ftp.xmission.com/2014.06.ftp.xmission.com.tar/ftp.xmission.com/pub/lists/abolition-usa/archive/abolition-usa.199903

Internet Message Format | 1999-03-31 | 743KB

From: Kathy Crandall <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) STAR WARS REVIVAL - Legislative Update
Date: 01 Mar 1999 10:41:44 -0500

IN THE SENATE:

S. 257, The Cochran-Inouye Bill calling for National Missile Defense
deployment "as soon as technologically possible," has been pushed back
in the schedule. It is most likely that the Senate vote will be the week
of March 8 - though it's possible that it would come up this week.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO FAX AND CALL YOUR SENATORS - urge them to oppose S.
257 - the National Missile Defense Act of 1999.

Senators who need special attention:
Feinstein (CA)
Graham (FL)
Bayh (IN)
Landrieu (LA)
Edwards (NC)
Kerrey (NE)
Bryan (NV)
Chafee (RI)
Jeffords (VT)
Kohl (WI)

*******************************************************
IN THE HOUSE

On Thursday Feb. 25 the House Armed Services Committee voted 50 to 3 for
the Spratt (D-SC)-Weldon(R-PA) bill stating: "That it is the policy of
the United States to deploy a national missile defense system." The
three voting to the right way - opposing the bill, were Allen (ME),
Evans (IL), McKinney(GA). The House vote is likely to come up sometime
soon this month, stay tuned for details
******************************************************
FOR MORE INFORMATIO & WHAT YOU CAN DO
Order your Stop the Star Wars Revival  Action & Resource Kits.
Contact the Disarmament Clearinghouse.
--
DISARMAMENT CLEARINGHOUSE
Nuclear Disarmament Information, Resources & Action Tools
Kathy Crandall, Coordinator
1101 14th Street NW #700, Washington DC 20005
TEL: [phone] ext. 232 FAX: [phone]
E-MAIL: [e-mail]
http://www.psr.org/Disarmhouse.htm
http://www.psr.org/ctbtaction.htm

A project of: Friends Committee on National Legislation
     Peace Action, Physicians for Social Responsibility
     and Women's Action for New Directions



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Pacific Anti-Nuclear Book Launched at UN
Date: 01 Mar 1999 22:14:32 EST

"Pacific Women Speak Out"
$10 plus ($2 p&p)
Contact LCNP Tel: [phone] (email [e-mail]), or
WILPF Tel: [phone]. (email [e-mail])


Mar 1, Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Day

"Pacific Women Speak Out", a book containing the testimonies of 11 Pacific
women on nuclear issues, was launched at the United Nations today, the 45th
anniversary of the Bravo nuclear test in the Marshall Islands, and the first
day of the Commission on the Status of Women meeting,

The book launch was dedicated to Darlene Keju-Johnson who died from breast
cancer in 1996. In video testimony aired at the launch Darlene spoke about the
effects of nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands:

"Since the testing there has been a tremendous increase in health problems.
The biggest problem we have now, especially amongst women and children is
cancers... Now we have this problem of what we call "jelly-fish babies". These
babies are born like jelly-fish. They have no eyes. They have no heads. They
have no arms. They have no legs. They do not shape like human beings at all.
But they are being born on the labour table."

Kate Dewes, co-editor of the book, spoke of how important it is to present the
testimonies of these women to policy makers internationally. "These women
can't afford to travel all the way to the United Nations or other
international bodies, but their voices should be heard here. Please take
copies with you to give to diplomats, politicians and anyone else who is
involved in decisions on our future."

Marie Maddison, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Marshall Islands spoke of
the effects of the Bravo nuclear explosion on Mar 1, 1954, and noted that the
Pacific Islands are now under a new threat of extinction from rising seas as a
result of global warming.

Tonya Gonnella Frichner, founder of the American Indian Law Alliance, spoke of
similar problems from nuclear testing, uranium mining and nuclear waste
dumping in the territories of Native American nations in the US. "Some of our
communities have unemployment rates approaching 90% and the lowest standard of
living in North America. When the US authorities approach us with thousands of
dollars in their pockets and ask us to take the waste, it creates incredible
difficulties for us."

Felicity Hill, Executive Director of the UN Office of the Women's
International League for Peace and Freedom, spoke of the importance of
incorporating the experiences and visions of Pacific women into the decisions
at the Commission on the Status of Women and the Non Proliferation Treaty
Review. The Marshall Islands government, for example, has proposed to the
Preparatory Committee Meetings for the 2000 NPT Review that negotiations
commence on a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons and that greater assistance
be given to communities affected by contamination from nuclear testing.

 Darlene Keju-Johnson writes in "Pacific Women Speak Out"  that "The story of
the Marshallese people since the nuclear weapons tests has been sad and
painful. Allow our experience, now, to save others such sadness and pain."

Tonya Frichner noted that "Our Chiefs are instructed to consider the effects
of their decisions on the seventh generation yet unborn." Marie Maddison
concluded with an appeal: "Let our children have a nuclear free, clean and
peaceful world."

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) UNSCOM
Date: 02 Mar 1999 17:16:27 EST

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

--part0_920412988_boundary
Content-ID: <0_920412988@inet_out.mail.aol.com.1>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Has the US destroyed UNSCOM?

--part0_920412988_boundary
Content-ID: <0_920412988@inet_out.mail.aol.com.2>
Content-type: text/plain;
    name="UNSCOM.WPD"
Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable
Content-disposition: inline

Has the US destroyed UNSCOM?
by Jim Wurst, Program Director,
Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy

The Washington Post reported in a front page article today (2
March) that the United States has "infiltrated agents and espionage
equipment for three years" into the UN Special Commission in
charge of monitoring Iraq's disarmament. If confirmed, it could be
the final blow for the UNSCOM inspection regime.

At a news conference today following the publication of the article,
Secretary-General Kofi Annan declined to express any personal
opinion or speculate on the veracity of the reports. He noted that
UNSCOM was the responsibility of the Security Council, not of
his office, and said the Council "should draw the right lessons"
from this episode. "We went in [to Iraq] to focus on disarmament
and to implement the Council' resolutions and we would have
preferred for everyone to have keep a tight focus on that." He
added, the UN "must determine the steps we have to take to ensure
the sanctity of their work."

When pressed, he said, "I will not make a demarche" to the US.
Iraq has not commented on the reports.

Now confirming what it had previously denied, unnamed US
officials said their agents were working without the knowledge of
senior UN officials, including UNSCOM Chair Richard Butler and
his predecessor Rolf Ekeus, and were gathering intelligence on
matters far removed from Iraq's programs on weapons of mass
destruction and ballistic missiles, such as Iraqi army troop
movements.

Butler has not commented on the new allegations. But the Post
quotes him addressing the issue in an earlier conversation saying,
"I've spent a lifetime of helping build and defend the
nonproliferation regimes. Piggybacking in this manner [by US
intelligence] can only serve the interests of those who reject
meaningful efforts at arms control."

The future of multilateral arms control is the issue behind this
probable collapse of UNSCOM. Annan noted, "There is no doubt
that these allegations will make disarmament regimes... difficult."
The commission has always been unique in the history of arms
control. The Security Council established UNSCOM to force the
disarmament of Iraq after the Gulf War, citing the Charter's Article
VII provision for dealing with "acts of aggression." In other words,
disarmament by coercion. In contrast, all disarmament treaties
require the consent of all parties. Slipping spies into an inspection
team where the targeted country has no right of refusal could not
happen under NPT, Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty or Chemical
Weapons Convention, under which nations have the right to reject
individual inspectors. Such subtleties could well be lost on
opponents of arms control, be they  states or unreconstructed Cold
Warriors in the US Congress.

Also up in the air is the future of IAEA inspections in Iraq. The
IAEA operates on a different mandate than UNSCOM and Iraq has
always made a distinction between the work of the two agencies.
The Post report does not implicate the IAEA in US spying
activities.

#         #

--part0_920412988_boundary--

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Stephen Young <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) A Strategy for the NATO Summit
Date: 02 Mar 1999 18:33:29 -0500

Preparing for Future Nuclear Disarmament - The Summit and the Steps
Ahead

by Daniel Plesch, Director, BASIC
and Otfried Nassasauer, Director, BITS

March 1999

Throughout 1999 and early 2000 nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation
will be at a crossroads.  Until the 2000 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
Review Conference, the world faces crucial decisions on both nuclear
disarmament and non-proliferation, with these areas closely
interlocking. If the wrong decisions are made, the existing
non-proliferation regime will be substantially weakened, additional
nuclear armed powers are likely to emerge, and nuclear weapons will be
assigned new tasks within NATO.  If the right decisions are made, great
opportunities for nuclear disarmament and strengthening the NPT will
open up, and nuclear weapons will be devalued as a means of national
power.

Throughout 1998 steps were taken in a destabilizing direction.  India
and Pakistan tested nuclear weapons, and  began the process of
integrating them into their military arsenals.  Russia has not ratified
START-II, while the US bombed the chance that this would happen in late
1998 with its strikes against Iraq.  Both Russia and NATO are
independently discussing an increased role for their nuclear weapons.
The fate of START II is unsure again, in both Russia and also the US,
where the Senate must reexamine the Treaty.  Russia considers making
first use a part of her military doctrine and argues that her nuclear
weapons are needed to outbalance NATO's conventional superiority.  The
US is pushing NATO into considering whether nuclear weapons should have
a role in deterring and fighting all weapons of mass destruction,
whether owned by states or non-state actors.  NATO has engaged in this
debate in the midst of its first real post-cold war strategy review.

While the general objective is to move towards global nuclear
disarmament by the shortest and quickest route possible, the current
situation is that progress is made glacially slow - with the prospect
that the pace of 1987-1992 cannot be resumed.  The initiative needs to
be taken primarily by the US and in addition by its allies.  All other
parties are in relatively weak positions and have comparably little room
to manoeuvre.

In general the three Western Nuclear Weapon States (NWS) have cared and
continue to care little for the UN disarmament fora and the disarmament
provisions of the NPT.  Instead, they continue to regard decisions on
nuclear weapons as central to their role in the world.  NATO's decisions
on nuclear weapons (NW) are important to US and UK geo-political
strategies.  In international fora these NWS are mainly supported by
their allies in Europe.  However, a gradual erosion of allied support
for these NWS in NATO has recently become visible in UN votes, the
independent action of some non-nuclear NATO countries in the Conference
on Disarmament and during the German initiated debate on NATO reviewing
its first use policy.

However, both NATO and Russia are also facing strong incentives to take
new initiatives on nuclear disarmament and safeguarding the NPT.  Russia
can no longer finance her nuclear arsenal, neither her strategic weapons
nor her tactical ones. Neither the current posture nor the ones
envisaged under either START-II or START-III can be maintained, without
investing huge resources into their maintenance and modernisation.
However, Russia is interested in maintaining parity with the US.  Deep
cuts into both sides' arsenals are the only way to accomplish Russian
aims.  The US also has a serious interest in cutting strategic forces to
much lower levels for costsaving reasons. In addition, NATO and the US
share a strong interest in making Russian tactical nuclear weapons
disarmament a treaty obligation and reducing proliferation risks.

While Russia is not in a good position to take the initiative, the US
and its Western Allies are. The ongoing NATO strategy review is a key
opportunity to discuss and agree change for the better among Western
nations.  NATO can make use of  existing opportunities to dramatically
reduce the numbers of existing nuclear weapons and help safeguard the
NPT.  Key decisions should be taken by NATO's April Summit, including on
the following issues.

1. NATO's strategy review should contain a statement that the
fundamental purpose of NW in the Alliance is to provide a last resort
for deterrence purposes. NATO should explain that "last resort" covers
only the one case the International Court of Justice (IJC) didn't rule
out as illegal, i.e. if the very existence of one or several member
states is at stake. The role of NATO's nuclear weapons would be greatly
reduced.

2. NATO should eliminate all language on substrategic NW's in its new
strategy. (This opens the option to take a decision on elimination of
this category of weapons after the Summit, maybe unilaterally by the
US.)

3. The US and Russia should conclude work on a politically binding
framework (such as the Helsinki framework agreement) for an arms control
agreement which covers tactical nuclear weapons and includes a
withdrawal of US-owned European-deployed tactical nuclear weapons. This
could happen within or outside the START-framework. If such a framework
proves impossible, because NATO-Russia relations have deteriorated too
much, NATO should agree to unilaterally withdraw all US free-fall bombs
from Europe.

4. This would allow the European states to make their own input and
declare that they no longer require such weapons during peacetime. It
would also likely smoke out secret progress in NATOÆs Nuclear Planning
Group towards supporting the US in its push for pre-emptive nuclear
counter-proliferation preparations, because forward deployed B-61s may
form part of that strategy.

5. The Alliance should adopt the new members' standard on nuclear
co-operation for all non-nuclear NATO-members. Poland, Hungary and the
Czech Republic have joined NATO as first class members while accepting
that they will be eligible to participate in NATO nuclear planning and
consultation agreements. However under current and foreseeable
circumstances all new members will neither deploy nuclear weapons on
their soil, nor host the infrastructure for doing so, nor train pilots
to participate in NATO nuclear operations, nor enter Programs of
Cooperation. They have no requirement to deploy nuclear-capable aircraft
either. If Poland, NATOÆs new 'front-line' state, does not need nuclear
arms then clearly there is no need for other countries, such as Greece
and Belgium, to prepare to fly nuclear missions.  A number of arguments
and political developments, outlined later in this paper, support such a
change.

6. NATO should issue a separate document on nuclear policy during the
Summit. This paper should include statements on nuclear policies agreed
earlier by the NWS,  such as the 1985 commitment that the NPT is valid
under all circumstances or the 1995 commitment entered in the context of
the NPT "Principles and Objectives"  as well as the statement on the
Middle East and on Article VI.  Because NATO states have successfully
insulated their military policies (and officers) from the NPT
commitments they will be reluctant to re-issue these commitments,
however refusal will be hard to sustain and extremely damaging to the
NPT as it would constitute a revocation of the core political
commitments made in the permanent extension of the NPT permanent.  The
US in particular is keen to dismiss the statement on the Middle East -
something Europeans approach differently.

7. NATO should change its first use doctrine. However the change should
be put in a different context.  No first use is no longer primarily the
European security issue that is was when the idea was discussed in the
1980s.  Today, NATO should commit itself to a no first use policy in the
context of meeting the Alliance's obligations under existing negative
security assurances, which NATO would violate in almost all cases if the
Alliance ever were to use nuclear weapons first against a non-nuclear
weapon state.

8. The Alliance should state that it no longer requires SLBMs to be kept
on short notice to fire. This is a concrete means of adding to the
de-alerting debate as well as indicating that NATO is willing to
implement a no first use policy.  The UK has already announced that it
can operate its SLBMs at a reduced notice to fire - although it does not
call this de-alerting. NATO's fighter bombers are already off quick
reaction alert.  If the US maintains its forces on alert it should do so
without an alibi from Europe.

For some five years the PENN Network, working transatlantically, has
sought to re-open political debate within Europe on NATO related nuclear
weapons issues. Today, this debate has been re-opened. NATO faces
challenges over its nuclear policies from a wide variety of
perspectives:

* NATO members are facing strong demands to meet their commitments on
nuclear disarmament

* NATO members are being challenged over the political legitimacy and
the legality of NATO nuclear sharing under the NPT.  Neutral and
Non-Aligned States have called on NATO to revoke nuclear sharing
arrangements, since they are incompatible with the NPT.

* NATO members are likely to face both the risks resulting from future
nuclear proliferation and the blame for not having acted in time in
making progress on nuclear disarmament and safeguarding the NPT.

NATO's nuclear weapon states have tried to avoid the change urgently
required. Thus they have risked the future of both nuclear disarmament
and the NPT.  Since they did not succeed in entirely prohibiting the
debate within the Alliance, they are now indicating they might be
willing to discuss the nuclear aspects of NATO's strategy after NATO's
April Summit within a high level NATO group. However, this position is
likely to be changed once NATO has adopted its new strategy during that
Summit and - maybe - some minor changes to the nuclear paragraphs have
been made. Unless NATO enters a firm and binding commitment to fully
revisit the role of nuclear weapons in its strategy and to draw
conclusions at its autumn 1999 Ministerials, i.e. in time for the world
community to prepare positions for the 2000 NPT Review Conference -
NATO's nuclear members are likely to argue that no further change is
required for a strategy just adopted after a thorough review. This would
close the window of opportunity for fresh momentum to nuclear
disarmament existing today and would put the NPT under risk.



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Marshall Islands correction
Date: 03 Mar 1999 17:10:55 EST

Dear People,

The problem with writing messages late at night is that I sometimes make
mistakes. It was the Foreign Secretary not the Foreign Minister of Marshall
Islands who participated in the book launch.

Sorry
Alyn

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Mark Mebane <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
Date: 04 Mar 1999 10:11:30 -0500

HIRING PUBLIC EDUCATION COORDINATOR, NUCLEAR ABOLITION PROJECT.

Coordinator will implement a new program of national public outreach and
education for progressive organizations toward the goal of nuclear
weapons reduction and elimination. Three years' experience in policy
advocacy or research on nuclear disarmament. For full job announcement
email: [e-mail].

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) UK has already taken weapons off alert
Date: 04 Mar 1999 10:49:34 -0500


>
> Dear Friends,


As we work on efforts for dealerting, I think it would be useful to make
reference to the rarely discussed UK Strategic Defence Review(SDR), July=
 1998,
which notes that UK Trident warheads "will routinely be at a "notice to=
 fire"
measured in days rather than the few minutes quick reaction alert that we
sustained throughout the Cold War".  The full report can be found at
http://www.mod.uk/policy/sdr/nuclear.htm  Below is an excerpt from the SDR.

>
> NUCLEAR DETERRENT=20
>
>
-
>
> =96 The SDR has confirmed that in a changing and uncertain world, Britain=
=20
> continues to require a credible and effective minimum nuclear deterrent=20
> based on the Trident submarine force. This has provided Britain's only=20
> nuclear system since the withdrawal of the last of the RAF's free-fall=20
> nuclear bombs earlier this year, performing both the strategic and=20
> sub-strategic role.=20
>
> =96 We will therefore continue to maintain a posture of continuous=
 deterrent=20
> patrols with a total force of four Trident ballistic missile submarines.=
=20
> The last Trident submarine, VENGEANCE, will enter service as previously=20
> planned around the turn of the century.=20
>
> =96 Our Trident force will continue to be allocated to NATO in both the=20
> strategic and sub-strategic roles. It will however remain operationally=20
> independent and available for use by the United Kingdom alone in a case of=
=20
> supreme national need.=20
>
> =96 But continuing improvements in the overall international environment=
=20
> allow us to maintain our nuclear forces at reduced readiness and to make=
=20
> reductions in warhead numbers.=20
>
> =96 The SDR has concluded that we can maintain a credible deterrent while=
=20
> making the following changes in our nuclear posture:=20
>
> a.. the single Trident submarine on deterrent patrol at any time will=20
> carry 48 warheads (the same number as deployed on each Polaris submarine=
=20
> when they entered service);=20
> a.. we will maintain a stockpile of fewer than 200 operationally=20
> available warheads;=20
> a.. the submarines will routinely be at a "notice to fire" measured in=20
> days rather than the few minutes quick reaction alert that we sustained=20
> throughout the Cold War;=20
> a.. submarines on patrol will carry out a variety of secondary tasks,=20
> without compromising their security, including hydrographic data=20
> collection, equipment trials and exercises with other vessels;=20
> a.. we plan over time to reduce to single crews for each submarine,=20
> reflecting reduced operational tempo and reducing operating costs.=20
> =96 We have also taken an initiative to increase openness about our=
 nuclear=20
> capabilities by releasing details of our defence stocks of plutonium and=
=20
> highly enriched uranium.=20
>
> =96 In parallel, the Government will press for multilateral negotiations=
=20
> towards mutual, balanced and verifiable reductions in nuclear weapons.=20
> British nuclear weapons will be included in such negotiations when the=20
> Government is satisfied with verified progress towards the goal of the=20
> global elimination of nuclear weapons.=20
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ------=20
>
>
>
>
>
>



Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Timothy Bruening <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Nuclear Nightmare
Date: 04 Mar 1999 22:48:25 -0800 (PST)

Last week, I had a nuclear nightmare.  I was sitting in an auditorium when
someone said that a nuclear bomb would explode in the auditorium in 15
minutes.  I ran north, hid behind a building, and waited for the bomb to
explode.  After the explosion, I looked south and saw a mushroom cloud and
burned rubble.  I then continued on north to escape from the fallout.  Have
you ever had a nuclear nightmare?


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Timothy Bruening <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: memorial ceremony 6. October / new email
Date: 04 Mar 1999 22:48:23 -0800 (PST)

At 08:32 AM 7/21/98 +0200, you wrote:

>To all peace movements:
>
>We propose that all peace-organisations / -groups in the world make a
memorial ceremony the 6. of October =96 this year or in 1999. And make this=
 to
a tradition as long as some countries have atomic weapon.

Why October 6?  Why not August 6, the day of the Hiroshima nuke?


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) ACTION ALERT: Letter to German Foreign Minister Fischer
Date: 05 Mar 1999 09:43:16 -0500

Dear Friends,
Our Abolition 2000 colleague in Germany, Xanthe Hall at IPPNW, has
requested that US Abolition groups send letters to German Foreign Minister,
Joschka Fischer, thanking him for his courageous stand in challenging US
nuclear policy.  He needs to hear from lots of Americans that his actions
are popular with us and are supported.  Below is a sample letter which you
may use to write your own letter.  Many thanks for your help with this
important initiative.  Peace, Alice Slater

>To US abolition groups
>Please consider signing this letter and sending it to Joschka Fischer.
>Thank you
>
>Xanthe Hall, IPPNW
>
>
>SAMPLE LETTER for Abolition Groups
>
>To Foreign Minister
>Joschka Fischer
>Auswaertiges Amt
>Adenauer Allee 99-103
>D-53113 Bonn
>GERMANY
>
>
>Dear Sir,
>
>I am writing to thank you for your continued efforts to initiate a debate
>on the policy of
>first-use of nuclear weapons in the review of the NATO strategic concept,
>and to
>encourage you to remain vocal on this issue.
>
>Our organization supports the abolition of all nuclear weapons and the
>negotiation of a
>treaty to regulate their elimination (Nuclear Weapons Convention). We
>belong to the
>Global Network for the elimination of nuclear weapons - Abolition 2000 -
>which is
>supported by over 1300 organizations, and works for the immediate
>commencement of
>negotiations for a convention to be completed by the year 2000. This
>initiative was
>started in 1995 at the NPT Review and Extension Conference.
>
>If nuclear weapons are to be abolished, the present deadlock in
>disarmament has to be
>broken. The dependence on nuclear weapons to give a false sense of
>security has to be
>reduced and eventually given up, when it is understood that they make us
>less safe and
>have nothing to do with our security needs.
>
>The coalition agreement between the Green and Social Democratic Parties
>states that a
>new dynamic may be achieved through unilateral disarmament initiatives. It
>is our belief
>that a clear signal by NATO at this time that they are willing to
>significantly reduce the
>role of nuclear weapons in the strategic concept, renounce first-use and
>even remove the
>remaining few US nuclear free-fall bombs based in Europe, would help to
>revitalize the
>disarmament process.
>
>As a US non-governmental organization, we wish to express our profound
>disappointment at the lack of willingness of the US government to debate
>the role of
>nuclear weapons in the strategic review. An opinion poll showed majority
>of US citizens
>(87%) would like to see the US negotiate an agreement to abolish nuclear
>weapons, a
>desire which is not reflected by the US administration in disarmament
>fora. The foreign
>policy of the US leads the international community to believe that the
>United States is
>not in favor of giving up nuclear weapons at all, whereas in actual fact
>the majority of
>people in the US say they would feel safer knowing that the US and other
>countries had
>none (84%) and that the US spends too much on its nuclear weapons program.
>These
>figures are relatively unknown outside of the disarmament community, but
>may be of
>interest to you in promoting your initiative for the reduction of the role
>of nuclear
>weapons within NATO.
>
>I wish you success and courage in the debate on no first-use and encourage
>you to
>remember that there are many of us in the United States that are looking
>to Germany to
>continue to take the lead on this extremely important issue.
>
>Yours sincerely,
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Re: UK has already taken weapons off alert
Date: 05 Mar 1999 11:47:42 -0500

>Date: Fri, 05 Mar 1999 16:15:31 -0500
>Subject: Re: UK has already taken weapons off alert
>To: [e-mail], [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>Thanks to Alice for putting up some sections of the UK Strategic Defence
>Review (SDR). I think we need to exercise some caution, however, about
>equating the UK announcement with de-alerting, a term the government has
>specifically avoided.
>For more analysis on what the SDR meant for nuclear policy, you can find
>six
>short critiques (from a range of perspectives) in Disarmament Diplomacy 28
>(on our website) and some pertinent extracts and documentation from the SDR
>and its supporting essays in the same edition. For your interest, I am
>copying a couple of paragraphs I wrote on the implications of the 'reduced
>day to day alert' status announced, after discussing in more detail during
>a
>meeting with MOD officials and Frank von Hippel.
>In encouraging the other NWS to do likewise, it is perhaps useful to use
>the
>UK as a positive example of taking the first step, but we should not
>congratulate my esteemed government too much, as they specifically ruled
>out
>taking any of the more substantial or verifiable de-alerting steps that had
>been proposed for the SDR.
>
>EXTRACT FROM DISARMAMENT DIPLOMACY 28 (JULY 1998) ON UK STRATEGIC DEFENCE
>REVIEW
>'STILL PUNCHING ABOVE OUR WEIGHT' by Rebecca Johnson
>
>....Significantly, Labour announced that its nuclear forces were on a
>"reduced day-to-day alert state", not targeted, and normally at "several
>days 'notice to fire'". This appears to be an unverifiable operational
>decision, rather than technical de-alerting.  It provides a welcome
>protection against accidental, hair trigger or unauthorised firing, but
>falls a long way short of the kind of confidence-building measures and
>operational marginalisation of nuclear weapons that had been called for by
>many citizens' groups and analysts.  Indeed,   Despite the MOD's actual
>failure to provide continuous 24-hour patrols during the past decade,
>Labour
>confirmed the aim of having at least one Trident submarine at sea at all
>times.  The argument for mothballing the fourth submarine was rejected.
>All
>four will be brought into service, with the intention of having two in port
>while one is on patrol.  The implication is that deterrence requires
>continuous readiness, if not hair trigger alert.  Relying on arguments
>about
>'surprise attack' and potential misunderstandings, the SDR rejected
>proposals for 'de-weaponising' Trident by separating and storing the
>warheads on land.  On the contrary, it pledges to "ensure that we can
>restore a higher state of alert should this become necessary at any time."
>Stating that the "credibility of deterrence also depends on retaining an
>option for a limited strike that would not automatically lead to a full
>scale nuclear exchange", the SDR proposes a 'sub-strategic' role for
>Trident, but fails to say what that might look like.
>
>Although the SDR states that "the Government wishes to see a safer world in
>which there is no place for nuclear weapons", it clearly does not envisage
>Britain giving them up any time soon: "while large nuclear arsenals and
>risks of proliferation remain, our minimum deterrent remains a necessary
>element of our security". Elsewhere, the SDR refers to nuclear deterrence
>as
>"longer term insurance" for NATO........................
>
>website address is below.
>
>
>
>The Acronym Institute
>24, Colvestone Crescent, London E8 2LH, England.
>telephone (UK +44) (0) 171 503 8857
>fax                (0) 171 503 9153
>website http://www.gn.apc.org/acronym
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Nuclear Nightmare
Date: 05 Mar 1999 11:54:42 EST

In a message dated 3/5/99 1:49:17 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[e-mail] writes:

<< Subj:     (abolition-usa) Nuclear Nightmare
 Date:    3/5/99 1:49:17 AM Eastern Standard Time
 From:    [e-mail] (Timothy Bruening)
 Sender:    [e-mail]
 Reply-to:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]

 Last week, I had a nuclear nightmare.  I was sitting in an auditorium when
 someone said that a nuclear bomb would explode in the auditorium in 15
 minutes.  I ran north, hid behind a building, and waited for the bomb to
 explode.  After the explosion, I looked south and saw a mushroom cloud and
 burned rubble.  I then continued on north to escape from the fallout.  Have
 you ever had a nuclear nightmare?
  >>

Oh yes, Timothy - but long ago, just as we entered the nuclear age, back in
the late 1940's or early 1950's. Other nightmares since, but only one that was
nuclear.

The bomb was part of the origin of the "Beats" - time was ending, all things
had to be of immediate value (not immediate gratification - somewhat
different).

David McReynolds

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Jan Harwood <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) New brochure
Date: 05 Mar 1999 16:46:57 -0800

Our Abolition 2000 Committee (WILPF, Santa Cruz) would like 50 of your
brochures.  We've reviewed them and think they're a vivid introduction to
the subject.  Please send them to Jan Harwood, 312 Elm St., Santa Cruz, CA
95060.  Thanks very much, and good work!



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Ross Wilcock" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) FW: Nuclear Y2K
Date: 05 Mar 1999 23:29:45 -0500



STAR/NIRS/BASIC, as a component to the March 8 symposium on Nuclear Y2K in
the Cannon Caucus Room, has scheduled an activist meeting on Nuclear Y2K the
day before the symposium.  The activist meeting will be from 2-5 on Sunday
March 7, 1999 at the NIRS office which is located at 1424 16th Street NW,
Suite 404.
Scott Cullen
Counsel
STAR (Standing for Truth About Radiation)
P.O. Box 4206
East Hampton, NY 11937
[phone]
fax: [phone]
[e-mail]


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Bombs Away
Date: 06 Mar 1999 23:07:39 -0800

Bombs Away
The American handling of atomic weapons in peacetime has been riddled with
mishaps. The most spectacular accidents have come in the mere transport of
the bombs from one place to another.
In early 1958, for example, a B-47 crashed into a fighter plane and
jettisoned a nuclear weapon into the sea off Savannah Beach, Georgia. The
bomb was never found.
Later that year another B-47 accidentally dropped an atomic bomb while
flying over Florence, South Carolina. When it hit the ground, an explosion
with the power of several hundred pounds of TNT blasted out a crater
thirty-five feet deep and spread a ring of plutonium around the area. Local
residents preparing for a family picnic heard it coming and barely had time
to duck for cover. "It blew out the side and top of the garage just as my
boy ran inside with me," said Walter "Bill" Gregg, whose family was injured
in the blast. "The timbers were falling around us. There was a green, foggy
haze, then a cloud of black smoke. It lasted about thirty seconds. When it
cleared up, I looked at the house. The top was blown in and a side almost
blown off." The government later dragged Gregg's compensation claims
through the courts. He finally won fifty-four thousand dollars, but was
left deeply embittered by the experience.[2]
In 1961 two more American atomic bombs were dropped over Goldsboro, North
Carolina, by a crashing B-52. One deployed a parachute, which eased its
fall to earth; the other broke apart on impact. Another B-52 with four
hydrogen bombs aboard crashed into an ice floe near Thule, Greenland. The
entire plane and its cargo apparently disintegrated, leaving a radioactive
hole nearly half a mile long in its wake. With abundant apologies to the
Danish government, which rules Greenland, the military was forced to ship
1.7 million gallons of contaminated ice and snow back to the United States
for disposal. In January of 1966 yet another B-52 crashed into its
refueling tanker and spewed three hydrogen bombs onto the fishing village
of Palomares, Spain. A fourth bomb dropped into the Mediterranean. TNT
exploded in two of the bombs and spread plutonium over a square mile,
forcing the U.S. to destroy local crops and remove tons of radioactive
topsoil back to South Carolina for burial.
In all, the U.S. military admits to twenty-seven accidents involving
nuclear weapons--which it terms "Broken Arrows." Independent critics charge
the figure is more like 125.[3]
If the handling of nuclear bombs has been less than perfect, so has their
production. In 1963, for example, a fire at the AEC's Medina works in San
Antonio touched off 120,000 tons of explosives and sent a uranium cloud
into the environs of one of Texas's largest cities. At least two major
explosions also ripped through the AEC's Burlington, Iowa, bomb-assembly
plant. And the AEC's hydrogen-bomb fabrication plant at Pantex, Texas (near
Amarillo), was severely damaged by a freak hailstorm, despite its supposed
invulnerability to enemy attack.[4]
Significant quantities of radiation have also leaked into the environment.
In 1974 the operators of the huge Savannah River weapons facility at Aiken,
South Carolina, accidentally released some 435,000 curies of radioactive
tritium in a single day--the largest single tritium emission ever reported
in the U.S. Studies of the local water system show serious contamination,
and there are preliminary indications of an escalated cancer rate among
people living near the plant.[5]
Overall, the American nuclear weapons production program has been plagued
with mismanagement, cost overruns, sloppy handling of radioactive
materials, and low worker morale.
All of which may have found its ultimate expression at the Idaho Nuclear
Engineering Laboratory (INEL), a vast outpost where
research-and-development projects are conducted for the military, spent
nuclear submarine fuel is recycled, and military radioactive wastes are
stored.
INEL has a bleak history. In 1960 three technicians were killed there when
a fuel rod blew out of a small test reactor, piercing the body of one and
pinning him to the reactor containment, high above the core. The other two
men were hopelessly contaminated, and pieces of their bodies had to be
buried in lead caskets. An NRC official later indicated that the "accident"
may have been caused deliberately by one of the technicians in a bizarre
suicide-murder plot stemming from a love triangle at the plant.[6] In
subsequent years INEL has been plagued with sloppy handling of nuclear
wastes. Concentrated uranium was accidentally dumped on a nearby road. Far
more serious, INEL management from 1952 to 1970 deliberately dumped some
sixteen billion gallons of liquid wastes into wells that feed directly into
the water table below. Radioactive contamination has been found 7.5 miles
away, angering local farmers and raising questions about the long-term fate
of the huge Snake River Aquifer, a major underground water source for much
of the American Northwest.[7]
An even more severe accident, however, occurred during the 1978 World
Series. With the Yankees leading the Dodgers 7-2, the plant supervisor was
engrossed in the game on a portable TV set he had sneaked, against
regulations, into the facility. Had he not been so involved in watching New
York win yet another World Championship, he might have noticed that an
abnormal buildup of radioactivity was occurring in a small
uranium-processing column nearby. No one was checking the plant's
monitoring devices. One recording chart had run out of paper two weeks
earlier. Meanwhile the solution in the processing column was dangerously
unbalanced. As the game was getting under way, uranium concentrations in
the column were sixty times what they should have been.
Suddenly, at 8:45 P.M., high-radiation alarms began ringing around the
plant. The panicked supervisor abandoned the Yankees. Operators in the
control room fled to a sheltered area.[8] Fortunately the column was
brought under control. But official figures showed that at least eight
thousand curies of radioactive iodine, krypton, and xenon had been released
into the atmosphere, more than enough to threaten the health of anyone
downwind.[9]
The supervisor was later fired. An investigation of worker alienation and
low morale at INEL concluded that the situation was bad, with no easy
solutions available. As a health physicist who worked on the study told The
Idaho Statesman: "It's a generic question that I have no answer for."[10]

2. Clyde W. Burleson, The Day the Bomb Fell on America (Englewood Cliffs,
N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1978), p. 13. The Savannah Beach incident appears on
p. 16.
3. David E. Kaplan, "Where the Bombs Are," New West, April 1981, p. 80.
4. Rapoport, Great American Bomb Machine, pp. 22-23.
5. Robert Alvarez, Report on the Savannah River Plant Study (Washington,
D.C.: Environmental Policy Institute, 1980) (hereafter cited as Savannah
River Study).
6. Stephen Hanauer, NRC, interview, June 1981.
7. High Country News, February 8, 1980, p. 10, see also, Progressive,
October 1980, and J. T. Barraclough, et al., Hydrology of the Solid Waste
Burial Ground, as Related to the Potential Migration of Radionuclides,
Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Open File Report #76-471 (Idaho
Falls: U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division, August 1981)
(hereafter cited as Hydrology).
8. Idaho Statesman, April 25, April 26, and May 22, 1979. The bulk of the
"World Series" story appears in the May 22 edition.
9. DOE, Radioactive Waste Management Information: 1978 Summary and
Record-to-Date (Washington, D.C. July 1979), p. 12 (DOE, Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Division, Idaho Operations Office, prepared by E.G. & G. Idaho).
10. Idaho Statesman, May 22, 1979.



Disaster at Rocky Flats
Two decades before that incident a devastating but little-known fire at
Rocky Flats laced the Colorado winds with deadly plutonium.
Built in the early 1950s at a cost of $240 million, the huge factory
produces plutonium triggers for hydrogen bombs. It sprawls at the eastern
edge of the Rocky Mountains, its tall stacks jutting out of the flatlands.
Steady winds rush through the canyons and into those plains, often reaching
blasts of up to eighty miles per hour--and quite often heading toward
Denver, sixteen miles to the east/southeast.
In fact the air currents are so powerful that in the late 1970s the
Department of Energy chose a patch of land just west of the plutonium plant
as its prime national site for testing windmill components.
As a key link in the cold war rush to nuclear supremacy Rocky Flats was
built under great secrecy. The handling of large quantities of plutonium at
the plant was not made public until 1955, two years after it had opened.
There was no public input into choosing the site. The military, said Dr.
Tony Robbins, former director of the Colorado Department of Health, "made a
decision to place a plant with a large quantity of plutonium and a lot of
other trace elements pretty much within the Denver metropolitan area." The
siting was "clearly a mistake."[11] Approximately 600,000 people live
within twenty miles of the plant.
A major component of the Rocky Flats operation is the glove box production
line. In it lumps of plutonium are measured, machined, milled, and shaped
to use in bomb triggers. The material is kept in airtight boxes and
manipulated by workers from the outside who use rubber gloves fastened to
the boxes, thus avoiding any contact with the toxic metal inside.
But plutonium can catch fire spontaneously in air. In the evening of
September 11, 1957, some of the "skulls" on the glove box line of Room 180
in Building 771 ignited. The fire was found by two plant production men
shortly after 10:00 P.M.
The area was designed to be fireproof. But it was soon a radioactive
inferno. Firemen switched on ventilating fans, but that backfired,
spreading flames to still more plutonium. They then sprayed carbon dioxide
into the area. That also failed. Meanwhile the filters designed to trap
plutonium escaping up the stacks caught fire. The shift captain and other
observers reported a billowing black cloud pouring some 80 to 160 feet into
the air above the 150-foot-high stack of Building 771.
As the crisis intensified, plant officials struggled to find a solution.
They knew water would destroy millions of dollars' worth of complex
equipment. They also knew the intense heat might flash the water into
enough steam to blast into an explosion and send even more plutonium
particles flying toward Denver. But when the carbon dioxide failed, there
was no alternative. In the early hours of the morning water began pouring
into the blaze. Fortunately it worked. The fire went dead roughly thirteen
hours after it began.[12]
The damage was extensive. Initial AEC reports contended that there was "no
spread of radioactive contamination of any consequence." Seth Woodruff,
manager of the Rocky Flats AEC office, told the local media that "possibly"
some radiation had escaped. "But if so," he emphasized, "the spread was so
slight it could not immediately be distinguished from radioactive
background at the plant.[13]
But--as at Three Mile Island twenty-two years later--there was no reliable
equipment operable at the time to monitor the amount of radiation that
actually went out the stacks. Not until a week after the fire were working
gauges installed. Then, in a single day, emissions registered sixteen
thousand times the permissible level--a full fifty years' worth of the
allowable quota.
Some fourteen to twenty kilograms were estimated to have burned in the
fire, enough to make at least two bombs equivalent to the one dropped on
Nagasaki.[14] And that may not have been the worst of it. According to a
study based on figures from Dow Chemical, which operated Rocky Flats at the
time, some thirteen grams of plutonium were routinely deposited daily on
the first stage of filters in Building 771. According to government
documents obtained in a lawsuit against the plant, the 620 filters in the
building's main plenum had not been changed since they were installed four
years before the fire. Thus a pair of local researchers theorized that as
much as 250 kilograms of airborne plutonium could have gone out the stacks
from the burning filters alone.[15]
Such an enormous release of plutonium struck some in the Denver area as
beyond plausibility. But a much lower estimate of 48.8 pounds of
plutonium--one tenth of the 250-kilogram figure--was calculated as enough
to administer each of the 1.4 million people in the Denver environs a
radiation dose one million times the maximum permissible lung burden.[16]
"I find the high release estimates hard to believe," we were told by Dr.
John Cobb of the University of Colorado Medical School. "But even if only
one gram of plutonium escaped, as the plant operators say, that would be
cause for concern."[17] Nor was plutonium the fire's only by-product. The
water used to extinguish it became infused with radioactivity. In this case
some thirty thousand gallons of it escaped unfiltered, thus spreading its
contamination into local streams and the water table.
Through the whole crisis there had been no warning to local schools, health
departments, police, or elected officials that something extraordinary and
dangerous was happening at Rocky Flats. There were no backup plans for
evacuation, no notification to area farmers or ranchers to safeguard their
health or that of their animals.
And though some of the buildings were heavily contaminated, bomb-trigger
production was back under way within a few days. Over the next thirteen
months, Rocky Flats's operators recorded twenty-one fires, explosions,
spills of radioactive material, and contamination incidents inside the
plant.[18]

11. Rocky Flats Action Group, Local Hazard, Global Threat Rocky Flats
Nuclear Weapons Plant (Rocky Flats Action Group, 2239 E. Colfax, Denver,
CO, 1977), p. 3 (hereafter cited as Local Hazard).
12. Carl Johnson, "Comments on the 1957 Fire at the Rocky Flats Plant, in
Jefferson County, Colorado," report to the Conference on the Relation of
Environmental Pollution to the Cancer Problem in Colorado, at the American
Medical Center Cancer Research Center and Hospital in Lakewood, Colorado,
September 1980 (hereafter cited as "Comments"); and Rapoport, Great
American Bomb Machine, pp. 27-28.
13. Denver Post, September 12, 1957.
14. Johnson,"Comments."
15. For the 250-kilogram estimate, Johnson in "Comments" cites R. W.
Woodward, "Plutonium Particulate Study in Booster System No. 3 (Building
771) Filter Plenum" (Golden, Colo.: The Rocky Flats Plant, January 27,
1971); and H. Holme and S. Chinn, "Pre-Trial Statement," Civil Action Nos.
75-M-1111, 75-M-1162, and 75-M-1296 (Denver: U.S. District Court for the
District of Colorado, 1978). See also, J. B. Owen, "Reviews of the Exhaust
Air Filtering and Air Sampling, Building 771," unpublished manuscript,
Rocky Flats Plant, Golden, Colorado, March 14, 1963.
16. Rocky Flats Action Group, Local Hazard, p. 3; see also, F. W. Krey and
E. P. Hardy, Plutonium in Soil Around the Rocky Flats Plant (New York: AEC
Health and Safety Library, 1970), p. 36; Carl Johnson, et al., "Plutonium
Hazard in Respirable Dust on the Surface of Soil," Science, August 6, 1979,
pp. 488-490; and Jack Anderson, "Colorado Plant Eyed as Radiation Source,"
Washington Post, March 25, 1979, p. D25.
17. John C. Cobb, interview, May 1981.
18. Rapoport, Great American Bomb Machine, p. 28.



More Fires
A continent and an ocean away, in countryside that could hardly have been
less like the flatland at the foot of the Rockies, Britain was also facing
a disaster from bomb production. Amid the cold, deep lakes and lush
farmlands of the English north country, fire struck the plutonium
production reactor at Windscale in early October 1957--less than a month
after the first fire at Rocky Flats. Windscale was designed to produce
plutonium for bombs. Rocky Flats made such plutonium--once it was
chemically processed--into triggers.
On October 7 uranium fuel pellets in the Windscale reactor caught fire.
Attempts to quench them failed.
Though the plant was a military facility, word of the accident soon spread.
The public was told the radiation releases were harmless, and there was no
danger of an explosion. Both statements were false. Radiation monitors at
the plant site and in the countryside showed high levels of contamination.
As at Rocky Flats, carbon dioxide could not extinguish the fire.
On its fifth day plant officials prepared to use their last resort--water.
At 9:00 A.M. two plant technicians and a local fire chief dragged a hose to
the top of the containment dome and aimed it at the flaming core within.
Plant workers and firemen ducked behind steel barriers and braced
themselves for the worst. As water surged through the hose, radioactive
steam poured out the stacks and into the wind. There was no explosion. The
core was soon flooded; danger of a meltdown was over.
But by Monday, October 14, a ban on the sale of milk had been enforced over
a two-hundred-square-mile area. Thousands of gallons of contaminated milk
were dumped into the Irish Sea. Hundreds of cows, goats, and sheep were
confiscated, shot, and buried. Farmers who slaughtered their animals for
meat were told to send the thyroid glands to the government for testing.
Workers at the nearby Calder Hall reactor were ordered to scrub down with
stiff brushes to remove contamination from their skin. Coal miners working
in nearby shafts were replaced with "fresh" workers who had not been
exposed to the radiation that had filtered through the mine ventilation
systems. And in London, three hundred miles away, radiation monitors noted
significantly increased levels.
Despite the national emergency that had been proclaimed, British officials
told the public it was unlikely "in the highest degree" that anyone had
been harmed by the accident.[19] But several months later British officials
conceded to a United Nations conference at Geneva that nearly seven hundred
curies of cesium and strontium had been released, plus twenty thousand
curies of I-131. The admitted iodine dose represented more than fourteen
hundred times the quantity American officials later claimed had been
released during the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island.[20]
Like its ally across the Atlantic, the British government studiously
avoided systematic follow-up studies on the health of area residents. When
a local health officer named Frank Madge used a Geiger counter to confirm
abnormal radiation levels in mosses and lichens, officials from the British
Atomic Energy Authority actively discouraged publication of his
findings.[21]
A study of health data in downwind European countries later indicated a
clear impact of the accident on infant-mortality rates. It was, Dr. Ernest
Sternglass told us, "as if a small bomb had been detonated in northern
Great Britain."[22]
Eight years and eight days after the accident at Windscale--on October 15
1965--yet another major fire at Rocky Flats contaminated twenty-five
workers with up to seventeen times the maximum permissible dose.
In 1968 a truck carrying contaminated soil to an off-site burial ground was
found to be leaking, forcing plant operators to repave one mile of road. It
was a modest measure at best, considering that the half-life of plutonium
is more than twenty-four thousand years, while the "full-life" of asphalt
paving is far less.[23]
Then, on Sunday, May 11, 1969--at a time when little Kristen Haag was
likely to be playing in her sandbox six miles downwind--plutonium stored in
a cabinet at Rocky Flats ignited. The flames leapt into the glove boxes of
Buildings 776 and 777. At 2:27 P.M., when the fire alarms sounded, the
blaze was out of control.
According to veteran reporter Roger Rapoport, author of The Great American
Bomb Machine: "When company firemen reached [Building] 776-777 they found
tons of flammable radiation shielding feeding the blaze. The fire-fighters
donned respirators and charged into the dense smoke." Once again plant
officials hesitated to use water. But when the carbon dioxide supplies ran
out--after ten minutes--they had no choice. At times the smoke billowed so
thickly that firemen were "forced to crawl out along exit lines painted on
the floor." After four hours the fire was under control. But isolated areas
continued to burn through the night.
The AEC first estimated the damage at three million dollars. It soon proved
to be more like forty-five million dollars, ranking it as the most
expensive industrial fire in American history at that time. It would take
two years and hundreds of regular and part-time employees to clean up the
mess. One regular plant janitor refused to help in the cleanup for fear of
radiation poisoning. He was fired.
Far from letting a major radioactive fire slow down bomb production, Rocky
Flats operators continued full-speed construction of a
seventy-four-million-dollar addition designed to increase plant capacity by
half.[24]
Nor were the fires the only source of contamination. Dow records showed
that at least one thousand barrels of contaminated lathe oil were burned in
the open air during their operation of the plant, sending unknown
quantities of uranium into the air. And despite assurances to the public
that no radioactive waste was being stored on site, more than fourteen
hundred barrels of it were found there.
When AEC officials decided to move those barrels in the spring of 1970, a
Dow report confirmed that "ten percent of the drums had holes apparently
caused by rust and corrosion. . . . Many of the liquid drums developed
leaks during handling or after exposure to air and sun."[25]
One Dow study indicated that up to forty-two grams of plutonium had been
carried off by winds blowing through the drum storage area.[26]
Another Dow report conceded that normal plant operations were resulting in
the daily release of millions of individual particles of plutonium, each of
which could lodge in a human or animal lung, or be ingested with
local-grown food and feed. Such particles are known to cause serious
internal damage.
DOE monitoring records kept from 1970 to 1977 indicated that levels of
airborne plutonium were higher in the Rocky Flats area than at any of fifty
other stations around the U.S. Dust samples downwind showed plutonium
concentrations 3,390 times what might be expected from fallout. Evidence
also surfaced that the nearby town reservoir had been contaminated.[27]
Constant mishaps at Rocky Flats led to a growing distrust among area
residents. As early as 1969, in the wake of the fire that spring, a group
of scientists from local industries and universities asked DOE and the AEC
to monitor the soil downwind. Their request was refused.
So Dr. Edward Martell, a nuclear chemist working at the National Center for
Atmospheric Research, with considerable experience from the bomb-testing
era, decided in the fall of 1969 to conduct some tests of his own. His
findings confirmed some of the community's worst fears. Abnormal plutonium
levels were clearly evident in soil to the east and southeast of the plant.

Martell quickly came under attack from plant supporters. But when the AEC
did its own study of downwind soil, it also had to admit to significant
contamination. "We find his results are accurate," conceded a ranking
military spokesman. "We don't disagree with his new data. As far as
measurements, sampling techniques, and knowledge of science, we think
Martell is a very competent scientist." The AEC did, however, question
Martell's health conclusions. "While it is true," they said, "that some
plutonium is escaping from the plant, we don't believe it presents a
significant health hazard to Denver."
Dr. Arthur Tamplin--at the time a leading AEC health researcher--strongly
disagreed. The Martell study "shows about one trillion pure plutonium oxide
particles have escaped from Rocky Flats," he warned. "These are very hot
particles. You may only have to inhale 300 of them to double your risk of
lung cancer." Tamplin calculated that if plutonium had been spread as
Martell suggested, lung-cancer rates in Denver could rise, over time, 10
percent. An additional two thousand Coloradans could fall victim to Rocky
Flats.[28]

19. John G. Fuller, We Almost Lost Detroit (New York: Reader's Digest
Press, 1975), p. 86. The Windscale story is told on pp. 71-87.
20. Virginia Brodine, Radioactive Contamination (New York: Harcourt Brace,
1975).
21. Ibid.
22. Ernest Sternglass, interview, October 1980. High cesium levels in
people eating fish caught "in the path of the Windscale effluent" are noted
in E. D. Williams, et al., "Whole Body Cesium-137 Levels in Man in
Scotland, 1978-9," Health Physics Journal 40 (January 1981): 1-4. The
contamination seems to be coming from ongoing operations at the Windscale
reprocessing facility.
23. Rapoport, Great American Bomb Machine, pp. 31-36.
24. Ibid.
25. Ibid., p. 25.
26. S. E. Hammond, "Industrial-Type Operations as a Source of Environmental
Plutonium" (Golden, Colo.: Dow Chemical Company, 1970).
27. Carl Johnson, "Cancer Incidence in an Area Contaminated with
Radionuclides Near a Nuclear Installation" (report presented at a session
sponsored by the Occupational Health and Safety, Environment, Epidemiology,
and Radiological Health sections of the American Public Health Association
at the 107th Annual Meeting, New York, November 9, 1979) (hereafter cited
as "Cancer Incidence"). For a notation of contamination in the Broomfield
Reservoir, see also Rocky Flats Action Group, Local Hazard, pp. 4-5.
28. Rapoport, Great American Bomb Machine, pp. 38-39.



A Grim Harvest
To Lloyd Mixon, Rocky Flats is an unwelcome newcomer. "I can walk out the
back door twenty feet and see where I was born," he told us from his
thirty-acre farm in Broomfield. "I was here a long time before that plant
was." Six miles to the east, Mixon can see the tall stacks of the plutonium
factory, with the winds blowing toward him "right down out of the canyon."
In 1975 he told a joint congressional-gubernatorial commission that bizarre
problems had begun surfacing among his animals, problems in quantities he
had never seen before. There was a calf born hairless with a body full of a
watery substance and a liver "three times normal." There were pigs and fowl
with mutations. There was another calf born dead with tissue that tested
similar to cows exposed to radiation under experimental conditions.
Mixon later told the crew from Dark Circle that pigs had been born on his
farm whose "nose and mouth [are] twisted, where they're not able to nurse."
Some, he added, had been born with five toes instead of the normal four.
Others had hips and ears badly deformed, "with eyes that were not like
they're supposed to be."
"We've had chickens with no eyes," he added, "you break open the shell,
they've got beaks like needles." Mixon continued, "We've had them where
their legs have been so badly twisted and turned that they were unable to
kick out of the shell. We had a chicken hatch with the brains right on top
of his head."
State health inspectors told Mixon his problems stemmed from poor feed and
hygiene. "They brought down what was supposed to be an expert, and he
didn't even know how long it took for the eggs of different birds to
hatch," said Mixon. But those birds that had allegedly been deformed
because of poor food and hygiene had been kept in sanitary wire cages and
fed commercial grain. "According to the ticket on the feed we buy, it has
everything adequate in it. So it's caused from something else." Inbreeding
was also suggested, but in one case "the female came out of Pennsylvania
and the male came out of Texas. There's no way they could be related."
There were also charges of mismanagement. "I've had livestock ever since
I've been three years old," Mixon said. "My people back years and years
have had livestock."
Mixon's anger was reminiscent of the days when the AEC had scorned sheep
farmers whose animals had died in bomb fallout. And his experiences matched
those of a growing roster of farmers near nuclear facilities whose animals
seemed to serve as a bellwether for bad news to come from radiation. In
Pennsylvania, New York State, Vermont, New Hampshire, Arkansas, and
Colorado farmers have complained of bizarre deformities, reproductive
problems, and unexplained deaths among their animals--problems that seem to
have no other possible cause except nearby nuclear facilities. In nearly
every case "experts" from state agriculture departments have discounted the
claims, blaming other factors ranging from weather to bad feed to
inbreeding to mismanagement.
But Lloyd Mixon blamed Rocky Flats. "We used to have several different
varieties of pheasants," he told Dark Circle. "We got where they wouldn't
produce. The eggs were infertile. So we just went out of it. Then we had
some lambs born with the guts, or the insides hanging out. [Some would] be
alive. We've had some born dead that way. We've had kid goats born with
growths on them. . . ."
And, he told us, there've been "geese who would walk across the yard and
all of a sudden, they'll stiffen up and die. There've been deformities in
cats, and they've stopped reproducing the way they should. We've lost a
couple of dogs with cancer."
The health department, Mixon added, won't release any data on other cases.
But Mixon has received numerous calls from neighbors, including one who
complained of eleven colts, all born in the same season, all born blind.
And there was general agreement that wildlife had disappeared from the
area. "You don't see a rabbit around here anymore," he said. "And people
that try to raise them . . . they just stop reproducing."[29] Mixon noted
that many of his neighbors prefer to keep quiet about what is happening for
fear of undercutting the value of their property and their produce.
One of his neighbors who did agree to talk with us--anonymously--told us
she had lost so many colts to stillbirths and deformities that she went out
of the horse-raising business altogether. "The animals aren't what they
used to be and nobody's is getting any better," she said.[30]
Unfortunately the problems do not seem to be limited to animals. In the
late 1970s Dr. Carl Johnson began finding abnormal cancer rates among human
beings downwind from Rocky Flats.


The stolid, conservative Dr. Johnson is former director of the Health
Department of Jefferson County, which encompasses Rocky Flats. He is also
an officer with the Army Reserve and maintains a top-secret "Q" clearance.
As a public-health officer Johnson became disturbed by the constant
malfunctioning of the nuclear industry and began his own studies to confirm
or deny what the AEC and DOE were telling--and not telling--the public
about Rocky Flats.
Dividing the downwind area into four zones and correcting for age, race,
sex, and ethnicity, Johnson found male cancer rates in the zone closest to
the plant to be 24 percent higher than in the zone farthest away.
Intermediate zones showed excess rates of 15 percent and 8 percent. Female
cancer rates were 10 percent higher in the near zone as opposed to the
farthest one, with intermediate zones showing excesses of 5 percent and 4
percent. The excess cases for both sexes involved cancers of the lung and
bronchus, upper respiratory tract, colon, rectum stomach, gonads, liver,
thyroid, and brain as well as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.
There were other alarming statistics as well. Johnson's studies of people
forty-five to sixty-four years of age in eight census tracts near the plant
showed a doubled lung-cancer and leukemia death rate over subjects living
in "relatively uncontaminated" zones. In essence Johnson found 491 excess
cancer cases when the DOE said there would be less than one.
A separate study of a large suburban area near Rocky Flats found a
congenital malformation rate of 14.5 per 1000 births as opposed to 10.4 per
1000 for the rest of the county, and 10.1 for the state overall.[31]
Johnson's findings raised public awareness of Rocky Flats and helped fuel a
movement to close the plant. His findings also put him in a difficult
political position. Local real-estate interests began applying pressure to
have Johnson fired from his job as Jefferson County health director. In May
of 1981 they succeeded.
Meanwhile autopsy reports on workers at Rocky Flats showed plutonium
concentrations in all organs of their bodies. And a study for the EPA by
Dr. John C. Cobb of the University of Colorado School of Medicine indicated
preliminary evidence of excess plutonium levels among other local human
autopsy specimens plutonium that was traceable by its isotope-ratios to
Rocky Flats. But in an interview Cobb warned us that plutonium might not
necessarily be the chief culprit in any area health problems that might
surface. "I'm not sure plutonium is the right thing to look for," he told
us. "They also burned thousands of gallons of oil with uranium chips in it
out there. A combination of the uranium in the cutting oil might be more
important than the plutonium."[32]
Whether it was uranium or plutonium, or both, Lloyd Mixon had been directly
exposed. "I had some tumors taken off my chest," he told the Dark Circle
crew. "I've had my thyroid taken out. I'm tired quite a bit of the time,
more than what was usual, and [I've] got a numbness in my left side, my
shoulders. They found a growth on my right arm between my elbow and my
shoulder. . . . My daughter was born with a hole in her heart," he said.
Mixon also noted that his neighbors complained of being perpetually
overtired, numbness in their hands, and other inexplicable health problems.

There was also talk of "children being born retarded," he told us, "of them
with mental problems."
Few of his neighbors, he said, would point an accusatory finger at Rocky
Flats. But, he asked us, "if it isn't that place, what is it?"[33]
For Rex Haag there wasn't much doubt. He had lived within six miles of the
plutonium factory, and as a contractor had built another five dozen houses
nearby "without the least bit of knowledge of that being a dangerous
area."[34]
After Kristen Haag's death from bone cancer, the body was cremated. At her
father s request, her ashes were sent away for testing. When the results
were slow in coming back, Johnson called the laboratory, where a technician
told him "there was some problem because there appeared to be a large
amount of plutonium 238" in the ashes.
And when the official report finally arrived months later, it cited what
Johnson termed "rather high" levels of plutonium 238.[35]
Rex Haag soon helped organize a business coalition to help close Rocky
Flats. People justify the operation of the plant "in the name of national
interest, or national security," he said. "But I wonder if the same people
who are saying that, if it were their child, if they could actually sit
there and say the same thing."[36]
Lloyd Mixon had similar questions. "I've been hearing a lot more problems
lately," he told us. "In a few years things are gonna get a lot worse."[37]


29. Lloyd Mixon, "Statement," Hearings of Governor Lamm's Task Force on the
Rocky Flats Plutonium Facility (Boulder, Colo.: April 1975); in Dark
Circle, and interview, May 1981.
30. Anonymous, interview, April 1981.
31. Johnson, "Cancer Incidence"; and Carl Johnson, "Evaluation of Cancer
Incidence for Anglos in the Period 1969-1971 in Areas of Census Tracts with
Measured Concentrations of Plutonium Soil Contamination Downwind from the
Rocky Flats Plant in the Denver Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area,"
5th International Congress of the International Radiation Protection
Association, Jerusalem, Israel, March 9-14, 1980.
32. John C. Cobb, et al., "Weapons Grade Plutonium in Humans Near Rocky
Flats," abstract submitted for a poster session at the AAAS Annual Meeting,
Toronto, Canada, January 1981; and Cobb, interview, April 1981.
33. Mixon in Dark Circle, and interview.
34. Haag in Dark Circle.
35. Johnson in Dark Circle, and interview, July 1981.
36. Haag in Dark Circle.
37. Mixon interview.



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Kathy Crandall <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Change At Disarmament Clearinghouse/ Position Available
Date: 07 Mar 1999 20:15:27 -0500

Dear  Abolition Advocates and Friends of the Disarmament Clearinghouse:

ENCLOSED PLEASE FIND:
1) Kathy leaves Clearinghouse Position
2) Resource People for You to Contact on  Urgent Issues
3) Job Announcement for New Coordinator
****************************************************
I am leaving my position as Coordinator for the Disarmament
Clearinghouse on Monday March 8, 1999.

I will continue to work for a  nuclear weapons-free world as the
Associate Director for Security Programs at Physicians for Social
Responsibility. I hope to continue working with many of you in my new
job.

The Disarmament Clearinghouse is working hard to find a new Coordinator
(see the enclosed job announcement - please distribute it far and wide
to any qualified applicants). In the meantime, there will be a break in
the news and action alerts posted from from the Disarmament
Clearinghouse, and while we will be checking the [e-mail]
account occasionally,  we won't check it daily -( so I will probably
take this account off of the Abolition-USA list at least temporarily.)

You may have urgent/ important questions or news to share on some
disarmament related topics. These resource people from the sponsoring
organizations of the Disarmament Clearinghouse may be useful contacts.
*******************************************************************
On STAR WARS (National Missile Defense) & Yes there are votes expected
this week:
****************************************************************
 Bob Tiller at PSR, [e-mail] [phone] ext. 220
Fran Teplitz at Peace Action, [e-mail] [phone] ext. 3004
Kimberly Robson at WAND, [e-mail]  [phone]
**************************************************************
On the CTBT - Nuclear Test Ban Treaty NOW Campaign
**************************************************************
If you haven't already done so, subscribe to CTBT-Organize, an
interactive list where anyone can post the latest information. (Send a
message to [e-mail] this week)
Also contact:
Marie Rietmann, 20/20 Vision  [e-mail],  [phone]
and for information and assistance on the Interfaith Petition Drive
contact:
Kathy Guthrie, FCNL,  [e-mail] [phone]
********************************************************
On De-Alerting and START Moving disarmament progress
********************************************************
Bob Tiller at PSR [e-mail]  [phone] ext. 220
Fran Teplitz & Bruce Hall at Peace Action  (Fran) [e-mail],
(Bruce) [e-mail] , 202 862 9740 (Fran -ext.3004) (Bruce -ext.
3038)
**Also don't miss out on the Alliance For Nuclear Accountability's Theme
Month Activist Kit on De-Alerting: contact Christina Malecka, ANA,
[e-mail] (or  Peace Action and PSR can tell you how to get
one)
*********************************************************
On the Emerging US Nuclear Abolition Campaign and intiatives such as
theWoolsey
Resolution on a  Nuclear Weapons Convention:
**********************************************************
Bob Tiller at PSR [e-mail]  [phone] ext. 220
Fran Teplitz & Bruce Hall at Peace Action  (Fran) [e-mail],
(Bruce) [e-mail] , 202 862 9740 (Fran -ext.3004) (Bruce -ext.
3038)
***********************************************************
On Stockpile Stewardship Issues - including this year's Markey
Resolution to be introduced in the next coming weeks:
***********************************************************
Bob Tiller at PSR [e-mail]  [phone] ext. 220
Fran Teplitz & Bruce Hall at Peace Action  (Fran) [e-mail],
(Bruce) [e-mail] , 202 862 9740 (Fran -ext.3004) (Bruce -ext.
3038)
***********************************************************
You can best reach me now at [phone] ext. 222.  The e-mail
account is not quite set-up yet. I'll let you all know when I'm
officially on line.

I cannot fully express my thanks to all of you - who have taught me so
much about how to be effective and inspired me with your dedication and
hard work.

-Kathy

****************************************************************

                           POSITION AVAILABLE
                  DISARMAMENT CLEARINGHOUSE COORDINATOR


The Disarmament Clearinghouse is a joint project of major national
grassroots membership organizations, Friends Committee on National
Legislation, Peace Action, Physicians for Social Responsibility and
Women's Action for New Directions. The Clearinghouse provides
information, assistance, resources, and action tools to grassroots
activists and policy makers working on nuclear disarmament, and develops
and coordinates campaigns on nuclear disarmament measures such as the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
*************************************************
We are looking for someone with the following qualifications:
*************************************************
1)   Commitment to promoting a nuclear weapons-free word and knowledge
of nuclear
disarmament issues including the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the
nuclear weapons abolition movement, and other nuclear disarmament
measures.

2)   Strong writing and oral communication skills, especially for an
activist audience.

3)   Strong organizing skills with at least one year's experience
organizing national issue/ policy campaigns and experience working with
peace activists.

4)   Knowledge of the legislative process and key policy makers on
nuclear weapons issues.

5)   Computer skills - Familiarity with e-mail list maintenance, word
processing, desk top
publishing,  database management, and basic web design.

6)   Ability to work efficiently and carry-out several projects
simultaneously

7)   Ability to work effectively in coalitions, and be accountable to
the Steering Committee
organizations.

8)   Ability to work independently.

9)   B.A./B.S. degree is required. Advanced degree in international or
public policy helpful
****************************************************
The tasks of the Coordinator will include:
****************************************************
1)   Provide   via e-mail, mailings, fax, phone, and web postings
timely news and analysis of  nuclear disarmament issues to grassroots
activists and policy makers.

2)   Produce educational and organizing resources such as sample letters
to the editor, flyers,action alerts,   news letters, resource kits etc.

3)   Maintain and develop two web sites (CTBT Action Site, Disarmament
Site).

4)   Inform, mobilize, and coordinate national, and regional events such
as call-in days, strategysummits.

5)   Maintain and build a database of over 500 activists, organizations,
and policy maker contacts.

6)   Coordinate Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Now (CTBT) activities - includes
maintaining lists of key contacts, maintaining a calendar of activities,
maintaining the interactive e-mail list "CTBT-Organize" and assisting to
develop strategy for the field campaign.

7)   Respond to daily requests for information and assistance.

8)   Working with the Steering Committee to prepare funding proposals
and progress reports for funders.

9)   Conduct meetings of the Clearinghouse Steering Committee, including
agendas and minutes.

Terms:
Full-time position. Salary in mid -$20,000 range depending on
experience, with health coverage, and annual leave.

Start date - Early May

Please send resume, cover letter and brief (no more than 1-4 pages)
writing sample by March 26th

to:
                    Disarmament Clearinghouse Search
              1101 14th Street NW #700 Washington DC 20005
                         Via FAX: [phone]
                     Via E-mail: [e-mail]
                          NO phone calls please

An Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minorities are especially
encouraged to apply.

--
DISARMAMENT CLEARINGHOUSE
Nuclear Disarmament Information, Resources & Action Tools
Kathy Crandall, Coordinator (Until March 8, 1999)
1101 14th Street NW #700, Washington DC 20005
TEL: [phone] ext. 232 FAX: [phone]
E-MAIL: [e-mail]
http://www.psr.org/Disarmhouse.htm
http://www.psr.org/ctbtaction.htm

A project of: Friends Committee on National Legislation
     Peace Action, Physicians for Social Responsibility
     and Women's Action for New Directions



--
DISARMAMENT CLEARINGHOUSE
Nuclear Disarmament Information, Resources & Action Tools
Kathy Crandall, Coordinator
1101 14th Street NW #700, Washington DC 20005
TEL: [phone] ext. 232 FAX: [phone]
E-MAIL: [e-mail]
http://www.psr.org/Disarmhouse.htm
http://www.psr.org/ctbtaction.htm

A project of: Friends Committee on National Legislation
     Peace Action, Physicians for Social Responsibility
     and Women's Action for New Directions



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) REPORT:  Global Crisis Solutions Conference on behalf of Global Peace Walk 2000
Date: 07 Mar 1999 22:53:43 -0800

The Global Crisis Solutions Conference at UC Berkeley Alumni House on
March 1, 1999, was a successful conclusion to three days of events to
help the Global Peace Walk with its international efforts to unite all
survival issue messages in the prayer for "Global Peace Now!" as a universal
human resolve --- the first step towards redirecting human and natural
resources away from war, and the preparations for war, to the known but
ignored solutions to today's global social and environmental emergency.

Although the attendance at the conference was only a portion of capacity,
the program was an unprecendented collaboration of so many and varied
survival issues and it was professionally videotaped so that it can be
viewed by a wider audience in the future.

Copies of the six hour conference videotape documentary are available for a
nominal donation to help cover conference expenses and support our work.

For a summary of the speakers and messages with details on ordering the tape
see http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/gcsc2video.html

For future projects and events, check back regularly for updates at:
    http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000
*********************************************************
Global Emergency Alert Response:  GEAR2000
David Crockett Williams                661-822-3309
20411 Steeple Court, Tehachapi CA 93561 USA
*********************************************************
        CAMPAIGN for a BETTER AMERICA
              with General Agency Services
*********************************************************
      UNITED NATION   Global  Peace  Walk
1999:   22apr Taos, NM, --->  Santa Fe 26apr
              Global Peace Walk 2000:
15jan  San Francisco --> New York  24oct
             16sep Washington, DC
     ONE HUMAN FAMILY:  Love All, Serve All.
       GLOBAL PEACE NOW !!     Help Now !!!
*********************************************************
http://www.egroups.com/list/global-peace-walk








-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: swesterly <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Three American Activist Murdered in Columbia
Date: 09 Mar 1999 09:59:02 -0700



http://www.ran.org/info_center/aa/uwa_update.html

On the Murders of Three American Activists in Colombia

                                      Urgent Action Alert: February 1999


             Ministry to Decide on Oil License for U'wa
                                        Land in Colombia

             As early as Friday, February 26, 1999 the Colombian
             Minister of the Environment will announce his decision
             on Occidental Petroleum's application for a drilling
             license for the Samor=E9 Block located on the U'wa
             people's traditional territory. ACT NOW! Please use the
             fax letter system below to send an immediate message
             to the Minister urging him to deny Occidental
             Petroleum's permit and protect the U'wa and their
             rainforest homeland.

             Under Colombian law, the Ministry of the Environment's
             granting a drilling license requires a prior "consultation"
             with the local indigenous peoples, which in the case of
             the U'wa, who are opposed to the project, is clearly
             lacking. However, according to anonymous officials
             inside the Ministry, the decision on this particular
             drilling permit will be a political one. For this reason it is
             critical that the Colombian government know that the
             U'wa have many supporters internationally who remain
             vigilant to the case.

             Background

             The sustained U'wa resistance on the ground and swelling of
international support have
             paralyzed the 2-billion barrel Samor=E9 oil project which
California-based Occidental
             Petroleum hopes to push forward in Colombian rainforest. The
U'wa, a traditional
             people numbering some 5,000, are adamantly opposed to the
project and have
             threatened to commit collective suicide if Occidental moves
forward with oil drilling. Once
             again in December 1998, the U'wa people reaffirmed their
opposition to oil development
             on their traditional territory through a communique released
following their fifth
             Congress. "More than one thousand times in more than one
thousand distinct forms we
             have told the white man that the Earth is our mother, that we
cannot sell her, but it
             appears that he does not have the ability to understand...."

             The U'wa's position has gained additional support in Colombia
in recent months. On the
             25 of October, 1998, the Presidents of 28 farming unions from
the surrounding Sarare
             area unanimously declared, "We are not in agreement, we will
not help, nor share in
             the project of oil exploration or exploitation within the
Samor=E9 block... To let this project
             go forward would be to take part in the destruction of our
ecosystem that is fragile..."

             For Occidental's part, the company continues with plans to
drill, even if against the will
             of the U'wa people. While the company relinquished 75 percent
of the oil block last year,
             in the final quarter of 1998 the company also submitted its
environmental impact report
             to the Ministry of the Environment for exploration drilling in
the last 25 percent which
             falls within the U'wa's ancestral territory. While the
government is expected to approve
             the report, giving a green light to the project, the new
Pastrana administration also
             appears to be more open to a meaningful dialogue with the U'wa
to resolve this
             protracted conflict. Both the U'wa and the Colombian
government are still engaged in a
             third party resolution process being spearheaded by the
Organization of American
             States (OAS). Occidental, on the other hand, remains in
violation of the OAS's first
             recommendation for resolution issued more than a year ago and
which calls on the oil
             company to suspend all operations during the mediation process.

             The U'wa struggle is at a crucial phase where any exploration
activity within the Samore
             block could ruin the fragile environment of mutual trust and
understanding that is
             beginning to be built between the U'wa and the Colombian
government.

                                            What You Can Do!

             Send a fax NOW to the Colombian Ministry of the Environment.

             Below is sample leter in Spanish. Or, please write your own in
English covering the
             following points:

                    Deny Oxy's permit as the area where they wish to drill
falls within the U'wa
                    traditional homeland.
                    The U'wa have not been consulted on the project and
have repeatedly expressed
                    their adamant opposition to the project.
                    There is significant international support for the
Minstry to make a decision in
                    support of environmental protection and indigenous right=
s.
                    You and other international observors and organizations
will be monitoring the
                    Ministry's moves.

             To send the letter, follow these steps:
                  1.Enter your personal information. Your email address is
required.
                 2.Enter a subject for your message. We have provided a
default, but feel free to
                     change it.
                 3.Write your letter. We have provided a sample letter
which you can send as-is or
                     edit the text if you wish. Please don't forget to sign
your name.




                        Personal information:
                            Your Email Address:

REQUIRED
                                    Real Name:

(optional)

                                       Subject





                              Fax Recipient: Ministro Juan Mayr Maldonado












                                                 Photo: Terence Freitas






*     *     *     *     *     *     *


Suzanne Westerly
Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety
107 Cienega
Santa Fe, NM 87501
505-470-2017
[e-mail]



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) =?iso-8859-1?Q?Fwd:_JRL_3081_#3_Russia=EDs_Relevance?=
Date: 09 Mar 1999 12:03:13 -0500

>Date: Sun, 07 Mar 1999 18:45:46 -0500
>Subject: JRL 3081 #3 Russia=EDs Relevance
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail]
>X-FC-Forwarded-From: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>
>JRL 3081  #3
>Washington Post
>March 7, 1999
>[for personal use only]
>Russia's Relevance
>By Fred Hiatt
>The writer is a member of the editorial page staff.
>So loose nukes may be rolling through the taiga, the ruble may be in ruins,
>tuberculosis flares in Siberia.
>Who cares?
>Not so long ago it was assumed that Russia's health was essential to world
>stability.  Then Russia's troubles slid from bad to worse, and the rest of
>the world hardly seemed to notice.  Now some in Washington are suggesting
>that maybe Russia didn't matter so much after all.
>Certainly many Russian politicians believe that the United States has
>written them off.  (Most of the rest believe the United States is out to
>destroy them.)  Proof, for them, is everywhere.  When President Clinton
>launched Desert Fox on the eve of his impeachment, for example, Republicans
>in Congress smelled one rat, Russians another.  It was also the eve of a
>scheduled Duma vote on the START II arms control treaty.  The U.S. military
>action doomed the vote.  So if Clinton really cared about relations with
>Russia, many Russians reasoned, he would have postponed his bombing
>campaign.
>But it's not just Russians who suspect the Clinton administration has given
>up.  "The U.S.-Russian relationship has, in the last eight years, gone from
>a strategic partnership," Republican Sen. Dick Lugar said recently, "to a
>pragmatic one, to a relationship of benign neglect, to one that is lurching
>toward malign neglect."
>Administration officials feed this perception when they advocate, in Deputy
>Secretary of State Strobe Talbott's words, a policy of "strategic patience
>and persistence," or when Clinton visits Moscow and seems to have no idea
>what to do once he arrives.
>In fact, most administration officials have not concluded that Russia
>doesn't matter. They still believe, as Talbott also said, that "the stakes,
>for us, are huge." They just aren't sure what to do about it.
>Here's one way to look at their dilemma.  As Russia's post-Communist
>transition has stalled, the nation in fact has lost much of its ability to
>influence the world-at least in a positive way. Its economy now accounts
>for
>something like one percent of world output. Russia remains the world's
>biggest country, but territory has long since ceased to be a key indicator
>of power. It holds vast stores of oil and mineral wealth, but in a global
>economy based increasingly on knowledge and technology, those, too, are of
>dwindling value.
>Russia's declining population of 150 million is too impoverished to tempt
>many companies as a consumer market.  And despite a high level of
>education,
>its value as a labor pool is dimmed by the crime and uncertain laws and
>taxes that keep most foreign companies away.
>So Russia's potential influence is mostly negative. It can scare the world
>with the consequences of collapse: untended nuclear weapons, degraded
>missile-launch computers, the export of crime and pollution and contagious
>disease.
>U.S. policy has evolved in two ways as a result.  Not surprisingly, most of
>its aid is aimed at averting the bad, not promoting the good.
>Three-quarters of U.S. assistance dollars, Secretary of State Madeleine
>Albright said last fall, "are devoted to programs that diminish the threat
>of nuclear war and the danger that weapons of mass destruction will fall
>into the wrong hands."
>And, as Russia has moved "from the core of the international system to the
>periphery," as the Carnegie Endowment's Michael McFaul said, it has also
>moved to the periphery of U.S. foreign policy. On issue after issue-Kosovo,
>Iraq, Iran, NATO expansion, anti-missile defense-the message from the
>administration is that Russia matters, but not enough to derail U.S.
>policy.
>Excluded from policymaking, Russia then emphasizes even more its spoiler
>role: shipping dangerous technology to Iran, encouraging Serbian
>aggression,
>tweaking the United States wherever possible. And so the two nations find
>themselves in an unhealthy downward cycle-a long way from the strategic
>partnership envisioned at the opening of this decade.
>This, it should be stressed, is mostly Russia's fault. Until Russia gets
>its
>reforms on track, its influence will continue to diminish. A foreign policy
>that indulges Russian nostalgia and wishful thinking, as the United States
>did with its great-power summitry and its premature transformation of the
>G-7 into a G-8, can't change the reality. It's more likely, in fact, to
>bruise feelings and delay reform by convincing Russia that normal rules
>won't apply to it.
>Yet "strategic patience" isn't sufficient either.  Russia does matter.  If
>it takes its place as a democratic, free-market economy, pulling its
>neighbors in the same direction through force of successful example, one
>kind of world will result.  If it implodes or grows hostile, the world will
>be very different, and far more dangerous.
>That understanding motivates those who continue to search for a U.S. policy
>that will speak to Russia's potential and not just its pathologies.
>U.S.-Russian relations need "a new and dramatic high-profile program,"
>Lugar
>says.  His proposal: a U.S. commitment to help Russia produce 10,000
>masters
>of business administration and 10,000 certified public accountants.
>Inside the administration, some officials seek ways to turn
>ballistic-missile defense, at the moment one of the greatest irritants in
>the relationship, into something positive by proposing a cooperative
>undertaking.  And many arms control specialists continue to urge unilateral
>U.S. steps to reduce the nuclear arsenal and take it off trigger alert.
>This could encourage Russia to follow suit but would be free of the
>coercion
>and preaching that seem counterproductive these days.
>Some say all of this must wait-until a spent Boris Yeltsin and a U.S.
>administration identified with failed policies both pass from the scene.
>Perhaps so.  But two years in modern Russian history is a long time.  The
>next U.S. administration may find itself with even fewer, and less
>attractive, options than those available today.
>=20
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Global Peace Walk 1999-2000
Date: 09 Mar 1999 15:09:52 -0800

I spent a week in the San Francisco area during our recent events and was
able to consult in more detail with the Global Peace Walk project's
initiator, Rev. Yusen Yamato, regarding his suggestions for strategy for
conducting next year's Global Peace Walk 2000 and preparatory activities
this year including the annual Global Peace Walk from Taos to Santa Fe, New
Mexico, April 22-26.

The general goal of the Global Peace Walk project is to instill the prayer
for "Global Peace Now!" as a universal human resolve. This is the first
necessary step towards redirecting global resources from war and the
preparations for war to programs to solve today's social and environmental
crises (including global warming, ozone layer depletion, etc.) before it is
too late to save life on Earth from the otherwise certain destruction that
we are witnessing on an increasing scale in these times.

The inspiration for the initiation of Global Peace Walk 2000 from San
Francisco to Washington, DC, and to the New York United Nations 55th
anniversary, comes from the report from Proposition One for Nuclear
Disarmament in Washington, DC, to the Nulear Abolition 2000 Coalition, which
called for a cross country peace walk in the year 2000 as part of the global
campaign to abolish nuclear weapons.

With this lead issue in mind the Global Peace Walk seeks to unite in this
prayer all survival issue messages and carry them to the public and the
governments with Global Peace Walk 2000 which will end on October 24th,
shortly before the US national elections.

The Global Peace Walk is a continuation of the "walking as a prayer for
peace" spiritual practice adopted by Mahatma Gandhi and utilized in various
ways by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, the US
Continental Walk for Social Justice and Disarmament of 1976, the American
Indians' Longest Walk of 1978, the Long Walk for Survival of 1980, the World
Peace March of 1982 which started in Japan and walked around the world
ending with five routes across the US converging on the United Nations
Second Special Session on Disarmament with a million people gathering in
Central Park in New York, and the many walks since then across the US and
around the world inspired by the late most venerable Nichidatsu Fujii whom
Gandhi called his revered teacher (Guruji).

With the threat of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction
growing now even greater since the end of the "cold war", and with the
increasing effects of global climate change rendering untold damage and
suffering (as predicted by the Hopi and other spiritual prophecies being
voiced to deaf ears over the past five decades and explained as consequent
to errors in human thinking) it is past time now to take immediate and
decisive action to correct human thinking into harmony with the natural law
and order before it is too late to save all life on Earth.

For this reason we call upon all who understand this message to collaborate
with us now to mobilize local Global Peace Walks in communities across the
US and around the world, immediately, on a regular and increasing basis to
heal this affliction which has come upon humanity.  Even a one hour per week
regular local Global Peace Walk event in many communities, even if only
walking one mile from the library to city hall, if done with determination
and increasing numbers each week, will soon have an impact on reaching the
public and government policymakers with the known but suppressed solutions
to today's global crises.

If we recognize that all problems have the same root, this error in human
thinking, it will be easier to unite all survival issue messages into an
effective movement to correct thinking and resolve all the obstacles to
global peace and prosperity.   Historically, changes of this scope have only
occured resultant from massive public demonstrations as inspired and
exemplified by India's successful nonviolent spiritual revolution under
Gandhi's leadership.  To this end we must make these local peace walks a
popular activity and venue for the effective presentation of details on
survival issue messages and the nature and scope of today's global crisis
solutions.  Thusly can we begin to develop a culture of peace.

Not one person should doubt that we can have true global peace, justice and
prosperity
for less than half the cost of present day wars and preparations for wars.

Even if you cannot join one of the Global Peace Walk 2000 routes converging
next Summer on St. Louis to walk together to Washington, DC, or be at the
end of the walk for the rededication of the Washington Monument as a symbol
of peace (with perhaps more than a million people), you can help support
this effort by your networking and commitment to conduct regular local
Global Peace Walks in your community.

To help you in this regard we can make available copies of the many peace
messages, letters of support, and proclamations that we have received since
1995 from city mayors, other government officials, community and religious
leaders (including messages from the US President, Vice President, and US
representative to the United Nations).  Some of these are gradually being
posted on the website below including the most recent proclamations of
support from the mayors of Oakland and Berkeley, California.  With this
documentation you can secure a Global Peace Walk Day and/or Global Peace
Zone proclamation from your city mayor as has been issued by so many others
already.  In this way the resolve for "Global Peace Now!" may be propagated
all this year for a worldwide Global Peace Zone 2000.

The proposal for a Global Peace Walk 1999 route to start this year at the
United Nations in New York City on the day its General Assembly convenes,
September 15th, to arrive in Washington, DC, on United Nations Day, October
24th, will only be successful if activists in communities along the route
soon take the initiative to mobilize coordinated regular local peace walks
which can be then connected on a schedule this Fall along this route.

Our focus on the United Nations is to bring attention to the goals of its
original purpose to "remove the scourge of war from the future generations"
and to offer the way to eliminate the need for its continued involvement in
belligerent confrontations around the globe.

Please let me know directly if you will help coordinate these efforts in
your community.

For more information on this project, how you can help, and the video
documentary of our March 1st Global Crisis Solutions Conference at UC
Berkeley, see

    http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000
*********************************************************
Global Emergency Alert Response:  GEAR2000
David Crockett Williams                661-822-3309
20411 Steeple Court, Tehachapi CA 93561 USA
*********************************************************
        CAMPAIGN for a BETTER AMERICA
              with General Agency Services
*********************************************************
FOR A UNITED NATION, One Nation Under God
                     Global  Peace  Walk
Annually:   22apr Taos, NM, --->  Santa Fe 26apr
1999:  15sep New York -> Washington DC 24oct
2000:  15jan  San Francisco --> New York  24oct
             15sep Washington, DC
     ONE HUMAN FAMILY:  Love All, Serve All.
       GLOBAL PEACE NOW !!     Help Now !!!
*********************************************************
http://www.egroups.com/list/global-peace-walk



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Kathy Crandall <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) URGENT STAR WARS VOTE
Date: 10 Mar 1999 18:16:20 -0500

A quick ALERT to let you all know that it is very likely that the

SENATE STAR WARS VOTE IS LIKELY TOMORROW AFTERNOON (THURS.
MARCH 11)


The Senate Cochran-Iouye Bill calling for "deployment of National
Missile Defense (STAR WARS) as soon as technologically possible" is
opposed by all nuclear disarmament advocates

The intial vote will be on whether to debate/ consider the bill
(Cloture). Proponets of the measure must have 60 votes in order for
considertion to proceed. (Last year we were able to win twice by
blocking further consideration of the bills, but we only one by one vote
each time.)

Of course nothing is ever definite in the Senate until its over . . .
but It appears that there is an Unanimous Consent Agreement on the
Ed-Flex bill  that will mean that votes on this bill are concluded
tomorrow morning, and the Star Wars Bill is next on the agenda.

PLEASE FAX AND PHONE  YOUR SENATORS TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
Capitol  Switchboard: [phone]

FOR MORE INFORMATION/ ASSISTANCE CONTACT:
Bob Tiller, PSR  [phone] ext. 220 [e-mail]
Fran Tepllitz, Peace Action [phone] ext. 3004
[e-mail]
Kimberly Robson, WAND [phone] [e-mail]
**********************************************************

--
DISARMAMENT CLEARINGHOUSE
Nuclear Disarmament Information, Resources & Action Tools
1101 14th Street NW #700, Washington DC 20005
TEL: [phone]  FAX: [phone]
E-MAIL: [e-mail]
http://www.psr.org/Disarmhouse.htm
http://www.psr.org/ctbtaction.htm

A project of: Friends Committee on National Legislation
     Peace Action, Physicians for Social Responsibility
     and Women's Action for New Directions



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) URGENT-STAR WARS
Date: 10 Mar 1999 18:57:18 -0500

Dear Friends,
SON OF STAR WARS IS COMING UP FOR A FIRST VOTE TOMORROW. (see below).  If this
system goes through, we can kiss nuclear abolition good-by for another
generation!!  It will violate the ABM treaty, provoke the Russian Duma to dig
in its heels for good on further cuts in bombs, send a signal to the whole
world that a new arms race is beginning.  Please be sure to contact your
Senators tomorrow and tell them to oppose STAR WARS.  Spread this message far
and wide.  They need to hear from thousands of us.  Activate your networks.
It's probably the single most important thing we can do right now to get
rid of
nuclear weapons!! FIND YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS (go to
http://www.vote-smart.org/ce/) Peace, Alice Slater

>Subject: Firmer schedule of votes on missile defense
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>The schedule for the congressional votes on national missile defense
>deployment has become even clearer.
>
>Majority Leader Trent Lott announced on the Senate floor at about 2:00 P.M.
>today that the Cochran missile defense bill is next up on the Senate floor
>after completion of the Education Flexibility bill.  He announced his plan
>while trying to reach a unanimous consent agreement on the "EdFlex" bill.
>
>The unanimous consent agreement has now been reached (shortly after 3:00
>P.M.) providing for debate and votes on defined list of 10 amendments to
>the education bill.  Those amendments will be debated through this evening,
>followed tomorrow morning by votes on the amendments and final passage.
>
>Thus it is likely that some time tomorrow, the Cochran bill will be up,
>with the first vote expected on whether or not to proceed to the bill
>(cloture).
>
>Following the Cochran bill, Lott announced he hopes to bring up the fiscal
>1999 supplemental appropriations bill and the fiscal 2000 budget resolution
>in the next two weeks before the Senate Easter/Passover recess scheduled to
>begin on March 26.
>
>In the meantime, it looks more and more likely that the House will take up
>the Weldon-Spratt (H.R. 4) missile defense bill on Thursday, March 18. The
>House leadership first hopes to host the Rumsfeld commission on missile
>defense threats in a closed briefing for House members.
>
>When the Weldon-Spratt bill comes up, Rep. Tom Allen plans to offer a
>substitute measure -- subject to approval by the House Rules Committee --
>that places conditions on any national missile defense deployment.
>
>John
>
>John Isaacs, President
>Council for a Livable World
>110 Maryland Avenue, NE - Room 409
>Washington, D.C. 20002
>[phone] x.131
>FAX [phone]
>www.clw.org
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Sally Light" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fw: De-Alert Nuclear Weapons/Action month!
Date: 10 Mar 1999 18:12:06 -0000



----------
> From: marylia <[e-mail]>
> To: [e-mail]
> Subject: De-Alert Nuclear Weapons/Action month!
> Date: Wednesday, March 10, 1999 5:17 PM
>
> De-Alert Nuclear Weapons in 1999? Here's How You Can Help
>
> from Tri-Valley CAREs' March 1999 newsletter, Citizen's Watch
>
> Tri-Valley CAREs joins the nationwide Alliance for Nuclear Accountability
> in designating this month as "Back from the Brink: Nuclear Weapons
> De-Alerting Action Month." We ask you to join us in efforts to educate
> ourselves and the public about the urgent need to de-alert the nuclear
> arsenal.
>
> It's 1999, and still the U.S. and Russia remain ready to launch more than
> 5,000 nuclear warheads on less than half-an-hour's notice. This
> hair-trigger alert policy leaves the world at grave risk from nuclear war
> by accident or miscalculation.
>
> We have developed an action kit to provide steps that you can take right
> away to help on this important issue. Through this focused effort we hope
> to raise public awareness about the potential for accidental nuclear war
> and pressure President Clinton to de-alert U.S. weapons and request that
> other nuclear weapons states take reciprocal actions this year.
>
> We will have action kits at our March 25th meeting. For those residing
> outside the San Francisco Bay Area, and those who cannot come to our
> meeting, you may obtain action kits by responding to this message with a
> request and your snail mail address. You may also ask to be added to the
> mailing list for our monthly newsletter, Citizen's Watch.
>
>  And, please mail the four new postcards inside this month's Citizen's
> Watch. (Note: the postcards soon will be posted as a JPEG file and
> downloadable from the Tri-Valley CAREs web site! Address at the end of
this
> message!)
>
> Time to De-Activate Nuclear Weapons
>
> by Beatrice Brailsford, Snake River Alliance
>
> from Tri-Valley CAREs' March 1999 newsletter, Citizen's Watch --
> offered as part of "Back From the Brink: De-Alerting Nuclear Weapons
Action
> Month"
>
> Nuclear war is less than fifteen minutes away. Far-fetched? In 1995 we
came
> within four minutes. When Russian radar picked up a U.S. science rocket
> launched from Norway, the "black suitcase" that Boris Yeltsin would use
to
> launch an attack was activated for the first time in history. It took
> Russian decision-makers eight minutes, operating in high emergency mode,
to
> realize the launch was not part of a surprise strike by the U.S.-less
than
> four minutes before their "launch-on-warning" deadline for ordering a
> nuclear response.
>
> Launch-on-Warning
>
> Throughout the Cold War, both superpowers understood that their
militaries'
> command-and-control centers would probably be destroyed when the first
bomb
> fell. So if retaliation (as opposed to first strike) was going to occur
at
> all, it had to occur after an enemy launch but before the first bomb
fell.
> This hair-trigger posture is called launch-on-warning, and it remains in
> effect today. (The U.S. and Russia both say their weapons are now aimed
out
> to sea. But it takes only seconds to return a missile to its original
> target.)
>
> Re-targeted, nuclear-armed missiles can travel between Russia and the
U.S.
> in about 25 minutes. It takes about 15 minutes to detonation if they're
> launched from off shore submarines. All in all, the U.S. and Russia are
> ready this evening to launch more than 5,000 nuclear warheads in half an
> hour. In the best case, the time needed for detection, communication, and
> command leaves a handful of minutes for the exercise of the judgment and
> integrity that might save the world.
>
> De-Alert Nuclear Weapons
>
> De-alerting, or deactivating, nuclear bombs increases the time needed to
> launch them-by hours, days, weeks, months, or even years. Physically
> altering bombs so they cannot be immediately launched can greatly reduce
> the risk of war by miscalculation and eliminate first strike threats and
> the risk of accidental nuclear war-even if a de-alerted bomb might stay
in
> a country's arsenal for now.
>
> There are a wealth of verifiable steps that can be taken to make the
world
> a safer place as we move toward disarmament. A sequence of steps can
> steadily increase the time it takes to launch a warhead. Pinning open
> firing switches on missiles is a relatively easy way to de-alert them,
but
> it's also difficult to verify and easy to reverse.
>
> Storing warheads separately from their delivery systems at locations
remote
> from them under multilateral monitoring would be more difficult to
reverse
> because there would be political as well as technical barriers. The
> distance between a warhead and its missile can be increased as the world
> grows more confident that de-alerting lessens the nuclear danger.
> De-alerting, though, should not impede or replace nuclear disarmament.
> Instead, it can be carried forward in parallel with it and would be a
> concrete demonstration of the nuclear powers' commitment to the complete
> disarmament required by Article 6 of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty,
> which the U.S. has signed.
>
> Post-Cold War Catastrophe
>
> Nuclear war by accident or miscalculation has always been a real
> possibility. For instance, in 1979 and 1980, false alarms swept U.S.
> nuclear forces because of computer chip failure and human error. They
could
> have led to a mistaken launch.
>
> We are closer to inadvertent nuclear war today than we ever were during
the
> Cold War. Russia is politically unstable, and its economy is in shambles.
> Its infrastructure continues to deteriorate, including its early warning
> and nuclear command systems as well as its nuclear forces and equipment.
>
> Russia's current situation is not just Russia's problem. In the winter of
> 1995, Russia's detection and command systems, though stretched very thin,
> did not snap. If they had, the U.S. would have compounded a mistaken
launch
> with one of its own. We would have had a nuclear war, not because of
> political conflict, but because of mutually reinforcing
miscalculation-made
> in minutes.
>
> The danger of accidental devastation may be increased considerably by the
> potential effects of Year 2000 computer problems on military radar and
> nuclear weapons command and control systems worldwide. This potential is
> only months away.
>
> A Compelling Precedent
>
> Today's nuclear dangers cry for bold steps now. There is a compelling
> precedent that the first step can be taken by the U.S.
>
> In September 1991, when the Soviet Union was falling apart, President
> George Bush ordered a stand-down of U.S. strategic bombers, which had,
for
> decades, been prepared to take off in minutes. Their bombs were later
> unloaded and stored. Some missiles were taken off alert in just a few
days,
> and orders for some new weapons were canceled.
>
> President Bush took these dramatic actions unilaterally, without even
> consulting Congress. They allowed President Mikhail Gorbachev to
> reciprocate within the week and garrison the Soviet Union's rail-based
> missiles, de-activate submarines, and lower the alert level of his
> country's strategic bombers. Within months, both nations had withdrawn
most
> of their tactical weapons from forward positions (though the U.S. remains
> the only nation with nuclear bombs on foreign soil). A time of turmoil
was
> made safer by two leaders' unilateral, reciprocal moves.
>
> Let Reason Prevail
>
> Last September, Tom Daschle (D-SD) posed this question to his colleagues
in
> the U.S. Senate: "Reasonable people can only ask the obvious question:
with
> the Soviet Union dissolved and the Cold War over for nearly seven years,
> how can the U.S. and Russia continue to be one bad call away from a
nuclear
> disaster?"
>
> The answer, too, is obvious. We can't. It's time to make the next move,
and
> the U.S.-with the most powerful military on earth-can lead the way. All
> nations must begin de-alerting their nuclear weapons immediately. Every
> weapon in every arsenal must be subjected to at least one effective
> de-alerting measure as soon as technically feasible, certainly as far
> before the Year 2000 as possible.
>
>
> ++++ Please note that my email address has changed to
> <[e-mail]> on 3/1/99 ++++
>
> Marylia Kelley
> Tri-Valley CAREs
> (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment)
> 2582 Old First Street
> Livermore, CA USA 94550
>
> <http://www.igc.org/tvc/> - 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.
>
> [phone] - is our phone
> [phone] - 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 "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Norm and Karen Cohen <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) UNPLUG SALEM RALLY 3/27, 1-3 PM SALEM NUKES
Date: 11 Mar 1999 09:51:44 -0500

Please forgive the inevitable duplications that will occur since I'm
sending this to so many lists.
Please come on out to either our rally or the events at Three Mile
Island and support these campaigns to shut down dangerous nuke plants.=20
Feel free to forward this annoucnement to your lists.

Flyers are available, please email back & we'll send you some.
Carpooling available too, please let us know.

We've got a great line-up and musicians and speakers, come on out on
March 27th!

Thanks
Norm Cohen
Executive Director, Coalition for Peace and Justice
South Jersey Coordinator, UNPLUG Salem Campaign


>                                        COALITION FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
>                                          PO BOX 2344, CAPE MAY, NJ 0820=
4
>                                       609-886-7988/889-8667            =
     [e-mail]
>
> Date: 03/05/99
> For Immediate Release: UPDATED with new information
>
>         ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS ADDED TO UNPLUG SALEM NO-NUKES RALLY ON MAR=
CH 27
>       The UNPLUG Salem Campaign added three speakers to the roster of p=
articipants in the rally at the Salem Nuclear Plant, to be held Saturday,=
 March 27th, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, at the access road leading to the A=
rtificial Island Complex. the new speakers included: John Guinan, Energy =
Advocate for New Jersey PIRG, Richard Mandelbaum, organizer for CATA, a f=
armworkers organization active in Southern New Jersey, and Rev. Robert Mo=
ore, who organized the first press conference at Three Mile Island in 197=
9 following the meltdown there. UNPLUG Salem also added radio personality=
 Bonnie Hart as the rally=92s emcee.
>      The rally is to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Three Mile=
 Island Partial Meltdown, and to continue to build momentum for the UNPLU=
G Salem Campaign aim:  to shut down the two dangerous Salem Nukes. The UN=
PLUG Salem Campaign aims to make this rally the largest rally at the Sale=
m Nuclear Plants in the last 20 years. The Salem Nuclear Plants are in Lo=
wer Alloways Township, near Salem, NJ, just across the Delaware Memorial =
Bridge from Wilmington, Delaware.
>       Free bus rides to the rally will be provided from Cape May and Cu=
mberland Counties. Call 609-886-7988 to reserve a seat or to arrange car =
pooling from other areas of the region.
>      Confirmed speakers at the rally now include: Wenonah Hauter, Direc=
tor of Citizen Action's Critical Mass Energy Project (Citizen Action is o=
ne of Ralph Nader's groups); Joe Mangano, Associate Director of the Radia=
tion Public Health Project (national coordinator for the Tooth Fairy Proj=
ect); Norm Cohen, Executive Director of the Coalition for Peace and Justi=
ce, and South Jersey Coordinator for UNPLUG Salem; Jane Nogaki, NJ Enviro=
nmental Federation; Madelyn Hoffman, Green Party Organizer; Tony Totah, M=
arine Biologist for Clean Ocean Action; Melissa Medford and Bernard Augus=
t, area coordinators for the =93Tooth Fairy Project=94, Alan Muller, Dire=
ctor of Green Delaware; John Guinan, NJ PIRG Energy Advocate; Rev. Robert=
 Moore, Executive Director, Coalition for Peace Action, and no-nukes orga=
nizer at TMI 20 years ago; and Maya van Rossum,  Delaware Riverkeeper. Mu=
sicians at the rally include blues singer Dennis Donnelly, folk singers G=
ood Friend, and the Eco-Chorale. The event will now be emceed by radio pe=
rsonality Bonnie Hart. We will also have a solar power demonstration area=
, featuring members of the Philadelphia Solar Power Association.
>     The UNPLUG Salem Campaign urges concerned citizens from Delaware, N=
ew Jersey, and Eastern Pennsylvania to join with us in making this rally =
the biggest demonstration at Salem in the last 20 years. This is an impor=
tant time to keep up the pressure on PSE&G and our legislators. Investiga=
tions of the NRC are going on in Congress, and deregulation in New Jersey=
 will be making it harder for nuke plants to be profitable. Add to this t=
he recent TMI-like accident at Salem II, followed by last weeks personnel=
 error at Salem II that led to the loss of alarms for over two hours, fol=
lowed by a recent battery failure at Salem II, and now a hot shutdown at =
Salem I due to low oil pressure (once again personnel error), and the tim=
e is right to demand to PSE&G that they decommission the two Salem nukes =
now.
>     The UNPLUG Salem Campaign is composed of 55 state, regional and loc=
al organizations, with the NJ Sierra Club being the latest addition to th=
e Campaign.. Other organizations in the Campaign include: New Jersey Envi=
ronmental Federation, NJ PIRG, Pennsylvania Environmental Network, Green =
Delaware, SEAC-13 (student environmental groups in the Mid-Atlantic), EAG=
LE, Clean Ocean Action, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Coalition f=
or Peace and Justice, CATA, CHORD, Delaware Valley Peace Action, Glassbor=
o Environmental Organization, Coalition Against Toxics, Fish Unlimited, S=
tockton Peace Action, the Salem Quaker Quarter (7 Quaker Meetings) and ma=
ny more.
>         For directions to the rally site, to volunteer to help out, if =
you are a musician who wishes to volunteer to perform, or for more inform=
ation, please contact: Norm Cohen, PO Box 2344, Cape May, NJ 08204; 609-8=
86-7988/889-8667
>
> CONTACT: Norm Cohen 609-886-7988
> Speakers:  Jane Nogaki: 609-767-1110; Maya van Rossum: 215-369-1188; To=
ny Totah: 609-729-3383;  Madelyn Hoffman: 973-252-0797;  Melissa Medford:=
 609-935-1277; Wenonah Hauter: 202-546-4996; Joe Mangano: 718-857-9825, B=
ernard August: 302-234-0708; Alan Muller: 302-834-3466; John Guinan: 609-=
394-8155; Bill Smith: 800-621-1964; Phila. Solar: 215-844-4196; Rev. Robe=
rt Moore: 609-924-5022; Richard Mandelbaum: 609-881-2508.
>
>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Nukes in Question Period
Date: 11 Mar 1999 13:46:53 -0500

>Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 11:33:49 -0500
>Subject: Nukes in Question Period
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail]
>X-FC-Forwarded-From: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>Hansard, 10 March 1999
>
>NUCLEAR WEAPONS=20
>
>Mr. Svend J. Robinson (Burnaby=97Douglas, NDP): Mr. Speaker, my question is
>for the
>Minister of Foreign Affairs.=20
>
>Today, former U.S. defense secretary Robert McNamara is in Ottawa urging
>that Canada push
>within NATO for a no first use policy on nuclear weapons. While the
>minister has called for a
>review of NATO nuclear policy, he has refused to say where he stands on
>present NATO policy.
>When will the minister show leadership and join former secretary McNamara
>and others in clearly
>calling on NATO to change its dangerous cold war, Reform supported policy
>and adopt a clear
>policy of no first use of nuclear weapons?=20
>
>Hon. Lloyd Axworthy (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I
>can certainly give
>you the last part of that question. I had a very informative meeting with
>the former U.S. secretary of
>defense along with the former head of the strategic air command. They were
>very helpful in
>supplying information about what is happening in the United States.=20
>
>I would like to remind the hon. member that once a committee tables a
>report, the Government of
>Canada has a responsibility to table its response. That response is now
>being worked on. We have
>150 days. It is part of the cabinet process. As soon as the timetable is
>met, we will be tabling a
>report. I am sure the hon. member will be very interested in the result.=20
>
>--=20
>Bill Robinson, Project Ploughshares,
>Conrad Grebel College, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada  N2L 3G6
>Phone: [phone] x264  Fax: [phone]
>E-mail: [e-mail]
>http://www.ploughshares.ca
>
>Project Ploughshares is a member of the Canadian Network to Abolish
>Nuclear Weapons (http://watserv1.uwaterloo.ca/~plough/cnanw/cnanw.html)
>=20
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "NGO Comm. on Disarmament" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Ladies and Gentlemen...
Date: 11 Mar 1999 17:30:14 -0500

I got some good news, I got some bad news.

THE 1999 NPT PREPCOM WILL TAKE PLACE IN NEW YORK, MAY 10-21.
States Parties will be notified officially tomorrow.

It seems relatively certain that the NGO oral presentations will
be scheduled for the afternoon of Tuesday, May 11.

Regarding other NGO panels, workshops and other events, please inform
the NGO Committee on Disarmament as soon as you are clear about any
plans to organize such events.

Please excuse me if you receive this message more than once.

Peacefully,
Roger Smith




*    *    *    *    *    *    *
Roger Smith
Network Coordinator
NGO Committee on Disarmament
777 U.N. Plaza #3B, New York, NY 10017, USA
tel [phone]  fax [phone]
[e-mail]    http://www.peacenet.org/disarm/


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Action Alert-Letter to Germany
Date: 11 Mar 1999 17:14:13 -0500

Dear Friends,
Our Abolition 2000 colleague in Germany, Xanthe Hall at IPPNW, has
requested that US Abolition groups send letters to German Foreign Minister,
Joschka Fischer, thanking him for his courageous stand in challenging US
nuclear policy.  He needs to hear from lots of Americans that his actions
are popular with us and are supported.  Below is a sample letter which you
may use to write your own letter.  Many thanks for your help with this
important initiative.  Peace, Alice Slater

>To US abolition groups
>Please consider signing this letter and sending it to Joschka Fischer.
>Thank you
>
>Xanthe Hall, IPPNW
>
>
>SAMPLE LETTER for Abolition Groups
>
>To Foreign Minister
>Joschka Fischer
>Auswaertiges Amt
>Adenauer Allee 99-103
>D-53113 Bonn
>GERMANY
>
>
>Dear Sir,
>
>I am writing to thank you for your continued efforts to initiate a debate
>on the policy of
>first-use of nuclear weapons in the review of the NATO strategic concept,
>and to
>encourage you to remain vocal on this issue.
>
>Our organization supports the abolition of all nuclear weapons and the
>negotiation of a
>treaty to regulate their elimination (Nuclear Weapons Convention). We
>belong to the
>Global Network for the elimination of nuclear weapons - Abolition 2000 -
>which is
>supported by over 1300 organizations, and works for the immediate
>commencement of
>negotiations for a convention to be completed by the year 2000. This
>initiative was
>started in 1995 at the NPT Review and Extension Conference.
>
>If nuclear weapons are to be abolished, the present deadlock in
>disarmament has to be
>broken. The dependence on nuclear weapons to give a false sense of
>security has to be
>reduced and eventually given up, when it is understood that they make us
>less safe and
>have nothing to do with our security needs.
>
>The coalition agreement between the Green and Social Democratic Parties
>states that a
>new dynamic may be achieved through unilateral disarmament initiatives. It
>is our belief
>that a clear signal by NATO at this time that they are willing to
>significantly reduce the
>role of nuclear weapons in the strategic concept, renounce first-use and
>even remove the
>remaining few US nuclear free-fall bombs based in Europe, would help to
>revitalize the
>disarmament process.
>
>As a US non-governmental organization, we wish to express our profound
>disappointment at the lack of willingness of the US government to debate
>the role of
>nuclear weapons in the strategic review. An opinion poll showed majority
>of US citizens
>(87%) would like to see the US negotiate an agreement to abolish nuclear
>weapons, a
>desire which is not reflected by the US administration in disarmament
>fora. The foreign
>policy of the US leads the international community to believe that the
>United States is
>not in favor of giving up nuclear weapons at all, whereas in actual fact
>the majority of
>people in the US say they would feel safer knowing that the US and other
>countries had
>none (84%) and that the US spends too much on its nuclear weapons program.
>These
>figures are relatively unknown outside of the disarmament community, but
>may be of
>interest to you in promoting your initiative for the reduction of the role
>of nuclear
>weapons within NATO.
>
>I wish you success and courage in the debate on no first-use and encourage
>you to
>remember that there are many of us in the United States that are looking
>to Germany to
>continue to take the lead on this extremely important issue.
>
>Yours sincerely,
>

Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) STAR WARS-trouble brewing
Date: 11 Mar 1999 18:53:24 -0500

 China, Russia Discuss Missile Plan

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/i/AP-China-Russia-US.html

March 11, 1999, Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) -- China and Russia have held talks about a proposed U.S.
anti-missile umbrella and are united in their opposition to the system, a
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said today.

Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao gave no details on the Chinese and Russian
``consultations'' about the proposed Theater Missile Defense system. He
also refused to say what if any action the two countries would take in
future.

But the Japanese news agency Kyodo, quoting an unnamed Russian government
source, reported Wednesday from Moscow that security experts from the
foreign and defense ministries of China and Russia have been meeting every
two months to exchange information about the anti-missile system.

The talks began late last year at China's request, and the two sides will
likely end up making a decision on a united approach, possibly jointly
asking that the United States and Japan terminate development of the
program, Kyodo's source said.

Zhu, the Chinese spokesman, said the two sides held talks ``because this
issue has bearing on global and regional security and stability and affects
the security interests of many countries.''

China fears the system, also known as TMD, could spark a costly arms race.
It also is determined to ensure that any anti-missile umbrella is not
extended to cover Taiwan, the island that China regards as part of its
territory.

``China and Russia have both indicated and made clear their opposition to
TMD,'' said Zhu. ``Russia is opposed to TMD and we have also expressed our
strong opposition to this, so the two sides share a position on this
issue.''

The United States has rebuffed Chinese concerns, saying it is still
studying the system and has not decided yet whether to use it.

_______
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: NATO NUCLEAR FLASH 99-14
Date: 11 Mar 1999 20:17:25 -0500

Dear Friends,
Below are some news stories about NATO.  As you can see, things are heating
up and the non-nuclear NATO states' (except for Turkey) challenge to US
nuclear policy at the UN continues.  All the more reason to show up at the
NATO CITIZEN"S SUMMIT, April 23, in Washington, DC, 10:00 am, on the mall,
corner of 14th St and Constitution Ave., the first day of the NATO 50th
Anniversary meeting of NATO governments.  HELP US TO SEND A CLEAR MESSAGE:
DE-NUKE NATO and widen the breach between the US and NATO allies on the
pace of nuclear abolition.  Peace, Alice Slater

>Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 17:24:53 -0500
>Subject: NATO NUCLEAR FLASH 99-14
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail]
>Cc: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>X-Sender: [e-mail]
>X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0.5 (32)
>Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 14:47:33 -0800
>To: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] (NNN-Net)
>Subject: NATO NUCLEAR FLASH 99-14
>X-Unsubscribe: To leave, send 'leave NNNNlist' to [e-mail]
>
>
>NATO NUCLEAR FLASH 99-14
>**************************
>(March 10, 1999)
>
>
>Table of Contents:
>
>1. NATO Expansion Highlights Problems, Success.
>2. Rumors About Nuclear Language.
>3. Solana Address to the Royal United Services Institute.
>4. U.S. Military Chief Remarks on "The Transatlantic Commitment".
>5. NATO Conference Opens in London in Run-up to Jubilee Forum.
>6. On Eve of Joining NATO, Czech Foreign Minister Pledges No Nuclear
>Weapons.
>
>
>-------------------
>
>1. NATO Expansion Highlights Problems, Success.
>
>March 10, 1999 - Ceremonies on Friday celebrating the adoption of three new
>members into NATO are meant to celebrate the allies' ability to change with
>the times, drawing old adversaries into a reunited, secure and free Europe.
>But the occasion is expected to be an anti-climax, which will serve to
>underscore problems dogging the United States and Europe six weeks before
>NATO's 50th anniversary summit in Washington.
>
>NATO has no intention of withdrawing the remaining 100-150 U.S. tactical
>nuclear weapons from Europe, but it is seeking a way to satisfy German and
>Canadian interest in at least discussing possible future changes in nuclear
>doctrine.
>
>* The full report is available at:
>http://www.nautilus.org/nnnnet/news/031099reuters.txt
>
>
>2. Rumors About Nuclear Language
>
>March 10, 1999 - With the date for the April NATO Summit approaching,
>rumors continue to circulate about the timeline and proposal language of
>the nuclear paragraphs of the Strategic Concept.  Some officials believe
>the language may be finalized by the middle of this week, while others feel
>there is little chance for a conclusion at this point.
>
>German embassy sources feel confident that there will be an agreement for a
>post-Summit task force to deal with nuclear policy issues, but does not
>expect the mandate finalized until perhaps the first week of August.
>
>* For the full report, go to:
>http://www.nautilus.org/nnnnet/news/young030999.txt
>
>
>3. Solana Speech at the Royal United Services Institute.
>
>March 9, 1999 - In a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)
>in London, NATO Secretary General Javier Solana said that the NATO Summit
>will take a "fresh look" at the risks and challenges facing the Atlantic
>community today and into the next century, and set the new security agenda.
>Although not mentioning nuclear issues specifically, he said that the
>Summit will launch an initiative to enhance NATO's role in coping with the
>spread of weapons of mass destruction.
>
>* The full speech is available at:
>http://www.nato.int/docu/speech/1999/s990309a.htm
>For a text-only version, go to:
>http://www.nautilus.org/nnnnet/speeches/solana030999.txt
>For a Tass news report about the speech, go to:
>http://www.nautilus.org/nnnnet/news/030999tass.txt
>
>
>4. U.S. Military Chief Remarks on "The Transatlantic Commitment".
>
>March 8, 1999 - NATO should broaden the current definition of collective
>defense to better meet the challenges of the 21st century, U.S. Chairman of
>the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Henry H. Shelton said in his address to
>the "NATO at 50 Conference" sponsored by the Royal United Services
>Institute in London.
>
>"Tomorrow's alliance must not only defend NATO's enlarged borders, it must
>also, as President Clinton has said, "defend against threats to our
>collective security from beyond those borders -- the spread of weapons of
>mass destruction, ethnic violence, and regional conflict."
>
>* Shelton's full speech is available at:
>http://usa.grmbl.com/s19990309c.html
>For a text-only version, go to:
>http://www.nautilus.org/nnnnet/speeches/shelton030999.txt
>
>
>5. NATO Conference Opens in London in Run-up to Jubilee Forum.
>
>March 8, 1999 -- A NATO conference pegged to the upcoming celebrations
>marking the 50th anniversary of the North Atlantic Alliance opened in
>London on March 8. The participants in the conference will try to assess
>the past and the future of the Alliance with a focus on the current
>situation in such trouble spots as Kosovo.
>
>* The full report is available at:
>http://www.nautilus.org/nnnnet/news/030899tass.txt
>
>
>6. On Eve of Joining NATO, Czech Foreign Minister Pledges No Nuclear
>Weapons.
>
>March 7, 1999 - "Provided that world peace is not threatened, no nuclear
>weapons will be deployed in the Czech Republic," the Czech Republic Foreign
>Minister Jan Kavan said during a televised debate on NATO membership,
>essentially declaring a "Nordic" nuclear policy.
>
>General Jiri Sedivy, Czech Army Chief of General Staff, rejected concerns
>about nuclear weapons deployment as unreasonable and groundless, stating
>that there are "no immediate plans" to deploy nuclear weapons in the
>country. But Chairman of the Czech Foreign Affairs and Security Committee,
>Michael Zantovsky, added that no official measures had been adopted that
>define the conditions for a potential deployment of NATO nuclear weapons in
>the Czech Republic.
>
>* The full report is available at:
>http://www.nautilus.org/nnnnet/news/030799ct1.txt
>
>
>END
>
>NOTE: Visit the Non-Nuclear NATO Network web site at:
>http://www.nautilus.org/nnnnet/index.html for the full text of these and
>many other documents about the debate over NATO's nuclear policy. The web
>site also contains previous NATO NUCLEAR FLASH messages, and is
>continuously updated with links to new and older documents.
>
>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Produced by the Nautilus Institute
>with contributions from the Fourth Freedom Forum and BASIC.
>
>For further information contact:
>
>Hans M. Kristensen, The Nautilus Institute
>    [e-mail]
>Alistair Millar, Fouth Freedom Foundation
>    [e-mail]
>Stephen Young, BASIC
>    [e-mail]
>Tim Savage, The Nautilus Institute
>    [e-mail]
>Wade Huntley, The Nautilus Institute
>    [e-mail]
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>-
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Sally Light" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) LLNL's Plutonium Facility - Press Release
Date: 11 Mar 1999 19:15:03 -0000

Hello: I apologize that the press release that follows loses all its
formatting and its fancy typefaces when emailed. Still, I think you will
find it readable and of interest... Peace, Marylia

Contact:
Marylia Kelley, Executive Director, [phone]
Sally Light, Program Analyst, [phone] or [phone]

For Release 3/11/99

Livermore Lab's Plutonium Facility -- A Ticking "Time Bomb"?

Community group calls on Energy Secretary to close plutonium
facility; conduct immediate investigation of filter problems.
Formerly secret documents form basis for group's demand.

On March 11, 1999, Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive
Environment) will send a letter to Energy Secretary Bill Richardson
demanding that he immediately shut down operations in the main plutonium
building at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) while a
thorough, open investigation of the problem-riddled facility is carried
out.  The main plutonium facility at LLNL, called Building 332, houses 880
pounds of plutonium, enough for nearly 100 modern nuclear bombs.

Tri-Valley CAREs, the Livermore-based environmental "watchdog" over the
weapons laboratory, has recently received documents from the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) in response to its Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) request for information concerning LLNL's High Efficiency
Particulate Air (HEPA) filters in its plutonium facility.  The documents
were not provided until Tri-Valley CAREs, after waiting almost nine months
for a response to its April 1998 request, filed a FOIA lawsuit against DOE,
the Livermore Lab's parent agency.

These formerly secret documents, which total approximately 500 pages, can
be made available to reporters upon request at Tri-Valley CAREs' office.
They are the basis for the group's urgent letter to Secretary Richardson.
Several documents are excerpted below.

The DOE documents reveal a long history of serious problems with Bldg.
332's HEPA filters, which are supposed to protect Lab workers and the
public by preventing the release of plutonium into the air.  Plutonium, a
radioactive material derived from neutron bombardment of uranium 238, is
used in the making of nuclear weapons. Plutonium 239, the weapons grade
isotope oft used at Livermore Lab, has a "half-life" of over 24,000 years.

Among the documents are many memos from LLNL's own filter experts outlining
serious technical concerns about Bldg. 332's filter system and containing
chilling warnings about potential and actual failures.  Other documents
describe accidents that spread plutonium around Bldg. 332, which includes
many rooms and, in its entirety, covers most of four acres.

                                Excerpt from FOIA-ed memo of 6/6/90:  "I
hope it doesn't take a release like we had in late 1979 - early 1980 to
spring the money necessary to solve the current problems." -- James S.
Johnson, LLNL to Chuck Folkers, LLNL

"The records indicate that measurable plutonium releases to the outside air
occurred in 1979-80 due to HEPA filter failure," stated Sally Light,
Tri-Valley CAREs' Nuclear Program Analyst.

 "According to these documents," Light continued, "at least one type of
Bldg. 332's HEPA filters is not totally qualified for nuclear applications.
Further, the documents show that these filters, which are made by hand
from glass paper and glue, may fail when wet, hot, cold or under too much
air pressure, as well as when too old. Livermore Lab experts state in the
documents we received that HEPA filters should remain in service for only 8
years maximum. Knowing this, the Lab has continued to use some of the
filters in the plutonium facility for 20 to 30-plus years!"

                                Excerpt from FOIA-ed memo of 3/6/95:  "Old
filters should be discarded or only used in non-critical applications
because aged filters are structurally weak." -- Werner Bergman, LLNL to Ray
Kahle.  And, on 2/16/95:  "LLNL has stored filters to 10 years prior to use
and has functioning filters with 32 years of service." -- HEPA Filter
Studies, by Werner Bergman, LLNL

Light went on to say that there is a risk of major plutonium releases if a
fire -- always a possibility with plutonium -- occurs in Bldg. 332, causing
the "blow out" of plutonium-laden filters when fire sprinklers turn on.
"We are extremely concerned about this possibility, because a major
plutonium fire and HEPA 'blow out' has already actually happened at another
DOE facility, Rocky Flats, in Colorado," she said.

                                Excerpt from FOIA-ed memo of 3/6/95:  "As
stated in all three documents, the most important issue is the potential
for HEPA filter blow out during fire conditions." -- Werner Bergman, LLNL
to Ray Kahle

According to Marylia Kelley, Executive Director of Tri-Valley CAREs, HEPA
filters work similarly to a filter in a coffee pot, which doesn't prevent
numerous small coffee particles from passing through.

"Even when the HEPA filter is working perfectly, it does not capture 100%
of the plutonium.  If the filters are allowed to get old, crusty, brittle
and failure-prone, as the ones in Bldg. 332 have, then this may show one
possible pathway by which plutonium made its way into the surrounding
community, including Big Trees Park," Kelley explained, referring to the
recent "plutonium in the park" controversy. Community concern continues to
rise as elevated levels of plutonium were discovered for a third time at
Big Trees Park, just one half mile west of the Lab and next to an
elementary school.

Kelley also stated that some of the DOE documents include Lab memos
describing the long-standing inadequacy of funding for research into both
filter problems and their remedies.  A recent memo shows a Livermore Lab
employee trying hard to juggle and stretch what little DOE funding there
was in order to even partially address existing filter problems.

                                Excerpt from FOIA-ed memo of 3/21/98:  "I
no longer have any support for HEPA filter tasks and cannot charge my other
projects... Because of the serious accusations regarding these filters and
the potential consequences to Bldg. 332 and the Lab, I quickly conducted a
series of tests (using about 100k dollars of my DOE monies initially
intended for other filter tasks) to mitigate the most serious questions
regarding the closed filters." -- Werner Bergman, LLNL to Tim Roberts, LLNL


"Historically, there's been very little guidance from DOE as to the filters
for the entire nuclear weapons complex.  Instead, each facility has been
left largely on its own," Kelley said.

                                Excerpt from FOIA-ed document of 2/16/95:
"DP [Dept. of Energy's Defense Programs] facilities have many old HEPA
filters because there is no guidance and no disposal site" -- HEPA Filter
Studies, by Werner Bergman, LLNL

"We will continue to monitor the serious HEPA  conditions at Livermore
Lab's plutonium facility, as well as the other problems there, including
the epidemic of plutonium criticality safety violations that resulted in
the months-long shut down of Bldg. 332 during 1997-98," said Sally Light.
"As a priority, we are urging the community to join us in writing the
Secretary of Energy, as well as Representative Ellen Tauscher, to demand
that Bldg. 332 be closed while an immediate, thorough and open
investigation of these serious risks to public health and the environment
is undertaken."

-30-

A copy of the letter to Secretary Richardson is available by fax on
request.

++++ Please note that my email address has changed to
<[e-mail]> on 3/1/99 ++++

Marylia Kelley
Tri-Valley CAREs
(Communities Against a Radioactive Environment)
2582 Old First Street
Livermore, CA USA 94550

<http://www.igc.org/tvc/> - 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.

[phone] - is our phone
[phone] - 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 "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Kathy Crandall <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) The REAL STAR WARS UPDATE
Date: 12 Mar 1999 09:32:50 -0500

 STAR WARS UPDATE

Just passing this on from John Isaacs, Council for a Livable World:

Please continue to generate calls and faxes to your Senators today, over

the weekend and Monday,

Capitol  Switchboard [phone]

If you have questions, want to know more about what you can do, please
contact
Bob Tiller at PSR  [phone] ext. 220 [e-mail]
Fran Teplitz at Peace Action [phone] [e-mail]


*******************************************************
The latest on the Senate schedule -- Majority Leader Trent Lott has just

announced (around 6:00 P.M. on Thursday) that the Cochran National
Missile Defense bill will in fact come up next week, the week of March
15.  The
Senate has one more vote on the education bill Thursday evening; there
are no Senate votes on Friday or Monday.

Senator Lott also announced that there will no cloture vote on the
Cochran bill, S.257, but rather that the Senate will proceed directly to
the
bill and to debate thereon.  This announcement comes after a negotiated
agreement with Senator Daschle and other Democrats, but the details are
not clear at this point.

Reminder:  The House is still expected to take up the Weldon-Spratt
(H.R.4) missile defense bill on Thursday, March 18. The House leadership

first hopes to host the Rumsfeld commission on missile defense threats
in a
closed briefing for House members.

When the Weldon-Spratt bill comes up, Rep. Tom Allen plans to offer a
substitute measure -- subject to approval by the House Rules Committee
-- that places conditions on any national missile defense deployment.

John


John Isaacs, President
Council for a Livable World
110 Maryland Avenue, NE - Room 409
Washington, D.C. 20002
[phone] x.131
FAX [phone]
www.clw.org

--
DISARMAMENT CLEARINGHOUSE
Nuclear Disarmament Information, Resources & Action Tools

1101 14th Street NW #700, Washington DC 20005
TEL: [phone] ext. 232 FAX: [phone]
E-MAIL: [e-mail]
http://www.psr.org/Disarmhouse.htm
http://www.psr.org/ctbtaction.htm

A project of: Friends Committee on National Legislation
     Peace Action, Physicians for Social Responsibility
     and Women's Action for New Directions




--



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: McNamara encourages review
Date: 12 Mar 1999 15:46:59 -0500

>Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 15:29:42 -0500
>Subject: McNamara encourages review
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail]
>X-FC-Forwarded-From: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>Former Cold Warrior encourages review of NATO nuclear policy
>JEFF SALLOT
>03/09/99
>The Globe and Mail
>Metro
>Page A8
>
>
>Ottawa -- Robert McNamara, a former U.S. defence secretary and Cold
>Warrior, plans to tell a
>parliamentary committee tomorrow that Canada should administer badly
>needed "shock
>treatment" to Washington to alert it to the dangers and immorality of
>nuclear weapons.
>
>"I don't think you'll accomplish a damn thing in Canada in relation to
>U.S. nuclear policy, unless
>you engage in what I call shock treatment and are willing to pay some
>price," Mr. McNamara
>said yesterday.
>
>Mr. McNamara, a Vietnam War-era hawk who has become a dove, is scheduled
>to appear
>before a special joint Senate-House committee on foreign affairs to urge
>Canada to take a leading
>role in forcing a review of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's
>nuclear-weapons policy.
>
>"If that [a full-scale review] were done, there's no question in my mind
>but that the policy would
>be changed," he said in an interview.
>
>Mr. McNamara was the chief architect of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam
>War under presidents
>John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s. He had his finger on the
>nuclear button
>during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, one of the most dangerous episodes
>of the Cold War.
>
>His appearance in Ottawa will be an unusual event. Even when they are in
>vocal opposition to
>current Pentagon policy at home, former U.S. defence officials rarely
>criticize those policies
>before foreign parliaments.
>
>Canadian peace groups say Mr. McNamara's appearance will give the Liberal
>government some
>room to manoeuvre politically on the nuclear issue without facing charges
>from the Reform Party
>and others that it is anti-American.
>
>Mr. McNamara's appeal will be supported before the committee by three
>other former senior
>U.S. arms-control and military officials, including retired general Lee
>Butler, who was the
>commander of U.S. strategic nuclear forces when the Soviet Union collapsed
>in 1991. The four
>are also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Foreign
>Affairs Minister Lloyd
>Axworthy.
>
>Mr. McNamara said it is not likely that NATO will abandon its so-called
>first-use nuclear policy
>at its summit meeting next month in Washington, an event that will include
>ceremonies marking the
>alliance's 50th anniversary.
>
>But he said it would be a major step forward if Canada and the other
>non-nuclear NATO
>countries could at least keep President Bill Clinton from opposing a
>policy review, if not actually
>initiating it.
>
>Current NATO policy leaves open the possibility of the alliance making
>first use of nuclear
>weapons in a conflict. Left unchanged, Mr. McNamara said, that policy will
>continue to irritate
>Russia and undermine efforts to renew the Nuclear Non-proliferation
>Treaty.
>
>He said many senior U.S. military figures disagree with NATO's
>"irresponsible" and "morally
>repugnant" nuclear policy. He predicted that top military officers in the
>United States would
>actually welcome a review of nuclear policy, because "they know damn well
>you can't use these
>weapons against a nuclear-equipped opponent -- and against a
>non-nuclear-equipped opponent
>they don't need them."
>
>Mr. McNamara is also critical of U.S. plans to try to develop a
>ballistic-missile defence system to
>protect North America from so-called rogue states.
>
>"The idea that the North Koreans would have a missile that would launch a
>weapon on the U.S.
>or Canada anytime soon is absurd."
>
>And even if North Korea did develop long-range missiles, he said, "the
>better defence would be
>to take it out" with direct bombing, rather than set up a missile defence
>that almost certainly would
>not work.
>
>
>--
>Bill Robinson, Project Ploughshares,
>Conrad Grebel College, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada  N2L 3G6
>Phone: [phone] x264  Fax: [phone]
>E-mail: [e-mail]
>http://www.ploughshares.ca
>
>Project Ploughshares is a member of the Canadian Network to Abolish
>Nuclear Weapons (http://watserv1.uwaterloo.ca/~plough/cnanw/cnanw.html)
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Globe on McNamara/Butler
Date: 12 Mar 1999 16:07:14 -0500

Dear Friends,
The good news below from our neighbors to the North requires a strong
response from our Campaign.  One way to respond, is to show up for the
Citizens Summit to De-Nuke NATO on April 23 in Washington DC, 10:00am, on
the Mall, Constitution and 14th St.  If you're too far away, urge your
friends in the DC area to attend.  We're on a roll!  Let's keep the
momentum going.  Peace, Alice Slater

>Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 15:24:40 -0500
>Subject: Globe on McNamara/Butler
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail]
>X-FC-Forwarded-From: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>Canada targets nuclear warheads
>Government, impressed by arguments of former hawks, will lobby to destroy
>weapons
>JEFF SALLOT
>03/11/99
>The Globe and Mail
>Metro
>Page A4
>
>Ottawa -- The Liberal government wants nuclear-weapons states to get rid
>of all of their
>warheads, Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy said yesterday.
>
>It's just a matter of how and when this goal can be accomplished, he said
>in an interview after a
>meeting with prominent U.S. Cold Warriors who now oppose Washington's
>nuclear weapons
>policy.
>
>He said the federal government's ultimate objective is to try to wean its
>nuclear allies -- the United
>States, Britain and France -- and other nuclear-weapons states like Russia
>and China from
>dependence on nuclear weapons in their defence strategies.
>
>For Canada, "the question is how best to influence" the nuclear weapons
>debate, he said, adding
>that the cabinet will soon take up the issue.
>
>Mr. Axworthy said he was impressed by the arguments of former U.S. defence
>secretary Robert
>McNamara and retired U.S. Air Force general Lee Butler, hawks who have
>turned doves.
>
>The pair testified at a parliamentary committee yesterday, urging Canada
>to confront Pentagon
>orthodoxy and take the lead in forcing a review of NATO's nuclear policy.
>
>"These are very, very serious and experienced guys" and their arguments
>against the nuclear
>weapons policies of their own government and the North Atlantic Treaty
>Organization carry a lot
>of weight, Mr. Axworthy said.
>
>The elimination of nuclear weapons is moving to the centre of the
>political agenda in Ottawa and
>in other NATO countries as the alliance reviews its strategic doctrine in
>preparation for a 50th
>anniversary meeting in Washington next month. The Clinton administration
>says there is no need to
>change NATO nuclear policy.
>
>The Commons foreign affairs committee recommended recenly that NATO review
>its policy,
>which leaves open the possibility that the alliance might be the first to
>use nuclear weapons in a
>conflict.
>
>Gen. Butler, who was the officer in charge of all U.S. strategic nuclear
>forces when the Cold War
>ended, said the committee's report is a helpful reminder to Americans of
>the importance of
>morality in defence policy. "This is a report my government should have
>written many years ago,"
>he said.
>
>Mr. McNamara, who had his finger on the U.S. nuclear trigger during the
>Cuban missile crisis in
>1962, said the committee's "superb" report could have gone even further
>and specifically called
>for a NATO no-first-use policy.
>
>Reform Party foreign-policy critic Bob Mills said the witnesses were naive
>to believe that nuclear
>weapons could ever be eliminated. "We must accept the fact there will
>always be the risk of
>nuclear proliferation" and thus NATO should keep its own warheads as a
>deterrent.
>
>Mr. McNamara called for an unequivocal political commitment by all the
>nuclear powers to the
>goal of total abolition of those weapons. This would be followed
>immediately by the removal of all
>nuclear weapons from alert status, the physical removal of warheads from
>missiles, and a
>declaration that the countries would never be the first to use nuclear
>weapons and would never
>use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states.
>
>"We can indeed put the genie back in the bottle," Mr. McNamara said. "If
>we do not, there is a
>substantial and unacceptable risk that the 21st century will witness a
>nuclear holocaust."
>
>--
>Bill Robinson, Project Ploughshares,
>Conrad Grebel College, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada  N2L 3G6
>Phone: [phone] x264  Fax: [phone]
>E-mail: [e-mail]
>http://www.ploughshares.ca
>
>Project Ploughshares is a member of the Canadian Network to Abolish
>Nuclear Weapons (http://watserv1.uwaterloo.ca/~plough/cnanw/cnanw.html)
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Timothy Bruening <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) McNamara encourages review of NATO nuclear weapons policy
Date: 13 Mar 1999 01:41:45 -0800 (PST)

I understand that McNamara will urge Canada to push for a review of NATO's
first use of nuclear weapons policy.  Would he be in favor of Canada
imposing sanctions against the US?


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Timothy Bruening <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Nuclear Disarmament Actions
Date: 13 Mar 1999 01:41:47 -0800 (PST)

I have read that there will be a big anti-nuclear rally in Washington, D.C.
in June 2000.  Why not have such a rally this June?


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Sally Light" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) New Stuff on Tri-Valley CAREs' Web Site
Date: 13 Mar 1999 10:49:05 -0000

New! Cool! Free! Must See! All that and antinuclear, too!
Announcing new stuff on Tri-Valley CAREs' web site!
(http://igc.org/tvc)

** The latest, very cool postcard calling on President Clinton to de-alert
nuclear weapons. It is ready for you to download, e.g. in jpeg format. The
graphic shows the earth being cradled in safe hands. The text (in
semi-circles around the graphic) says: Make the world a safer place... Take
nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert. CHECK IT OUT. GET YOURS TODAY.

(And, if for any reason you have trouble downloading the postcard and want
a camera ready template sent to you by snail mail, just send me a note with
your address -- which you can do directly from the web site.)


** Our March 1999 newsletter, Citizen's Watch is on the web now with:

(1) news on plutonium filter failures and other problems at the Dept. of
Energy's Livermore Lab. This information was dragged out of DOE via a
Freedom of Information Act request and, ultimately, a lawsuit when the
agency tried to stonewall. This information on HEPA filter problems has
relevance to other nuclear sites around the country!

(2) everything you need to participate in the country-wide grassroots
campaign to de-alert the U.S. nuclear arsenal by the Year 2000! Download
the article and the postcard. Order an action kit. Pass the word on to
others.

(3) a calendar of events -- including the Good Friday (April 2) morning
observance and demonstration at the gates of Livermore Lab. This year the
theme is "Confessing the Idolatry of Our Nuclear Weapons." All people of
peace are welcome. Also, get details about a Public Meeting - March 18 at 6
PM - on the Livermore Lab's site 300 cleanup, the Tri-Valley CAREs' meeting
on March 25 and more.

(4) an article on "Site 300: Risks and Remedies," about the importance of
cleaning up radioactive and toxic waste at Livermore Lab's high explosives
testing range, located between Livermore and Tracy, California.

(5) more!!! Address follows...

++++ Please note that my email address has changed to
<[e-mail]> on 3/1/99 ++++

Marylia Kelley
Tri-Valley CAREs
(Communities Against a Radioactive Environment)
2582 Old First Street
Livermore, CA USA 94550

<http://www.igc.org/tvc/> - 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.

[phone] - is our phone
[phone] - 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 "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Nuclear Disarmament Actions
Date: 13 Mar 1999 14:09:05 EST

In a message dated 3/13/99 4:42:31 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[e-mail] writes:

<< Subj:     (abolition-usa) Nuclear Disarmament Actions
 Date:    3/13/99 4:42:31 AM Eastern Standard Time
 From:    [e-mail] (Timothy Bruening)
 Sender:    [e-mail]
 Reply-to:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], abolition-
[e-mail]

 I have read that there will be a big anti-nuclear rally in Washington, D.C.
 in June 2000.  Why not have such a rally this June?

  >>

Timothy,
I have questions even about June 2000 - I think some of the discussions have
been a little unreal, but this year? It is already mid-March, and a massive
event of this kind requires a full year in the making - or some very terrible
event to galvanize us (such as the Kent State shootings back in the Vietnam
period or the Three Mile Island event). If there was an accidental Russian
missile drop on NYC, or an accidental US missile drop on Paris, then I think
it could be done this June. But otherwise it isn't possible. Funding. Buses
and trains reserved. Coalition endorsements. Negotiations with the police.
However . . . this is one of those things, like a revolution itself, where I'd
love to be proven entirely too pessimistic.

Peace,
David McReynolds

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) DC Nuclear Disarmament Actions
Date: 13 Mar 1999 12:25:16 -0800

One kind of event which can effect more rapid mobilization is the peace
walk.  What do folks think of the idea of starting a Global Peace Walk 1999
for Y2K motivated nuclear weapons "stand-down" or "de-alert" (as a first
step to Abolition 2000) starting the walk at the United Nations in NY on its
opening day September 15 (UN Int'l Day of Peace) and walking to Washington
DC to arrive on October 24th United Nations Day (54th anniversary) in order
to bring out the logic that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is a
crime against humanity according to numerous  UN resolutions interpreting
its original charter and in support of Anne Fagan Ginger's legal arguments
that a 1996 World Court Opinion renders nuclear weapons illegal under
international law.  Details on her position referenced at GEAR2000 website
below.   Two organizations are already planning Oct24 events at the Capitol
which would be supportive, the March for Peaceful Energy
(http://www.peacefulenergy.org) and the Rally to End Secrecy
http://www.endsecrecy.com .   It would seem that the potential Y2K threat of
accidental nuclear war may be enough in these times to replace the need for
a Kent State type motivation.   Six months to plan such event with all the
organizations already mobilizing around the Y2K apprehensions, etc., could
be plenty of time to rally a large group at the Washington Monument -- US
Capitol area,  if such decision can be consensed to on this list soon, then
the ball can get rolling quickly on many levels.  Isn't it about time for
manifesting a nonviolent American Spiritual Resolution?  (what is a
revolution but an effect of human resolve)

    http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000
*********************************************************
Global Emergency Alert Response:  GEAR2000
David Crockett Williams                661-822-3309
20411 Steeple Court, Tehachapi CA 93561 USA
*********************************************************
        CAMPAIGN for a BETTER AMERICA
              with General Agency Services
*********************************************************
      UNITED NATION   Global  Peace  Walk
Annually:   22apr Taos, NM, --->  Santa Fe 26apr
1999:  15sep UN in NY to Washington, DC 24 Oct
2000:  15jan  San Francisco --> New York  24oct
             16sep Washington, DC
Ceremony rededicating  Washington Monument
as a symbol of peace, September 16, 2000
     ONE HUMAN FAMILY:  Love All, Serve All.
       GLOBAL PEACE NOW !!     Help Now !!!
*********************************************************
http://www.egroups.com/list/global-peace-walk

-----Original Message-----


>In a message dated 3/13/99 4:42:31 AM Eastern Standard Time,
>[e-mail] writes:
>
><< Subj: (abolition-usa) Nuclear Disarmament Actions
> Date: 3/13/99 4:42:31 AM Eastern Standard Time
> From: [e-mail] (Timothy Bruening)
> Sender: [e-mail]
> Reply-to: [e-mail]
> To: [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
>[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], abolition-
>[e-mail]
>
> I have read that there will be a big anti-nuclear rally in Washington,
D.C.
> in June 2000.  Why not have such a rally this June?
>
>  >>
>
>Timothy,
>I have questions even about June 2000 - I think some of the discussions
have
>been a little unreal, but this year? It is already mid-March, and a massive
>event of this kind requires a full year in the making - or some very
terrible
>event to galvanize us (such as the Kent State shootings back in the Vietnam
>period or the Three Mile Island event). If there was an accidental Russian
>missile drop on NYC, or an accidental US missile drop on Paris, then I
think
>it could be done this June. But otherwise it isn't possible. Funding. Buses
>and trains reserved. Coalition endorsements. Negotiations with the police.
>However . . . this is one of those things, like a revolution itself, where
I'd
>love to be proven entirely too pessimistic.
>
>Peace,
>David McReynolds
>
>-
> To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
> with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the 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 "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Presentation on Weapons in Space
Date: 15 Mar 1999 13:03:20 -0500

--=====================_12817760==_
Content-Type: multipart/related;
    type="text/plain";
    boundary="=====================_12817760==_.REL"

--=====================_12817760==_.REL
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

>Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 11:11:25 -0500
>Subject: Presentation on Weapons in Space
>To: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>       =20
>        The following is a condensed version of a speech given by Karl
>Grossman
>at a seminar on =93Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space=94 organized=
 by the
Women=92s
>International League for Peace and Freedom held at the United Nations
>Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on March 10 and at the Darmstadt
>University of Technology in Germany at a conference on =93Space Use and=
 Ethics"
on
>March 4. =20

>        Professor Grossman of the State University/College at Old Westbury
>is a member of the Commission on Disarmament Education, Conflict Resolution
and
>Peace of the United Nations and the International Association of University
>Presidents, and author of =93The Wrong Stuff: The Space Program=92s Nuclear
>Threat To Our Planet=94 and writer and narrator of the TV documentaries=
 =93Nukes
In
>Space: The Nuclearization and Weaponization of the Heavens=94 and the
just-released
>=93Nukes In Space 2: Unacceptable Risks.=94 The full text is appended at=
 the end
as an attached file, or can be obtained from [e-mail]. =20

=20
The U.S. military is seeking to =93control space=94 and the Earth
>below, to base weapons in space--and we must all join to stop this.
Here=92s the plan: the United States Space Command=92s "Vision For
>2020" report, issued last year. Look at the cover of the report: laser
weapons
>shooting their beams down from space zapping targets below. And, the report
>goes on, in wording laid out like in the start of the Star Wars movies: =93=
US
>Space Command--dominating the space dimension of military operations to
>protect US interests and investment. Integrating Space Forces into
warfighting
>capabilities across the full spectrum of conflict.=94 This was not written=
 in
>Hollywood; it=92s an official U.S. military publication.
>       =20
Here=92s the plan: General Joseph Ashy, commander-in-chief of the
U.S. Space Command--its motto =93Master of Space=94--speaking in =93Aviation=
 Week
and
>Space Technology=94 in an article headlined: =93USSC [U.S. Space Command]
>Prepares for Future Combat Missions in Space.=94 General Ashy talks of=
 =93space
>control,=94 the U.S. term for control of space, and =93space force=
 application,=94
the U.S.
>military=92s definition of control of Earth from space. Says General Ashy:
>=93We=92ll expand into these two missions because they will become=
 increasingly
>important.  We will engage terrestial targets someday--ships, airplanes,
>land targets--from space. We will engage targets in space, from space.=94
=93It=92s politically sensitive, but it=92s going to happen,=94 says the
>general. =93Some people don=92t want to hear this, and it sure isn=92t in=
 vogue,
>but--absolutely--we=92re going to fight in space. We=92re going to fight=
 from
>space and we=92re going to fight into space=85.That=92s why the U.S. has
development
>programs in directed energy and hit-to-kill mechanisms.=94

Here=92s the plan: =93Space-Based Laser Readiness Demonstrator=94 are the
>words on top on this poster of a laser weapon in space, with a U.S. flag
>waving in space above it. (I didn=92t know U.S. flags were able to wave in
space.)
>=93Preparing Today To Protect Tomorrow,=94 say the words below, next to a=
 seal
>of the =93team=94 involved in the project, a contract for which was signed=
 last
>year:TRW, Boeing, the U.S. Air Force and the Ballistic Missile Defense
>Organization, the new name for the U.S. Star Wars operation.=20

>Here=92s the plan: Guardians of the High Frontier, the publication of the=
 Air
>Force Space Command, proclaiming: =93Air Force Space Command Vision:
>Defending America through the control and exploitation of space.=94
>Here=92s the plan: Phillips Laboratory, the Air Force research and
>development facility, describing itself: =93Phillips Laboratory supports=
 the
>war fighter=85Phillips Laboratory is helping control space for the United
>States.=94
>   =20
Here=92s the plan: Asst. Secretary of the Air Force for Space Keith
>Hall, who=92s also director of the National Reconnaissance Office (which=
 has a
$6.8
>billion annual budget, nearly three times the CIA=92s), declaring: =93With
>regard to space dominance, we have it, we like it, and we=92re going to=
 keep
it.=94
Here=92s the plan: in =93Time=94 magazine last month. The headline: =93Star
>Wars: The Sequel, Hey, what ever happened to arms control? Well, here
>comes the new Bill Clinton, Star Warrior.=94 The article began: =93Disregar=
d
previous
>orders. It=92s back to the future after Clinton this month sent Congress a
military
>budget proposing to pump $6.6 billion into development of a national
>missile-defense shield by 2005
Missile defense? Examining the new Clinton Son of Star Wars drive
>in context, it sure appears that what=92s up the sleeves of the U.S.=
 military
>is in large part not defense but offense=85.
 Here=92s the plan: =93The Future of War: Power, Technology & American World
>Dominance in the 2lst Century=94 is the name of the book. It is written by
>U.S.=93defense experts=94 and consultants, George and Meredith Friedman.=
 The
book=92s
>thrust: =93Just as by the year 1500 it was apparent that the European
>experience of power would be its domination of the global seas, it does not
take much
>to see that the American experience of power will rest on the domination of
>space,=94 the Friedmans write. =93Just as Europe expanded war and its power=
 to
>the global oceans, the United States is expanding war and its power into
space
>and to the planets,=94 they say. =93Just as Europe shaped the world for a=
 half a
>millennium=94--by the Britain, France and Spain dominating the oceans with
>their fleets--=93so too the United States will shape the world for at least
that
>length of time.=94 "The Future of War: Power, Technology & American World
Dominance
>in the 2lst Century"--as do various government reports--see as critical to
the
new
>weapons the U.S. seeks to deploy in space, nuclear power in space.
>As =93New World Vistas: Air And Space Power For The 2lst Century,=94 a
>U.S. Air Force board report, states: =93In the next two decades, new
technologies
>will allow the fielding of space-based weapons of devastating
effectiveness to
>be used to deliver energy and mass as force projection in tactical and
>strategic conflict=85These advances will enable lasers with reasonable mass=
 and
cost to
>effect very many kills.=94 But, notes the report, =93power limitations=
 impose
>restrictions=94 on such-based weapons systems making them =93relatively
>unfeasible=85.A natural technology to enable high power,=94 it goes on, =93=
is
>nuclear power in space.=94 =93Setting the emotional issues of nuclear power
aside,
this technology
>offers a viable alternative for large amounts of power in space,=94 it goes=
 on.
>
Weapons in space. Nukes in space=85.
What about the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, the =93basic framework on
>international space law?=94--as notes the United Nations in describing the
>landmark treaty now signed by 91 nations. The U.S., the United Kingdom and
>former Soviet Union were its initiators. What about the declaration of the
Outer Space Treaty that space shall be used =93for peaceful purposes=85The
exploration and use of outer space,
>including the moon and other celestial bodies, shall be carried out for the
benefit
>and in the interest of all countries?=94 What about the provision of the=
 Outer
Space Treaty that nations shallnot =93place in orbit around the Earth any
objects
carrying nuclear weapons
>or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction?=94 Meanwhile, the U.S.=
 is
>speaking about, =93in the next two decades=85the fielding of space-based
>weapons of devastating effectiveness,=94 as =93New World Vistas=94 states.
>Already the U.S. is in outright violation of the Outer Space
>Treaty=92s provision that =93states shall be liable for damage caused by=
 their
space
>objects.=94

In 1991, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
>and the U.S. Department of Energy entered into a Space Nuclear Power
Agreement
to
>cover its nuclear space flightsincluding the current Cassini=
 plutonium-fueled
>space probe mission--with the Price-Anderson Act. This is a U.S. law which
limits
>liability in the event of a nuclear to $8.9 billion for U.S. domestic
>damage and just $100 million for damage to all foreign nations.
 Thus if the =93inadverent reentry=94 of Cassini back into the Earth=92s
>atmosphere which NASA is concerned could occur on Cassini=92s planned=
 August
>1999 Earth =93flyby=94 does happen, and a part of Europe or Africa or Asia=
 or
Latin
>America is impacted, all the nations and all the people affected could
>collect in damages--despite the amount of land left contaminated, the=
 number
of
>people left with cancer--would be $100 million=85. And we=92re speaking of
potentially huge damage. NASA intends to send the Cassini space probe and=
 its
72.3 pounds of
>plutonium dioxide fuel hurtling at Earth at 42,300 miles per hour for a
>=93gravity assist=94 or =93slingshot=94 maneuver--to give it additional=
 velocity
>so it can reach its final destination of Saturn. It=92s supposed to buzz=
 the
Earth
>at 496 miles high this coming August 18.
>  =20
 But, says NASA its =93Final Environmental Impact Statement for the
>Cassini Mission,=94 if the probe does not come in at 496 miles high, if it=
 dips
down
>after hundreds of millions of miles in space into the Earth=92s 75-mile=
 high
>atmosphere--and makes an =93inadverent reentry=94--it will break up, the=
 =93Final
>Environmental Impact Statement=94 concedes. Plutonium will be released.=
 And,
>says the =93Final Environmental Impact Statement,=94approximately 5 billion=
 of
the
>estimated 7 to 8 billion world population at the time=85could receive 99
>percent or more of the radiation exposure.=94
>       =20
=85.And even if the Cassini Earth =93flyby=94 is not scuttled and Cassini=
 not
>redirected in coming monthsas it can and should--to fly into the sun and be
>consumed, but goes ahead and works, NASA is planning eight more plutonium
>space probe shots in coming years, according to a report issued last year=
 by
the
>U.S. General Accounting Office. With a 12% failure rate already in the use=
 by
>the U.S. (and also the Soviet Union and now Russia) of nuclear power in
space,
>accidents--and disaster--are inevitable. And U.S. liability will be
>shielded under the Price Anderson Act, in violation of the Outer Space
Treaty.
>What the government of my country, the United States of America, is
>involved in in space is in violation of international law. It gravely
>endangers life on this planet. It pushes us toward nuclear catastrophe.
>
The military use of space being planned by the U.S. is in total
>contradiction of the principles of peaceful international cooperation that
>the U.S. likes to espouse. The aim is to develop a world in which it would
>literally be USA uber alles. This flies in the face of the spirit, the=
 ideals
of the United
>States of America. It denigrates those courageous men and women who came to
this
>continent and fought the horrific evil of fascism in World War II.
>It pushes us--all of us--toward war in the heavens.
>George Friedman, co-author of =93The Future of War: Power, Technology &
>American World Dominance in the 2lst Century,=94 claims that the U.S. can
dominate the
>Earth for centuries ahead because of its technological prowess. He says
>other nations--he names Russia, Japan and China--are just =93passing=
 blips=85to
>compete with the U.S.=94=20
>        I=92ve been to Russia; I=92ve been to Japan; I=92ve been to China.=
 They
>are no passing technological =93blips.=94 And if the United States moves to=
 arm
the
>heavens, to utilize space as what one high U.S. military officer calls the
>=93ultimate high ground,=94 other nations will follow--leading to a new=
 arms
>race--and ultimately war--in space.
>        This all must be stopped before it gets completely out of hand.
>Stopped=85and now!               =20

      =20


<file://c:\program files\qualcomm\eudora mail\attach\Speech
AD.doc>a81ce2.jpg<file://c:\program files\qualcomm\eudora mail\attach\Speech
AD.doc> Speech AD.doc=20


--=====================_12817760==_.REL
Content-Type: image/jpeg; name="a81ce2.jpg";
 x-mac-type="4A504547"; x-mac-creator="4A565752"
Content-ID: <4.0.2.19990315123349.00af84a0@204.141.205.3.0>
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-Disposition: inline; filename="a81ce2.jpg"
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==
--=====================_12817760==_.REL--

--=====================_12817760==_
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.
--=====================_12817760==_--


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Space Views Newsletter
Date: 16 Mar 1999 13:17:58 -0500

>Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 18:34:49 -0500
>Subject: Space Views Newsletter
>To: [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
> [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
> [e-mail], [e-mail],
> [e-mail], [e-mail],
> [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
> [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>
>GLOBAL NETWORK SPACE VIEWS NEWSLETTER       No. 4     March 15, 1999
>
>1)  GLOBAL NETWORK MEETING A SUCCESS:  The 8th General Membership Meeting
>of
>the Global Network (GN) was held in Darmstadt, Germany on March 5-6.
>People
>came from six different countries for the event.  Just prior to our
>business
>meeting, a conference (March 3-5) called "Space Use & Ethics" was held at
>the
>Darmstadt Technology University, organized by IANUS (Interdisciplinary
>Research Group on Science, Technology and Security) and German peace
>groups.
>The European Space Agency (ESA), which was supposed to send three
>representatives to the space ethics conference, canceled at the last
>minute.
>Informed speculation was that NASA had asked ESA to pull out.  The U.S.A.F.
>Space Command did send a team of representatives though, and they sat
>through
>and participated in two days of stimulating and vigorous discussions on a
>wide
>range of space issues.  A representative also came from the German
>Ministry of
>Defense.    If  you would like to see a copy of the GN general membership
>meeting minutes please send us an e-mail request.
>
>2)  GLOBAL NETWORK BOARD:  The GN membership elected a new Board of
>Directors
>for 1999-2000.  They are as follows:  Karl Grossman from New York
>(Convener);
>Dave Webb from England (Treasurer); Bruce Gagnon from Florida
>(Secretary/Coordinator); Regina Hagen from Germany; Bill Towe from North
>Carolina; Aurel Durat from Romania; Dr. Michio Kaku from New York; and
>Catherine Euler from England.
>
>3)  JUNE 12 CASSINI ACTIONS:  At the GN meeting it was agreed that the call
>for June 12 protest actions against the Cassini fly-by should be encouraged
>and supported worldwide.  Groups in England and Germany as well as the U.S.
>pledged to hold solidarity actions with the one being planned for Cape
>Canaveral on June 12.  If you plan to organize an action in your community
>please let us know ([e-mail]) so we can pass the word to other
>organizers and the media.  Cassini is set to do its Earth fly-by on August
>17,
>1999.
>
>4)  MEETING REQUESTED WITH KSC:  The GN has sent a letter to the Director
>of
>the Kennedy Space Center asking for a meeting to discuss the Cassini
>mission
>as well as the larger issue of weapons and nuclear power in space.  Along
>with
>the letter a list of "Space Objective & Demands" was sent.  Copies of the
>letter from the GN were sent to major media outlets.  A second letter to
>religious leaders in the space coast community of Florida, asking them to
>discuss the moral/ethical implications of U.S. space policy in their
>religious
>communities, will be sent out next.
>
>5)  UNISPACE III:  The United Nations Space Commission meets this July
>19-30
>in Vienna, Austria to discuss international space issues.  A delegation
>from
>the GN will attend and attempt to present papers at the event.  Plans are
>also
>underway for the GN to have a display at the conference and to pass out
>statements to the delegates.  It will be a major goal of the GN in the
>coming
>year to influence U.N. space policy.  We are deeply concerned that the U.S.
>will break the Outer Space Treaty (1967) with its deployments of the
>Ballistic
>Missile Defense System (BMD) and Anti-Satellite weapons (ASATS).  Also of
>concern is the Moon Treaty (1979), which the U.S. never signed, but forbids
>any nation from claiming ownership or putting military installations on the
>moon.  Visit the U.N. web site at:  www.un.or.at/oosa/unisp-3/progenda.html
>
>6)  LASER TESTS FUNDED:  The U.S. Pentagon on February 9 awarded an
>aerospace
>industry team made up of Boeing, Lockheed Martin and TRW a contract to
>work on
>a $3 billion space-based laser experiment.  The so-called "defensive"  BMD
>laser test program will consist of ground, flight and space experiments.
>Our
>concern is that any so-called "defensive" weapon in space could easily be
>used
>for offensive purposes thus fueling an arms race in space.
>
>7)  INTÆL GREENS SUPPORT:  Dr. Joan Russow, the national leader of the
>Canadian Green Party, has submitted a Cancel Cassini fly-by resolution to
>the
>Canadian Prime Minister.  Dr. Russow has also presented the resolution to
>the
>International Green Party Conference in New Delhi, India.
>
>8)  PROSPACE LOBBY:  On March 21-26 members of the group ProSpace America
>will
>descend on Washington D.C. lawmakers to push a policy agenda that promotes
>privatizing space operations and giving tax breaks to aerospace
>corporations.
>
>9)  KODIAK LAUNCH SITE:  Lockheed Martin and NASA are in final negotiations
>for a series of launches to begin in 2000 from the new spaceport at Kodiak
>Island, Alaska.  The launch site, being in an extremely remote location, is
>forcing speculation as to the kinds of launches that NASA plans there in
>the
>years ahead.
>
>10) GN MEMBERSHIP DUES:  Membership dues were set for 1999-2000 at the
>Global
>Network general meeting in Germany.  Groups and individuals are encouraged
>to
>pay what they can best afford within the sliding scale of $10 - $100.
>Those
>groups that join the GN will be listed on our organizational letterhead.
>Please send your dues check to the GN at PO Box 90083, Gainesville, Fl.
>32607,
>USA  as soon as possible if you wish to have your organization listed on
>the
>letterhead.
>
>11)  NEXT GN MEETING:  The next meeting of the GN will be held in
>mid-April,
>2000 in Washington D.C.  Events being considered will include a street
>protest, a one day educational conference, a general membership business
>meeting, and a lobby day.  More details later.
>
>Bruce K. Gagnon (Secretary/Coordinator)
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) URGENT ALERT: STAR WARS
Date: 16 Mar 1999 13:31:06 -0500

Dear Friends,
The Democrats are starting to fold on STAR WARS!!  Akaka of Hawaii, Ernest
F. Hollings of
South Carolina and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut have already said they
would vote for it!!  Please get to your Senators today and tell them to
oppose this folly.  If you live in Ct., Hawaii, or South Carolina make a
special effort to mobilize your members to tell those Senators to change
their mind before the vote.  If STAR WARS goes through, it will set back
nuclear abolition for generations.  Regards, Alice

6. Senate to Debate Missile Defense

By Tom Raum Associated Press, Monday, March 15, 1999

http://search.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WAPO/19990315/V000440-031599-idx.html

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Seeing support growing for missile-defense legislation,
Senate Democratic leaders are dropping an effort to block the measure.
Instead, they are searching for a compromise to keep it from becoming a
2000 campaign liability.

Missile tests by North Korea and Iran, and reports of possible Chinese
espionage at the Los Alamos, N.M., nuclear weapons laboratory, are being
cited by sponsors as even more justification to move quickly.

``North Korea has demonstrated there is a threat of a ballistic missile
attack that puts at risk some of the territory of the United States,'' said
Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. ``Lack of a threat is no longer an excuse for
voting against a bill of this kind.''

The Senate opens debate today on the measure by Cochran and Sen. Daniel
Inouye, D-Hawaii, to commit the Pentagon to fielding a system to protect
the 50 states from a ballistic missile attack as soon as technologically
possible.

Democrats used procedural tactics last May and September to keep the
measure, subject of a White House veto threat, from even coming up. This
year, they're not even trying.

``We obviously have more support on the Democratic side than we had last
year,'' Cochran said in an interview last week.

Democrats concede the point. ``We just don't know what the final vote would
be,'' said Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the senior Democrat on the Senate
Armed Services Committee and the bill's principal opponent.

Instead, Levin said he will work for passage of substitute legislation
designed to give the Clinton administration a little more flexibility while
seeking to work with Russia on modifications to the 1972 Anti-Ballistic
Missile Treaty.

Russian officials claim the Cochrane-Inouye bill violates the ABM treaty's
restrictions on anti-ballistic-missile defense systems. ``I'm hopeful we
can modify this language so we don't threaten to rip up this treaty,''
Levin said.

Adding to the changed atmosphere, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott,
R-Miss., and Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., are expected to name a
bipartisan delegation this week to meet with members of the Russian
parliament to try to find a voluntary way around the ABM problem.

A national system for shooting down incoming missiles was once almost
universally derided by Democrats, denounced as ``Star Wars'' when first
proposed by President Reagan in 1983.

But little political advantage can be gained these days from opposing a
missile defense, Senate Democratic officials suggest.

The bill is supported by all 55 Senate Republicans and at least three other
Democrats besides Inouye: Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, Ernest F. Hollings of
South Carolina and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut. Two other Democrats,
Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, have hinted they
might support it with some modifications.

A similar bill, by Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., and Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C.,
will be brought next week before the House, where it has wide support.

The legislation is at the center of a GOP attack on the administration's
national security policies. Republicans contend that lax policies and
technology transfers have helped China modernize its missile system.

Simple in its wording, the Cochran-Inouye bill would commit the United
States to deploy ``as soon as technologically possible'' a system against
``limited ballistic missile attack.''

But the White House says the measure could require a crash program for
developing an untrustworthy system. National security adviser Sandy Berger
-- under attack from Republicans for not doing more to thwart Chinese
efforts to buy or steal American missile technology -- says he'll recommend
a veto if the legislation passes as drafted.

``We have not changed our position. We think that, simply put, the Cochran
bill is too simplistic a formula,'' said P.J. Crowley, a White House
spokesman.

Clinton proposed $6.6 billion for a missile defense system over the next
five years in the budget he submitted last month. But he put off a decision
on whether to field such a system until June 2000.

Republicans -- and some Democrats privately -- suggested that timing
principally benefits Vice President Al Gore, and they see no reason to
delay a decision until the middle of presidential campaign year.

There's one thing on which both supporters and critics of such a system
agree: It won't come cheap. Some $40 billion has already been spent over
the past


7
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Russian Surprise Attack Risk?
Date: 16 Mar 1999 12:00:48 -0800

I am curious as to what those more knowledgeable than I think about the
following report forwarded from another list, regarding whether these fears
of war on the US by Russia have valid basis in facts:

Russia and China Prepare for War -- Part 4
Russia May Launch a Surprise Attack Against US

Christopher Ruddy
March 12, 1999

Russia May Launch a Surprise Attack Against US

Since 1917, "capitalist warmongers" in the US and Europe have
been the principal targets of hatred by Russians and the Chinese.
Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, those campaigns of hate
subsided briefly, and authoritarian communists stepped out of the
spotlight. Today, with Russia reported in desperate economic
straits, the Russian people are again being told, "it's the fault of
America and Europe." Brutal communist leaders are again publicly
talking, dissent is again being banned, and hatred against the West is
soaring.

During the past year, my concerns about Russia have been greatly
increased as a result of an interview I conducted with Jeffrey
Nyquist -- an independent researcher on Russia and author of The
Origins of the Fourth World War.

Nyquist believes Russia has been planning a surprise nuclear attack
against the United States, and that this attack will come sooner
rather than later -- quite possibly within the next year if the US
continues on its present reckless course. I would have scoffed at
such suggestions had Nyquist not made such a convincing case and
demonstrated such a powerful intellect.

During our conversations, Nyquist listed signs that would indicate a
Russian attack was being planned.

NYQUIST'S STARTLING PREDICTIONS

In early 1998, Nyquist predicted that authorities in Russia would
deliberately implode their own economy to advance their political
and military agendas. There were several reasons. First, that would
divert attention from the theft of billions of dollars by government
officials from "privatized" companies, and provide a convenient
explanation why none of them were making any money. Second, by
engendering Russia's economic collapse and blaming the West, the
necessary psychological atmosphere for war against the US would
be created.

Another outcome of Russia's economic collapse, Nyquist said,
would be the emergence of a series of progressively stronger and
more militarist Russian leaders. Primakov -- Yeltsin's Prime
Minister -- perfectly fits Nyquist's prediction. He's a former
hard-line, anti-American KGB general.

Nyquist also predicted that Russia would ally with China. That, too,
has now taken place, as you'll see below.

Finally, Nyquist predicted that Russia would stockpile huge
quantities of food and other supplies for war, and begin moving
their nuclear weapons on to their naval ships where they are much
more difficult to monitor and deter. All of this has occurred.

SPY WARNS OF RUSSIAN WAR PLANS

Nyquist is not the only astute observer of Russia who believes
Russia may be preparing for war against the US. Stanislav Lunev --
the highest-ranking GRU (Russian military intelligence) officer ever
to defect from Russia -- also warns that Russia is preparing for war
against the United States.

Lunev's book Through the Eyes of the Enemy (published last
summer by Regnery) states categorically that the Cold War is not
over and that Russia continues to plan for a nuclear war. "Russia
remains terrified of the power of America, and Russian military
intelligence does everything it can prepare for a war that it considers
inevitable," he wrote. This war, Lunev details, would employ
nuclear, biological and chemical weapons against America.

RUSSIAN PLANS: KILL US LEADERS; USE BIOLOGICAL
WEAPONS ALREADY IN US

Lunev explains war would begin with the infiltration of Russian
special operations troops into the US, who would kill top political
and military leaders. Lunev also warns that Russian GRU (military
intelligence) agents have already deposited, near key water
reservoirs, deadly poisons and toxins which would result in millions
of civilians being ravaged by disease. Lunev says, for instance, that
the Russians have determined that they could wipe out a significant
part of the population of Florida by polluting water sources in the
Carolinas.

Another part of Russia's plan, according to Lunev, is to deploy
suitcase nuclear bombs at strategic points throughout the US. Lunev
says he personally scouted a site in the Hudson Valley just above
New York City for one such suitcase nuke.

Lunev has also told me that the democracy movement in Russia
was a charade and part of "a plan" to get the West disarm --
achieving through deception what the Soviet Union was never able
to achieve militarily. Lunev explained that China was pursuing
parallel policies, absorbing as much Western aid and technology as
possible before a final confrontation, which Lunev regarded as
imminent.

RUSSIA'S ECONOMIC COLLAPSE INCREASES RISK OF
WAR

The collapse of Russia's economy greatly increased the chances of
war with the West. With 29 times Finland's population, Russia's
budget barely matches theirs. According to news reports, millions of
ordinary Russians are now struggling just to stay alive, selling family
heirlooms and chopping up their furniture for kindling.

Russia's political leaders and economic czars, of course, will never
admit that they and their failed totalitarian system are responsible
for this widespread misery, and increasingly the West is being
blamed.

This is particularly dangerous, because despite economic
desperation, Russia continues is still a nuclear superpower. Victor
Olove, director of Moscow's Center for Policy Studies, told the Los
Angeles Times, "People who have nuclear warheads in their hands
have not gotten their salaries for three or four months and are
literally hungry."

Some press reports show how close to war we have already come.
Britain's Panorama news program reported that in 1995 the Yeltsin
government came within minutes of a full nuclear attack on the
United States after Russian defense systems failed.

US DETROYS NUCLEAR ARSENAL, RUSSIAN ARSENAL
EXPANDS

Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been
systematically destroying its nuclear arsenal. In 1991, the US had
approximately 30,000 strategic and tactical nuclear weapons. Under
Clinton, that arsenal has fallen nearly 60%. In 1997, the United
States had only 12,500 (tactical and strategic) nuclear weapons. Of
these, only 8,750 were active, 2500 more were on reserve, and
1,250 were slated to be destroyed. Moreover, our nuclear arsenal
has a limited "shelf life," and year by year, more and more weapons
become unusable. The Clinton administration has only recently
taken belated steps to produce tritium, a necessary component for
the maintenance of nuclear weapons.

In contrast, the Russians may now have as many as 50,000
strategic and tactical nuclear weapons -- ranging from small suitcase
bombs to large warheads suitable for intercontinental ballistic
missiles (ICBM's). The lion's share of these weapons remain
targeted at the US. And Russia is quickly building even more
weapons.

Never before has the strategic nuclear balance been so greatly in
Russia's favor. From a military standpoint, this creates a unique
window of opportunity for Russia to launch a successful first-strike
against the United States at minimal cost to themselves.

"USE IT OT LOSE IT"

Like America's nuclear arsenal, Russia's is degrading as it gets older
and requires expensive, periodical servicing.

The Russian government is well aware of this problem. In a recent
report to the Duma (Russia's Congress), First Deputy Prime
Minister Yuri Masluyokov (a former Soviet military-industrial
planner) states that because of obsolescence, Russia's nuclear
arsenal will decline quickly, and Russia may "be able to field only
800 to 900 nuclear warheads seven years from now."

Because of Russia's economic problems, Russia may never again
enjoy the huge strategic advantage it now has over its old enemies
in the West. For die-hard communists, the huge, but temporary,
military advantage may represent an irresistible opportunity to "use
them before we lose them." Indeed, Bruce Blair, a well-known
liberal from the Brookings Institution, stated last summer in The
National Interest, "Russia's conventional forces have declined ...
and into this vacuum has rushed a growing reliance on nuclear
weapons -- including their first use in any serious conventional
conflict."

Recognizing the limited shelf-life of Russia's nuclear arsenal, Blair
adds, "The nuclear forces themselves have become vulnerable....
Consequently Russia today faces far stronger pressures to ?use or
lose' its nuclear arsenal than at any time since the early 1960s."

Y2K BUG MAY BE "TRIPWIRE" FOR WAR

Coinciding with the continuing degradation of Russia's nuclear
weapons are military problems they will soon experience as a result
of the Y2K (Year 2000 or Millennium) computer bug.

Like all modern strategic weapons, Russia's nuclear arsenal is
critically dependent upon computer technology. At the latest, by
January 2000 -- less than one year from now -- the millennium bug
may render that technology largely useless.

Briefly, the problem is that two digit year codes used by most
computer software will cause computers to misread the year 2000
as "00" or "1900." It sounds minor, but this computer glitch could
lead to widespread failure of many high-tech weapons systems,
including nuclear weapons, aircraft carriers, radar and even tanks.

Even worse, the millennium bug is in billions of "embedded"
microprocessors buried deep inside missiles, tanks, satellites, and
nuclear reactors. (Imagine the cost of taking a satellite "into the
shop" for repairs or sending someone inside a nuclear reactor to
locate a defective chip!)

The US military is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to
correct its own huge Y2K problem. Russia, however, has neither
the money nor the manpower to correct millions of lines of faulty
code and replace millions of chips. Their official policy is "fix on
failure;" that is, they plan to do NOTHING to repair their systems
until they fail. My soon-to-be-published special report -- Y2K and
Russia: Impetus For Nuclear War? -- details the enormous Y2K
risks Russia is facing -- and Y2K's implications for you.

Another frightening possibility is that on January 1, 2000, Russia's
radar screens and early warning system could go blank or falsely
report incoming missiles. That could lead Russian military leaders to
believe the US has initiated an attack, and launch a counterattack.

The Y2K-related failure of Russia's early warning system could
even result in an automatic attack against the US. Most people in
the West don't realize it, but Russia has long had a "doomsday
defense system." This system is designed to enable Russia to
survive a US nuclear first strike and to launch a devastating
retaliation even if no commanders are left alive in Russia to issue
the orders. This system is designed to automatically launch nuclear
missiles at the US if an event occurs that the computer interprets as
a Western attack -- such as a loss of satellite and radar systems.
The default target of thousands of Russian strategic missiles are
cities in the United States and Europe.

Well aware of this problem, US military officials have
recommended that the US and Russia place observers in each
others' nuclear control rooms next December, to prevent an
accidental launch.

RUSSIA PREPARES FOR A FIRST STRIKE

An even more disturbing possibility has not been reported by the
press: That is the possibility that the Russian general staff -- which
is well aware of their Y2K and economic problems -- may have
already decided to strike the United States before their defense
systems fail on January 1, 2000.

Thus, in an extremely ominous sign, on December 17, 1997,
President Yeltsin, issued a 37-page policy statement, reneging on
previous pledges not to use nuclear weapons first.


---------------
APFN EMAIL CHANGE:
PLEASE DELETE: - [e-mail] - ADD: [e-mail]

To removed from APFN EMAIL LIST: Hit reply and put REMOVE in subject line.

American Patriot Friends Network [HOME PAGE]
http://esotericworldnews.com/apfn.htm




-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) China Red Herring
Date: 16 Mar 1999 16:15:52 -0500

Dear Friends,
Here's a letter I wrote to the NY Times editor.  Whatever information we=
 have
about collaboration between the weapons labs would be appreciated to=
 document
the fact that the nukeheads in our government are stirring the pot on a
non-issue.  Regards, Alice
                                       March 15, 1999

Editor, New York Times
BY FAX:  [phone]

The new stories about China stealing US nuclear secrets from Los Alamos is
just
another red herring to divert public debate on the critical issue at=
 hand--how
to fulfill our Non-Proliferation Treaty promise to move to the elimination=
 of
nuclear weapons.  China has repeatedly stated its support for a treaty to=
 ban
the bomb, most recently at the 1998 NPT Preparatory Committee Meeting, which
broke up in a shambles at midnight of the last day, because the US refused=
 to
consider a proposal merely to discuss nuclear disarmament.

Anti-nuclear activists have been well aware of the strange collaboration of
the
nuclear club=92s weapons designers with their frequent visits to each others
labs.  Your own report of March 12 revealed, that last year, 277 Chinese,=
 364
Russians and 115 Indian nationals visited or worked at Los Alamos, of whom=
 88
were allowed access to secure areas.  Our own Dr. Strangeloves have made
frequent visits to the Chinese and Russian weapons labs, presumably trading
information about their design prowess and new discoveries.   And despite=
 all
the alarm expressed about China stealing our secrets, on March 12, the
Washington Times reported that, =93the Pentagon said=85 that disclosures=
 about
Chinese spying at a US nuclear laboratory will not alter plans to bring a
group
of People's Liberation Army officers to a similar laboratory in New Mexico
this
year.=94

As a number of distinguished panels have concluded, including the National
Academy of Sciences and the Canberra Commission, the very possession of
nuclear
weapons by any one nation, is an invitation to other nations to acquire=
 them.=20
It=92s time to realize the promise of the cold war=92s end and begin=
 negotiations
on a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons, just as the world has done for
chemical and biological weapons.  Nuclear design =93know-how=94 is out and h=
as
been
shared liberally all over the world.  The only thing that can now insure our
security against  Chinese missiles, is to take the Chinese up on their
offer to
negotiate a treaty. Russia has been sending countless signals that they=
 don=92t
want their large arsenal any longer.  We should also follow China=92s lead=
 in
declaring a policy of =93no-first-use=94 of nuclear weapons, which are NATO=
 allies
are now calling for.   Why is China=92s rational nuclear policy, compared to=
 US
cold war nuclear saber rattling, not discussed in the background stories on
this issue?

Sincerely,


Alice Slater, President

Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Russian Surprise Attack Risk?
Date: 16 Mar 1999 16:23:32 EST

I think this is essentially nonsense - conspiracy theory run riot.

David McReynolds

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Stephen Young <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Russian Surprise Attack Risk?
Date: 16 Mar 1999 18:54:37 -0500

The text is a combination of lies, distortions, half-truths, and "facts" that do
not bear out under any circumstances.

Perhaps the most critical error is stating that Russia is moving its nukes to
naval forces. In fact, Russia at present can only deploy one or two submarines
at sea at any time (versus 8 to 11 for the US at all times, with 1,500 to 2,000
warheads).

In fact, you can make a much stronger case that the US is preparing to launch a
disarming first strike against Russia.

This does not mean that the situation is not dangerous, and that current US
policy is not pushing Russia toward a more nationalistic/anti-West policy. But
the idea that Russia is planning a massive attack before 2000 is ludicrous.

Stephen Young
BASIC

David Crockett Williams wrote:

> I am curious as to what those more knowledgeable than I think about the
> following report forwarded from another list, regarding whether these fears
> of war on the US by Russia have valid basis in facts:
>
> Russia and China Prepare for War -- Part 4
> Russia May Launch a Surprise Attack Against US
>
> Christopher Ruddy
> March 12, 1999
>
> Russia May Launch a Surprise Attack Against US
>
> Since 1917, "capitalist warmongers" in the US and Europe have
> been the principal targets of hatred by Russians and the Chinese.
> Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, those campaigns of hate
> subsided briefly, and authoritarian communists stepped out of the
> spotlight. Today, with Russia reported in desperate economic
> straits, the Russian people are again being told, "it's the fault of
> America and Europe." Brutal communist leaders are again publicly
> talking, dissent is again being banned, and hatred against the West is
> soaring.
>
> During the past year, my concerns about Russia have been greatly
> increased as a result of an interview I conducted with Jeffrey
> Nyquist -- an independent researcher on Russia and author of The
> Origins of the Fourth World War.
>
> Nyquist believes Russia has been planning a surprise nuclear attack
> against the United States, and that this attack will come sooner
> rather than later -- quite possibly within the next year if the US
> continues on its present reckless course. I would have scoffed at
> such suggestions had Nyquist not made such a convincing case and
> demonstrated such a powerful intellect.
>
> During our conversations, Nyquist listed signs that would indicate a
> Russian attack was being planned.
>
> NYQUIST'S STARTLING PREDICTIONS
>
> In early 1998, Nyquist predicted that authorities in Russia would
> deliberately implode their own economy to advance their political
> and military agendas. There were several reasons. First, that would
> divert attention from the theft of billions of dollars by government
> officials from "privatized" companies, and provide a convenient
> explanation why none of them were making any money. Second, by
> engendering Russia's economic collapse and blaming the West, the
> necessary psychological atmosphere for war against the US would
> be created.
>
> Another outcome of Russia's economic collapse, Nyquist said,
> would be the emergence of a series of progressively stronger and
> more militarist Russian leaders. Primakov -- Yeltsin's Prime
> Minister -- perfectly fits Nyquist's prediction. He's a former
> hard-line, anti-American KGB general.
>
> Nyquist also predicted that Russia would ally with China. That, too,
> has now taken place, as you'll see below.
>
> Finally, Nyquist predicted that Russia would stockpile huge
> quantities of food and other supplies for war, and begin moving
> their nuclear weapons on to their naval ships where they are much
> more difficult to monitor and deter. All of this has occurred.
>
> SPY WARNS OF RUSSIAN WAR PLANS
>
> Nyquist is not the only astute observer of Russia who believes
> Russia may be preparing for war against the US. Stanislav Lunev --
> the highest-ranking GRU (Russian military intelligence) officer ever
> to defect from Russia -- also warns that Russia is preparing for war
> against the United States.
>
> Lunev's book Through the Eyes of the Enemy (published last
> summer by Regnery) states categorically that the Cold War is not
> over and that Russia continues to plan for a nuclear war. "Russia
> remains terrified of the power of America, and Russian military
> intelligence does everything it can prepare for a war that it considers
> inevitable," he wrote. This war, Lunev details, would employ
> nuclear, biological and chemical weapons against America.
>
> RUSSIAN PLANS: KILL US LEADERS; USE BIOLOGICAL
> WEAPONS ALREADY IN US
>
> Lunev explains war would begin with the infiltration of Russian
> special operations troops into the US, who would kill top political
> and military leaders. Lunev also warns that Russian GRU (military
> intelligence) agents have already deposited, near key water
> reservoirs, deadly poisons and toxins which would result in millions
> of civilians being ravaged by disease. Lunev says, for instance, that
> the Russians have determined that they could wipe out a significant
> part of the population of Florida by polluting water sources in the
> Carolinas.
>
> Another part of Russia's plan, according to Lunev, is to deploy
> suitcase nuclear bombs at strategic points throughout the US. Lunev
> says he personally scouted a site in the Hudson Valley just above
> New York City for one such suitcase nuke.
>
> Lunev has also told me that the democracy movement in Russia
> was a charade and part of "a plan" to get the West disarm --
> achieving through deception what the Soviet Union was never able
> to achieve militarily. Lunev explained that China was pursuing
> parallel policies, absorbing as much Western aid and technology as
> possible before a final confrontation, which Lunev regarded as
> imminent.
>
> RUSSIA'S ECONOMIC COLLAPSE INCREASES RISK OF
> WAR
>
> The collapse of Russia's economy greatly increased the chances of
> war with the West. With 29 times Finland's population, Russia's
> budget barely matches theirs. According to news reports, millions of
> ordinary Russians are now struggling just to stay alive, selling family
> heirlooms and chopping up their furniture for kindling.
>
> Russia's political leaders and economic czars, of course, will never
> admit that they and their failed totalitarian system are responsible
> for this widespread misery, and increasingly the West is being
> blamed.
>
> This is particularly dangerous, because despite economic
> desperation, Russia continues is still a nuclear superpower. Victor
> Olove, director of Moscow's Center for Policy Studies, told the Los
> Angeles Times, "People who have nuclear warheads in their hands
> have not gotten their salaries for three or four months and are
> literally hungry."
>
> Some press reports show how close to war we have already come.
> Britain's Panorama news program reported that in 1995 the Yeltsin
> government came within minutes of a full nuclear attack on the
> United States after Russian defense systems failed.
>
> US DETROYS NUCLEAR ARSENAL, RUSSIAN ARSENAL
> EXPANDS
>
> Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been
> systematically destroying its nuclear arsenal. In 1991, the US had
> approximately 30,000 strategic and tactical nuclear weapons. Under
> Clinton, that arsenal has fallen nearly 60%. In 1997, the United
> States had only 12,500 (tactical and strategic) nuclear weapons. Of
> these, only 8,750 were active, 2500 more were on reserve, and
> 1,250 were slated to be destroyed. Moreover, our nuclear arsenal
> has a limited "shelf life," and year by year, more and more weapons
> become unusable. The Clinton administration has only recently
> taken belated steps to produce tritium, a necessary component for
> the maintenance of nuclear weapons.
>
> In contrast, the Russians may now have as many as 50,000
> strategic and tactical nuclear weapons -- ranging from small suitcase
> bombs to large warheads suitable for intercontinental ballistic
> missiles (ICBM's). The lion's share of these weapons remain
> targeted at the US. And Russia is quickly building even more
> weapons.
>
> Never before has the strategic nuclear balance been so greatly in
> Russia's favor. From a military standpoint, this creates a unique
> window of opportunity for Russia to launch a successful first-strike
> against the United States at minimal cost to themselves.
>
> "USE IT OT LOSE IT"
>
> Like America's nuclear arsenal, Russia's is degrading as it gets older
> and requires expensive, periodical servicing.
>
> The Russian government is well aware of this problem. In a recent
> report to the Duma (Russia's Congress), First Deputy Prime
> Minister Yuri Masluyokov (a former Soviet military-industrial
> planner) states that because of obsolescence, Russia's nuclear
> arsenal will decline quickly, and Russia may "be able to field only
> 800 to 900 nuclear warheads seven years from now."
>
> Because of Russia's economic problems, Russia may never again
> enjoy the huge strategic advantage it now has over its old enemies
> in the West. For die-hard communists, the huge, but temporary,
> military advantage may represent an irresistible opportunity to "use
> them before we lose them." Indeed, Bruce Blair, a well-known
> liberal from the Brookings Institution, stated last summer in The
> National Interest, "Russia's conventional forces have declined ...
> and into this vacuum has rushed a growing reliance on nuclear
> weapons -- including their first use in any serious conventional
> conflict."
>
> Recognizing the limited shelf-life of Russia's nuclear arsenal, Blair
> adds, "The nuclear forces themselves have become vulnerable....
> Consequently Russia today faces far stronger pressures to ?use or
> lose' its nuclear arsenal than at any time since the early 1960s."
>
> Y2K BUG MAY BE "TRIPWIRE" FOR WAR
>
> Coinciding with the continuing degradation of Russia's nuclear
> weapons are military problems they will soon experience as a result
> of the Y2K (Year 2000 or Millennium) computer bug.
>
> Like all modern strategic weapons, Russia's nuclear arsenal is
> critically dependent upon computer technology. At the latest, by
> January 2000 -- less than one year from now -- the millennium bug
> may render that technology largely useless.
>
> Briefly, the problem is that two digit year codes used by most
> computer software will cause computers to misread the year 2000
> as "00" or "1900." It sounds minor, but this computer glitch could
> lead to widespread failure of many high-tech weapons systems,
> including nuclear weapons, aircraft carriers, radar and even tanks.
>
> Even worse, the millennium bug is in billions of "embedded"
> microprocessors buried deep inside missiles, tanks, satellites, and
> nuclear reactors. (Imagine the cost of taking a satellite "into the
> shop" for repairs or sending someone inside a nuclear reactor to
> locate a defective chip!)
>
> The US military is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to
> correct its own huge Y2K problem. Russia, however, has neither
> the money nor the manpower to correct millions of lines of faulty
> code and replace millions of chips. Their official policy is "fix on
> failure;" that is, they plan to do NOTHING to repair their systems
> until they fail. My soon-to-be-published special report -- Y2K and
> Russia: Impetus For Nuclear War? -- details the enormous Y2K
> risks Russia is facing -- and Y2K's implications for you.
>
> Another frightening possibility is that on January 1, 2000, Russia's
> radar screens and early warning system could go blank or falsely
> report incoming missiles. That could lead Russian military leaders to
> believe the US has initiated an attack, and launch a counterattack.
>
> The Y2K-related failure of Russia's early warning system could
> even result in an automatic attack against the US. Most people in
> the West don't realize it, but Russia has long had a "doomsday
> defense system." This system is designed to enable Russia to
> survive a US nuclear first strike and to launch a devastating
> retaliation even if no commanders are left alive in Russia to issue
> the orders. This system is designed to automatically launch nuclear
> missiles at the US if an event occurs that the computer interprets as
> a Western attack -- such as a loss of satellite and radar systems.
> The default target of thousands of Russian strategic missiles are
> cities in the United States and Europe.
>
> Well aware of this problem, US military officials have
> recommended that the US and Russia place observers in each
> others' nuclear control rooms next December, to prevent an
> accidental launch.
>
> RUSSIA PREPARES FOR A FIRST STRIKE
>
> An even more disturbing possibility has not been reported by the
> press: That is the possibility that the Russian general staff -- which
> is well aware of their Y2K and economic problems -- may have
> already decided to strike the United States before their defense
> systems fail on January 1, 2000.
>
> Thus, in an extremely ominous sign, on December 17, 1997,
> President Yeltsin, issued a 37-page policy statement, reneging on
> previous pledges not to use nuclear weapons first.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---------------
> APFN EMAIL CHANGE:
> PLEASE DELETE: - [e-mail] - ADD: [e-mail]
>
> To removed from APFN EMAIL LIST: Hit reply and put REMOVE in subject line.
>
> American Patriot Friends Network [HOME PAGE]
> http://esotericworldnews.com/apfn.htm
>
> -
>  To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
>  with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the 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 "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Best Missile Defense System
Date: 16 Mar 1999 16:02:09 -0800

Advocates for the abolition of nuclear weapons feel that if the legislation
now under consideration for a US ballistic misslile defense system is
implemented that this will severely set back negotiations for the complete
abolition of nuclear weapons.

Examples are cited of rapid Soviet reciprocation to President Bush's
unilateral reduction in US nuclear weapons following the end of the cold war
as a precedent to indicate that the best path towards ameliorating the
threat of nuclear war is not a ballistic missile defense system but for the
US to take the initiative in renouncing the use of nuclear weapons entirely.

After all it was only the United States which has ever used nuclear weapons
against human beings and has continually since then threatened the first
strike use of these weapons, in violation of the UN charter and several UN
resolutions since which clearly spell out the UN position that the use of
nuclear weapons is a violation of the UN charter and a crime against
humanity.

The Soviet nuclear buildup was in direct response to this continued threat
of the US and it is only logical to think that any effective plan for the
abolition of nuclear weapons must start with further moves on our part to
eliminate this threat.

A far more effective strategy than a ballistic missile defense system would
be to stop all nuclear testing (even the current so-called sub-critical
tests) and to renounce this first-strike policy.  The next step would be to
follow President Bush's example of incremental and continued deactivation of
US nuclear weapons with monitored reciprocal deactivation of Russian nuclear
weapons as an example to the rest of the world to follow on the pathway to
Nuclear Abolition 2000.


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) NY Times, 3.16 (Tuesday)
Date: 16 Mar 1999 23:30:38 EST

Thomas L. Friedman has a very important Op Ed piece in today's N.Y. Times for
those who have it or can get it from the web.

Friedman argues that while we worry about a handful of missiles that China
has, we are paying no attention to the 7,000 warheads the Russians have which
can hit the U.S.

He notes that NATO expansion wrongly took priority (if it was needed at all -
I'm among those bitterly opposed to that expansion) over dealing with the
fundamental security issues of the nuclear missiles.

Not noted by Friedman, who is a sober journalist but not a peacenik, is that
the Russians (and for that matter the Chinese and others) will not easily help
solve this problem until the U.S. makes clear that it is willing to move
toward a nuclear free world.

However don't let me try to summarize Friedman - his column merits a look.

Peace,
David McReynolds

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Coalition for Peace Action <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) NY Times, 3.16 (Tuesday)
Date: 17 Mar 1999 11:09:46 -0500

David,

I couldn't agree more that Friedman was right on target. Even in terms
of plain common sense, it's stupid to focus on Chinese nukes when
Russia's (and our) arsenals are the only ones with massive overkill that
could wipe out life on earth. We have an acceptance in principle form
Sen. Bob Kerry to come and speak at our annual Dinner on this
subject--but Friedman would be an excellent alternative. Have you ever
heard him speak.

By the way, I got a nice invitation to your retirement party on May 1,
but we have our Spring Concert for Peace that same night. Wish you the
best, and hope we'll continue to be in touch.

Peace,  Bob

--
Rev. Robert Moore, Executive Director, Coalition for Peace Action
40 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ  08542
[phone] voice, [phone] fax
[e-mail]



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) China: Balking at Security/Nuclear Labs
Date: 17 Mar 1999 12:29:30 -0500

--=====================_183589748==_
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Dear Friends,
Here's more evidence in a Newsday story that the China spying story is a red
herring.  Alice Slater
>
> Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 12:07:31 -0500
> Subject: Balking at Security/Nuclear Labs
> To: [e-mail]
> From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>
> Balking at Security / Nuclear labs, academics called lax in
> preventing spying
>
> By Knut Royce. WASHINGTON BUREAU
>
>
> Washington - Virtually ignored in the political uproar over the
> Clinton administration's allegedly tepid response to China's reported
> theft of U.S. nuclear secrets is that national security agencies have
> been aware of China's aggressive campaign to pilfer classified
> information from U.S. weapons labs for more than two decades.
> But federal agencies charged with nuclear security, including the
> CIA, the FBI and the Energy Department, which oversees nuclear weapons
> research at two national labs, have been unable to stop the espionage
> because the "free-spirited scientific types" who design the bombs have
> historically balked at security steps that limit open academic exchanges
> with foreign counterparts, a senior adminstration official acknowledged
> yesterday.
> The two top weapons labs, the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New
> Mexico and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, are
> operated by the University of California at Berkeley, which critics say
> has been lax in enforcing counterintelligence measures already on the
> books.
> An intelligence official familiar with how the labs are run said
> that until recently even scientists with the most sensitive clearance
> for nuclear secrets, something known as Q-clearance, routinely violated
> security standards by not informing superiors of contacts with
> foreigners. And unlike their counterparts in the Defense Department or
> CIA who hold similar top-security clearances, the laboratory scientists
> were never administered spot polygraph examinations and were not
> required to complete financial statements intended to track unusual
> spikes in income.
> Instead, a climate of openness and scientific freedom continued even
> after the disclosure in 1990 that China had stolen secrets to build a
> neutron bomb, which kills soldiers but spares buildings, from Lawrence
> Livermore in the mid-1980s.
> Widely publicized complaints by the FBI that China was attempting to
> recruit U.S. nuclear scientists also went unheeded in the late 1980s,
> said U.S. officials. In 1988, for instance, the FBI's chief of
> counterintelligence in Los Angeles, Harry Godfrey III, told the Los
> Angeles Times that China had "attempted to recruit people at our
> research facilities at Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore."
> Still, there has been a wide gap between knowing about China's
> recruitment efforts and the ability of the FBI, the primary agency
> responsible for combating espionage within the United States, to thwart
> them. First, the lab scientists have not always complied with security
> measures. And the Chinese themselves have adopted espionage tactics
> significantly different from those employed by agents from the former
> Soviet Union, which the FBI understood very well, according to
> administration officials and a published report by Nicholas Eftimiades,
> a Defense Intelligence Agency China specialist.
> Chinese operatives, unlike Soviet KGB officers, seldom recruited
> U.S. scientists as paid agents, preferring instead to limit the contacts
> to seemingly inocuous scientific exchanges between the U.S. scientists
> and Chinese technicians and theoreticians.
> Useful information was gleaned during official tours of the weapons
> labs by Chinese delegations. Information also was obtained when lab
> scientists traveled to China as honored guests of the Chinese scientific
> or academic communities. Much of the critical data flowed through
> conversations rather than through documents, making the espionage more
> difficult to stop, officials said.
> The most recent case, involving a Taiwanese-born scientist at Los
> Alamos who in the mid-1980s allegedly provided China with the know-how
> to build miniaturized bombs, has triggered a top-to-bottom review of
> what went wrong and an executive order for the labs to implement
> stringent counterintelligence measures.
> Discovery that China had cloned America's miniaturized W-88 bomb, a
> staple of the submarine nuclear fleet and land-based missiles with
> multiple warheads, came after China in 1995 tested a device whose
> "signatures" were similar to those of the U.S. bomb.
> The CIA, FBI and Energy Department all launched investigations,
> sometimes sharing their findings, and in 1996 the suspect at Los Alamos
> was tentatively identified. The FBI kept close tabs on the scientist,
> Wen Ho Lee, for nearly two years, but even today has been unable to get
> sufficient evidence to bring any charges.
> With the FBI's probe virtually at a standstill and sharp criticism
> coming from Republicans in Congress, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson
> fired Lee last week. And while the action sparked charges the Clinton
> administration's response was too little too late, the White House says
> it has been monitoring and taking proper action from the beginning.
> National security officials received their first full briefing of
> the alleged Los Alamos theft in the summer of 1997. By February, 1998,
> President Bill Clinton issued a classified presidential directive
> ordering stringent counterintelligence measures at the weapons labs, and
> in April of that year a respected former FBI counterintelligence agent,
> Edward Curran, was appointed to enforce them.
> The CIA, meanwhile, announced yesterday that it has formed an
> interagency team for a top-to-bottom review of what China has gleaned
> from the weapons labs over the past two decades. That team is scheduled
> to submit its findings at the end of the month.
>
>
> Copyright 1999, Newsday Inc.
>
> Balking at Security / Nuclear labs, academics called lax in preventing
> spying.,
> 03-16-1999, pp A06.
>
> http://library.newsday.com/getdoc.cgi?id=127700638x0y16113&OIDS=1Q001D000&Fo
>
> rm=RL&bp=
>
>
>
> Diane Hatz
> Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
> 15 East 26th Street, Room 915
> New York, NY 10010
> tel: [phone]
> fax: [phone]



--=====================_183589748==_
Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"

<html><div>Balking at Security / Nuclear labs, academics called lax
in</div>
<div>preventing spying</div>
<br>
<div>By Knut Royce. WASHINGTON BUREAU</div>
<br>
<br>
<div>    Washington - Virtually ignored in the political
uproar over the</div>
<div>Clinton administration's allegedly tepid response to China's
reported</div>
<div>theft of U.S. nuclear secrets is that national security agencies
have</div>
<div>been aware of China's aggressive campaign to pilfer
classified</div>
<div>information from U.S. weapons labs for more than two
decades.</div>
<div>    But federal agencies charged with nuclear
security, including the</div>
<div>CIA, the FBI and the Energy Department, which oversees nuclear
weapons</div>
<div>research at two national labs, have been unable to stop the
espionage</div>
<div>because the "free-spirited scientific types" who design
the bombs have</div>
<div>historically balked at security steps that limit open academic
exchanges</div>
<div>with foreign counterparts, a senior adminstration official
acknowledged</div>
<div>yesterday.</div>
<div>    The two top weapons labs, the Los Alamos National
Laboratory in New</div>
<div>Mexico and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California,
are</div>
<div>operated by the University of California at Berkeley, which critics
say</div>
<div>has been lax in enforcing counterintelligence measures already on
the</div>
<div>books.</div>
<div>    An intelligence official familiar with how the
labs are run said</div>
<div>that until recently even scientists with the most sensitive
clearance</div>
<div>for nuclear secrets, something known as Q-clearance, routinely
violated</div>
<div>security standards by not informing superiors of contacts
with</div>
<div>foreigners. And unlike their counterparts in the Defense Department
or</div>
<div>CIA who hold similar top-security clearances, the laboratory
scientists</div>
<div>were never administered spot polygraph examinations and were
not</div>
<div>required to complete financial statements intended to track
unusual</div>
<div>spikes in income.</div>
<div>    Instead, a climate of openness and scientific
freedom continued even</div>
<div>after the disclosure in 1990 that China had stolen secrets to build
a</div>
<div>neutron bomb, which kills soldiers but spares buildings, from
Lawrence</div>
<div>Livermore in the mid-1980s.</div>
<div>    Widely publicized complaints by the FBI that
China was attempting to</div>
<div>recruit U.S. nuclear scientists also went unheeded in the late
1980s,</div>
<div>said U.S. officials. In 1988, for instance, the FBI's chief
of</div>
<div>counterintelligence in Los Angeles, Harry Godfrey III, told the
Los</div>
<div>Angeles Times that China had "attempted to recruit people at
our</div>
<div>research facilities at Los Alamos and Lawrence
Livermore."</div>
<div>    Still, there has been a wide gap between knowing
about China's</div>
<div>recruitment efforts and the ability of the FBI, the primary
agency</div>
<div>responsible for combating espionage within the United States, to
thwart</div>
<div>them. First, the lab scientists have not always complied with
security</div>
<div>measures. And the Chinese themselves have adopted espionage
tactics</div>
<div>significantly different from those employed by agents from the
former</div>
<div>Soviet Union, which the FBI understood very well, according
to</div>
<div>administration officials and a published report by Nicholas
Eftimiades,</div>
<div>a Defense Intelligence Agency China specialist.</div>
<div>    Chinese operatives, unlike Soviet KGB officers,
seldom recruited</div>
<div>U.S. scientists as paid agents, preferring instead to limit the
contacts</div>
<div>to seemingly inocuous scientific exchanges between the U.S.
scientists</div>
<div>and Chinese technicians and theoreticians.</div>
<div>    Useful information was gleaned during official
tours of the weapons</div>
<div>labs by Chinese delegations. Information also was obtained when
lab</div>
<div>scientists traveled to China as honored guests of the Chinese
scientific</div>
<div>or academic communities. Much of the critical data flowed
through</div>
<div>conversations rather than through documents, making the espionage
more</div>
<div>difficult to stop, officials said.</div>
<div>    The most recent case, involving a Taiwanese-born
scientist at Los</div>
<div>Alamos who in the mid-1980s allegedly provided China with the
know-how</div>
<div>to build miniaturized bombs, has triggered a top-to-bottom review
of</div>
<div>what went wrong and an executive order for the labs to
implement</div>
<div>stringent counterintelligence measures.</div>
<div>    Discovery that China had cloned America's
miniaturized W-88 bomb, a</div>
<div>staple of the submarine nuclear fleet and land-based missiles
with</div>
<div>multiple warheads, came after China in 1995 tested a device
whose</div>
<div>"signatures" were similar to those of the U.S.
bomb.</div>
<div>    The CIA, FBI and Energy Department all launched
investigations,</div>
<div>sometimes sharing their findings, and in 1996 the suspect at Los
Alamos</div>
<div>was tentatively identified. The FBI kept close tabs on the
scientist,</div>
<div>Wen Ho Lee, for nearly two years, but even today has been unable to
get</div>
<div>sufficient evidence to bring any charges.</div>
<div>    With the FBI's probe virtually at a standstill
and sharp criticism</div>
<div>coming from Republicans in Congress, Energy Secretary Bill
Richardson</div>
<div>fired Lee last week. And while the action sparked charges the
Clinton</div>
<div>administration's response was too little too late, the White House
says</div>
<div>it has been monitoring and taking proper action from the
beginning.</div>
<div>    National security officials received their first
full briefing of</div>
<div>the alleged Los Alamos theft in the summer of 1997. By February,
1998,</div>
<div>President Bill Clinton issued a classified presidential
directive</div>
<div>ordering stringent counterintelligence measures at the weapons labs,
and</div>
<div>in April of that year a respected former FBI counterintelligence
agent,</div>
<div>Edward Curran, was appointed to enforce them.</div>
<div>    The CIA, meanwhile, announced yesterday that it
has formed an</div>
<div>interagency team for a top-to-bottom review of what China has
gleaned</div>
<div>from the weapons labs over the past two decades. That team is
scheduled</div>
<div>to submit its findings at the end of the month.</div>
<br>
<br>
<div>Copyright 1999, Newsday Inc.</div>
<br>
<div>Balking at Security / Nuclear labs, academics called lax in
preventing spying., 03-16-1999, pp A06. </div>
<br>
<div><a href="http://library.newsday.com/getdoc.cgi?id=127700638x0y16113&OIDS=1Q001D000&Form=RL&bp=" EUDORA=AUTOURL>http://library.newsday.com/getdoc.cgi?id=127700638x0y16113&OIDS=1Q001D000&Form=RL&bp=</a></div>
<br>
<br>

<font face="Arial Narrow, Helvetica" size=3>Diane Hatz<br>
<font size=3><i>Global Resource Action Center for the Environment
(GRACE)<br>
</i><font size=3>15 East 26th Street, Room 915<br>
New York, NY 10010<br>
tel:  [phone]<br>
fax:  [phone]</font></html>

--=====================_183589748==_
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.
--=====================_183589748==_--


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) 1st in 25yrs, Interview, antidote to human problems, Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Date: 17 Mar 1999 18:21:55 -0800

All of the problems of humanity, society, and the environment may be
attributed to an error in human thinking.  Whether it is abolishing nuclear
weapons, stopping wars, violence, covert drug trade, changing laws for
greater justice, or healing
our atmosphere to ameliorate climate change and ozone layer depletion before
it is too late to save all life on Earth, the solutions to ALL of these
problems created by an error in human thinking is to correct the mind of
humankind into accord with the natural law and order by which all of
physical reality operates, the fundamental law of causation by which even
God must operate in the world, the law that Einstein envisioned with his
dream of a unified field theory, the inviolable law that human beings have
been ignoring to the detriment of their well being and the health of our
planet.

No matter saint or sinner, all human beings are motivated by the desire to
attract true respect and love to themselves.  By the mistaken belief that
these can be acquired by the acquisition of material wealth or fame, mankind
has missed the real opportunity to advance human capabilities.  Following
these introductory remarks is an interview.

No more classic example exists in today's world of how the consciousness of
divinity manifest in human form exemplifies these advanced human
capabilities than the life of the World Teacher of today's times, Sri Sathya
Sai Baba of Puttaparthi, India.

His students and followers of all faiths and religions accept that He has
come to fulfill the prophecies about manifesting lasting peace and properity
around the globe by instilling the deeper wisdom of humanity's divine nature
in all peoples.  Hindu's see Him as the reincarnation of the Rama and
Krishna avatars.  Moslems see Him as the Mehdi predicted to come and bring
peace.   Jews see Him as the manifestation of their awaited Messiah.
Christians see Him as the embodiment of the teaching about the return of
Jesus Christ.  Buddhists see Him as the predicted Maitreya, the incarnate
Buddha of these times.   Over his life of now 74years He has repeatedly
demonstrated the ability to change His normal physical form to correspond to
any form needed to fulfill His spiritual mission to see the physical
manifestation of a Golden Age of true peace, harmony among all life and free
natural abundance as paradise on Earth.

By recognizing and accepting the truth of this message one may help
accelerate the pace of today's global spiritual reawakening, of humankind to
its innate divine relationship to all life as one family, the only real
pathway to global peace and justice.
------------------

Interview to group of Journalists from Mumbai [Bombay]
(Published in The Times Of India - 12th March, 1999)

Sai Baba has not given an interview to a journalist in the past 25 years.
But, recently, He spoke to S. Balakrishnan and a group of journalists from
Mumbai :
(Reproduced verbatim from The Times Of India - 12th March, 1999)

----

Sri Sathya Sai Baba is easily one of the most popular spiritual leaders of
contemporary India.  He has attracted a following which runs into crores
[millions]cutting across barriers of caste, language, region and nation. He
shot into fame because of the miracles performed by him, specifically his
ability to materialise the holy ash and other material things from out of
thin air. The rationalists consistently targeted him. But, Baba, as he is
referred to both of reverence and affection by his devotees, only emerged
stronger from these controversies. Today, the 74-year-old Baba is known for
working out miracles of a different kind.  Miracles in the form of a super
speciality hospital where free treatment is given or a massive drinking
water scheme in the parched hinterland of Andhra Pradesh or a massive
educational complex. The high and the mighty of the land touch his feet and
seek his blessings, so do ordinary people from all walks of life. Baba gives
them all the same message of love. He has never given an interview to a
journalist in the past 25 years. But, recently, he spoke to S. Balakrishnan
and a group of journalists from Mumbai in a small room at his ashram in
Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh.

            How do you relate yourself to Saibaba of Shirdi?
            "This body has not seen him."

            Indians are increasingly turning to godmen and
            godwomen. Is this a sign of growing insecurity
            within them? Or is it something else?
            "This is basically a search for God. The divine is
            there within each person . The search is for this
            divinity. God realisation cannot be seen as a sign
            of insecurity. It is a positive aspiration to be one
            with God. It is a good sign."

            Even as mankind is relentlessly searching for God,
            he finds himself engulfed by more and more misery.
            What is the reason for this state of affairs?
            "Attachment to the body is the root cause of all
            suffering and misery. Once this attachment ends,
            then one can experience divine bliss. There is no
            doubt about that. Since God does not have any
            bodily attachment, he does not attach any
            importance to the suffering of His body."

            What is the best way to serve God?
            "Serve the poor, the weak, the downtrodden and
            the underprivileged. There is divinity in each of
            us, hence love and serve fellow human beings
            selflessly. Give those around you pure love.
            Religion can be best pursued through the axiom
            'Dil mein Ram, Haath mein Kaam'. There is only
            one religion -- the religion of love; one caste --
            the caste of humanity; one language -- the
            language of the heart; one law -- the law of
            Karma and there is only one God -- He is
            omnipresent. All of us should remember these
            simple yet profound truths. These truths lead us to
            God."

            Is there no escape from human misery?
            "It is all karma. The need is to adopt the path of
            righteousness. One should surrender oneself to the
            Almighty."

            Why do you perform miracles like materialising a
            ring, a medallion, a necklace, vibhuti and other
            objects? What are you trying to prove by
            performing these miracles?
            "Chamatkaar or miracle is a cheap word for what I
            do. A magician performs his tricks to earn a
            livelihood and worldly fame. But, I materialise
            these talismans as my visiting cards, as evidence
            that divinity can transform earth into the sky and
            vice versa. To doubt this is to betray an inability
            to grasp the grandeur of the universe. I get lot of
            satisfaction while gifting these talismans to my
            devotees."

            The suffering millions flock to you. They want to
            pass on their problems and suffering to you. How
            much of these suffering can you take on?
            "I am only performing a divine mission."

            How do you spend your day?
            "My day begins with granting darshan to my
            devotees, interviews to people, bhajans, attending
            to all projects taken up for human welfare. Same
            cycle is repeated from post noon till evening.
            Although I know the contents of all letters which I
            receive, I read all of them for the trupti or
            satisfaction of my devotees."

            "I avoid milk, green fruits, dry fruits, sweets, ghee,
            butter, tea, coffee, etc. I take a skimpy meal of
            ragi and green grams. For the past 60 years my
            weight has remained unchanged at 108 pounds.
            When the world sleeps, I go to my devotees, give
            them my vision, comfort them, console them and
            solve their problems. I willingly take on the
            sufferings of my devotees on myself."

            Have you gone abroad any time?
            "Yes, only once -- to East Africa, that too because
            of the pure love of a devotee, who is no more
            now. I did not go at the invitation of the
            government."

            Do you have any plans to visit foreign nations and
            spread your message?
            "No. Where there is sugar, the ants come there; the
            sugar does not go chasing after the ants. My first
            task is to clean up our own country first, then go
            to other countries."

            You wield enormous influence over the top
            politicians of the country. Why don't you impress on
            them the need to inculcate values in public life? If
            this is done, India will be a much better place.
            "Politicians have a choice to pursue good or bad
            governance; they do covet power with a frenzy.
            But I tell them that politics without principles,
            science without humanity, education without
            character and commerce without morality are not
            only useless but can prove to be positively
            dangerous and harm people at large."

            Do you read newspapers?
            "I never read them. Even though I do not read any
            newspaper, I am aware about everything that is
            happening round the globe. What is necessary
            today is that the newspapers should be more
            careful and responsible in their reporting.
            Publishing of sensational and baseless news must
            be avoided. No negative and baseless reporting,
            specially of those at the helm of affairs of the
            country, should be done since it has lot of
            repercussions abroad. If there are any doubts,
            then they should be cleared after free and frank
            discussions with the persons concerned. Truth
            should not be compromised under any
            circumstance."

            You are the chancellor of the Sathya Sai University
            and you attach tremendous importance to
            education. Why do you think that education in
            India has now become a mechanical exercise?
            "This is because that education has been divorced
            from values. Education bereft of values is
            meaningless. The need is to restore values to
            education."

            What are your views on different political parties in
            India?
            "All parties do good work as well as bad; the
            problem lies with ourselves. We should insist on
            principles."

            Who will lead the Sathya Sai movement after you?
            "My devotees. God will continue to guide them."
---------------
[above interview and photo at
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/9158/inter031999.html ]

For more information on Sri Sathya Sai Baba, see http://www.sathyasai.org/
Also http://www.maikon.net/prom/index.htm and http://www.sainet.org/

For the actual photograph of Jesus Christ materialized by Sai Baba on
several different occasions, and for a story about one of these occasions
see http://www.1heart.com/saibaba.html

For the story of this writer's month-long visit to Sai Baba's ashram in 1996
and his group interview on the September 28, 1996, Shirdi Baba birthday
anniversary, see http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/india96.html

----------------
FOR ONE HUMAN FAMILY:  Love All, Serve All
         Global Emergency Alert Response
              [e-mail]
    http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000
*********************************************************
         GENERAL  AGENCY  SERVICES
David Crockett Williams                661-822-3309
20411 Steeple Court, Tehachapi CA 93561 USA
*********************************************************
         The  Global  Peace  Walk 1999-2000
Annually:   22APR Taos, NM, --->  Santa Fe 26APR
1999:  15 SEP* UN NY ---> Washington DC 24OCT
2000:  15JAN  San Francisco --> New York  24OCT
  20SEP* Washington, DC, Ceremony Rededicating
The Washington Monument as a Symbol of Peace.
*3rd Wednesday of September is annual opening of
UN General Assembly & International Day of Peace
           October 24th is United Nations Day
"GLOBAL PEACE NOW!" Global Peace Zone2000
Remove the scourge of war from future generations
   http://www.egroups.com/list/global-peace-walk







-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) ALERT Nuclear Abolition, Dedication to Peaceful Energy, and the Global Peace Walk
Date: 17 Mar 1999 20:40:16 -0800

During my visit last Fall to Washington, DC, to speak at the March for
Peaceful Energy rally at the Capitol, I visited once again my friends Ellen
and Wm Thomas of the White House Peace Park anti-nuclear vigil and
Proposition One for conversion of nuclear weapons funding to peaceful
purposes.  http://www.prop1.org

Thomas read me his report of suggestions to the Nuclear Abolition 2000
Coalition in which he mentioned the recommendation for a cross country peace
walk in the Year 2000 as a mechanism to bring international attention to
this cause.  I took the idea back to California and after proposing it to
Rev. Yusen Yamato, initiator of the Global Peace Walk project initiated in
1995 for the UN50th anniversary (walking New York to San Francisco), he has
also enthusiastically taken up the proposal (to carry this and ALL survival
issue messages) and he has joined the call for a internationally coordinated
Global
Peace Walk 2000 from San Francisco to Washington, DC, to New York City for
the United Nations 55th anniversary, October 24, 2000, with a ceremony en
route on the day of the opening of the UN, the UN international Day of
Peace, to rededicate the Washington Monument as a Symbol of Peace with
perhaps more than a million people in attendance.

This will be an enormous undertaking with the expected participation of
international volunteers as well as those from across America, empowered by
local Global Peace Walks in communities around the globe.  Already Rev.
Yamato has traveled to Japan for two weeks in February and rallied people
who have
committed to join this walk for its last three months, all the time that is
possible on routine travel visas.   During my visit to San Francisco last
month I met
a small handful of folks there who have already committed to walk all
the way.

They all need our support to make their efforts succeed.

I have mentioned this project a few times on these lists over the past
couple of months with hardly any response yet from any of the folks on these

lists by way of supportive feedback or offers of collaboration and support.

I am accumulating a list of organizations and individuals who offer their
names as endorsers of this project and soon we will develop a program for
those who wish to co-sponsor this Global Peace Walk 2000.   Please let me
know that you are interested in this walk which as usual will get at least
good local media coverage at each stage along the route and, with enough
support from you, may get regular national media coverage for this message
and other survival issue messages carried by GPW2000 and the proposed 1999
route this year from New York to Washington, DC, inspired by the second
March for Peaceful Energy rally at the Capitol Mall, October 24, 1999.
http://www.peacefulenergy.org

It was out of respect for the nature and depth of the commitment of the
Prop1 folks, described in the following recent article from Reuter's News
Service, that I accepted this idea from Thomas and have asked for your help
in executing this route of the Global Peace Walk.  If you have not already
seen this article, please read it and see if the depth of their devotion to
this cause inspires you to join us in helping to organize and coordinate
these Global Peace Walk routes.

Efforts this year will also be focused towards a Y2K multilateral nuclear
weapons
stand-down or de-alert as the first step towards Nuclear Abolition 2000, as
well as bringing into mainstream public awareness the other survival issue
messages such as those presented at our recent Global Crisis Solutions
Conference at UC Berkeley; see
http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/gcsc2video.html

Please call, write, or email (off list) asap with your feedback and ideas of
support.
---------------------

PROTESTERS ON CONSTANT VIGIL NEAR WHITE HOUSE

By Mark Weinraub [and Teri Schultz, TV reporter]

Reuters - March 14, 1999   [Einstein's birthday --- dcw]

http://infoseek.go.com/Content?arn=a0919LBY477reulb-19990313&qt=%2Bhomeless&
sv=IS&lk=noframes&col=NX&kt=A&ak=news1486


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - They have outlasted U.S. presidents Ronald Reagan
and George Bush, and they plan on outlasting President Clinton too.

The protesters that maintain a constant vigil against nuclear weapons just
across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House have been on the job for
the past 18 years and do not plan on going anywhere.

The vigil, consisting of four upright wooden signs, has become a staple of
Lafayette Park. The signs welcome visitors to ``Peace Park,'' call for
``wisdom and honesty'' from world leaders, and depict the devastation of
war.

Even a late-winter storm this week that dumped eight inches (20
centimeters) of snow on the nation's capital could not dislodge those who
maintain the vigil 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from their posts.

``I think that there's more to life than just seeking pleasure and
comfort,'' vigil worker William Thomas says.

FINDING A FOCUS

Thomas, 52, who co-founded the vigil in 1981, says he originally did not
come to protest nuclear weapons.

``I think I'm a realist,'' says Thomas, his long beard covered in
snowflakes. ``I believe in truth, justice, freedom and equality and I feel
that the value system of this country is dollars and cents.''

The group is indefinite in number as members assist at the site on a
now-and-again  basis.

Thomas says he came to the White House to make himself available to other
people to test his perception of reality. He changed his focus after a
friend advised him that his goal was too abstract because, ``all people
care about is their ass and their pocketbook.''

Nuclear weapons fit that description, Thomas says.

``If they don't use them, which they swear they don't want to do, then they
just wasted all that money. And if they do use them, they're going to cause
a real good problem,'' he said.

Keeping the vigil up and running requires a lot of coordination because of
the laws forbidding living in the park, which is patrolled by federal
officers.

But the protesters bristle at the suggestion the park is their home.

``This is a vigil,'' protester Ellen Thomas says. ``My living
accommodations are my personal business,''

Ellen, 52, married William Thomas in the park shortly after joining the
vigil in 1984. A Minnesota native, she says she is used to the cold.

The protesters must be careful not to stray too far from the vigil because
they say if they wander more than three feet away, it could be designated
as an abandoned structure and torn down.

JAIL TIME FOR SOME

Ellen says she has been arrested many times and has spent some time in jail
for camping in the park. The protesters website (http://prop1.org/) lists
more than 30 court cases that they have been involved in during their stay
at the park.

And the protesters claim that the lawmakers keep changing the rules to try
and force them off, noting that when they started the vigil it was on the
sidewalk right in front of the north lawn of the White House. It since has
been bumped across the street.

Bundled up in a large blue coat and hood against blustery mid-March winds,
Concepcion Picciotto passes out leaflets, trying to raise awareness about
the dangers of nuclear weapons. Picciotto, another charter member of the
vigil, has slept in the park every night since 1981 except when she is in
jail on camping charges.

To protect herself from the weather, Picciotto sometimes crawls under a
plastic tarp that also covers her belongings. On most any other city
street, the humble accommodations would be called home by the homeless.

But they insist this is their job, not their home. ''I'm not homeless,''
Picciotto says. ``I'm here for a cause. If I want to I can get out of
here.''

The protesters try to collect signatures from the tourists and other
passers-by in the park on a petition calling for ''disarmament of nuclear
weapons and the conversion of the nuclear and other arms industries to
provide for human and environmental needs,'' according to their website.

The protesters say they have been successful enough to get their
proposition passed as a Washington, D.C., ballot initiative and that D.C.
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced a bill in the U.S. House of
Representatives calling for the elimination of all nuclear weapons.

Ellen Thomas tries to ignore the occasional comments of people who tell her
to get a job, saying that she already has a full time one.

``We're working people. We just don't work for money.''

-----end article---

Thanks for your consideration and support of this  project.

david williams

----------------
FOR ONE HUMAN FAMILY:  Love All, Serve All
         Global Emergency Alert Response
              [e-mail]
    http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000
*********************************************************
         GENERAL  AGENCY  SERVICES
David Crockett Williams                661-822-3309
20411 Steeple Court, Tehachapi CA 93561 USA
*********************************************************
         The  Global  Peace  Walk 1999-2000
Annually:   22APR Taos, NM, --->  Santa Fe 26APR
1999:  15 SEP* UN NY ---> Washington DC 24OCT
2000:  15JAN  San Francisco --> New York  24OCT
  20SEP* Washington, DC, Ceremony Rededicating
The Washington Monument as a Symbol of Peace.
*3rd Wednesday of September is annual opening of
UN General Assembly & International Day of Peace
           October 24th is United Nations Day
"GLOBAL PEACE NOW!" Global Peace Zone2000
Remove the scourge of war from future generations
   http://www.egroups.com/list/global-peace-walk



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) 1st in 25yrs, Interview, antidote to human problems, Sri ...
Date: 18 Mar 1999 00:19:37 EST

Can I respectfully suggest this belongs on some other list. I promise not to
use this list to preach my perfect method if you will do the same.

Peace,
David McReynolds

<< Subj:     (abolition-usa) 1st in 25yrs, Interview, antidote to human problems,
Sri Sathya Sai Baba
 Date:    3/17/99 11:44:38 PM Eastern Standard Time
 From:    [e-mail] (David Crockett Williams)
 Sender:    [e-mail]
 Reply-to:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail] (Abolition 2000 USA)

 All of the problems of humanity, society, and the environment may be
 attributed to an error in human thinking.  Whether it is abolishing nuclear
 weapons, stopping wars, violence, covert drug trade, changing laws for
 greater justice, or healing
 our atmosphere to ameliorate climate change and ozone layer depletion before
 it is too late to save all life on Earth, the solutions to ALL of these
 problems created by an error in human thinking is to correct the mind of
 humankind into accord with the natural law and order by which all of
 physical reality operates, the fundamental law of causation by which even
 God must operate in the world, the law that Einstein envisioned with his
 dream of a unified field theory, the inviolable law that human beings have
 been ignoring to the detriment of their well being and the health of our
 planet.
  >>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jack & Felice Cohen-Joppa)
Subject: (abolition-usa) CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT GROWS FOR ISRAELI WHISTLE BLOWER
Date: 18 Mar 1999 06:31:00 -0700

FOR RELEASE AT 9 AM, EST, Thursday, March 18, 1999

CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT GROWS FOR ISRAELI WHISTLE BLOWER

WASHINGTON, March 18--Flanked by the American parents of an Israeli prisoner
of conscience, Rep. Lynn Rivers [D-MI] today called on President Clinton to
urge Israel to free their son on humanitarian grounds. Thirty-five House
members supported her request.

        The subject of her appeal is 44-year old Mordechai Vanunu, who has
spent 12 1/2 years of an 18-year old sentence for blowing the whistle on
Israel's unacknowledged nuclear weapons reactor at Dimona, where he once
worked as a technician.

        Accompanying her at Capitol Hill news conference were a St. Paul, MN
couple, Nicholas and Mary Eoloff, who have adopted Vanunu under a Minnesota
law that permits adoption of adults by adults. The Eoloffs have six other
grown children.

        "We believe that Mordechai Vanunu has suffered enough for his crime
of conscience," said Representative Rivers, quoting from a letter to Clinton
signed by 35 House members, most of them fellow Democrats.  "Mr. Vanunu
stands for the ideal that every child has the right to live in a world that
is free from nuclear destruction," the letter said.

        The Eoloff's Congressional Representative, Bruce Vento added, "Mr.
Vanunu's commitment to global peace and living in a world free from the
threat of nuclear devastation should be commended, not condemned.  Yet
ironically, Mr. Vanunu's commitment to human rights has cost him his
freedom.  He has paid too high a price for his act of conscience.  It is
time to right the scales of justice by allowing for his immediate release
and return to his adopted home of St. Paul."

        Vanunu, after resigning from the Israeli nuclear weapons program,
gave his story, without pay, to the London Sunday Times in 1986.  While
being interviewed by the paper, Israeli agents lured him from Britain and
abducted him from Rome to Israel.  There, he was convicted of espionage and
treason at a closed door trial.  He spent 11 1/2 years in a 6' by 9'
isolation cell.  Last May he was denied parole after serving two-thirds of
his term.

        A worldwide campaign for Vanunu's release is supported by Amnesty
International, the Federation of American Scientists, the Jewish Peace
Fellowship, former President Jimmy Carter and parliamentarians from Israel,
Britain, Canada, Norway, Australia and New Zealand.

        The thirty-five Congressional co-signers of the Lynn Rivers letter
almost tripled the number who signed a similar letter two years ago.


*************************************************



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Senator Poy on nukes & Y2K
Date: 18 Mar 1999 11:04:51 -0500

>Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 10:15:19 -0500
>Subject: Senator Poy on nukes & Y2K
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail]
>X-FC-Forwarded-From: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>Debates of the Senate (Hansard)
>
>1st Session, 36th Parliament,
>Volume 137, Issue 121
>
>Wednesday, March 17, 1999
>
>...
>
>Nuclear Weapons and Year 2000 Problems
>
>Hon. Vivienne Poy: Honourable senators, there are 35,000 nuclear weapons
>in the world today.
>Combined, these weapons have a destructive power 650,000 times as great as
>the bomb that
>destroyed Hiroshima. Like most computer systems, the systems that control
>nuclear weapons are
>not immune to Y2K problems.
>
>One of the biggest fears is that the "millennium bug" could cause an
>accidental launch of a ballistic
>missile. Other fears centre around the possibility that terrorists could
>exploit Y2K if the security
>systems of nuclear arms become unstable.
>
>It is widely acknowledged that Y2K computer problems could bring down the
>radar and
>telecommunications networks that are used to detect foreign launches. The
>computer bugs could set
>off nuclear system test patterns that are difficult to halt. Once these
>test patterns are initiated, the
>computers which control them cannot easily be accessed. At that point,
>erroneous information could
>lead to an extremely dangerous situation. A false signal could set off a
>retaliatory nuclear missile
>launch.
>
>The U.S. Department of Defence has spent about $2 billion U.S. addressing
>Y2K problems in their
>computer systems, but officials concede that it is impossible to know
>whether they have found all the
>glitches. The scale of the task is enormous. In the U.S. alone, it
>involves debugging about 25 million
>lines of computer code.
>
>Russia's situation is more difficult to assess. A Russian defence official
>recently noted that 74 control
>centres of Russia's strategic nuclear forces were judged last August to be
>in critical condition
>because they were not ready for the year 2000. In the midst of an economic
>crisis, Russia has
>earmarked only $6 million to fix Y2K problems in its nuclear defences.
>
>There is one sure way to guard against potential nuclear disaster. All
>nations with nuclear weapons
>could disable their warhead delivery systems during the transition to the
>year 2000.
>
>Last December, the House of Commons Committee on Foreign Affairs and
>International Trade
>completed a two-year review of Canada's nuclear weapons policies. The
>committee recommended
>that the Government of Canada endorse the concept of de-alerting all
>nuclear weapons. It
>specifically highlighted the need to take precautions to ensure nuclear
>stability as we reach the new
>millennium. These recommendations are consistent with public opinion.
>
>Canadians overwhelmingly support this government assuming an international
>leadership role in
>banning nuclear weapons. Canada has a strong position as a peace-loving
>nation. Next month's
>NATO meeting in Washington will be an opportunity for Canada to take a
>leading role, working
>together with non-nuclear states, to convince nuclear powers to take their
>weapons off alert status in
>the transition to the year 2000.
>
>Nothing short of a Canada-led multilateral approach will be effective in
>convincing nuclear powers
>to take this precaution. The spectre of a Y2K-provoked nuclear disaster
>makes immediate action
>imperative.
>
>
>--
>Bill Robinson, Project Ploughshares,
>Conrad Grebel College, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada  N2L 3G6
>Phone: [phone] x264  Fax: [phone]
>E-mail: [e-mail]
>http://www.ploughshares.ca
>
>Project Ploughshares is a member of the Canadian Network to Abolish
>Nuclear Weapons (http://watserv1.uwaterloo.ca/~plough/cnanw/cnanw.html)
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Robert Kinsey" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) The New Maginot Line
Date: 18 Mar 1999 11:33:01 -0700

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_009E_01BE7133.1463ACE0
Content-Type: text/plain;
    charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

18 March 1999

It should perhaps be no surprise that the only nation-state on the =
planet to vaporize two cities with nuclear weapons, the only =
nation-state on the planet with a declared first-strike nuclear weapons =
policy, the only nation-state on the planet to refuse to talk about =
steps to eliminate nuclear weapons at the latest Non-Proiliferation =
Treaty Conference, the only nation-state on the planet to spend $4.5 =
billion a year on developing and maintaining its nuclear arsenal, the =
nation-state which markets 55% of the arms sales on the planet, the =
nation-state which has not paid its appropriate dues to the United =
Nations and now ignores any disagreements from that body about its =
actions, a nation-state which consumes over half the planet's resources =
though it is only 6% of the planet's population, a nation-state whose =
people on average are over -fed and under-educated, the nation-state =
whose Space Command announces its mission to "dominate space to protect =
its investments" (in order to keep its giant share of the planet's =
wealth), should believe it necessary to now spend $60-400 billions more =
to build a missile "shield" for itself. The fact that this new Maginot =
Line will be next to useless and will continue to rob its own citizens =
and those of the rest of the planet of resources that could be used to =
enhance human life and save its environment is irrelevant to the =
psychology of those who know they are the just targets of the poor.=20

The surprise is that it continues to write "In God We Trust" on its =
coins and to repeat "One Nation, Under God" in its oaths. What God is =
that? Mars? Certainly not the God of the peaceful man who hung on a =
cross on Good Friday.

_________________________________________________________________________=
____________________________________
Bob Kinsey, Peace and Justice Task Force
United Church of Christ, Rocky Mountain Conference
[e-mail]
303-425-0348
"Two paths lie before us.  One leads to death, the other to  life."  =
Jonathan Schell
"Faith has need of the whole truth"  Teilhard de Chardin
"Jesus was non-violent.  Shouldn't Christians be?

------=_NextPart_000_009E_01BE7133.1463ACE0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/html;
    boundary="=====================_183589748==_";
    charset="iso-8859-1"

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>

<META content=3Dtext/html;charset=3Diso-8859-1 =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D'"MSHTML 4.71.1712.3"' name=3DGENERATOR>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">
<P>18 March 1999</P>
<P>It should perhaps be no surprise that the only nation-state on the =
planet to=20
vaporize two cities with nuclear weapons, the only nation-state on the =
planet=20
with a declared first-strike nuclear weapons policy, the only =
nation-state on=20
the planet to refuse to talk about steps to eliminate nuclear weapons at =
the=20
latest Non-Proiliferation Treaty Conference, the only nation-state on =
the planet=20
to spend $4.5 billion a year on developing and maintaining its nuclear =
arsenal,=20
the nation-state which markets 55% of the arms sales on the planet, the=20
nation-state which has not paid its appropriate dues to the United =
Nations and=20
now ignores any disagreements from that body about its actions, a =
nation-state=20
which consumes over half the planet's resources though it is only 6% of =
the=20
planet's population, a nation-state whose people on average are over =
-fed and=20
under-educated, the nation-state whose Space Command announces its =
mission to=20
"dominate space to protect its investments" (in order to keep =
its=20
giant share of the planet's wealth), should believe it necessary to now =
spend=20
$60-400 billions more to build a missile "shield" for itself. =
The fact=20
that this new Maginot Line will be next to useless and will continue to =
rob its=20
own citizens and those of the rest of the planet of resources that could =
be used=20
to enhance human life and save its environment is irrelevant to the =
psychology=20
of those who know they are the just targets of the poor. </P>
<P>The surprise is that it continues to write "In God We =
Trust" on its=20
coins and to repeat "One Nation, Under God" in its oaths. What =
God is=20
that? Mars? Certainly not the God of the peaceful man who hung on a =
cross on=20
Good Friday.</FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT color=3D#800000=20
face=3DVerdana>__________________________________________________________=
___________________________________________________<BR>Bob=20
Kinsey, Peace and Justice Task Force<BR>United Church of Christ, Rocky =
Mountain=20
Conference<BR><A=20
href=3D"mailto:[e-mail]">[e-mail]</A><BR>=
303-425-0348<BR>"Two=20
paths lie before us.  One leads to death, the other to =20
life."  Jonathan Schell<BR>"Faith has need of the whole=20
truth"  Teilhard de Chardin<BR>"Jesus was =
non-violent. =20
Shouldn't Christians be?</FONT></EM> </DIV></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_009E_01BE7133.1463ACE0--


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Story of The Century
Date: 18 Mar 1999 10:59:48 -0800

Please see http://www.hia.com/pcr as a starting point for information on
today's most important story about the future of science and human
consciouness in the 21st century.  Links there will introduce you to the
cutting edge scientific research, taking the fiction out of science fiction,
represented by Dr. Jack Sarfatti, physicist and President of the Internet
Science Education Project, in collaboration with leading scientists on the
verge of implementing real-life "Star Trek" technologies, some of whose
implications offer the way to clean up our minds, societies and planet for a
future of global peace and prosperity.

Studying credible scientific and technological concepts that will lead to
propulsion breakthroughs and paradigm changes in physics needed for
practical interstellar travel, IESP research includes the fundamental
physics of space-time, motion, forces, and energy exchange; possible
coupling between electromagnetism, inertia, gravitation and consciousness;
creation or modification of general relativistic spacetime toplogies; Zero
Point Energy properties of the quantum vacuum that may prove to be useful
for propulsion, energy generation and neutralizing radioactive wastes. (ZPE
was just last year publicly acknowledged by the DOE in its Comprehensive
National Energy Strategy {CNES} introduced to Congress by President
Clinton).

ISEP is applying this new knowledge to understanding the fundamental nature
of space-time and beyond, the fundamental physical nature of consciousness,
elimination of disease and extension of human life, development of practical
interstellar travel, elimination of human related environmental damage,
development of non-polluting, inexhaustible energy sources, and the
development of practical nanotechnology leading to the evolution of
conscious post-quantum computers.

Website excerpts:

The great synthesis, already intuited by Roger Penrose is the precise
connection between consciousness and the gravitational field. The clue is in
the anomalous acceleration of our apparently ever-expanding universe, and
[Sarfatti's] discovery of how this expansion of 3D space at the cosmological
scale generates our conscious experiences at the mesoscopic and nanoscale
via the post-quantum back-reaction equation

T(Orch) = 1/HN
H = Hubble's constant

N = the entanglement complexity number of the sentient post-quantum
computing network

The practical deployment of post-quantum physics into nano-engineering will
literally "make Star Trek real" with "practical propellantless propulsion"
(http://www.stardrive.org) of our vehicles "Ad Astra" and beyond. "Make it
so."
[link to this amazing site from above url after review]

[clip]
Sarfatti's Cave is the name I'll give to the Caffe Trieste in San Francisco,
where Jack Sarfatti, Ph.D. in physics, writes his poetry, evokes his
mystical, miracle-working ancestors, and has conducted a several-decade-long
seminar on the nature of reality... to a rapt succession of espresso
scholars. He sings Gilbert and Sullivan songs.  With ample charm and boyish
smiles he issues nonnegotiable demands ... It's Jack Sarfatti against the
world, and he is indomitable.

One of his soaring theories is that things which have not happened yet can
cause events in the present .... Obviously this has consequences for
prediction, the nature of causality, our conceptions of logic. ...

He has published papers in respectable physics journals. His poetry is
widely photocopied. His correspondence with the great in several fields is
voluminous, recorded on computer disks. Cornell University BA., University
of California Ph.D., his credentials are impeccable.

Following is a quotation from a lecture given to a San Francisco State
University physics seminar:

CAUSALITY-VIOLATING QUANTUM ACTION AT A DISTANCE?
by Dr. Jack Sarfatti

... the universe is created by intelligent design but the Designer lives in
our far future and has evolved from us ...

Perhaps all of the works of cultural genius, from the music of Mozart to the

physics of Einstein, have their real origin in the future. The genius may be
a real psychic channeler whose mind is open to telepathic messages from the
future. The genius must be well trained in his or her craft and
intellectually disciplined with the integrity of the warrior in order to
properly decode the quantum signals from the future. The purpose of our
existence would then be to ensure, not only the creation of life on earth,
but the creation of the big bang itself! We obviously cannot fail since the
universe cannot have come into existence without us in this extreme example
of Borgesian quantum solipsism. Existentialism is wrong because it is an
incorrect extrapolation of the old physics. Breton's surrealism, with its
Jungian idea of meaningful coincidence, is closer to the truth. This would
then be the final secret of the Illuminati - that charismatic chain of
adepts in quixotic quest of their "Impossible Dream" of the Grail. Enough of
my subjective vision. Now on to the objective physics....

[end excerpts]

Thank you for considering these few ramifications of this Story of The
Century,

David Williams

----------------
FOR ONE HUMAN FAMILY:  Love All, Serve All
         Global Emergency Alert Response
              [e-mail]
    http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000
*********************************************************
         GENERAL  AGENCY  SERVICES
David Crockett Williams                661-822-3309
20411 Steeple Court, Tehachapi CA 93561 USA
*********************************************************
         The  Global  Peace  Walk 1999-2000
Annually:   22APR Taos, NM, --->  Santa Fe 26APR
1999:  15 SEP* UN NY ---> Washington DC 24OCT
2000:  15JAN  San Francisco --> New York  24OCT
  20SEP* Washington, DC, Ceremony Rededicating
The Washington Monument as a Symbol of Peace.
*3rd Wednesday of September is annual opening of
UN General Assembly & International Day of Peace
           October 24th is United Nations Day
"GLOBAL PEACE NOW!" Global Peace Zone2000
Remove the scourge of war from future generations
   http://www.egroups.com/list/global-peace-walk




-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Story of The Century
Date: 18 Mar 1999 11:33:49 -0800

I sort of thought I might get a response like this so I should explain very
briefly why I think this information is important to the nuclear abolition
issue.

Very simply, most of the impetus for tensions among nations is due to the
vigorous competition over seemingly limited resources, especially energy
related resources.  With a vision of the future containing continued
economic competition in this regard, it will continue to be hard to achieve
nuclear and general disarmament.  If such vision includes the availability
of these new unlimited energy resources then the need for this kind of
aggressive competition vanishes and mutual cooperation, peace, and
disarmament becomes a logical consequence.

This may be a bit hard to grasp at first and in any case, given your
personal response, I will in future keep my posts limited to more clear and
direct focus on abolition of nuclear weapons.

-----Original Message-----


>May I suggest that this is not an appropriate item for the abolition
>list-serve.
>
>Shalom,
>Bob Tiller
>
>
>
>
>
>David Crockett Williams wrote:
>>
>> Please see http://www.hia.com/pcr as a starting point for information on
>> today's most important story about the future of science and human
>> consciouness in the 21st century.  Links there will introduce you to the
>> cutting edge scientific research, taking the fiction out of science
fiction,
>> represented by Dr. Jack Sarfatti, physicist and President of the Internet
>> Science Education Project, in collaboration with leading scientists on
the
>> verge of implementing real-life "Star Trek" technologies, some of whose
>> implications offer the way to clean up our minds, societies and planet
for a
>> future of global peace and prosperity.
>>
>> Studying credible scientific and technological concepts that will lead to
>> propulsion breakthroughs and paradigm changes in physics needed for
>> practical interstellar travel, IESP research includes the fundamental
>> physics of space-time, motion, forces, and energy exchange; possible
>> coupling between electromagnetism, inertia, gravitation and
consciousness;
>> creation or modification of general relativistic spacetime toplogies;
Zero
>> Point Energy properties of the quantum vacuum that may prove to be useful
>> for propulsion, energy generation and neutralizing radioactive wastes.
(ZPE
>> was just last year publicly acknowledged by the DOE in its Comprehensive
>> National Energy Strategy {CNES} introduced to Congress by President
>> Clinton).
>>
>> ISEP is applying this new knowledge to understanding the fundamental
nature
>> of space-time and beyond, the fundamental physical nature of
consciousness,
>> elimination of disease and extension of human life, development of
practical
>> interstellar travel, elimination of human related environmental damage,
>> development of non-polluting, inexhaustible energy sources, and the
>> development of practical nanotechnology leading to the evolution of
>> conscious post-quantum computers.
>>
>> Website excerpts:
>>
>> The great synthesis, already intuited by Roger Penrose is the precise
>> connection between consciousness and the gravitational field. The clue is
in
>> the anomalous acceleration of our apparently ever-expanding universe, and
>> [Sarfatti's] discovery of how this expansion of 3D space at the
cosmological
>> scale generates our conscious experiences at the mesoscopic and nanoscale
>> via the post-quantum back-reaction equation
>>
>> T(Orch) = 1/HN
>> H = Hubble's constant
>>
>> N = the entanglement complexity number of the sentient post-quantum
>> computing network
>>
>> The practical deployment of post-quantum physics into nano-engineering
will
>> literally "make Star Trek real" with "practical propellantless
propulsion"
>> (http://www.stardrive.org) of our vehicles "Ad Astra" and beyond. "Make
it
>> so."
>> [link to this amazing site from above url after review]
>>
>> [clip]
>> Sarfatti's Cave is the name I'll give to the Caffe Trieste in San
Francisco,
>> where Jack Sarfatti, Ph.D. in physics, writes his poetry, evokes his
>> mystical, miracle-working ancestors, and has conducted a
several-decade-long
>> seminar on the nature of reality... to a rapt succession of espresso
>> scholars. He sings Gilbert and Sullivan songs.  With ample charm and
boyish
>> smiles he issues nonnegotiable demands ... It's Jack Sarfatti against the
>> world, and he is indomitable.
>>
>> One of his soaring theories is that things which have not happened yet
can
>> cause events in the present .... Obviously this has consequences for
>> prediction, the nature of causality, our conceptions of logic. ...
>>
>> He has published papers in respectable physics journals. His poetry is
>> widely photocopied. His correspondence with the great in several fields
is
>> voluminous, recorded on computer disks. Cornell University BA.,
University
>> of California Ph.D., his credentials are impeccable.
>>
>> Following is a quotation from a lecture given to a San Francisco State
>> University physics seminar:
>>
>> CAUSALITY-VIOLATING QUANTUM ACTION AT A DISTANCE?
>> by Dr. Jack Sarfatti
>>
>> ... the universe is created by intelligent design but the Designer lives
in
>> our far future and has evolved from us ...
>>
>> Perhaps all of the works of cultural genius, from the music of Mozart to
the
>> physics of Einstein, have their real origin in the future. The genius may
be
>> a real psychic channeler whose mind is open to telepathic messages from
the
>> future. The genius must be well trained in his or her craft and
>> intellectually disciplined with the integrity of the warrior in order to
>> properly decode the quantum signals from the future. The purpose of our
>> existence would then be to ensure, not only the creation of life on
earth,
>> but the creation of the big bang itself! We obviously cannot fail since
the
>> universe cannot have come into existence without us in this extreme
example
>> of Borgesian quantum solipsism. Existentialism is wrong because it is an
>> incorrect extrapolation of the old physics. Breton's surrealism, with its
>> Jungian idea of meaningful coincidence, is closer to the truth. This
would
>> then be the final secret of the Illuminati - that charismatic chain of
>> adepts in quixotic quest of their "Impossible Dream" of the Grail. Enough
of
>> my subjective vision. Now on to the objective physics....
>>
>> [end excerpts]
>>
>> Thank you for considering these few ramifications of this Story of The
>> Century,
>>
>> David Williams
>>
>> ----------------
>> FOR ONE HUMAN FAMILY:  Love All, Serve All
>>          Global Emergency Alert Response
>>               [e-mail]
>>     http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000
>> *********************************************************
>>          GENERAL  AGENCY  SERVICES
>> David Crockett Williams                661-822-3309
>> 20411 Steeple Court, Tehachapi CA 93561 USA
>> *********************************************************
>>          The  Global  Peace  Walk 1999-2000
>> Annually:   22APR Taos, NM, --->  Santa Fe 26APR
>> 1999:  15 SEP* UN NY ---> Washington DC 24OCT
>> 2000:  15JAN  San Francisco --> New York  24OCT
>>   20SEP* Washington, DC, Ceremony Rededicating
>> The Washington Monument as a Symbol of Peace.
>> *3rd Wednesday of September is annual opening of
>> UN General Assembly & International Day of Peace
>>            October 24th is United Nations Day
>> "GLOBAL PEACE NOW!" Global Peace Zone2000
>> Remove the scourge of war from future generations
>>    http://www.egroups.com/list/global-peace-walk
>


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Story of The Century
Date: 18 Mar 1999 19:06:02 EST

Again, vital as this material may be to some people, it doesn't belong on the
Abolition list. If you want to tell folks that you would be happy to send them
material on this kind of thing, OK.  But this list just isn't the place. We
have wide disagreements. It would be very much the same as if I posted a long
post on why an understanding of Das Kapital (which in honesty I haven't read)
was crucial. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but there are other lists for that.

Peace,
David McReynolds

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Ross Wilcock" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) General Lee Butlers Text on speaking to the CNANW
Date: 19 Mar 1999 07:53:33 -0500


General Lee Butler (rtd) has read and approved this text of his March 11th
address to the CNANW.
It is now officially available at  http://www.pgs.ca/pages/a2/lbut9903.htm

With thanks to Robin Collins who I believe did the original transcription.

Robert McNamara's words in Canada are also available as published via
http://www.pgs.ca/pages/a2000.html

With thanks and appreciation,

Ross Wilcock
[e-mail]
http://www.pgs.ca/


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: General Lee Butlers Text on speaking to the CNANW
Date: 19 Mar 1999 11:18:54 -0500

>Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 07:53:33 -0500
>Subject: General Lee Butlers Text on speaking to the CNANW
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail], [e-mail]
>Cc: [e-mail], [e-mail]
>X-FC-Forwarded-From: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>
>General Lee Butler (rtd) has read and approved this text of his March 11th
>address to the CNANW.
>It is now officially available at  http://www.pgs.ca/pages/a2/lbut9903.htm
>
>With thanks to Robin Collins who I believe did the original transcription.
>
>Robert McNamara's words in Canada are also available as published via
>http://www.pgs.ca/pages/a2000.html
>
>With thanks and appreciation,
>
>Ross Wilcock
>[e-mail]
>http://www.pgs.ca/
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Missile Defense and Nuclear Space Danger
Date: 19 Mar 1999 11:20:05 -0500

>Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 07:49:49 -0500
>Subject: Missile Defense and Nuclear Space Danger
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>                U.S. Senate and House passes missile defense bills
>
>WASHINGTON - The Senate voted overwhelmingly 17 March 1999 to approve a
>bill
>calling for a nationwide defense against a limited ballistic missile
>attack.
>The legislation won approval only after President Clinton and most Senate
>Democrats dropped their long-standing opposition to it Tuesday. On a 97-3
>vote, the Senate adopted the bill committing the military to deploy a
>national missile as soon as ''technologically possible.'' The House passed
>its own version of a missile-defense bill on 18 March 1999. Story in
>Washington Post:
>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/daily/march99/missile18.htm
>
>Opponents have said the measures violate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile
>(ABM) Treaty, are a waste of billions of tax dollars, and threaten the
>environment with more Plutonium contamination. The only way these bills can
>be stopped is by President Clinton's veto.=20
>
>President Clinton can be contacted by mail:=20
>
>The White House; 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.; Washington, D.C. 20500
>
>by Phone: [phone]  Fax: [phone]=20
>
>or you can send a fax by sending an Email with your message to:
><remote-printer.President_Bill_Clinton/[e-mail]=
>
>
>
>and by E-mail to <[e-mail]>
>
>
>                ****************************************************
>
>
>Speech by Karl Grossman: =93Space Use and Ethics" 4 March 1999
>http://www.nonviolence.org/noflyby/karl/ethics.htm
>
>The following is a condensed version of a speech given by Karl Grossman at
>a
>seminar on =93Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space=94 organized by the
>Women=92s International League for Peace and Freedom held at the United
>Nations Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on March 10 and at the
>Darmstadt University of Technology in Germany at a conference on =93Space=
 Use
>and Ethics" on March 4. =20
>
>Professor Grossman of the State University/College at Old Westbury is a
>member of the Commission on Disarmament Education, Conflict Resolution and
>Peace of the United Nations and the International Association of University
>Presidents, and author of =93The Wrong Stuff: The Space Program=92s Nuclear
>Threat To Our Planet=94 and writer and narrator of the TV documentaries
>=93Nukes
>in Space: The Nuclearization and Weaponization of the Heavens=94 and the
>just-released
>=93Nukes In Space 2: Unacceptable Risks.=94=20
>=20
>The U.S. military is seeking to =93control space=94 and the Earth below, to
>base
>weapons in space--and we must all join to stop this. Here=92s the plan: the
>United States Space Command=92s "Vision For 2020" report, issued last year.
>Look at the cover of the report: laser weapons
>shooting their beams down from space zapping targets below. And, the report
>goes on, in wording laid out like in the start of the Star Wars movies: =93=
US
>Space Command--dominating the space dimension of military operations to
>protect US interests and investment. Integrating Space Forces into
>warfighting capabilities across the full spectrum of conflict.=94 This was
>not
>written in Hollywood; it=92s an official U.S. military publication.
>       =20
>Here=92s the plan: General Joseph Ashy, commander-in-chief of the U.S.=
 Space
>Command--its motto =93Master of Space=94--speaking in =93Aviation Week and=
 Space
>Technology=94 in an article headlined: =93USSC [U.S. Space Command]=
 Prepares
>for
>Future Combat Missions in Space.=94 General Ashy talks of =93space=
 control,=94
>the
>U.S. term for control of space, and =93space force application,=94 the U.S.
>military=92s definition of control of Earth from space. Says General Ashy:
>=93We=92ll expand into these two missions because they will become=
 increasingly
>important. We will engage terrestial targets someday--ships, airplanes,
>land
>targets--from space. We will engage targets in space, from space.=94 It=92s
>politically sensitive, but it=92s going to happen,=94 says the general.=
 =93Some
>people don=92t want to hear this, and it sure isn=92t in vogue,
>but--absolutely--we=92re going to fight in space. We=92re going to fight=
 from
>space and we=92re going to fight into space. That=92s why the U.S. has
>development programs in directed energy and hit-to-kill mechanisms.=94
>
>Here=92s the plan: =93Space-Based Laser Readiness Demonstrator=94 are the=
 words
>on
>top on this poster of a laser weapon in space, with a U.S. flag waving in
>space above it. (I didn=92t know U.S. flags were able to wave in space.)
>=93Preparing Today To Protect Tomorrow,=94 say the words below, next to a=
 seal
>of the =93team=94 involved in the project, a contract for which was signed=
 last
>year: TRW, Boeing, the U.S. Air Force and the Ballistic Missile Defense
>Organization, the new name for the U.S. Star Wars operation.=20
>
>Here=92s the plan: Guardians of the High Frontier, the publication of the=
 Air
>Force Space Command, proclaiming: =93Air Force Space Command Vision:
>Defending
>America through the control and exploitation of space.=94 Here=92s the=
 plan:
>Phillips Laboratory, the Air Force research and
>development facility, describing itself: =93Phillips Laboratory supports=
 the
>war fighter=85Phillips Laboratory is helping control space for the United
>States.=94
>   =20
>Here=92s the plan: Asst. Secretary of the Air Force for Space Keith Hall,
>who=92s also director of the National Reconnaissance Office (which has a=
 $6.8
>billion annual budget, nearly three times the CIA=92s), declaring: =93With
>regard to space dominance, we have it, we like it, and we=92re going to=
 keep
>it.=94 Here=92s the plan: in =93Time=94 magazine last month. The headline:=
 =93Star
>Wars: The Sequel, Hey, what ever happened to arms control? Well, here comes
>the new Bill Clinton, Star Warrior.=94 The article began: =93Disregard=
 previous
>orders. It=92s back to the future after Clinton this month sent Congress a
>military budget proposing to pump $6.6 billion into development of a
>national missile-defense shield by 2005 Missile defense? Examining the new
>Clinton Son of Star Wars drive in context, it sure appears that what=92s up
>the sleeves of the U.S. military is in large part not defense but offense=
=85.
>=20
>Here=92s the plan: =93The Future of War: Power, Technology & American World
>Dominance in the 2lst Century=94 is the name of the book. It is written by
>U.S.=93defense experts=94 and consultants, George and Meredith Friedman.=
 The
>book=92s thrust: =93Just as by the year 1500 it was apparent that the=
 European
>experience of power would be its domination of the global seas, it does not
>take much to see that the American experience of power will rest on the
>domination of space,=94 the Friedmans write. =93Just as Europe expanded war=
 and
>its power to the global oceans, the United States is expanding war and its
>power into space and to the planets,=94 they say. =93Just as Europe shaped=
 the
>world for a half a millennium=94--by the Britain, France and Spain=
 dominating
>the oceans with their fleets--=93so too the United States will shape the
>world
>for at least that length of time.=94 "The Future of War: Power, Technology=
 &
>American World Dominance in the 2lst Century"--as do various government
>reports--see as critical to the new weapons the U.S. seeks to deploy in
>space, nuclear power in space.
>
>As =93New World Vistas: Air And Space Power For The 2lst Century,=94 a U.S.=
 Air
>Force board report, states: =93In the next two decades, new technologies=
 will
>allow the fielding of space-based weapons of devastating effectiveness to
>be
>used to deliver energy and mass as force projection in tactical and
>strategic conflict=85These advances will enable lasers with reasonable mass
>and
>cost to effect very many kills.=94 But, notes the report, =93power=
 limitations
>impose restrictions=94 on such-based weapons systems making them=
 =93relatively
>unfeasible=85.A natural technology to enable high power,=94 it goes on, =93=
is
>nuclear power in space.=94 =93Setting the emotional issues of nuclear power
>aside, this technology offers a viable alternative for large amounts of
>power in space,=94 it goes on. Weapons in space. Nukes in space=85.
>
>What about the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, the =93basic framework on
>international space law?=94 --as notes the United Nations in describing the
>landmark treaty now signed by 91 nations. The U.S., the United Kingdom and
>former Soviet Union were its initiators. What about the declaration of the
>Outer Space Treaty that space shall be used =93for peaceful purposes=85The
>exploration and use of outer space, including the moon and other celestial
>bodies, shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interest of all
>countries?=94 What about the provision of the Outer Space Treaty that=
 nations
>shallnot =93place in orbit around the Earth any objects
>carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass
>destruction?=94
>Meanwhile, the U.S. is speaking about, =93in the next two decades=85the
>fielding
>of space-based weapons of devastating effectiveness,=94 as =93New World=
 Vistas=94
>states. Already the U.S. is in outright violation of the Outer Space
>Treaty=92s provision that =93states shall be liable for damage caused by=
 their
>space objects.=94
>
>In 1991, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the
>U.S.
>Department of Energy entered into a Space Nuclear Power Agreement to cover
>its nuclear space flights including the current Cassini plutonium-fueled
>space probe mission--with the Price-Anderson Act. This is a U.S. law which
>limits liability in the event of a nuclear to $8.9 billion for U.S.
>domestic
>damage and just $100 million for damage to all foreign nations. Thus if the
>=93inadverent reentry=94 of Cassini back into the Earth=92s atmosphere=
 which NASA
>is concerned could occur on Cassini=92s planned August 1999 Earth =93flyby=
=94
>does
>happen, and a part of Europe or Africa or Asia or Latin America is
>impacted,
>all the nations and all the people affected could
>collect in damages--despite the amount of land left contaminated, the
>number
>of people left with cancer--would be $100 million=85. And we=92re speaking=
 of
>potentially huge damage. NASA intends to send the Cassini space probe and
>its 72.3 pounds of plutonium dioxide fuel hurtling at Earth at 42,300 miles
>per hour for a =93gravity assist=94 or =93slingshot=94 maneuver--to give it
>additional velocity so it can reach its final destination of Saturn. It=92s
>supposed to buzz the
>Earth at 496 miles high this coming August 18.
>  =20
>But, says NASA its =93Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cassini
>Mission,=94 if the probe does not come in at 496 miles high, if it dips=
 down
>after hundreds of millions of miles in space into the Earth=92s 75-mile=
 high
>atmosphere--and makes an =93inadverent reentry=94--it will break up, the=
 =93Final
>Environmental Impact Statement=94 concedes. Plutonium will be released.=
 And,
>says the =93Final Environmental Impact Statement,=94approximately 5 billion=
 of
>the estimated 7 to 8 billion world population at the time=85could receive=
 99
>percent or more of the radiation exposure.=94
>       =20
>=85.And even if the Cassini Earth =93flyby=94 is not scuttled and Cassini=
 not
>redirected in coming months as it can and should--to fly into the sun and
>be
>consumed, but goes ahead and works, NASA is planning eight more plutonium
>space probe shots in coming years, according to a report issued last year
>by
>the U.S. General Accounting Office. With a 12% failure rate already in the
>use by the U.S. (and also the Soviet Union and now Russia) of nuclear power
>in space, accidents--and disaster--are inevitable. And U.S. liability will
>be shielded under the Price Anderson Act, in violation of the Outer Space
>Treaty. What the government of my country, the United States of America, is
>involved in in space is in violation of international law. It gravely
>endangers life on this planet. It pushes us toward nuclear catastrophe.
>
>The military use of space being planned by the U.S. is in total
>contradiction of the principles of peaceful international cooperation that
>the U.S. likes to espouse. The aim is to develop a world in which it would
>literally be USA uber alles. This flies in the face of the spirit, the
>ideals of the United States of America. It denigrates those courageous men
>and women who came to this continent and fought the horrific evil of
>fascism
>in World War II.
>
>It pushes us--all of us--toward war in the heavens. George Friedman,
>co-author of =93The Future of War: Power, Technology & American World
>Dominance in the 2lst Century,=94 claims that the U.S. can dominate the=
 Earth
>for centuries ahead because of its technological prowess. He says other
>nations--he names Russia, Japan and China--are just =93passing blips=85to
>compete with the U.S.=94=20
>I=92ve been to Russia; I=92ve been to Japan; I=92ve been to China. They are=
 no
>passing technological =93blips.=94 And if the United States moves to arm=
 the
>heavens, to utilize space as what one high U.S. military officer calls the
>=93ultimate high ground,=94 other nations will follow--leading to a new=
 arms
>race--and ultimately war--in space. This all must be stopped before it gets
>completely out of hand. Stopped=85and now!      =20
>
>                ********************************************
>
>Please consider showing the new video by EnviroVideo called "Nukes in Space
>2: Unacceptable Risks" this Earth Day. Contact NoFlyby, if interested in a
>copy to review. Information on the video is posted at
>http://www.nonviolence.org/noflyby/ref/nuk2ord.htm
>
>                *********************************************
>
>The dangers of the Cassini space probe is only the tip of a real threat to
>humankind.=20
>The time is now to rise up and demand the banning of all weapons in space
>and dangerous technologies that threaten the mass destruction of life.=20
>
>There is only 97 days left to redirect NASA's plans to accelerate the
>Cassini space craft toward Earth from Venus.
>
>
>                *********************************************
>
>Please let us know if you received this NoFlyby Alert by mistake and wish
>to
>be removed from our list. Just reply with "remove" in the subject field. To
>subscribe from another address to the NoFlyby list, write "subscribe" in
>the
>subject field.
>
>Also, email us if you're interested in receiving the "NoFlyby Feedback"
>updates, which are more frequent and less formal emails coming and going
>from the NoFlyby site. If you want to get these, just reply with "subscribe
>noflyby feedback."
>
>***************************************
>
>Action Site to Stop Cassini Earth Flyby=20
>http://www.nonviolence.org/noflyby
>P.O. Box 1999
>Wendell Depot, MA 01380 USA
> =20
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Stockpile Stewardship Resolution
Date: 19 Mar 1999 13:13:17 -0500

Dear Friends,
Below is a call for help on the Marky resolution which I am forwarding to you.
Please call your congresspeople below and ask them to sign up again for the
Markey and Woolsey resolutions.  Markey's resolution to cut off funding for
new
nuclear weapons development has no number, but they have to be signed on by
Tuesday if they are to be listed as sponsors. Ask that they call Jeff
Duncan in
Markey's office.  Woolsey's is HR 82, calling on Clinton to negotiate a
treaty.  Ask them to call Mark Dooley in Woolsey's office.  Most of the people
listed below sponsored both resolutions before in the last session of
Congress,
but the resolutions have to be reintroduced in this new session and we have to
ask them to sign on again. If your Congressperson is not listed below, it
would
still be a good idea to try to reach them. Many thanks. Alice


>Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 12:35:13 -0500
>Subject: Stockpile Stewardship Resolution
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
> [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>Markey's office just called.  They will be dropping the resolution on
>Wednesday, March 24 and have requested help getting co-sponsors.  Below is
>a list of people who either co-sponsored last year or have expressed some
>interest in the resolution.  If you can place a call into any of these
>offices before Wednesday, that would be a great help.  Also, can someone
>please forward this to Kathy Crandall and others working on this?  I still
>don't have my email address list fully updated and can't find everyone.
>Thanks,
>M
>
>p.s Please get back to me if you hear anything from these offices. Please
>also feel free to call others not on this list.
>
>
>Target List:
>Name                      Staff                      Phone
>Barbara Lee (D-CA)        Linda White                225-2661
>Lois Capps (D-CA)         AliciaMayfield    225-3601
>Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA)  Henry Dixon 225-7924
>Bob Filner                Richard Patrick   225-8045
>Jerry Nadler (D-NY)       John Doty                  225-5635
>Carolyn Malony (D-NY)Mike Fisher            225-7944
>Nita Lowy (D-NY) Karen Dunn                 225-6506
>Major Owens (D-NY)        Sudafi Henry               225-6231
>Gary Ackerman (D-NY)      Hillary Jockmans(sp?)225-2601
>Lynn Rivers (D-MI)        Tim Reeger                 225-6261
>Cynthia McKinny (D-GA)Peter Hickey          225-1605
>Tom Allen (D-ME) Todd Stein                 225-6116
>
>
>Those already on the resolution:
>Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
>Anna Eshoo (D-CA)
>George Miller (D-CA)
>Jim McGovern (D-MA)
>John Tierney (D-MA)
>Luis Gutierrez (D-IL)
>Diane DeGette (D-CO)
>Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
>Tom Barrett (D-WI)
>
>
>
>Maureen Eldredge
>Program Director
>Alliance for Nuclear Accountability
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Andrew Lichterman <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Russian Surprise Attack Risk?
Date: 19 Mar 1999 10:30:34 -0800

The author of this story is probably best known for his extensive investigation questioning the conclusion
that the death of Clinton aide Vince Foster was a suicide.

A selection of his work can be found at  http://www.triblive.com/ruddy/

Take a look and draw your own conclusions.

David Crockett Williams wrote:
>
> I am curious as to what those more knowledgeable than I think about the
> following report forwarded from another list, regarding whether these fears
> of war on the US by Russia have valid basis in facts:
>
> Russia and China Prepare for War -- Part 4
> Russia May Launch a Surprise Attack Against US
>
> Christopher Ruddy
> March 12, 1999
>
> Russia May Launch a Surprise Attack Against US
>
> Since 1917, "capitalist warmongers" in the US and Europe have
> been the principal targets of hatred by Russians and the Chinese.
> Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, those campaigns of hate
> subsided briefly, and authoritarian communists stepped out of the
> spotlight. Today, with Russia reported in desperate economic
> straits, the Russian people are again being told, "it's the fault of
> America and Europe." Brutal communist leaders are again publicly
> talking, dissent is again being banned, and hatred against the West is
> soaring.
>
> During the past year, my concerns about Russia have been greatly
> increased as a result of an interview I conducted with Jeffrey
> Nyquist -- an independent researcher on Russia and author of The
> Origins of the Fourth World War.
>
> Nyquist believes Russia has been planning a surprise nuclear attack
> against the United States, and that this attack will come sooner
> rather than later -- quite possibly within the next year if the US
> continues on its present reckless course. I would have scoffed at
> such suggestions had Nyquist not made such a convincing case and
> demonstrated such a powerful intellect.
>
> During our conversations, Nyquist listed signs that would indicate a
> Russian attack was being planned.
>
> NYQUIST'S STARTLING PREDICTIONS
>
> In early 1998, Nyquist predicted that authorities in Russia would
> deliberately implode their own economy to advance their political
> and military agendas. There were several reasons. First, that would
> divert attention from the theft of billions of dollars by government
> officials from "privatized" companies, and provide a convenient
> explanation why none of them were making any money. Second, by
> engendering Russia's economic collapse and blaming the West, the
> necessary psychological atmosphere for war against the US would
> be created.
>
> Another outcome of Russia's economic collapse, Nyquist said,
> would be the emergence of a series of progressively stronger and
> more militarist Russian leaders. Primakov -- Yeltsin's Prime
> Minister -- perfectly fits Nyquist's prediction. He's a former
> hard-line, anti-American KGB general.
>
> Nyquist also predicted that Russia would ally with China. That, too,
> has now taken place, as you'll see below.
>
> Finally, Nyquist predicted that Russia would stockpile huge
> quantities of food and other supplies for war, and begin moving
> their nuclear weapons on to their naval ships where they are much
> more difficult to monitor and deter. All of this has occurred.
>
> SPY WARNS OF RUSSIAN WAR PLANS
>
> Nyquist is not the only astute observer of Russia who believes
> Russia may be preparing for war against the US. Stanislav Lunev --
> the highest-ranking GRU (Russian military intelligence) officer ever
> to defect from Russia -- also warns that Russia is preparing for war
> against the United States.
>
> Lunev's book Through the Eyes of the Enemy (published last
> summer by Regnery) states categorically that the Cold War is not
> over and that Russia continues to plan for a nuclear war. "Russia
> remains terrified of the power of America, and Russian military
> intelligence does everything it can prepare for a war that it considers
> inevitable," he wrote. This war, Lunev details, would employ
> nuclear, biological and chemical weapons against America.
>
> RUSSIAN PLANS: KILL US LEADERS; USE BIOLOGICAL
> WEAPONS ALREADY IN US
>
> Lunev explains war would begin with the infiltration of Russian
> special operations troops into the US, who would kill top political
> and military leaders. Lunev also warns that Russian GRU (military
> intelligence) agents have already deposited, near key water
> reservoirs, deadly poisons and toxins which would result in millions
> of civilians being ravaged by disease. Lunev says, for instance, that
> the Russians have determined that they could wipe out a significant
> part of the population of Florida by polluting water sources in the
> Carolinas.
>
> Another part of Russia's plan, according to Lunev, is to deploy
> suitcase nuclear bombs at strategic points throughout the US. Lunev
> says he personally scouted a site in the Hudson Valley just above
> New York City for one such suitcase nuke.
>
> Lunev has also told me that the democracy movement in Russia
> was a charade and part of "a plan" to get the West disarm --
> achieving through deception what the Soviet Union was never able
> to achieve militarily. Lunev explained that China was pursuing
> parallel policies, absorbing as much Western aid and technology as
> possible before a final confrontation, which Lunev regarded as
> imminent.
>
> RUSSIA'S ECONOMIC COLLAPSE INCREASES RISK OF
> WAR
>
> The collapse of Russia's economy greatly increased the chances of
> war with the West. With 29 times Finland's population, Russia's
> budget barely matches theirs. According to news reports, millions of
> ordinary Russians are now struggling just to stay alive, selling family
> heirlooms and chopping up their furniture for kindling.
>
> Russia's political leaders and economic czars, of course, will never
> admit that they and their failed totalitarian system are responsible
> for this widespread misery, and increasingly the West is being
> blamed.
>
> This is particularly dangerous, because despite economic
> desperation, Russia continues is still a nuclear superpower. Victor
> Olove, director of Moscow's Center for Policy Studies, told the Los
> Angeles Times, "People who have nuclear warheads in their hands
> have not gotten their salaries for three or four months and are
> literally hungry."
>
> Some press reports show how close to war we have already come.
> Britain's Panorama news program reported that in 1995 the Yeltsin
> government came within minutes of a full nuclear attack on the
> United States after Russian defense systems failed.
>
> US DETROYS NUCLEAR ARSENAL, RUSSIAN ARSENAL
> EXPANDS
>
> Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been
> systematically destroying its nuclear arsenal. In 1991, the US had
> approximately 30,000 strategic and tactical nuclear weapons. Under
> Clinton, that arsenal has fallen nearly 60%. In 1997, the United
> States had only 12,500 (tactical and strategic) nuclear weapons. Of
> these, only 8,750 were active, 2500 more were on reserve, and
> 1,250 were slated to be destroyed. Moreover, our nuclear arsenal
> has a limited "shelf life," and year by year, more and more weapons
> become unusable. The Clinton administration has only recently
> taken belated steps to produce tritium, a necessary component for
> the maintenance of nuclear weapons.
>
> In contrast, the Russians may now have as many as 50,000
> strategic and tactical nuclear weapons -- ranging from small suitcase
> bombs to large warheads suitable for intercontinental ballistic
> missiles (ICBM's). The lion's share of these weapons remain
> targeted at the US. And Russia is quickly building even more
> weapons.
>
> Never before has the strategic nuclear balance been so greatly in
> Russia's favor. From a military standpoint, this creates a unique
> window of opportunity for Russia to launch a successful first-strike
> against the United States at minimal cost to themselves.
>
> "USE IT OT LOSE IT"
>
> Like America's nuclear arsenal, Russia's is degrading as it gets older
> and requires expensive, periodical servicing.
>
> The Russian government is well aware of this problem. In a recent
> report to the Duma (Russia's Congress), First Deputy Prime
> Minister Yuri Masluyokov (a former Soviet military-industrial
> planner) states that because of obsolescence, Russia's nuclear
> arsenal will decline quickly, and Russia may "be able to field only
> 800 to 900 nuclear warheads seven years from now."
>
> Because of Russia's economic problems, Russia may never again
> enjoy the huge strategic advantage it now has over its old enemies
> in the West. For die-hard communists, the huge, but temporary,
> military advantage may represent an irresistible opportunity to "use
> them before we lose them." Indeed, Bruce Blair, a well-known
> liberal from the Brookings Institution, stated last summer in The
> National Interest, "Russia's conventional forces have declined ...
> and into this vacuum has rushed a growing reliance on nuclear
> weapons -- including their first use in any serious conventional
> conflict."
>
> Recognizing the limited shelf-life of Russia's nuclear arsenal, Blair
> adds, "The nuclear forces themselves have become vulnerable....
> Consequently Russia today faces far stronger pressures to ?use or
> lose' its nuclear arsenal than at any time since the early 1960s."
>
> Y2K BUG MAY BE "TRIPWIRE" FOR WAR
>
> Coinciding with the continuing degradation of Russia's nuclear
> weapons are military problems they will soon experience as a result
> of the Y2K (Year 2000 or Millennium) computer bug.
>
> Like all modern strategic weapons, Russia's nuclear arsenal is
> critically dependent upon computer technology. At the latest, by
> January 2000 -- less than one year from now -- the millennium bug
> may render that technology largely useless.
>
> Briefly, the problem is that two digit year codes used by most
> computer software will cause computers to misread the year 2000
> as "00" or "1900." It sounds minor, but this computer glitch could
> lead to widespread failure of many high-tech weapons systems,
> including nuclear weapons, aircraft carriers, radar and even tanks.
>
> Even worse, the millennium bug is in billions of "embedded"
> microprocessors buried deep inside missiles, tanks, satellites, and
> nuclear reactors. (Imagine the cost of taking a satellite "into the
> shop" for repairs or sending someone inside a nuclear reactor to
> locate a defective chip!)
>
> The US military is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to
> correct its own huge Y2K problem. Russia, however, has neither
> the money nor the manpower to correct millions of lines of faulty
> code and replace millions of chips. Their official policy is "fix on
> failure;" that is, they plan to do NOTHING to repair their systems
> until they fail. My soon-to-be-published special report -- Y2K and
> Russia: Impetus For Nuclear War? -- details the enormous Y2K
> risks Russia is facing -- and Y2K's implications for you.
>
> Another frightening possibility is that on January 1, 2000, Russia's
> radar screens and early warning system could go blank or falsely
> report incoming missiles. That could lead Russian military leaders to
> believe the US has initiated an attack, and launch a counterattack.
>
> The Y2K-related failure of Russia's early warning system could
> even result in an automatic attack against the US. Most people in
> the West don't realize it, but Russia has long had a "doomsday
> defense system." This system is designed to enable Russia to
> survive a US nuclear first strike and to launch a devastating
> retaliation even if no commanders are left alive in Russia to issue
> the orders. This system is designed to automatically launch nuclear
> missiles at the US if an event occurs that the computer interprets as
> a Western attack -- such as a loss of satellite and radar systems.
> The default target of thousands of Russian strategic missiles are
> cities in the United States and Europe.
>
> Well aware of this problem, US military officials have
> recommended that the US and Russia place observers in each
> others' nuclear control rooms next December, to prevent an
> accidental launch.
>
> RUSSIA PREPARES FOR A FIRST STRIKE
>
> An even more disturbing possibility has not been reported by the
> press: That is the possibility that the Russian general staff -- which
> is well aware of their Y2K and economic problems -- may have
> already decided to strike the United States before their defense
> systems fail on January 1, 2000.
>
> Thus, in an extremely ominous sign, on December 17, 1997,
> President Yeltsin, issued a 37-page policy statement, reneging on
> previous pledges not to use nuclear weapons first.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---------------
> APFN EMAIL CHANGE:
> PLEASE DELETE: - [e-mail] - ADD: [e-mail]
>
> To removed from APFN EMAIL LIST: Hit reply and put REMOVE in subject line.
>
> American Patriot Friends Network [HOME PAGE]
> http://esotericworldnews.com/apfn.htm
>
> -
>  To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
>  with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the 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 "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Bay Area HAP event
Date: 19 Mar 1999 10:32:52 -0800 (PST)

Anyone interested in learning more about the Hague Appeal for Peace (HAP),
happening May 11-15 in The Netherlands, is invited to attend the Bay Area
Hague Appeal for Peace Orientation-Reception on Saturday March 27 in San
Francisco.   This event is designed to inform the public of HAP,  to
discuss what can be done at the local level for those who are not able to
attend the conference itself, and to build a Bay Area coalition of
organizations attending to ensure post-HAP follow-up.  Over a dozen Bay
Area groups are scheduled to attend and anyone interested is welcome.

Time: 12:00-1:00, Reception, 1:00-2:30 presentations and discussion.

Place:  Baha'i Center, 170 Valencia (at Duboce), San Francisco (nearest
Bart Station: Civic Center/Van Ness)

Suggested Contribution: $5 (no one turned away for lack of funds)

Tel: call Catharine at the World Federalist Association for more
information: 415.227.4880



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fw: China, Russia Blast US Missile Defense Bill
Date: 19 Mar 1999 15:38:06 -0800



>From: "Hilary A. Thomas" <[e-mail]>
>
>
>Thursday March 18 10:32 PM ET
>Missile Defense Bill Blasted
>By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press Writer
>
>MOSCOW (AP) - Russia and China on Thursday criticized the Senate's appro=
val
>of a U.S. anti-missile defense system, saying the move would threaten th=
e
>globe's strategic balance.
>The bill overwhelmingly approved by the Senate on Wednesday commits the
>Pentagon to building a national defense against limited ballistic missil=
e
>attack ``as soon as technologically possible.''
>``That poses a serious threat to the whole process of nuclear arms contr=
ol,
>as well as strategic stability, for which major international agreements
>have been worked out for decades,'' the Russian Foreign Ministry said in=
 a
>statement.
>The U.S. bill was based on a new assessment of the threat of attack from
>countries such as Iran, Iraq and North Korea.
>In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said the measure=
 is
>counterproductive for arms control and disarmament and will ``have an
>impact on global strategic balance.''
>China fears the system could spark a costly arms race, would strengthen
>U.S. military alliances with Japan and South Korea and may be used to
>protect Taiwan, thereby obstructing reunification.
>Russian officials have long expressed concern over the U.S. plan to deve=
lop
>anti-missile defenses that would violate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile
>treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union. They have resiste=
d
>U.S. proposals about possibly amending the treaty to allow for limited
>missile defenses.
>Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev sounded less harsh, expressing ho=
pe
>that the United States and Russia would be able to reach agreement on th=
e
>anti-missile defenses.
>``This issue must be studied seriously, and the Senate's decision analyz=
ed,
>but I haven't lost hope, '' Sergeyev said, according to the Interfax new=
s
>agency. ``It's a flexible statement,'' he said of the Senate's move.
>Copyright =A9 1999 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
>The information contained in the AP News report may not be published,
>broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authorit=
y
>of The Associated Press.
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Come check out our brand new web site!
>http://www.onelist.com
>Onelist: Making the Internet intimate
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>InTheShadows is a discussion list dedicated to keeping up-to-date with n=
ew
technologies, advancements in medicine, environmental concerns, 'conspira=
cy
theories', politics, and, of course, UFO stuff.  Discussion is encouraged.
Bashing and soapboxing will get you bounced off the list.
>
>To subscribe send a blank email to:
>[e-mail]
>
>To unsubscribe send a blank email to:
>[e-mail]
>
>List Moderator:  Hilary Thomas
>[e-mail]
>


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Iraq's chilling economic statistics  (fwd)
Date: 20 Mar 1999 00:13:53 EST



 Subj:     Iraq's chilling economic statistics  (fwd)
 Date:    3/19/99 7:15:30 PM Eastern Standard Time
 From:    [e-mail] (Eric A Schuster)
 To:    [e-mail]

 --------- Begin forwarded message ----------

 March 18, 1999

 IRAQ'S CHILLING ECONOMIC STATISTICS

 Iraq's total GDP has fallen to just $5.7 billion, or $247 per capita,
 according to estimates by the well-respected Economist Intelligence Unit
 in The Economist's newly published annual supplement "The World in 1999."


 Just prior to the Gulf War, Iraq's GDP was more than ten times
 higher--around $60 billion.

 Last year the Economist Intelligence Unit estimated Iraqi GDP at $30.4
 billion, or $1,300 per capita. This year's figure represents both a
 further precipitous decline, and more accurate estimates.

 To put this in perspective, Jordan, Iraq's tiny neighbor has a GDP of
 $8.6
 billion.

 With an estimated per capita GDP of only $247, Iraq, once one of the most
 developed countries in the Middle East, is now poorer than many countries
 in sub-saharan Africa.

 Just this evening I had the opportunity to attend a talk by former UN
 humanitarian relief coordinator for Iraq, Denis Halliday. Halliday noted
 that Iraq's recurring annual budget needs for health, food and essential
 services, is $12-15 billion. With the Oil-for-Food program, which
 Halliday
 ran for thirteen months, Iraq gets barely $4 billion.

 With a total GDP of $5.7 billion Iraq's economy is worth about the same
 as
 four B-1 bombers. It is worth about half of Bill Gates.

 The entire Iraqi economy amounts to just 2% (two percent) of the annual
 United States DEFENSE budget of $265 billion.

 The increase in the US defense budget proposed for next year by the
 Clinton Administration ($12 billion) is more than twice the entire GDP of
 Iraq.

 Just exactly what kind of threat can Iraq present? You do the math.

 Ali Abunimah
 [e-mail]
 http://www.abunimah.org
 -------------------------------

 Note: The destruction of Iraq's economy by the sanctions has
 distinctively
 changed the life in Iraq: children are dying in greater numbers; families
 are breaking apart; educational systems are crumbling ... For more
 information, please refer to the articles by Denis Halliday
 <http://iraqaction.org/denis.html>

 ============================================================================

 --------
 Iraq Action Coalition
 http://iraqaction.org


  >>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Bob Tiller <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Missile Shield Alternatives
Date: 22 Mar 1999 09:57:53 -0500

Well put, Lachlan!

Bob Tiller



Lachlan Forrow wrote:
>
> I'm struck by how powerful the language of "protecting our
> homes and our cities from nuclear weapons" is.  I think there
> is no prayer of successfully opposing "missile defenses" with
> a "Stop Star Wars" kind of slogan, or even by just trying to
> debunk the claims of effectiveness.  If there is even a perceived
> CHANCE that a "missile shield" might "save the US", people
> will grab for it (and pay almost anything).  We need a bumper-sticker
> and sound-bite set of phrases that can compete successfully,
> by offering an even more appealing alternative that is as fully
> "patriotic" and has at least as much "moral high ground"
> resonance as "defenses against rogue missiles" does.
>
> The two themes that resonate most powerfully seem to me
> to be "protection of the US" and "money".
>
> Two, for a start:
>
> Real Protection:
> Abolish Nuclear Weapons!
>
> Or:
>
> Want REAL Protection?
> Abolish Nuclear Weapons!
>
> Second:
>
> Reclaim Your Tax Dollars:
> Abolish Nuclear Weapons
>
> The second is already an attractive bumper sticker available
> through IPPNW.
>
> Lachlan Forrow, MD
>
> The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship
> Dedicated to Reverence for Life in Action
> A co-sponsor of ABOLITION 2000
>
> "Nuclear weapons are against international
> law and they have to be abolished...All negotiations
> regarding the abolition of atomic weapons remain
> without success because no international public
> opinion exists which demands this abolition."
>                                   --Dr. Albert Schweitzer

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Rosalie Tyler Paul <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Re: Missile Shield Alternatives
Date: 22 Mar 1999 12:38:47 -0500

A few more bumper sticker ideas from Peace Action Maine:

Protect your family from nuclear weapons.
Abolish them!

or

Build a safe shield against nuclear weapons.
Abolish them all!

or

Be safe from nuclear danger.
Abolish Nuclear Weapons!

or

National Security requires
Nuclear Disarmament.

on a slightly different note:

The Cold War was over....
Till the arms dealers decided to keep it going.

Hope all of you in New England will be in Kittery, Maine on Saturday March
27 for our New England Regional gathering of Nuclear Abolition activists.
9-2 followed by a protest at the Naval Shipyard. Call the office for
details at 207-772-0680


This was in response to what Lachlan Forrow wrote:
>
> I'm struck by how powerful the language of "protecting our
> homes and our cities from nuclear weapons" is.  I think there
> is no prayer of successfully opposing "missile defenses" with
> a "Stop Star Wars" kind of slogan, or even by just trying to
> debunk the claims of effectiveness.  If there is even a perceived
> CHANCE that a "missile shield" might "save the US", people
> will grab for it (and pay almost anything).  We need a bumper-sticker
> and sound-bite set of phrases that can compete successfully,
> by offering an even more appealing alternative that is as fully
> "patriotic" and has at least as much "moral high ground"
> resonance as "defenses against rogue missiles" does.
>
> The two themes that resonate most powerfully seem to me
> to be "protection of the US" and "money".
>
> Two, for a start:
>
> Real Protection:
> Abolish Nuclear Weapons!
>
> Or:
>
> Want REAL Protection?
> Abolish Nuclear Weapons!
>
> Second:
>
> Reclaim Your Tax Dollars:
> Abolish Nuclear Weapons
>
> The second is already an attractive bumper sticker available
> through IPPNW.
>
> Lachlan Forrow, MD




-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Peace through Reason <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Re: Missile Shield Alternatives
Date: 22 Mar 1999 15:27:30 -0500

Here's one for you:

"Stop nukin' around!"

anon.
____________________________________________________________

* Peace Through Reason - http://prop1.org -Convert the War Machines! *
____________________________________________________________

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: David Krieger <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) March 5 Conference call minutes
Date: 22 Mar 1999 14:23:31 -0800

Meeting Minutes

US Abolition Campaign Facilitators' Group Conference Call

Friday, March 5, 1999

10 AM PST / 1 PM EST


Special thanks to Jackie Cabasso, who made the arrangements for the

conference call and facilitated the group


I. Introductions- Facilitators' Group members present on call:

Lori Beckwith, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

John Burroughs, Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy

Jackie Cabasso, Western States Legal Foundation

Joseph Gerson, American Friends Service Committee

David Krieger, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

Sally Light, TriValley CAREs

Pamela Meidell, Atomic Mirror

Robert Musil, Physicians for Social Responsibility

Dave Robinson, Pax Christi

Susan Shaer, Women's Action for New Directions

Alice Slater, Global Resource Action Center for the Environment

Anthony Guarisco, Alliance of Atomic Veterans

Jan Harwood, WILPF

Claudia Peterson, Utah Downwinders

Jo Peterson, Nebraskans for Peace

Robert Manning, Sonoma County Peace and Justice Center

Esther Pank, Peace Links


  A. Note taker and time keeper volunteers:

Dave Robinson - time keeper, Jo Peterson - note taker


  B. Jackie reviewed the agenda and requested modifications. It was decided to

spend 10 minutes discussing an evaluation of the Santa Barbara meeting under

"Old Business."


 II. Old Business


    A. Status of meeting finances


Facilitator and Meeting Expenses


Facilitator --     Labor (50 hours at $50/hour nonprofit rate)    $2,500.00

    Ground transit in Boston    $55.00

    Phone Calls (incl. agenda and ICC)                            $35.00

    Car rental in LA                                                $245.98

    (Food and lodging paid by WAND)                            $150.00

    Airfare -- Boston/LA                                            $645.00

Subtotal                                                        $3,480.98


Meeting ---

    Copies (incl. A Gathering of Tribes)                            $287.76

    Supplies for Facilitator/folders                                $98.99

    Flowers, refreshments, supplies for social                    $53.85

Subtotal                                                        $440.60


Total                                                            $3,921.58

=============================================================

Income

    Ploughshares Fund                                            $1,500.00

    Fourth Freedom Forum                                        $860.00

    IEER                                                        $250.00

    Pax Christi                                                    $200.00

    Tri-Valley CAREs                                            $100.00

    Western States Legal Foundation                            $100.00

    GRACE                                                        $100.00

    Mainstream Media Project                                    $100.00

    PSR                                                        $75.00

    Nuclear Age Peace Foundation                                $50.00

    Mark Mebane                                                $20.00


Total                                                            $3,355.00    ================================================

=========    Shortfall                                                    $566.58


*Susan, Pamela, Lori, Sally and Jackie will meet off-line to determine how to

cover remaining expenses.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Special Thanks to Susan Gordon who handled the diversity funds for the Santa

Barbara meeting.


Diversity Expenses


Travel Costs (air fare and/or ground travel) -- Claudia Peterson; Anthony

Guarisco;

Ian Zabarte; Esther Hilsenrad; Richard Salvador; Corbin Harney; Matteo

Ferreira;

Abha Sur; Betty Burkes --                                            $2,620.00


Lodging and Meals --                                                $1,794.00

Subtotal                                                            $4,414.00


Diversity Income


American Friends Service Committee                                $750.00

Nuclear Age Peace Foundation                                        $500.00

Western States Legal Foundation                                    $500.00

Alliance for Nuclear Accountability                                    $500.00

GRACE                                                            $500.00

Business Leaders for Professional Responsibility                        $500.00

Fourth Freedom Forum                                                $450.00

PSR                                                                $660.00

State of the World Forum                                            $240.00


Total                                                                $4,600.00

===========================================================

Amount left over                                                    $186.00


Outstanding  --  Bob Downing, gas                                        ?


Pledges not collected:

    Fellowship of Reconciliation                                        $300.00


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


  B. Report on Santa Barbara Declaration


David K. reported a mostly positive response for the Santa Barbara statement

-- at the meeting and through Email. However, there were strong concerns

raised by members at the meeting regarding the need to address the issues of

power and democracy in the statement.


It was proposed that approval be given to the declaration as is, however, the

issues of power and democracy are so important, that it is necessary to

develop a process and discussion to address these issues in ways that will

more fully contribute to understanding, and to draft a separate statement on

power and democracy. The proposal had consensus with Bob M. "standing aside,"

with concerns that focusing on issues of power in the statement may put many

"in the middle" off.


*David K. will initiate the process of drafting a statement on power and

democracy by soliciting input from all interested parties via e-mail.


  C. Status of Meeting Notes


Thanks again to note takers at the Santa Barbara meeting: David K., Susan

Gordon, Kathy Crandall, Lori, Andy Lichterman - as reported in Email meeting

minutes.


Many thanks to Alice who assembled the notes and sent by E-mail the meeting

minutes.


*Alice will repost the Santa Barbara meeting minutes to those at the Santa

Barbara meeting with a request that participants make any necessary

corrections and post those to Lori or Alice. Alice will put together a hard

copy mailing that will include the minutes and updated addresses. Lori will

provide addresses from data base.

It was suggested that all members at the Santa Barbara meeting and on the

Facilitators' Committee be on the Abolition 2000 list serve.



    D. Evaluation of Santa Barbara Meeting


*Joseph G. will initiate a process of evaluation for the Santa Barbara

meeting. He will ask meeting participants via email for comments about the

meeting. It was requested that Joseph provide a summary evaluation of his

findings to the Facilitators' Group.


III. Review of Facilitators' Mandates



It was decided at the Santa Barbara meeting that the name of the Interim

Coordinating Committee, (ICC), formed in Chicago, be changed to the

Facilitator's Group. The Facilitators' Group is to help with organizing

efforts for the next six months. The group has been charged by the larger

group to: propose a name for the campaign, to help formulate longer-term

structure, bring forward strategic activities and plan the next meeting.


  A. Who will serve on the Facilitators' Group?


At the Santa Barbara meeting, an invitation for volunteers was extended to

join carry over members of the ICC. Esther Pank and Robert Manning/Bob Alpern

(as alternates) volunteered after the meeting.


The size and the composition of the group was discussed. Changes from the

Chicago ICC group were noted. Duane Shank, Gordon Clark, Alan Ware, Daryl

Kimball, Susan Gordon and Kathy Crandall will not be serving on the

Facilitators' Group. Gordon Clark was reported to be looking for a Peace

Action member to take his place.


*It was agreed that the following Santa Barbara volunteers would be invited to

join the Facilitators' Group: Matteo Ferreira, Shundahai Network; Anthony

Guarisco, Alliance of Atomic Veterans; Alan Haber, Michigan Coalition of Peace

and Environmental Organizations; Jan Haber, WILPF; Pilulaw Khus, Traditional

Chumash Elder; Claudia Peterson, Utah Downwinder; Jo Peterson, Nebraskans for

Peace; Jonathan Granoff, Lawyers' Alliance for World Security (nominated by Ed

Aguilar); Robert Manning or Bob Alpern, Sonoma County Center for Peace and

Justice; Esther Panks, Peace Links.  * Sally Light will contact Richard

Salvador to see if he would be interested in joining the group.


Concern was expressed that the makeup of the Facilitators' Group is not

sufficiently diverse, and that the option of adding more diverse perspectives

should remain open.


  B. Who will pay for conference calls?


Consensus was reached that each member of the committee would assume the cost

of their own conference calls. To maintain diversity, group members agreed to

call Alice Slater and/or Jackie Cabasso if assistance or more information is

needed.


  C. How will the Facilitators' group be structured?


The Facilitators' Group decided that its first priority was to propose a name

for the campaign. Several processes were proposed to reach this goal.


It was decided by consensus that for the purposes of proposing a name, four

Facilitators' Group members, who had not already expressed strong opinions

about the name, and who represented the range of opinion already expressed

would be chosen to form a subgroup. This group was charged with exploring the

opinions of the larger group.


*The subgroup will solicit E-mail input from interested persons, and will call

Santa Barbara meeting participants who expressed a strong interest about the

name. They will bring those opinions together and recommend a name to the

Facilitators' Group for approval during the next conference call. (Two weeks.)

Sub group members are: Sally Light, Robert Manning, John Burroughs and Claudia

Peterson.


Next Conference Call: Monday, March 22, 1999, 10AM PST/1 PM EST

*Jackie Cabasso agreed to arrange for and facilitate the next call.

*Jo will circulate meeting notes to Facilitators' present on call for

accuracy.

*Facilitators will notify Jo of any need corrections. Jo will be responsible

for editing and distributing the edited version.




<bigger>*********************************************************

NUCLEAR AGE PEACE FOUNDATION

International contact for Abolition 2000

a Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons

</bigger>**********************************************************

1187 Coast Village Road, Suite 121

Santa Barbara, CA 93108-2794

Phone [phone] * Fax [phone]

e- mailto:[e-mail]

URL http://www.wagingpeace.org

URL http://www.napf.org/abolition2000/

**********************************************************



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) NATO MTG, Apr. 23rd: RE-AFFIRMATION OF CITIZENS' SUMMONS
Date: 22 Mar 1999 18:47:03 -0500

Dear Friends,
Listed below is the kind of material we are preparing for our Alternative
Citizens Summit during the NATO meeting in Washington DC.  Regards, Alice
Slater

>Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 23:03:27 -0500
>Subject: RE-AFFIRMATION OF CITIZENS' SUMMONS
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>Mailinglist 'Citizens Inspections to Prevent War Crimes'
>-------------------------------------------------------
>
>Dear Abolitonists
>
>
>Following is a re-affirmation of the Citizens' Summons presented by Nuclear
>Weapons Abolition Days at the NATO Madrid Summit on 8 July 1997.    We hope
>that this can be conveyed to the 19 NATO Heads of Government during the
>Washington Summit - hopefully with a certain amaount of flourish.  It will
>be a notarised document and will therfore carry a certain amount of legal
>weight=20
>
>There will be one copy of the updated Summons for each of the NATO leaders.
>This will be a large document printed in large script on a parchment-like
>document. Each one will have the national flag of the country addressed as
>well as a photograph of its Head of Government. They will be nicely wrapped
>up in red ribbon with seals etc, and a sunflower attached (for Abolition
>2000) There will also be a separate document for NATO itself, in the person
>of Javier Solana.
>
>Please look at it carefully and let me know if you have any alterations or
>additions to suggest.=20
>
>Best Wishes
>
>George Farebrother
>...........................................................................=
.
>......
>
>
>
>NUCLEAR WEAPONS=20
>ABOLITION  DAYS  NETWORK=20
>part of  ABOLITION 2000
>A Global Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
>
>Please reply to: For Mother Earth International office, Lange Steenstraat
>16/d,=20
>9000 Gent, Belgium Phone/fax  [phone] E-mail  [e-mail]
>
>To The Rt Hon Tony Blair MP representing the United Kingdom at the
>50th Anniversary NATO Summit in Washington, April 1999:
>
>Dear Tony Blair
>
>On July 8th, 1997 a notarized Citizens' Summons was presented to Se=F1or
>Angel Sancho Arnpudia, the Director of the NATO Summit Organizing
>Committee, who who undertook to give them to Javier Solana, Secretary
>General of NATO and to all sixteen Heads of State.  Since then NATO
>has given little indication of complying with its obligations under
>international law by relinquishing its policy of nuclear deterrence,
>nor has it made any reasoned response to the Summons.  Following is
>a re-affirmation of the original Summons with an indication of some
>retrograde steps which have occurred since 1997.=20
>=20
>RE-AFFIRMATION OF CITIZENS' SUMMONS
>
>Whereas on the 8th July 1996 the International Court of Justice, drawing
>on international agreements such as The Hague Conventions, Geneva
>Conventions, and Genocide Convention, issued its Advisory Opinion
>on the legal status of the threat or use of nuclear weapons which
>concluded that:
>
>-       the threat or use of nuclear weapons is generally contrary to
>international
>humanitarian law;
>
>-       no circumstances had been identified in which use of nuclear
>weapons
>would not violate humanitarian law;
>
>-       there is no distinction in law between threat and use of nuclear
>weapons;
>the limited use of low yield nuclear weapons would tend to escalate
>to all-out use of high yield nuclear weapons;
>
>-       the Nuremburg Charter of 1945 applied to nuclear weapons. Thus it
>is the duty of citizens to uphold the law relating to nuclear weapons
>and of military personnel to obey it even if given a contrary order
>by a superior or by his or her national government;
>
>-       there 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.
>
>In December 1996, and again in 1998 the United Nations General Assembly,
>in response to the ICJ Advisory Opinion, called for negotiations in
>1997 leading to the early conclusion of a Nuclear Weapons Convention.
>In December 1998 the NATO Nuclear Weapon States voted against the
>moderate resolution "Towards a Nuclear Weapon-Free World:  The Need
>for a New Agenda". which merely called for further unilateral, bilateral,
>and multilateral actions and for the Nuclear Weapons state and their
>allies to "review Strategic Doctrines".  NATO,is therefore acting
>illegally by:
>
>-       retaining the option to use nuclear weapons first in future
>conflicts;
>issuing orders to its military personnel to prepare for the illegal
>use of nuclear weapons;
>
>-       making conditional plans to use, through its member nuclear weapon
>States, a stockpile of nuclear weapons which, because of their yield,
>would necessarily violate international humanitarian law;
>
>-       condoning the consistent opposition by its member nuclear weapon
>States
>of moves towards the global elimination of nuclear weapons.
>
>-       compounding its violation of international law by admitting three
>new members into its nuclear alliance and therefore implicating them
>in its illegal nuclear planning process. =20
>
>-       continuing to base US nuclear  weapons in European countries and
>involving
>European nationals in training for their delivery in contravention
>of Articles I and II of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. =20
>
>We, as citizens of a planet under threat of irreparable damage from
>the illegal threat of nuclear weapons, and acting in accordance with
>their obligation under the Nuremberg Charter to uphold the law, gave
>notice that unless immediate action is taken to review  NATO's illegal
>nuclear policy and eliminate the threat and capacity to use nuclear
>weapons.   We shall use all peaceful means in our power, including
>organising and taking part in and advocating individual and mass
>participation
>in direct nonviolent resistance and to intervene against all preparations
>for nuclear war at the places where they are carried out. As NATO
> has still not given any indication of complying with the ICJ  Advisory
>Opinion, such action is fully justified.
>
>SIGNED
>
>=20
>=20
>George Farebrother  =20
>Secretary, World Court Project UK
>67 Summerheath Rd, Hailsham, Sussex, BN27 3DR, UK
>Phone & Fax  [phone], Email  ([e-mail])
>Web Site: http://www.gn.apc.org/wcp
>
>The World Court Project is an international citizens' network which is
>working to publicise and have implemented the July 8 1996 Advisory  Opinion
>of the International Court of Justice which could find no
>lawful circumstance for the threat or use of nuclear weapons.=20
>
>The World Court Project UK is part of Abolition 2000, a Global Network to
>eliminate nuclear weapons.     =20
>                                    =20
> =20
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Jan Harwood <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Discussion of Fourth Freedom Forum Abolition Project
Date: 22 Mar 1999 18:11:07 -0800

Since I was taking notes furiously during today's conference call of the
Facilitators' Group, I didn't give my feelings about the FFF project.

I think it's very important to embrace all positive activity toward
abolition of nuclear weapons, and very destructive to hold resentful
feelings toward any group that wants to do things in their own way. I agree
it's disappointing that FFF didn't choose to work within the national
coalition, but then, I'm also disappointed that our coalition didn't choose
to work within the international Abolition 2000 coalition.  But we're
parallel, and that's okay. Let's make liaison with FFF and all move ahead
with a good spirit.



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) NYC / arrests for Police Brutality
Date: 23 Mar 1999 00:23:49 EST

While not directly related to Abolition 2000 and not on the usual agenda of
the Mennonite discussions, the continuing arrests in New York City in protest
against police brutality are a very good demonstration of nonviolence. It is
important that people from the white community take part, underlining the fact
that the Hispanic and African American communities are not alone. For that
reason I post this on to these two lists.

David McReynolds

Subj:    NYC / arrests for Police Brutality
 Date:    3/23/99 12:20:55 AM Eastern Standard Time
 From:    DavidMcR
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail] (Julia), BRUGGED
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    StevenAult, [e-mail]
 To:    SteBendich, SKentC, [e-mail]
 To:    AriseFilms, [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    Andyhumm, [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], Joel Landy
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    JMahoneyP, [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    LCNP, [e-mail] (Ethan)
 To:    [e-mail], Sjfive
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    Chango shk, [e-mail], NAda802074
 BCC:    DavidMcR

 I would call attention to the daily arrests at Police Plaza here in New York
City.

 As those of you know who have been following the press, a growing number of
quite prominent people have been taking part in these actions, sparked by the
shooting of Diallo. I will be among those taking part on Friday (and expecting
to get out in time for the Socialist Party Local meeting).

 If you want to join in the arrests and don't have a contact, let me know. I
don't have a phone number at hand, but I'll do my best to find one.

 It is important that as many whites as possible take part. I am glad to see
that this week Jews for Racial and Economic Justice are taking part.

 Fraternally,
 David McReynolds >>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Budget Letter to Groups from Progressive Members of
Date: 23 Mar 1999 12:07:35 -0500

>Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 10:52:51 -0500
>Subject: Budget Letter to Groups from Progressive Members of Congress
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail]
>X-FC-Forwarded-From: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>Daniel McGlinchey of Rep. Barney Frank's (D-MA) office asked me
>to forward this letter to interested groups. It is signed by
>several progressive members of Congress and calls on
>organizations to join the members in opposition to the package of
>spending cuts and defense increases now winding its way through
>Congress.
>
>The letter ends by requesting groups to contact Daniel McGlinchey
>in Rep. Frank's office (202-225-5931) or Brendan Smith in Rep.
>Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) office (202-225-4115) to participate in
>strategy sessions on the issue.
>
>- Patrick Lester, CHN
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>
>From: McGlinchey, Daniel <[e-mail]>
>To: '[e-mail]' <[e-mail]>
>Date: Tuesday, March 23, 1999 10:19 AM
>Subject: defense letter -- final
>
>
>March 23, 1999
>
>Dear Friend,
>
>
>We write to ask you to join us in organizing efforts to prevent
>an impending social disaster.  Unless things change, we confront
>the stark prospect of a federal budget being adopted which will
>severely undermine our efforts to deal with threats to the
>quality of life both in the United States and in the rest of the
>world.
>
>
>The Republican leadership has made clear that it intends to go
>forward with a budget that preserves the caps on discretionary
>spending adopted in 1997, while simultaneously providing for very
>substantial increases in the military and education budgets.  We
>welcome the increases in the education budget, and we will be
>supportive of sensible federal policies which seek to increase
>the resources we put to education.  But we believe that the
>significant increases proposed in military spending go far beyond
>what is needed for our national security, and given the fact that
>the spending caps already severely constrain important programs,
>these military increases will come at the expense of every other
>function of the federal government.  Those who now see the need
>for additional efforts in cleaning up the environment, providing
>health care, helping law enforcement, combating poverty at home
>and abroad, dealing with the housing crisis, promoting economic
>development in distressed areas, dealing with problems in the
>agricultural sector, providing adequate resources for veterans
>programs, and in every other aspect of federal policy must
>understand that if a budget is adopted which maintains the caps
>while significantly increasing military spending, all of these
>other functions will suffer grievously.
>
>
>This danger is exacerbated by the support President Clinton has
>given to significant increases in military spending.  While the
>President proposes increases in other areas, these parts of his
>budget are unlikely to be supported by the House and Senate
>majorities.  Instead, Congress is likel to build on his proposed
>military increases while rejecting his suggestions for paying for
>this increased spending.  And key Congressional leaders have
>explicitly stated that they will finance increased military
>spending by cuts in other discretionary spending areas.  We
>believe that it is appropriate to improve some aspects of the
>national security budget, particularly with regard to the
>condition of personnel. But we think there are significant areas
>where the large increases being proposed in military spending are
>unnecessary.
>
>
>With the President and the Republican Congressional leadership
>committed to increased military spending, and with the
>Congressional leadership insistent on preserving the caps and
>rejecting any additional revenue sources, the likeliest outcome
>today is for a budget which endangers our ability to make
>progress in any area of non-military concern with the exception
>of education.  We do not believe that this is an appropriate
>outcome -- it reflects neither the real needs of our society nor
>the true desires of the American people.
>
>
>But in the absence of prompt, effective political organizing,
>this distortion of priorities will be written into law.  Efforts
>to increase spending in other departments later in the year
>through the appropriations process will face extraordinary obstac
>les if we do not deal with this now. We are therefore writing to
>a wide range of organizations which seekincreased resources for a
>variety of concerns within the federal budget structure to ask
>you to join us in preventing this from happening.
>
>
>While it will be theoretically possible for advocates of
>particular cause to gain a larger appropriation later in the year
>if this overall budget scheme is enacted, we think it is socially
>undesirable for advocates of increased environmental protection,
>for example, to be forced to support cuts in housing or community
>development, or for advocates of increased aid to farmers in
>distress to have to seek to capture funds that would otherwise go
>for food stamps or school lunches.  Yet that will be the
>inevitable outcome of a budget which preserves the caps while
>increasing military spending significantly.
>
>
>If you are interested in joining us, please call Daniel
>McGlinchey (Rep. Frank, 55931) or Brendan Smith (Rep. Sanders,
>54115) to let us know.  We will be arranging a strategy session
>soon of people who share our opposition to what we fear will be a
>terrible distortion of our priorities, and we look forward to
>your joining us in this fight.
>
>
>REP. TAMMY BALDWIN
>SENATOR BARBARA BOXER
>REP. GEORGE E. BROWN, JR.
>REP. SHERROD BROWN
>REP. JOHN CONYERS, JR.
>REP. PETER A. DEFAZIO
>REP. LLOYD DOGGETT
>SENATOR RICHARD J. DURBIN
>REP. BOB FILNER
>REP. BARNEY FRANK
>REP. LUIS V. GUTIERREZ
>SENATOR TOM HARKIN
>REP. BARBARA LEE
>REP. BILL LUTHER
>REP. JIM McDERMOTT
>REP. JAMES P. McGOVERN
>REP. EDWARD J. MARKEY
>REP. GEORGE MILLER
>REP. JERROLD NADLER
>REP. MAJOR R. OWENS
>REP. NANCY PELOSI
>REP. BERNARD SANDERS
>REP. FORTNEY PETE STARK
>REP. MAXINE WATERS
>SENATOR PAUL WELLSTONE
>REP. LYNN WOOLSEY
>SENATOR RON WYDEN
>
>
>
>
>---
>You are currently subscribed to budgetgroups as: [[e-mail]]
>To unsubscribe, forward this message to
>[e-mail]
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Yugoslavia
Date: 23 Mar 1999 18:39:35 EST

In a message dated 3/23/99 6:10:05 PM Eastern Standard Time, [e-mail]
writes:

<< Subj:     Yugoslavia
 Date:    3/23/99 6:10:05 PM Eastern Standard Time
 From:    [e-mail] (Richard Pond)
 Sender:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]

 Comrades,

 Kosovo is a province of Serbia (which together with Montenegro makes up
 post-1992 Yugoslavia).  It has been, rightly or wrongly, part of Serbia
 since 1913.  So what we are about to do is intervene in a civil war.

 A few months ago, NATO drew up a peace plan and promptly tried to impose
 this on the warring parties.  Roughly speaking, we said to the Serbs "Sign
 this, or we'll bomb you", and to the Kosovan ethnic Albanians "Sign this,
 or we won't be able to get away with bombing the Serbs when they don't sign
 it".  This is contrary to all principles: what kind of an agreement can
 hold when it's forced upon people by threats?  What we had, then, was not
 genuine negotiations but Western imperialists (calling themselves "the
 international community") trying to impose a solution from above.

 NATO was founded 50 years ago, before the Warsaw Pact, but nonetheless as
 an essentially defensive military alliance.  Its purpose was to defend
 Western Europe from the alleged possibility of Soviet military incursions.
 No such incursion ever took place.  If NATO goes to war tonight, it will be
 the first time in its history (or so I'm told) that NATO has gone to war
 against a sovereign state.  (NATO shot down some Serb warplanes over Bosnia
 in 1994, but I don't think that quite compares!).

 Since the end of the Cold War, when NATO's whole raison d'etre disappeared,
 we've not seen the organization curl up and die, but instead it's been
 extended - to the East - and given a bigger and more powerful role in world
 affairs than ever before.  With Russia weakened, the West - in this case,
 unprecedently, NATO - feels free to act - whether against Iraq or against
 the Yugoslav Republic.  NATO is changing to a new, more prominent role in
 world affairs.

 And the German Greens' suggestion (briefly taken up by the German Green
 Foreign Minister Fischer) that NATO should make a "no-first-use" pledge on
 nuclear weapons (just as the USSR did) has been firmly rebuffed.  So NATO's
 claim to be a defensive organization is now threadbare.

 Clinton says he wants a safer Europe.  But alas.  Any intervention in
 Serbia has at least as much chance of inflaming the situation and possibly
 igniting a wider conflict, as anything else.  Notice how the NATO country
 farthest from Yugoslavia - that is, the United States - is the one that's
 most enthusiastic about war.  But you won't find nearly as much enthusiasm
 in Greece, Austria, or indeed Italy.

 Something interesting is that the Serb army is much better armed than the
 Iraqis.  There is a very good chance of Allied casualties.  And of course,
 Yugoslav casualties - including "collateral damage", which means civilian
 bloodshed - are inevitable.

 Richard
  >>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) McReynolds, quick analysis of Kosovo
Date: 23 Mar 1999 21:59:41 EST



 Subj:    McReynolds, quick analysis of Kosovo
 Date:    3/23/99 9:56:46 PM Eastern Standard Time
 From:    DavidMcR
 To:    [e-mail], JDCoffin
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], Epank, [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], Zefalcon, RBLepley
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    VOBARON, [e-mail], Lthurston8
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 BCC:    DavidMcR

 Scott McClay of NACC in Seattle had written me for a couple of paragraphs for
a flyer - I hope, Scott, that you can extract something from this. I will sent
this on to other lists as well, and of course anyone can repost.

 Now that NATO has given authorization for the bombing of Yugoslavia, the
question is what response do socialists and pacifists have to this?

 The first problem is that we are not dealing with "good guys". I know parts
of the Left will try to explain away the NATO action as a steady effort to
eliminate the last bastion of socialism in Europe. I know that parts of the
peace movement will downplay what Milosevic has done.  And I also know -
perhaps most important at these times of crisis - that those of us ten
thousand miles from where the bombs are going to fall really don't know all
sides of the conflict. We deal with what the media gives us. Things always
look different when you are standing on the ground, either in Serbia or in
Kosovo. They are always more complex than they seem at this distance.

 Milosevic is not a "good guy", anymore than Saddam Hussein is. Yet in both
 cases we should oppose any assumption that because Milosevic and Hussein are
not nice, therefore NATO is. Or that because these men are not nice that we
have some reason to bomb hell out of their countries, impose sanctions on
their people, etc. After all, in the matter of "niceness" what kind of country
are we, that supported Saddam during his long and bloody war against Iran in
the 1980's? Or that supported the Shah in Iran when the secret police engaged
in torture at least as bad as anything in Kosovo? How selective in the anger
of our TV pundits and our President, how short their memories.

 NATO is taking exactly the position regarding Kosovo that it opposes when it
comes to Turkey, where the Turkish Kurds are asking for precisely the same
thing as the Albanians in Kosovo - self-determination. In Turkey we oppose the
Kurdish demand because Turkey is a NATO ally. In Kosovo we support the drive
for self-determination because the U.S. wants to weaken Milosevic - and he
isn't in NATO.

 Terrible tragedies have occured in both situations  -  but because Turkey is
a NATO ally we hear very little about Turkish atrocities against the Kurds.
Only on the Iraqi side has the U.S. established a "no fly zone" to help the
Kurds - because in Iraq, we want Saddam weakened.

 The U.S. policy is terribly cynical, as, historically, all nations' policies
are. Cynical or not, the Yugoslav army is engaged in actions which should be
opposed by all reasonable means short of engaging in bombing, which has no
sanction from the UN, and is applied to Yugoslavia only because it is weak in
relationship to NATO - NOT BECAUSE THE CAUSE IS MORE URGENT. All during the
Russian massacres in Cheneya there were no threats of Western bombing - but
I'm afraid the situation is the same in Kosovo, it is a part of Yugoslavia,
has been since close to the turn of this century, contains some of the
monuments most critical to the Yugoslavs as part of their history.

 Yugoslavia and Kosovo got themselves into this mess when (a) Milosevic
engaged in ruthless nationalism that rejected any reasonable arrangements for
moderate self-determination in Kosovo. And (b) when the powerful and
nonviolent mass movement in Kosovo, which had won much Western support and
created a virtual parallel government, was derailed by the violence of the
Kosovo Liberation Army. The KLA attacked Serbian police and Serbian civilians.
Yugoslavia counter-attacked brutally.

 The KLA took any peaceful accomdation off the table. Do I support the right
of the KLA to use violence? Sure, any people has that right, just as I
supported the right of the Vietnamese to use violence. But between supporting
the right and thinking that use of violence is reasonable there is a huge gap.
I should add that while I do support the right of self-determination, I don't
support nationalism, not in the U.S., and not in Kosovo. In the case of the
Vietnamese it was not simply self-determination, but also, as in India, an
effort to remove a foreign occupying force. The case for that is less clear in
Kosovo, where the present 90% Albanian population was not a "steady historic
fact".

 The NATO bombing may be painless (for NATO - not for the Serbs) but it may
also prove costly. It is believed that Yugoslav air defenses are moderately
efficient, which means there may be loss of U.S. jets. And then ground action
to rescue the pilots.
 If the bombing proves ineffective, will NATO troops be sent in? If they are
sent in (perhaps to arrest Milosevic) do we have any sense of how long they
will have to stay, how fierce the fighting is likely to be?

 Only in the past few days has the New York Times carried a story about war
crimes committed by Croatia late in the Bosnian conflict. At that time the
Croatian Army drove tens and tens of thousands of Serbs from their ancestral
homes, killing many in the process. The Times noted that the role of the U.S.
in training and supplying the Croatians had never been fully probed and that
charges that two Croatian generals should be arrested for war crimes might
embarrass the U.S. At that time the Croatian offensive was reported in the
West, but with none of the anger and moral fury that had been felt when the
Serbs had carried out similar ethnic cleansing. Had the war already so changed
us that we had lost the ability to feel grief, sorrow, and anger when Serbian
families were murdered and driven out? We were right to feel this about the
Serbian attacks on Muslims and Croats - what happened to us? Will that happen
again if we find NATO forces in a door to door fight in Serbia?

 Any democratic opposition in Serbia (and it does exist) will be largely
destroyed by bombing. The same is true of any hope for nonviolent alternatives
in Kosovo.

 There are times when those of us who believe in peace cannot provide answers.
We can be as truthful as possible, see as clearly as possible, but we may not
have answers.

 The irony is that because the US (and NATO) is so heavily armed there is a
temptation to use the weapons to prove we need them and, more crucial, to fail
to make any of the concessions and compromises we might make if we didn't have
the weapons.  One reason for disarmament is that it would make it more
essential to pursue peaceful alternatives - which the US won't pursue as long
as it is armed.

 For the moment, beyond opposing the bombing, and opposing the Serbian attacks
on Kosovo, I think we are without effective solutions. The serious problem is
that I believe Clinton and NATO also are without effective solutions - but
they have the ability to expand an already disturbing level of violence.

 David McReynolds
 NYC / March 23, 1999
 (I'd also recommend asking War Resisters League for a recent issue of the
magazine, Nonviolent Action, which has a very good piece in it by Howard
Clark. Send $l and mention that article to: WRL, 339 Lafayette St., NYC 10012)
>>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) 4.4.99 50th NATO "birthday", is it operating correctly?
Date: 23 Mar 1999 20:47:00 -0800

NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION (NATO)

The North Atlantic Treaty, signed in Washington on 4 April
1949, created an Alliance for collective defence as defined in
Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. The Alliance links
fourteen European countries with the United States and Canada.
The treaty is an alliance of independent countries with a common
interest in maintaining peace and defending their freedom through
political solidarity and adequate military defence to deter
and, if necessary, repel all possible forms of aggression
against them. Created within the framework of Article 51 of
the United Nations Charter, which reaffirms the inherent right
of individual or collective defence, the Alliance is an
association of free states united in their determination to
preserve their security through mutual guarantees and stable
relations with other countries.

NATO is the Organisation which serves the Alliance. It is an
inter-governmental organisation in which member countries
retain their full sovereignty and independence. The
Organisation provides the forum in which they consult together
on any issues they may choose to raise and take decisions on
political and military matters affecting their security. It
provides the structures needed to facilitate consultation and
cooperation between them, not only in political fields but
also in many other areas where policies can be coordinated in
order to fulfil the goals of the North Atlantic Treaty.
NATO's essential purpose is thus to safeguard the freedom and
security of all its members by political and military means in
accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter.
Based on common values of democracy, human rights and the rule
of law, the Alliance has worked since its inception for the
establishment of a just and lasting peaceful order in Europe.
This Alliance objective remains unchanged. NATO also embodies
the transatlantic link by which the security of North America
is permanently tied to the security of Europe. It is the
practical expression of effective collective effort among its
members in support of their common interests.

The fundamental operating principle of the Alliance is that of
common commitment and mutual cooperation among sovereign
states based on the indivisibility of the security of its
members. Solidarity within the Alliance, given substance and
effect by NATO's daily work in political, military and other
spheres, ensures that no member country is forced to rely upon
its own national efforts alone in dealing with basic security
challenges. Without depriving member states of their right and
duty to assume their sovereign responsibilities in the field
of defence, the Alliance enables them through collective
effort to enhance their ability to realise their essential
national security objectives.

Member Countries.
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland,
Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain,
Turkey, United Kingdom and United States.


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Peter Weiss <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) NYC / arrests for Police Brutality
Date: 23 Mar 1999 23:32:09 -0500

Absolutely right. Cora is going with women tomorrow, I with CCR on
Thursday. We haven't been arrested since 1975; getting out of practice.

                        Peter

[e-mail] wrote:
>
> While not directly related to Abolition 2000 and not on the usual agenda of
> the Mennonite discussions, the continuing arrests in New York City in protest
> against police brutality are a very good demonstration of nonviolence. It is
> important that people from the white community take part, underlining the fact
> that the Hispanic and African American communities are not alone. For that
> reason I post this on to these two lists.
>
> David McReynolds
>
> Subj:   NYC / arrests for Police Brutality
>  Date:  3/23/99 12:20:55 AM Eastern Standard Time
>  From:  DavidMcR
>  To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail] (Julia), BRUGGED
>  To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  To:    StevenAult, [e-mail]
>  To:    SteBendich, SKentC, [e-mail]
>  To:    AriseFilms, [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  To:    Andyhumm, [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail], Joel Landy
>  To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  To:    JMahoneyP, [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  To:    LCNP, [e-mail] (Ethan)
>  To:    [e-mail], Sjfive
>  To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  To:    Chango shk, [e-mail], NAda802074
>  BCC:   DavidMcR
>
>  I would call attention to the daily arrests at Police Plaza here in New York
> City.
>
>  As those of you know who have been following the press, a growing number of
> quite prominent people have been taking part in these actions, sparked by the
> shooting of Diallo. I will be among those taking part on Friday (and expecting
> to get out in time for the Socialist Party Local meeting).
>
>  If you want to join in the arrests and don't have a contact, let me know. I
> don't have a phone number at hand, but I'll do my best to find one.
>
>  It is important that as many whites as possible take part. I am glad to see
> that this week Jews for Racial and Economic Justice are taking part.
>
>  Fraternally,
>  David McReynolds >>
>
> -
>  To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
>  with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the 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 "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Peter Weiss <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) McReynolds, quick analysis of Kosovo
Date: 23 Mar 1999 22:30:50 -0500

David: I agree with much of your analysis. It may even be too soft on
CLinton: I wouldn't be surprised if Milosevic reacted by killing a
hundred or a thousand Kosovars for every bomb dropped on Serbia. In my
view the only solution for this type of problem, other than long-range
conflict prevention and short range effective conflict resolution is to
interpose an effective force between the aggressor state and the victim
population. Ideally, that should be a UN-sponsored and UN-authorized
peacekeeping force made up of volunteers from many countries. Unideally,
it may have to be a NATO force sanctioned by the UN (but it probably
won't be, unless the Serbs agree, which they won't).
                            Peter

[e-mail] wrote:
>
>  Subj:  McReynolds, quick analysis of Kosovo
>  Date:  3/23/99 9:56:46 PM Eastern Standard Time
>  From:  DavidMcR
>  To:    [e-mail], JDCoffin
>  To:    [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail], Epank, [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail], Zefalcon, RBLepley
>  To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  To:    VOBARON, [e-mail], Lthurston8
>  To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
>  BCC:   DavidMcR
>
>  Scott McClay of NACC in Seattle had written me for a couple of paragraphs for
> a flyer - I hope, Scott, that you can extract something from this. I will sent
> this on to other lists as well, and of course anyone can repost.
>
>  Now that NATO has given authorization for the bombing of Yugoslavia, the
> question is what response do socialists and pacifists have to this?
>
>  The first problem is that we are not dealing with "good guys". I know parts
> of the Left will try to explain away the NATO action as a steady effort to
> eliminate the last bastion of socialism in Europe. I know that parts of the
> peace movement will downplay what Milosevic has done.  And I also know -
> perhaps most important at these times of crisis - that those of us ten
> thousand miles from where the bombs are going to fall really don't know all
> sides of the conflict. We deal with what the media gives us. Things always
> look different when you are standing on the ground, either in Serbia or in
> Kosovo. They are always more complex than they seem at this distance.
>
>  Milosevic is not a "good guy", anymore than Saddam Hussein is. Yet in both
>  cases we should oppose any assumption that because Milosevic and Hussein are
> not nice, therefore NATO is. Or that because these men are not nice that we
> have some reason to bomb hell out of their countries, impose sanctions on
> their people, etc. After all, in the matter of "niceness" what kind of country
> are we, that supported Saddam during his long and bloody war against Iran in
> the 1980's? Or that supported the Shah in Iran when the secret police engaged
> in torture at least as bad as anything in Kosovo? How selective in the anger
> of our TV pundits and our President, how short their memories.
>
>  NATO is taking exactly the position regarding Kosovo that it opposes when it
> comes to Turkey, where the Turkish Kurds are asking for precisely the same
> thing as the Albanians in Kosovo - self-determination. In Turkey we oppose the
> Kurdish demand because Turkey is a NATO ally. In Kosovo we support the drive
> for self-determination because the U.S. wants to weaken Milosevic - and he
> isn't in NATO.
>
>  Terrible tragedies have occured in both situations  -  but because Turkey is
> a NATO ally we hear very little about Turkish atrocities against the Kurds.
> Only on the Iraqi side has the U.S. established a "no fly zone" to help the
> Kurds - because in Iraq, we want Saddam weakened.
>
>  The U.S. policy is terribly cynical, as, historically, all nations' policies
> are. Cynical or not, the Yugoslav army is engaged in actions which should be
> opposed by all reasonable means short of engaging in bombing, which has no
> sanction from the UN, and is applied to Yugoslavia only because it is weak in
> relationship to NATO - NOT BECAUSE THE CAUSE IS MORE URGENT. All during the
> Russian massacres in Cheneya there were no threats of Western bombing - but
> I'm afraid the situation is the same in Kosovo, it is a part of Yugoslavia,
> has been since close to the turn of this century, contains some of the
> monuments most critical to the Yugoslavs as part of their history.
>
>  Yugoslavia and Kosovo got themselves into this mess when (a) Milosevic
> engaged in ruthless nationalism that rejected any reasonable arrangements for
> moderate self-determination in Kosovo. And (b) when the powerful and
> nonviolent mass movement in Kosovo, which had won much Western support and
> created a virtual parallel government, was derailed by the violence of the
> Kosovo Liberation Army. The KLA attacked Serbian police and Serbian civilians.
> Yugoslavia counter-attacked brutally.
>
>  The KLA took any peaceful accomdation off the table. Do I support the right
> of the KLA to use violence? Sure, any people has that right, just as I
> supported the right of the Vietnamese to use violence. But between supporting
> the right and thinking that use of violence is reasonable there is a huge gap.
> I should add that while I do support the right of self-determination, I don't
> support nationalism, not in the U.S., and not in Kosovo. In the case of the
> Vietnamese it was not simply self-determination, but also, as in India, an
> effort to remove a foreign occupying force. The case for that is less clear in
> Kosovo, where the present 90% Albanian population was not a "steady historic
> fact".
>
>  The NATO bombing may be painless (for NATO - not for the Serbs) but it may
> also prove costly. It is believed that Yugoslav air defenses are moderately
> efficient, which means there may be loss of U.S. jets. And then ground action
> to rescue the pilots.
>  If the bombing proves ineffective, will NATO troops be sent in? If they are
> sent in (perhaps to arrest Milosevic) do we have any sense of how long they
> will have to stay, how fierce the fighting is likely to be?
>
>  Only in the past few days has the New York Times carried a story about war
> crimes committed by Croatia late in the Bosnian conflict. At that time the
> Croatian Army drove tens and tens of thousands of Serbs from their ancestral
> homes, killing many in the process. The Times noted that the role of the U.S.
> in training and supplying the Croatians had never been fully probed and that
> charges that two Croatian generals should be arrested for war crimes might
> embarrass the U.S. At that time the Croatian offensive was reported in the
> West, but with none of the anger and moral fury that had been felt when the
> Serbs had carried out similar ethnic cleansing. Had the war already so changed
> us that we had lost the ability to feel grief, sorrow, and anger when Serbian
> families were murdered and driven out? We were right to feel this about the
> Serbian attacks on Muslims and Croats - what happened to us? Will that happen
> again if we find NATO forces in a door to door fight in Serbia?
>
>  Any democratic opposition in Serbia (and it does exist) will be largely
> destroyed by bombing. The same is true of any hope for nonviolent alternatives
> in Kosovo.
>
>  There are times when those of us who believe in peace cannot provide answers.
> We can be as truthful as possible, see as clearly as possible, but we may not
> have answers.
>
>  The irony is that because the US (and NATO) is so heavily armed there is a
> temptation to use the weapons to prove we need them and, more crucial, to fail
> to make any of the concessions and compromises we might make if we didn't have
> the weapons.  One reason for disarmament is that it would make it more
> essential to pursue peaceful alternatives - which the US won't pursue as long
> as it is armed.
>
>  For the moment, beyond opposing the bombing, and opposing the Serbian attacks
> on Kosovo, I think we are without effective solutions. The serious problem is
> that I believe Clinton and NATO also are without effective solutions - but
> they have the ability to expand an already disturbing level of violence.
>
>  David McReynolds
>  NYC / March 23, 1999
>  (I'd also recommend asking War Resisters League for a recent issue of the
> magazine, Nonviolent Action, which has a very good piece in it by Howard
> Clark. Send $l and mention that article to: WRL, 339 Lafayette St., NYC 10012)
> >>
>
> -
>  To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
>  with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the 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 "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) NYC / arrests for Police Brutality
Date: 24 Mar 1999 00:34:52 EST

In a message dated 3/24/99 12:02:08 AM Eastern Standard Time, [e-mail]
writes:

<< Subj:     Re: (abolition-usa) NYC / arrests for Police Brutality
 Date:    3/24/99 12:02:08 AM Eastern Standard Time
 From:    [e-mail] (Peter Weiss)
 Sender:    [e-mail]
 Reply-to:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]

 Absolutely right. Cora is going with women tomorrow, I with CCR on
 Thursday. We haven't been arrested since 1975; getting out of practice.

                         Peter

So am I, Peter - it may have been ten years since my last arrest, having
failed at the Pentagon, despite my best efforts (this past October).

At this rate the whole city may have to be arrested before Giuliani realizes
there is a problem.

David
(Thanks for the comments on the Kosovo problem  - I wish I saw an easy answer)


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) 50th NATO anniversary, April 4, 1999
Date: 24 Mar 1999 08:52:07 -0800

No, it was not intended as a rah, rah, NATO piece and it was not one that I
wrote.  It was forwarded from another list with no author attributed but
rather indications that it was lifted from official NATO descriptions of
that organization.

The point of submitting it to concerned lists is to suggest focusing on the
date of the 50th anniversary of NATO (April 4, 1999) in letters to editor,
demonstrations, etc., to do a "line by line" discussion of how (not) well
has NATO fulfilled its expressed objectives.  In doing this one would need
to start with something more authoritative than that piece which indicated
no author attribution, but my suggestion is that because of this 50th
anniversary focus, more media attention might be offered to such messages on
that occasion.


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Cindy A Pile <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Millennium 2000
Date: 24 Mar 1999 15:51:00 -0800

Dear Friends:


    Greetings and Peace! The Nevada Desert Experience (NDE), a
faith-based organization working for an end to nuclear weapons testing,
is
planning a very special gathering for the Third Millennium:
Millennium 2000: Walking the Ways of Peace! Religious Action for
Disarmament. The Nobel Peace Laureates are asking all people to begin
this next phase of humanityÆs history with a renewed commitment to
nonviolence and peace. Ten years ago while visiting the Nevada Test Site
Archbishop Dom Helder Camara said: ôThis is the scene of the greatest
violence on Earth. It should be the place of the greatest acts of
nonviolence
on the Earth.ö Millennium 2000 is the Nevada Desert ExperienceÆs
response to these challenges.

    Knowing that our young people are the ones who will carry the
torch of hope into this new age, this gathering will begin with a Youth
Day
on December 29, 1999, followed by a Bishops' Dialogue for Disarmament.
The main program, which the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Pax Christi
USA, Healing Global Wounds and the Los Angeles Catholic Worker are
cosponsoring, will run from Thursday, December 30, 1999-Sunday, January
2, 2000 in Las Vegas. It will bring
together people from all faith traditions and many organizations working
for justice and peace. It will include time to listen to inspiring
speakers, to sing, pray and dance, to reflect on our personal journeys
toward nonviolence and to strategize where we as a movement go from here,
with a particular emphasis on how to better mobilize the faith-based
community.

    The highlight of this event will occur on December 31, 1999. While
places like Las Vegas, Nevada usher in the New Year with parties which
anaesthetize the spirit, at this crucial point in our global history we
will bring our prayers to the desert. United by our common longing for a
world filled with peace, we will process onto the Test Site at midnight
carrying candles which represent the dawning of a nuclear-free world.

    The Nevada Desert Experience invites you to join us in this celebration!
Two of our board members were at the meeting in Santa Barbara, but since
they were representing their own organizations, they forgot to mention
this major event. So, if you and your organization are interested in
endorsing/cosponsoring Millennium 2000, publicizing it and mobilizing
people to attend and/or offering a workshop, please contact our Las Vegas
office at [e-mail], [phone], POB 4487, LV, NV 89127.

Thanks!

Cindy Pile
Education Director



___________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html
or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Russia, China, Korea, Iraq, Serbia:  WWIII?
Date: 24 Mar 1999 23:38:38 -0800

>From NewsMax.CoM

NewsMax Home =B7 Archives =B7 Inside Cover =B7 TalkMax =B7 Liners =B7 Com=
ment Max =B7
News Links =B7 Contact Us!

Russia and China: A Pattern of Belligerence =96 Part 1
J.R. NyquistMarch 23, 1999

War Preparations Continue in Russia

All around the globe, a pattern of belligerence toward the United States
and her allies is emerging: from the Korean peninsula down through the
Spratly Islands near the Philippines, enveloping Taiwan, then reappearing
in Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Balkans.

The rhetoric from Beijing, Moscow, Belgrade, Pyongyang, and Baghdad
suggests possible coordination. Forward military deployments by China,
Iraq, Serbia, and Russia, together with sinister construction projects an=
d
major troop movements, have been noted in East Asia, the Pacific, and the
Middle East.

In the past month, numerous developments have taken place in Russia that
suggest war preparations:

RUSSIA CREATES UNIFIED COMMAND OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

In January, the Russian General Staff announced that all of the country=92=
s
nuclear forces -- Strategic Rocket Forces, submarine-based weaponry, and
nukes on their strategic bombers -- would now be placed under one command.

ANALYSIS: This development was widely reported in Russia and by the
Associated Press. The AP story indicated bafflement that Russia, in the
middle of economic problems, would be reorganizing its armed forces,
especially the nuclear forces. But this development fits the thesis that
Russia is, in fact, preparing for war.

In war, the principle of "unity of command=94 is considered crucial. By
moving to unify nuclear command, the Russian armed forces can now better
coordinate a nuclear surprise attack involving all nuclear service
branches, obviating the friction of interservice rivalry. In a strictly
defensive situation, centralization of the nuclear forces is unnecessary,
even counterproductive. Decentralization is better for defense.

However, this is not true for attack. Coordinating an effective, disarmin=
g
first strike requires a high degree of control and coordination, which a
unified nuclear command facilitates. This move, coupled with the fact
Russia has been moving its strategic warheads onto submarines in the past
six months, should be viewed with alarm.

TOP GENERALS RESIGN FROM STRATEGIC ROCKET FORCES

In the second half of January, the commander of Russia=92s Strategic Rock=
et
Forces, Col.-Gen. Vladimir Yakovlev, resigned his post together with his
three chief deputies, allegedly throwing Russia=92s nuclear forces into
disarray.

After taking this unprecedented action, Yakovlev stated that the reason f=
or
his resignation was a personality conflict with Gen. Sokolov, the command=
er
of Russia=92s early-warning service.

ANALYSIS: According to Col. Stanislav Lunev, ranking defector from the Ma=
in
Intelligence Directorate of the Russian General Staff, Yakovlev=92s
retirement was planned some time ago.

"They already have civilian jobs waiting for them,=94 Lunev said. "There =
will
be no disruption of the rocket forces.=94

Lunev believes the resignations stem from the reorganization of Russia=92=
s
nuclear forces under a single chief, but he nonetheless admits that
Yakovlev and his deputies are hard-liners and careerists. After closer
analysis, it is difficult to argue that they would resign in protest over=
 a
measure they themselves long advocated, as they were supporters and
proteges of Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev, the man most responsible for
the reorganization of the nuclear forces.

There are serious inconsistencies here that must not be passed over. Why
did Yakovlev and his deputies resign? Has a secret nuclear command center
been established? A centralized nuclear command would have to create
alternate command posts in several bunkers, with many capable general
officers at the ready.

Were these resignations made in protest over the reorganization of Russia=
=92s
nuclear forces, or were they part of the reorganization itself?

RUSSIA=92S NORTHERN FLEET PUT ON ALERT

When President Clinton bombed Iraq in December, Moscow put its Northern
Fleet on alert. This curious move, which makes no sense in terms of
reacting to a Middle East crisis, and coming at a supposed time of reduce=
d
superpower tensions, has serious implications that ought to be explored.

ANALYSIS: Prior to a surprise nuclear attack on the United States, it is
believed the Russians would attempt to put most of their nuclear missile
submarines to sea. Therefore, the question that must be asked is whether
the Russians used the alert to deploy their missile submarine forces.
Despite what some analysts might say, any large-scale deployment to sea i=
s
a red flag.

The Northern Fleet contains the lion=92s share of Russia=92s naval strike
capability, and any alerting of that fleet needs to be carefully
scrutinized. In fact, any Russian fleet alert should be answered by a
comparable U.S. fleet alert. It is alarming in and of itself that the
United States did not respond in kind.

RUSSIANS CONTINUE NUKE TESTING

The Russians have abandoned the agreement to forgo underground nuclear
tests. They have admitted to testing three tactical nuclear warheads in
recent weeks. These are part of a new generation of tactical nuclear
weapons that the Russian armed forces have developed.

In addition, during the period of the agreed suspension of underground
tests, there have been suspicious earthquakes in Russia with signatures
characteristic of strategic nuclear tests.

ANALYSIS: Nuclear readiness requires the occasional testing of nuclear
warheads. New, more efficient weapons must be tested before they are
deployed to the armed forces. The United States has not tested its nuclea=
r
stockpile in several years, while the Russians have been testing their
weapons.

The importance of tactical nuclear weapons to the Russians lies in the fa=
ct
that these cannot be kept track of by arms control specialists. The START
agreements require Russia to destroy the bulk of its strategic nuclear
stockpiles, which cannot be hidden.

But tactical nuclear weapons have a number of advantages over strategic
ones. First and foremost, they are more efficient in terms of their use o=
f
nuclear fuel. Also, tactical nuclear weapons can be packed into ICBMs,
bombers, fighter-bombers, or artillery units, making them the most
versatile type of nuclear weapon.

Last, but not least, tactical nuclear weapons can be delivered as a
cluster, which is a more effective means for destroying large urban areas=
,
and obviates the terms of the START treaties, which call for the
elimination of multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicles (MIRVs).

THE RUSSIANS LIE ABOUT THEIR READINESS

The chief of the Russian General Staff, Anatoly Kvashin, a hardened
professional known for his stony silence, now claims that Russia has halv=
ed
its western military deployments, reducing its strike capability near
Finland. On Jan. 11, Kvashin stated: "We have extremely low defense
readiness.=94

ANALYSIS: These are curious words from an ordinarily obsessive, secretive=
,
and paranoid functionary. Such a pronouncement is uncharacteristic and
probably deceptive. Throughout history, when Russian forces have been wea=
k
or unready, no Russian general officer would dare to acknowledge the fact.
Such acknowledgment, under normal conditions, would lead to immediate
dismissal.

Russian military doctrine pays close attention to the dictum of Sun Tzu,
the ancient Chinese strategist, who said: "All warfare is based on
deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using ou=
r
forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy
believe we are away. ... Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign
disorder, and crush him.=94

If Russia is really moving troops off its border with Europe, as well as
troops away from its Chinese border, where are the troops being relocated=
?

UNPRECEDENTED SLAUGHTER OF RUSSIAN FUR ANIMALS

Russia and Belarus have large collective farms dedicated to the breeding =
of
polar foxes and minks. Russia is the world=92s largest fur consumer, annu=
ally
buying 40 percent of the furs produced worldwide. But now, Russian
officials claim that demand has stalled, and they are slaughtering their
fox and mink herds because they cannot afford to feed them.

Slaughter is normal at the onset of winter, of course, but this slaughter
is of unprecedented numbers of animals. At the same time, Russia is
importing fur from China, as well as coats, jackets, and boots. If Russia=
n
demand has stalled and the market for furs is flooded, why the imports?

ANALYSIS: Wherever we see an inconsistency in Russia=92s economy, we have=
 to
think twice. In World War II, Russian spies infiltrated all of the sheep
ranches in Europe. Their mission: to watch and see if sheep were being
sheared for 5 million sheepskin coats. Soviet military intelligence
reasoned that if Hitler intended to invade Russia, he would need heavy
winter clothing for his troops. The shearing of the sheep would be a dead
giveaway.

Unfortunately for Hitler, he did not make the 5 million coats. And though
he caught Soviet military intelligence off guard, his troops in Russia
suffered frostbite and amputations once winter began. In fact, one of the
medals struck for German soldiers during 1941-42 was called "The Order of
the Frozen Meat.=94

Logistical preparations are a necessary part of war. National leaders
ignore such preparations at great peril. In this context, what are we to
make of this huge increase in the production and importation of furs and
uniform clothing in Russia?

While this activity could indicate Russian economic miscalculation, one h=
as
to wonder why the fur herds were increased to such a size to begin with.
Since these fur farms are state-controlled, an increase in production
suggests an increase in projected consumption. But as civilian consumptio=
n
has remained steady, the obvious conclusion is that somebody in Moscow wa=
s
anticipating a huge increase in the military=92s demand for winter clothi=
ng.
With the aforesaid cover story of a collapsed market, Moscow might well
mask a planned troop mobilization of very large dimensions. If Russia
called up her reserves either before or after a nuclear exchange, she wou=
ld
need winter coats, boots, and headgear (even if the attack took place in
warm weather).

Russia=92s soldiers may have to confront winter weather conditions in Nor=
th
America if Russian military doctrine is followed. This doctrine calls for
an invasion of America. Always cognizant of history, the Russian General
Staff is well aware of Hitler=92s mistake in World War II and would never
repeat that mistake in World War III.

As Russia openly makes moves for war, its new partner, China, has been
taking equally dramatic steps. Coming Wednesday: Part 2 -- Chinese Premie=
r
Calls For Nuclear War Preparations

Russia and China: A Pattern of Belligerence =96 Part 2
J.R. NyquistMarch 23, 1999

China=92s Clenched Fist

As Russia openly makes moves for war, its new partner, China, has been
taking equally dramatic steps.

CHINESE PREMIER CALLS FOR NUCLEAR WAR PREPARATIONS

On Jan. 8, as if to prepare his people for war, Chinese President Jiang
Zemin laid out the mission of the People=92s Liberation Army in a speech:=
 "We
must resolutely safeguard the unity of the motherland and the nation=92s
territorial integrity.=94

Unity, of course, is the war cry of the Communists against Taiwan. Jiang
also warned that the Chinese People=92s Liberation Army must prepare itse=
lf
for nuclear war.

Soon thereafter, China conducted military exercises in which Chinese
nuclear forces practiced targeting American troops in the Far East.

At the same time, the People=92s Republic announced radical changes in
military policy. The Chinese air force was placed on "offensive mode=94 a=
s
opposed to "defensive mode,=94 and China=92s army doctrine was altered to=
 one
of global warfighting.

China has also begun centralizing the distribution of supplies for all
branches of the military in what the official media calls the biggest
streamlining effort in 50 years. In this context, China=92s new "strategi=
c
partnership=94 with the Russian Federation takes on sinister ramification=
s.
China is also backing North Korea in its dispute with the U.S. alliance.

ANALYSIS: China is making serious war preparations. This enhances China=92=
s
options against Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Japan. There is
every reason to believe, from these moves, that China will support North
Korea if war should break out in the Far East. In the context of a renewe=
d
war, Taiwan would almost certainly be subject to blockade, possibly
sparking a naval action between China and the U.S. This is a dangerous
situation that China seems ready to welcome. (Also, China now supports
Saddam Hussein in the U.N.)

CHINA SEIZES SPRATLY ISLANDS

In the Far East, China has invaded the Spratly Islands, more than 800 mil=
es
from China yet 140 miles from the Philippines. Manila has expressed alarm
that the People=92s Liberation Army is erecting gun and anti-aircraft
emplacements on Mischief Reef.

The Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, Guan Dengming, insisted that
China was merely constructing "shelters for fishermen.=94 But a leading
Philippine official countered this, saying: "We strongly believe a fortre=
ss
is being built.=94

Philippine Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado stated that concrete buildin=
gs
in the Spratlys "are beginning to look more like military structures rath=
er
than the so-called fishermen=92s refuge the Chinese claimed it to be.=94
Mercado further accused China of bullying the Philippines, referring to
recent Chinese moves as "a creeping invasion.=94

ANALYSIS: China=92s invasion of the Spratlys may not be aimed at the
Philippines. The Spratlys lie across a key waterway that is essential to
Taiwan. The concrete structures, aside from the anti-aircraft emplacement=
s,
may be useful to mine-laying operations. The Mischief Reef operation may =
be
the first step toward an eventual blockade of Taiwan, which is heavily
fortified and would probably repel a direct Chinese assault.

Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui, taking note of Beijing=92s attempts to
encircle his small island country, called on his citizens "to raise their
vigilance against the military threat from China.=94

It=92s important to note the Clinton administration has been silent over =
this
audacious move by Beijing. In previous administrations, America would hav=
e
moved with military force to prevent China=92s expansionist plans. The
failure of the United States to confront China in the Spratlys bodes ill
for Taiwan.

Russia and Chinese war preparations are not isolated and involve communis=
t
client states around the world.

SADDAM HAS RENEWED HIS WAR MACHINE

The Iraqi government has stepped up military activity in southern Iraq. T=
he
military governor of the Basra region, a Russian-trained Iraqi general, h=
as
confirmed the arrival of new air-defense weapons, fully acknowledging tha=
t
his orders are to shoot down American planes. On Jan. 26, American
warplanes pounded Iraqi artillery and anti-aircraft positions.

Throughout the second half of January, Iraq deployed troops toward the
Kuwait border. In response, Kuwait has mobilized its army, claiming that
Saddam is about to do something "dramatic.=94 The Iraqi dictator, aside f=
rom
asserting his territorial ambitions against Kuwait, denounced Saudi and
Egyptian leaders as "lackeys and stooges of the U.S.=94

ANALYSIS: Iraq is an old Soviet client state. The country=92s secret poli=
ce
was trained by Yuri Andropov=92s KGB. Its officer corps was trained by th=
e
Russian army. Nearly all of Iraq=92s military equipment is Russian. Russi=
an
Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, a fluent Arabic speaker and longtime
supporter of Saddam Hussein, has intensified Moscow=92s diplomatic and
military support for Saddam.

As Kosovo renews its civil war, as China tightens its noose around Taiwan=
,
as North Korea girds for war, Saddam=92s threat to Kuwait keeps U.S. forc=
es
diverted and occupied. Saddam=92s provocations may be coordinated through
Moscow with the provocations by China, North Korea, and Serbia.

NORTH KOREA=92S EXTREME BEHAVIOR

The North Koreans, close allies of Moscow and Beijing, have recently
declared that "the United States will [soon] be reduced to ashes and will
no longer exist.=94 North Korean headlines from the first week of 1999
proclaimed that "U.S. Imperialist Aggressors Will Be Unable to Avoid
Annihilating Strikes.=94

Another North Korean source stated that the Americans would be wiped "fro=
m
this planet for good.=94 In the New Year=92s message of the North Korean
government, the communists called on their citizens to "love rifles,
earnestly learn military affairs, and turn the whole country into an
impregnable fortress.=94

Kim Myong, an influential North Korean writer and editor who lives in
Tokyo, was quoted as saying: "Maybe there will be a new war. Maybe everyo=
ne
in Tokyo will die.=94

Kongdon On, a North Korean specialist at the Institute for Defense Analys=
is
in Washington, says: "There is...strong frustration among a lot of people
that North Korea is acting very strangely.=94 Han Park, a political scien=
tist
specializing in North Korea at the University of Georgia, also stated: "T=
he
situation will be very, very dangerous in the next few months.=94 South
Korean President Kim Dae-jung, fearing the communist threat, warned his
people to be ready for a surprise attack from the North.

ANALYSIS: North Korea has broken its agreement to desist from developing
nuclear weapons. It is now suspected that North Korea has nuclear
capability, and also has the missiles to deliver nuclear weapons. Able to
threaten Tokyo as well as other Japanese cities with nuclear destruction,
North Korea is now emboldened and may renew its struggle to conquer the
South.

With Chinese and perhaps Russian support, Pyongyang has mobilized its arm=
ed
forces and is now ready to strike. Defectors from the North Korean milita=
ry
have stated that Pyongyang has a plan to conquer South Korea in seven day=
s.
Such a plan, if it exists, probably emphasizes the use of nuclear,
biological, or chemical weapons of mass destruction, since the convention=
al
firepower of the North Korean army (as it now stands) could not readily
defeat the South in such a short time.

CIVIL WAR LOOMS IN KOSOVO

Violence has again erupted between Albanian separatists and Serbian force=
s
in Kosovo, and, despite NATO warnings, the violence shows every sign of
continuing. Russia has openly supported the Serbs, giving out subtle
warnings about a "widened war in Europe.=94

ANALYSIS: More American troops and air units, including a carrier group,
are pinned down. This crisis further stretches American military resource=
s,
and with no end in sight. American ground forces are said to trace their
lines of supply through Hungary, a former Russian satellite with a dubiou=
s
political leadership. This is an awkward position to be in, and with
Russia=92s new belligerent stance we are in no position to challenge the
Serbian communists.

Taking the above items as a whole, a pattern of war preparations and
belligerence is clear. Nations of the old communist bloc are making
provocative moves across the board. With America=92s armed forces at an
all-time postwar low in readiness and strength, it is doubtful we can mee=
t
the challenges that lie ahead.

North Korea and China seem to sense our weakness. And add to this that al=
l
these provocative moves have come during the impeachment trial of Preside=
nt
Clinton.


Read Part 1 Russia and China: A Pattern of Belligerence War Preparations
Continue in Russia.



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fw: European analysts see Iranian hand behind Kosovo conflict
Date: 25 Mar 1999 00:10:32 -0800


-----Original Message-----


>Note from Bill Koenig:
>
>Here is an article from today's World Tribune. The author Steve
>Rodan use to work for the Jerusalem Post.
>
>This is an interesting perspective on the Kosovo situation and
>shows the complexity of this battle.
>
>Reuven Paz, who teaches at Haifa University, is regarded as one of
>Israel=92s leading researchers of radical Islamic movements,
>particularly Hamas. He says Iran and Saudi Arabia view the
>conflicts in Kosovo and Bosnia as that pitting Islam against
>Christianity.
>
>This could also create a situation where the Russians, Chinese and
>the radical Islamic people come against the United States and NATO
>allies?
>
>Will this produce a nuclear showdown with Russia?
>
>As discussed in an earlier e-mail, Russian Prime Minister Primakov
>turned around and went back to Russia to meet with his top military
>officials,  rather than continuing his much needed trip to
>Washington.
>
>************
>
>European analysts see Iranian hand behind Kosovo conflict
>By Steve Rodan
>Today's story link is
>http://www.worldtribune.com/index-newsflash.html
>
>SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
>Wednesday, March 24, 1999
>
>To most in the West, the fighting in Kosovo is the result of an
>oppressive Yugoslav regime that seeks to quell independence for an
>Albanian majority in the province.  But quietly European defense
>and diplomatic representatives regard the Kosovo rebellion as a
>success of radical Islamic states, such as Iran, and groups such as
>that of Osama Bin Laden.
>
>As they see it, Kosovo has become the latest and most significant
>arena for radical Islamic states and groups that seek to widen
>their influence in Europe. Nobody argues that Islamic elements
>fomented the conflicts in the Balkans.  But they say Iran, Saudi
>Arabia and some of their terrorist beneficiaries have exploited the
>fighting to establish a sphere of influence that spans from Greece
>to the Austrian border.
>
>Islamic groups as far away as Pakistan have called for support of
>the fighters in Kosovo. "The type of cruel and oppressive tactics
>followed by Serb aggressors in Kosovo and the Balkans is a
>declaration of war against humanity and the whole Muslim Ummah,"
>the Jamaat Islami, Pakistan, said in a recent statement.
>
>That realization, the diplomats and defense sources say, is why
>European leaders are increasingly hesitant in approving NATO
>strikes against Yugoslavia.
>
>"The gap between the public political rhetoric and the private
>professional discussions is huge," a European defense official
>said. "Europe is beginning to realize that Kosovo is not just about
>a rebellion. It=92s about a growing Iranian attempt to support and
>dominate movements in states in Europe."
>
>Reuven Paz, who teaches at Haifa University, is regarded as one of
>Israel=92s leading researchers of radical Islamic movements,
>particularly Hamas. He says Iran and Saudi Arabia view the
>conflicts in Kosovo and Bosnia as that pitting Islam against
>Christianity.
>
>"All of the Sunni Muslim groups as well as Iran are making lots of
>propaganda for Kosovo and see it as a symbol," Paz said. "As Europe
>tries to unite, there could be a lot more unity between the Muslims
>on the margins of Europe. There is potential that this unity could
>be used in a hostile way."
>
>Western intelligence sources as well as diplomats said the major
>supporter of the Kosovo Liberation Army has been Iran and Islamic
>radicals. They said the Iranian influence began during the Yugoslav
>civil war in which thousands of Islamic fighters, called
>mujahadeen, were brought from Afghanistan to help Bosnian forces.
>
>With the establishment of an independent republic, Iran quickly
>gained control of the government in Sarajevo. The mujahadeen, up to
>7,000 of them, were allowed to stay and many of them married local
>Muslim women. Iran moved it with financial aid to the Muslim
>government that amounted to tens of millions of dollars annually.
>
>By the mid-1990s, Iranian agents established a base in Albania,
>which has not had a central government in nearly a decade. Iranian
>Revolutionary Guards provided weapons, money and training to Kosovo
>rebels. Iranian and Saudi representatives launched charities and
>banks.
>
>>From Albania, Iranian agents moved to Kosovo. In Prizren, Iranian
>envoys formed a society funded by the Iranian Culture Center in
>Belgrade and sent groups of Kosovars to Iran to study militant
>Islam.
>
>By 1998, Iran was smuggling in weapons and fighters, the sources
>said. Commando units entered Kosovo last May to help the KLA. These
>units were comprised of Albanians, Bosnians, Egyptians, Macedonians
>and Saudis.  By August, the Saudis were ordered to leave the units
>and Riyad, strapped financially, reduced financial support to the
>KLA.
>
>"It=92s clear that this is an issue on the Islamic agenda," says Boaz
>Ganor, director of the International Policy Institute of
>Counterterrorism, based in Herzliya, Israel. "This phenomenon is
>marked by waves. First, the mujahadeen were in Afghanistan. Then
>the war ended and they had nothing to do. The Kosovo arena for them
>is both ideological and a source of employment."
>
>The weapons and money have been smuggled from both Albania and
>Bosnia. In December, Croatian authorities said they seized close to
>$1 million of weapons brought from Bosnia that was headed for
>Kosovo. The route for smuggling, regional diplomats say, has been
>the Adriatic Sea.
>
>Other weapons were smuggled in cargo shipments classified as
>humanitarian aid. One such shipment was uncovered by Croatian
>police in the port of Split in September. Several tons of weapons
>and ammunition were stored in crates marked humanitarian aid.
>
>Yugoslav authorities say the weapons include rifles, mortars and
>communications systems made in the United States and Israel.
>
>Today, says the Federation of American Scientists, a prominent
>group of researchers which often consults U.S.  administrations,
>the KLA contains 1,000 mercenaries from Albania, Saudi Arabia,
>Afghanistan, Bosnia, Croatia and Yemen. KLA training camps are in
>four Albanian cities under the influence of former Albanian
>President Sali Berisha.
>Yugoslav officials say the KLA=92s goal is to sever Kosovo from
>Yugoslavia and merge it with Albania. But Western strategists go
>further. They say an Islamic Kosovo could serve as a bridge for an
>Iranian sphere of influence that would soon join Albania in the
>east to Bosnia in the west.  They say Macedonia, which also
>contains a significant Muslim population, would soon succumb to
>Iranian control.
>
>The argument is echoed by KLA representatives themselves in their
>arguments for Muslim support. At the Islamabad conference, a KLA
>envoy, according to a report by the London-based monthly Filistin
>al-Muslimah, "explained the geographical and strategic importance
>of Kosovo in the connection between the Islamic centers of Bosnia,
>Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia."
>
>Quietly, the Iranian element in Kosovo is being discussed in
>Washington, particularly in Congress. Analysts have warned that
>U.S. troops in Kosovo under the NATO umbrella would be more
>vulnerable than ever as Islamic agents would smuggle weapons and
>people from Bosnia and Albania.
>
>"At this point, however, nobody is really listening," a
>congressional analyst says. "The Belgrade government and Milosevic,
>in particular, has been so clumsy in dealing with Kosovo that all
>the real issues have been lost. Everybody is talking about
>Milosevic as the evil man of Europe as if his removal solves
>everything."
>
>The concern of European strategists is that an Iranian sphere of
>influence would do greater damage to such Western countries as
>Britain, France and Germany.  France has about two million Muslims,
>most of them poor and alienated. Britain has about 1.5 million.
>
>"The United States might not realize it, but many European
>countries have serious minority problems," a Central European
>diplomat says. "Once these minorities feel that they can obtain the
>support of NATO, we could see flare-ups everywhere. Nobody really
>knows the answer to Kosovo but many of us feel that giving the KLA
>an air force is the worst solution possible."
>
>
>
>Koenig's International News - Bill Koenig - http://watch.org/
>Post Office Box 671164, Dallas, TX 75367
>________________________________________________________________________
>FishNet: Internet service for business and ministry  http://www.fni.com/
>
>To subscribe or unsubscribe by Web: http://watch.org/watch-news.html
>
>To subscribe to the list send mail to     [e-mail]
>with no subject and a single body line:   subscribe
>To unsubscribe from the list send mail to [e-mail]
>with no subject and a single body line:   unsubscribe
>



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Peter Coombes" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Grade 12 student condemns war
Date: 25 Mar 1999 00:22:18 -0800

The following is an opinion piece by a grade 12 student published on Monday
in The Vancouver Province. A timely article given that NATO has begun its
futile attempt to bomb Yugoslavia to submit to western demands. You can
contact the Province with your letter at fax [phone] or email:
[e-mail], or mail The Province, 200 Granville Street,
Suite 1, Vancouver BC V6C 3N3 Canada. Students like Julie Harwood deserve to
know that people around the world support her efforts.


The Vancouver Province
Monday, March 22, 1999
Youth View

Julie Harwood

"War a poisonous rodent on the landscape of humanity"

Rat.

A common blight running throughout the sewers of time, dirty scum spreading
disease and destruction with every scramble it makes to avoid the truth of
daylight.

What would make a man so desperate that he would eat one of the most
revolting creatures ever to lick the face of this earth?

War has always been portrayed as a romantic and exciting voyage into the
realm of glory, honour and power for any young man who chooses to join the
ranks of its army. Nothing was told to young men of the "splendours" of war:
The starvation, the bloody deaths, the massacring of souls guilty of nothing
but believing the tales of promised heroism and patriotism. Death, in any
sense of the word, was merely an afterthought to those propagandizing
potential recruits; it was the small print of the contract, so to speak.
Millions of valuable lives signed over to be killed - each one another name
added to the growing book of war's true prizes.

One rat, would cause a small amount of damage. One hundred rats, together,
would cause massive destruction. One thousand rats, united in a purpose,
would cause chaos.

Alone, one same human being would cause little troubles. But fighting
against the parts of its own body, the whole of mankind has the power to
cause destruction of itself.

Now the realities of war are being discussed without oppression. Decades
after the Great Wars of this century, truths only known to those initiated
into the secret of fraternity of war have been revealed. It was not only
"the enemy" that struck down the innocent lives of so many young men. There
was starvation, suffocation and exposure too - if you were lucky. If you
weren't so lucky, you ended up permanently crippled with perhaps no left arm
or no right eye. Or else you ended up losing your mind.

What killed many soldiers, though they may still have lived, were the
monstrous psychological problems that occurred from witnessing mass murders,
friends or even enemies being blown apart into bloody bits. Those who
"survived" then felt their bodies start to wither away slowly, so that they
couldn't stand it. That is why men ate rats.

What should we be learning about war today? Definitely not its glory, its
heroism, or its romance. Now that we know the truth we can never go back -
but we do.

Why is it that we still go to war, fighting like violent siblings over
issues that could easily be resolved over brunch and a cup of coffee? Maybe
that is an exaggeration, but then again, so is war. It is the most extreme
tactic of problem-solving; the one that all "great" leaders of our time seem
to jump to if they cannot fix the problems when they want to.

We have a slogan today: "Violence is not the answer."

Maybe we should take our own advice.

Why is that after learning all this of war young men still willingly and
excitedly join the army to serve our great country or any other country?
Because the propaganda is still alive. We have not killed the same lies that
attracted young men all those decades ago and throughout history. Somehow,
those promises of recognition overpower those of death and dying, of being
crippled and scarred both physically and mentally.

It is one of the greatest faults of humankind: Vanity.

War is not fought over what it is said to be fought over. It is fought for
prestige, for dominance, for some secret fantasy of our "leaders."

That is what we should be learning about war. We should be learning about
why we really have it so we can prevent it. It makes no sense to fight a war
for the future good of our world if we have to kill off one-third of the
population to do so.

Rats cannot be prevented. An infestation can be controlled by an expert, but
we cannot seem to completely exterminate them. They keep coming back. Just
like the ugly demon-head of war.

Rats show their beady little eyes when exposed to light. So does war when
compared to reality. Demon eyes.

Rats are some of the most despicable creatures on this Earth. War is one of
the most abhorrent sides of human nature.

Mankind ate rats.

It also swallowed war.


Julie Harwood is a Grade 12 student at H.J. Cambie secondary in Richmond.
British Columbia Canada.


Letter to the editor from Peter Coombes
In praise of Julie Harwood
Currently unpublished

Dear editor,

On Monday I was inspired and intellectually challenged by Julie Harwood's
opinion piece in The Province "War a poisonous rodent on the landscape of
humanity." Not only is Harwood an excellent writer but she demonstrates a
keen sense of insight into the horrors of war and its political failures.

As the western world once again prepares to bomb Kosovo Harwood's statements
ring a resounding truth. Few will ask the real questions: why are we bombing
Kosovo and what will we accomplish? We know Chretien's motivation to support
NATO bombings are less then honourable and Clinton's need to bomb are even
more suspect.

As Harwood said: "War is not fought over what it is said to be fought over.
It is fought for prestige, for dominance, for some secret fantasy of our
'leaders.'" Bombing Kosovo is no exception. The ten year unspoken war
against Iraq is the epitome of a power struggle. In either case it is the
civilian population who will suffer the most.

Harwood, a grade 12 student, may have demonstrated that the generation gap
has never been greater. The boomer generation should blush. Representing
them is Bill Clinton's "B-52" foreign policy diplomacy against Khartoum,
Afghanistan, Iraq and Yugoslavia. And, across Canada newspaper editors,
predominately boomers, not only dismiss calls for nuclear weapons abolition
by Robert McNamara and Retired General Lee Butler, but they also shun any
positive moves toward "no first use of nuclear weapons."

I suspect that Julie Harwood's sensible, practical and humane opinion is
representative of her whole generation and that one day soon she and her
peers will begin dismantling the oppression of war. Thank you Julie Harwood.

Sincerely yours,
Peter Coombes
President of End the Arms Race




-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Norm and Karen Cohen <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) kossovo statement
Date: 25 Mar 1999 09:46:44 -0500

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------6FD4AD48EF9E67CB80E533E1
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
X-MIME-Autoconverted: from 8bit to quoted-printable by smtp-out1.bellatlantic.net id JAA04672

Attached is our statement on the bombing of Yugoslavia and Kossovo

Norm Cohen

--
  >
Coalition for Peace and Justice
UNPLUG Salem Campaign
PO Box 2344, Cape May, NJ 08204
609-886-7988 or 609-889-8667


=93Not a mile from here are people living 10 to a room, and few streets
further on
they=92re sleeping in doorways and boxes, some of them children.........
-Paul Kantner, Shadowlands

=93We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for victims of
our nation, and for those it calls enemy, for no document from human
hands can make these humans any less
our brothers=94
-Martin Luther King, 1967, Riverside Church


--------------6FD4AD48EF9E67CB80E533E1
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1;
 name="kossovo.txt"
Content-Disposition: inline;
 filename="kossovo.txt"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
X-MIME-Autoconverted: from 8bit to quoted-printable by smtp-out1.bellatlantic.net id JAA04672

                                              COALITION FOR PEACE AND JUSTIC=
E
                                      PO BOX 2344, CAPE MAY, NJ 08204
                                      609-886-7988/889-8667              =
   [e-mail]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
03/25/99

             LOCAL PEACE GROUP DEMANDS END TO BOMBING OF KOSSOVO

    The Steering Committee of the Coalition for Peace and Justice met Wed=
nesday night and agreed to issue the following position statement on the =
US bombing of Serbia and Kossovo:
      The US and the world community often seems to wait until a crisis g=
ets to a such a critical state that military force appears to be the only=
 option left for the United States to pursue if our country is to have an=
y influence in ending a crisis such as Kossovo. What is tragic is that or=
dinary Serbia and Kossovar citizens are the ones who are suffering and wi=
ll suffer from this conflict. Bombing Serbia and Kossovo will have the sa=
me effect as bombing Iraq: the deaths of innocent civilians.
   As a peace and justice organization we do not condone Serbia=92s atroc=
ities towards the Albanian Kossovors, and Serbia=92s removal of autonomy =
for Kossovo. We oppose the continuation of a Serbian police state in Koss=
ovo. By the same token, however, we cannot condone the actions taken by t=
he Kossovo Liberation Army, from guerrilla terrorism to now outright war.=
 We also do not condone the use of force by the United States and its NAT=
O surrogate in a vain attempt to stop the civil war in Serbia and Kossovo=
. Using war to stop war is not the answer.
     This situation illustrates the danger of having the United States ac=
t as a unilateral =93world=92s policeman=94. It shows the need for the wo=
rld to move in the direction of a democratically controlled United Nation=
s police force able to defend UN humanitarian missions and able to arrest=
 international criminals such as the Serbian leader.
    In the short term we urge the President Clinton and Congress to halt =
this fruitless bombing campaign that will only result in the deaths of ci=
vilians and US servicemen and women. We urge Serbia and the KLA to agree =
to an immediate cease-fire. We urge the UN to bring humanitarian relief t=
o Kossovo for the hundreds of thousands of innocent refugees. And we urge=
 a renewal of intensive diplomatic effort by the world community, and esp=
ecially by Russia, to convince Serbia to agree to a cease-fire and to neg=
otiate in good faith. We urge that the embargo against Serbia be strength=
ened, and that the international community speak as one in condemning atr=
ocities and violence on all sides of this conflict.
     As we enter the new millennium, the world must find solutions to con=
flicts between countries and within countries that are non-violent soluti=
ons. It would be a tragedy to bring war and violence, the worst legacy of=
 the 20th century, into a new millennium.

Written by:  Norm Cohen, Executive Director - 609-886-7988
                   David Alcantera, Co-Chair  -         609-485-0114
                   Chuck Melchior, Legislative Chair - 609-652-9078=20


--------------6FD4AD48EF9E67CB80E533E1--


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Norm and Karen Cohen <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) protests against yogoslav bombing
Date: 25 Mar 1999 09:43:48 -0500



Jim Kleissler wrote:

> >>March 24, 1999
> >>
> >>Attention: Assignment Editor
> >>Press Contact: Brian Becker, Deirdre Sinnott
> >>For: Immediate Release
> >>
> >>ANTI-WAR PROTESTS AGAINST U.S. BOMBING OF YUGOSLAVIA WILL
> >>TAKE PLACE SATURDAY, 12 NOON, STARTING AT GRAND CENTRAL
> >>STATION IN NEW YORK CITY
> >>NATIONALLY COORDINATED PROTESTS WILL BE HELD SATURDAY,
> >>MARCH 27 IN CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
> >>
> >>Hundreds of demonstrators protested in New York City, Los Angeles, Sa=
n
> >>Francisco, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Portland, Minneapolis, and in
> >>other cities within hours after the beginning of the bombing of
> >>Yugoslavia by U.S./NATO forces.  There will be a follow-up
> >>demonstration on Saturday, March 27th in New York City at 12 noon tha=
t
> >>will march from Grand Central Station to Union Square.
> >>
> >>Holding signs reading "Stop the Bombing of Yugoslavia,"
> >>"Bring U.S. Troops and Warplanes Home Now," and chanting
> >>"Money for Jobs, Not for War," several hundreds
> >>protesters organized by the International Action Center
> >>marched in front of Grand Central Station today at 5 pm.
> >>
> >>"This bombing is a gross violation of international law
> >>and is part of a larger effort by the U.S., German, and
> >>other NATO powers to dismember the socialist republic of
> >>Yugoslavia," said Sara Flounders, Co-Director of the
> >>International Action Center.  "As in Iraq, the White
> >>House and Pentagon war propaganda machine is demonizing
> >>Yugoslav leader Milosevich, portraying him as begin
> >>politically akin to Adolf Hitler.
> >>
> >>"The truth is that there has been brutality on all sides
> >>of the civil war in Yugoslavia.  In fact, the biggest
> >>ethnic cleansing that took place was directed against
> >>100,000 Serbs living in Croatia in 1995.  The war against
> >>the Serbs in Croatia took place under the direction of
> >>retired U.S. military officers.  This exposes the
> >>hypocrisy of Clinton's crocodile tears for the Albanian
> >>people in Kosovo.  The U.S. is using ethnic groups as a
> >>pawn in a larger effort to dismember Yugoslavia and place
> >>resource-rich, strategic territories under the direct
> >>military domination of the U.S.," Flounders said.
> >>
> >>The war and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, like the war
> >>against Iraq, is part of the post-Soviet world strategy
> >>of Washington.  By employing military force coupled with
> >>economic sanctions and an expanding number of U.S.
> >>military bases, the U.S. government seeks to thoroughly
> >>dominate strategic areas.  It wants to overthrow and
> >>eliminate any government that resists U.S. military and
> >>economic domination.
> >>
> >>People in the United States are demanding that the
> >>billions of dollars spent on wars of aggression instead
> >>be spent on jobs, housing, education, child care, and
> >>housing.
> >>
> >>                      --30_
> >>
> >>
> >>A Flyer for distribution at demonstrations.
> >>
> >>STOP THE BOMBING OF YUGOSLAVIA!
> >>MONEY FOR JOBS & EDUCATION, NOT WAR!
> >>
> >>The U.S. government has again decided to carry out
> >>the massive bombing of a sovereign country.  Today,
> >>thousands of bombs and missiles began crashing down on
> >>the people of Yugoslavia.  For the last two months, U.S.
> >>air force planes and cruise missiles have been carrying
> >>out a similar reign of terror against the people of Iraq.
> >>
> >>Clinton portrays this bombing as a humanitarian
> >>gesture on behalf of the Albanian national minority that
> >>resides in Kosovar, a region of Yugoslavia.  That is a
> >>lie.  It is war propaganda designed to justify and
> >>conceal the real objective of this war of aggression.
> >>
> >>Yugoslavia, like Iraq, is a regional power in a
> >>strategic area that the Pentagon and Wall Street
> >>corporations seek to dominate.  The Yugoslav government
> >>is presented as being akin to Adolf Hitler.  This is the
> >>same rhetoric that is reserved for Saddam Hussein in Iraq
> >>and Manuel Noriega earlier in Panama.
> >>
> >>The truth is that these governments have in one way
> >>or another resisted the designs of the U.S. military and
> >>economic establishment to turn their countries into semi-
> >>colonies ruled by puppet governments.
> >>
> >>The U.S. government says it speaks on behalf of all
> >>of the people of this country when it carries out this
> >>war.  But working people need to consider who the U.S.
> >>government really represent.  It is the biggest
> >>corporations and banks that call the shots.  Clinton or
> >>George Bush before him are simply the paid politicians
> >>who do the bidding of corporate America.
> >>
> >>Is it conceivable that the worldwide political
> >>agenda of corporate America is motivated by humanitarian
> >>concerns?  These corporations care about two things only:
> >>profits and super profits.  IBM, Exxon, Bankers' Trust,
> >>and General Motors are willing to lay off thousands of
> >>workers in the United States in order to open up new
> >>factories and operations in the Third World and in the
> >>territories that used to belong to the Soviet Union.
> >>
> >>Corporate America doesn't give a damn about the
> >>lives of working people, especially people of color, who
> >>suffer from racism, discrimination, and police brutality.
> >>
> >>If corporate America and the White House want to
> >>fight on behalf of national minority peoples, they could
> >>declare a war against racism right here at home.
> >>Instead, they are tearing up affirmative action
> >>agreements and civil rights gains while protecting racist
> >>police forces that function as a virtual occupation army
> >>inside Black and Latino neighborhoods inside the United
> >>States.
> >>
> >>We were lied to about the Vietnam War.  Millions of
> >>young men and women in the U.S. armed forces were sent to
> >>kill and be killed.  Who dies in these wars?  It is
> >>working class youth who are asked to be cannon fodder,
> >>but the Pentagon wars serve only the interests of the
> >>biggest corporations.
> >>
> >>We are demonstrating today to demand that the U.S.
> >>stop bombing the working people of Yugoslavia and to
> >>oppose any U.S./NATO army of occupation in Yugoslavia.
> >>We want money for jobs, education, day care, housing, not
> >>for wars of aggression.
> >>
> >>Demonstrate, Saturday, March 27, 12 noon, Grand Central
> >>Station, 42nd Street and Park Avenue.
> >>
> >>International Action Center
> >>39 West 14th St.
> >>#206, NY, NY 10011
> >>212-633-6646   fax [phone]
> >>http://www.iacenter.org
> >>
> >>end
>
>                 To unsubscribe from SEAC+REGION13, send a letter to:
>                 [e-mail] with the
>                 subject unsubscribe. If you have problems, please write
>                 to: [e-mail]

--
  >
Coalition for Peace and Justice
UNPLUG Salem Campaign
PO Box 2344, Cape May, NJ 08204
609-886-7988 or 609-889-8667


=93Not a mile from here are people living 10 to a room, and few streets
further on
they=92re sleeping in doorways and boxes, some of them children.........
-Paul Kantner, Shadowlands

=93We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for victims of=
 our
nation, and for those it calls enemy, for no document from human hands ca=
n
make these humans any less
our brothers=94
-Martin Luther King, 1967, Riverside Church





-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Stephen Young <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Russia, China, Korea, Iraq, Serbia:  WWIII?
Date: 25 Mar 1999 10:42:21 -0500

Again, this is largely paraniod crap, filled with distortions and half-truths.
Most significantly, Russia has been conducting exactly the same kind of nuclear
tests that the US has - subcritical tests. Not the full-scale tests that would
be necessary to develop and deploy a new tactical nuclear weapon.

Also, again, however, this does not mean that the situation is not extremely
dangerous, and that the world may be headed to a unexpected confrontation. It
just won't be an all-out surprise Russian attack.

Stephen Young
BASIC

David Crockett Williams wrote:

> >From NewsMax.CoM
>
> NewsMax Home ╖ Archives ╖ Inside Cover ╖ TalkMax ╖ Liners ╖ Comment Max ╖
> News Links ╖ Contact Us!
>
> Russia and China: A Pattern of Belligerence û Part 1
> J.R. NyquistMarch 23, 1999
>
> War Preparations Continue in Russia
>
> All around the globe, a pattern of belligerence toward the United States
> and her allies is emerging: from the Korean peninsula down through the
> Spratly Islands near the Philippines, enveloping Taiwan, then reappearing
> in Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Balkans.
>
> The rhetoric from Beijing, Moscow, Belgrade, Pyongyang, and Baghdad
> suggests possible coordination. Forward military deployments by China,
> Iraq, Serbia, and Russia, together with sinister construction projects and
> major troop movements, have been noted in East Asia, the Pacific, and the
> Middle East.
>
> In the past month, numerous developments have taken place in Russia that
> suggest war preparations:
>
> RUSSIA CREATES UNIFIED COMMAND OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
>
> In January, the Russian General Staff announced that all of the countryÆs
> nuclear forces -- Strategic Rocket Forces, submarine-based weaponry, and
> nukes on their strategic bombers -- would now be placed under one command.
>
> ANALYSIS: This development was widely reported in Russia and by the
> Associated Press. The AP story indicated bafflement that Russia, in the
> middle of economic problems, would be reorganizing its armed forces,
> especially the nuclear forces. But this development fits the thesis that
> Russia is, in fact, preparing for war.
>
> In war, the principle of "unity of commandö is considered crucial. By
> moving to unify nuclear command, the Russian armed forces can now better
> coordinate a nuclear surprise attack involving all nuclear service
> branches, obviating the friction of interservice rivalry. In a strictly
> defensive situation, centralization of the nuclear forces is unnecessary,
> even counterproductive. Decentralization is better for defense.
>
> However, this is not true for attack. Coordinating an effective, disarming
> first strike requires a high degree of control and coordination, which a
> unified nuclear command facilitates. This move, coupled with the fact
> Russia has been moving its strategic warheads onto submarines in the past
> six months, should be viewed with alarm.
>
> TOP GENERALS RESIGN FROM STRATEGIC ROCKET FORCES
>
> In the second half of January, the commander of RussiaÆs Strategic Rocket
> Forces, Col.-Gen. Vladimir Yakovlev, resigned his post together with his
> three chief deputies, allegedly throwing RussiaÆs nuclear forces into
> disarray.
>
> After taking this unprecedented action, Yakovlev stated that the reason for
> his resignation was a personality conflict with Gen. Sokolov, the commander
> of RussiaÆs early-warning service.
>
> ANALYSIS: According to Col. Stanislav Lunev, ranking defector from the Main
> Intelligence Directorate of the Russian General Staff, YakovlevÆs
> retirement was planned some time ago.
>
> "They already have civilian jobs waiting for them,ö Lunev said. "There will
> be no disruption of the rocket forces.ö
>
> Lunev believes the resignations stem from the reorganization of RussiaÆs
> nuclear forces under a single chief, but he nonetheless admits that
> Yakovlev and his deputies are hard-liners and careerists. After closer
> analysis, it is difficult to argue that they would resign in protest over a
> measure they themselves long advocated, as they were supporters and
> proteges of Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev, the man most responsible for
> the reorganization of the nuclear forces.
>
> There are serious inconsistencies here that must not be passed over. Why
> did Yakovlev and his deputies resign? Has a secret nuclear command center
> been established? A centralized nuclear command would have to create
> alternate command posts in several bunkers, with many capable general
> officers at the ready.
>
> Were these resignations made in protest over the reorganization of RussiaÆs
> nuclear forces, or were they part of the reorganization itself?
>
> RUSSIAÆS NORTHERN FLEET PUT ON ALERT
>
> When President Clinton bombed Iraq in December, Moscow put its Northern
> Fleet on alert. This curious move, which makes no sense in terms of
> reacting to a Middle East crisis, and coming at a supposed time of reduced
> superpower tensions, has serious implications that ought to be explored.
>
> ANALYSIS: Prior to a surprise nuclear attack on the United States, it is
> believed the Russians would attempt to put most of their nuclear missile
> submarines to sea. Therefore, the question that must be asked is whether
> the Russians used the alert to deploy their missile submarine forces.
> Despite what some analysts might say, any large-scale deployment to sea is
> a red flag.
>
> The Northern Fleet contains the lionÆs share of RussiaÆs naval strike
> capability, and any alerting of that fleet needs to be carefully
> scrutinized. In fact, any Russian fleet alert should be answered by a
> comparable U.S. fleet alert. It is alarming in and of itself that the
> United States did not respond in kind.
>
> RUSSIANS CONTINUE NUKE TESTING
>
> The Russians have abandoned the agreement to forgo underground nuclear
> tests. They have admitted to testing three tactical nuclear warheads in
> recent weeks. These are part of a new generation of tactical nuclear
> weapons that the Russian armed forces have developed.
>
> In addition, during the period of the agreed suspension of underground
> tests, there have been suspicious earthquakes in Russia with signatures
> characteristic of strategic nuclear tests.
>
> ANALYSIS: Nuclear readiness requires the occasional testing of nuclear
> warheads. New, more efficient weapons must be tested before they are
> deployed to the armed forces. The United States has not tested its nuclear
> stockpile in several years, while the Russians have been testing their
> weapons.
>
> The importance of tactical nuclear weapons to the Russians lies in the fact
> that these cannot be kept track of by arms control specialists. The START
> agreements require Russia to destroy the bulk of its strategic nuclear
> stockpiles, which cannot be hidden.
>
> But tactical nuclear weapons have a number of advantages over strategic
> ones. First and foremost, they are more efficient in terms of their use of
> nuclear fuel. Also, tactical nuclear weapons can be packed into ICBMs,
> bombers, fighter-bombers, or artillery units, making them the most
> versatile type of nuclear weapon.
>
> Last, but not least, tactical nuclear weapons can be delivered as a
> cluster, which is a more effective means for destroying large urban areas,
> and obviates the terms of the START treaties, which call for the
> elimination of multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicles (MIRVs).
>
> THE RUSSIANS LIE ABOUT THEIR READINESS
>
> The chief of the Russian General Staff, Anatoly Kvashin, a hardened
> professional known for his stony silence, now claims that Russia has halved
> its western military deployments, reducing its strike capability near
> Finland. On Jan. 11, Kvashin stated: "We have extremely low defense
> readiness.ö
>
> ANALYSIS: These are curious words from an ordinarily obsessive, secretive,
> and paranoid functionary. Such a pronouncement is uncharacteristic and
> probably deceptive. Throughout history, when Russian forces have been weak
> or unready, no Russian general officer would dare to acknowledge the fact.
> Such acknowledgment, under normal conditions, would lead to immediate
> dismissal.
>
> Russian military doctrine pays close attention to the dictum of Sun Tzu,
> the ancient Chinese strategist, who said: "All warfare is based on
> deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our
> forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy
> believe we are away. ... Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign
> disorder, and crush him.ö
>
> If Russia is really moving troops off its border with Europe, as well as
> troops away from its Chinese border, where are the troops being relocated?
>
> UNPRECEDENTED SLAUGHTER OF RUSSIAN FUR ANIMALS
>
> Russia and Belarus have large collective farms dedicated to the breeding of
> polar foxes and minks. Russia is the worldÆs largest fur consumer, annually
> buying 40 percent of the furs produced worldwide. But now, Russian
> officials claim that demand has stalled, and they are slaughtering their
> fox and mink herds because they cannot afford to feed them.
>
> Slaughter is normal at the onset of winter, of course, but this slaughter
> is of unprecedented numbers of animals. At the same time, Russia is
> importing fur from China, as well as coats, jackets, and boots. If Russian
> demand has stalled and the market for furs is flooded, why the imports?
>
> ANALYSIS: Wherever we see an inconsistency in RussiaÆs economy, we have to
> think twice. In World War II, Russian spies infiltrated all of the sheep
> ranches in Europe. Their mission: to watch and see if sheep were being
> sheared for 5 million sheepskin coats. Soviet military intelligence
> reasoned that if Hitler intended to invade Russia, he would need heavy
> winter clothing for his troops. The shearing of the sheep would be a dead
> giveaway.
>
> Unfortunately for Hitler, he did not make the 5 million coats. And though
> he caught Soviet military intelligence off guard, his troops in Russia
> suffered frostbite and amputations once winter began. In fact, one of the
> medals struck for German soldiers during 1941-42 was called "The Order of
> the Frozen Meat.ö
>
> Logistical preparations are a necessary part of war. National leaders
> ignore such preparations at great peril. In this context, what are we to
> make of this huge increase in the production and importation of furs and
> uniform clothing in Russia?
>
> While this activity could indicate Russian economic miscalculation, one has
> to wonder why the fur herds were increased to such a size to begin with.
> Since these fur farms are state-controlled, an increase in production
> suggests an increase in projected consumption. But as civilian consumption
> has remained steady, the obvious conclusion is that somebody in Moscow was
> anticipating a huge increase in the militaryÆs demand for winter clothing.
> With the aforesaid cover story of a collapsed market, Moscow might well
> mask a planned troop mobilization of very large dimensions. If Russia
> called up her reserves either before or after a nuclear exchange, she would
> need winter coats, boots, and headgear (even if the attack took place in
> warm weather).
>
> RussiaÆs soldiers may have to confront winter weather conditions in North
> America if Russian military doctrine is followed. This doctrine calls for
> an invasion of America. Always cognizant of history, the Russian General
> Staff is well aware of HitlerÆs mistake in World War II and would never
> repeat that mistake in World War III.
>
> As Russia openly makes moves for war, its new partner, China, has been
> taking equally dramatic steps. Coming Wednesday: Part 2 -- Chinese Premier
> Calls For Nuclear War Preparations
>
> Russia and China: A Pattern of Belligerence û Part 2
> J.R. NyquistMarch 23, 1999
>
> ChinaÆs Clenched Fist
>
> As Russia openly makes moves for war, its new partner, China, has been
> taking equally dramatic steps.
>
> CHINESE PREMIER CALLS FOR NUCLEAR WAR PREPARATIONS
>
> On Jan. 8, as if to prepare his people for war, Chinese President Jiang
> Zemin laid out the mission of the PeopleÆs Liberation Army in a speech: "We
> must resolutely safeguard the unity of the motherland and the nationÆs
> territorial integrity.ö
>
> Unity, of course, is the war cry of the Communists against Taiwan. Jiang
> also warned that the Chinese PeopleÆs Liberation Army must prepare itself
> for nuclear war.
>
> Soon thereafter, China conducted military exercises in which Chinese
> nuclear forces practiced targeting American troops in the Far East.
>
> At the same time, the PeopleÆs Republic announced radical changes in
> military policy. The Chinese air force was placed on "offensive modeö as
> opposed to "defensive mode,ö and ChinaÆs army doctrine was altered to one
> of global warfighting.
>
> China has also begun centralizing the distribution of supplies for all
> branches of the military in what the official media calls the biggest
> streamlining effort in 50 years. In this context, ChinaÆs new "strategic
> partnershipö with the Russian Federation takes on sinister ramifications.
> China is also backing North Korea in its dispute with the U.S. alliance.
>
> ANALYSIS: China is making serious war preparations. This enhances ChinaÆs
> options against Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Japan. There is
> every reason to believe, from these moves, that China will support North
> Korea if war should break out in the Far East. In the context of a renewed
> war, Taiwan would almost certainly be subject to blockade, possibly
> sparking a naval action between China and the U.S. This is a dangerous
> situation that China seems ready to welcome. (Also, China now supports
> Saddam Hussein in the U.N.)
>
> CHINA SEIZES SPRATLY ISLANDS
>
> In the Far East, China has invaded the Spratly Islands, more than 800 miles
> from China yet 140 miles from the Philippines. Manila has expressed alarm
> that the PeopleÆs Liberation Army is erecting gun and anti-aircraft
> emplacements on Mischief Reef.
>
> The Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, Guan Dengming, insisted that
> China was merely constructing "shelters for fishermen.ö But a leading
> Philippine official countered this, saying: "We strongly believe a fortress
> is being built.ö
>
> Philippine Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado stated that concrete buildings
> in the Spratlys "are beginning to look more like military structures rather
> than the so-called fishermenÆs refuge the Chinese claimed it to be.ö
> Mercado further accused China of bullying the Philippines, referring to
> recent Chinese moves as "a creeping invasion.ö
>
> ANALYSIS: ChinaÆs invasion of the Spratlys may not be aimed at the
> Philippines. The Spratlys lie across a key waterway that is essential to
> Taiwan. The concrete structures, aside from the anti-aircraft emplacements,
> may be useful to mine-laying operations. The Mischief Reef operation may be
> the first step toward an eventual blockade of Taiwan, which is heavily
> fortified and would probably repel a direct Chinese assault.
>
> Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui, taking note of BeijingÆs attempts to
> encircle his small island country, called on his citizens "to raise their
> vigilance against the military threat from China.ö
>
> ItÆs important to note the Clinton administration has been silent over this
> audacious move by Beijing. In previous administrations, America would have
> moved with military force to prevent ChinaÆs expansionist plans. The
> failure of the United States to confront China in the Spratlys bodes ill
> for Taiwan.
>
> Russia and Chinese war preparations are not isolated and involve communist
> client states around the world.
>
> SADDAM HAS RENEWED HIS WAR MACHINE
>
> The Iraqi government has stepped up military activity in southern Iraq. The
> military governor of the Basra region, a Russian-trained Iraqi general, has
> confirmed the arrival of new air-defense weapons, fully acknowledging that
> his orders are to shoot down American planes. On Jan. 26, American
> warplanes pounded Iraqi artillery and anti-aircraft positions.
>
> Throughout the second half of January, Iraq deployed troops toward the
> Kuwait border. In response, Kuwait has mobilized its army, claiming that
> Saddam is about to do something "dramatic.ö The Iraqi dictator, aside from
> asserting his territorial ambitions against Kuwait, denounced Saudi and
> Egyptian leaders as "lackeys and stooges of the U.S.ö
>
> ANALYSIS: Iraq is an old Soviet client state. The countryÆs secret police
> was trained by Yuri AndropovÆs KGB. Its officer corps was trained by the
> Russian army. Nearly all of IraqÆs military equipment is Russian. Russian
> Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, a fluent Arabic speaker and longtime
> supporter of Saddam Hussein, has intensified MoscowÆs diplomatic and
> military support for Saddam.
>
> As Kosovo renews its civil war, as China tightens its noose around Taiwan,
> as North Korea girds for war, SaddamÆs threat to Kuwait keeps U.S. forces
> diverted and occupied. SaddamÆs provocations may be coordinated through
> Moscow with the provocations by China, North Korea, and Serbia.
>
> NORTH KOREAÆS EXTREME BEHAVIOR
>
> The North Koreans, close allies of Moscow and Beijing, have recently
> declared that "the United States will [soon] be reduced to ashes and will
> no longer exist.ö North Korean headlines from the first week of 1999
> proclaimed that "U.S. Imperialist Aggressors Will Be Unable to Avoid
> Annihilating Strikes.ö
>
> Another North Korean source stated that the Americans would be wiped "from
> this planet for good.ö In the New YearÆs message of the North Korean
> government, the communists called on their citizens to "love rifles,
> earnestly learn military affairs, and turn the whole country into an
> impregnable fortress.ö
>
> Kim Myong, an influential North Korean writer and editor who lives in
> Tokyo, was quoted as saying: "Maybe there will be a new war. Maybe everyone
> in Tokyo will die.ö
>
> Kongdon On, a North Korean specialist at the Institute for Defense Analysis
> in Washington, says: "There is...strong frustration among a lot of people
> that North Korea is acting very strangely.ö Han Park, a political scientist
> specializing in North Korea at the University of Georgia, also stated: "The
> situation will be very, very dangerous in the next few months.ö South
> Korean President Kim Dae-jung, fearing the communist threat, warned his
> people to be ready for a surprise attack from the North.
>
> ANALYSIS: North Korea has broken its agreement to desist from developing
> nuclear weapons. It is now suspected that North Korea has nuclear
> capability, and also has the missiles to deliver nuclear weapons. Able to
> threaten Tokyo as well as other Japanese cities with nuclear destruction,
> North Korea is now emboldened and may renew its struggle to conquer the
> South.
>
> With Chinese and perhaps Russian support, Pyongyang has mobilized its armed
> forces and is now ready to strike. Defectors from the North Korean military
> have stated that Pyongyang has a plan to conquer South Korea in seven days.
> Such a plan, if it exists, probably emphasizes the use of nuclear,
> biological, or chemical weapons of mass destruction, since the conventional
> firepower of the North Korean army (as it now stands) could not readily
> defeat the South in such a short time.
>
> CIVIL WAR LOOMS IN KOSOVO
>
> Violence has again erupted between Albanian separatists and Serbian forces
> in Kosovo, and, despite NATO warnings, the violence shows every sign of
> continuing. Russia has openly supported the Serbs, giving out subtle
> warnings about a "widened war in Europe.ö
>
> ANALYSIS: More American troops and air units, including a carrier group,
> are pinned down. This crisis further stretches American military resources,
> and with no end in sight. American ground forces are said to trace their
> lines of supply through Hungary, a former Russian satellite with a dubious
> political leadership. This is an awkward position to be in, and with
> RussiaÆs new belligerent stance we are in no position to challenge the
> Serbian communists.
>
> Taking the above items as a whole, a pattern of war preparations and
> belligerence is clear. Nations of the old communist bloc are making
> provocative moves across the board. With AmericaÆs armed forces at an
> all-time postwar low in readiness and strength, it is doubtful we can meet
> the challenges that lie ahead.
>
> North Korea and China seem to sense our weakness. And add to this that all
> these provocative moves have come during the impeachment trial of President
> Clinton.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Read Part 1 Russia and China: A Pattern of Belligerence War Preparations
> Continue in Russia.
>
> -
>  To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
>  with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the 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 "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) FWD: Nuclear Dump Opening
Date: 25 Mar 1999 12:12:00 -0500

>Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 11:15:00 -0500
>Subject: FWD: Nuclear Dump Opening
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>=====================================
>   Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy Project
>=====================================
>===== Original Message from APIERSMA@CITIZEN (Auke Piersma) at 3/25/99
>10:23
>am
>Folks,
>
>The following message is from a close ally of CMEP and we fully support
>their effort to prevent the opening of a nuclear waste dump in New Mexico
>for a special type of defense waste. Please call the Secretary of Energy
>today and voice your opposition to dumping nuclear waste in an unstable
>and unsafe site.
>
>_________________________________________________
>
>From: Alliance for Nuclear Accountability
>
>We are trying to pull out all the stops on this one.  They are actually
>planning on loading TRU (transuranic, - plutonium contaminated waste) in
>the WIPP facility in New Mexico tomorrow.  (For those just tuning in, WIPP
>is a dump facility, first dreamed up by DOE in the 1950's, which would bury
>TRU waste in salt domes.  The area contains significant mineral resources
>which could be mined by future, unsuspecting residents.  Additionally the
>site is not stable and rooms have collapsed and it has been unable to meet
>radiation release standards.)  We have been fighting this facility for
>decades, and if they succeed in loading waste into the facility, it would
>be a huge loss for all of us working on protecting the environment.  It
>also is being opened in advance of a required State permit licensing the
>facility.  So if you are working on States' Rights, this is for you also!
>DOE promised they wouldn't ship waste until they had the State permit, but
>DOE promises are useless.
>
>Please take a moment to place a call or drop in a fax to Energy Secretary
>Richardson and tell him to stop this shipment!  I know you all are busy,
>but I urge you to take 5 and do this now!  It may be your only chance.
>
>alert included, also attached in formatted version.
>Thanks,
>Maureen
>please also forward this email to any who might help.
>
>EMERGENCY ACTION ALERT!
>
>CALL OR FAX SECRETARY RICHARDSON TODAY!
>PH: 202-586-6210          FAX: [phone]
>
>STOP WIPP!  STOP NUCLEAR WASTE!
>
>March 24, 1999 -
>The Department of Energy plans to ship nuclear waste to the Waste Isolation
>Pilot Plant in New Mexico starting as early as this evening!  DOE plans to
>load waste into this facility even though the State has not granted a
>license to operate the facility, and numerous studies have shown that it is
>not safe.
>
>DOE plans to load transuranic (plutonium contaminated) waste from the Los
>Alamos Lab into the WIPP facility tomorrow, even though DOE has promised in
>the past it would not send waste there until the State of New Mexico had
>licensed the facility.  They plan to ship more waste from Idaho in the next
>few weeks.  Opening this waste dump over the objections of the State, the
>people, and common sense spells a dangerous new era in which nuclear waste
>expediency runs roughshod over environmental and social justice concerns.
>
>THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW!
>THIS IS A TURNING POINT, WHAT HAPPENS IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS CAN AFFECT ALL
>OUR WORK ON NUCLEAR WASTE!
>
>CALL OR FAX SECRETARY RICHARDSON
>PH: 202-586-6210          FAX: [phone]
>
>
>TELL HIM YOU DON'T WANT WASTE TO GO TO WIPP!  TELL HIM NOT TO DESTROY
>STATES' RIGHTS!
>
>
>For further information contact: Alliance for Nuclear Accountability at
>202-833-4668.
>===== Comments by CLIFFORD@CITIZEN (Kieran Clifford) at 3/25/99 11:14 am
>
>
>Kieran Clifford
>Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy Project
>202-546-4996, ext.324
>Visit our website: http://www.citizen.org/cmep
>
>Questions about the CMEP-list can be directed to [e-mail]
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Bob Tiller <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) e-mail address
Date: 25 Mar 1999 12:57:42 -0500

Friends,

I can no longer receive e-mail sent to either of these addresses:
    [e-mail]
    [e-mail]

From now on you will have to use:
    [e-mail]

Shalom,
Bob Tiller, Physicians for Social Responsibility

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Report says Russia asked to deploy nukes in wake of NATO
Date: 25 Mar 1999 12:59:55 -0500

>Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 09:17:42 -0500
>Subject: Report says Russia asked to deploy nukes in wake of NATO attacks.
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail], [e-mail]
>X-FC-Forwarded-From: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>
>This report is excerpted from
>http://www.stratfor.com/crisis/kosovo/default.htm
>
>COMMENTARY
>
> 24 March - NATO held true to its word and commenced air strikes against
>Yugoslavia. Russia also held true to its word, severing relations with
>NATO, calling for an emergency session of the UN Security Council, and
>commencing consultations with Belarus. NATO air strikes, of dubious
>value to efforts to coerce Belgrade into accepting a settlement in
>Kosovo, are proving extremely valuable at achieving the unintended goal
>of reviving the Cold War.
>
> Moscow was furious at being ignored prior to the launch of Operation
>Desert Fox in Iraq. The bombardment of Yugoslavia is the last straw.
>Moscow already today declared the SALT II treaty forever dead, and Minsk
>announced its desire for Russia to deploy nuclear weapons on Belarus
>territory. Even the Ukranian parliament called for nuclear rearmament
>and Ukraine's defense minister will meet tomorrow with other CIS defense
>ministers.
>
> Finally, NATO/SFOR forces in Bosnia have been placed on alert in the
>wake of threats presumably from Bosnian Serbs. NATO denies Yugoslav
>claims that they have downed a NATO aircraft, but air assets are not the
>only potential targets for Serbs. The potential for Serbian
>counterattacks on the ground in Bosnia, Albania, and Macedonia is high.
>END
>
>
>This report is available at http://www.drudgereport.com/matt.htm
>
>XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX 03/24/99 01:22:08 UTC XXXXX
>
>@@ DRUDGE REPORT CODE RED @@
>
>TASS: RUSSIA CONSIDERING MOVING NUKES
>
>Overnight on Tuesday, Russia's Defense and Foreign Ministries have been
>working on options to act in connection with possible NATO strikes
>against Yugoslavia.
>
>An ITAR-TASS newswire correspondent said windows of the Foreign and
>Defense Ministries buildings were lit throughout Tuesday night and that
>the ministers were on hand at their offices.
>
>Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev has told reporters that all actions by
>the Defense Ministry will be aimed at increasing the combat readiness of
>Russia's armed forces.
>
>According to the information available to TASS, in case the situation
>takes an unfavorable turn for Russia, the Ministry is "preparing
>proposals on possible deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the
>territory of Byelorussia."
>
>The DRUDGE REPORT issued a bulletin Tuesday evening reporting that
>Moscow is set to provide military help to Belgrade and the Serbs if NATO
>strikes.
>
>Russia is set to order its peacekeepers in Bosnia and Herzegovina not to
>take orders from NATO generals and only obey instructions from the
>Russian General Staff.
>
>NATO threats trigger unprecedented patriotism in Yugoslavia, according
>to wire reports.
>
>"If Milosevic has retreated, he would have lost his post", a young
>street vendor told wire services on Wednesday adding that "it is better
>to die proudly than to live in disgrace".
>
>Yugoslavian Defense Minister Pavle Bulatovic called on the civilian
>population to be calm and said on the state TV overnight that "the state
>of a direct threat of war", proclaimed by the government, concerns only
>the armed forces, police and the state services.
>
>Most information flowing into the United States concerning Russia's
>threats is only available through the ITAR-TASS newswire. ITAR/TASS News
>Agency is the official state news agency for Russia. ITAR-TASS has 74
>bureaus in Russia and the other CIS countries...
>
>Filed By Matt Drudge...
>
>XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX 03/23/99 23:58:22 UTC XXXXX
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Report says Russia asked to deploy nukes in wake of NATO
Date: 25 Mar 1999 13:00:53 -0500

>Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 09:17:42 -0500
>Subject: Report says Russia asked to deploy nukes in wake of NATO attacks.
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail], [e-mail]
>X-FC-Forwarded-From: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>
>This report is excerpted from
>http://www.stratfor.com/crisis/kosovo/default.htm
>
>COMMENTARY
>
> 24 March - NATO held true to its word and commenced air strikes against
>Yugoslavia. Russia also held true to its word, severing relations with
>NATO, calling for an emergency session of the UN Security Council, and
>commencing consultations with Belarus. NATO air strikes, of dubious
>value to efforts to coerce Belgrade into accepting a settlement in
>Kosovo, are proving extremely valuable at achieving the unintended goal
>of reviving the Cold War.
>
> Moscow was furious at being ignored prior to the launch of Operation
>Desert Fox in Iraq. The bombardment of Yugoslavia is the last straw.
>Moscow already today declared the SALT II treaty forever dead, and Minsk
>announced its desire for Russia to deploy nuclear weapons on Belarus
>territory. Even the Ukranian parliament called for nuclear rearmament
>and Ukraine's defense minister will meet tomorrow with other CIS defense
>ministers.
>
> Finally, NATO/SFOR forces in Bosnia have been placed on alert in the
>wake of threats presumably from Bosnian Serbs. NATO denies Yugoslav
>claims that they have downed a NATO aircraft, but air assets are not the
>only potential targets for Serbs. The potential for Serbian
>counterattacks on the ground in Bosnia, Albania, and Macedonia is high.
>END
>
>
>This report is available at http://www.drudgereport.com/matt.htm
>
>XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX 03/24/99 01:22:08 UTC XXXXX
>
>@@ DRUDGE REPORT CODE RED @@
>
>TASS: RUSSIA CONSIDERING MOVING NUKES
>
>Overnight on Tuesday, Russia's Defense and Foreign Ministries have been
>working on options to act in connection with possible NATO strikes
>against Yugoslavia.
>
>An ITAR-TASS newswire correspondent said windows of the Foreign and
>Defense Ministries buildings were lit throughout Tuesday night and that
>the ministers were on hand at their offices.
>
>Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev has told reporters that all actions by
>the Defense Ministry will be aimed at increasing the combat readiness of
>Russia's armed forces.
>
>According to the information available to TASS, in case the situation
>takes an unfavorable turn for Russia, the Ministry is "preparing
>proposals on possible deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the
>territory of Byelorussia."
>
>The DRUDGE REPORT issued a bulletin Tuesday evening reporting that
>Moscow is set to provide military help to Belgrade and the Serbs if NATO
>strikes.
>
>Russia is set to order its peacekeepers in Bosnia and Herzegovina not to
>take orders from NATO generals and only obey instructions from the
>Russian General Staff.
>
>NATO threats trigger unprecedented patriotism in Yugoslavia, according
>to wire reports.
>
>"If Milosevic has retreated, he would have lost his post", a young
>street vendor told wire services on Wednesday adding that "it is better
>to die proudly than to live in disgrace".
>
>Yugoslavian Defense Minister Pavle Bulatovic called on the civilian
>population to be calm and said on the state TV overnight that "the state
>of a direct threat of war", proclaimed by the government, concerns only
>the armed forces, police and the state services.
>
>Most information flowing into the United States concerning Russia's
>threats is only available through the ITAR-TASS newswire. ITAR/TASS News
>Agency is the official state news agency for Russia. ITAR-TASS has 74
>bureaus in Russia and the other CIS countries...
>
>Filed By Matt Drudge...
>
>XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX 03/23/99 23:58:22 UTC XXXXX
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Sean Donahue <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) KOSOVO: NH Peace Action Joins WRL-SENH in Protest
Date: 25 Mar 1999 13:52:05 -0600

Following an emergency consultation with the Executive Committee, NHPA
issued the following press release today.  Unfortunately I can only be
at tommorow's vigil:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- 8/25/99
Contact: Sean Donahue 603-228-0559 (work), 978-689-1896 (home)

NH PEACE ACTION CALLS FOR END TO BOMBING OF SERBIA
ENDORSES WAR RESISTERS LEAGUE VIGILS IN PORTSMOUTH, DOVER

CONCORD -=1F The state's largest peace group, NH Peace Action, is calling
for an end to NATO airstrikes in Kosovo, Serbia, and Montenegro, and is
calling on its members to take part in vigils organized by the Southeast
New Hampshire Chapter of the War Resisters League tonight at 6:30 p.m.
outside the Post Office in Portsmouth and Friday night at 6:00 p.m.
outside City Hall in Dover.

In a statement released this morning, NH Peace Action State Coordinator
Sean Donahue said  "We deeply regret NATO's decision to launch air
strikes against targets in Kosovo, Serbia, and Montenegro.   Massive air
strikes are inherently indiscriminate, and it is inevitable that
civilians will be killed.  This is unacceptable.

"We deplore the Serbian military's brutal massacre of civilians in
Kosovo.  But bombing will not provide a lasting solution to the conflict
between Serbia and the Kosovar Albanians.   At best the bombing will
somewhat weaken the Serbian military, limiting but not eliminating its
power to repress the Kosovo independence movement.  At worst, it will
push Slobidan Milosevic to take a harder line and escalate the war in
Kosovo, perhaps with soldiers and weapons from Russia.   Already the
bombing has spurred a brutal crackdown on the peace movement in Serbia.=20
Either way, innocent civilians on both sides of the conflict will
suffer.

"At present there is no clear solution to the tragedy in Kosovo.  But
that does not mean that we can reflexively bomb Serbia and expect that
there will not be grave consequences for the people of Serbia and
Kosovo.  There were perhaps steps we could have taken two years ago to
strengthen the nonviolent opposition movements in Kosovo and Serbia.=20
There were perhaps steps we could have taken this fall to establish an
effective civilian peacekeeping force in Kosovo.  Those opportunites are
gone now.  The world is now living with the consequences of our past
inaction.  But rash action now can't make up for inaction in the past.=20
The bombing must end.

"Once the bombing stops it will be important to move quickly to reopen
=A0negotiations to bring about a cease fire in the civil war in Kosovo an=
d
to rush humanitarian aid to victims on all sides.  Russia could be very
helpful in convincing the Serbs to go back to the negotiating table and
to allow international aid agencies access to refugees.    None of these
steps will bring a complete resolution, but all of them would help
reduce the suffering."

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Resolve for "Global Peace Now!", antidote to WWIII on the horizon otherwise
Date: 25 Mar 1999 10:55:50 -0800

In President Clinton's last speech that he gave before the bombing started
yesterday, he very carefully used the word "resolve", in a certain specific
way, repeatedly.  The psychological implications of this are very deep.   It
sounds overly simplistic, I am sure, but the main "weapon" for the hearts
and minds of PeaceBuilders of all kinds, it seems to me, is the firm
conviction that global peace can be initiated and will be initiated by only
one mechanism, the general acceptance by the people, and then their leaders,
of a firm and universal human _resolve_ for "Global Peace Now!".  Without
this resolve at a deep level of mind, the goal is not achievable.  Only with
this resolve it will be done.

The worse the situation gets the more obvious it will become that this
RESOLVE for global peace is the only realistic idea by which ALL of humanity
may be united.

If it is a spiritual reawakening needed to foster a global analog to
Gandhi's spiritual/political nonviolent "revolution", it is this spiritual
"resolution" which must lead the way.

My opinion, anyway.

David Williams
[e-mail]
http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000
Global Emergency Alert Response

-----Original Message-----
[e-mail] <[e-mail]>;
[e-mail] <[e-mail]>;
[e-mail] <[e-mail]>; [e-mail] <[e-mail]>;
[e-mail] <[e-mail]>; [e-mail] <[e-mail]>;
[e-mail] <[e-mail]>; [e-mail]
<[e-mail]>; [e-mail] <[e-mail]>
Cc: [e-mail] <[e-mail]>; [e-mail]
<[e-mail]>; [e-mail] <[e-mail]>


>Dear Peacebuilder Friends & Kindred Spirits:
>
>Alarming as this news seems to be, what is more alarming is the distinct
>possibility  that all this "war scare" talk is part of a manipulation by
the
>"New World Order" advocates to sow the seeds of major disruptions on the
>planet, setting the stage for
>major economic disruption,martial law and an eventual totalitarian "New
World
>Order.
>
>If one believes people like David Icke and many others ( who blame the
long-
>standing "military-industrial complex" , for fomenting previous World Wars,
>arming both sides, and benefiting enormously from the conflict) , then the
>current Kosovo attacks by the US-led NATO alliance are part of a carefully
>orchestrated plan of world domination, suppression of individual liberties,
>with many world leaders (including President Clinton) fully aware of the
plan,
>and playing their part in implementing it.
>
>It is not clear what can be done.  At the very least, focused meditations
for
>peace, prayer vigils, and work on  spiritual levels is called for.
>More concrete are massive demonstrations for peace,  an end to nuclear,
>biological and chemical weaponry, and an outpouring of public sentiment for
an
>end to armed conflict.
>
>If the peoples of the world want peace, then the governments that claim to
>represent them must bring it about.
>The plan for a UN Peoples'  Assembly , set for sometime in 2000, might
provide
>an opportunity for such a message to be sent, but world events might
overtake
>such plans and so action must be taken as soon as possible
>
>It is all too possible that attempts will be made to eliminate the
free-flow
>of information and ideas that we have enjoyed through the internet.  Our
right
>to have these communications must be defended.
>
>These are only my preliminary thoughts in reaction to the message just
>received from David Williams.  Some coordinated action by the forces of
light,
>peace and justice is needed .  Let's dialogue and see what can be
implemented
>to halt the slide into chaos.
>
>Many thanks,
>Aloha from Maui,
>Ed Jor-El Elkin
>One Day In Peace Project
>
>Ed
>
>
>
>
>


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Russia On the Brink: The Meltdown of a Nation
Date: 25 Mar 1999 15:57:01 -0800

http://WWW.cbn.org/news/stories/990325.asp

Russia On the Brink: The Meltdown of a Nation
Before his trip to the U.S. was interrupted by the controversy over
Kosovo, the Russian Prime Minister had intended to plead with the
White House for more money. That's because Russia is broke; it can't
make its loan payments, and the country is running out of options. CBN
News reporter Dale Hurd went to Russia to take a closer look at what
can only be called a meltdown.

Dale Hurd, reporter

In a dead factory town in Pivek, Siberia, six workers like in a room on a
hunger strike. They haven't been paid for three and a half years.
Vera Bossack says she has nothing left to feed her son, and her husband is
wasting away. For them, life is unbearable.
When Russians rejected communism, no one told them their new leaders
would loot the nation; that their living standards would fall to Third World
levels, or that the promises of democracy would be empty words. But the
Russian dream of democracy is dying.
Analyst Paul Goble says American leaders kid themselves if they think
Russia is a functioning state.
"It's a failed state," says Goble. "It's much more like the Congo or
Somalia.
The Russian government doesn't have effective control over its nuclear
weapons. The Russian government doesn't have effective control over its tax
system. The Russian government doesn't have effective control over its
economy. There is no law; there are no forces maintaining order. So what
you have is chaos."
A few things are booming in Russia -- crime, for instance. One of the
highest
crime rate estimates is two crimes per capita per year -- that's 300
million.
But only a fraction are reported.
You can watch an arrest from the video archives of the Russian Bureau to
Fight Organized Crime, where officials admit they've met their match. A
popular new crime in Moscow is the home invasion. On one video, a
Russian gets a knife to his throat becore police, watching through a
surveillance camera, come to the rescue.
The Mafia is ruthless against rival gangs, or against officials who refuse
bribes. Officer Andrei Pashkevick says police corruption is a big problem.
"Some criminal groups are very strong, not because of their weapons, but
because of their connections with state offices and authorities," he says.
"And it's harder to fight this kind of crime."
And crime pays in Russia. Russian mobsters, robber capitalists and corrupt
officials are among the richest people anywhere in the world.
"What the new rich in Russia have done is to take wealth that was created in
Soviet times, put it in their own pockets, value strip it, sell off parts,
ship the money they get offshore," says Goble. "As a result, last year the
capital stock of the Russian Federation fell by six percent."
Russia's gross national product is now close to five percent of the United
States' GNP and going backward.
It is still very much an industrial dinosaur," says analyst Dr. Ariel Cohen.
"Russia is a Jurassic Park of large enterprises that are not manufacturing
anything that is competitive, with the exception of battle tanks. And how
many battle tanks do people need today?"
Most Russians who are not brilliant, fortunate, or corrupt must try to
survive
in a shrinking economy where money buys less and less each day.
Olga Vlasova, a college-educated social worker, must support herself, an
eight-year-old girl, and a teenage boy on less than $20 a month. She doesn't
live as much as she survives.
"I can't afford clothes or shoes for the children, because all the money I
make I spend on food. I try not to show the children how difficult it is to
make the ends meet -- to show them how hard it is," she says. "And I try to
borrow money from others and try not to let the children think about it and
suffer."
Her family lives and sleeps in one room, sharing a kitchen and bathroom
with another family. Olga says her life is worse now than before the
revolution. And living standards are highest in Moscow.
To see how most Russians live, you have to go outside of Moscow, to the
little villages like Pronskoye. There's no heat, no running water, no
telephone ... and there's not very much hope either.
Walking into one of these homes is a step back in time. This is the home of
82-year-old Anna Fomichyova. Except for occasional electricity, she lives in
the 19th century.
"Our life is bad, and I don't expect a better life, because every day, the
prices go up, and my pension doesn't get higher, and it never arrives on
time," she says.
Most villagers have moved out of these homes and into apartment blocks
with central heat. There's almost no money in the countryside. Almost half
of
all transactions in Russia are bartered. Public health is a disaster.
Because
of pollution, disease, and abortion complications, as many as one third of
all
Russian adults may be sterile. Deaths outnumber births so much that Russia's
population has been shrinking by almost a million people per year.
"This is the worst demographic disaster to any major society in modern
times, outside times of war," says Goble. "We're talking about a decline of
life expectancy of Russian men of eight years in the last decade, something
that has never happened to any country ever, as far as we know, in peace
time."

And diseases are exploding.

"Children in Russia are dying of diseases that we have vaccines against,"
says Goble. "Diphtheria, mumps, measles --- but Russian parents do not
choose to get their children vaccinated because were they to, they would
have to go into doctors' offices where the average disposable syringe is
probably used more than a hundred times. And the risk of a child getting a
disease from multiple-use needles is far greater than the risk of getting a
disease if you don't get them vaccinated."
Russia now has so many problems that some are calling the crumbling
nation's situation hopeless.
"Nothing works," says Cohen. "Economic policy is not working. Budget is
not working. Industry is falling apart."
And at the heart of Russia's problems is a crisis of morality, according to
Father Gleb Yakunin, a famous human rights activist.
"It doesn't matter what economic reforms we do, and how hard we try to
stabilize the situation," says Yakunin. "No matter what Prime Minister
Primakov does, or no matter now much help we get from the IMF or
international financial organizations, we'll still have an economic crisis
until people stop stealing."
It's no wonder that when a nationwide survey asked Russians which political
leader they trusted most, "Nobody" was the top pick.
Boris Yeltsin has the support of about one percent of the population, and
it's
not hard to understand why.
"When I get my pension, I have to help my children," says Pomichyova. "I
give 20 rubles to one and 30 rubles to another to buy bread. Then I don't
have any left. I've worked for 45 years."
"This is the first time a state this large and this powerful has failed,"
says
Goble.
"And again, the danger of that," says Cohen, "is that while you're falling
behind and becoming impoverished and frustrated, and you have all these
nuclear weapons, what are you going to do about it?"


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Labour Lord resigns in protest / Yugoslavia
Date: 25 Mar 1999 20:45:36 EST


 (From BBC News)
 > LABOUR PEER QUITS OVER NATO AIR STRIKES
 > Veteran Labour peer Lord Jenkins of
 > Putney has resigned the party whip in
 > the Lords over the Serb air strikes.
 >
 > The 90-year-old former World War Two
 > flight lieutenant has accused the
 > Government of "criminal barbarity",
 > "murder" and flouting international law
 >
 > As Hugh Jenkins, he was Putney MP from
 > 1964 to 1979. He will remain in Labour.
 >
 > In a letter to Labour Chief Whip Lord
 > Carter he said "to respond to barbarity
 > with barbarity is not the way".
 > >>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Press coverage - Yugoslavia
Date: 25 Mar 1999 20:59:57 EST

In a message dated 3/25/99 7:21:15 PM Eastern Standard Time, [e-mail]
writes:

<<
 (From the BBC)

 Nato strikes against Yugoslavia came too late for Thursday's world press to
 report the attacks in detail.

  But many papers were able to highlight their historic significance, while
 others drew parallels with action in Iraq.

 In France, Le Figaro's simple headline, War in Europe, has a historic and
 ominous ring.

 La Liberation looks ahead with the headline, What Now? It queries whether
 the West is ready for a ground war if the Serbian president does not give
 in under the bombing.

 And the Paris edition of the International Herald Tribune underlines the
 historical significance of the bombing, saying it is Nato's first attack on
 sovereign land.

 It goes on to make a comparison with previous military operations against
 Iraq - an angle also picked up by the Indian press.

 US slammed

 But the Times of India warns that the Balkans is not Iraq, where an
 undeclared air war can go on without much notice being taken in Europe.

 It says sovereign countries fearing outside intervention will be closely
 watching the outcome of the confrontation.

 The Indian Express criticises the United States for being uncertain about
 its goals and it warns that a bombing campaign against Yugoslavia will not
 be the cakewalk it was in the deserts of Iraq.

 Russian fury


 At least two British papers spare a thought for Russian feelings. The Daily
 Telegraph records President Boris Yeltsin's outrage on its front page.

 The Telegraph's Moscow correspondent comments that years of understanding
 with the West appeared to be in jeopardy as the Russians dismantled their
 carefully-constructed links with Nato.

 The tabloid Daily Mirror, meanwhile, highlights what it sees as a Russian
 threat of military reprisals.

 'World anarchy'

 In Russia itself, the papers praise Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov for
 scrapping his visit to the US on Tuesday after strikes became a virtual
 certainty.

 The military daily Krasnaya Zvezda said that by cancelling his visit the
 Russian premier ''has shown that we are still worth something".

 The Rossiiskaya Gazeta said his decision to turn back in mid-flight was
 ''rigorous and courageous''.

 It says if the trip had gone ahead and Nato had then launched strikes it
 would have been ''an unceremonious slap in the face of our premier'' and
 ''a humiliation for all Russians".

 In an interview conducted before the strikes in The Obshchaya Gazeta, Mr
 Primakov warns unilateral action could lead ''to anarchy in the world".

   >>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Diana Johnstone on Yugoslavia, Kosovo
Date: 25 Mar 1999 22:12:34 EST

Friends and co-workers,

This, in itself, is very short. The article transmitted by Louis Proyect to
RedYouth (the Socialist Party's youth group, politically very solid) is long -
you need 25 sheets in your printer (well, European paper is cut to a more
correct length so maybe just 23).

Louis, in whom I have a good deal of confidence - certainly enough to believe
he didn't fabricate this long article - had sent it out to a marxism list,
which I'm not on. DO NOT DISCOUNT THE SOURCE!

Diana Johnstone was the European editor of In These Times (an American
democratic socialist publication) from 1979 to l9990, the press officer of the
Green Group in the European Parliament from 1990 to 1996, and is personally
known to many of us as an honest and thoughtful journalist of the Left.

Her view of this general situation was delivered on May 25th, last year, at an
international conference held in Athens, Greece.

It is very relevent in view of the state of war that currently exists. It is a
very different view from the one most of us have seen, controversial and
challenging. I will be particularly interested in hearing Howard Clark's and
Michael Randle's reactions - which I hope they can transmit to the addresses
above (or if they get deleted by senders, if Michael or Howard ask for the
original list I'll be happy to supply it).

I must hope that Louis is not going to blow a fuse when he gets this and finds
out I have urged people to write him for the material.

So, if you want this, you need to write Louis Proyect at [e-mail] and ask
if he can send you the post for you to download.

Peace, Fraternally, etc.,
David McReynolds

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Drudge Reports Russia Ready To Launch Nukes!
Date: 25 Mar 1999 19:21:46 -0800

-----Original Message-----

It appears we are now in a full scale world war. I would also suspect that
China will now allie itself with Russia as they did during the Viet Nam
Police Action/War. May what ever God you pray to stop this nonsense ASAP.


> Date: Thursday, March 25, 1999 16:26
> Subject: Drudge Reports Russia Ready To Launch Nukes!
>
>
> >IT'S WAR.....YELTSIN WARNS THAT STRIKES RISK WORLD WAR
> >*****CODE RED******
> >by Matt Drudge
> >
> >XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX 03/24/99 16:41:05 UTC XXXXX
> >
> >YELTSIN WARNS THAT STRIKES RISK WORLD WAR
> >http://www.drudgereport.com/matt.htm
> >     Russian President Boris Yeltsin warned Wednesday that NATO air
> >strikes against the Serbs in Kosovo could lead to a world war and hinted
>> that only his conscience prevented the Russian president from threatening
> >military retaliation.
>>    In a televised address to his nation on Wednesday evening, Yeltsin
> >appealed to the world to persuade U.S. President Bill Clinton "not to
take
> >this tragic and dramatic step"... "I am appealing to the whole world. I
am
> >appealing to the people who have survived the war. I am appealing to
those who have
> >seen bombing raids. I am appealing to their children and to all
politicians.
> >While there are still some minutes left, let's persuade Clinton not to
take
> >this tragic, dramatic step. This is European security, this is a war in
> >Europe, and perhaps even more. This is a serious step and taking it even
without
>> the U.N. Security Council is more than just ununderstandable... Let's
stop
>> Clinton on this path and help him not to take this tragic step."
DEVELOPING...
> >
> >                                                 X X X X X
> >          XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX 03/24/99 01:22:08 UTC XXXXX
> >                          @@ DRUDGE REPORT CODE RED @@
> >
> >TASS: RUSSIA CONSIDERING MOVING NUKES
> >     Overnight on Tuesday, Russia's Defense and Foreign Ministries have
> >been working on options to act in connection with possible NATO strikes
> >against Yugoslavia.
> >     An ITAR-TASS newswire correspondent said windows of the Foreign
> >and Defense Ministries buildings were lit throughout Tuesday night and
that
> >the ministers were on hand at their offices.
> >     Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev has told reporters that all actions
by
>> the Defense Ministry will be aimed at increasing the combat readiness of
>> Russia's armed forces.
> >     According to the information available to TASS, in case the
situation
> >takes an unfavorable turn for Russia, the Ministry is "preparing
proposals
> >on possible deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of
> >Byelorussia."
> >     The DRUDGE REPORT issued a bulletin Tuesday evening reporting that
> >Moscow is set to provide military help to Belgrade and the Serbs if NATO
> >strikes.
>>     Russia is set to order its peacekeepers in Bosnia and Herzegovina not
> >to take orders from NATO generals and only obey instructions from the
> >Russian General Staff.
> >     NATO threats trigger unprecedented patriotism in Yugoslavia,
according
> >to wire reports.
> >     "If Milosevic has retreated, he would have lost his post", a young
>> street vendor told wire services on Wednesday adding that "it is better
to die
> >proudly than to live in disgrace".
> >    Yugoslavian Defense Minister Pavle Bulatovic called on the civilian
> >population to be calm and said on the state TV overnight that "the state
of a direct
> >threat of war", proclaimed by the government, concerns only the armed
forces,
>> police and the state services.
> >
> >     Most information flowing into the United States concerning Russia's
> >threats is only available through the ITAR-TASS newswire. ITAR/TASS News
Agency
> >is the official state news agency for Russia. ITAR-TASS has 74 bureaus in
> >Russia and the other CIS countries...
> >
> >Filed By Matt Drudge...
> >
> >XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX 03/23/99 23:58:22 UTC XXXXX
> >MOSCOW AND WASHINGTON SQUARE OFF OVER KOSOVO
> >URGENT:
> >MOSCOW TO PROVIDE MILITARY HELP TO SERBS,
> >BELGRADE IF NATO STRIKES
> >
> >     In a development that could turn spring back to winter, Moscow will
> >immediately supply powerful armaments to Belgrade and the Serbs and
provide
> >other military assistance if NATO makes air strikes against Yugoslavia,
> >Speaker of Russia's State Duma lower house of parliament Gennady
Seleznyov told the
> >ITAR-TASS newswire late on Tuesday.
> >     The development comes as Secretary of State Madame Albright
declares:
> >"There will be order in Yugoslavia."
> >     Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said late Tuesday that Moscow
has
> >prepared options if the Kosovo situation takes a turn for the worse.  "If
>> NATO opts for the use of force in Kosovo, it would violate international
law,
>> the UN Charter and will actually become undisguised aggression," he said
> >     "In that case, NATO will naturally show its true colors with which
it
> >intends to enter the 21st century," warned the minister.
> >________________________________________________
> >Reports are moved when circumstances warrant
> >(c)DRUDGE REPORT 1999
> >Not for reproduction without permission of the author
> >==========================================
> >*COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any
> >copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without
> >profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving
> >the included information for non-profit research and educational purposes
> >only.  [Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ]
> >Take care!
> >
> >Jack Koenig
> >
> >Impact Voters of America
> >
> >Communications without knowledge is noise. Knowledge without
communications
>> is irrelevant!
> >
> >Visit the Impact Voters website at
> ><http://www.impactnet.org/>www.impactnet.org
> >
> >The Citizens Lobby website has been selected as the highlight website of
>> the month. See them at
<http://www.citizenslobby.org/>www.citizenslobby.org
> >
Mark Allen Pitt :) A.A.S. ;) aka Scroll lock *.* BBS
ICQ number; 4861371
email; [e-mail]
Home Page; http://www.geocities.com/Area51/9357


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: War Resisters League <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) War Resisters' International Statement on Kosovo
Date: 26 Mar 1999 09:57:58 -0500

Statement of War Resisters=92 International on Kosovo

The War Resisters' International, an international network of more than 7=
0
pacifist groups in more than 30 countries, including the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia and Croatia, condemns the NATO bombing and the hypocrisy of
NATO governments in mounting this war.

The original rationale for threatening military action was to make
Milosevic sign a peace agreement. This fatally misreads Milosevic and the
mood of the Serbian people after years of nationalist propaganda. Far fro=
m
undermining Milosevic, this allows him to tap into the Serbian and Yugosl=
av
traditions of heroic military defence.

Now, the current rationale is that the bombing is to prevent a humanitari=
an
catastrophe. Already at the time of writing, it is clearly precipitating =
an
even greater disaster - and with the evacuation of the OSCE verification
mission and foreign relief workers and expulsion of foreign journalists,
there are now even fewer ways to respond.
NATO has been using the conflicts in the former-Yugoslavia to redefine it=
s
role, pretending to be the world's police force. To this end, it pursues
its own institutional interests - against those of non-military
intergovernmental bodies, such as the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe and the United Nations - and it decides on military
action according to its own organisational logic. It is selective about
which 'crimes' it seeks to redress and what counts as a 'humanitarian
catastrophe'.

Far from weakening the Milosevic regime, and protecting Kosovo Albanians,
the NATO bombings are already having disastrous - and predictable -
consequences. In Kosovo itself, it is now 'open season' for Serbs - be th=
ey
police, military, paramilitary or armed civilians - against the entire
Albanian population and its institutions. In Serbia proper, the Belgrade
regime has already moved against anti-war voices, such as Radio B92.=20

The governments that make up NATO displayed very little active interest i=
n
supporting nonviolent efforts by Kosovo Albanians throughout the nine yea=
rs
in which they refused to take up arms in response to Serbian repression a=
nd
violence. Indeed, they consented to the exclusion of Kosovo from the Dayt=
on
accords. On those occasions when foreign governments did acknowledge that
the wholesale violation of 90 per cent of the population of Kosovo was
anything other than an 'internal affair' of Serbia, it was to offer
assurances that they did not even try to live up to. For eight years the
Albanians of Kosovo persisted in their strategy of refraining from violen=
ce
and concentrating on maintaining their social cohesion and institutions
such as parallel schools. Their nonviolent struggle using strikes,
boycotts, peaceful demonstrations and alternative institutions was largel=
y
ignored by the world.

Instead of a world order based on NATO breaking international law to purs=
ue
military action, War Resisters' International works to strengthen
nonviolent methods of dealing with conflict. We have worked against the
militarism of the Milosevic regime; we have worked through the Balkan Pea=
ce
Team to promote dialogue between Serbs and Albanians; and we have worked =
to
increase awareness of the variety of nonviolent methods of social struggl=
e
that can be deployed in such situations. A more understanding response to
the Kosovo Albanian population on the part of the governments now prepare=
d
to bomb Serbia, Kosovo, Vojvodina and Montenegro could have made a decisi=
ve
difference. Unfortunately, this was not forthcoming. Their decision-makin=
g
is dominated by short term considerations of power-politics and 'military
reality'. The 'criminal' they now want to bomb to the negotiating table i=
s
the man they erected into the 'guarantor of the Dayton peace'.

The mission of the OSCE 'verifiers' was too little, too late. Hastily
improvised, poorly prepared, and with a mandate that was inadequately
articulated, the OSCE verifiers succeed in de-fusing some flashpoints, th=
ey
were beginning to build some cooperation with civil society groups, but
they could not stem the rising tide of violence. Rather they increasingly
were verifying that an atrocity had been committed. Nevertheless, their
deployment was infinitely preferable to the NATO's bombings. =20

NATO does not exist to protect populations condemned to live under crimin=
al
regimes. How can it when its own members include countries like Turkey,
whose methods against the Kurds are equally horrific? NATO's military
strategy in Kosovo is not designed in the interests of the population, bu=
t
rather to minimise the risks to NATO's own soldiers - whatever the
consequences for those who are now hostage to Serbian vengeance. NATO=92s=
 new
strategy seems to be a test for new weapons systems in a large scale atta=
ck
against a Central European country, first use of US Air Force B-2 Bombers=
,
first active battle participation of German Air Force since Second World
War, military integration of new NATO-members into the military command t=
o
European NATO headquarters. NATO=92s attack on Yugoslavia is a first
precedent of the new NATO strategy, which will be passed in April. In thi=
s
strategy NATO explicitly stresses its =91right=92 to intervene everywhere=
 in
the world on its own right, without the need of being mandated by the UN =
or
other intergovernmental bodies.

In the immediate circumstances, WRI calls for a halt of the NATO air
strikes and calls on its members to organise vigils and other
demonstrations against NATO at appropriate embassies or War Ministries or
at air bases. We call on the soldiers of all countries taking part in thi=
s
attack to refuse to participate in this war.

In the medium term, we will try to work alongside our friends in the
anti-war groups in Serbia and with people in Kosovo trying to create a ju=
st
peace.=20

In the longer term, WRI redoubles its commitment to promote civilian
responses to conflict - in particular the development of nonviolence as a
means of waging social struggles and the use of methods of nonviolent
conflict resolution and dialogue.




wri    ([e-mail])

War Resisters International
5 Caledonian Road
London N1 9DX
UK

tel. 00 44 [phone]
fax  00 44 [phone]

http://www.gn.apc.org/warresisters

**********
War Resisters League
339 Lafayette St.
New York, NY 10012
212-228-0450
212-228-6193 (fax)
1-800-975-9688 (YouthPeace and A Day Without the Pentagon)
[e-mail]
web address: http://www.nonviolence.org/wrl

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Kosovo statement
Date: 26 Mar 1999 10:50:09 -0500

>Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 13:09:01 -0500
>Subject: Kosovo statement
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>Dear Friends,
>
>We  have  written to the NATO Headquarters and to the members of the UN
>Security Council. Pelase use this statement to ask your government, if it
>is a member of NATO, to take urgent action to stop the bombing in
>Yugoslavia.
>
>Lohes Rajeswaran
>
>Geneva, 25 March 1999
>
>Open letter to
>Governments of NATO member states
>Members of the UN Security Council
>
>Dear Excellencies,
>
>The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom is outraged over the
>aerial bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia by NATO forces. We
>call for an immediate halt to this aggression against a sovereign UN Member
>State and for withdrawal of NATO forces from the region.
>
>We also call on the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to
>halt its brutal attacks against the population of Kosovo and order its
>forces to return to their barracks.
>
>We call on the Security Council of the United Nations to take its
>responsibility under the United Nations Charter and undertake a genuine
>process of negotiation and mediation of the conflict with the aim of
>assisting the search for a solution that allows all the citizens of the
>Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to live in safety and to rebuild the country
>in the interests of all. The military action by NATO only adds more death
>and destruction to an already badly damaged population without finding and
>eliminating the root causes of the conflict.
>
>Surely, the experience of the past few years has shown clearly that
>military actions do not resolve the deeply-rooted conflicts we are
>witnessing in different regions of the world, whether they be internal or
>across borders. It is high time for the Security Council to take truly
>peaceful approaches to the solution of today's conflicts. It requires a
>genuine desire to assist all sides involved in a conflict, use of skilled
>mediators and patience.
>
>We urge you to bring pressure to bear on those engaged in military action
>to halt it and for the United Nations institutions to use all its skills
>and means to bring genuine peace to the Balkan region.
>
>Furthermore, we wish to point out that the decision by NATO to go to war
>against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia shows an appalling disrespect
>its members have for the global institutions, whose mandates are based on
>international treaties and agreements. We are alarmed and deeply concerned
>about the consequences this action may have for the future development of
>civilized relations, based on equality among nations and on values rooted
>in the Charter of the United Nations.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>
>Bruna Nota                                              Barbara Lochbihler
>President                                               Secretary General
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
>International Secretariat
>1, rue de Varembe
>C.P. 28
>1211 Geneva 20
>Tel: [phone]
>Fax: [phone]
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Timothy Bruening <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) A Solution To The Kosovo Crisis!
Date: 26 Mar 1999 07:54:18 -0800 (PST)

I have a solution to the Kosovo crisis!  I propose that KLA guerrillas,
other Albanians, and Serbs be integrated into a Kosovo Peacekeeping Force to
police the Kosovo Peace Pact.  I believe that this would be more acceptable
to the Serbs than a NATO Peacekeeping Force.  I also propose that the Kosovo
Peacekeeping Force be supervised by military officers from Russia, Albania,
and other East European nations.

I don't know if my idea would work, but it sounds better than bombing Serbia
back to the Stone Age.  I believe that its worth a try.

Another idea is a peacekeeping force comprised of troops from Russia,
Albania, and other East European nations.


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: UK Nuclear News 25 March 1999
Date: 26 Mar 1999 10:59:40 -0500

>Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 14:36:57 -0500
>Subject: UK Nuclear News 25 March 1999
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail]
>Cc: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>>>Return-Path: <[e-mail]>
>>>X-Sender: [e-mail]
>>>Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 15:11:37 +0000
>>>To: [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
>>>        [e-mail], [e-mail],
>>[e-mail],
>>>        [e-mail]
>>>From: Geoff Adams <[e-mail]>
>>>Subject: NPU Bulletin 25 Mar
>>>X-UIDL: 89f8db5cc02168d586b62b77311e5c01
>>>DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN - NUCLEAR POLICY
>>>
>>>Thurs 25 Mar 1999
>>>
>>>99-8136 Itar Tass news agency warns that Russian tactical n/missiles
>>>        could be moved back into Belarus, on the border with Poland,
>>>        as a retaliatory measure after Nato air strikes on Kosovo.
>>>        G 25 Mar
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
>>>Geoff Adams, Information Officer, Greater Manchester Research, 4th Floor,
>>>Metropolitan House, OLDHAM, Lancs, UK, OL1 1QD
>>>Tel: [phone] / Fax: [phone]
>>><mailto:[e-mail]>
>>><http://www.gmresearch.u-net.com>
>>>UK newspaper URLs: <http://www.gmresearch.u-net.com/dibabbs.htm>
>>>-
>********************************************
>*  Nuclear Free Local Authorities          *
>*  Town Hall                               *
>*  Manchester M60 2LA UK                   *
>*                                          *
>*  Tel: + 44 (0) 161 234 3244              *
>*  Fax: + 44 (0) 161 234 3379              *
>*  Email: [e-mail]                *
>*  Website: http://www.gn.apc.org/nfznsc/  *
>*                                          *
>********************************************
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Russia ends Y2K co-operation
Date: 26 Mar 1999 13:33:42 -0500

>Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 12:35:51 -0500
>Subject: Russia ends Y2K co-operation
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail]
>X-FC-Forwarded-From: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>Next, we're going to hold our breath until we turn blue...
>
>
>March 26, 1999 0:18 p.m. ET
>
>Russia calls off Y2K cooperation with US
>
>MOSCOW, March 26 (Reuters) - Russia's Defence Ministry
>called off cooperation with the United States on the so-called
>millennium computer bug on Friday in response to NATO air
>strikes on Yugoslavia, Interfax news agency said.
>
>Interfax said a ministry representative had made the
>announcement at a meeting of a government committee trying to  tackle the
>computer glitch, which results from old programmes  that may not
>distinguish
>between the years 1900 and 2000.
>
>Officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
>
>The U.S. Defence Department sent specialists to Russia last  month to
>discuss
>the problem, especially insofar as it may  threaten the functioning of the
>trigger
>to Russia's nuclear  missile arsenal.
>
>Russian and American experts both say it is virtually  impossible for the
>bug to
>spark an accidental nuclear launch,  but have suggested that both sides
>take
>extra precautions to  prevent a computer foul-up from causing a false
>alarm.
>
>The American proposal, which U.S. officials had said was  favourably
>received
>in Moscow, would have placed Russian and  U.S. technicians side-by-side in
>a
>joint nuclear command centre  during the months before and after January 1,
>2000.
>
>But Interfax said the Defence Ministry representative  specifically ruled
>out such
>a move on Friday.
>
>Russia has been deeply outraged by NATO air strikes on  Yugoslavia, which
>President Boris Yeltsin called ``naked  aggression.'' Russia has suspended
>all
>cooperation with the  Western military alliance.
>
>Copyright 1999 Reuters News Service.
>
>--
>Bill Robinson, Project Ploughshares,
>Conrad Grebel College, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada  N2L 3G6
>Phone: [phone] x264  Fax: [phone]
>E-mail: [e-mail]
>http://www.ploughshares.ca
>
>Project Ploughshares is a member of the Canadian Network to Abolish
>Nuclear Weapons (http://watserv1.uwaterloo.ca/~plough/cnanw/cnanw.html)
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: [csdgen] War in Europe
Date: 26 Mar 1999 15:31:32 -0500


>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>APPEAL
>OF THE FEDERATION OF PEACE AND CONCILATION,
>RUSSIAN FEDERATION PEACE COMMITTEE,
>RUSSIAN FUND FOR PEACE,
>UN ASSOCIATION OF RUSSIA,
>CENTRE "ECO-ACCORD"
>
>March 25, 1999
>
>The mankind has not succeeded to meet the new Millennium without a war.
>NATO member-states have initiated the war in Europe, having opened "the
>Pandora box" full of new danger.  The norms and rules of the international
>law do not allow any country to use military forces against sovereign
>states without the decision taken by the UN and the UN Security Council.
>These norms are hardly broken down.  All further aggressors will be able to
>refer to the NATO action as to the
>precedent, which has broken down rules and norms of the civil order in the
>world, stated in the UN Charter.  Moreover, the whole world system being
>created after the World War II and the UN existence itself is in danger.
>The Federation of Peace and Conciliation, the Russian Federation Peace
>Committee, the Russian Fund for Peace, UN Association of Russia in advance
>to the NATO aviation bombing have come to the world community with a call
>to prevent new military action against Yugoslavia. We claim today to
>immediately stop the war and use political tools for the conflict
>resolution.
>Unacceptable for Russia military action has led to the serious aggravation
>of the relationship between Russia and the West.  This aggravation tendency
>is not less dangerous then the war, being already initiated in the center
>of Europe. The way to a new age of political and military confrontation
>between Russia and the West should be closed immediately. All
>political forces and parties should act responsibly.
>
>In reply to the provocative military action no one should "add oil to a
>flame" and follow thoughtless appeals to start again weapon supply to the
>conflict area (breaking the UN sanctions) or even move tactical nuclear
>weapon close to this zone. Let us prevent involvement of Russia to the
>military conflict! The peace on Balkans must be restored by political
>means: through negotiations, diplomacy, active role and position of the
>world public opinion. Based on the rules of the international law civilized
>and peaceful order in the world must be restored towards new millennium!
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fw: Web News Sources Inside Serbia/Kosovo
Date: 27 Mar 1999 12:02:13 -0800


-----Original Message-----


>Go soon to get links....
>
>Source: Wired
>  Country: Yugoslavia
>   Feeling news-deprived because CNN got booted from Belgrade?  Not to
>   worry; first-hand reports are available at the source of all good
>   things -- the Internet.  (3/26/99)
>URL:
>http://www.wired.com/news/news/email/explode-infobeat/politics/story/18754.
html
>
>
>
>


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Norm and Karen Cohen <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) [Fwd: ] demonstration in philly on kossovo monday
Date: 27 Mar 1999 20:36:53 -0500

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------95AB61D4DDEE0B0682055230
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
X-MIME-Autoconverted: from 8bit to quoted-printable by smtp-out1.bellatlantic.net id UAA25722

fyi to those near philly and who want to oppose our bombing of
serbia/kossovo

peace
norm

--
  >
Coalition for Peace and Justice
UNPLUG Salem Campaign
PO Box 2344, Cape May, NJ 08204
609-886-7988 or 609-889-8667


=93Not a mile from here are people living 10 to a room, and few streets
further on
they=92re sleeping in doorways and boxes, some of them children.........
-Paul Kantner, Shadowlands

=93We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for victims of
our nation, and for those it calls enemy, for no document from human
hands can make these humans any less
our brothers=94
-Martin Luther King, 1967, Riverside Church


--------------95AB61D4DDEE0B0682055230
Content-Type: message/rfc822
Content-Disposition: inline

Received: from mail7.bellatlantic.net ([207.68.32.38])
          by immta2.bellatlantic.net (InterMail v03.02.07 118 124)
          with ESMTP id <[e-mail]>
          for <[e-mail]>; Sat, 27 Mar 1999 14:53:07 -0500
Received: from snip.net (mail.snip.net [208.211.64.14])
          by mail7.bellatlantic.net (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP
      id OAA03604 for <[e-mail]>; Sat, 27 Mar 1999 14:53:07 -0500 (EST)
Received: from [209.204.72.216] [209.204.73.56] by snip.net with ESMTP
  (SMTPD32-4.07) id A8CC1F3800C8; Sat, 27 Mar 1999 15:00:12 EST
Message-Id: <l03130304b322e75aa11b@[209.204.72.216]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Cc: [e-mail]
X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable




STOP  THE  BOMBING  OF   YUGOSLAVIA!
MONEY FOR JOBS & EDUCATION, NOT WAR!

Demonstrate     Monday    March 29th     4:30pm
=46ederal Building       6th & Market St.
(5:15 marching towards City Hall, in order to reach out to Market Street
pedestrians)

The U.S. is bombing for humanitarian reasons?  LIES! For excellent
background info, check out: =93The BosnianTragedy "
<http://www.iacenter.org/bosnia/tragedy.htm">

There are Saturday protests around the country (& world), but because of
SalemNJ and 3MileIsland protests Sat. & Mumia visibility, and Sunday's
School of the America's protest, we've scheduled Phila. event for
Monday.  THOSE ATTENDING SAT.& Sun. PROTESTS PLEASE ANNOUNCE MONDAY'S
PROTEST!

There is a rally for juvenile rights and against death penalty at city
hall at same time.  If they agree, we can join up with them at end,
demanding =93Money for jobs and education, not for jails and war.=94.

Issued by:    International Action Center;   813 S. 48th St., Phila, PA
19143; 215-724-1618   e-mail:  [e-mail]



--------------95AB61D4DDEE0B0682055230--


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) War Resisters International Statement on Kosovo
Date: 27 Mar 1999 20:09:54 EST



 Subj:=09 WRI Kosov@ Statement
 Date:=093/27/99 7:07:55 AM Eastern Standard Time




 WAR RESISTERS' INTERNATIONAL STATEMENT ON KOSOV@

 The War Resisters' International, an international network of more than 7=
0
 pacifist groups in more than 30 countries, including the Federal Republic
 of Yugoslavia and Croatia, condemns the NATO bombing and the hypocrisy of
 NATO governments in mounting this war.

 The original rationale for threatening military action was to make
 Milosevic sign a peace agreement. This fatally misreads Milosevic and the
 mood of the Serbian people after years of nationalist propaganda. Far fro=
m
 undermining Milosevic, this allows him to tap into the Serbian and Yugosl=
av
 traditions of heroic military defence.

 Now, the current rationale is that the bombing is to prevent a humanitari=
an
 catastrophe. Already at the time of writing, it is clearly precipitating =
an
 even greater disaster - and with the evacuation of the OSCE verification
 mission and foreign relief workers and expulsion of foreign journalists,
 there are now even fewer ways to respond.

 NATO has been using the conflicts in the former-Yugoslavia to redefine it=
s
 role, pretending to be the world's police force. To this end, it pursues
 its own institutional interests - against those of non-military
 intergovernmental bodies, such as the Organisation for Security and
 Cooperation in Europe and the United Nations - and it decides on military
 action according to its own organisational logic. It is selective about
 which 'crimes' it seeks to redress and what counts as a 'humanitarian
 catastrophe'.

 Far from weakening the Milosevic regime, and protecting Kosov@ Albanians,
 the NATO bombings are already having disastrous - and predictable -
 consequences. In Kosov@ itself, it is now 'open season' for Serbs - be th=
ey
 police, military, paramilitary or armed civilians - against the entire
 Albanian population and its institutions. In Serbia proper, the Belgrade
 regime has already moved against anti-war voices, such as Radio B92.

 The governments that make up NATO displayed very little active interest i=
n
 supporting nonviolent efforts by Kosov@ Albanians throughout the nine yea=
rs
 in which they refused to take up arms in response to Serbian repression a=
nd
 violence. Indeed, they consented to the exclusion of Kosov@ from the Dayt=
on
 accords. On those occasions when foreign governments did acknowledge that
 the wholesale violation of 90 per cent of the population of Kosov@ was
 anything other than an 'internal affair' of Serbia, it was to offer
 assurances that they did not even try to live up to. For eight years the
 Albanians of Kosov@ persisted in their strategy of refraining from violen=
ce
 and concentrating on maintaining their social cohesion and institutions
 such as parallel schools. Their nonviolent struggle using strikes,
 boycotts, peaceful demonstrations and alternative institutions was largel=
y
 ignored by the world.

 Instead of a world order based on NATO breaking international law to purs=
ue
 military action, War Resisters' International works to strengthen
 nonviolent methods of dealing with conflict. We have worked against the
 militarism of the Milosevic regime; we have worked through the Balkan Pea=
ce
 Team to promote dialogue between Serbs and Albanians; and we have worked =
to
 increase awareness of the variety of nonviolent methods of social struggl=
e
 that can be deployed in such situations. A more understanding response to
 the Kosov@ Albanian population on the part of the governments now prepare=
d
 to bomb Serbia, Kosov@, Vojvodina and Montenegro could have made a decisi=
ve
 difference. Unfortunately, this was not forthcoming. Their decision-makin=
g
 is dominated by short term considerations of power-politics and 'military
 reality'. The 'criminal' they now want to bomb to the negotiating table i=
s
 the man they erected into the 'guarantor of the Dayton peace'.
 The mission of the OSCE 'verifiers' was too little, too late. Hastily
 improvised, poorly prepared, and with a mandate that was inadequately
 articulated, the OSCE verifiers succeed in de-fusing some flashpoints, th=
ey
 were beginning to build some cooperation with civil society groups, but
 they could not stem the rising tide of violence. Rather they increasingly
 were verifying that an atrocity had been committed. Nevertheless, their
 deployment was infinitely preferable to the NATO's bombings.


 NATO does not exist to protect populations condemned to live under
 criminal regimes. How can it when its own members include countries like
 Turkey, whose methods against the Kurds are equally horrific? NATO's
 military strategy in Kosov@ is not designed in the interests of the
 population, but rather to minimise the risks to NATO's own soldiers -
 whatever the consequences for those who are now hostage to Serbian
 vengeance. NATO=92s new strategy seems to be a test for new weapons syste=
ms
 in a large scale attack against a Central European country, first use of =
US
 Air Force B-2 Bombers, first active battle participation of German Air
 Force since Second World War, military integration of new NATO-members in=
to
 the military command to European NATO headquarters. NATO=92s attack on
 Yugoslavia is a first precedent of the new NATO strategy, which will be
 passed in April. In this strategy NATO explicitly stresses its =91right=
=92 to
 intervene everywhere in the world on its own right, without the need of
 being mandated by the UN or other intergovernmental bodies.

 In the immediate circumstances, WRI calls for a halt of the NATO air
 strikes and calls on its members to organise vigils and other
 demonstrations against NATO at appropriate embassies or War Ministries or
 at air bases. We call on the soldiers of all countries taking part in thi=
s
 attack to refuse to participate in this war.

 In the medium term, we will try to work alongside our friends in the
 anti-war groups in Serbia and with people in Kosov@ trying to create a ju=
st
 peace.

 In the longer term, WRI redoubles its commitment to promote civilian
 responses to conflict - in particular the development of nonviolence as a
 means of waging social struggles and the use of methods of nonviolent
 conflict resolution and dialogue.



 War Resisters' International
 5 Caledonian Road
 London N1 9DX
 England

 tel: [phone]
 email: [e-mail]

  >>


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Internal nuclear threat?
Date: 27 Mar 1999 21:07:37 -0800

[from website reference below]

[Russian and Chinese "Speznatz" or special forces Army teams are always
inserted on strategic recce, assasination and sabotage missions in the enemy
rear. Nuclear weapons, command HQs and VIPs will be their targets. The
weapons are already in the United States. They are stored in hidden caches,
including conventional, nuclear, chemical and nuclear "brief case" bombs.

Colonel Stanislav Lunev - Former GRU Officer]


2 key paragraphs from below story:

       ...."In 1999, I presented the K.S. Wu
            information to Colonel Lunev for his
            evaluation. According to Col. Lunev,
            Russian and Chinese army operatives in
            the U.S. have created large stockpiles of
            arms for use in time of war. These
            communist weapon caches are reportedly
            hidden all over America. According to
            Lunev, the Chinese and Russian weapon
            stockpiles include explosives, nerve gas,
            anthrax and as many as 120 "suitcase"
            nuclear bombs!

            I have confirmed Colonel Lunev's story
            with several members of Congress. Red
            China and Russia have pre-positioned
            nuclear, chemical and biological weapons
            on American soil with the intent of
            destroying our nation. President Clinton
            and Congress are aware that China and
            Russia have smuggled nuclear bombs into
            the United States. "........


[above excerpts from]

"Part 2, Dead Men Tell No Tales"

Softwar, Charles Smith, Tuesday, March 23, 1999

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_smith/19990323_xcsof_dead_men_t.shtml

            In 1994, "American" businessman K.S.
            Wu traveled with Ron Brown to
            Communist China. Today, Mr. Wu is
            reported to be dead, and no one in the
            Democratic Party (Democratic National
            Committee) wants to talk about him.

            In my last column, we learned that, in
            August 1994, Mr. Wu accompanied Ron
            Brown to China and Hong Kong. Wu was
            invited to various special events,
            including a post Hong Kong dinner and
            Democrat fund-raiser.

            Wu traveled with several major DNC
            donors, including Bernard Schwartz, CEO
            of Loral; Sanford Robertson, CEO of
            Robertson & Stephens; Democratic Gov.
            Caperton of West Virginia; and Edwin
            Lupberger, CEO of Entergy Corp.

            Entergy Corp., of course, is part owned by
            the Riady family and the Lippo Group.

            In fact, Wu actually worked for Chinese
            billionaire Li Ka-Shing. According to
            documents provided by the Commerce
            Department, Wu, Lupberger, Caperton and
            Brown met with PRC billionaire Li
            Ka-Shing in Beijing during the 1994 trip.

            K.S. Wu, CEO of a so-called "American"
            firm, traveled at the expense of the U.S.
            taxpayers, to meet his Chinese boss Li
            Ka-Shing. Li Ka-Shing owns the vast
            shipping enterprise, Hutchison Whampoa,
            Ltd. Li works closely with the official
            PRC shipping carrier, COSCO. Li and
            COSCO own both ends of the Panama
            canal. Li and COSCO tried to buy the
            former Navy port at Long Beach.

            Li financed several satellite deals between
            Hughes and China Hong Kong Satellite
            (CHINASAT), a company half owned by
            the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA). Li
            Ka-Shing and the Chinese navy nearly
            obtained four huge roll-on/roll-off
            container ships, financed by loans backed
            by U.S. Treasury notes.

            The bio of Li Ka-Shing was forced from
            the White House by this author during a
            lawsuit filed in federal court. The
            Commerce Department claimed the
            material was withheld for review by
            another "agency." In fact, the material was
            secretly sent by Commerce to the real
            authors, the White House, which is not an
            agency. The legal "Catch-22" situation
            was all too obvious to Commerce and
            White House lawyers who caved in rather
            than being made to look stupid in front of a
            Federal Judge.

            The reason for the resistance becomes all
            too clear when Li Ka-Shing's bio is
            compared to the accompanying materials
            forced from the grips of the White House.
            Li was the only so-called "civilian." Li's
            bio was included by the White House
            along with the entire leadership of
            Communist China from Jiang Zemin to the
            mayor of Shanghai.

            The Long Beach affair demonstrated that
            Li Ka-Shing is an agent of Beijing. The
            White House material clearly shows that
            Mr. Li Ka-Shing is a member of the
            Communist government. The Long Beach
            deal led by Li Ka-Shing was clearly a
            national security threat. It was canceled
            after U.S. intelligence sources revealed
            that Li Ka-Shing's empire is used for PRC
            espionage. Li Ka-Shing provides fronts for
            Chinese military operations and "civilian"
            covers for PLA soldiers to enter the U.S.
            under "commercial" camouflage.

            In 1995, Mr. K.S. Wu of Pacific Century --
            a company owned by Li Ka-Shing, teamed
            with Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West
            Virginia to provide Red China with an
            airbase only 50 miles from downtown
            Washington, D.C.

            According to a January 1996 speech by
            Gov. Caperton on the Democrats' website,
            "Mr. Wu was a trusted adviser to Sen.
            Rockefeller and me. He was instrumental
            in helping Senator Rockefeller develop the
            Swearingen aircraft project. He was also
            extremely helpful in expanding our
            relationships with China and Japan. We
            extend to his family our deepest respect
            and sympathy. His death is a deep loss to
            West Virginia."

            Today, Sen. Rockefeller will not comment
            on either the departed Mr. Wu, or the Li
            Ka-Shing airbase at Martinsburg, West
            Virginia. The Jan. 1996 speech by
            Governor Caperton published on the
            Democrats' website was removed from the
            Internet immediately after I submitted a fax
            copy to Sen. Rockefeller's office in
            Washington, D.C.

            Yet, in 1996, Sen. Rockefeller led a
            delegation of Asian investors to
            Martinsburg, West Virginia. According to
            Gov. Caperton, K.S. Wu was instrumental
            in helping Rockefeller bring the Asian
            investors to West Virginia.

            In fact, these investors were so special
            that Rockefeller ran a VIP train to
            transport them to West Virginia from
            Washington, D.C. The joint U.S.-Sino
            delegation broke ground for a new aircraft
            plant now located at the Martinsburg
            airport under a project called
            "Sino-Swearingen SJ-30."

            The Sino-Swearingen plant in West
            Virginia is a joint project between Texas
            based Swearingen aircraft, the AFL-CIO,
            and Sino-Aerospace Investment
            Corporation. The joint interests of PRC
            billionaire Li Ka-Shing, a big U.S. union,
            and Sen. Rockefeller were teamed up to
            manufacture business jets in the remote
            mountains of rural West Virginia.

            The so-called SJ-30 "business" jet is
            state-of-the-art. The SJ-30 can travel
            2,500 miles at nearly the speed of sound
            and is rated to cruise at 49,000 feet. The
            SJ-30 is considered to be the leading edge
            of U.S. commercial aerospace technology
            and includes all the latest in avionics such
            as GPS navigation.

            The immense speed, range and altitude
            capability of the SJ-30 can be attributed to
            the twin Rolls Royce/Williams FJ-44
            turbofans that power it. The Williams
            FJ-44 is also used in the Swedish SK-60
            military attack trainer and powers the
            USAF DarkStar stealth robot spy plane.
            Williams is best known for making the jet
            engines for U.S. Tomahawk and ALCM
            cruise missiles.

            The Sino-Swearingen facility is located at
            the Martinsburg airport just south of the
            town along U.S. Rt. 81. Martinsburg is a
            key point in the West Virginia hills,
            located only 50 miles from downtown
            D.C. The narrow valley is a major
            north/south and east/west crossing for U.S.
            microwave and fiber-optic
            telecommunications. The Martinsburg
            airport is supported by the U.S. taxpayer
            via the National Guard facilities and the
            airport ground facilities, such as fire and
            rescue.

            In 1996, a host of the Asian officials
            attending the groundbreaking included Dr.
            Shih-Chein Yang of Taiwan Aerospace
            and Benjamin Lu of the Taipei Economic
            office. In fact, the entire groundbreaking at
            Martinsburg is covered in detail on Sen.
            Rockefeller's web page, including a
            wonderful photograph of Rockefeller and
            several Asian businessmen with shovels in
            hand.

            In 1996, Jay Rockefeller had very close
            ties to the real money behind the
            Sino-Swearingen aerospace deal, Li
            Ka-Shing. Li Ka-Shing is also a known
            PLA operative. Today, Asian "engineers"
            roam the hills of West Virginia with a
            "commercial" cover. The perfect location,
            complete with jets to test fly and a huge
            facility constructed to order was paid for
            by American and Chinese taxpayers.

            There are two more twists to this tale of a
            PRC base only 50 miles from the White
            House. A fellow reporter, Danny
            Casolaro, was murdered in Martinsburg
            West Virginia while investigating Hillary
            Clinton and her business connections to an
            Arkansas airport called Mena.

            Casolaro was found in his Martinsburg
            hotel with his wrists slashed in 1991. He
            was reportedly trying to meet an informant
            who had documented evidence of the
            involvement of the CIA and NSA in dope
            smuggling to support military operations in
            Central America. Casolaro was murdered
            after he had linked Rose Office clients
            with the NSA attempts to penetrate foreign
            banks to monitor drug dealing and
            money-laundering.

            The worst news comes not from a dead
            reporter but a living hero. Softwar has
            obtained an exclusive interview with
            former GRU Colonel Stanislav Lunev.
            Col. Lunev is the highest-ranking member
            of the former Soviet Union intelligence
            services to defect to America. He is, to
            this day, surrounded by FBI agents for his
            protection.

            In 1999, I presented the K.S. Wu
            information to Colonel Lunev for his
            evaluation. According to Col. Lunev,
            Russian and Chinese army operatives in
            the U.S. have created large stockpiles of
            arms for use in time of war. These
            communist weapon caches are reportedly
            hidden all over America. According to
            Lunev, the Chinese and Russian weapon
            stockpiles include explosives, nerve gas,
            anthrax and as many as 120 "suitcase"
            nuclear bombs!

            I have confirmed Colonel Lunev's story
            with several members of Congress. Red
            China and Russia have pre-positioned
            nuclear, chemical and biological weapons
            on American soil with the intent of
            destroying our nation. President Clinton
            and Congress are aware that China and
            Russia have smuggled nuclear bombs into
            the United States.

            Li Ka-Shing and his new airbase in
            Martinsburg are the perfect delivery points
            for PRC special forces operations.
            Chinese Army operatives in Li Ka-Shing's
            employ can be "activated" years after
            being planted, whenever needed.

            For example Charlie Trie, Johnny Chung,
            John Huang, Hua Di and K.S. Wu all had
            the perfect "civilian" credentials. Trie,
            Chung, and Huang await justice in
            America but Wu is dead and Hua Di has
            "defected" back to China.

            According to Lunev, PRC special forces
            agents are rotated on a regular basis in and
            out of America, usually through diplomatic
            sites at the U.N. or the PRC Embassy.
            Washington and New York are only
            minutes away from Martinsburg by jet.

            A so-called "civilian" project could put
            PRC bombers over the U.S. capitol
            without warning. A single "business" jet
            with a suitcase bomb could fly to ground
            zero with satellite navigation accuracy and
            a GPS autopilot. Such an unmanned flight
            in the crowded skies of Washington D.C.
            would go unnoticed until the final fatal
            second.

            The surprise nuclear attack will kill the
            entire U.S. leadership. U.S. military
            leaders in the Pentagon, the White House,
            Congress, the Supreme Court and nearly a
            million Americans will die in a single
            flash.

            If there were enough concerns to shut
            down the planned PRC takeover of Long
            Beach then the PRC airbase in
            Martinsburg should at least also undergo
            close scrutiny. The relationship between
            Li Ka-Shing, Ron Brown, K.S. Wu, Sen.
            Rockefeller and Bill Clinton should be
            investigated by an FBI director and
            attorney general interested in protecting
            the national security.

            We need to kick out known espionage
            agents and close their front operations.
            Covert operations to put atomic bombs on
            American soil are an act of war. We
            should confront the Red Chinese and
            Russian leadership with a demand to
            remove these devices at once. The threat
            now lies buried in our own soil, next to
            our homes and within minutes of our
            nation's capitol.



                RELATED ITEMS:
                Dead men tell no tales -- Part 2
                Source documents
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_smith/19990323_xcsof_dead_men_t.shtml




-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Internal nuclear threat?
Date: 28 Mar 1999 01:32:02 EST

Dear David Crockett Williams,

I understand your concern with this material, but it is "far out". You've
posted a couple of items like this. I know there are probably hundreds of
thousands of Americans who believe this material and see links between Hillary
Clinton, mysterious murders in Arkansas, and suitcase nuclear bombs scattered
around the U.S. But I don't think this is the list for them.

You have given your address - [e-mail] - and I think you should
count on getting into "one on one dialogues" with people who want to pursue
these things with you.

Sincerely,
David McReynolds

[e-mail] writes:

<< Subj:     (abolition-usa) Internal nuclear threat?
 Date:    3/28/99 12:13:15 AM Eastern Standard Time
 From:    [e-mail] (David Crockett Williams)
 Sender:    [e-mail]
 Reply-to:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail] (Abolition 2000 USA),
[e-mail] (BayAreaActivistList), [e-mail]
(Activist Mailing List), [e-mail] (PeaceBuilders)

 [from website reference below]

 [Russian and Chinese "Speznatz" or special forces Army teams are always
 inserted on strategic recce, assasination and sabotage missions in the enemy
 rear. Nuclear weapons, command HQs and VIPs will be their targets. The
 weapons are already in the United States. They are stored in hidden caches,
 including conventional, nuclear, chemical and nuclear "brief case" bombs.
  >>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Timothy Bruening <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) ?? new Name ????. NO !!!!!!
Date: 27 Mar 1999 22:50:57 -0800 (PST)

At 01:17 PM 10/3/98 -0500, [e-mail] (Daniel Fine) wrote:

>Believe new name would be a mistake:
>
>(1) "Abolition" is an abiding categorical imperative, but I don't believe
>many members or supporters ever really believed we would have a treaty
>(NWC) in place by the year 2000. 2000 was and still is, and will remain a
>symbol of a threshold, a passage, a new beginning, a new century, new
>millennium etc. So 2000 remains meaningful and will still be after 2000 (as
>is the Y2K bug).
>To us, 2000 means struggle for abolition and steps on the journey, now and
>in the 21st century.

I suggest calling us "Abolition Y2K"


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) NATO and Kosovo / part two
Date: 28 Mar 1999 03:04:10 EST



 Subj:    NATO and Kosovo / part two
  Date:    3/28/99 2:59:49 AM Eastern Standard Time
  From:    DavidMcR
  To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
  To:    [e-mail]
  To:    [e-mail]
  To:    [e-mail]

  The other day I'd sent out a short analysis just before the bombing started.
These are some additional thoughts. Personal, not official for War Resisters
League or the Socialist Party.

  On action, while we write each other, we urgently need to write members of
Congress. High priority. (Don't waste time writing Clinton - hopeless). Where
possible we need to mount peaceful local demonstrations at federal buildings
so that the public is aware of the lack of consensus.

  Last night a friend said he would get up early Sunday to watch the
Washington Talk Shows. I said why waste his time. He said "I know they aren't
very bright, but I need to find out what they want us to believe - and the
Washington talk shows are it".
  He's right. All the good grey folks, all the paid talking heads, whose
political views range from far right to moderate liberal, are explaining to us
some things which can't be explained. So at this late hour on Saturday night .
. . let me offer an antidote.

  First, the instant the first bombs fell on Yugoslavia, the United States and
its NATO allies had engaged in an act of aggression against a sovereign state.
It can be argued that having threatened bombing for so long, they had no
choice but to do it. Sorry - a state of war against a nation is a state of war
- vastly different from threats of a state of war.

  Second, while I am not clear why the US is doing this, I am very clear on
why it is NOT doing it. It is not doing it because of the slightest
humanitarian concerns. If it had such concerns, it would have lifted the
sanctions on Iraq, where over a half million civilians, largely infants and
the elderly, have died because of our sanctions. And it would have pursued a
totally different policy in the past twenty fives years. Please remember - and
we are not talking ancient history - that the United States killed over two
million Vietnamese (not counting those in Laos and Cambodia) during its
invasion of Indochina. The U.S. colluded in the Indonesian slaughters in East
Timor. The U.S. CIA played a central role in the overthrow of the elected
government of Chile - the Allenda government. The U.S. worked with heroin and
cocaine trafficers in the Contra scandals when we were directly involved in
acts of murder in Nicaragua. (Remember the World Court ruling which WENT
AGAINST THE U.S., on the mining of the harbor there?). The U.S. was actively
involved in massascres in Guatemala, through training the military at Fort
Benning, Georgia, and through covert aid and financial and military help to
the government in Guatemala. Ditto El Salvador. And Honduras.

  One could go on. This is enough. No government has "moral interests" in its
foreign policy. Not the U.S., not Vietnam, not Israeli, not Cuba. All
governments seek to mask their actions through a pretense of morality. Because
ours is a democratic country with a fairly free press there is less excuse for
any of us to take Clinton seriously. He may or may not be a moral person as an
individual. The same may be true of Milosevic. But the governments involved,
Yugoslavia, Germany, Britian, the U.S., etc. are not moral (nor are they
particularly immoral - they each seek to advance their own interests).

  Second, the attacks launched by the U.S., Great Britain, and Germany are
remarkable in the context of wars of agression over the past fifty years in
the cynical use of "victims". Right now, as the bombing continues, the dangers
of any Albanian dissidents in Kosovo is much greater. The killing will be
speeded up. I cannot think of a war which was launched because of deep moral
concern for suffering people.

  Look back at history. In World War II everyone who had followed events in
Germany knew the fate of the Jews was ominous in the extreme. Yet not one
country lifted a hand to do a damn thing. (And the Soviet Union signed a non-
aggression Pact with the Nazis). Only when Hitler attacked Poland did the
Allies enter the war - and even then, the issue of the Jews was not the
reason. (Nor in our own Civil War, where the freeing of the slaves was not the
issue, but rather Lincoln's determination, somewhat akin to Milosevic's, to
keep the nation united at any cost).  Only late in the Civil War, as a means
to help win it, did Lincoln set the slaves free - and then only in the States
in insurrection.

  In World War II we knew about the rape of Nanking. I used to get bubble gum
wrapped in colorful wax sheets which showed Japanese troops killing Chinese
women. But no one did a damn thing - until Pearl Harbor.

  In the Iraqi case, Washington supported Saddam during the long war with Iran
in which a half million youth on each side was killed. This is morality? The
depth of cynicism of the United States is perhaps no greater than that of Nazi
Germany or Stalin's Russia, but it is emphatically no less.

  The tendency of the good people that we all - individually - are, is to want
to believe what Clinton says. I do. My first reaction is "how can I oppose any
action that will help the poor souls in Kosovo?" and "Surely David, there must
be some good reason for what Clinton is doing". Who wants to realize and admit
that their own government is doing terrible, criminal things?

  Please think of the not distant past. I remember sitting in a room at the
F.O.R. headquarters in Nyack during the invasion of Somalia and some of those
good and decent pacifists argued that the U.S. troops sent by Bush were
necessary to prevent bloodshed and starvation. Look at the result - the U.S.
had to flee the scene, in the face of  what is now conceded to be the
universal hatred of the U.S. troops by everyone in Somalia. Look at Iraq,
where we said we wanted to do good. As a result of our "necessary" actions, in
addition to the 100,000 or so killed by the U.S. during Desert Storm (never
forgetting the faithful contemptible support of the British government), we
gave hope to religious groups that were restless, they rose up, got no help
from us and were slaughtered by Saddam. Then we imposed sanctions and a half
million or more died.

  I don't have an answer for Kuwait (though that was far more complex than our
media told us) but the answer we employed was a human disaster which continues
to echo.

  If the U.S. has the right to dictate the terms on which Yugoslavia will deal
with what emphatically is an internal problem, then does NATO have the right
to bomb Tel Aviv for refusing to carry out UN resolutions of long standing?
Should Spain be bombed if they don't concede to the Basques? Should Tony Blair
be arrested because he has British troops in Northern Ireland? Should we bomb
China because of Tibet? Is there a nation that shouldn't, once we get on this
topic, be bombed for the good of humanity and the cause of peace?

  You may think I'm joking but I'm not.  The U.S./NATO aggression occured,
ironically, only because the Soviet Union  had collapsed and the military
balance that held the US (and the Soviet Union) in relatve check has vanished.
The U.S. has, in a number of acts of aggression, Somalia, Grenada, Panama, the
Gulf War, and now the attack on Yugoslavia, proved to be a very dangerous
power.

  The range of international treaties that have been broken is unnerving. The
UN has been by-passed. Serbia may be led by a nasty man (who won a free
election) but the Serbs are not nasty people. They were good allies to the
West during World War II. They have not fired a single shot at any NATO
member. What is the justification for this extraordinary aggression? That they
had refused to accept the partition of their country on terms dictated by
military powers outside their country.

  Again, I don't know yet to my own satisfaction why the US and NATO is
engaged in this. I do know that morality has nothing whatever to do with it
and if I hear one more sweet soul say "yes, but do you mean you won't do
anything for the poor people there" I may bloody well scream. There are people
being butchered and murdered and raped all over the world and I live in horror
of it. There is almost nothing I can do about these actions in Sudan, Congo,
Indonesia, India, etc. But where my own country is involved - as in Vietnam -
then I have to give priority to stopping my country from making a very nasty
world much worse.

  We simply must stop responding to what the media holds up as "the issue of
the day" to which we are all supposed to say "Oh yes, bomb that country, they
are wicked".  The world is filled with wicked people doing wicked things. The
talking heads are among the wicked people doing wicked things.

  We will never get the kind of world we want, in which the bloodshed
diminishes, if we keep agreeing to military actions. Do we learn nothing? Our
"innocent anti-Communism" which in 1960 got us involved in Indochina "to stop
terrorism" cost us so many lives, our own and Vietnamese, and in the end left
us wounded so deeply.

  How many more hundreds of thousands must die before we stop our own
government from "doing good things for the poor people of the world". (Which
usually translates as "making the world safer for the wonders of a global
capitalism").

  I know bad things are happening in Kosovo. They got worse since Clinton
started to make them "better".

  Please, if you have foreign contacts, transmit this to them. International
pressure is needed to stop the US and NATO.

  Peace,
  David McReynolds
  former Chair, War Resisters International
  former Co-Chair, Socialist Party USA

  >>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Chomsky on Current Bombings (fwd)
Date: 28 Mar 1999 17:00:16 EST


Subj:     Chomsky on Current Bombings (fwd)
 Date:    3/28/99 2:57:16 PM Eastern Standard Time
 From:    [e-mail] (Eric A Schuster)
 To:    [e-mail]
 CC:    [e-mail]

 --------- Begin forwarded message ----------

 The Current Bombings
                         By Noam Chomsky

      There have been many inquiries concerning NATO (meaning primarily
 US)
 bombing in Kosovo. A great deal has
      been written about the topic, including Znet commentaries. I'd like
 to
 make a few general observations, keeping to
      facts that are not seriously contested.

      There are two fundamental issues: (1) What are the accepted and
 applicable "rules of world order"? (2) How do
      these or other considerations apply in the case of Kosovo?


      (1) What are the accepted and applicable "rules of world order"?

      There is a regime of international law and international order,
 binding on all states, based on the UN Charter and
      subsequent resolutions and World Court decisions. In brief, the
 threat
 or use of force is banned unless explicitly
      authorized by the Security Council after it has determined that
 peaceful means have failed, or in self-defense
      against "armed attack" (a narrow concept) until the Security Council
 acts.

      There is, of course, more to say. Thus there is at least a tension,
 if
 not an outright contradiction, between the rules
      of world order laid down in the UN Charter and the rights
 articulated
 in the Universal Declaration of Human
      Rights (UD), a second pillar of the world order established under US
 initiative after World War II. The Charter
      bans force violating state sovereignty; the UD guarantees the rights
 of individuals against oppressive states. The
      issue of "humanitarian intervention" arises from this tension. It is
 the right of "humanitarian intervention" that is
      claimed by the US/NATO in Kosovo, and that is generally supported by
 editorial opinion and news reports (in the
      latter case, reflexively, even by the very choice of terminology).

      The question is addressed in a news report in the NY Times (March
 27),
 headlined "Legal Scholars Support Case
      for Using Force" in Kosovo (March 27). One example is offered: Allen
 Gerson, former counsel to the US mission
      to the UN. Two other legal scholars are cited. One, Ted Galen
 Carpenter, "scoffed at the Administration
      argument" and dismissed the alleged right of intervention. The third
 is Jack Goldsmith, a specialist on international
      law at Chicago Law school. He says that critics of the NATO bombing
 "have a pretty good legal argument," but
      "many people think [an exception for humanitarian intervention] does
 exist as a matter of custom and practice."
      That summarizes the evidence offered to justify the favored
 conclusion
 stated in the headline.

      Goldsmith's observation is reasonable, at least if we agree that
 facts
 are relevant to the determination of "custom
      and practice." We may also bear in mind a truism: the right of
 humanitarian intervention, if it exists, is premised on
      the "good faith" of those intervening, and that assumption is based
 not on their rhetoric but on their record, in
      particular their record of adherence to the principles of
 international law, World Court decisions, and so on. That is
      indeed a truism, at least with regard to others. Consider, for
 example, Iranian offers to intervene in Bosnia to
      prevent massacres at a time when the West would not do so. These
 were
 dismissed with ridicule (in fact, ignored);
      if there was a reason beyond subordination to power, it was because
 Iranian "good faith" could not be assumed. A
      rational person then asks obvious questions: is the Iranian record
 of
 intervention and terror worse than that of the
      US? And other questions, for example: How should we assess the "good
 faith" of the only country to have vetoed a
      Security Council resolution calling on all states to obey
 international law? What about its historical record? Unless
      such questions are prominent on the agenda of discourse, an honest
 person will dismiss it as mere allegiance to
      doctrine. A useful exercise is to determine how much of the
 literature
 -- media or other -- survives such

      elementary conditions as these.


      (2) How do these or other considerations apply in the case of
 Kosovo?

      There has been a humanitarian catastrophe in Kosovo in the past
 year,
 overwhelmingly attributable to Yugoslav
      military forces. The main victims have been ethnic Albanian
 Kosovars,
 some 90% of the population of this
      Yugoslav territory. The standard estimate is 2000 deaths and
 hundreds
 of thousands of refugees.

      In such cases, outsiders have three choices:

           (I) try to escalate the catastrophe

           (II) do nothing

           (III) try to mitigate the catastrophe

      The choices are illustrated by other contemporary cases. Let's keep
 to
 a few of approximately the same scale, and
      ask where Kosovo fits into the pattern.

      (A) Colombia. In Colombia, according to State Department estimates,
 the annual level of political killing by the
      government and its paramilitary associates is about at the level of
 Kosovo, and refugee flight primarily from their
      atrocities is well over a million. Colombia has been the leading
 Western hemisphere recipient of US arms and
      training as violence increased through the '90s, and that assistance
 is now increasing, under a "drug war" pretext
      dismissed by almost all serious observers. The Clinton
 administration
 was particularly enthusiastic in its praise for
      President Gaviria, whose tenure in office was responsible for
 "appalling levels of violence," according to human
      rights organizations, even surpassing his predecessors. Details are
 readily available.

      In this case, the US reaction is (I): escalate the atrocities.

      (B) Turkey. By very conservative estimate, Turkish repression of
 Kurds
 in the '90s falls in the category of Kosovo.
      It peaked in the early '90s; one index is the flight of over a
 million
 Kurds from the countryside to the unofficial
      Kurdish capital Diyarbakir from 1990 to 1994, as the Turkish army
 was
 devastating the countryside. 1994 marked
      two records: it was "the year of the worst repression in the Kurdish
 provinces" of Turkey, Jonathan Randal
      reported from the scene, and the year when Turkey became "the
 biggest
 single importer of American military
      hardware and thus the world's largest arms purchaser." When human
 rights groups exposed Turkey's use of US
      jets to bomb villages, the Clinton Administration found ways to
 evade
 laws requiring suspension of arms deliveries,
      much as it was doing in Indonesia and elsewhere.

      Colombia and Turkey explain their (US-supported) atrocities on
 grounds
 that they are defending their countries
      from the threat of terrorist guerrillas. As does the government of
 Yugoslavia.

      Again, the example illustrates (I): try to escalate the atrocities.

      (C) Laos. Every year thousands of people, mostly children and poor
 farmers, are killed in the Plain of Jars in
      Northern Laos, the scene of the heaviest bombing of civilian targets
 in history it appears, and arguably the most
      cruel: Washington's furious assault on a poor peasant society had
 little to do with its wars in the region. The worst
      period was from 1968, when Washington was compelled to undertake
 negotiations (under popular and business
      pressure), ending the regular bombardment of North Vietnam.
 Kissinger-Nixon then decided to shift the planes to
      bombardment of Laos and Cambodia.

      The deaths are from "bombies," tiny anti-personnel weapons, far
 worse
 than land-mines: they are designed
      specifically to kill and maim, and have no effect on trucks,
 buildings, etc. The Plain was saturated with hundreds of
      millions of these criminal devices, which have a failure-to-explode
 rate of 20%-30% according to the manufacturer,
      Honeywell. The numbers suggest either remarkably poor quality
 control
 or a rational policy of murdering civilians
      by delayed action. These were only a fraction of the technology
 deployed, including advanced missiles to penetrate

      caves where families sought shelter. Current annual casualties from
 "bombies" are estimated from hundreds a year
      to "an annual nationwide casualty rate of 20,000," more than half of
 them deaths, according to the veteran Asia
      reporter Barry Wain of the Wall Street Journal -- in its Asia
 edition.
 A conservative estimate, then, is that the crisis
      this year is approximately comparable to Kosovo, though deaths are
 far
 more highly concentrated among children
      -- over half, according to analyses reported by the Mennonite
 Central
 Committee, which has been working there
      since 1977 to alleviate the continuing atrocities.

      There have been efforts to publicize and deal with the humanitarian
 catastrophe. A British-based Mine Advisory
      Group (MAG) is trying to remove the lethal objects, but the US is
 "conspicuously missing from the handful of
      Western organisations that have followed MAG," the British press
 reports, though it has finally agreed to train
      some Laotian civilians. The British press also reports, with some
 anger, the allegation of MAG specialists that the
      US refuses to provide them with "render harmless procedures" that
 would make their work "a lot quicker and a lot
      safer." These remain a state secret, as does the whole affair in the
 United States. The Bangkok press reports a
      very similar situation in Cambodia, particularly the Eastern region
 where US bombardment from early 1969 was
      most intense.

      In this case, the US reaction is (II): do nothing. And the reaction
 of
 the media and commentators is to keep silent,
      following the norms under which the war against Laos was designated
 a
 "secret war" -- meaning well-known, but
      suppressed, as also in the case of Cambodia from March 1969. The
 level
 of self-censorship was extraordinary
      then, as is the current phase. The relevance of this shocking
 example
 should be obvious without further comment.

      I will skip other examples of (I) and (II), which abound, and also
 much more serious contemporary atrocities, such
      as the huge slaughter of Iraqi civilians by means of a particularly
 vicious form of biological warfare -- "a very hard
      choice," Madeleine Albright commented on national TV in 1996 when
 asked for her reaction to the killing of half a
      million Iraqi children in 5 years, but "we think the price is worth
 it." Current estimates remain about 5000 children
      killed a month, and the price is still "worth it." These and other
 examples might also be kept in mind when we read
      awed rhetoric about how the "moral compass" of the Clinton
 Administration is at last functioning properly, as the
      Kosovo example illustrates.

      Just what does the example illustrate? The threat of NATO bombing,
 predictably, led to a sharp escalation of
      atrocities by the Serbian Army and paramilitaries, and to the
 departure of international observers, which of course
      had the same effect. Commanding General Wesley Clark declared that
 it
 was "entirely predictable" that Serbian
      terror and violence would intensify after the NATO bombing, exactly
 as
 happened. The terror for the first time
      reached the capital city of Pristina, and there are credible reports
 of large-scale destruction of villages,
      assassinations, generation of an enormous refugee flow, perhaps an
 effort to expel a good part of the Albanian
      population -- all an "entirely predictable" consequence of the
 threat
 and then the use of force, as General Clark
      rightly observes.

      Kosovo is therefore another illustration of (I): try to escalate the
 violence, with exactly that expectation.

      To find examples illustrating (III) is all too easy, at least if we
 keep to official rhetoric. The major recent academic
      study of "humanitarian intervention," by Sean Murphy, reviews the
 record after the Kellogg-Briand pact of 1928
      which outlawed war, and then since the UN Charter, which
 strengthened
 and articulated these provisions. In the
      first phase, he writes, the most prominent examples of "humanitarian
 intervention" were Japan's attack on

      Manchuria, Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia, and Hitler's occupation
 of parts of Czechoslovakia. All were
      accompanied by highly uplifting humanitarian rhetoric, and factual
 justifications as well. Japan was going to
      establish an "earthly paradise" as it defended Manchurians from
 "Chinese bandits," with the support of a leading
      Chinese nationalist, a far more credible figure than anyone the US
 was
 able to conjure up during its attack on South
      Vietnam. Mussolini was liberating thousands of slaves as he carried
 forth the Western "civilizing mission." Hitler
      announced Germany's intention to end ethnic tensions and violence,
 and
 "safeguard the national individuality of the
      German and Czech peoples," in an operation "filled with earnest
 desire
 to serve the true interests of the peoples
      dwelling in the area," in accordance with their will; the Slovakian
 President asked Hitler to declare Slovakia a
      protectorate.

      Another useful intellectual exercise is to compare those obscene
 justifications with those offered for interventions,
      including "humanitarian interventions," in the post-UN Charter
 period.

      In that period, perhaps the most compelling example of (III) is the
 Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in December
      1978, terminating Pol Pot's atrocities, which were then peaking.
 Vietnam pleaded the right of self-defense against
      armed attack, one of the few post-Charter examples when the plea is
 plausible: the Khmer Rouge regime
      (Democratic Kampuchea, DK) was carrying out murderous attacks
 against
 Vietnam in border areas. The US
      reaction is instructive. The press condemned the "Prussians" of Asia
 for their outrageous violation of international
      law. They were harshly punished for the crime of having terminated
 Pol
 Pot's slaughters, first by a (US-backed)
      Chinese invasion, then by US imposition of extremely harsh
 sanctions.
 The US recognized the expelled DK as the
      official government of Cambodia, because of its "continuity" with
 the
 Pol Pot regime, the State Department
      explained. Not too subtly, the US supported the Khmer Rouge in its
 continuing attacks in Cambodia.

      The example tells us more about the "custom and practice" that
 underlies "the emerging legal norms of
      humanitarian intervention."

      Despite the desperate efforts of ideologues to prove that circles
 are
 square, there is no serious doubt that the
      NATO bombings further undermine what remains of the fragile
 structure
 of international law. The US made that
      entirely clear in the discussions leading to the NATO decision.
 Apart
 from the UK (by now, about as much of an
      independent actor as the Ukraine was in the pre-Gorbachev years),
 NATO
 countries were skeptical of US policy,
      and were particularly annoyed by Secretary of State Albright's
 "saber-rattling" (Kevin Cullen, Boston Globe, Feb.
      22). Today, the more closely one approaches the conflicted region,
 the
 greater the opposition to Washington's
      insistence on force, even within NATO (Greece and Italy). France had
 called for a UN Security Council resolution
      to authorize deployment of NATO peacekeepers. The US flatly refused,
 insisting on "its stand that NATO should
      be able to act independently of the United Nations," State
 Department
 officials explained. The US refused to
      permit the "neuralgic word `authorize'" to appear in the final NATO
 statement, unwilling to concede any authority
      to the UN Charter and international law; only the word "endorse" was
 permitted (Jane Perlez, NYT, Feb. 11).
      Similarly the bombing of Iraq was a brazen expression of contempt
 for
 the UN, even the specific timing, and was
      so understood. And of course the same is true of the destruction of
 half the pharmaceutical production of a small
      African country a few months earlier, an event that also does not
 indicate that the "moral compass" is straying
      from righteousness -- not to speak of a record that would be
 prominently reviewed right now if facts were

      considered relevant to determining "custom and practice."

      It could be argued, rather plausibly, that further demolition of the
 rules of world order is irrelevant, just as it had lost
      its meaning by the late 1930s. The contempt of the world's leading
 power for the framework of world order has
      become so extreme that there is nothing left to discuss. A review of
 the internal documentary record demonstrates
      that the stance traces back to the earliest days, even to the first
 memorandum of the newly-formed National
      Security Council in 1947. During the Kennedy years, the stance began
 to gain overt expression. The main
      innovation of the Reagan-Clinton years is that defiance of
 international law and the Charter has become entirely
      open. It has also been backed with interesting explanations, which
 would be on the front pages, and prominent in
      the school and university curriculum, if truth and honesty were
 considered significant values. The highest
      authorities explained with brutal clarity that the World Court, the
 UN, and other agencies had become irrelevant
      because they no longer follow US orders, as they did in the early
 postwar years.

      One might then adopt the official position. That would be an honest
 stand, at least if it were accompanied by
      refusal to play the cynical game of self-righteous posturing and
 wielding of the despised principles of international
      law as a highly selective weapon against shifting enemies.

      While the Reaganites broke new ground, under Clinton the defiance of
 world order has become so extreme as to
      be of concern even to hawkish policy analysts. In the current issue
 of
 the leading establishment journal, Foreign
      Affairs, Samuel Huntington warns that Washington is treading a
 dangerous course. In the eyes of much of the
      world -- probably most of the world, he suggests -- the US is
 "becoming the rogue superpower," considered "the
      single greatest external threat to their societies." Realist
 "international relations theory," he argues, predicts that
      coalitions may arise to counterbalance the rogue superpower. On
 pragmatic grounds, then, the stance should be
      reconsidered. Americans who prefer a different image of their
 society
 might call for a reconsideration on other
      than pragmatic grounds.

      Where does that leave the question of what to do in Kosovo? It
 leaves
 it unanswered. The US has chosen a
      course of action which, as it explicitly recognizes, escalates
 atrocities and violence -- "predictably"; a course of
      action that also strikes yet another blow against the regime of
 international order, which does offer the weak at
      least some limited protection from predatory states. As for the
 longer
 term, consequences are unpredictable. One
      plausible observation is that "every bomb that falls on Serbia and
 every ethnic killing in Kosovo suggests that it will
      scarcely be possible for Serbs and Albanians to live beside each
 other
 in some sort of peace" (Financial Times,
      March 27). Some of the longer-term possible outcomes are extremely
 ugly, as has not gone without notice.

      A standard argument is that we had to do something: we could not
 simply stand by as atrocities continue. That is
      never true. One choice, always, is to follow the Hippocratic
 principle: "First, do no harm." If you can think of no
      way to adhere to that elementary principle, then do nothing. There
 are
 always ways that can be considered.
      Diplomacy and negotiations are never at an end.

      The right of "humanitarian intervention" is likely to be more
 frequently invoked in coming years -- maybe with
      justification, maybe not -- now that Cold War pretexts have lost
 their
 efficacy. In such an era, it may be
      worthwhile to pay attention to the views of highly respected
 commentators -- not to speak of the World Court,
      which explicitly ruled on this matter in a decision rejected by the
 United States, its essentials not even reported.


      In the scholarly disciplines of international affairs and
 international law it would be hard to find more respected
      voices than Hedley Bull or Leon Henkin. Bull warned 15 years ago
 that
 "Particular states or groups of states that
      set themselves up as the authoritative judges of the world common
 good, in disregard of the views of others, are in
      fact a menace to international order, and thus to effective action
 in
 this field." Henkin, in a standard work on world
      order, writes that the "pressures eroding the prohibition on the use
 of force are deplorable, and the arguments to
      legitimize the use of force in those circumstances are unpersuasive
 and dangerous... Violations of human rights are
      indeed all too common, and if it were permissible to remedy them by
 external use of force, there would be no law
      to forbid the use of force by almost any state against almost any
 other. Human rights, I believe, will have to be
      vindicated, and other injustices remedied, by other, peaceful means,
 not by opening the door to aggression and
      destroying the principle advance in international law, the outlawing
 of war and the prohibition of force."

      Recognized principles of international law and world order, solemn
 treaty obligations, decisions by the World Court,
      considered pronouncements by the most respected commentators --
 these
 do not automatically solve particular
      problems. Each issue has to be considered on its merits. For those
 who
 do not adopt the standards of Saddam
      Hussein, there is a heavy burden of proof to meet in undertaking the
 threat or use of force in violation of the
      principles of international order. Perhaps the burden can be met,
 but
 that has to be shown, not merely proclaimed
      with passionate rhetoric. The consequences of such violations have
 to
 be assessed carefully -- in particular, what
      we understand to be "predictable." And for those who are minimally
 serious, the reasons for the actions also have
      to be assessed -- again, not simply by adulation of our leaders and
 their "moral compass." _

 --------- End forwarded message ----------

 ___________________________________________________________________
 You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
 Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html
 or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]

 --
 The lefty.techsi.com server is not operated by the owners of the
 techsi.com domain.  Views expressed in this email do not reflect the
 opinions of TSI, its officers, customers, or minions.

 To unsubscribe, send email to
 [e-mail] with "unsubscribe"
 in the Subject line.

 Send complaints that can't be resolved by unsubscribing to
 [e-mail].





-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Timothy Bruening <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Stop bombing Serbia!
Date: 28 Mar 1999 21:56:53 -0800 (PST)

I have just sent the following letter to Representative Doug Ose, Senator
Dianne Feinstein, and Senator Barbara Boxer:

Dear Representative Doug Ose, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and Senator Barbara
Boxer:

Aside from the awful civilian casualties in Serbia, the bombing of Serbia
has strengthened Milosevic by rallying all Serbians around him, and has
given him cover to intensify the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo.

The bombing of Serbia has also angered the Russians into further delaying
their ratification of START II and suspending cooperation with the West,
including cooperation to avert a Y2K nuclear war.

Worst of all, the bombing of Serbia has caused Russia to consider deploying
nuclear weapons in Belarus, and caused the Ukraine to renounce its
non-nuclear policy.

Therefore, I urge you to cosponsor resolutions urging Clinton to stop
bombing Serbia and adopt the following policies to defuse the Kosovo crisis,
undermine Milosevic, and repair the damage to U.S.-Russian relations and to
the nuclear disarmament process:

I. Propose a UN Peacekeeping force in Kosovo, with no troops from the
Permanent 5 UN Security Council members (U.S., Russia, China, Britain,
France) or from any NATO nations, except for the three newest members.
Instead, the troops should be from Eastern Europe, and/or the Third World.
I believe that such a force would be more acceptable to the Serbs.  The UN
Peacekeepers would police an autonomy agreement, disarm both sides, and
organize an integrated Serb/Albanian Peacekeeping Force.

II. Broadcast graphic accounts of Serbian atrocities against Kosovo
Albanians into Serbia and into Russia, and ask listeners: Is the Serbian
government worth your support?  Hopefully, this would undermine Milosevic's
popularity in both countries.

III. Dramatically announce that the U.S. is taking its nuclear weapons off
alert, removing the warheads from their delivery vehicles, and halting all
nuclear weapons design, testing, production, and deployment activities.

IV. Challenge all the other nuclear nations to follow our lead, and
challenge Russia to immediately ratify START II, cancel any deployment of
its nuclear weapons outside its territory, and resume cooperation with the
West to avert a Y2K nuclear war.

Sincerely,

Timothy Bruening
1439 Brown Drive
Davis, CA 95616


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Jan Myrdal calls for a new Peace Front
Date: 29 Mar 1999 01:49:00 EST



Subj:     Jan Myrdal calls for a new Peace Front
 Date:    3/29/99 1:38:42 AM Eastern Standard Time
 From:    DavidMcR
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 BCC:    DavidMcR

 I'm most grateful to Jay for "cleaning up" the original post which had lots
of weirdness
 in its spacing. Am happy to send this along.

 Fraternally,
 David McReynolds

 In a message dated 3/28/99 8:30:10 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[e-mail] writes:

 <<
  In line with statements from other individuals and organizations which
  have appeared on the various lists which comprise "Marxism space" on the
  internet, and in line with efforts to spread information about what is
  happening and the options before us, I forward this call by Swedish
  writer Jan Myrdal.  I received it from someone who  received it from
  someone named Hans Isaksson, so I suppose any comments should=20
  properly be directed to Mr. Isaksson at [e-mail].
  - JRF

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
  ---------



      A   C A L L   F O R   A   N E W   P E A C E   F R O N T

                         By Jan Myrdal

  The United States, its allies and its subordinate states have=20
  thoroughly changed the international situation by their war of=20
  aggression against Yugoslavia.

  It is, however, not only up to the United States whether the=20
  United Nations will now become like the League of Nations after=20
  the Japanese aggression back in 1931. Nor is it entirely up to=20
  the United States how the future conflicts will develop - it is=20
  up to us, the people. In order to act intelligently we shall=20
  have to realise this fact and discuss  its implications.

  Even if  WW I was trigged by the shots in Sarajevo it started=20
  with the Balkan wars during the preceding years. It was fore-
  boded by conflicts, possible to discern and to analyse already=20
  in the 1890-ies, between the big powers on the repartition of=20
  the world. The contemporary peace- and labour movement  could=20
  foresee this big war in advent.


  The analysis made by the Basle conference of the Second Interna-
  tional was perfectly clear. However, in the absence of a broadly
  based peace movement, organised by and among the people their=20
  leaders were able to desert the struggle for peace. Instead they
  began to serve the imperialist masters and to drag the peoples=20
  into a sanguinary world war. On our side we have discussed how=20
  this could happen since the autumn of 1914.

  Even if the Second World War, as far as Europe was concerned, =20
  was trigged when Hitlerite Germany attacked Poland in 1939 it=20
  was initiated when Japan occupied Manchuria in 1931 (and it was=20
  continued by the Italian assault on Abessinia   and  by the=20
  fascist coup, supported by Germany and Italy, against the legal=20
  government in Spain in 1936). In this imperialist power game the
  leaders of Great Britain, France and the United States thought =20
  that they might be able to turn Japan and Germany against the=20
  Soviet Union, thus being able keep their own empires for them-
  selves.=20

  In spite of this the contemporary peace movement and the anti-
  fascist forces in the interval between the preludes of the war=20
  and its exacerbation  made a great performance  to unite the=20
  peoples on the broadest possible foundation against the fascists
  and the war. In doing this they contributed to the future defeat
  of the fascists. Even if they were not strong enough to prevent=20
  the war they had learnt from the events in 1914.

  It is granted that the third  World war was initiated by the=20
  bomb over Hiroshima - which was not necessary in order to defeat
  Japan but was needed in order to secure the  world hegemony de-
  sired by the United States - and later by the iron curtain=20
  speech by Winston Churchill, the Truman doctrine and NATO. How-
  ever the war never broke out. We succeeded in the fifties where=20
  we failed back in 1914 and 1939. We were able to resist the for-
  ces of war.

  We were millions all around the world working for the Stockholm=20
  call for peace. Our slogans were simple and seemingly self-evi-
  dent: Prohibition and destruction of nuclear arms under interna-
  tional control - any state, deploying nuclear arms by this fact=20
  was to be considered a war criminal. The press and our official=20
  politicians were raging.=20

  Whoever remembers the witch-hunt won=B4t forget it. The Daily News
  (the leading Swedish daily newspaper) slandered us as "Russian=20
  agents". Our Prime Minister was very upset. On the initiative of
  the United States here in Sweden 20000 informers were organised=20
  to spy on all those among their fellow countrymen  who worked in
  favour of  "the peace of Moscow" - and to annihilate them so-
  cially and politically. But we simply were too many millions all
  over the world organising to resist the US warmongers. They
  could not realise their dream - exposed on the cover of Col-
  lier=B4s Magazine in November 1951 with its atomic mushroom over=20
  Moscow. Their war machine was defeated in Korea. They were co-
  erced into keeping peace.

  In Sweden powerful forces among  Big Business , the military ap-
  paratus and their friends in the bourgeois parties as well as=20
  parts of the social democratic leadership tried to make us join=20
  the NATO and its war. But the peace movement was on its guard=20
  and the public opinion was against NATO. The peace movement=20
  grew. Certain generals and politicians were in the service of=20
  the United States. They had to act illegaly and secretly.=20

  With the support of the public opinion we made Sweden officially
  stick to the very same political line that it had adhered to
  since 1834: Freedom of alliance in peacetime, aiming to neutra-
  lity in wartime. This fact constituted a severe defeat for the=20
  diplomacy of the United States and  for the pro-NATO forces in=20
  our country.

  Among the political/military leadership a program for the deve-
  lopment of Swedish arms was prepared, however. Even Olof Palme=20
  was in favour of that program. Here, also, the military and the=20
  politicians had to yield to the pressure of the public opinion,=20
  organised by the peace movement. So Olof Palme switched his opi-
  nion, being a shrewd politician.

  You may remember how our work against the US war of aggression=20
  in South East Asia was organised? Then official Sweden was on=20
  the side of the United States. We had good reasons to call, as=20
  we did, our Prime Minister and the head of the National TUC "the
  flunkeys of Lyndon".

  There are several us remembering  how they got beaten up when=20
  the government deployed their mounted police force on the 20th=20
  of December 1967. By sticking to the mass line, by reasoning,=20
  spreading information and by sticking to the simple principles=20
  which conformed to the interests of the Swedish people we made=20
  the government yield. At least in words, if not in its deeds it=20
  had to oppose the US war. Olof Palme himself ended up heading =20
  demonstrations. For this we ought to respect him and hail him.=20
  We should not be sectarian or self-righteous.

  As many of  us know our work for peace and solidarity continued  with
  the struggle for the rights of the Palestinian People, it went=20
  on to oppose the Brezhnev doctrine, used by Moscow in order to=20
  establish and expand its hegemony.

  In this moment for  economical and power political motives the
  leadership of the United States and their followers are striving to
  enforce the world hegemony of Globalisation. This is done by
  deliberately by-passing the UN, by exploiting internal ethnical/
  religious conflicts. All means, political and military, are in-
  strumental to this end. Thus, our struggle for peace must be
  continued.

  We shall work broadly, without condideration for old contradic-
  tions. In different ways we shall organise a public opinion. We=20
  shall raise simple political demands in the interest of the=20
  broad majority of the people.

  In Sweden, for instance:=20

  Return to our political guidelines in foreign policy  valid=20
  since 1834:

  Freedom of alliance in peacetime, aiming to neutrality in war-
  time. Return to the line of foreign policy, enforced by the=20
  peace movement and the people in the sixties.

  In favour of the UN, against the self-imposed "right" of super-
  powers (the Truman doctrine, the Brezhnev doctrine or the cur-
  rent Clinton doctrine) to intervene by military force in the in-
  ternal affairs of other states.

  Solidarity with the demands of the Third World ("the South") for
  an egalitarian distribution of the wordly goods, against plun-
  dering and neo-colonialism, in favour of mutual respect and un-
  derstanding as a foundation for the international intercourse.

  It is of paramount importance to counter the ever more uniform=20
  news media by spreading an objective information about world af-
  fairs.=20

  Another central task is to reveal the methods of propaganda de-
  ployed by imperialism and neo-colonialism. You=B4ll notice that=20
  Washington is now talking about "human rights" in the same man-
  ner as the Victorian British talked of "Christian Values", the=20
  Tsar of  "the freedom of small nations", the warring Japan of=20
  "freedom from colonial masters and common welfare", Mussolini of
   "liberating the Abessinians from slavery", Hitler of "new,=20
  brotherly Europe". You can demonstrate this by quotations and=20
  examples!

  Further, you should fight the ideologies about "the war between
  civilisations" and  "obsoleteness of the national states" that=20
  are now being produced by the "think-tanks" of the United States
  and by their parroters in our countries. You should fight them=20
  thoroughly, hard and by means of arguments.

  These are great tasks confronting us.

  (Translation from the Swedish, authorized by the author:=20
  Hans Isaksson)

  >>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Kosovo Crisis Links
Date: 29 Mar 1999 02:43:18 EST

I am glad Ross sent this on - it is urgent at this time that we try to hear as
many "sides" as possible, since the truth doesn't rest in any of them.

In light of this appeal from the KLA, I do want to quote from the Sunday New
York Times News of the Week section, the lead story under the title: Coping
with the Truth About Friend and Foe and a sub-head "Victims Not Quite
Innocent"

"In the catalogue of horrors that have befallen Yugoslavia, the Kosovo
Liberation Army is one of the lesser plagues. The danger to stability
presented by President Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia is far greater than
anythin within its power.

"But the fact this group has emerged to speak for Kosovo's Albanians, and the
bombing by NATO of Serbian targets on their behalf, reveal a great deal about
the moral ambiguities confronting outsiders who wade into the Balkans to halt
the killing and ethnic cleansing begun a decade ago by Mr. Milosevic.

"The K.L.A. began on the radical fringe of Kosovar Albanian politics,
originally made up of diehard Marxist-Leninists (who were bankrolled in the
old days by the Stalinist dictatorship next door in Albania) as well as by
descendants of the fascist militias raised by the Italians in World War II.
It has no ideology behond a drive to liberate Kosovo from Serb rule, but its
leaders have long championed the Quixotic goal of a 'Greater Albania' reaching
into Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro.

"Though its atrocities pale next to the rampage of the Serbs, it has shown
little tolerance for its ethnic rivals, carrying out random kidnappings and
excutions and burning Serb villages."

Peace,
David McReynolds

<< From:    [e-mail] (Ross Wilcock)
 Sender:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail] (Abolition-Caucus-L)

 Rather than sending out updates to Kosovo Crisis Links, these can be
 conveniently reviewed at http://www.pgs.ca/pages/war/kosovo.htm

 Ross Wilcock
 [e-mail]

 ***
 The following appeal was forwarded, dated: Sun 99/03/28 7:15 PM:

 KLA Appeal
 Drenica, 26 March (Kosovapress)  We appeal to the journalists and the
 reporters throughout the world who are interested in what is happening
 within the territory of Kosova to come to the zones controlled by the Kosova
 Liberation Army.  We assure them safety in their work as well as of the
 sincere and full support on the part of the KLA superiors and fighters
 including that of the people of Kosova in these zones.  Your contribution
 towards a fair and accurate information about the events will enable the
 world to learn of the inhuman massacres committed by the paramilitary and
 terrorist army of the Belgrade regime in revenge to the NATO strikes.




-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Kosovo
Date: 29 Mar 1999 10:55:30 -0500

>Date: Sat, 27 Mar 1999 23:07:01 -0500
>Subject: Kosovo
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail], [e-mail]
>Cc: [e-mail], [e-mail],
> [e-mail], [e-mail],
> [e-mail], [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>Dear Freinds,
>I understand and support all negative feeling connected wiyth NATO actions
>against serbs. But I think that your hight intellectual communities have to
>add some special - Nuclear - aspect into general picture. It never happened
>before that a war start so close to Nuclear Power Plant (about 200 km to
>Koslodui, Bulgaria; 400- to Paks, Hungary, and near the same distance - to
>NPP in Slovenia). In 1980 and 1984  Prof.Bennet Ramberg have published the
>book "Nuclear Power Plants as Weapons for the Enemy. An Unrecognized
>Military Peril" ( University California Press, XXXV+193p.). My advise - to
>look through this book carefully for the better understanding why Balcan
>Conflict so unacceptable dangerous with one side, and why it real madneass
>to continuing construct NPP in India, Iran, etc.
>Alexey Yablokov
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Holy Field of Kosovo (The Serbian/Christian Alamo)
Date: 29 Mar 1999 13:49:23 -0800

[following is forwarded for background on current conflict]

This background on Yugoslavia was written by Anthony Wayne, and now has been
passed on to me by several friends.

http://iresist.com/nbn/weekly.html

===

The Holy Field of Kosovo


Because of the control of the news media most people do not
understand the real battle being waged inside the borders
of Yugoslavia. Let me then tell you about it. 600 years ago
Islamic hordes invaded Christian Europe. They destroyed
everything in their path. Those who refused to convert to
Mohammedism suffered horrible fates. The Serbian women were
first raped and then sold along with their children into
slavery. Serbian men not killed on the battle field were
castrated and blinded to make them docile slaves for their
Turkish masters. Whole cities became a single funeral pyre
with their flames reaching toward heaven for the thousands
who lived in them as they were burned by the invaders. At
one point in their advance into Serbia the Turks nailed
some 12,000 Serbians to crosses mocking the death of Christ
and the Faith of the Serbs. The Turkish invasion of Europe
seemed unstoppable as they swept over everything in their
path with fire and sword. Until they reached the Kosovo
Plain.

For it was there that in 1389 some 77,000 Christian knights
and soldiers met the Turks. All of them pledging to each
other and to Christ that they would die rather than convert
to Mohammedism and lose their liberty. With prayer and
fasting and the Cross of Christ before them, 77,000
Christian men led by Serbian Prince Lazar engaged in a gory
battle to the death. Giving their life's blood not just to
save the freedom of SerbiaCbut of all Europe from the
advance of Mohammed's enslaving hordes. When the battle was
over the cream of Serbian manhood lay dead in great heaps
on the blood drenched field along with their Prince. But
their death did not come easy for the Muslims. These
martyrs for their faith fought so heroically, exacting such
a tremendous toll upon the Islamic soldiers, that the
advance into the heart of Europe was halted. During the
battle a group of knights having heard that their Prince
was dead, raced headlong through the enemy lines charging
into the very center of the enemy camp where they slew in
his tent the Turkish leader Emir Murad I. There they too
died in desperate hand to hand combat outnumbered two
hundred to one.


Thenceforth Kosovo Field became to the Serbian people
Acampo santo, The Holy Field. It is considered by many
historians of the Christian Church to be the single
greatest tomb of Christian martyrs killed in a single day.
No other single larger sacrifice of Christians is know.
Rome had it's glory. But Serbia has Kosovo! Each year on St
Vitus' Day the Serbs honour the holy martyrs of Kosovo
Plain and commemorate that epic sacrifice to freedom and
the Faith of Christ with prayer and fasting.

Such is the history of the Alamo like stand of Serbian
manhood against the invading foes of Western Christian
Civilization. Kosovo province is the heart and soul of
Serbia and they will not yield it to today's Albanian
Muslim terrorists backed by American cruise missiles and B2
bombers. The United States' aggression against the Serbs
will be valiantly opposed by the descendants of those who
died upon Kosovo Plain. The attempt to break it away from
the Serbian nation will fail and America will reap more
shame and condemnation for it's cowardly bombing of the
Yugoslavian people. Like the Mexican commander Santa Anna
who called for the Texans to surrender before his troops
stormed the walls of the Alamo, Clinton has called for the
surrender of Kosovo. He will not get it. And he will make
martyrs of those he kills. Liberty and Faith still has
it's defenders.

====

Below are some links that will provide a better
understanding of the issue at hand:

http://kosovo.serbhost.org/

http://www.beograd.com/radioyu/

http://kosovo.serbhost.org/elbooks.html

http://www.computec-int.com/bsc/linkkoso.htm

http://www.srpska-mreza.com/mlad/index.htm





-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Stephen Young <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) BASIC's updated website
Date: 30 Mar 1999 11:02:34 -0500

Dear colleagues,

BASIC has just improved its new website (yes, both new and improved!) on
the upcoming NATO summit and NPT PrepCom. It includes news and analysis
on a variety of issues in nuclear policy, non-proliferation, and
disarmament. The site will be continuous updated up to and though both
events.

Please visit it at:

http://www.basicint.org

Comments, questions, and criticisms are welcome.

Yours,

Stephen Young
Senior Analyst
BASIC


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) KOSOVO: PACIFISTS IN BELGRADE/RFY
Date: 30 Mar 1999 11:53:30 EST

In a message dated 3/30/99 3:24:44 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[e-mail] writes:

<< Subj:     KOSOVO: PACIFISTS IN BELGRADE/RFY
 Date:    3/30/99 3:24:44 AM Eastern Standard Time
 From:    [e-mail] (sbiesemans)
 To:    [e-mail] (BPI), [e-mail] ([e-mail]),
[e-mail] (pgahrton), [e-mail]
(IFOR), [e-mail] ([e-mail]), [e-mail] (ISIS-Europe),
[e-mail] (Jim Forest), [e-mail] (Koen Moens),
[e-mail] (Nanni SALIO)
 CC:    [e-mail] (BOUMANS Etienne), [e-mail]
(CUNNINGHAM T., M.E.P.), [e-mail] (MEYER Sabine),
[e-mail] (TELKAMPER Wilfried),
[e-mail] (VECCHI m.e.p./ALBERTO CORSINI), [e-mail]
(WOOD Michael)

 -- [ From: Biesemans Sam * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --


 Dear Friends,

 You will find herewith some news from our friend Bojan, who was a founder
 of the Yougoslav Bureau for Conscientious Objection in Belgrade. He also
 participated to different EBCO activities (for example: last seminar in
 Strasbourg or in Linz/Mauthausen last year).
 He is now student in Budapest, but he is still strongly linked with the
 pacifist friends in his country.
 Therefore we asked him some news about them. His short answer said a lot.

 Best whishes,

 Sam Biesemans,
 Chair of the Board of the
 European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (E.B.C.O.),
 Brussels


 --------------- Forwarded Message ---------------

 From:   "Bojan Aleksov", INTERNET:[e-mail]
 To:     Samuel BIESEMANS, 106707,1246
 Date:   Lun 29 Mars 1999, 15:48

 Dear Sam,

 our only concern at the moment is for the well being of our friends. It  is
 extremely difficult to get through. Yesterday night the last foreign
 volunteers got out and came with very bad news. They will not tell  anything
 to the public, in order not to bring our remaining friends in  danger. Women
 in Black will not issue any statements. The bombs have  silenced them and
 there is no chance for any activity in these  conditions.  However, there
 are some of our friends who still write reports and send  them via e-mail,
 which is the only remaining communication. One of them  is Pancevo
 (Vojvodina) M Peace group. Their e-mail is >[e-mail]< and if
 you write to them, they might put you  on their mailing list, although they
 write mostly in Serbian. The same  is with Otpor (resistance)the Student
 Network. You can get into their  mailing list but it is on Serbian and they
 are now also concerned for  their safety.  I don't even have to mention the
 situation in Kosovo and the civilian  victims.  I can't believe this is
 happening in 1999 and that the governments of  all European countries and US
 are so ignorant, stupid and criminal. We can only pray at the moment,

 Bojan


 >From: Samuel BIESEMANS <[e-mail]>
 >To: BOJAN/BELGRADE <[e-mail]>
 >Subject: NEWS FROM OUR PACIFISTS FRIENDS IN BELGRADO/RFY ?
 >Date: Sun, 28 Mar 1999 14:37:22 -0500
 >
 >Dear Bojan,
 >
 >Do you have news from our pacifist friends in your country ? Is it  still
 possible for you to be in contact with them or has the technical  censorship
 avoid that you phone, fax or e-mail to them ?
 >
 >Do you have from them or did you write yourself an analysis of the
 present war situation ?
 >Which message should you give to the pacifists in the NATO countries ?
 >
 >Thank you very much to give me an answer.
 >
 >Best whishes,
 >
 >Sam
 >
 >Brussels
 >
 >E-MAIL HOME: [e-mail]  (please sent only text files)
 >E-MAIL OFFICE: [e-mail]
 >
 >TEL/FAX HOME: 00322 6604737
 >TEL OFFICE: 00322 7438785

 ------- FORWARD, End of original message -------


 --
 _____________________________________________
 Sam BIESEMANS
 Press and European Parliament Relations
 Liaison Committee of Development NGOs to the EU
 square Ambiorix 10
 1000 Brussels
 tel.: 0032 -2 - 7438785 (direct)
 tel. sec.: 0032 - 2 - 7438760
 GSM (Mobile phone): 0032  (0) 477268893
 fax. :[phone]
 E-Mail: [e-mail]
 Web site: http:/www.oneworld.org/liaison
 _____________________________________________
  >>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: jhurd_newparty: Robert Fisk on the bombing in the Independent
Date: 30 Mar 1999 14:47:07 EST

In a message dated 3/30/99 12:13:58 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[e-mail] writes:

<< ---
 >The Independent
 >March 28, 1999
 >
 >The night the sky caught fire
 >
 >Even Milosevic's opponents are outraged and defiant as the Nato bombing
 >of
 >their city gathers force
 >
 >By Robert Fisk in Belgrade
 >
 >BY their graffiti, thou shalt know them. Just round the corner from the
 >Skoljka restaurant, high above the Danube, someone has written "French
 >murderer" on the wall of the French embassy in carefully painted capital
 >letters.
 >
 >In the Kalemegdan Park, the great statue of a woman by Ivan Mestrovic -
 >a
 >Croat, but no enemy of the Serbs - commemorating Serbia's military
 >alliance
 >with France in the 1914-18 war, has been draped in black cloth. "French
 >murderer" it says again on a banner attached to the drapery.
 >
 >Close to the Slavija roundabout in Belgrade, some tough, cynical humour
 >manifests itself. Spray-painted beside a building are the words: "Either
 >you bomb it as soon as possible or I'm going to have to paint my house."
 >Given the events of the last 24 hours, the owner had better wait another
 >few days before he makes a final decision on renovation. Even as dawn
 >slunk
 >over the city yesterday, the smoke still drifted through the streets all
 >the way from Avala, 11 miles out of town, a grey fog that penetrated
 >doors
 >and bedrooms.
 >
 >I knew the cause. Not long before midnight on Friday, there was a flat,
 >hollow explosion, a surprisingly short but powerful clap of sound that
 >banged all the windows in our hotel, slamming shut the open windows,
 >rattling the others on their hinges. Then a strange, almost unearthly
 >wind
 >billowed up the curtains. Like ghosts, they rose swiftly to the ceiling
 >and
 >stayed there, fluttering against the roof. There was no blast, just this
 >warm wind which rushed through our hotel near the Danube; the cooks and
 >the
 >receptionists and the chef in his white jacket all ran to the lobby, two
 >of
 >the kitchen girls holding hands in fear.
 >
 >>From the sixth floor, we could see a crimson glow creeping along the
 >horizon, a great mass of fire that illuminated an entire hillside. Nato
 >had
 >struck an arms depot and the missiles there soared into the night's sky,
 >gold and bright red, a pall of smoke drifting away in the light of the
 >fires. We have heard jets, although some said the whistling sound
 >represented missiles. For minutes we watched the fires, the window
 >occasionally shaking gently from the explosions. Then we crept
 >downstairs
 >in the darkness.
 >
 >A military target, Belgrade radio announced. Casualties unknown. By
 >mid-day
 >yesterday, the Serbs were talking of gravely wounded civilians - a
 >government minister said the same an hour later, although there were no
 >figures. Then came the sort of grim rumour all wars can do without; that
 >some form of chemical store had been hit, that poisonous chemicals may
 >have
 >been set alight in the bombing, that the wounded had been near
 >suffocation.
 >In several bomb shelters in south-west Belgrade, residents were told to
 >wear gas masks. Everyone had smelt the smoke; it had a strange smell,
 >one
 >young woman told us in an echoing government ministry yesterday
 >afternoon.
 >
 >In a land which still honours the language of communism - of soldiers
 >fighting honourably for the fatherland and courageously "performing
 >national duties" - news is a jealously guarded commodity. "Nato last
 >night
 >systematically and blindly bombarded our country," Milan Komnenic, the
 >Federal Yugoslav information minister, announced at mid-day. "The
 >greatest
 >victim of that attack was the capital of Yugoslavia which from its
 >outskirts to its centre was systematically bombarded with shells and
 >bombs." From such nuggets of Comintern prose are we supposed to extract
 >diamonds.
 >
 >But the bombing is indeed systematic - and many were the Serbs of
 >Belgrade
 >who wondered whether Nato disturbed their night in revenge for the sight
 >of
 >two MiG-29s over Bosnia, shot down according to Nato but very much
 >undestroyed (and not even flying over Bosnia) according to the Yugoslav
 >military. And from Avala to the centre of Belgrade, there was not a soul
 >who did not wonder what this massive explosion portended. By yesterday
 >afternoon, the anxiety was palpable. The blast of another explosion tore
 >over the city, followed - too late - by an air raid siren, and I found
 >men
 >and women running in panic through the city streets. Not a plane could
 >be
 >heard. Was it a missile?
 >
 >I remember, while watching those explosions rippling along the skyline
 >on
 >Friday night, asking myself if there was any response to technology; if
 >its
 >possession - in the shape of computer-guided rockets and 3,000- mile
 >range
 >bomber missions - had not created an unstoppable power. The Yugoslavs
 >have
 >stood up better to the American attacks than did the Iraqis. But then,
 >Nato
 >has not attacked bridges and electricity stations and sewage plants. Not
 >yet.
 >
 >Down by the Danube, just before the afternoon air raid, we had lunched
 >with
 >old Serb friends, Jelena and her daughter, both English teachers, both
 >normally level-headed, serious, intellectual, tough people. We tucked
 >into
 >Montenegro fish and Calamari over cold Niksicko beers but I hadn't
 >expected
 >to find such venom for the country whose culture they had studied for so
 >long.
 >
 >"Nato is helping Milosevic," Jelena said. "Like Iraq, the Americans have
 >closed our borders and isolated us and made even people who were against
 >the President stand with him. Religious people here feel we are being
 >punished for what has happened to us which is because of communism. And
 >are
 >remembering that the man who brought us communism through his support
 >for
 >Tito was your leader, Winston Churchill."
 >
 >In the air raid shelters the previous night, Jelena's daughter had been
 >astonished to hear a middle-aged woman quote from a 20th century Serbian
 >Nostradamus, Dedamilojel, a prophet supposed to have been born in 1914,
 >though no one knows if he is still alive - or ever lived - but who will
 >die, if he is alive, at the beginning of the Third World War.
 >"Grandfather
 >Deda," believed President Milosevic was going to be the saviour of
 >Serbia,
 >the lady told the people in the shelter. "Nowadays," Jelena said, "I am
 >ashamed I taught English for so long." The terrible stories of
 >atrocities
 >in Kosovo were not received well at our luncheon. Jelena did not know
 >the
 >truth of them, she repeated over and over again.
 >
 >Yes, prophets can be believed these days in Belgrade. Mr Komnenic told
 >us
 >yesterday that Belgrade would be a symbol of resistance as Madrid was in
 >the Spanish Civil war. Minutes later another official claimed that
 >Belgrade
 >would achieve the same unity as Prague during the Soviet invasion of
 >1968.
 >How easily history is embraced in Serbia these days. How easy it is to
 >bomb.
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >    This is the New York Free Media Email List
 >
 >  To unsubscribe send email to [e-mail]
 >  He'll ignore the subject, and if you're confused, just say help
  >>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: War Resisters League <[e-mail]>
Date: 30 Mar 1999 16:02:20 -0500

 =20

  Stop the bombings in Kosovo                  =20
         Join the Protest

Women in Black: One hour silent vigil to stand for peace in Kosovo.=20
5:30 to 6:30 pm =95 Wed., March 31=20
NY Public Library, 5th Ave. & 42nd St.
Please wear black.

Pax Christi: Good Friday walk with Stations of the Cross protesting
violence & promoting peace & justice. Ending with action at the Intrepid
with Kairos Community.=20
Begins 9:00 am =95 Fri., April 2
Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 1st Ave. & 42nd.
Intrepid action is at approx. 2:00 pm with vigil & leafleting about
militarism, bombing in Kosovo, and sanctions against Iraq, Hudson River at
43rd St.

Kairos Ploughshares: Intrepid Museum Teach-In with connections to current
war.=20
5:00 to 7:30 pm =95 Wed., March 31
Fordham University at Lincoln Center, Lowenstein Building Faculty Lounge,
12th fl., 113 W. 60th St.=20
    For information on Teach-In: [phone]

For more info call the War Resisters League [phone]

**********
War Resisters League
339 Lafayette St.
New York, NY 10012
212-228-0450
212-228-6193 (fax)
1-800-975-9688 (YouthPeace and A Day Without the Pentagon)
[e-mail]
web address: http://www.nonviolence.org/wrl

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) NY Times / 3/30/31
Date: 30 Mar 1999 18:36:20 EST

In a message dated 3/30/99 6:30:01 PM Eastern Standard Time, DavidMcR writes:

<< ubj:    NY Times / 3/30/31
 Date:    3/30/99 6:30:01 PM Eastern Standard Time
 From:    DavidMcR
 To:    JDCoffin, [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], Epank, [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], Zefalcon, RBLepley
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    VOBARON, [e-mail], Lthurston8
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 BCC:    DavidMcR

 Having just watched the talking heads on the "News Hour", I am stunned again
at how dissenting views are being excluded from the dialogue. We need Chomsky
on TV to take on these guys who so foolishly, so lightly, talk of the need to
send in troops.

 On the bright side, Thomas Friedman, no radical pacifist, has an excellent
column in today's NY Times, suggesting a possible way out and stressing that
NATO will in fact have to back down (as will Milosevic).

 If you have the Times or can get it on line, check the OP ED page.

 Peace,
 David McReynolds >>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) NY Times / 3/30/31
Date: 30 Mar 1999 18:43:29 -0500

Hi David and Friends,
I happened to watch C-Span early this morning and saw the Russian, Serbian,
and
French daily news shows.  Quite a different perspective.  The best part, aside
from the new insights and differing points of view (not from France) was that
no one was salivating over the high tech killer boy toys that we see endlessly
on commercial US tv.  Regards, Alice

At 06:36 PM 3/30/99 -0500, [e-mail] wrote:
>In a message dated 3/30/99 6:30:01 PM Eastern Standard Time, DavidMcR
>writes:
>
><< ubj: NY Times / 3/30/31
> Date:  3/30/99 6:30:01 PM Eastern Standard Time
> From:  DavidMcR
> To:    JDCoffin, [e-mail]
> To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
> To:    [e-mail], Epank, [e-mail]
> To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
> To:    [e-mail], Zefalcon, RBLepley
> To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
> To:    VOBARON, [e-mail], Lthurston8
> To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
> To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
> To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
> To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
> To:    [e-mail]
> To:    [e-mail]
> To:    [e-mail]
> BCC:   DavidMcR
>
> Having just watched the talking heads on the "News Hour", I am stunned
>again
>at how dissenting views are being excluded from the dialogue. We need
>Chomsky
>on TV to take on these guys who so foolishly, so lightly, talk of the need
>to
>send in troops.
>
> On the bright side, Thomas Friedman, no radical pacifist, has an excellent
>column in today's NY Times, suggesting a possible way out and stressing
>that
>NATO will in fact have to back down (as will Milosevic).
>
> If you have the Times or can get it on line, check the OP ED page.
>
> Peace,
> David McReynolds >>
>
>-
> To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
> with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
> For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
> "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: [Fwd: Appeal from Kosova unions]
Date: 31 Mar 1999 00:14:00 EST

Further material from Kosovo. David McReynolds (no easy answers and this
doesn't help!)

<<
 --------------------
 Return-Path: <[e-mail]>
 Received: from cdp.igc.apc.org (IDENT:[e-mail] [192.82.108.1])
     by igc7.igc.org (8.9.2/8.9.2) with ESMTP id QAA05016;
     Sun, 28 Mar 1999 16:46:18 -0800 (PST)
 Received: by cdp.igc.apc.org (8.9.3/8.9.3) id QAA10116;
     Sun, 28 Mar 1999 16:45:41 -0800 (PST)
 Date: 28 Mar 1999 15:55:07
 Reply-To: Conference "labr.party" <[e-mail]>
 From: [e-mail]
 Subject: Appeal from Kosova unions
 To: Recipients of conference <[e-mail]>
 Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
 X-Gateway: [e-mail]
 Errors-To: [e-mail]
 Precedence: bulk

 To the people of Europe, particularly to Trade Unions and Associations,
Student
 Unions, Democratic Rights Organisations and Humanitarian Organisations.

 Dear Friends,

 The people of Kosova desperately need your help. Ethnic cleansing has driven
 hundreds of thousands of Albanian Kosova citizens from their homes. This
 violence and injustice has been growing since 1989 when Serbian troops
occupied
 Kosova, which had the right of veto at the federal level, illegally crushed
its
 parliament, constitution and all legitimate institutions, closed its schools,
 colleges and hospitals to all Albanians and sacked Albanian workers from
their
 jobs.

 We appeal to the people of Europe to defend us from this fascist violence.
 Please, come to Kosova with humanitarian aid, come to show your solidarity,
 come to see for yourself what is happening.  We need you by our side or the
 Serbian regime's genocide is going to continue until they get their
"ethnically
 pure state".

 But if you want to reach us you will have to confront an obstacle - the
Serbian
 regime will not grant visas to anyone who they think will tell the truth of
 what they have seen in Kosova and campaign for solidarity. There is a
blockade
 around Kosova which isolates the suffering people from the outside world.  We
 need you to break this blockade.  We need a humanitarian corridor reaching
from
 the outside world right into Kosova.  Let the fleeing victims of ethnic
 cleansing escape their torturers! Let food, medicine, educational supplies,
and
 everything else needed for a human life, reach the communities who are
 resisting ethnic cleansing. Let Kosova live!

 Therefore if you are to reach us you will need to organise yourselves to be
 strong enough to demand from the Serbian regime the right to travel to
Kosova.
 We ask everyone who hears this appeal to unite to organise a "convoy of aid
and
 solidarity".

 Your action will signal that the people of Europe will not sit back and allow
 ethnic cleansing and will not allow politicians to make the promise "No more
 Bosnias" become empty words.

 Your action will give hope and strength to all the people in Kosova who want
to
 establish a just and democratic society in which everyone can live and work
in
 peace.

 Please contact us today, this minute.  Our future is in your hands.

 Agim Hyseni,

 On behalf of

 SBASHK - The Union of Education, Science and Culture of Kosova.
 Ardian Kastrati - Students Independent Union of University of Pristina
 Nediha Grapci  - Humanitarian Association of Kosova "Helping Hand"
 The Independent Union of Health workers of Kosova
 Xhafer Nuli - The Independent Union of Miners of Stari Terg - Kosova
 25 March 1999

 Contact Agim Hyseni tel/fax ++ 381 38 26 112
 or Ardian Kastrati email [e-mail]

 Please also contact Workers' Aid for Kosova tel/fax ++ 44 161 226 0404
 email [e-mail]
  >>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Russian Reaction:  NATO Builds Forces for 24-Hour Airstrikes
Date: 30 Mar 1999 19:32:44 -0800

from:
http://38.201.154.103/articles/?a=3D1999/3/30/63301
<A HREF=3D"http://38.201.154.103/articles/?a=3D1999/3/30/63301">NewsMax.c=
om:
Articles</A>
-----
Russia's Anger Makes for War Talk
J.R. NyquistMarch 30, 1999
When US and NATO warplanes struck Yugoslavia last week, President Boris
Yeltsin warned of a global war. But Western leaders have seemingly
scoffed at Yeltsin's statement, and those of other Russian leaders.
By ignoring such peril, Western leaders have taken a casual approach to
Russia that may be intensifying Russia's growing animus toward the West.


To date, no high level meetings between Russian and American officials
have been arranged to address Moscow's concerns. The usual anxiety about
US-Russian relations is almost non-existent. At the State Department,
James Rubin offered the belief that "President Yeltsin, Prime Minister
Primakov and Foreign Minister Ivanov see the value of keeping the
relationship (between the U.S. and Russia) on track, and not letting
someone like Milosevic derail everything that's at stake."

Yet the relationship is not on track.

After the air assault on Yugoslavia began last Wednesday the Russians
froze their relationship with NATO. They pulled Russian ground troops
out of the Bosnia Stabilization Force. They also expelled the NATO
representative in Moscow.

Ominously, they discontinued their cooperation on the Y2K problem -- a
problem that could have catastrophic consequences for Russia unless they
receive Western help.

Then, the Russians canceled a planned visit by Pentagon officials to
discuss the dismantling of Russian nuclear weapons. Worse still,
according to Russian news reports, the Kremlin is contemplating the
deployment of tactical nuclear weapons and bombers to Belarus. Belarus
is Russia's invasion pathway to Europe.

An alarm has been sounded throughout Russia.

When NATO bombs began falling on Russia's ally, Yugoslavia, the banner
headline of Kommersant, a business newspaper, simply said: "The Blow."
Segodnya's ominous headline explained: "It's war. The Americans cannot
convince the Serbs, and Russia cannot convince the Americans." Vremya's
headline stated: "NATO planes have attacked Yugoslavia as well as
Moscow's international authority."

On Saturday Russian lawmakers, meeting in emergency session, passed a
resolution 366-4 that called the NATO air assault on Yugoslavia "an act
of aggression that is a gross violation of the UN Charter ..." The four
page resolution further stated: "The aggression against Russia's ally
Yugoslavia is seen as a serious threat to Russian security."

Nikolai Zyubov, an independent political analyst, has stated that due to
NATO air attacks on Serbia: "Russians are far more anti-American today
than they have ever been." But more than this, he pointed out that
Russia now feels threatened.

Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Russian Communist Party declared: "The
Americans have gone down the path of Hitlerism. The use of force has
become the main argument in their policy, and so have blackmail, bombs
and threats."

The liberal Russian newspaper Izvestia called NATO's bombing campaign a
"royal gift" to the Communists in the Russian Duma. "The Party of
retrogrades," said Izvestia, "does not require a new strategy at all, as
the NATO alliance has of its own accord provided proof of the slogans of
anti-American propaganda."

Russian outrage has been apparent at the US Embassy in Moscow. Angry
Russians have pelted the US Embassy with eggs. The protestors are often
heard shouting anti-American slogans. One placard said: "NATO go to
Hell."

On Sunday the protest almost turned violent when an attempt was made to
use a grenade launcher against the Embassy building. Afterward, one of
the Russian protesters snarled: "I hope the Russian government will
understand and take this unique chance to start a war against the
enemies of the Russians and of all Slav people."

A leading Russian analyst, Leonod Radzikhovsky stated that "xenophobia,
envy and hatred of America are deep rooted feelings in Russia." And now
these feelings have been awakened.

Valdimir Zhirinovsky, wearing a military uniform, called for Russian
volunteers to fight NATO. "The Third World War started on March 24," he
said.

Thousands of young Russians have answered Zhirinovsky's call. Colonel
General Viktor Chechevatov, commander of Russia's Far East Military
District, has offered to lead a combined Russian force of "volunteers
and regulars" into Yugoslavia.

The Russian foreign minister, Igor Ivanov, spoke of the unity of the
entire Russian nation in the face of America's bid for "global
domination."

He called it the worst crisis since the Second World War. The usually
polite Ivanov further accused NATO of "blatant genocide," saying that
NATO bombs have killed approximately one thousand Serbs. Ivanov has also
called for the criminal prosecution of those responsible for the
bombing. "We have extreme measures in reserve," warned Ivanov.

"The NATO aggression against Yugoslavia is a very big mistake by
American diplomacy and by Clinton," Ivanov said.

Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, a likely candidate for the Russian presidency
in 2000, compared the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia to the 1962 Cuban
missile crisis. "The missiles were a problem for peace," said Luzhkov.
"This is even worse."

Vice Admiral Vyacheslav Popov, commander of Russia's Northern Fleet,
told Itar-Tass on Wednesday that: "The Northern Fleet is ready to carry
out any order issued by the Supreme Command to defend Russia's
interests."

On Saturday a powerful division of the Northern Fleet put to sea,
including the heavy missile cruiser "Petr Veliky" and the aircraft
carrying cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov."

On Monday the Russian Pacific Fleet left Vladivostok on "maneuvers."

The deployment by Russia of both her Atlantic and Pacific fleets
--neither of which have a direct relationship with the Kosovo conflict
close to the Mediterannean -- should have set off alarm bells that
Russia may have plans to widen the war, and soon.

Since last summer, Russia has been dramatically increasing the number of
nuclear warheads carried by its naval ships. Why is Russia now moving so
many ships carrying such weapons onto the high seas? And what is the
status of Russia's lethal submarine force?

>From all appearances, American officials have ignored this significant
Russian deployment of warships, just as they have ignored President
Boris Yeltsin's dire warnings of a widened war.

Has Clinton led NATO into a potentially disastrous confrontation with
Russia?

Not only have American and NATO officials failed to foresee the
consequences of Russia's anger, they are doing little to soothe that
anger. Contempt for Russia's diplomatic and military strength remains.
Russia's fear and frustration in the wake of the bombing of Yugoslavia
will continue to grow. The end of the crisis is nowhere in sight.




A top Russian defector has warned that Russia's military is preparing a
surprise attack against the United States. The defector says the Y2K
problem may be a tripwire for war. Get Christopher Ruddy's special
report and two videos on the subject.

Revisit J.R. Nyquist's NewsMax.com Russia and China: A Pattern of
Belligerence.





Subscribe OR Renew Your Favorite Publications and Save Money!
Get a one-year subscription to American Health for ONLY $11.00!
Normally priced at $18.97, you SAVE 42%!
Visit NewsMax.com Magazines Now!




NewsMax Home =B7 Archives =B7 Inside Cover =B7 TalkMax =B7 Liners =B7 Com=
ment Max
=B7 News Links =B7 Contact Us!
=A9 1998, NewsMax.comOriginal Site Design by David Grumm / HTML by Luke


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: US Test EMP Weapon in Yugoslavia?
Date: 31 Mar 1999 12:06:48 -0500

>Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 17:37:27 -0500
>Subject: US Test EMP Weapon in Yugoslavia?
>Priority: non-urgent
>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true
>To: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>Dear Abolitionists,
>
>During an interview yesterday on Vancouver's CKNW Radio with Stirling Faux,
>I was told that they had seen a report from the Russians that a B2 stealth
>bomber had dropped an Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) weapon in Yugoslavia.
>Made by Los Alamos Laboratories, it apparently produces a similar effect to
>a large nuclear weapon in disrupting electronics and communications in
>order to weaken the enemy's ability to retaliate for some time, but without
>the destructive power and radioactive fallout. However, I haven't seen any
>further report of this.
>
>If true, then we are witnessing another field trial for new US weapons.
>Also, it means that, sensibly, the Russians have a sophisticated
>intelligence-gathering capability in Yugoslavia, to get first-hand
>information on how NATO is performing. I saw a report that the first people
>to inspect the downed F117 Stealth fighter-bomber were a Russian "trade
>mission"...
>
>Best wishes,
>Rob Green
>Chair, World Court Project UK
>
>* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>
>            Commander Robert D Green, Royal Navy (Retired)
>                   Chair, World Court Project UK
>
>NZ: Disarmament & Security Centre           UK: 2 Chiswick House
>    PO Box 8390                                 High Street
>    Christchurch                                Twyford
>    Aotearoa/New Zealand                        Berkshire RG10 9AG
>
>Tel/Fax: [phone]               Tel/Fax: [phone]
>
>                   Email: [e-mail]
>
>* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) In Belgrade, Ramsey Clark calls for end of NATO
Date: 31 Mar 1999 12:41:14 -0800

Last night at about 3AM I saw on CSPAN a Serbian Television account of
former
Carter Administration Attorney General Ramsey Clark now in Belgrade touring
hospitals, war damage, meeting with civilians, and an interview with SerbTV
journalist translated back to English apparently by CSPAN translator.  The
gist of his message was that NATO should have been dissolved 10 years ago at
the end of the cold war and that the current military offensive by NATO was
a violation of the UN charter and should be stopped.   I wonder if this
interview will make the mainstream news today.  It was announced that the
University in Belgrade had awarded him an honorary Doctoral degree in
respect of his efforts for peace.



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Analysis of the Balkan Situation
Date: 31 Mar 1999 17:00:04 -0500

>Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 13:05:28 -0500
>Subject: Analysis of the Balkan Situation
>To: [e-mail]
>From: [e-mail] ([e-mail])
>
>Dear friends,
>Below is an incisive summary of the Russian reaction to the Balkan mess,
>sent to me by a close friend in St. Petersburg.
>tom
>
>
>
>The Balkan Crisis
>
>People's reaction in Russia towards NATO bombings of Yugoslavia is
>overwhelmingly negative. The range is from hooligans' attacks against
>American embassy in Moscow to disapproval and regret among intelligentsia.
>Everyone whom I spoke to during these days regards the decision as a grave
>mistake of the West and a return to the Cold War. The military action is
>unanimously seen as an aggression and violation of international law. A
>general feeling of mistrust towards the US is prevailing. All the negative
>feelings against NATO being the biggest threat to peace, and the US,
>striving for world's hegemony, have returned and can be easily exploited
>by anti-Western opposition. Not only Cossacks, nationalists and liberal
>democrats such as Zhirinovsky are calling for volunteers and are forming
>brigades, but even leading military commanders (one being the high-ranking
>commander of military region) express a desire to go and fight in Serbia.
>The events are seen as a next step of humiliation of Russia, starting with
>admittance of three former Eastern block countries to NATO and ending with
>complete ignoring of its position in Balkan crisis.
>It was hard to think of a better gift to our communists, nationalists and
>reactionary military, who place all the blame of losing of Russia's
>leading role in the world and weakening of its military force on Yeltsyn
>and his regime. This group, which is loudly supported by LDPR, is pushing
>Russia to open confrontation with NATO.
>Media reflects and supports the negative assessment of the Western policy.
>Coverage is extensive; reports on the situation in Yugoslavia are
>broadcast on all main channels every hour. Coverage on ORT channel starts
>with the word "WAR" in bold capitals, which has a significant
>psychological effect on Russians. Media gives lots of commentaries of
>leading politicians, political scientists and people in the street and all
>of them are negative. Position of Russian leadership taking a stance
>against aggression is widely supported.
>
>Position of the Russian leading parties:
>All parties agree that NATO has committed an aggression and bombings have
>to be stopped immediately.
>The Communist party: We warned you against NATO and the US and were right.
>It all happened because Yeltsyn has sold Russia to the West. He must leave
>immediately and impeachment will take place as scheduled. If it is not
>done, we will organize protest actions all around the country. Russia has
>to help Serbia in all possible ways, including militarily. Russia has to
>cancel all relationships with NATO and all agreements on embargos of Iraq,
>Yugoslavia, Lybia and Iran.
>LDPR: Russia has to cancel all her obligations to the West, especially
>embargo on weapons sales. Volunteers should go to Serbia and fight.
>Yabloko: Russia should not be involved in the conflict in any form. We
>have to solve our economic problems first to be able to assert our role in
>international affairs.
>NDR: Parties have to consolidate in this critical moment. Impeachment of
>the Commander-in-Chief now is dangerous and has to be postponed. Russia
>should provide only humanitarian aid to Serbia and work on diplomatic
>solution.
>
>Some immediate negative consequences are:
>
>Ethnic cleansing is escalating as hatred against NATO, supporting
>Albanians, which is  hard to reach, is re-directed against Albanians who
>are easy to reach.
>Amount of refugees is sky-rocketing, accelerated by bombings. Refugees are
>from both sides and the neighbouring countries, which NATO wanted to
>protect from this, are already flooded.
>The Ukrainian Parliament announced cancellation of the non-nuclear status
>of Ukraine;
>Belarus is officially inviting Russian nuclear weapons back to the country;
>The opposition in Russia is strengthened and is openly calling for
>overthrowing of the Yeltsyn regime and threatening with sabotage, civil
>disobedience and paralysis of power.
>Russian military-industrial complex received a strong argument for
>increasing of the defense budget (at the expense of other items, of
>course) and canceling the embargo on export of weapons to Serbia, Iraq,
>Iran, Lybia, North Korea etc.
>Russia is closing all official channels with NATO
>Russian - American relationships have suffered the worst blow since the
>Cold War.
>Anti-Western feelings in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus are accelerated, and
>mistrust towards the West is strengthened. It is obvious that the tone of
>the communists/nationalists election campaign will be intensively
>exploiting this mood.
>Third world countries capable of production of nuclear weapons are
>encouraged to boost their nuclear weapons development in order to oppose
>possible NATO intervention
>The UN as the international institution representing the international
>community is humiliated and its role and authority has dramatically
>declined.
>
>Summary
>NATO operation in Yugoslavia is seen as an aggression, violating
>international law, charter of the UN and NATO's own charter. It is clearly
>an attempt to establish a New World order, based on the military power of
>the leading Western countries, and to assert the role of the US as the
>only world superpower.
>Not only did not it serve the declared purpose of stopping the ethnic
>cleansing and protecting the neighbouring small countries from the flood
>of refugees, but on the contrary, made the situation with both issues much
>worse.
>
>It is a grave mistake of the West, which will lead to nuclear arms race,
>alienation of Russia from the West, re-direction of the Russian foreign
>policy to the East (India, China and Iran) and strengthening of the
>communist/nationalist opposition inside Russia on the eve of Parliamentary
>and Presidential elections.
>
>Bombings and military invasion will not solve the ethnic problem in the
>Balkans, on the contrary, make it worse. Support of Albanian separatism
>and terrorism will create a dangerous precedent. It may substitute one
>totalitarian state (Yugoslavia) with aggression directed within with a
>more dangerous one (Albania) with aggression directed outwards. Currently
>it only strengthens the regime of Milosevic and consolidates Serbs.
>
>Escalation of the conflict will inevitably worsen relationships between
>Europe and the US, because it weakens Euro and in a long run is not in the
>interest of Europe.
>
>Possible solutions:
>NATO stops bombings simultaneously with cancellation of Serbian operations
>against Albanians and beginning of Serbian troops withdrawl from Kosovo.
>Milosevic signs the agreement on Kosovo autonomy within Serbia without the
>clause on NATO troops stationing in the country.
>Third-party military forces are placed in the region to assure that the
>agreement is respected by both sides. It should include Russian, maybe
>Russian/Ukrainian forces and forces of any NATO countries that were not
>involved in aggression directly (Greece).
>
>Valentin Yemelin [[e-mail]]
>
Alice Slater
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
15 East 26th Street, Room 915
New York, NY 10010
tel:  [phone]
fax:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty
to eliminate nuclear weapons.

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) GLOBAL EMERGENCY ALERT: Capital Hills Global Peace Park & Vigil Opportunity
Date: 31 Mar 1999 14:16:19 -0800

RE:  Rainbow Family Global Emergency Alert
        Peace Prayer Vigil to Stop World War Three

Along the main route from Central California across the mountains from
Bakersfield to Mojave, the highway passes through the Tehachapi Valley.  At
the middle of the three Freeway exits (labeled Mill Street), on the north
side, is a location locally known as Capital Hills.   This is a stalled real
estate development, ten years old, of 2000 acres with about 100 acres of
land already improved with streets, street lights, underground utilities,
etc., but no buildings yet except a 24 hour Arco gas station and mini-mart,
the new Tehachapi Post Office, and just now under construction, a Denny's
restauraunt (next to the Arco) slated for June 1st opening.

The immediate thing of interest is that this whole area of streets adjacent
to the Arco is a good place for travelers to stop and rest, etc.  RV's often
park overnight or for a couple of days and are not bothered by anyone.  This
it is an open public rest stop type area.

The land is owned by two partners, one of whom has expressed a deep interest
in donating land for a Global Community Center Peace Park (about 10acres) as
well as land for the construction of a new science (free-energy, etc.)
research center as a new focus and centerpiece to revive public interest in
the future development of this planned rural "Technopolis" for information
age companies to build business and residential facilities with horse
trails, etc.

If you are interested in collaborating on an ongoing long term effort to be
a part of this Capital Hills Peace Center Project, please email to me off of
this list.  I am interested in the idea of visits here by serious folks on
an ongoing basis this spring and summer leading up to an August 17th Capital
Hills ten year groundbreaking anniversary ceremony in conjunction with the
August 14th 90th year anniversary of the incorporation of the City of
Tehachapi. (ie, gathering for ceremonies Aug 14-17, 1999)

As soon as possible that resources are available, a large mobile-home
trailer-office type facility can be installed with computers, phones, full
electric, plumbing, etc., on an interim basis until actual construction.
Back country facilities can be established in other outlying areas of this
valley (south side has conifer forests).

Plunker has recently visited this site and expressed enthusiasm for the
potential of it, suggesting a large white rock lettering sculpture on the
landscape, analogous to the "Hollywood" sign but reading "Global Peace Zone"
or "Global Peace Now!", as a way to draw attention to the positive
development of this area which is in full view of the major freeway artery
en route between San Francisco and Arizona/Nevada.

An initializing vision would be for the establishment of a Global Peace
Prayer Vigil on part of the already designated Peace Park landsite which has
street parking on its edge.   This vigil would be centered by the Rainbow
Peace Lattice we had in People's Park in Berkeley last month during the
Global Crisis Solutions Conference events (Yamato will be through here in a
few days to drop it off) and also the display of the Peace Pole for
Jerusalem.   From this vigil would be the opportunity via local media and
support, along with that of visitors who see the Prayer Vigil from the
highway and drop by, to actually outreach the Rainbow Family message for
global peace on an international publicity level starting immediately with
focus on ceremonies and councils regarding "Global Peace Now!" as an
alternative to World War Three now begun in Yugoslavia.

There are presently no financial resources available for this effort so
anyone who comes or wants to help should keep this in mind and network as
time goes by to remedy this situation in order to take full advantage of
this amazing opportunity.

This site is at 4,000 feet elevation at the north end and center of this
approximately 25 square mile valley at the extreme southern tip of the
Sierra range.   Nearby community  of Tehachapi and outlying areas contain
10-20,000 folks.   Great opportunity for  long term possibilities, New
Year's 2000 and Y2K retreat.

Serious self-sufficient and responsible folks are sought to help form
ongoing large scale global peace community to influence local and global
peace economy.

David Crockett Williams, Coordinator
Capital Hills Global Community Peace Center (CHGCPC)
[e-mail]
General Agency Services
805-822-3309
Global Emergency Alert Response
http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000



-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: stats
Date: 31 Mar 1999 20:42:20 EST

In a message dated 3/31/99 8:36:58 PM Eastern Standard Time, DavidMcR writes:

<< Subj:     stats
 Date:    3/31/99 8:36:58 PM Eastern Standard Time
 From:    DavidMcR
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 BCC:    DavidMcR


 << To: [e-mail]
  From: Doug Henwood <[e-mail]>
  Subject: stats
  Sender: [e-mail]
  Precedence: bulk
  Reply-To: [e-mail]

  from Sam Smith's Progressive Review:

  >BALKAN STATS I
  >
  >FROM A COLUMN BY TONY SNOW: Key members of the United States Senate sat
  >slack-jawed through a confidential briefing last Thursday from the Clinton
  >administration foreign-policy team. ~~ After the foreign-policy wise men
  >asserted that the United States has a moral imperative to stop the
murderous
  >Serbian president, Slobodan Milosevic, one senator asked: How many
Albanians
  >have Milosevic's troops massacred this year? The president's emissaries
  >turned ashen. They glanced at each other. They rifled through their papers.
  >One hazarded a guess: "Two thousand?" No, the senator replied, that was the
  >number for all of last year. He wanted figures for the last month - or even
  >the year to date, since the president had painted such a grisly picture of
  >genocide in his March 24 address to the nation. ~~ The senator pressed on.
  >How often have such slaughters occurred? Nobody knew. As it turns out,
  >Kosovo has been about as bloody this year as, say, Atlanta. You can measure
  >the deaths not in the hundreds, but dozens. (I'm not trying to deny
  >Milosevic's brutality here; only to provide some comparisons.) More people
  >died last week in Borneo than have expired this year in Kosovar bloodshed -
  >more died in a single Russian bomb blast; in a single outburst of violence
  >in East Timor; in a single day in Rwanda. China has been bloodier this
year.
  >
  >BALKAN STATS II
  >
  >--Estimated number of persons killed in Iraq due to American-led sanctions:
  >over 1,000,000
  >--Estimated number of persons killed in the Sudan over the past 15 years:
  >1,500,000
  >--Estimated number of persons killed in Rwanda over the last five years:
  >500,000
  >--Estimated number of persons killed in Chechnya: 80,000
  >--Estimated number of people dying each day around the world because of
lack
  >of water, clothing, shelter, food or medicine: 100,000
  >--Estimated number of people in the world who go to bed hungry: 800,000,000
  >--Estimated number of persons killed in Kosovo last year: 2,000
  >
  >BALKAN STATS III
  >
  >--Estimate of new households watching CNN thanks to its war coverage:
472,000
  >
  >BALKAN STATS IV
  >
  >--Cost of America's 21 B-2 bombers: $42 billion
  >--Value of Yugoslavian GDP: $43 billion
  >--UN budget as a percentage of the Pentagon budget: 5%


  >>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Minutman III Plowshares Update
Date: 31 Mar 1999 20:43:07 EST

In a message dated 3/31/99 5:22:06 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[e-mail] writes:

 Subj:     Minutman III Plowshares Update
 Date:    3/31/99 5:22:06 PM Eastern Standard Time
 From:    [e-mail] (Melissa Jameson)

 Dear Friends,

 Sachio called last night and said that he and Dan had been told to pack up
 their things; the Bureau of Prisons is preparing to move them at last.  This
 morning, he left a message saying that they -- the whole prison -- were
 being locked down (the usual prison response to any kind of internal
 disturbance), which means he would not be able to make any calls tonight to
 confirm his move, having instead to stay in his cell.  He was, however, 99%
 sure that they would be put on a plane tomorrow morning headed to their
 first stop, Oklahoma; after -- a week, a couple of weeks, a month, who knows
 -- they would be flown to Pennsylvania -- Sachi to Allenwood, and Dan to
 Lewisburg.

 Sachio is also writing an essay about the NATO bombing of Serbia which will
 be in the next "Broken Rifle."  He is, of course, upset about the war and
 encouraging us all to nonviolent resistance wherever and however it can be
done!

 Please do not send any more mail to the Colorado address because it will be
 returned to you.  If you would like, you can send it to me, and I will
 forward it on to him.  I'll post an address as soon as I have one.

 Thank you all for your support during these 5 months Sachio has been in
 prison in Colorado!

 peace,
 Melissa Jameson
 10 E. Ridgewood #19
 Ridgewood, NJ 07450
  >>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Please note caution for safety of woman in Belgrade
Date: 31 Mar 1999 21:14:18 EST



 Subj:    Please note caution for safety of woman in Belgrade
 Date:    3/31/99 9:05:41 PM Eastern Standard Time
 From:    DavidMcR

 I believe I had sent you (as well as others that I have to get hold of later)
a copy of Howard Clark's letter from Spain in which he quote from a letter
from Stasha from Beograd.

 Howard had been asked to circulate within "our network". However given the
tense situation in Beograd I am asked by Joanne Sheehan, Chair of War
Resisters International, to report that "SHE HAS NOW CLARIFIED THAT SHE
DOESN'T WANT HER NAME BROADCAST VERY WIDELY. . . . WE SHOULD REFER TO HER AS
"A WOMAN PEACE ACTIVIST" IN BELGRADE. SHE IS SO MUCH THE LEADER OF WOMEN IN
BLACK THAT EVEN MENTION OF THAT GROUP WOULD BE TOO REVEALING.

 Please take note and do not circulate this letter further.

 Thanks,
 David McReynolds
  >>

-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Jackie Cabasso <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Analysts Scrutinize NATO Bombing
Date: 31 Mar 1999 18:39:23 -0800

--=====================_35588053==_.ALT
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


>Institute for Public Accuracy
>915 National Press Building, Washington, D.C. 20045
>[phone] * http://www.accuracy.org * [e-mail]
>___________________________________________________________
>
>                11 A.M. Eastern Time -- Wednesday, March 31, 1999
>
>                ANALYSTS SCRUTINIZE NATO BOMBING
>
>ROBERT HAYDEN, [phone], [phone],
>http://www.post-gazette.com/forum/19990328edhayden8.asp
>       Director of the Center for Russian and East European Studies at the
>University of Pittsburgh, Hayden has been deeply involved in attempts to
>mediate the crisis in Kosovo, bringing together political leaders from all
>sides and regularly visiting the region. One of the Albanian party leaders
>he worked with was reported by NATO to have been executed by Serbian forces.
>Hayden said today: "This mission, supposedly designed to prevent a massive
>humanitarian catastrophe, has instead produced it. We have now shown that
>NATO is 'credible' for doing something incredibly irresponsible. Apparently
>'winning it' means destroying the Balkans to save NATO for its upcoming 50th
>birthday.... Having provoked the catastrophe with bombing, NATO's 'remedy'
>is more bombing. The army headquarters in central Belgrade that NATO is
>considering targeting is surrounded by apartment buildings. Civilian
>casualties here could not be considered 'collateral damage,' particularly
>since the 'command and control' functions are no longer being carried out
>from those headquarters."
>
>JACQUELINE CABASSO, [phone], [phone], [e-mail],
>http://www.napf.org/abolition2000
>       Executive director of the Western States Legal Foundation, Cabasso
said:
>"The situation in Kosovo is ominous with respect to prospects for nuclear
>disarmament. The U.S.-led NATO bombing is opposed by Russia, China, India
>and Indonesia; three are nuclear powers, making up almost half the world's
>population. There are reports that India is considering a possible alliance
>with China and Russia in response. Russia has terminated its Y2K compliance
>program  with the U.S., and Ukraine is reportedly contemplating reversal of
>its non-nuclear status. This first NATO military action since its recent
>expansion up to Russia's border comes on the eve of NATO's 50th anniversary
>summit in Washington. Centrally provocative to Russia is that NATO acts
>under the U.S. 'nuclear umbrella' including threatened first use of nuclear
>weapons. There's also the recent Senate vote to go forward with national
>missile defense, which threatens to abrogate the ABM treaty. All of these
>developments have made the Russians resistant to ratifying the START II arms
>reduction treaty.  In addition, the U.S. has committed $60 billion to
>rebuild its nuclear weapons research, development and production
>infrastructure, and the Secretary of Energy has announced that production of
>tritium -- radioactive hydrogen used to boost the destructive power of
>atomic bombs -- will be resumed. We seem to be heading straight backwards
>into the Cold War."
>
>JULIANNE SMITH, [phone], [phone], [e-mail],
>http://www.basicint.org
>       An expert on NATO, Smith is a senior analyst at the European Security
desk
>at BASIC (British American Security Information Council). Smith said:
>"Bombing is not a preventive tool, it is a consequence of not having any
>preventive tools. It's clear that the NATO bombings are not saving lives,
>instead they are contributing to the escalation of the conflict."
>
>For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
>Sam Husseini, [phone] or [phone]; Loren Sears, [phone]
>

******************************************************
Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director
WESTERN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION
1440 Broadway, Suite 500
Oakland, California USA 94612
Tel: +[phone]
Fax: +[phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
******************************************************
Western States Legal Foundation is part of  ABOLITION 2000
A GLOBAL NETWORK TO ELIMINATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS
--=====================_35588053==_.ALT
Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"

<html><div>>Institute for Public Accuracy</div>
<div>>915 National Press Building, Washington, D.C. 20045</div>
<div>>[phone] *
<a href="http://www.accuracy.org/" EUDORA=AUTOURL>http://www.accuracy.org</a>
* [e-mail]</div>
<div>>___________________________________________________________</div>
<div>></div>
<div>>                11 A.M. Eastern Time -- Wednesday, March 31, 1999</div>
<div>></div>
<div>>                ANALYSTS SCRUTINIZE NATO BOMBING</div>
<div>></div>
<div>>ROBERT HAYDEN, [phone], [phone],</div>
<div>><a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/forum/19990328edhayden8.asp" EUDORA=AUTOURL>http://www.post-gazette.com/forum/19990328edhayden8.asp</a></div>
<div>><x-tab>       </x-tab>Director of the Center for Russian and East European Studies at the</div>
<div>>University of Pittsburgh, Hayden has been deeply involved in attempts to</div>
<div>>mediate the crisis in Kosovo, bringing together political leaders from all</div>
<div>>sides and regularly visiting the region. One of the Albanian party leaders</div>
<div>>he worked with was reported by NATO to have been executed by Serbian forces.</div>
<div>>Hayden said today: "This mission, supposedly designed to prevent a massive</div>
<div>>humanitarian catastrophe, has instead produced it. We have now shown that</div>
<div>>NATO is 'credible' for doing something incredibly irresponsible. Apparently</div>
<div>>'winning it' means destroying the Balkans to save NATO for its upcoming 50th</div>
<div>>birthday.... Having provoked the catastrophe with bombing, NATO's 'remedy'</div>
<div>>is more bombing. The army headquarters in central Belgrade that NATO is</div>
<div>>considering targeting is surrounded by apartment buildings. Civilian</div>
<div>>casualties here could not be considered 'collateral damage,' particularly</div>
<div>>since the 'command and control' functions are no longer being carried out</div>
<div>>from those headquarters."</div>
<div>></div>
<div>>JACQUELINE CABASSO, [phone], [phone], [e-mail],</div>
<div>><a href="http://www.napf.org/abolition2000" EUDORA=AUTOURL>http://www.napf.org/abolition2000</a></div>
<div>><x-tab>       </x-tab>Executive director of the Western States Legal Foundation, Cabasso said:</div>
<div>>"The situation in Kosovo is ominous with respect to prospects for nuclear</div>
<div>>disarmament. The U.S.-led NATO bombing is opposed by Russia, China, India</div>
<div>>and Indonesia; three are nuclear powers, making up almost half the world's</div>
<div>>population. There are reports that India is considering a possible alliance</div>
<div>>with China and Russia in response. Russia has terminated its Y2K compliance</div>
<div>>program  with the U.S., and Ukraine is reportedly contemplating reversal of</div>
<div>>its non-nuclear status. This first NATO military action since its recent</div>
<div>>expansion up to Russia's border comes on the eve of NATO's 50th anniversary</div>
<div>>summit in Washington. Centrally provocative to Russia is that NATO acts</div>
<div>>under the U.S. 'nuclear umbrella' including threatened first use of nuclear</div>
<div>>weapons. There's also the recent Senate vote to go forward with national</div>
<div>>missile defense, which threatens to abrogate the ABM treaty. All of these</div>
<div>>developments have made the Russians resistant to ratifying the START II arms</div>
<div>>reduction treaty.  In addition, the U.S. has committed $60 billion to</div>
<div>>rebuild its nuclear weapons research, development and production</div>
<div>>infrastructure, and the Secretary of Energy has announced that production of</div>
<div>>tritium -- radioactive hydrogen used to boost the destructive power of</div>
<div>>atomic bombs -- will be resumed. We seem to be heading straight backwards</div>
<div>>into the Cold War."</div>
<div>></div>
<div>>JULIANNE SMITH, [phone], [phone], [e-mail],</div>
<div>><a href="http://www.basicint.org/" EUDORA=AUTOURL>http://www.basicint.org</a></div>
<div>><x-tab>       </x-tab>An expert on NATO, Smith is a senior analyst at the European Security desk</div>
<div>>at BASIC (British American Security Information Council). Smith said:</div>
<div>>"Bombing is not a preventive tool, it is a consequence of not having any</div>
<div>>preventive tools. It's clear that the NATO bombings are not saving lives,</div>
<div>>instead they are contributing to the escalation of the conflict."</div>
<div>></div>
<div>>For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:</div>
<div>>Sam Husseini, [phone] or [phone]; Loren Sears, [phone]</div>
<div>></div>
<br>

<div align="center">
******************************************************<br>
Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director<br>
WESTERN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION<br>
1440 Broadway, Suite 500<br>
Oakland, California USA 94612<br>
Tel: +[phone]<br>
Fax: +[phone]<br>
E-mail: [e-mail]<br>
******************************************************<br>
Western States Legal Foundation is part of  ABOLITION 2000<br>
A GLOBAL NETWORK TO ELIMINATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS</html>

--=====================_35588053==_.ALT--


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Nuclear Knife Aimed at America's Heart
Date: 31 Mar 1999 19:08:04 -0800

[fwd]--One would think that it is a good idea to understand all perspectives
on the abolition issue.  Here is one perspective supporting need for
multilateral abolition....

              A Nuclear Knife Aimed at America's Heart
                           Joel M. Skousen
                           March 25, 1999

In November 1997, President Clinton signed a top-secret Presidential
Decision Directive (PDD-60) directing U.S. military commanders to
abandon the time-honored nuclear deterrence of "launch on warning."
Ironically, this was done in the name of "increased deterrence."
Every sensible American needs to understand why this reasoning is
fraudulent at best and deadly at worst. First, some background.

The impetus to change U.S. strategic nuclear doctrine came on the
heels of Clinton's demand to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in early 1997
that they prepare to unilaterally reduce America's nuclear warhead
deployment to 2,500 in eager anticipation of the ratification of the
START II disarmament treaty. This pact has yet to be ratified by the
Russian Duma.

Gen. John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, responded that
he couldn't comply, since the U.S. military was still operating on a
former Presidential Decision Directive of 1981 to prepare to "win a
protracted nuclear war." A winning strategy couldn't be implemented
without the full contingent of current nuclear strategic warheads.

According to Craig Cerniello of Arms Control Today (November/December
1997 issue), "the administration viewed the 1981 guidelines as an
anachronism of the Cold War. The notion that the United States still
had to be prepared to fight and win a protracted nuclear war today
seemed out of touch with reality, given the fact that it has been six
years since the collapse of the Soviet Union."

Certainly, the apparent collapse of the Soviet Union is the linchpin
in every argument pointing toward the relaxation of Western vigilance
and accelerated disarmament. Indeed, it is the driving argument that
is trumpeted constantly before Congress, U.S. military leaders, and
the American people.

Almost everyone is buying it -- even most conservatives who should
know better.  However, the most savvy Soviet-watchers can point to a
host of evidence indicating that the so-called "collapse" was
engineered to disarm the West and garner billions in direct aid to
assist Russia while inducing the West to take over the economic
burden of the former satellite states.

But the most ominous evidence is found in defectors from Russia who
tell the same story: Russia is cheating on all aspects of
disarmament, and is siphoning off billions in Western aid money to
modernize and deploy top-of-the-line new weapons systems aimed at
taking down the U.S. military in one huge, decapitating nuclear
strike.

Contrast this with the Clinton administration's response. Incredibly,
while still paying lip service to nuclear deterrence, Assistant
Secretary of Defense Edward L. Warner III went before the Congress on
March 31, 1998, and bragged about the litany of unilateral
disarmament this administration has forced upon the U.S. military:

Warner noted the "success" the Clinton administration has had in
recent years, which has:

Eliminated our entire inventory of ground-launched non-strategic
nuclear weapons (nuclear artillery and Lance surface-to-surface
missiles).

Removed all nonstrategic nuclear weapons on a day-to-day basis from
surface ships, attack submarines, and land-based naval aircraft
bases.

Removed our strategic bombers from alert.

Stood down the Minuteman II ICBMs scheduled for deactivation under
Start I.

Terminated the mobile Peacekeeper and mobile small ICBM programs.

Terminated the SCRAM-II nuclear short-range attack missile.  In
January 1992, the second Presidential Nuclear Initiative took further
steps which included:

Limiting B-2 production to 20 bombers.

Canceling the entire small ICBM program.

Ceasing production of W-88 Trident SLBM (submarine-launched missile)
warheads.

Halting purchases of advanced cruise missiles.

Stopping new production of Peacekeeper missiles (our biggest
MIRV-warhead ICBM).  "As a result of these significant changes, the
U.S. nuclear stockpile has decreased by more than 50 percent," Warner
enthused.

All of this has been done without any meaningful disarmament by the
Russians.

The Clinton administration would counter this charge by citing the
"successful" dismantling of 3,300 strategic nuclear warheads by
Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus, and the destruction of their 252
ICBMs and related silos -- all paid for with U.S. taxpayer funds to
the tune of $300 million per year. But the real story is otherwise.

Yes, Americans paid for the dismantling of these systems -- the
oldest and most out-of-date in the Soviet inventory. They were
scheduled for replacement anyway, so the U.S. taxpayer ended up
saving the Russians over a billion dollars, allowing them to use this
and other Western aid to develop and build new systems, coming on
line right now. But that isn't all.

What the administration doesn't say is that they allowed the Russians
to reclaim all the nuclear warheads, and paid them to recycle the
usable material into new, updated warheads. We didn't diminish the
threat at all.  We only helped them to transform it into something
more dangerous.

Thus, the Russians still maintain a more than 3-to-1 advantage over
the United States in both throw-weight and nuclear delivery vehicles.
That disparity is widening dramatically with the Clinton
administration's unilateral disarmament while at the same time
encouraging the Russians to proceed not only with the deployment of
500 new Topol-M missiles (which are mobile-launched and therefore
difficult to target), but to put three MIRVed warheads on each
missile instead of the treaty limit of one warhead -- for a total
deployment of 1,500 warheads.

Not counting the presumed minimum 4,000 to 6,000 warheads in the
current Russian inventory, these 1,500 new warheads would overwhelm a
measly 200-interceptor ABM system in North Dakota -- which the
Clinton administration is insisting should NOT be deployed before
2005. I wonder why?

With our 50 Peacekeeper ICBMs scheduled to be decommissioned in 2003,
that gives the Russians or Chinese a wide-open window for attack,
should they choose to exercise their first-strike,
nuclear-decapitation option.

So much for the "new realism" of the Clinton disarmament team and
their assertion that Russia poses no threat. Judging strictly by
public data from establishment sources (which is always understated
due to Moscow's heavy shroud of secrecy) the Russian threat is much
greater than it ever was, both in quantity and quality of strategic
nuclear forces. This is thanks, in part, to ongoing technology
transfers by IBM and other defense contractors with the knowing
participation and encouragement of this administration.

Now let's take a close look at this presumed "increased deterrence"
the Clinton Department of Defense is promising. The administration
claims its brand of deterrence is still based on the "mutual assured
destruction" (MAD) concept -- a truly appropriate acronym.

This is the presumption that, since both sides have an overwhelming
capability to destroy each other, that no sane leadership would
engage in nuclear war. Let's examine this closely. MAD could only
stand as a viable assumption if:

Both sides had sufficient weapons and delivery vehicles to inflict
total devastation.

Neither side had an effective anti-ballistic-missile system.

Neither side had electronic jamming capability on its incoming ICBMs.

Neither side had hardened shelters protecting its population and
leadership.  These assumptions clearly do not exist today:

First, we barely have enough nuclear warheads to take out the Russian
arsenal as presently constituted if we used them all at once (which
no sane military commander could afford to do, leaving him with no
reserves).  Russia, on the other hand, has enough to devastate our
entire strategic forces and still retain 60 percent of her weapons in
reserve, for a prolonged conflict.

Second, we have no ABM system to protect against ICBMs at all. Our
dumbed-down and slowed-down Patriots are theater weapons (built to
conform to the flawed ABM Treaty) and can barely catch slow,
low-flying Scud missiles, let alone ICBMs that coming screaming in
from space at 6 to 12 kilometers per second. The Russians have (in
violation of the same ABM Treaty) a nationwide system of ABMs tied to
phased-array radars and satellite guidance systems.

Third, we have no electronic jamming on our missiles to help them
penetrate the Russian ABM system, and the Russians claim their newest
Topol-M missiles do have such a capability. Whether or not this claim
is a bluff is immaterial. The fact is, they are building new,
high-tech missiles and our technology is 10 years old and stagnant.
We are not developing or building anything new. This aspect can only
worsen as time goes on.

Fourth, our civilian population is totally unprotected, while a large
portion of the Russian cities have public fallout shelter facilities.
New bunkers are being constructed for the Russian leadership despite
the economic hardships the people suffer. This should tell us
something about Russian leadership intentions.

Is this Mutually Assured Destruction? Hardly. It equates to United
States Assured Destruction! In every category of deterrence, we are
disarming and stagnant, and the Russians are building and deploying.
There is, in fact, only one type of deterrence that is capable of
somewhat balancing the scales: the nuclear response doctrine of
Launch on Warning.

Launch on Warning takes advantage of the fact that long-range
ballistic missiles take time to arrive on target -- up to 25 minutes,
depending on where the missiles are fired from. If the Russians were
to launch a first strike, our satellites would detect and confirm
that launch within seconds.  In a Launch on Warning doctrine, our
missiles (if on alert status) could be launched before the Russian or
Chinese missiles hit our silos. There is also time to retarget our
missiles so that they are not wasted on Russian silos that are now
empty.

Thus, one of the great advantages for a Launch on Warning doctrine is
that it allows the nation that launches second to have an advantage
over the nation that launches first. The one to launch first wastes a
certain number of its missiles on our silos that are now empty. By
contrast, our missiles (utilizing real-time targeting data from
satellites) strike targets that are still viable.

Now that is deterrence -- a deterrence that we presently do not have
due to PDD-60.

Clinton national security aide Robert Bell proudly proclaimed to a
group of disarmament advocates, "In this PDD, we direct our military
forces to continue to posture themselves in such a way as to not rely
on Launch on Warning -- to be able to absorb a nuclear strike and
still have enough force surviving to constitute credible deterrence."

This is patently preposterous. Respond with what?

We have no mobile missiles to avoid being targeted. We have already
unilaterally agreed to keep over half of our ballistic missile
submarines in port at any one time, so they can easily be targeted.
After all, we don't want our Russian "allies" to feel insecure!

All of our Navy and Air Force strategic forces are incapable of
withstanding a nuclear strike. Even the remaining Trident subs on
patrol would be unable to respond when communication links and
satellites are downed in a first strike.

PDD-60 removes all alternate submarine launch codes so that our subs
cannot fire without direct communication with the president. Those
vital communications links will assuredly not survive a massive first
strike.  When you tell the Russians we are going to absorb a first
strike, you induce them to make sure they hit us with everything
necessary to make sure we cannot respond.

This is not deterrence. This is suicide.

Joel M. Skousen is a political scientist by training and former
chairman of the Conservative National Committee. He is a specialist
in security matters and consults nationwide on "Strategic Relocation"
-- the title of his latest book.


-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Nuclear Knife Aimed at America's Heart
Date: 01 Apr 1999 01:38:58 EST

I appreciate the effort to provide all points of view. But David, that is why
we are supposed to read the daily press. This source (I shortened the post to
make it easy to get from the heading to the guy's ID) is a hard line anti-
Communist conservative trying to make a living in the post-Cold War era by
playing on old fears.

I wouldn't censor this list for the world, but I also sort of hope you won't
post this kind of thing regularly. I get all kinds of weird posts, some giving
the official positions of Korea, etc., which are hopelessly out of touch with
reality - as Mr. Skousen is. It takes up space on the net. At best it is far
right wing propaganda. No one has the time to take Mr. Skousen apart piece by
piece, line by line - and we don't have this list for that reason.

Peace,
David McReynolds

<< From:    [e-mail] (David Crockett Williams)
 Sender:    [e-mail]
 Reply-to:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail] (Abolition 2000 USA)

 [fwd]--One would think that it is a good idea to understand all perspectives
 on the abolition issue.  Here is one perspective supporting need for
 multilateral abolition....

               A Nuclear Knife Aimed at America's Heart
                            Joel M. Skousen
                            March 25, 1999

 In November 1997, President Clinton signed a top-secret Presidential
 Decision Directive (PDD-60) directing U.S. military commanders to
 abandon the time-honored nuclear deterrence of "launch on warning."
 Ironically, this was done in the name of "increased deterrence."
 Every sensible American needs to understand why this reasoning is
 fraudulent at best and deadly at worst. First, some background.

 The impetus to change U.S. strategic nuclear doctrine came on the
 heels of Clinton's demand to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in early 1997
 that they prepare to unilaterally reduce America's nuclear warhead
 deployment to 2,500 in eager anticipation of the ratification of the
 START II disarmament treaty. This pact has yet to be ratified by the
 Russian Duma.

 Almost everyone is buying it -- even most conservatives who should
 know better.  However, the most savvy Soviet-watchers can point to a
 host of evidence indicating that the so-called "collapse" was
 engineered to disarm the West and garner billions in direct aid

 But the most ominous evidence is found in defectors from Russia who
 tell the same story: Russia is cheating on all aspects of
 disarmament, and is siphoning off billions in Western aid money to


 Contrast this with the Clinton administration's response. Incredibly,
 while still paying lip service to nuclear deterrence, Assistant
 Secretary of Defense Edward L. Warner III went before the Congress on
 March 31, 1998, and bragged about the litany of unilateral
 disarmament this administration has forced upon the U.S. military:

 Warner noted the "success" the Clinton administration has had in
 recent years, which has:

 Eliminated our entire inventory of ground-launched non-strategic
 nuclear weapons (nuclear artillery and Lance surface-to-surface
 missiles).

 Removed all nonstrategic nuclear weapons on a day-to-day basis from
 surface ships, attack submarines, and land-based naval aircraft
 bases.

 Removed our strategic bombers from alert.

 Stood down the Minuteman II ICBMs scheduled for deactivation under
 Start I.

 Terminated the mobile Peacekeeper and mobile small ICBM programs.

 Terminated the SCRAM-II nuclear short-range attack missile.  In
 January 1992, the second Presidential Nuclear Initiative took further
 steps which included:

 Limiting B-2 production to 20 bombers.

 Canceling the entire small ICBM program.

 Ceasing production of W-88 Trident SLBM (submarine-launched missile)
 warheads.

 Halting purchases of advanced cruise missiles.

 Stopping new production of Peacekeeper missiles (our biggest
 MIRV-warhead ICBM).  "As a result of these significant changes, the
 U.S. nuclear stockpile has decreased by more than 50 percent," Warner
 enthused.

 All of this has been done without any meaningful disarmament by the
 Russians.

 The Clinton administration would counter this charge by citing the
 "successful" dismantling of 3,300 strategic nuclear warheads by
 Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus, and the destruction of their 252
 ICBMs and related silos -- all paid for with U.S. taxpayer funds to
 the tune of $300 million per year. But the real story is otherwise.

 Yes, Americans paid for the dismantling of these systems -- the
 oldest and most out-of-date in the Soviet inventory. They were
 scheduled for replacement anyway, so the U.S. taxpayer ended up
 saving the Russians over a billion dollars, allowing them to use this
 and other Western aid to develop and build new systems, coming on
 line right now. But that isn't all.

  Thus, the Russians still maintain a more than 3-to-1 advantage over
 the United States in both throw-weight and nuclear delivery vehicles.
 That disparity is widening dramatically with the Clinton
 administration's unilateral disarmament

 With our 50 Peacekeeper ICBMs scheduled to be decommissioned in 2003,
 that gives the Russians or Chinese a wide-open window for attack,
 should they choose to exercise their first-strike,
 nuclear-decapitation option.

  Neither side had hardened shelters protecting its population and
 leadership.  These assumptions clearly do not exist today:

 First, we barely have enough nuclear warheads to take out the Russian
 arsenal as presently constituted if we used them all at once (which

 Second, we have no ABM system to protect against ICBMs at all. Our

 Fourth, our civilian population is totally unprotected, while a large
 portion of the Russian cities have public fallout shelter facilities.
 New bunkers are being constructed for the Russian leadership despite
 the economic hardships the people suffer. This should tell us
 something about Russian leadership intentions.

 Joel M. Skousen is a political scientist by training and former
 chairman of the Conservative National Committee. He is a specialist
 in security matters and consults nationwide on "Strategic Relocation"
 -- the title of his latest book.




-
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.