Subject: FWD: Abolition 2000 Grassroots Newsletter December 1999 Sender: owner-nukenet@envirolink.org X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.2.07 -- ListProc(tm) by CREN Abolition 2000 Grassroots Newsletter December 1999 Vol. I Number VI ************************ In This Edition... ************************ I. Introduction II. New Organizations III. Articles IV. Commentary V. Actions You Can Take VI. Calendar Events VII. Resources VIII. Letter from the Editor ************************ Introduction ************************ Organizational endorsements continue to arrive daily via mail and email. Currently the Network is comprised of 1 415 organizations in 90 countries and 239 Municipalities have endorsed the Abolition 2000 Municipal Resolution. We are seeking your support to help us reach our goal. Please join me in wishing a warm welcome to the following organizations and municipalities which have recently endorsed the Abolition 2000 statement and joined the network. I urge you to support those within the network and continue building relationships with like-minded individuals and organizations. Please set a goal of enrolling at least one new organization during the month of January. Thank you for your continued support. ************************ New Organizations ************************ Activist San Diego La Jolla/California American Women's Work Seattle/Washington Bill Motto VFW Post 5888 Santa Cruz/California California Physician Alliance Sun Valley/California Christchurch Episcopal Franktown/Colorado Citizens for Overt Action Seattle/Washington Community Centered School Facilitation New York/New York Fellowship of Reconciliation Seattle Chapter/Washington First Mennonite Church of San Francisco San Francisco/California Fundacion Solar Guatemala City/Guatemala International Club for Peace Research Yaounde/Africa International Association of Educators for World Peace Tanzania Invest in Kids Walnut Creek/California Just 1 World Toronto/Canada New York Gray Panthers New York New York Women of Vision and Action New York/New York Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action Bellingham/Washington Pathways to Peace San Rafael/California Rainforest Action Network San Francisco/California Save Heritage and Rehabilitate the Environment (SHARE) Sierra Leone Sisters of the Holy Names Iowa Sisters of the Holy Names Santa Clara/California Spira Grace Project Lititz/Pensylvania Summit Monthly Meeting North Plainfield/New Jersey Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility Seattle/Washington ************** Articles ************** Oppose Nuclear Reactor Construction in Tamil India! Friends of the Tender Earth in Tamil India is fighting against a proposed nuclear reactor at Koodankulam in Tamilnadu. The reactor will be supplied by the Russian government and construction is expected to be complete by the year 2001 . The land for the reactor was acquired by a nuclear power corporation in September of 1999. The reactor will require 1 cubic foot of water per second for cooling and other operations but no such source exists in Koodankulam. The nuclear power corporation plans to pump water from the Patchiparai Dam in the neighboring Kanyakumari district. Using water from the dam will divert the precious resource from many farmers. In addition the nuclear power corporation plans to dump the nuclear waste in the Bay of Bengal (also called the Gulf of Mannar). The waste will harm the delicate balance of the coastal ecosystem which houses a variety of coral reefs and abundant arrays of fish. This sensitive coastal area is the livelihood of many fisherman and their families and they export marine food to many "developed" nations. Even though the Atomic Energy Regulation Board has not given any permission to build the reactor project development has continued. The nuclear power corporation which is sponsoring the construction is also known for its many failures around the world. Please join the Friends of the Tender Earth in Tamil in their opposition to the construction of the reactor. For more information and to send a message of solidarity please contact: S.M. Prithiviraj at prithvi14@yahoo.com Abolition 2000 Working Group on Corporate Issues Co-Hosts Successful Forum on the World Trade Organization The forum sponsored by the Abolition 2000 Working Group on Corporate Issues Pacific Northwest Disarmament Coalition (US) and End the Arms Race (Canada) was a success! The public forum was held in conjunction with the civil society events surrounding the World Trade Organization on November 28 1999. The discussion examined the links between globalization and militarism. Among other speakers Steve Staples convenor of the Abolition 2000 Working Group on Corporate Issues and Chair of the International Network on Disarmament and Globalization discussed how the WTO promotes war economies by protecting military spending and the arms industry creating a global war system to be used as the "invisible fist behind the so-called invisible hand of the free market." He also noted the ability of corporations to use the "rules" of the WTO to dispute panels and block peace-building economic strategies. Alice Slater a member of the Abolition 2000 Coordinating Committee and director of GRACE spoke on how nuclear weapons are defending US corporate interests. She also highlighted the US Space Command vision to control and dominate outerspace in order to defend US interests and investments. The full text of the speech can be viewed at the Abolition 2000 website at Http://www.abolition2000.org. For more information: End the Arms Race: Http://www.peacewire.org Project Ploughshares: Http://www.ploughshares.ca Center for Defense Information: Http://www.cdi.org International Network on Disarmament and Globalization: Http://www.indg.org Back from the Brink De-Alerting Campaign Launched Despite the end of the Cold War more than ten years ago more than 4 400 nuclear weapons in the US and Russian arsenals remain in "launch-on warning" posture. It is essential to de-alert nuclear weapons in order lessen the risk of an accidental missile launch due to human error or miscalculation. De-alerting can also be carried out in conjunction with disarmament initiatives. Back from the Brink launched its national campaign to de-alert nuclear weapons at a national press conference in Washington DC on Thursday December 9 1999. The campaign is sponsored by Former Senator Dale Bumpers Director of the Center for Defense Information; Representative Edward J. Markey; Dr. Bruce Blair Brookings Institution and former US missile launch officer; Beatrice Brailsford Program Director Snake River Alliance; and Dr. Arjun Makhijani President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research. As part of a nation-wide effort to de-alert US nuclear weapons Back from the Brink has released a fifteen minute video on de-alerting along with a toll-free phone number and a website. To obtain more information about de-alerting or the Back from the Brink campaign please visit the website at: Http://www.dealert.org or call toll free 1-877-55-BESAFE Peace Delegation Summons NATO Defense Ministers On December 2 1999 a delegation of twenty peace campaigners handed summons to NATO defense ministers as they entered a ministerial meeting. The summons condemned the illegal nuclear policy used by NATO. To the peace campaigners' dismay the non-violent demonstration was almost immediately stopped by a Brussels police force. The summons handed to the Defense Ministers noted the illegality of NATO to retain its option to use nuclear weapons first in future conflicts. The summons also condemned the resistance of NATO member nuclear weapons states to pursue negotiations leading to the global elimination of nuclear weapons. In addition NATO States violate Articles I and II of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) because the US maintains nuclear weapons in European NATO countries and trains European citizens for their delivery. Mala Spotted Eagle a Shoshone Native American who joined the peace movement delegation in Brussels stated The Western Shoshone Nation has been suffering for a long time now of the effects of over 900 US and British nuclear tests on our treaty lands in Nevada (USA). Today however all life on our Mother Earth is suffering from the consequences of the nuclear tests. It makes no sense to continue to threaten the world populations with such immoral and monstrous weapons. For more information please contact: For Mother Earth International/Voor Moeder Aarde vzw Gents Ecologisch Centrum Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6 9000 Gent Belgium Tel: +32-9-242 87 52 Fax +32-9-242 87 51 E-mail: pol@motherearth.org URL: Http://www.motherearth.org/ *************** Commentary *************** Below is an excerpt from "The Strengths of Unanimity and Good Faith" by Harold Evans LL.M. Q.S.O. a member of the Abolition 2000 committee in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The paper was a proposal and Parliamentary Initiative in Aotearoa/New Zealand to appeal to member states of the United Nations and especially Nuclear Weapons States to join Aotearoa/New Zealand in accepting and "in fulfilling the 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." The Parliamentary document was entitled "Nuclear Disarmament and Abolition 2000" and was used as a means to gain support from the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control. To obtain information about the status of the document or to become actively involved in the Abolition 2000 Wellington Committee please contact: Chris King Abolition 2000 c/o Department of Public Health Wellington School of Medicine P.O. Box 7343 Wellington South Aotearoa/New Zealand Tel: (04) 385-5999 ext. 6050 Fax: (04) 389-5319 The Strengths of Unanimity and Good Faith by Harold Evans LL.M. Q.S.O. And yet the case for their [nuclear weapons] total elimination, even if classed as a dream is firmly based on human need. The safety, security, health and well-being of all people are dependent upon the dream becoming a reality. To this the law of Rome added its own vision. Looking to the same human needs and using the inclusive word 'salus', Cicero (106-44 BC) declared that it was the chief duty of the law to safeguard them: 'Salus populi suprema est lex.' Moreover the most basic instincts of Homo Sapiens - self-preservation, coupled nowadays with the protectiveness felt towards Planet Earth and all life pertaining to it, are in themselves a case for elimination of these horrendous weapons... All in all, therefore, the men and women of 'Abolition 2000', in starting along the road towards nuclear disarmament, total and universal, have surely done right. They know the journey will entail the long and formidable task of persuading the nations of the world into an agreement for the elimination of nuclear weapons. In this task they will need all the help they can get from international and humanitarian law and enlightened leadership everywhere. And the point here and now to be made is that such help has become available, help of a very specific kind. ************************ Action You Can Take ************************ Abolition 2000 Needs Your Support! Now more than ever your action and support are needed to make a difference. As the year 2000 quickly approaches we must unite in our common endeavors to create a more peaceful and just world free from the threat of nuclear weapons. Although our different organizations are unique and have a variety of priorities and agendas we all are striving for the same end...nuclear abolition. Here are three things you can do to unite and strengthen the Network: 1. Enroll Commit to enrolling at least one other organization in the month of December. 2. Circulate the Abolition 2000 International Petition among your friends family and in your community and introduce the Municipal Resolution to your local government. 3. Donate Please commit to making a donation however large or small to forward our common work and goals for this upcoming critical year. Global Peace Now! The Year 2000 Global Peace Walk will begin on January 15 2000 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in San Francisco California. Peace Walkers will embark on a nine month journey across the US carrying petitions and messages of peace. Among other survival issues the Global Peace Walk has agreed to carry the Abolition 2000 message and petition. The journey will conclude in Washington DC on October 8 2000 (Indigenous People's Day) and the various petitions and messages will be delivered to governmental leaders. Support from Abolition 2000 members is needed to help carry the message of disarmament to various communities. If you are interested hosting activities surrounding the Year 2000 Global Peace Walk in your city or in becoming a financial or moral supporter please contact: Global Peace Walk P.O. Box 170245 San Francisco CA 94117-0245 Tel: (415) 863-2084 E-Fax: (413) 895-8588 Email: GPZONE2000@aol.com or Gear2000@lightspeed.net URL: Http://www.globalpeacenow.org Fax a Letter to De-Alert Nuclear Weapons! Continue faxing letters to US President Bill Clinton and US Secretary of Defense William Cohen asking them to take nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert to prevent a global nuclear catastrophe. Fax numbers: President William Clinton FAX (202)456-2461 or (202)456-2883. US Secretary of Defense William Cohen FAX (703)695-1149. Sample letters and background information can be found at the Abolition 2000 website at Http://www.abolition2000.org. Free internet faxing is available at Http://www.fax4free.com. ************************ Calendar of Events ************************ December 23 A Dedication to Nonviolence and Candlelight Vigil sponsored by the Brandywine Peace Community will take place at 5 p.m. across the 30th Street Bridge at Market Street in Philadelphia PA. For more information please contact the Brandywine Peace Community at: P.O. Box 81 Swarthmore PA 19081 Tel: (610) 544-1818 Email: brandywine@juno.com Http://www.craftech.com/~dcpledge/brandywine 30-January 2 The Nevada Desert Experience is announces "Walking the Ways of Peace" a non-violent demonstration that will be held at Bishop Gormon High School Las Vegas and the Nevada Test site. Join a candlelight procession onto the Test Site at midnight on December 31st. For more information please contact the Nevada Desert Experience at: Telephone: (702) 646-4814 Email: nde@igc.apc.org URL: http://www.shundahai.org/nde 31 Join peace & justice advocates from around the Southeastern US in a historic and memorable Millennium - New Year's 2000 observance. Peacemaking in the 21st Century will be held at Crooked River State Park and will celebrate the past envision the future and build community. For more information please contact John & Martina Linnehan of the Metanoia Community at: 12230 Flynn Woods Road Jacksonville FL 32223 Tel: 904-262-5071 Email metanoia@juno.com 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: (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/ April '00 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/ 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 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 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 ************************ Resources ************************ Books South Asia on a Short Fuse: Nuclear Politics and the Future of Global Disarmament published by Oxford University Press Delhi is now available. The book is the first full-length analysis of the causes and consequences of the crossing of the nuclear threshold by India and Pakistan. South Asia on a Short Fuse: Nuclear Politics and the Future of Global Disarmament is approximately 400 pages and is available for 595 Rupees. The book is available in major bookstores in most Indian cities. This edition is for South Asia. The American edition is expected to be published soon under the title New Nukes: India Pakistan and Global Nuclear Disarmament by Interlink Publishing Northampton Mass USA and differs slightly from the OUP volume in editing style and number of appendices. You can order South Asia on a Short Fuse: India Pakistan and Global Nuclear Disarmament from any of OUP's regional offices. Their addresses in metropolitan cities are: Delhi: 2/11 Ansari Road Daryaganj New Delhi 110 002 Tel: (+11) 327.3841/42 / Fax: (+11) 327.7812 Mumbai: Oxford House Apollo Bunder Mumbai 400 001 Tel: (+22) 202.1029/1198 | Fax: (+22) 204.1268 Calcutta: Plot No. A1-5 Block GP Sector V Salt Lake Electronics Complex Calcutta 700 091 Tel: (+33) 357.3739/40/41 | Fax: (+33) 357.3738 For more information on South Asia on a Short Fuse: India Pakistan and Global Nuclear Disarmament please contact: Bumper Stickers The bumper sticker that says it all is now available from the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action. The bright blue blackround and the yellow and gold sunflower in the center concisely and aesthetically represent the simple message Abolish Nuclear Weapons. The stickers can be purchased for .25 cents each or 50 stickers for $10 USD + shipping and handling. To order for yourself or for your organization send your request to: Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action 16159 Clear Creek Rd. NW Poulsbo WA 98370 Tel: 360-377-2586 Email: info@gzcenter.org Video The WTO and the Global War System -- Now available on the Internet in Real Video! The video highlights the public forum on globalization and militarism held during the civil society events surrounding the Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization in Seattle on November 28th 1999. Part 1: Http://www.tappedintotheearth.com/ram/globalwar1.ram Martin Fleck Physicians for Social Responsibility (Moderator) Susan George Transnational Institute Mark Ritchie Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy Alice Slater GRACE and Abolition 2000 Part 2 : Http://www.tappedintotheearth.com/ram/globalwar2.ram Steve Staples International Network on Disarmament and Globalization Followed by the discussion Period. **************************** Letter from the Editor **************************** December 15 1999 Dear Friends and Activists As 1999 comes to an end and a new year quickly approaches I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you. I am very thankful for this opportunity to be apart of a very important movement and caring community that strives to create a more peaceful and just world. We may not be the majority but our message is clear and salient. Now more than ever our efforts to achieve a nuclear free world are needed to encourage each other to continue our work with zeal and determination to influence policy makers to advocate change and to educate others. We must let the world know that the resolve of the nuclear weapons states to maintain their arsenals is unacceptable and we will not stand for it. We must act now to hold our governments responsible for the destruction degradation and human suffering that they have caused in failing to reduce the nuclear danger by refusing to implement arms control and disarmament measures. If we do nothing the devastation will affect us all. Now is not the time to be despondent or downcast. We must mobilize ourselves and others and press forward. I hope that you will join me in a commitment to further the goals of Abolition 2000 and to continue striving for a world free from the nuclear threat. Thank you for your support and endurance in our common endeavor to create a better world for our generation and future generations to come. I look forward to keeping in touch and working with each one of you in this coming year. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions comments or concerns. 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). 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