokyo Forum, as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Agenda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. It has also been reccommended by a resolution specifically on the subject passed by last years General Assembly and by this years First Committee on Reduction of Nuclear Dangers. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September, and finally it has been clearly requested by the European Parliament. It is also the subject of congressional resolution H.Con Res177 put by Edward Markey, and most recently, the City of Berkley has asked for it. The immediate stakes are so high and the potential for global catastrophe is so great, that mutually verified de-alerting of nuclear forces in the face of the Y2K computer problem must take precedence over all other considerations of political and national security.' (Signed) etc. John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.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: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) Keeping The Pentagon Busy: Fax Campaign Starting to Hit Home Date: 29 Nov 1999 14:17:39 +1000 Dear All, There are two parts to this message - An article published in the Boston Globe last week, posted by Bill Santlemann, which in spite of inaccuracies gives an excellent series of reasons to keep on sending faxes to Defence Secretary Cohen, Clinton, Yeltsin, and Sergeyev (order of priority should be Cohen, Sergeyev, Yeltsin, Clinton) - and a series of emails from Amy Hadden, which detail conversations between her and one Ed Hirsch in the Pentagon. The conversations seem to suggest that we are making headway of some kind, and that the fax campaign should we should therefore keep right on faxing, noting the EP resolution as we do so. Finally I append the alert I did last friday, with sample letters and free faxing website. You can fax defence secy Cohen on +1-703-695-1149, You can fax Clinton on +1-202-456-2461, You can fax Yeltsin/Sergeyev on +7-095-205-4330, You can fax for free on http://www.fax4free.com *If you are an organisation* and want to sign a large sign- on letter, please sign the letter to Presidents Yeltsin and Clinton that is being periodicaly faxed to them on http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html Please distribute this as far and wide as you can. Y2K LONG SHOT: US-RUSSIAN NUCLEAR WAR By John Donnelly, Boston Globe staff. WASHINGTON -- It would be the world's most extreme Y2K computer glitch. As improbable as it may be, the possibility of a mistaken launch of nuclear missiles just as the world celebrates the new millennium has antiatomic activists pushing anew for *disarmament* of all US and Russian nuclear missiles. US officials say flatly that Y2K computer problems will not cause any accidental launch of a nuclear missile. But arms control specialists cannot completely rule out a Y2K doomsday scenario, which could start with computer malfunctions in Russia that cause early-warning systems to give erroneous indications of a missile attack. Then, under this hypothetical scenario, Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin could order the activation of the country's "dead hand" system, which ensures nuclear retaliation in case an attack kills the entire Moscow leadership. Next, the Y2K bug could shut down the communication between Russia's central command and the dead hand computer apparatus, which would proceed to launch missiles on the basis of the false indications of an incoming attack. And that, according to some disarmament activists, could bring nuclear holocaust as Russia sends hundreds of nuclear missiles toward the United States. Much would have to go wrong for such a cataclysmic event to occur, but such technical and human error is not absolutely out of the question, some arms specialists warn. Earlier this year, to add another layer of safety to prevent an accidental launch, President Clinton and Yeltsin created a joint Y2K control room at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. There Russian and US officials will sit side-by-side beginning in late December to minimize the chances of a Y2K-triggered false alarm. But the scenario described above is based on a "Dr. Strangelove"-like system that exists in Russia, notably the dead hand computer program, which remains in the hands of Moscow despite the joint command center in Colorado. And the scenario comes against a backdrop of rising Russian anger against the United States, the most recent point of conflict occurring last week in Clinton's pointed criticism of the war in Chechnya. Pentagon officials say Russia has embarked on a campaign of nuclear muscle-flexing to show its displeasure, including a recent test of two submarine-launched missiles and Russia's threats to send nuclear bombers to Cuba and Vietnam. But an ongoing worry persists around Russia's deteriorating and incomplete early-missile warning system, underscoring the dangers of having an estimated 5,000 Russian and US nuclear missiles on a hair-trigger -- Y2K or no Y2K. While the missiles are no longer targeted on cities and nuclear sites, they are loaded with guidance systems that, on the United States side, can be programmed in as little time as 10 seconds, literally a flip of the switch and then two computer keystrokes, analysts said. "Even if the Y2K risks are low, it's important for people to appreciate the overall risks here," said Bruce Blair, a Brookings Institution senior fellow and a recipient this year of a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant," who has written extensively about possible doomsday nuclear scenarios, including the dead hand possibility. In the view of Blair and others, Y2K is a unique event, and thus the threat cannot be calculated. "It is inestimable," Blair said. "Anyone who claims to know the probability of Y2K early-warning failure in Russia is pulling it out of thin air." In recent months, US and Russian officials have tried to assure the public that Y2K poses no risk of a nuclear shoot-out. Following a federal government report on the Y2K problem earlier this month, the White House said in a statement: "Y2K problems will not cause nuclear weapons to launch themselves. Nuclear weapons launch requires human intervention." A Pentagon official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the worries of Y2K problems with Russia's nuclear system "have gotten blown way out of proportion. We expect minor glitches in Russia, nothing of great severity." At the Colorado center, American officials will share data from the US global early warning network. But distrust lingers, even at the joint command center. US officials will not share everything from the early-warning network for fear of giving away secrets to the Russians, and the Russians have rejected US requests to set up another joint Y2K control center in Russia because of their own wariness of giving away intelligence secrets. Ill feeling has gradually built up between the two nation's militaries since the early euphoria following the breakup of the Soviet Union. It deepened among the Russian military hierarchy in recent months with the expansion of NATO eastward to include three more countries; with NATO's war against Serb forces in Kosovo; and with US intentions to build a national missile defense system that would violate the antiballistic missile treaty. Five US arms control specialists, some working for the Clinton administration or Congress and some at universities, have said recently that their contacts in Russia have dried up because Russian intelligence agents have told scientists to cease contacts with Americans. In the last month, the possible Y2K threat has galvanized many antinuclear activists, including Helen M. Caldicott, author Jonathan Schell, and former arms negotiator Paul Nitze, who have called on Clinton in full-page newspaper advertisements to "de-alert" thousands of nuclear missiles. De-alerting literally means taking missiles off high alert, removing the hair trigger by dismantling missile components. Last summer, Representative Edward J. Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, introduced a resolution calling for immediate de-alerting of nuclear missiles. But US and Russian officials have rejected the idea. US Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said in Moscow recently that de-alerting was "off the table." The obstacles, according to Pentagon officials and arms control specialists, lie in verification and lack of trust. "As long as the US and Russia see each as potential adversaries, this is going to be the situation" of missiles on hair-trigger, said Theodore A. Postol, a MIT professor of science, technology, and national security policy. "That will also be the situation if one side sees itself as vulnerable to a damaging strike." That now would be Russia, because its nuclear forces are "extremely vulnerable to a US strike," Postol said. Many Russian nuclear missiles are either in silos or are collected together in corrugated steel buildings, making them a possible lucrative target in a nuclear war. Many US nuclear missiles, in comparison, are on submarines, which can evade detection. A US arms control official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said de-alerting would be extremely difficult in practice because of the difficulty of verification. "You have to imagine all sorts of shenanigans there would be over verification," the official said. "Once you mention the word 'verification,' the idea loses some of its attractiveness." But for some arms control analysts, there seems little reason to keep so many missiles on high alert a decade after the fall of the Berlin Wall. "What's the threat? Does anyone think there is going to be a bolt-out-of-the-blue attack?" said Joseph Cirincione, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington think tank. "Does anyone believe that the Russians would do this for some reason, that they would try to do a preemptive strike? I think it's just insane at this point." Blair, the Brookings analyst who has had extensive contacts with Russian counterparts, said while both the United States and Russia find a preemptive strike scenario "bizarre," the issue cannot be totally dismissed because of Russia's rising distrust of the United States. Asked if the Y2K doomsday scenario, which has been so roundly dismissed by US officials, was cause for losing sleep, Blair did not respond reassuringly. "Why should you sleep at night? Why should you sleep if nobody knows? Maybe you need a sleeping pill," he said. "You can hope and trust that the probability is extremely small. But we certainly don't know that." PENTAGON RESPONSE TO CALLS TO DE-ALERT _ _ _ _ _ > >Message 1 - Nov 20: > > Tom: > I hope this finds all of you well. For your information, yesterday >morning I received a call from Ed Kirsch at the PENTAGON, of all places, >in response to a letter I wrote to President Clinton about placing nuke >weapons on de-alert status. Ed and I spoke for about 45 minutes. He >said on more than one occasion that "no nuclear weapons will be launched >as result of Y2K problems" or "no nuclear weapons will be accidentally >launched." I was surprised that a government official would issue that >precise of a statement since most of the time, gov't is non-committal >with its "neither confirm nor deny" stance. I don't believe that this >was a bogus call since I didn't send a copy of the letter anywhere else. >Perhaps there is some sort of reassurance available that nukes will not >go off after all... He told me that missiles in silos and subs have >been de-targeted. I think I know what that means; but, will contact Ed >again for verification before I broadcast it to others. I doubt that >nukes will be placed on de-alert status by New Year's; but, I urge >people to continue writing in favor of it. Perhaps it will eventually >de-stall START talks and ratification of START II in Russia... > If you would like more details about the conversation, feel free to >ask. It was interesting. I assume Ed is calling lots of people but I'm >not sure what the criteria is for receiving a call. I mean, I don't >know if he is calling everyone who writes in or what. > >Thanks. Amy Hadden Marsh, Glenwood Springs, Colorado > >_ _ _ _ _ _ I had another conversation with him today re: the >EC's decision to put nukes on de-alert status. Pentagon guy says that >this will not influence Clinton's decision because it would take more >than the EC. Namely, Russia. It seems that if Russia does, the U.S. >might. ----- Original Message ----- ...called me this morning. His name is Ed Kirsch. He works in the Y2K department or whatever they call it. We spoke for about 45 minutes about Y2K and the reasons it's okay not to be prepared. (I declined to tell him that I have been preparing for over a year.) He originally called because I had written Clinton about placing weapons on de-alert status. I had also added that I was not reassured just because a few Russians and Americans would be sitting next to each other in Colorado Springs on New Year's Eve watching screens to see if weapons had been launched. Mr. Kirsch was an interesting fellow and a pretty real guy. He said on more than one occasion, that no nuclear weapons will be launched as result of Y2K glitches. He also said that in order for the U.S. to take weapons off de-alert status, Russia would have to do that,too. He said that there is nothing that U.S. citizens could do to help that to occur at this point. He also stated that missiles in silos and subs have been de-targeted; but, until START II is ratified in Russia, de-alert status probably won't happen. He mentioned your name and I asked him how he knew you. Apparently, he had spoken with you on the phone when you were in DC. At any rate, I thought it was interesting that the U.S. Gov't is spending money, and most likely lots of it, to contact each person who has written in about Y2K concerns. I think more people should write in so it will keep Mr. Kirsch busy. > >_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ SO KEEP RIGHT ON FAXING! HERE IS FRIDAYS ALERT INCLUDING SAMPLE LETTERS AND FAX FOR FREE WEBSITE: EUROPE SAYS TAKE 5,600 WARHEADS OFF ALERT. 35 DAYS TO Y2K, KEEP FAXING! Sorry for double posting - but please spread this message far and wide. Dear All, There are now just 35 days until the Y2K 'rollover'. There's not much time to get 5,600 warheads off alert. Last Thursday (18 November), the European Parliament passed a resolution on Y2K nuclear` reactors and nuclear weapons, in which it asked for nuclear forces to be taken off alert over the Y2K rollover period, as well as for reactors to be shut down. We need to keep the faxes that have been rolling in to Cohen, Clinton, and Yeltsin, coming! There are signs from the Pentagon that they are being forced to respond! There are currently 3,600 Russian warheads and 2000US warheads on permanent, 24- hour, 'hairtrigger' alert. (this is simply the warheads in silo- based missiles and does not include submarine or bomber or other weapons.) These warheads can be launched at 15-20 minutes notice. The UK on the other hand, has recently moved the 'notice to fire ' for its warheads, from minutes to days. We are asking the US and Russia to do likewise. 'De-Alerting', as it is called has now been called for by the 1996 Canberra Commission, by the Tokyo Forum, by two resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly last year and by the same resolutions again this year, by the Australian senate, and now by the European Parliament. A resolution by Rep. Edward Markey has gathered 71 co- sponsors. There are signs that the Pentagon may be feeling the impact of your faxes - so keep faxing! Do Please write to Cohen, Clinton, and Yeltsin, something similar to the letters below if you haven't already done so (or even if you have). If you are an organisation and want to sign a large sign- on letter, please sign the letter to presidents Yeltsin and Clinton that is being periodicaly faxed to them on http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.html (I strongly suggest that you don't use these letters word for word but customise them or paraphrase, and shorten.) The fax numbers have all been tried many times and work. The Russian fax number is very slow. You can fax defence secy Cohen on +1-703-695-1149, You can fax Clinton on +1-202-456-2461, You can fax Yeltsin on +7-095-205-4330, You can fax for free on http://www.fax4free.com 2)You can sign on to the electronic petition, coordinated by NAPF. It's at Http://www.napf.org/abolition2000/intlpetition.html 1)SAMPLE LETTER TO COHEN/CLINTON (This is for individuals to sent to Us Secretary for Defence Cohen and President Clinton. You can also post it to The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington DC.) TO: WILLIAM COHEN, US SECRETARY OF DEFENCE, +1-703-695-1149, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, US, +1-202-456-2461, +1-202-456-2883. Dear President Clinton and Secretary for Defence Cohen, I am writing to urge your administration to take US nuclear forces off 'hairtrigger alert' even if only during the Y2K rollover period. As you will be aware, the European Parliament recently voted to ask you and President Yeltsin to do as the UK has already done, and de-alert nuclear weapons. It is particularly disturbing that Secretary Cohen has been reported as having stated in Moscow some time ago that de-alerting of nuclear forces is 'off the table' as a stability building measure. You have also been quoted as saying that 'The better course is reduction, limiting the number of weapons, and establishing shared early warning centers'. The recent Europarliament vote clearly puts de- alerting back on the table. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 and then by the Tokyo Forum, as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Agenda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. It has also been reccommended by a resolution specifically on the subject passed by last years General Assembly and by this years First Committee on Reduction of Nuclear Dangers. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September, and finally it has been clearly requested by the European Parliament. It is also the subject of congressional resolution H.Con Res177 put by Edward Markey, and most recently, the City of Berkley has asked for it. These measures are not in competition with each other. All of them - reductions in the number of weapons, the establishment of shared early warning centers and de-alerting - are vital to the reduction of tension and the establishment of strategic stability. This is particularly the case in view of the uncertainties posed by the millennium date change (Y2K). As you are well aware, the largest and oldest computer system complexes in the world are those that control nuclear weapons systems. The very nature of the Y2K problem makes it impossible to be sure everything has been fixed until well into the new year. Russia has, until recently, made little effort to even acknowledge the Y2K problem, let alone fix it. It is therefore quite possible that Russian computerized control systems are not Y2K compliant and that they will experience widespread failures during the Y2K rollover period. Even more disquieting is the fact that that the Russians have constructed the system known as 'Perimeter', or the 'dead hand'. This system seems to include additional ways in which Y2K failure might lead to an accidental launch. The establishment of a Y2K strategic stability center in Colorado is certainly an advantageous move and an absolutely essential one. However, it does not entirely remove the danger of an accidental launch of nuclear weapons. The fact that the Center is scheduled, as far as we the public are aware, to come into operation only on December 27th, four days prior to the rollover, is far from reassuring. A four day delay will render it useless. Similarly, the center itself will depend on the availability of ultra-reliable hotlines between it and Moscow. The Y2K vulnerabilities recently discovered in six of the seven hotlines on which US/Russian communications depends, are also cause for deep concern. If nuclear weapons are removed from a status in which they can be launched within minutes, and placed in one which would require at least days to launch, the risk of an accidental missile launch induced by Y2K or other errors in command and control systems will be virtually eliminated. This has been done by the UK, which has moved the 'notice to fire' for its missile forces from minutes to days. In taking De-alerting 'off the table', the United States is making a serious error. Failure to take nuclear forces off hairtrigger alert over the Y2K 'rollover' period is an error that has the potential of causing unthinkable consequences. The probability of this may be low, but it will never be zero as long as nuclear forces remain on hair-trigger alert. In a previous administration, President Bush took strategic bomber forces off alert. We urge you to do this with all US nuclear forces. (SIGNED) etc. 2)SAMPLE LETTER TO YELTSIN/DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEYEV THIS SAMPLE LETTER IS FOR YOU PERSONALLY TO FAX, CUSTOMIZED AS YOU FEEL BEST, TO YELTSIN AND DEFENCE MINISTER SERGEYEV. PLEASE DO FAX IT AND SEND IT NOW. You can also post it to Boris Yeltsin, C/O The Kremlin, Moscow - but its really too slow. A single A4 page fax will cost you about a dollar. PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN, IGOR SERGEYEV, RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER, +7-095-205-4330, 'Dear Defence Minister Sergeyev and President Yeltsin, I am writing to convey my deep concern that Y2K-related computer failures in the command and control systems for nuclear weapons may lead to an accidental nuclear war. I am aware that both Russia and the US have taken this problem seriously enough to establish a joint strategic stability center in Colorado. However, I am very much concerned that this facility will come into operation only by 27th December 1999, so that a delay of just four days will make it useless. I am also very much concerned that Y2K problems have been found recently in six out of seven of the 'hotlines' that would be used if a crisis of any sort arose over the Y2K rollover period. I am aware that there have been a number of occasions when either the US or Russia have mistakenly believed that the other nation was in the process of launching a nuclear attack. With 3,600 Russian warheads on 700 missiles and 2,000 US warheads on 500 missiles, with each side capable to launch within roughly 20 minutes, this must never be allowed to happen, either over the Y2K 'rollover', or at any other time. The use of 5,600 warheads would certainly mean the end of what we call civilization, would likely mean the end of the human race and could possibly mean the end of all life. I therefore urge both you and the United States, to place all your nuclear forces in a status in which at least days not minutes, would be required to launch . The United Kingdom has, I understand, already done this. The European Parliament has recently called on both the US and Russia to de-alert nuclear weapons and to place them in a state similar to that in which the UK has placed its weapons. The recent Europarliament vote clearly puts de- alerting back on the table. De-alerting of nuclear forces was strongly recommended by the Canberra Commission in 1996 and then by the Tokyo Forum, as a way to develop strategic stability and build trust between the US and Russia. It has also been incorporated into last year's and this years text of the New Agenda Resolution in the UN General Assembly. It has also been reccommended by a resolution specifically on the subject passed by last years General Assembly and by this years First Committee on Reduction of Nuclear Dangers. In addition it has been the subject of two resolutions passed by the Australian Senate on 12 August and 20September, and finally it has been clearly requested by the European Parliament. It is also the subject of congressional resolution H.Con Res177 put by Edward Markey, and most recently, the City of Berkley has asked for it. The immediate stakes are so high and the potential for global catastrophe is so great, that mutually verified de-alerting of nuclear forces in the face of the Y2K computer problem must take precedence over all other considerations of political and national security.' (Signed) etc. John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, Fax(61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 nonukes@foesyd.org.au http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd/nuclear/bbletter.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) "Green" Nuclear Waste Remediation Methods Date: 30 Nov 1999 09:23:03 -0800 Below is the response of leading new energy scientist Hal Fox to two leading members (, )of the science advisory panel to California Governor Gray Davis considering alternative nuclear waste disposal ideas in an apparent new initiative to open Ward Valley, CA, as a nuclear waste dump http://www.llrw.org/llrwscimembers.html . Fox is also head of the Institute for New Energy in Utah which has held numerous conferences about new energy technologies to replace nuclear and fossil fuel power (eg, cold fusion, zero-point energy devices, low energy nuclear reactions, etc.) see http://www.pakrak.com/ine Please also email these panel members and Governor Davis to urge their consideration of the below "onsite nuclear remediation" alternatives to the "mobile Chernobyl" plan of shipping radioactive wastes across country for burial at Ward Valley, Yucca Mountain, et al. Paying attention to the new science behind these LENT (Low Energy Nuclear Transmutation) technologies also means more awareness of new energy technologies to replace nuclear and fossil fuel power. For more information on the efforts to Save Ward Valley, contact: Molly Save Ward Valley 107 F Street Needles, CA 92363 ph. 760/326-6267 fax 760/326-6268 http://www.shundahai.org/SWVAction.html http://earthrunner.com/savewardvalley http://www.ctaz.com/~swv1 http://banwaste.envirolink.org http://www.alphacdc.com/ien/wardvly4.html http://www.greenaction.org Global Peace Walk 2000 will be stopping at Ward Valley for second occupation anniversary gathering February 12-13, 2000, en route from San Francisco to Washington DC to the United Nations in New York City. http://www.globalpeacenow.org For further discussion of new energy technologies and links for technical info, see Global Emergency Alert Response http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000 Cc: editor@infinite-energy.com ; vman@skylink.net ; comments@llrw.org ; charles.mcfadden@ucop.edu ; swv1@ctaz.com ; GPZone2000@aol.com ; shundahai@shundahai.org ; prop1@prop1.org Cc: "Eugene Mallove - IE Mag." , "Gary Vesperman" , , , "Save Ward Valley" , "*Global Peace Walk Project" , "Shundahai" , "Peace through Reason" Dear Friend David Crockett Williams, Here are some of the issues for the treatment of low-level radioactive wastes: 1. The biggest danger for low-level radioactive wastes comes from the political damage. Few citizens want anything radioactive moved through or stored in their community. Fortunately, there are on-site treatments for such radioactive wastes as described below. 2. One method of treatment is "phyto-remediation" or remediation by using plants. The plants are grown in the radioactive soil or in the soil in which the radioactive low-level waste is buried. Plants take up and store the radioactive materials in roots or stems. Then the plant material can be carefully burned (without the release of smoke) and the ashes disposed of properly. The hemp-producing plants and sunflowers (among others) have been shown to be effective. There is some literature on this topic. The applications are best for soils (such as around Chernobyl) that have been contaminated. This process can concentrate some of the radioactive materials and reduce the overall local radioactivity. 3. Soil treatment is another method. It has been found (especially in Japan near the two areas where U.S. atomic bombs were exploded) that the degree of radioactivity in many soils reduced much faster than predicted by nuclear physicists. This type of handling of radioactivity needs further scientific treatment to determine the type of organisms that might optimize the handling of low-level radioactive wastes. 4. Many life forms have the ability to perform limited amounts of nuclear processes. The work of Kevran and Komaki should be considered. See the paper by Dr. John O'M. Bockris (retired distinguished professor at Texas A&M) in the issue of the Journal of New Energy, being sent to the printer this week (vol 4, no 2). The above citations should be carefully considered in two ways: a. There should be more interest in finding ways for on-site handling of radioactive wastes. b. There should be more government funding made available for optimizing the many findings of biological mechanisms that can handle or transform radioactive substances. There are specific micro-organisms that can exist in quite high levels of radioactivity. However, almost no effort has been made to study the use of life forms to transmute radioactive elements into stable elements. The current (but incorrect) scientific model does not allow for any type of transmutation of radioactive elements to stable elements except by high-energy means. That current scientific model is no longer valid. There have been several international conferences on low-energy nuclear reactions. In our own laboratory, we are working on techniques for the stabilization of high-level radioactive wastes. We have been successful with radioactive elements dissolved in liquids and are now obtaining equipment to work in low-pressure environments with pulverized solid fuel pellets. Best personal regards, Hal Fox, editor, Journal of New Energy P.S. As one of the better informed scientists in the area of amelioration of radioactive materials, I would be pleased to appear before the committee. My fees and travel expenses are modest. - 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.