From: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com (abolition-usa-digest) To: abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: abolition-usa-digest V1 #252 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 Wednesday, January 19 2000 Volume 01 : Number 252 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2000 09:03:58 -0600 From: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) FW: Pinochet Case a Landmark Of course this is true. During the Greenock trial we argued the Pinochet case to get that Directed Verdict from the Scottish Judge against the legality of the British Trident2s. fab. - -----Original Message----- From: Human Rights Watch [mailto:hrwatchnyc@igc.org] Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2000 8:44 PM To: undisclosed-recipients Subject: Pinochet Case a Landmark Pinochet Case A Landmark But Rights Group Disappointed If No Trial (New York, January 12, 2000) -- Human Rights Watch said today that the arrest of Augusto Pinochet represented a permanent advance in the cause of human rights, despite the fact that a British medical evaluation may prevent Gen. Pinochet's extradition to Spain. "It's a disappointment for Pinochet's thousands of victims that he may never have to face trial in Spain," said Reed Brody, Advocacy Director of Human Rights Watch. "But the very fact that he was arrested, and that his crimes were enumerated in a court of law, has already changed the calculus of dictators around the world. The Pinochet case signified the beginning of the end of their impunity." The Pinochet case helped to establish the principle that grave human rights crimes are subject to "universal jurisdiction" and can be prosecuted anywhere in the world. The British government's decision to arrest Pinochet, and then to commence extradition proceedings, solidified the idea that torture and "disappearances" committed in Chile are also crimes in Great Britain. Two rulings by the House of Lords found that Pinochet was not immune from prosecution even though he was head of state at the time the crimes were committed. "The Pinochet precedent is already transforming international human rights law," said Brody. "I'm sorry the general won't be going to prison. But overall, his case still represents a tremendous victory for human rights." Brody noted that Pinochet's October 1998 arrest opened up new political freedoms in Chile, where the former dictator held the position of "senator for life" and was continuing to exert a chilling influence on Chilean political life. He expressed the hope that if Pinochet is not extradited to Spain, he should also not be allowed to return to Chile to try and re-establish his influence there. "If he's too sick to stand trial, he's too sick to be a senator," said Brody. Brody said that Human Rights Watch would urge British Home Secretary Jack Straw to apply appropriate standards in deciding to extradite Pinochet. "Being a sick old man does not make someone unfit to stand trial," said Brody. "If Pinochet is genuinely unable to participate in his own defense, then extraditing him would not serve the cause of justice." For more information, please contact: In New York: Reed Brody 1-212-216-1206 In Brussels: Jean-Paul Marthoz 322-736-7838 _____________________________________________________________ Keep up with breaking news! Join our Hot Topics list. http://www.topica.com/lists/breakingnews/t/12 - - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2000 12:46:49 -0500 From: Peace through Reason Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) NEEDED:NAMES OF DOWNWINDERS Alice, have you subscribed to "Downwinders" at onelist.com? I'm sending your message to the group; you may get replies. Ellen Thomas ____________________________________________________________ * 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. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2000 13:15:46 -0500 From: "Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space" Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) NEEDED:NAMES OF DOWNWINDERS Ellen Did you get my e-mail about needing to talk with a lawyer? Do you know one I could call? Bruce K. Gagnon Coordinator Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space PO Box 90083 Gainesville, Fl. 32607 (352) 337-9274 http://www.globenet.free-online.co.uk - ----- Original Message ----- From: Peace through Reason To: Sent: Friday, January 14, 2000 12:46 PM Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) NEEDED:NAMES OF DOWNWINDERS > Alice, have you subscribed to "Downwinders" at onelist.com? I'm sending > your message to the group; you may get replies. > > Ellen Thomas > > > ____________________________________________________________ > > * 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. - - 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: Fri, 14 Jan 2000 15:41:52 -0800 From: Andrew Lichterman Subject: (abolition-usa) a reality check, of a sort Greetings abolitionists-- Here's something to think about regarding what needs to be done to make nuclear weapons abolition an issue, much less a possibility, in this country-- I am teaching an evening undergraduate legal studies class (a legal history class focusing on the relationship between law, lawyers, and social movements) at a local college here in the San Francisco Bay area. The students range in age from mid-twenties to mid-forties, were mostly women, middle class, and were reasonably reflective of the Bay Area's ethnic diversity. I do an exercise where relevant on the first night of class (for a class like this or environmental law, for example) that goes like this: I break the students up into small groups, and ask them to spend an hour doing the following: 1) make a list (agreed upon by the members of the small group) of the three most important environmental problems facing the world. Make another list of the three most important social problems. Sketch broadly solutions to each problem. Then describe how you would use legal skills to work for the solutions you suggested-- what type of individuals and organizations you would work in or with and what kinds of strategies you would pursue. The exercise tells me a lot about how the students think about the world, their ideas about how social change occurs, and their images of law and lawyers, and hence helps me figure out how to teach the class. What is significant for our purposes is this: No group identified as an important social or environmental problem anything having to nuclear weapons, war, peace, the military, militarism, nuclear power, or radioactive waste. I strolled around the room listening to the groups at work, and I never heard any of these topics mentioned. I should note I have done this exercise a number of times over the past decade, with similar results. The issues identified by the various groups are listed below, with those mentioned by several groups listed first (plus a few notes of interest) Environmental issues: Habitat loss/deforestation garbage/landfills/recycling air quality water quality toxic waste pollution (general) global waming Socioeconomic issues: overpopulation homelessness/poverty lack of education drugs (with considerable sentiment for legalization) crime large prison population, and lack of opportunities for rahabilitation (this one is unusual, but we had a cluster of court system employees in one group) Also notable (if not surprising) during the discussion of solutions and strategies were expressions of powerlessness, of the inability of individuals to affect large issues by any means other than changing their individual behavior (e.g. reducing pollution via individual consumer and lifestyle choices). On this same theme, there were several expressions of dissatisfaction with and cynicism about electoral politics--although for widely varying reasons. If we are to have a movement for abolition, people first must understand why nuclear weapons still are an issue which is relevant to their lives. We must also come up with convincing explanations of how ordinary people can act together to make change on big issues. This is where our strategies must begin. A. - - 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: Fri, 14 Jan 2000 17:34:42 -0800 From: Andrew Lichterman Subject: (abolition-usa) The American Experience | Race for the Superbomb | Nuclear Blast Mapper This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - --------------5EB092791A31AFB318E6B961 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit The PBS web site has a page where you can type in an address and have a map generated of the blast and fallout effects of a 1mt nuclear weapon. Have a nice weekend. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/sfeature/mapablast.html - --------------5EB092791A31AFB318E6B961 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii; name="mapablast.html" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline; filename="mapablast.html" Content-Base: "http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/sfea ture/mapablast.html" Content-Location: "http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/sfea ture/mapablast.html" The American Experience | Race for the Superbomb | Nuclear Blast Mapper
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Montage of images and link description. Race for the Superbomb Imagemap: linked to kids and home
The Film and More
Imagemap(text links below) of menu items
The American Experience
Blast Mapper: Map a Blast



Step 1: Choose a Weapon...

1 Megaton Surface Blast: Pressure Damage Map
The fission bomb detonated over Hiroshima had the explosive blast equivalent to 12,500 tons of TNT. Blast Mapper's hydrogen bomb, hypothetically detonated on the earth's surface at any location you choose, has about 80 times the blast power of that 1945 explosion.

1 Megaton Surface Blast: Fallout Map
One of the effects of nuclear weapons detonated on or near the earth's surface is the resulting radioactive fallout. Immediately after the detonation, a great deal of earth and debris, made radioactive by the blast, is carried high into the atmosphere, forming the now infamous mushroom cloud. The material drifts downwind and gradually falls back to earth, contaminating thousands of square miles. Make this selection if you wish to see the fallout pattern over a seven-day period.

25 Megaton Air Blast: Pressure Damage Map
This is a big bomb. At 25 megatons, it has about 2,000 times the explosive power of the fission bomb used on Hiroshima. Exploding it high in the atmosphere, at 17,500 feet, will maximize its destructive range.


Step 2: Enter Location of Target

Enter a location in the United States. You may want to select a large city or some other possible target near your home.

Street Address (not required)


City, State or Province, Zip or Postal Code (code not required)
[Example: Boston, MA ]


Country




Step 3...





Comments about "Race for the Superbomb".

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- --------------5EB092791A31AFB318E6B961-- - - 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: Sat, 15 Jan 2000 14:57:01 -0600 From: "Boyle, Francis" Subject: (abolition-usa) RE:UK Prevention of Terrorism Bill back during the terrible days of the Reagan administration, we had a very courageous women that they had indicted for a felony under a special anti-terrorism statute for painting "Apartheid is a Bloody Sin" on the criminal apartheid South African Embassy in Washington DC. Of course the real criminals were the "diplomats" in the Embassy promoting apartheid and the Reagan administration officials with their policy of "constructive engagement." Constructive engagement with criminals renders you an aider and abettor to their crimes. She was facing five years for this act of heroism--as if around 1940 someone had been indicted for painting "Nazism is a Bloody Sin" on the German Embassy in Washington DC. To make a long story short, we got her a hung jury in Federal District Court in Washington DC by using international law. We might have gotten her an outright acquittal, but she did not let us exercise any challenges on voir dire:"God will pick my jury!" Eventually, she pled guilty to defacement in DC municipal court and paid a fine. Having not read this statute, i could not predict a similar outcome in Britain. But it has been done before and it could be done again. fab - -----Original Message----- From: TP2000 [mailto:tp2000@gn.apc.org] Sent: Friday, January 14, 2000 6:07 PM To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Prevention of Terrorism Bill Dear TPers At the last Reps meeting the new Prevention Of Terrorism Act was discussed and it was agreed to support campaigns against it. So can anyone represent TP at this meeting in Manchester on Jan 24th? Jane >-------- Original Message -------- >Subject: Prevention of Terrorism Bill >Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 20:46:57 +0000 >From: "Phil Boast" > >We are writing to invite you to send someone to a meeting about >the proposed Prevention of Terrorism legislation which is now >being presented to Parliament. The meeting is to be held at 7.30 >pm, 24th January 2000, at the Friends Meeting House, Mount >Street, Central Manchester. We are all inviting all groups we >can think of that may be affected by the new Bill. > >A meeting was recently held under the working title 'The >Terrorist Tea Party', to hear and discuss details of the bill and >their possible implications. Those of us at the meeting came to >the consensus, without much difficulty, that the proposed >measures are of grave concern and require a co-ordinated >response. > >The new legislation will mean a wide range of groups may find >themselves targeted as 'terrorist' organisations, and subject to >the wider powers granted to the police and military services. >The Bill widens the definition of 'terrorism' to include the use >or threat to use 'serious violence against people or property'. >This, of course, will not cover the use of serious violence as it >is done by the UK government against both people and property. >It is more likely that it will apply to ploughshares groups and >'Bread not Bombs' actions, along with crop trashing by genetix >campaigners or damaging vivisection laboratories by animal >rights campaigners, along with many others. > >The Bill states that the new classification will include actions >overseas and actions by groups based overseas, and will make >it illegal to raise funds for groups drawn in by the new >definition. Is anyone out there involved in support groups for the >likes of the Zapatistas, within East Timor or West Papua, the >Ogoni in Nigeria or the Kurds in south west Turkey? If so, this >legislation may apply to you, especially if you have been at all >effective in raising the profile of the people you support and the >struggle in which they are involved. > >As usual, the police will be at liberty to interpret the legislation >as they see fit. Protest sites, peace camps and street parties may >find they fall foul of the clause defining 'terrorism' as 'action >which creates a serious risk to the health or safety of the public'. > >Liberty have described the proposed measures as an >unwarranted and unprecedented curtailment of civil liberties in >times of peace. People may end up with three month sentences >for unwittingly being in the wrong place (a 'cordoned area') or >five years for the offence of failing to report a suspicion of a >colleague or partner. The Secretary of State will have powers >to ban organisations, and arrested people will find they can be >detained for up to 48 hours with no right to consult a solicitor or >inform anyone of their detention. The armed forces will have >(limited) powers to stop and search, whilst police constables >will have powers to strip search, possibly including people of >the opposite sex. Some offences transfer the burden of proof >from guilt to innocence. > >All this should not, perhaps, be too surprising, although it is >still shocking. Lately the present dominant culture of state and >private institutions has not shown much imagination in dealing >with dissent. They are not interested in taking on board the >perfectly legitimate concerns expressed on a whole range of >issues by grassroots, campaign and activist organisations. >Instead, any effective form of dissent is to become a political >crime, to be dealt with by means of special powers. How far >down the road does this take us to a terrorist state? > >According to the speaker at our last meeting the legislation is >currently time tabled to become law sometime around August >2000. If you share our concern about the Prevention of >Terrorism Bill we would urge you to attend the meeting in >January, or at the very least contact ourselves ( Phil or Cath, >One World Centre, Basement, 6 Mount Street, Manchester, M2 >5NS), or the Right to Protest Forum, c/o J-B Loveaux, Flat 7, >10a Airlie Gardens, London WA8 7AL, (0171) 727 0590 > > >Full details of the Bill are available on the internet at: >www.parliament.the_stationary_office.co.uk/pa/cm199900/cmbills/010/2000100. htm > > >Why not visit the 'Think Globally - Act Locally' website at: http://www.newcastle54.freeserve.co.uk/think_index.htm > > > > > 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. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Jan 1996 13:21:32 +1100 From: "Helen Caldicott" Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) a reality check, of a sort Andrew I agree with you, it really just means that your students are ignorant and the education must begin, especially now that Putin is restarting the cold war and George W will probably be elected, then we are in serious trouble! Helen Caldicott - ----- Original Message ----- From: Andrew Lichterman To: abolition USA Sent: Saturday, January 15, 2000 10:41 AM Subject: (abolition-usa) a reality check, of a sort > Greetings abolitionists-- > > Here's something to think about regarding what needs to be done to > make nuclear weapons abolition an issue, much less a possibility, in > this country-- > > I am teaching an evening undergraduate legal studies class (a legal > history class focusing on the relationship between law, lawyers, and > social movements) at a local college here in the San Francisco Bay area. > > The students range in age from mid-twenties to mid-forties, were > mostly women, middle class, and were reasonably reflective of the Bay > Area's ethnic diversity. > > I do an exercise where relevant on the first night of class (for a > class like this or environmental law, for example) that goes like this: > > I break the students up into small groups, and ask them to spend an hour > doing the following: 1) make a list (agreed upon by the members of the > small group) of the three most important environmental problems facing > the world. Make another list of the three most important social > problems. Sketch broadly solutions to each problem. Then describe how > you would use legal skills to work for the solutions you suggested-- > what type of individuals and organizations you would work in or with and > what kinds of strategies you would pursue. The exercise tells me a lot > about how the students think about the world, their ideas about how > social change occurs, and their images of law and lawyers, and hence > helps me figure out how to teach the class. > > What is significant for our purposes is this: No group identified > as an important social or environmental problem anything having to > nuclear weapons, war, peace, the military, militarism, nuclear power, > or radioactive waste. I strolled around the room listening to the > groups at work, and I never heard any of these topics mentioned. I > should note I have done this exercise a number of times over the past > decade, with similar results. > > The issues identified by the various groups are listed below, with > those mentioned by several groups listed first (plus a few notes of > interest) > > Environmental issues: > > Habitat loss/deforestation > garbage/landfills/recycling > air quality > water quality > toxic waste > pollution (general) > global waming > > Socioeconomic issues: > > overpopulation > homelessness/poverty > lack of education > drugs (with considerable sentiment for legalization) > crime > large prison population, and lack of opportunities for rahabilitation > (this one is unusual, but we had a cluster of court system employees in > one group) > > Also notable (if not surprising) during the discussion of solutions and > strategies were expressions of powerlessness, of the inability of > individuals to affect large issues by any means other than changing > their individual behavior (e.g. reducing pollution via individual > consumer and lifestyle choices). On this same theme, there were several > expressions of dissatisfaction with and cynicism about electoral > politics--although for widely varying reasons. > > If we are to have a movement for abolition, people first must > understand why nuclear weapons still are an issue which is relevant to > their lives. We must also come up with convincing explanations of how > ordinary people can act together to make change on big issues. This is > where our strategies must begin. > > A. > > > > - > 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. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 18:22:04 EST From: Charles F Hilfenhaus Subject: (abolition-usa) Oboe 3 Dry Runs Nevada Test Site Alert 1-18-2000 Jumping right to work after their Martin Luther King Day vacation the Doe conducted a series of dry runs for the Subcritical nuclear test Oboe 3 this afternoon. After the speed with which they readied Oboe 2 in November, this test could come as early as later this week and almost certainly this month. Remember Operation Ranger 1-27-2000 January 27th 2000 will be the 49th anniversary of the first nuclear test at the Nevada Test Site. Operation Ranger air dropped five nuclear weapons between 1-27 and 2-6 1951 onto the Nevada desert. AAV will host a vigil this year at the entrance to the Nevada Test Site and a planning meeting for next years 50th remembrance "Remember Operation Ranger - Honor Three Generations of Atomic Veterans". PLEASE SAVE THE DATE NOW Saturday January 27, 2001. Charlie Hilfenhaus Alliance of Atomic Veterans Director, Atomic Workers Division - - 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: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 13:32:09 -0800 From: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Subject: (abolition-usa) Abolition 2000 Grassroots Newsletter January 2000 (Apologies for any duplicate postings due to cross-overs on lists). ************************ In This Edition... ************************ I. Introduction II. New Organizations III. Articles IV. NEW! Abolition 2000 Organizations in the Year 2000 V. Actions You Can Take VI. Calendar Events VII. Resources VIII. Letter from the Editor ************************ ************************ ***************** Introduction ***************** With less than 98 days until the first day of the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, we still need to enroll 568 organizations to reach our goal of 2000 by the time of the NPT Rev Con. Currently, the Network is comprised of 1,432 organizations in 91 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 make a commitment to enroll a new organization this week. Thank you for your continued support. ************************ New Organizations ************************ Amis de la Terre (Friends of the Earth), Montreuil/France Asociacion Lihue, Rio Negro/Argentina Campaign Against Military Bases, Kopavogur/Iceland Citizens for a United Earth, Ionia/New York Copper County Peace Alliance, Houghton/Michigan Earth Day New York, New York/New York Friends of the Earth England and Whales, London/UK Institute for Peace and Justice, St. Louis/Missouri International Institute of Concern for Public Health, Toronto/Canada Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice, Lawrence/Kansas Maison de Vigilance, Tavery/France Miracle Productions International, Springwood/Australia Redwood Peace Coalition, Arcata/California Scientists and Technologists Against Nuclear Dumping, Perth/Western Australia Severodonetsk of the Town Environmental Association "Zeleny Svit", Severodonetsk/Ukraine Sisters of St. Dominic, San Rafael/California Socio-Ecological Union, Moskow/Russia Taller de Educacion, Santiago/Spain Walhi Sulteng, Palu/Indonesia Womens Energy Matters, Berkeley/California World Citizens for Peace, Richland/Washington ************** Articles ************** Mouvement De La Paix Hosts Congress for A "Peace Planet" On November 26-28, 1999, Le Mouvement de la Paix held a national congress for leading world peace movements in Paris, France. In addition to representatives from Peace Action (US), Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (UK), Japan Peace Committee and many other organizations, more than 350 delegates from France attended the conference. Congress participants expressed concern for continued risks of nuclear proliferation and increased military expenditures. Participants renewed their commitment to campaign for a treaty to abolish nuclear weapons. In addition, delegates urged French authorities to convene a conference in Paris for a Nuclear Weapons Convention in the year 2000. Le Mouvement de la Paix will launch a campaign, targeting young people and artists in particular, to "Imagine a Peace Planet." Le Mouvement de la Paix hopes to recruit 200 young people (100 from France and 100 from other countries around the world) to send to the UN Millennium General Assembly, which will be held in New York in September 2000. An appeal to any interested associations and organizations was launched at the end of the congress to organize "meetings for a new impetus for action for peace" in the year 2000. For more information or to get involved, please contact: Daniel Durand Le Mouvement de la Paix (French Peace Movement) 139 bd Victor Hugo / F - 93400 ST-OUEN Nouvelle adresse : Email: ddurand@mvtpaix.org URL: Http://www.mvtpaix.org Japanese Campaign Launched to Abolish Nuclear Weapons On December 22, 1999, "The Year 2000 Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons" was launched in Tokyo, Japan. At the heart of the campaign is a "2000 Citizens' Appeal-Mission of Japan to Abolish Nuclear Weapons." 2000 opinion leaders from various professionals are expected to sign the civic statement. The statement already has more than 619 signatories, including signatures from actors, singers and other high profile individuals, and many more continue to sign. Hiro Umebayashi, the International Coordinator of the Year 2000 Campaign in Japan, Executive Director of Peace Depot and a member of the Abolition 2000 Coordinating Committee, said he received 66 phone calls in the two days following the Campaign launch. Umebayashi stated, "In my sense, this surprise attack by public response has urged both journalists and campaigners in Japan, whose role is to channel such voices to policy change of the Government, to have profound reflection on their sense of public awareness." To get involved in the "Year 2000 Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons" in Japan or for more information, please contact: Hiro Umebayashi International Coordinator, PCDS Executive Director, Peace Depot 3-3-1 Minowa-cho, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, 223-0051 Japan tel: 81-45-563-5101, fax: 81-45-563-9907 e-mail: CXJ15621@nifty.ne.jp Keeping Heavenly Peace More than 15 protesters gathered at Vandenberg Air Force Base on Tuesday, 18 January 2000, to oppose the second test of the National Missile Defense (NMD) System. Holding signs that read "Star Wars Test Another strapped down chicken test?", protesters also gathered at Schriever AFB in Colorado Springs in solidarity with their California counterparts. Schriever AFB is the Joint National Test Facility that handles all the computer targeting. Although Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) has been called "defensive", it poses great international risk. The deployment of the NMD system will require the abrogation of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, thereby increasing already volatile tensions with Russia and China. Russian officials have threatened that any amendments to the ABM treaty could undo 20 years of arms control efforts. Proponents of Missile Defense argue that the NMD system is needed to protect the US from missile attacks by "rogue" states. However, the NMD system really represents the determination of the US Space Command to control and dominate Outer Space. The US Space Command has released "Vision for 2020", a joint initiative that combines US Army, Navy and Air Forces in a unified command to dominate "the space dimension of military operations to protect US interests and investment, integrating Space Forces into warfighting capabilities across the full spectrum of conflict." "Control of Space", defined in the Vision 2020 as "the ability to assure access to space, freedom of operations within the space medium, and an ability to deny others the use of space, if required", is one of four operational concepts required to "achieve overall campaign objectives." More than $120 Billion has been spent to date on BMD programs. President Clinton intends to ask Congress for a $2.2 Billion increase in spending for National Missile Defense in his 2001 Budget. Officials now estimate that the NMD system will cost $12.7 billion over the next five years. Yet, the success of such a costly system leaves doubts about feasibility. The Welch Report, issued in 1998, documented only four successes out of 17 tests conducted by the BMD Organization. The Pentagon had originally scheduled 18 tests of the NMD system before President Clinton is expected to make a decision in June 2000 whether or not deploy the system. However, citing costs as the reason, the number of scheduled tests has been reduced to three. Quality standards remain a serious concern, especially when one miss could cause horrendous casualties and irreparable damage. Is a costly arms race, which diverts resources and funds from important social programs such as healthcare, social security and education, really how we want to begin the new millennium? Instead of wasting billions testing undeveloped technology that undermines the security of the US, defense efforts should concentrate on the enforcement of treaties that reduce the nuclear threat, enhance international cooperation and fulfill existing obligations. For more information or to find out how to take to oppose Ballistic Missile Defense, visit: Http://www.globenet.free-online.co.uk Http://www.abolition2000.org ****************************************************** Abolition 2000 Organizations in the Year 2000 ****************************************************** The "Abolition 2000 Organizations in the Year 2000" is a new section of the Abolition 2000 Grassroots Newsletter. This section will highlight the activities of and statements from various organizations in Abolition 2000. If you would like to share your activities and plans with other members of the Abolition 2000 Global Network, please email your statement to Carah Ong at A2000@silcom.com. Malaysia Ronald McCoy, Chair Malaysian Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War 17, Jalan Tanjung (5/4) 46000 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia Tel : 603-7568407 Fax : 603-7550178 We said: NO NUKES! HAPUSKAN SENJATA NUKLEAR! In the year 2000, MPPNW will continue to work with the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Malaysian Mission at the UN, New York, on Malaysian initiatives on nuclear disarmament, including the "Malaysian Resolution", which has recently been adopted by the UN General Assembly. Romania Aungiira Aurel Duta Mama Terra / For Mother Earth-Romania & Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space A.Obregia 5/R14/69, RO-75571 Bucharest-4, Romania, Europe Tel/Fax: +40-1-6842145 Mobile: +40-92-349522 E-mail: aungiira@motherearth.org On the national level, Mama Terra had a campaign against Nuclear Energy in 1999. An international petition was launched last year to stop the Cernavoda NPP in Romania, and we had the first reactions this year. Mama Terra also sponsored a campaign in Romania, before the Cassini fly-by, in June. In August, Mama Terra participated in the international camp ECOTOPIA, which was held in Romania. Various workshops, seminars, video, info, etc. on Nuclear Abolition were presented. Internationally, members of Mama Terra participated in the conference organized by the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space in Darmstadt, in March 1999. In May, Mama Terra also participated in the Hague Appeal for Peace held in the Netherlands and the 2000 Walk in Brussels. Mama Terra also participated at the conference on "Nuclear Policy & Security" in St. Petersburg, Russia in June 99. In July, Mama Terra lobbied at the UNISPACE III Forum in Vienna, Austria and attended the European Futures Congress organized by Alternative to the European Union at the Prague in the Czech Republic. During the month of December, Mama Terra lobbied at the European Union Summit in Helsinki, Finland. During the year 2000, we plan to participate at the General Meeting of Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, in Washington DC (April 2000), as well as we plan to attend the INES meeting in Stocholm, Sweden in June 2000. More plans will be scheduled after the international meeting of For Mother Earth. *************************** Action You Can Take *************************** Write a Letter to Your Head of State! Write a letter to your Head of State urging him/her to demonstrate a commitment to nuclear disarmament by attending the 2000 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review and Extension Conference. Abolition 2000 can use the unique setting of the NPT Rev Con to call upon the Nuclear Weapons States to pursue negotiations for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. Please help Abolition 2000 make an impact at the upcoming conference by generating letters, telephone calls, visits and special contacts to all Heads of State. Encourage others to do the same by sharing your actions and progress with Abolition Global Caucus listserv (send your message to: abolition-caucus@egroups.com). If you would like a sample letter, please email Carah Ong at A2000@silcom.com. For more information about the Non-Proliferation Treaty history and the 2000 NPT Rev Con, please visit the Reaching Critical Will website, sponsored by Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, United Nations Office. URL: Http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org Names of Downwinders Needed! Abolition 2000 is collecting names of Downwinders as part of a demonstration that will be held at the United Nations during the NPT Rev Con. More than 1,000 names and demonstrators will be needed from around the world. The demonstration at the UN is expected to bring media attention to the human suffering caused by nuclear power generation and more than 55 years of nuclear weapons testing and production. Please send names with, city, country, date of exposure, death, or accident (where available) to: 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 Sign the On-line Petition to Stop Ballistic Missile Defense! With just one click, you can sign the new NO STAR WARS/STOP BMD on-line petition. To sign the petition, please visit: Http://www.PetitionOnline.com. For more information about keeping Outer Space for peace, please contact: Bruce K. Gagnon Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space PO Box 90083 Gainesville, Fl. 32607 (352) 337-9274 Http://www.globenet.free-online.co.uk ************************ Calendar of Events ************************ January 15-October 8 Year 2000 Global Peace Walk will journey from San Francisco to Washington, DC, carrying petitions and messages of peace. For more information visit: Http://www.globalpeacenow.org 17 Resist Lockheed Martin on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by participating in a nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience sponsored by the Brandywine Peace Community. The event will take place at noon at Lockheed Martin on Mall Blvd. For more information, please contact Brandywine Peace Community at: P.O. Box 81 Swarthmore, PA 19081 Tel: +1 (610) 544-1818 Email: brandywine@juno.com Http://www.craftech.com/~dcpledge/brandywine 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/ February 5-7 Student Peace Action Network (SPAN) announces a student summit in Washington, D.C. Join students from across the United States to meet, talk, listen, learn, organize strategize and socialize. SPAN will subsidize up to 50% of each student's travel to the Summit. Food and lodging is provided. No registration fee. The Registration deadline is January 21, 2000 For more information or to receive a registration form, please contact: Student Peace Action Network, Attention: Amber Email: awaldref@peace-action.org 6 The Interfaith Campaign for a Nuclear Free World announce an evening of Interfaith prayer reflection and call to action. "The Religious Imperative for a Nuclear Free World" will be held on Sunday, 6 February 2000 at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California. If you are interested in attending, please contact: St. Camillus Catholic Center 1911 Zonal Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90033 Tel: (323) 223-9047 Fax: (323) 225-9096 URL: Http://www.circlesofhope.org March 1 Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Day 1-8 Abolition Days sponsored by the Abolition 2000 Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons. 5 30th Anniversary of the NPT entry into force 8 International Women's Day April 13 The UK and Irish Local Authorities announce the third annual conference on nuclear hazards. Themes for the conference include: - - "Getting to Zero: Implementation of the OSPAR agreement to cut radioactive discharges from nuclear plants to the marine environment" - - "Polluter or Remediator?: Can the Sellafield nuclear complex convert to clean up?" - - "Protecting the Public: Controlling the circulation of radioactive scrap and preventing its incorporation into consumer goods." - - "Managing Nuclear Waste: Review of progress with the rundown of highly active liquid wastes at Sellafield and the outlook for UK policy." For detailed information about the conference, please contact the Nuclear Free Local Authorities Secretariat at: Town Hall Manchester, M60 2LA, UK Email: nfznsc@gn.apc.org URL: Http://www.gn.apc.org/nfzns/ 14-17 Keep Space for Peace! Join activists from around the world in Washington, D.C for four days of protesting plans to weaponize space. For more information please contact: Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space P.O. Box 90083 Gainsville, Florida 32607 Tel: +1 (352) 337-9274 Email: Globalnet@mindspring.com URL: www.globenet.free-online.co.uk 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 1-15 International Call-In-Days to White House & Congress on Star Wars No BMD! These two weeks will be a crucial time for activists around the world to help create massive pressure on Clinton and Congress to back away from dangerous, costly, and destabilizing plans to allow "early deployment" of the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system. 22-26 The Millennium Forum at the UN will be an important opportunity for Abolition 2000 organizations to interact with the rest of the NGO community. The Millennium Forum is part of the preparations for the Millennium Summit of the UN General Assembly that will take place in September 2000. For more information, visit: Http://www.millenniumforum.org or www.un.org/millennium 22-27 "Visions of Peace" International Conference in Dublin, Ireland is now accepting proposals for papers and presentations as part of the UNESCO's International Year for a Culture of Peace. The Conference is sponsored by the Free University of Ireland. Contact: Sean English 55 Prussia Street, Dublin 7, Ireland Tel: 353-1-8683368 Email: senglish@iol.ie June 14-18 International Network of Engineers and Scientists (INES) announces an International Conference entitled "Challenges for Science and Engineering in the 21st Century" in Stockholm, Sweden. For more information, contact the INES 2000 Conference Secretariat at: Gutenbergstr. 31,44139 Dortmund, Germany Tel: +49 231 575218, Fax: +49 231 575210, E-mail: INES2000@t-online.de URL: Http://www.ines2000.org July 1-9 August The People's Campaign for Nonviolence will lead peace and justice groups from around the United States in prayerful vigil and peaceful protest at either the Pentagon, White House, or the Capitol Building. Each day, a different group from around the country will maintain this call for peace and justice. For more information, please contact the Fellowship of Reconciliation at: Tel: +1 (914) 358-4601. Email: for@forusa.org INFO: http://www.nonviolence.org/for/114.htm 6-9 The "International Conference on War Tax Issues" will be held in Washington, D.C. The conference will be sponsored by the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund. For more information, contact the Peace Tax Fund at: Tel: +1 (202) 483-3751 Email: peacetaxfund@igc.org URL: Http://www.nonviolence.org 8-13 The Sixth World Congress of Educators for Peace will be held in Paris, France. For more information, contact: IAEP 13 Allee M. Robespierre 92290 Chatenay-Malabrie, France Tel: +33 1 4630 6126 Email: iaep@lshs.univ-paris13.fr October 7 International Day of Protest to Stop the Militarization of Space ************************ Resources ************************ Calendars Houseman's Peace Diary and World Peace Directory 2000 ISBN: 0 85283 254 0 ISSN: 0957-0136 47th Edition The attractively-produced Housmans Peace Diary for the year 2000 includes a feature on International Peace Days and related commemorations. Its pocket format combines a week-to-a-view appointments section with the uniquely authoritative World Peace Directory. The Appointments section includes a new selection of thoroughly-researched anniversary dates, and a quote or campaigning note each week. The World Peace Directory is fully re-compiled and lists 2000 organizations in 160 countries working for Peace and Conflict Resolution, for the Environment, and for Human Rights. Web and e-mail addresses are included, in addition to post, phone and fax details, as well as a key to each organization's areas of concern. This is the most comprehensive and up-to-date directory of its kind published anywhere in the world. The 2000 Peace Diary (printed on recycled paper) is on sale in selected bookshops in many countries. There are discounts for multiple orders - details available on request. For more information or to order a copy, please contact: Housmans Bookshop 5 Caledonian Road Kings Cross, London N1 9DX, UK. Tel: 0171-837 4473 Fax: 0171-278 0444, Email: diary@housmans.idps.co.uk Books "Nukes are not Forever" by Lev P. Feoktistov examines the history and evolution of the Soviet atomic project. A former chief architect of the Soviet nuclear program, Feoktistov is now a member of the Russian Pugwash movement. The book presents an insight into the history of the nuclear arms race in the USSR and an analysis of the present nuclear deterrence policy. "Nukes are not Forever" is a joint project of the Russian and Swedish affiliates of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW). For more information or to order a copy, please email: scippnw@glasnet.ru. "Defending Civil Resistance Under International Law" by Francis Anthony Boyle is now available for purchase on-line at amazon.com. "Defending Civil Resistance Under International Law" provides information to individuals on how to design a legal defense for actions of civil resistance intended to halt destructive government activities that violate international law. The book includes a special section on nuclear weapons activities. Price and availability are subject to change To find out more information or purchase the book, please visit amazon.com at: Http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/094132043X/ref=rm_item "Learning to Glow: A Nuclear Reader" by John Bradley is a collection of essays that will challenge readers to re-examine their conceptions about nuclear arms and radioactive waste. "Learning to Glow" is told in the voices of ordinary people, illuminating upon the unheard nuclear nightmares and threats we face everyday. For more information about "Learning to Glow: A Nuclear Reader", please visit Http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/books/bid1296.htm **************************** Letter from the Editor **************************** January 2000 Dear Friends and Activists, The Non-Proliferation Treaty Review and Extension Conference will soon be here and its outcome is critical for both Abolition 2000 and disarmament efforts. We need your action and support in order to make a strong presence at the United Nations in April-May 2000. Many of you remember the 1995 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review and Extension Conference where, frustrated by the resolve of the nuclear weapons states to maintain their arsenals, a few activists and concerned individuals had a vision. That vision of a more secure and livable world, free from the threat of nuclear weapons, was the foundation for the international movement that became known as the Abolition 2000 Network. Now, more than ever before, the work of Abolition 2000 is vital to ensure a more secure and livable world for our children, grandchildren and all future generations. Please take the following actions to support Abolition 2000. You or your organization may wish to focus on these activities during the week of March 1-8, which the Network has designated as International Abolition Days. We cannot succeed without your help. 1. Enroll one or more new organizations in the Abolition 2000 Global Network. 2. Circulate the Abolition 2000 International Petition. By gathering signatures, you can raise awareness about nuclear weapons. Petitions will be delivered at the NPT Conference. 3. Gather the names of Downwinders and Indigenous Peoples directly affected by the nuclear legacy. (See ACTION YOU CAN TAKE for more information). 4. Write a letter to your head of state and urge him/her to attend the NPT Rev Con. 5. Donate to further the efforts of the Global Network. Please write or call and tell me what action you or your organization is taking to further the work of Abolition 2000 and nuclear disarmament. I would love to hear from you. Thank you for your continued support. My best wishes to you in our common work to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. Yours In Peace, Carah Carah Lynn Ong Coordinator, Abolition 2000 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.abolition2000.org 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. ------------------------------ End of abolition-usa-digest V1 #252 *********************************** - To unsubscribe to $LIST, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe $LIST" in the body of the message. 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