From: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com (abolition-usa-digest) To: abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: abolition-usa-digest V1 #128 Reply-To: abolition-usa-digest Sender: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk abolition-usa-digest Tuesday, May 11 1999 Volume 01 : Number 128 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 09 May 1999 00:20:13 -0700 From: Jackie Cabasso Subject: (abolition-usa) WSLF letter to NPT representatives Dear all -- For your information, following is the letter we sent to the= heads of all delegations to the NPT PrepCom. -- Jackie Cabasso May 7, 1999 Permanent Representative to the United Nations Head of Delegation to the NPT Preparatory Committee Meeting Your Excellency: On the eve of the 1999 NPT Preparatory Committee Meeting, we write= to express our hopes for and our concerns about progress towards implementation= of Article VI. In the year since the 1998 PrepCom, two new nuclear states have declared themselves. The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia has led Russia to= declare that it will redeploy and modernize its tactical nuclear forces. The START= arms reduction process appears to be dead. These developments call into question prospects for progress on nuclear disarmament in the foreseeable future. = After last-year=92s breakdown of the NPT PrepCom, we believe that the future= viability of the NPT is in jeopardy. It is all the more necessary, therefore, to fundamentally re-examine the promises and assumptions underlying the NPT= 1995 extension decision, and to undertake new approaches to nonproliferation and disarmament objectives. Western States Legal Foundation believes that the irreversibility of the disarmament process is essential to the long-term viability of the NPT. This will require a major departure from the approach taken in the NPT and the= CTBT, which relies upon statements of intent not backed by measurable objectives. This has allowed the nuclear weapon states, thus far, to circumvent= meaningful compliance with the historical intent of these treaties. The pledge to complete a CTBT by 1996 was the most concrete promise made by the nuclear weapon states in connection with the 1995 NPT extension decision. While the Preamble to the CTBT claims that =93the cessation of all nuclear weapon test explosions and all other nuclear explosions, by constraining the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons= and ending the development of advanced new types of nuclear weapons, constitutes= an effective measure of nuclear disarmament...,=94 the Treaty fails to define a nuclear test. In fact, the nuclear weapon states, separately and in cooperation with each other, are using the CTBT as a justification for undertaking major new programs to replace underground nuclear test= explosions through advanced technological means. The most recent annual White House national security strategy report asserts that the U.S. must continue to maintain, for =93deterrence=94 purposes, a =93robust triad of strategic= forces,=94 and states further: =93We must also ensure the continued viability of the infrastructure that supports U.S. nuclear forces and weapons. The Stockpile Stewardship Program will guarantee the safety and reliability of our nuclear weapons under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.=94p. 12. Available on the= World Wide Web at http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/NSC/html/documents/nssr.pdf Such programs also represent the antithesis of the NPT Article VI obligation to =93pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures= relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race and an early date and to nuclear disarmament,=94 which was reaffirmed by the nuclear weapon states in the Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament= adopted with the NPT extension decision in May 1995. This obligation was reinforced= by the International Court of Justice in July 1996, which unanimously held that =93there exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a= conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict= and effective international control.=94 In fact, expanded laboratory-based experimental programs in the nuclear weapon states fundamentally are= intended to ensure that nuclear disarmament does not occur as a consequence of the CTBT.=20 Moreover, new nuclear weapons designs, modifications and improvements= directly contravene the =93cessation of the nuclear arms race=94 Article VI provision= and the April 1995 Declaration by France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the= United States in connection with the NPT that =93the nuclear arms race has ceased.= =94 In addition, the close interconnections between research, design and testing of thermonuclear weapons and other forms of advanced weapons research have the potential to ignite entirely new arms races. The potential development of= pure fusion weapons, using inertial confinement fusion and other Stockpile Stewardship technologies, exemplifies this inherent danger. We believe that the closure and monitoring of the nuclear weapons infrastructure in all nuclear weapons states must begin early in the process= of disarmament. Nuclear weapons research, testing, and component production should be halted while reductions are in progress, not after, with nuclear weapons production and research facilities subject to intrusive verification= regimes at the earliest possible time. Fissile materials accounting, already a challenging task, is rendered more so by the continued fabrication and= testing of weapons components in classified facilities. Early cessation of both research and production activities also makes evasion of emerging= verification regimes and covert production of components or manufacturing equipment particularly suited to a hidden long-term nuclear weapons capability more difficult. The continued pursuit of increased nuclear weapons knowledge by= one state -=96 including everything from systematization of fissile materials understanding to more rapid, flexible, and easily scaled production= techniques - -- will be matched to a greater or lesser degree by others. The longer such activity continues prior to achievement of an abolition regime, the greater= and more widespread the technical capability for breakout is likely to be. =20 You are cordially invited to attend an international panel we are hosting, which will further explore these ideas. The panel is entitled: Militarized Science and the Erosion of Arms Control: Nuclear Weaponry, High-Tech Weaponry and the Threat of Multiple Arms Races. It will be held on Wednesday, May 19, 1999 from 1:15 - 3:00 pm in U.N. Conference Room D. =20 Best wishes for a productive and successful PrepCom. We look= forward meeting you. =20 Sincerely, Jacqueline Cabasso Andrew Lichterman Executive Director Attorney ****************************************************** Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director WESTERN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION 1440 Broadway, Suite 500 Oakland, California USA 94612 Tel: +(510)839-5877 Fax: +(510)839-5397 E-mail: wslf@earthlink.net ****************************************************** Western States Legal Foundation is part of ABOLITION 2000 A GLOBAL NETWORK TO ELIMINATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS - - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 08:41:35 -0700 From: erippy@jps.net Subject: (abolition-usa) Request for video footage [Sorry if duplicated:] The Youth Peace Committe (US branch) of the Soka Gakkai Int'l is seeking video footage for an educational package called 'Quest For Peace.' It's meant to engage mostly Jr. High & High school students, but others as well, always in non-profit educational use. They are looking for mushroom clouds and other scenes of mass destruction -- carpet bombing & land mines, embargoes -- and also for peacemaking: famous leaders such as Ghandi & Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.& also the unknowns who make peace. Naturally, they are looking for the best licensing terms possible. If you have anything along those lines or know anyone who does, pls let me know. Thanks, Ed Just chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and when you drink sak=E9, stay at home wi= th your wife. Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. -- Nichiren, 'Happiness in This World' - - 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. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 10:39:45 -0700 (PDT) From: marylia@earthlink.net (marylia) Subject: (abolition-usa) Call-in days to de-alert nukes Dear Tri-Valley CAREs members and friends. This is a reminder to call to call Bill Clinton during the national de-alerting call-in days this coming Thursday and Friday. (If you recieve more than one copy of this, it means you can call more than once!) This alert was prepared by Kathy Crandall of PSR. Please participate. Peace, Marylia ****************************************************************** ACTION ALERT**ACTION ALERT**ACTION ALERT**ACTION ALERT* CALL THE PRESIDENT, MAY 13 & 14 TELL HIM TO TAKE NUCLEAR WEAPONS OFF OF HAIR-TRIGGER ALERT ******************************************************************** A RECIPE FOR DISASTER: 36,000 Nuclear Weapons in the World -- Thousands on hair-trigger alert, ready to fire at a moment's notice and destroy the world. ******************* TIME FOR A CHANGE: ******************* The Cold War was (supposedly) over years ago. Many experts agree that de-alerting nuclear weapons will help protect against accidental nuclear war and enhance security. It's time for a significant step toward a nuclear weapons-free world. ***************** WHAT YOU CAN DO ***************** National Call In Days May 13 & 14 As citizens worldwide gather at the Hague Appeal for Peace, and in the United States at the Pittsburgh Nuclear Abolition Conference, you are invited to join in this nationwide call-in day to the President telling him to take nuclear weapons off of hair- trigger alert. *****************Call the President: (202) 456-1111****************** Tell him to act now: Take U.S. nuclear weapons off of hair-trigger alert, and; urge the Russian government to respond with similar efforts to de-alert the Russian nuclear arsenal. If you cannot call, or prefer to write: President William Jefferson Clinton The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington DC 20500 ++ Please note that my email address has changed to on 3/1/99 ++ Marylia Kelley Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment) 2582 Old First Street Livermore, CA USA 94550 - is our web site, please visit us there! Our web site will remain at this location. Only my email address has changed on 3/1/99. (925) 443-7148 - is our phone (925) 443-0177 - is our fax Working for peace, justice and a healthy environment since 1983, Tri-Valley CAREs has been a member of the nation-wide Alliance for Nuclear Accountability in the U.S. since 1989, and is a co-founding member of the international Abolition 2000 network for the elimination of nuclear weapons. - - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 14:26:30 -0700 From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Balkan War Urgent Warning http://home.pacbell.net/herofx/radiowaves.html A WARNING from Steffan M. Bertsch Yesterday, I scanned the short-wave radio to see what others were saying about the NATO bombing of Kosovo. From that scan, it appears that India is strongly opposing the action, while Pakistan is in lock-step with America. Remember that both of those countries had a show-me-your nukes stand off recently. Kosovo is driving a deeper wedge between them, so, the next time they pull out their arsenals, it might not be just a show-and-tell. The scan also revealed that China is agitated beyond belief. The energy in the Chinese broadcast was very angry. She demands UN Security Council intervention to halt the bombing. This broadcast didn't sound like a threat, but a demand she was willing to back up. Japan is openly angered with the US because we are blaming our trade deficit on her, and she's threatened to return to 1940's politics with the US. She also has shown military exercises against China of recent. Short-wave revealed Russia'a anger; Yeltsin, Primakov and the leader of the Communist party are now ironically on the same page; they have a common enemy that has joined these three together; and that enemy is the USA. Russia withdrew its representatives from NATO, and, like China, demands Security Council intervention to halt the bombing. Russia is already angered about the siege and bombing of Iraq, but, the Kosovo bombing is yet another trigger. Russia is contemplating not only aiding Serbia, but JOINING Serbia in the fray. America thought she could bribe Russia with financial aid, but, Russian leaders know that the ruling elite orchestrated the collapse of the Soviet Union and forced a devaluation of the currency which stole between 60 and 80 percent of Russia's wealth. Russia was playing the NWO game, but very reluctantly. It looks like Russia will no longer play the game of enslaving commerce and phony money. The kettle's water is steaming as Israel fires rockets into Lebanon. These are only highlights of what's erupting. There's aggression going on all over the globe. Tempers are pressed to their limit. Don't think the Kosovo bombing is guaranteed to blow over. Be forewarned. Prepare for the worst. While our politicians are hiding behind the same tired song that we must support our troops, we better well understand that the entire world is tired of being bullied and/or bribed by the USA. The retaliation could well come right to our shores very, very soon. - - 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. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 22:33:50 EDT From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) An Appeal from American Jews to theGreen Party o... In a message dated 5/9/99 4:55:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, reporter@magicnet.net writes: << Subj: An Appeal from American Jews to theGreen Party of Germany Date: 5/9/99 4:55:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: reporter@magicnet.net To: redyouth@debs.pinko.net CC: socialistsunmoderated@debs.pinko.net, fnb-l@tao.ca An Appeal from American Jews to the Green Party of Germany We are Jewish Americans who are deeply concerned that the memory and tragedy of the Holocaust is being invoked in order to justify an unjust bombing campaign against the civilian population of Yugoslavia. Many of us have friends who lost family members in the Holocaust, or have lost relatives ourselves. We are deeply aware of our own history and the need for the world community to intervene in situations where there is a threat of genocide, in order to prevent it. However, this is clearly not what is happening in Yugoslavia today. We do not believe that our government's war against Yugoslavia is motivated by humanitarian concerns. This is evidenced by their refusal to airlift food and water to desperate refugees within Kosovo, as well as the paltry sums allocated for refugee relief as compared to the billions of dollars spent on the bombing. The Clinton Administration's great reluctance to pursue a negotiated solution to the conflict also indicates that this intervention is mainly about power: showing the world that the United States (and NATO, which it largely controls) is the self- appointed international policeman, and stands above international law and the United Nations. They are waging their war against civilians, destroying the Yugoslav economy and killing hundreds of innocent people, in order to demonstrate and consolidate their power. Many supporters of the bombing have drawn analogies to the Holocaust, arguing that the world cannot simply stand by in the face of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. But the bombing has greatly worsened the situation of the Kosovar Albanians, as is now universally recognized. It has also destroyed the pro-democracy movement within Yugoslavia, and is destabilizing neighboring countries. We urge you to reject these false and exaggerated analogies to the Holocaust and World War II, which are being used to garner support for a bombing campaign that is intensifying the suffering of all nationalities in Yugoslavia. We appeal to the Green Party of Germany to oppose this war, and to support a negotiated solution of the conflict. (Organizations listed for identification only). Noam Chomsky Institute Professor of Linguistics Massachusetts Institute of Technology Edward S. Herman Professor Emeritus, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Mark Weisbrot Research Director, Preamble Center Dean Baker Senior Research Fellow, Preamble Center Robert Naiman Research Associate, Preamble Center Note: The above letter could make a difference in helping to stop the bombing of Yugoslavia. We have just 6 days to gather signatures and deliver it to the Green Party of Germany, which is meeting on Thursday, May 13. Many Green Party members are very angry about their party's support of bombing, and if the conference votes to oppose the bombing, the ruling Social Democratic-Green Party alliance will be under tremendous pressure to change its policies or risk the collapse of its coalition government. We are circulating this letter from American Jews because in Germany (as in the US), many liberal and progressive people are being told that those who oppose the bombing of Yugoslavia are committing the same mistake as those who failed to intervene in the events leading up to the Holocaust. We disagree strongly, as explained below. Please circulate this letter as widely and rapidly as you can, especially through e-mail and web sites. To sign on, simply return your name, and any title or organizational affiliation (it will be made clear that this is for identification only) to: naimanr@preamble.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. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 22:33:41 EDT From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Letter to Albanian friends from NGO's in Serbia In a message dated 5/9/99 5:12:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time, jim_forest@compuserve.com writes: << Subj: Letter to Albanian friends from NGO's in Serbia Date: 5/9/99 5:12:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: jim_forest@compuserve.com (Jim Forest) Sender: jim_forest@compuserve.com (Jim Forest) To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com 07-05-1999 Press Now Letter to Albanian friends from non-governmental organisations in Serbia Dear friends, We are writing to you in these difficult moments of our shared suffering. Convoys of Albanians and other citizens of Kosovo, among whom many of you, were forced to leave their homes. The killings and expulsions, homes destroyed and burnt, bridges, roads and industrial buildings demolished - paint a somber and painful picture of Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, as in indicating that life together is no longer possible. We, however, believe that it is necessary and possible. The better future of citizens of Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, of Serbs and Albanians, as citizens of one state or closest neighbors, will not arrive by itself, or over night. But it is something we can and must work on together, as we have many times in the past, not so long ago. We know that it will now be very difficult, and sometimes very painful. The example of the German-French postwar reconciliation and cooperation could serve as a model and stimulus. In the sake of future life together, the pain of crime has to be revealed so that it is, with forgiveness,remembered. This tragedy, yours and ours, personal and collective, is a result of a long series of erroneous policies of the most radical forces among us and in the international community. The continuation of these policies will take both Serbs and Albanians into abyss. Also, the road of collective guilt is a road of frustration, continuation of hatred and endless vengeance. That is why this road has to be abandoned. Our first step of distancing from hatred, ethnic conflict and bloody retaliations is a public expression of our deepest compassion and sincere condemnation of everything that you and your fellow citizens are experiencing. As citizens of Serbia, we today suffer destruction and casualties as a result of NATO bombing, armed conflict in Kosovo and long lasting economic and social tumbles under the burden of the dictatorship`s deadly policies. Ethnic cleansing, NATO bombing and armed conflict should stop because they are not contributing to the solution of the Kosovo crisis but are only making it deepen. There should be no more casualties. All refugees should be allowed to return safely to their homes and live in the manner appropriate for free and proud people. We are convinced that together, we will find strength and courage to step on the road of peace, democracy, respect of human rights, mutual reconciliation and respect. Dialogue, political negotiations and peace process have no alternative. For all of us, it is the only way out of the war conflict. It is the safest way to secure the return of refugees to their homes, to renew normal life and activities and find a solution to the status of Kosovo. In order to make this happen, we have to join our efforts to end the war conflict, revitalize the peace process and reconstruct, economically and democratically, the development of Kosovo, Serbia and the entire Balkan region. We are convinced that by joining forces we can contribute to the reaching of a just and rational political solution to the status of Kosovo and build confidence and cooperation between Serbs and Albanians. Association of Citizens for Democracy, Social Justice and Support to Trade Unions United Branch Trade Unions NEZAVISNOST European Movement in Serbia Civic Initiatives Forum for Ethnic Relations Center for Transition to Democracy-ToD Center for Democracy and Free Elections Distrikt 0230 (Kikinda) Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia Women in Black Belgrade Center for Human Rights Students Union of Serbia VIN-Weekly Video News Group 484 Yu Lawyers Committee for Human Rights Foundation for Peace and Crisis Management Urban Inn (Novi Pazar) Belgrade Circle Union for Truth about Antifascist Resistance Sombor`s Peace Group (Sombor) Society for Peace and Tolerance (Backa Palanka) Alternative Academic Educational Network In Belgrade, April 30, 1999 Press Now is not responsible for the content of all opinions we put on our site. Support Free Press in the Balkans, giro 7676 Press Now, Amsterdam >> - - 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. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 16:06:44 EDT From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) NYC / Action on War On Friday, May 14 New York peace and solidarity activists will picket at the offices of two liberal Congress members to protest their support for the air war in Yugoslavia. The activists--from New York CISPES, the Nicaragua Solidarity Network, the War Resisters League, the Socialist Party, Usa - Debs local, and other groups--will use leafleting and street theater to express their opposition to the war. Activists who cannot attend are encouraged to call or email the Congress members' offices on the same day. REPRESENTATIVE: Jerrold Nadler DATE/TIME: Friday, May 14, 12:00-1:00 PM LOCATION: 11 Beach Street, between Hudson and Greenwich Streets in Tribeca. Take the 1/9 to the Franklin Street Station or the A/C/E to Canal Street. Mr. Nadler's office can be called at 212-334-3207. His email is For more information, call Chris Ney at the War Resisters League, 212-228-0450. REPRESENTATIVE: Joseph Crowley DATE/TIME: Friday, May 14, 4:30 PM LOCATION: Corner of 82nd Street and 37th Avenue, Jackson Heights. Take the 7 to 82nd Street. Mr. Crowley's office can be called at 718-779-1400. For more information, call Ann Eagan at 718-482-0170. - - 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. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 14:12:13 -0700 From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Why did NATO bomb Chinese Embassy? From: JaredI@aol.com To: JaredI@aol.com Subject: LIES, DMN LIES & MAPS Date: Tuesday, May 11, 1999 12:35 PM Dear reader, Feel free to distribute this in any way you wish. - -- jared HOW NATO & THE MEDIA MISREPRESENTED THE CHINESE EMBASSY BOMBING Opponents of the war against Serbia argue that much of what passes for news these days is really a kind of war propaganda, that NATO puts out misinformation and the media disseminates the stuff uncritically. A case in point is the coverage of the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. I download wire service reports from the AOL world news database (accessible at aol://4344:30.WORLD.338815.464449182 if you are an AOL member. This allows me to see exactly how wire services and newspapers change the news from hour to hour. Very instructive for studying how misinformation is disseminated. Studying misinformation is a special interest of mine. If you'd like to see some of my previous work in this area, send me a note and I'll email you The Emperor's Clothes, which analyzes how the NY Times misinformed its readers about the bombing of a Sudanese pill factory in August, 1998. Before we examine the news coverage of the bombing of the Chinese Embassy, let me recount a very interesting report from a Chinese intellectual, currently at Harvard's Kennedy Institute, who spoke on May 8th at the weekly Boston anti-war rally (held at 3:00 every Sat. in Copley Square). The man had conferred with people overseas and thus had direct knowledge of the attack on the Chinese Embassy. He said three missiles had struck the Embassy compound, hitting three apartments where one or both adult family members was a journalist. The missiles apparently carried a light explosive charge. Why NATO Targeted Chinese Journalists Why, asked the speaker, did all three missiles strike journalists' apartments? Clearly, he said, the goal was to punish China for sympathizing with the Yugoslav people against NATO. More specifically, the intention was to terrorize Chinese newspeople in Yugoslavia, thus silencing yet another non-NATO information source. Does that seem too nightmarish to be true? Keep in mind, NATO has consistently bombed Serbian news outlets with the stated intention of silencing sources of "lying propaganda." Why would it be so far-fetched for them to do the same to Chinese newspeople? Perhaps NATO wants to silence ALL non-NATO reporting on the war, even at the risk of starting World War III. Or perhaps NATO, or a part of NATO, such as the U.S. government, wants to provoke a fight with China before China gets too strong to be crushed? Let's take a look at the "news" coverage. SORRY, WRONG BUILDING NATO spokesman Jamie Shea's first response to the Embassy bombing was a) to apologize and b) to explain that the NATO missiles had gone astray. NATO had intended to hit a building across the street, a building that houses what SHEA called the "Federal Directory for the Supply and Procurement." Said Shea: "'I understand that the two buildings are close together."' (Reuters, May 8) (If they ever catch the terrorists who bombed the US Embassy in Kenya and bring them to trial, could their legal team utilize the Shea Defense which consists of a) first you say I'm very sorry and b) then you say you meant to blow up the building across the street?) But getting back to the "news" -- according to Jamie Shea the Chinese Embassy is close to the "Federal Directory for the Supply and Procurement." But the Chinese Embassy is in fact located in the middle of a park in a residential neighborhood and: "The embassy stands alone in its own grounds surrounded by grassy open space on three sides. Rows of high-rise apartment blocs are located 200 (600 feet) metres away and a line of shops, offices and apartments sits about 150 meters (450 feet) away on the other side of a wide tree-lined avenue, [called]...Cherry Tree Street." (Reuters, 5/8) NEARBY BUILDING? WHAT NEARBY BUILDING? Apparently realizing that a "Federal Directory for the Supply and Procurement" would not be placed in an apartment complex -- or on a 1000 foot lawn - NATO spun a new story a few hours later: "Three NATO guided bombs which slammed into the Chinese embassy in Belgrade overnight struck precisely at the coordinates programmed into them, but it was not the building NATO believed it to be. 'They hit bang on the three aim points they were given,' a military source said.... [NATO military spokesman General Walter] Jertz declined to say what sort of weapon hit the Chinese embassy, except that it was 'smart' or guided munitions and not free-fall bombs. He denied planners were 'using old maps, wrong maps.'" (Reuters, May 8) OK. Three smart missiles or bombs hit the three locations they were supposed to hit. It was a misidentified target. And the Pilot(s) wasn't misled by old or bad maps. On the face of it, what is the likelihood of NATO picking target coordinates that just happen to coincide with three apartments occupied by journalists? I mean, one computer-guided bomb destroying a journalist's home would not be unlikely. But three hitting three journalists' homes? TOO MANY SPOKESMEN In the same Reuters story, another expert suggests it would be highly unlikely for NATO to make the kind of mistake Jertz is suggesting: "'Target identification and pilot preparation would have been extensive in this case, because of the military importance of the intended target and because Belgrade is heavily defended by Serb forces,' [Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles Wald, a strategic planner for the Joint Chiefs of Staff] said at a briefing for reporters. '`'The way targeting works ... the higher the threat, the more valued the target, the more time you would study it. The more time you have to study it, the better,' Wald said." Based on what Wald is saying here, isn't it pretty much unlikely that an embassy would be mistaken for a "Federal Directory for the Supply and Procurement?" TOO MANY PLACES Which brings us to yet another problem. Because in the same MAY 8 Reuters Story the name of the place which NATO intended to bomb mysteriously changes -- not once but twice. Read the following quote from General Jertz carefully: "Careful to avoid making excuses, NATO military spokesman General Walter Jertz said NATO went after the target because it thought it was the weapons warehouse of the Federal Directorate for Supply and Procurement. 'The information we had was that in this building was the headquarters of the Directorate, and we have no evidence that we were misled,' he said." So now the thing they thought they were bombing was: a) the Federal Directory for the Supply and Procurement; b) Weapons warehouse of the Federal Directorate for Supply and Procurement; and c) the headquarters of the Directorate. No wonder they couldn't be misled. They couldn't even name the place. TOO MANY MISSILES NATO's next spin-control effort was an attempt to simplify things. Retelling the story again a bit later on the 8th, AP reported that: "The precision-guided weapon that hit the Chinese embassy in Belgrade apparently did just what it was told. .." One weapon. That does make things more believable, unless of course the reader has seen the previous stories that refer to Three missiles.... Since few people read multiple news stories about the same topic, and even fewer read them carefully, moving from three to one missile is a pretty safe gambit. But the problem still remains: how could NATO targeteers, pouring over their maps, not notice the label CHINESE EMBASSY on a building they were planning to bomb? IT WAS THE MAPS! NATO's answer: switch positions on the map question. What was the source of "the erroneous B-2 bomber attack, which dropped several satellite-guided bombs on the embassy"? Here's the latest explanation: "In mistakenly targeting the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade Friday night, U.S. intelligence officials were working from an outdated map issued before China built its diplomatic compound several years ago, American and NATO authorities said yesterday. 'The tragic and embarrassing truth is that our maps simply did not show the Chinese Embassy anywhere in that vicinity,' a senior NATO official said." (Washington Post, May 10) Let's consider the implications of what we've just read. First, the Post accepts without question NATO's assertion that the embassy bombing was accidental. Indeed the Post doesn't mention the highly newsworthy fact that the news media stories are so mutually contradictory. Doesn't that tell us something about these news agencies, about their attitude toward NATO and this war? That they are really part of NATO's public relations effort, dutifully reporting whatever they are told without pointing out the implications of NATO's ever-evolving explanations. Second, the claim that using "old maps" was the problem flatly contradicts an equally confident assertion made about 36 hours earlier by NATO' spokesman, General Jertz. You remember: "He [that is., Gen. Jertz] denied planners were 'using old maps, wrong maps.'" (Reuters, May 8) Third, consider the phrase "outdated map issued before China built its diplomatic compound several years ago." This clearly refers to PAPER maps. Now is it believable that NATO would be working off old paper maps of Belgrade? What's the matter, they can't afford computers? They have no technical staff? We are after all talking about the combined armed forces of the U.S. and most of Europe. The whole focus of their attack on Serbia is aerial bombardment. Aerial bombardment depends primarily on maps and intelligence. Doesn't it fly in the face of rudimentary common sense -- indeed of sanity -- to believe that this military force would have anything but the most sophisticated mapping facilities, updated with satellite photos and local intelligence reports hourly, all of it in computerized war rooms with giant screens, scores of technical personnel, etc., etc. And isn't it equally obvious, that that one thing such an armed force would have at its finger tips would be exact information about sensitive installations -- such as diplomatic facilities -- precisely to make sure they did not get bombed. Unless of course NATO wanted them to be bombed. And of all the diplomatic facilities in all of Yugoslavia, wouldn't the one to which NATO would pay the most attention be the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade - both because of China's immense world-importance and because it is Belgrade's chief ally. Of course NATO had up to date maps of the area around the Chinese Embassy. And of every square inch inside the Embassy as well. Fourth, since NATO claims it decided to bomb the Embassy because of what the targeteers saw on these "old maps" -- just what did the targeteers see? We are told they didn't see the Embassy. Did they see something else they wanted to attack and destroy? Just what was this something else? Was it a building which housed some military facility? In the middle of a 1000 foot lawn in a residential section of the city? And if there is such a map with such a building, why doesn't NATO produce this ancient document, and show it to us? And fifth -- did you notice we're talking about multiple missiles again? LET US NOW REVIEW NATO'S STORIES According to NATO there were three -- NO, there was only one smart bomb that hit the Chinese Embassy by mistake because it missed a building across the street that houses the "Federal Supply and Procurement Office" -- NO, that wasn't the problem. The missiles (because we're back to three missiles again) didn't miss -- they hit right on target except it turned out the target was all wrong, t wasn't the Federal Supply and Procurement Office at all, it was the Chinese Embassy and somehow the targeteers got it all confused but one thing is definite: the mix-up was not the result of using old maps. But that's not right either because if a target is important a great deal of care is taken, and given that this was such an important target, even more care would be taken to make sure it really was the a) Federal Directory for the Supply and Procurement and NO, that should be the b) Weapons Warehouse of the Federal Directorate for Supply and Procurement, NO, that isn't right either it wasn't just a warehouse, it was the c) HEADQUARTERS of the Directorate and - NO! Forget everything I've said so far. It was the maps. The maps were very old so you couldn't tell that the building on that site was an Embassy. And there were three missiles, of course -- who ever said anything about there only being one? A PARK, AND OTHER MILITARY TARGETS This writer has just spoken to a Serbian gentlemen whose family lives a few blocks from the Embassy. He says the Embassy was built 4 or 5 years ago and that prior to the building of the Embassy, the only thing there was: a park. A park: tress and grass... Therefore the notion that NATO could possess a map drawn before the Chinese Embassy was built which showed any building occupying the land on which the Embassy now stands is simply impossible. There was nothing there but trees and grass. Therefore NATO is lying. And since NATO is lying, we are left with the Chinese gentleman's explanation. It is the only one that makes sense. NATO deliberately blew up three apartments inhabited by Chinese journalists in the Chinese Embassy. This was a high-tech execution. What will NATO do next? (Note to reader: If you wish to see the complete text of the articles I have quoted from, drop me a line and I'll be glad to send them to you. jaredi@aol.com ) Best regards, Jared Israel jaredi@aol.com IF you know anyone to whom you would like me to send documents and analysis of interest concerning this war and related questions, please send me the address(es). Thanks - jaredi@aol.com =DD - - 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. ------------------------------ End of abolition-usa-digest V1 #128 *********************************** - To unsubscribe to $LIST, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe $LIST" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. 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