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abolition-usa-digest     Monday, November 2 1998     Volume 01 : Number 035




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

Date: Sat, 31 Oct 1998 07:35:52 -0500
From: Peace through Reason <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) FWD: Re: SpaceNews:  Energy / Plutonium

Reply-To: [e-mail]
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 1998 22:42:37 -0500 (EST)
From: Mark Gubrud <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: SpaceNews:  Energy / Plutonium

<<
    Huge rockets will launch NASA's deep-space missions early
in the next millennium, first to Europa, one of Jupiter's moons,
and later to Pluto.
...
power cells in the space probes will convert heat that is
supplied by plutonium into electrical power.
>>

At the risk of being called (again) a "government scientist" or
something equally ugly, I offer the following OPINION:

All the concern about NASA's use of plutonium batteries has been
and is a bit silly.  It is a shame that (apparently former)
anti-nuclear weapons activists such as Michio Kaku and Helen
Caldicott have lent themselves to these antinuke reunions which
are profoundly embarassing to the community that fought the nuclear
power industry to a standstill and helped put the brakes on the
nuclear arms race but seems to have lost its vision under the
New World Order.  A few pounds of plutonium, exquisitely well
protected against being released into the environment in the
(admittedly very possible) event of a launch accident, are a
ridiculously irrelevant threat at a time when thousands of nuclear
weapons remain in the inventories of the major powers, Russia
teeters on the edge of chaos, the non-proliferation treaty regime
is threatened with collapse, the US remains committed to a path
that will result in evisceration of the ABM Treaty and deployment
of space weapons, and we face a new century laden with the
promise and threat of technologies many times more powerful than
even those we have today.  But there is apparently no appetite
to take on these very serious and scary issues.  Instead, it
seems the old antinukers would prefer to gather in Florida to
protest a symbol that probably everybody understands is of no real
consequence.  It is the very silliness of this gathering that
makes it attractive to people.  Meanwhile, the real storms are
quietly brewing...

Mark Gubrud


_______________________________________________________________________

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

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

Date: Sat, 31 Oct 1998 07:57:41 -0500
From: Carole Gallagher <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Operation 11th Hour - Veterans Day demonstration in Washington DC

OPERATION 11th HOUR
Hell, Healing and Resistance: Veterans Speak

RECLAIMING ARMISTICE DAY

"A profound  event, in keeping with the true spirit of Armistice."
- -- Veterans for Peace National Headquarters

"I strongly support Operation 11th Hour. It is an exciting and important
event."
- -- Ramsey Clark

"I endorse it wholeheartedly . . . a conscientious effort to speak
truth."
- -- S. Brian Willson


November 11, 1998, 10 A.M. - 4 P.M.
The Washington Monument, Northwest Green
Constitution Avenue N.W. and 17th Street, Washington, D.C.

FOR INFORMATION, call Ron Landsel at [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Join us as combat veterans of the Gulf and Vietnam wars, well-known
authors, and peacemakers, Mike Boehm, John Dear, Daniel Ellsberg, Erik
Gustafson, Le Ly Hayslip, Fr. Richard McSorley, Charles Miles-Sheehan,
Fr. Philip Salois, Paul Walker, Howard Zinn, and many others, sharing
experiences of hell, healing and resistance.

Gather with us at the 60-foot "Armistice Memorial Wall."  Its powerful
artwork and heart-rending statistics are assembled especially for this
event. Spend an hour or the day in vigil and fellowship to bring deep
awareness to the true costs of valor and victim not cited on our
national monuments. Ring the bells of true Armistice at 11 A.M.  This
day now belongs to the voices of those who struggle to understand the
past as the key - for the future of our children and their planet.

Enjoy Nobel Prize nominee Thich Nhat HanH's play, "The Path of Return
Continues the Journey."  Gain deep insight into forgiveness and under-
stand why men actually fight and kill in war.

Over 100 million people have died in the wars of this bloodiest century
of human history. Forty-six million  died in World War II, three million
in Vietnam, and a million and a half in Iraq. Suicides among Vietnam
veterans now exceed war casualties. In the past decade alone, two
million children have been killed in wars, and three times as many have
been left permanently disabled. Let us pay true homage to that
incomprehensible loss. Let us honor the living in the spirit of
understanding, not denial.

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, 40% of all
homeless men in the United States are veterans. Hundreds of thousands
suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Approximately 100,000 Gulf
War veterans are now reporting incapacitating illnesses. Our nation's
young will not see these forgotten heroes in Veterans Day parades.

Millions will parade to war's drums on Veterans Day in honor of those
who served, yet Armistice Day (now Veterans Day) internationally
commemorated the end of world conflagration which left over 20 million
dead, wounded, maimed, and homeless. Since the 11th hour of the 11th day
of the 11th month, 1918, nations continue warring - destroying countless
lives and threatening the ecological balance of our planet. We face the
11th hour of our existence unless we respond. Come out and join with
veterans to reach the conscience of our nation. Help us to commemorate
our healing from, and resistance to, the hell of war, to release a force
for change. WE NEED YOUR HELP. PLEASE JOIN US.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

10:00 - 10:15 A.M.        Introductory Remarks
10:15 - 10:45 A.M.        Veterans and Guests Speak
10:55 - 11:05 A.M.        11th Hour Silent Vigil
11:05 - 11:45 A.M.        Keynote Speakers
12:00 - 12:45 P.M.        Play: The Path of Return
  1:00 - 2:45 P.M.        Veterans and Guests Speak
  2:45 - 3:15 P.M.        Musical Performance
  3:15 - 3:45 P.M.        Guest Speakers
  3:45 - 4:00 P.M.        Closing Dedication

GUEST SPEAKERS (alphabetical order)

Mike Boehm, Vietnam Veteran, VAPP
Heather Dean, Washington, SOA Watch
John Dear, S.J., author, Executive Director, Fellowship of
Reconciliation
Daniel Ellsberg, Veteran, released Pentagon Papers
Erik Gustafson, Desert Storm Veteran, EPICenter, Board member of
National Gulf War Resources Center
Daniel Hallock, Author  of Hell, Healing, and Resistance: Veterans Speak
Le Ly Hayslip, Founder, East Meets West Foundation, Author of "When
Heaven and Earth Changed Place"
Richard McSorley, S.J., World War II Prisoner of War, Georgetown
University
Robert Moser, Author, "The New Winter Soldiers"
Jim Murphy, Educator, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Inc.
Paul Walker, President, Veterans for Peace
Marvin Wingman, Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee
Howard Zinn, Author, A People's History of the United States


OPERATION 11th HOUR COALITION:

Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee
The Bruderhof Communities
East Meets West Foundation
The EPICenter
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Fredy Champagne, Viet Nam Friends
John Mulligan, Vietnam Veteran, author, Shopping Cart Soldiers
Maryknoll Office for Global Concern, Washington, D.C.
The School of the Americas Watch
Hugh Thompson, My Lai helicopter pilot awarded Soldier's Medal
Veterans for Peace, National Office
Vietnamese American Peace Project
Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Inc.
Vietnam Veterans of America Chaplains
Voices in the Wilderness

For information, to pledge support, or to register, call or fax:
Operation 11th Hour Committee
Ron Landsel
10 Hellbrook Lane
Ulster Park, NY 12471
Phone:  [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Media Contact:
Milton O'Connell
Phone:  [phone]
Fax:  [phone]


PLEASE DO NOT E-MAIL YOUR REQUESTS!  Thank you.

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

Date: Sat, 31 Oct 1998 18:11:46 -0500
From: Peace through Reason <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) NucNews: Soldiers fear anthrax shots, remember radiation tests of '60s

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-10/30/059l-103098-idx.html

Dose of Explanation Comes With Anthrax Shots
Pentagon Campaigns to Overcome Some Soldiers' Health Fears About Vaccine

By Bradley Graham
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 30, 1998; Page A03

Lawyer Bill Boylan was never one to protest much, least of
all against the federal government. So it came as something
of a surprise, even to him, when he recently advised his son,
a 20-year-old Navy sailor, to refuse an anthrax vaccination
ordered by the Pentagon.

Searching for information about the vaccine from his home
in a Chicago suburb, Boylan had been alarmed by the
speeches and Internet reports of a small corps of critics
who have questioned the vaccine's efficacy, possible side
effects and quality control at the Michigan facility where the
medicine is produced.

"I couldn't care less if you compromised your military
benefits or GI bill or anything at all, if you decided to
decline to take the shots and received a penalty as a result,"
Boylan wrote in an electronic mail message to his son, Dan.
"I would prefer to have you home, healthy and with no ill
effects of any substance which the U.S. government injects
into you than to have you home, with benefits, and suffering
illness indefinitely."

Dan Boylan, a petty officer 3rd class aboard the aircraft
carrier USS Eisenhower en route to the Persian Gulf, said
his dad's advice reinforced his own concerns. Having
decided to reject the vaccine, he now faces likely discharge
from military service and joins at least 46 other service
members this year who have resisted the Pentagon's
inoculation plan, the first attempt to protect the entire
military against a germ warfare agent.

Although the refusals constitute a tiny percentage of the
96,000 troops who have begun receiving the vaccine,
defense officials acknowledge a broader unease among
military families about the initiative. A history of institutional
recklessness or indifference, involving such publicized cases
as radiation testing in the 1950s, use of Agent Orange in
Vietnam in the 1960s and the still-unexplained illnesses of
many veterans who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War has
eroded trust in military leaders to look out for the health of
soldiers.

"There's enormous distrust of government," said Lt. Gen.
Ronald Blanck, the Army's surgeon general and the officer
responsible for managing the inoculation program.

The anthrax vaccine, licensed by the Food and Drug
Administration, has been used widely in the United States
since the early 1970s by veterinarians, laboratory
technicians, agricultural laborers and textile workers who
handle animal products that might contain the deadly anthrax
bacteria. Government scientists and independent experts
continue to vouch for the vaccine's safety and effectiveness.
Several scientific investigations have rejected any link
between the Gulf War maladies and the anti-anthrax shots
administered to about 150,000 U.S. troops who served in
the conflict against Iraq.

Nonetheless, critics of the Pentagon's vaccination program
suspect some link may exist. Their concerns were
reinforced by an FDA inspection of the Michigan
production plant in February that found "significant
deviations" from federal standards for record-keeping and
testing procedures.

"My son suffered headaches and tightness in his chest after
receiving his first anthrax vaccination," said Lori Greenleaf,
a licensed day care provider in Colorado who has become
one of the most outspoken opponents of the program.
Citing the FDA report and conversations with defense
officials, Greenleaf said the injections given last spring to her
22-year-old son, Eric Julius, and thousands of other service
members were drawn from a batch of vaccine produced in
1993 and improperly revalidated for use this year.

There are persistent questions, too, about the vaccine's
effectiveness. Since battlefield anthrax cannot ethically be
tested on people, much of the evidence about the vaccine's
ability to protect troops is indirect. Moreover, reports this
year that the Russians had developed both a multi-strain
blend and a genetically engineered strain of anthrax have
stirred scientific debate about the adequacy of the U.S.
vaccine to counter all anthrax threats.

In an interview, Blanck dismissed the military resisters as
insignificant in number. He said most either were looking for
some way out of military duty or had been deluded by
misinformation about the vaccine.

Defense Secretary William S. Cohen, speaking to a group of
business executives, joked recently that he and his deputy,
John Hamre, had received four of six required doses and
"no third eye has emerged." But to reassure troops about
the program, the Pentagon has mounted its own information
campaign using the Internet, brochures and individual
consultations.

And to be doubly certain the vaccine carries no serious
health risks, Blanck said he has taken the extraordinary step
of ordering a close watch on 600 vaccinated Army medical
personnel in Hawaii, noting any colds, headaches, lumps or
other possible side effects.

"We're recording everything that happens to them," the
general said.

Ultimately, Blanck said, the armed forces cannot tolerate
opposition to the inoculations if military discipline is to be
maintained. He defended the military's legal authority to use
force if necessary to vaccinate service members. In at least
one publicized case in June, an Army private fled Fort
Stewart in Georgia after a first sergeant threatened to strap
him down to receive a shot.

But Blanck said it was not Pentagon policy to conduct
forcible inoculations under "normal circumstances." At the
same time, he made clear that any member refusing the
vaccination could expect to be discharged.

"They've broken their contract with their terms of service,
which is to obey lawful orders," he said.

Anthrax tops the U.S. government's list of biological
warfare threats because it is considered the easiest germ
weapon to make and use. Anthrax can be produced in a dry
form that can be stored and ground into tiny particles. When
inhaled, the particles cause severe pneumonia and death
within a week.

Although no country is known to have released the bacteria
on a battlefield, the Pentagon has raised new alarms about
the prospect of biological attack from a host of hostile
states and terrorist groups. In particular, U.S. officials have
called attention to Iraqi attempts to stockpile anthrax
supplies and estimate that at least 10 countries can develop
germ weapons.

While the vaccine has existed for many years, more is
known about its ability to protect against cutaneous anthrax,
the usually nonlethal form that attacks the skin, than about
anthrax that is inhaled, the form that would threaten troops
in battle.

The only time the vaccine has been tested against anthrax
inhaled by humans was among mill workers in the late 1950s
and early 1960s, but that test population was not large
enough to be statistically meaningful. Studies using guinea
pigs have shown the vaccine defending only 20 percent of
the population against airborne anthrax spores. Tests with
rhesus monkeys, which are more similar to humans, were
more encouraging, showing a protection rate of 95 percent.

"What they've done is stretch the use of the vaccine against
a more sophisticated form of exposure, without clear
evidence it will work," said Tod Ensign, an attorney with
Citizen Soldier, an advocacy group in New York.

Defense officials acknowledge a better vaccine is possible
given modern methods of purifying the protein component
on which the medicine is based. But they insist that
administering some vaccine, particularly one already in use
for years, is better than leaving troops entirely defenseless
against an anthrax attack.

Relying only on antibiotics or antiserum to treat battlefield
victims would not be feasible, government experts say. As
for any new strains of anthrax that might appear, defense
officials remain confident the U.S. vaccine will prove
comprehensive because, they note, it is based on a single
protein component of the anthrax bacillus common to all
natural strains.

Regarding possible side effects, Blanck reported 11 cases
this year of adverse reactions to the vaccine, including fever,
itching and fatigue -- far fewer, he said, than occur with
other commonly administered vaccines for tetanus, typhoid
and whooping cough.

Blanck also said the production deficiencies cited by the
FDA had been resolved. "All were answered satisfactorily,
and the FDA has verified the safe and effective production
of the vaccine," he said.

The production facility is the sole plant for making the U.S.
vaccine. It remains closed for renovation and expansion
following its sale this year by the state of Michigan to a
private group, BioPort Corp., headed by retired Adm.
William J. Crowe, former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman. In
the meantime, the Pentagon is drawing on a stockpile of
about 7 million doses, intending eventually to inoculate all
2.4 million active-duty and reserve personnel.

- ----------

Concerned about depleted uranium and Gulf War vets?

>
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 1998 17:15:39 -0400
From: Tara Thornton <[e-mail]>
Subject: depleted uranium listserve

Dear Friends,

The Military Toxics Project (MTP) has recently set up a Listserve for
depletd uranium.  Anyone wishing to subscribe to the DU listserve type in
the TO:  [e-mail] and in the body of the text write
"subscribe"  (no "").  You should receive a message to confirm.  If there
are any problems contact MTP at [e-mail].

Thanks,
Tara Thornton
>
- -----------------------



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

Date: Sat, 31 Oct 1998 22:14:22 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) a report from Seattle

Friends,

I think all of us wonder "how do we reach the grassroots". I'm sending on a
post from John Reese which is a very good example of that - a report of the
trip by bus from Seattle to Washington DC for the October 19th action.  (That
post will come - or should come - directly after this brief note. I'm
forwarding it as soon as I've sent this).

Peace,
David McReynolds

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

Date: Sat, 31 Oct 1998 22:15:37 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) DWOP

In a message dated 10/31/98 1:25:49 AM Eastern Standard Time, can@drizzle.=
com
writes:

<< Subj:=09 DWOP
 Date:=0910/31/98 1:25:49 AM Eastern Standard Time
 From:=[e-mail] (John Reese)
 Sender:=[e-mail]
 To:=[e-mail]

 Here is a copy of an article that I have written for NACC's newsletter ab=
out
the bus and
 the day of.

 John Reese

 On October 19, 600 to 800 protesters gathered at the Pentagon for the War
Resisters
 League =93Day Without the Pentagon=94.  Seven of those that gathered at t=
he
pentagon came
 across the country on a media bus tour organized by NACC.  (see related
article or just
 leave the bus section as is.)

 The Day Without the Pentagon was a national action calling for an end to
militarization
 of our culture, major cuts in the post Cold War Pentagon budget, and fund=
ing
of human
 needs instead of the Pentagon.  Over 100 local and national organizations
endorsed and
 participated in the march and rally at the Pentagon.  This was the first
national march
 that focused on the Pentagon in over a decade.

 The bus left Seattle NACC on October 9th.  For the send-off the Bus made =
five
stops in
 Seattle (representing the five sides of the Pentagon) to pick up people f=
rom
 organizations promoting services - housing, health care, women's safety,
street youth
 support, education - that would benefit from the shut down of the pentago=
n.
There was a
 rally at the Seattle Central Community College, following the bus loop
through Seattle.

 No longer school bus yellow, sat parked outside the Real Change office
(newspaper and
 support for Seattle's homeless) for the beginning of the loop around Seat=
tle.
The now
 sky blue bus was not fully painted yet but the sun on the bus was far
brighter than the
 one hiding behind the clouds above us.  Passengers boarded here and conti=
nued
our
 penta-stop tour of Seattle's human service organizations.  We drove up to=
 our
last stop,
 Seattle Central Community College, to find the Pentagon's "General Wolf"
pushing aside
 our emcee (our favorite Seattle celebrity -and NACC staffer - Geov Parris=
h).

 The general demanded bigger, better bombs - and more opportunities to use
them.
 Fortunately he was surrounded by a human Pentagon with each of the five
corners
 representing areas of human needs that we would rather have funded than t=
he
war machine.
  Those in the corners quickly moved to action, using the rope that was
acting as
 "walls" of the pentagon to wrap up the "general" and remove him from his
soapbox.  The
 "corners" spoke up for housing, women, youth, the environment and educati=
on.
Sometime
 during this dismantling, the rain began but off to the east (towards DC) =
an
incredible
 double rainbow appeared.  Was it the sun on the side of the bus?

 The previous night, Megan, 16, died alone on the streets of Seattle.  Jel=
lo
and Janaea,
 two street youth traveling on the bus knew her.  More than a statistic to
them but Megan
 was also a victim of misdirected funding and priorities.  She was a victi=
m of
US
 military actions and inactions, like so many others we lose this way.  Th=
is
bus trip was
 for all those that have died and those that are dying and those that will=
 die
due to the
 misplaced priorities of our pentagon spending.

 The bus first headed to Olympia for some last minute work and then south =
to
Portland for
 a rally at the Federal Building.  The bus attracted a good bit of attenti=
on
as we drove
 through Portland.  After a great dinner at the Taj Majal Restaurant hoste=
d by
the Oregon
 Community War Tax Resisters, we got on the road to Boise.  In Boise, some
local youth go
 on board and for a ride to the Capitol Building for a brief rally and pho=
to
ops.  A half
 hour interview on KBOO radio in Portland was our first press coverage.

 On Sunday, the bus riders woke up about 100 miles north of Salt Lake City
with frost on
 the inside of the bus windows.  There was also a light frost on the groun=
d
but it warmed
 up quickly as we headed into Salt Lake City.  After gathering a small cro=
wd
at the
 Federal Building, the bus meandered through Salt Lake using the bus PA to
broadcast the
 shut it down message.  Once again, the bus drew lots of attention and
(perhaps not
 surprisingly) got a lot of  thumbs up.  At Liberty Park, we gave tours of=
 the
bus,
 handed out literature and talked to many in the crowd of about 100 people
there for the
 regular Sunday drum circle.

 The bus arrived in Boulder on Monday to meet Sachio (see related article?=
)
and the group
 putting on the Indigenous Peoples Day Rally.  Three local press people sh=
owed
up - KGNU,
 the Colorado Daily and the Boulder Weekly.  About 30 people attended the
rally which
 linked the military and a history of mistreatment of indigenous peoples
around the
 world.  Sachio rode with on the bus to Colorado Springs and then there wa=
s
fun march
 through town to Colorado College and then to Acacia Park doing great stre=
et
theater all
 the way.  The Colorado Springs Gazette was on hand for interviews.  The b=
us
passengers
 were then treated to a great meal at the Pikes Peak Peace and Justice
Commission office.

 On Tuesday, in Kansas City, Kansas, there was an early morning crowd of a=
bout
20 for
 banner holding at a busy intersection and then more tours of the bus.  Th=
e
local FOX
 affiliate filmed us and the Pacifica station and a weekly paper did
interviews.  Doing a
 demo with a group as supportive as the Kansas City folks was great.  In S=
t
Louis the bus
 drove through the McDonnell Douglas complex which certainly garnered a lo=
t of
looks.
 Mira with AFSC hosted us so everyone could shower and eat.

 The bus arrived in Chicago about 4 AM on Wednesday.  When the bus riders =
got
to the
 Federal Building for the noon demonstration and began handing out flyers =
a
federal
 protective service person stated that permit was required for any type of
demonstration
 - including handing out flyers!  After some dialogue with him about the
constitution the
 leafleters were informed that  their building rules are above the
constitution.  To play
 their game, a permit to speak freely was requested.  Meanwhile, leafletin=
g
and banners
 holding went on off federal property on the portion of the sidewalk that =
city
property.
  Surprisingly the Chicago police didn=92t come to demand a permit to be o=
n
their sidewalk.

 When the federal officer brought down the permit he explained that the
demonstrators
 were denied the right to perform a skit.  So, holding signs/banners and
leafleting
 occurred on federal property and the skit on city property.  Thanks to th=
e
Eighth Day
 Center for Justice, there was a good crowd and with lots of people taking
flyers.  It
 was great to have it downtown in an area with lots of people around.  The
bus got
 plenty of attention as it circled around town with, one of the drivers,
blasting out
 messages about pentagon greed and the need to fund human needs.  The skit
went great
 (its debut) and the caravaners hurriedly packed up for South Bend.

 In South Bend the bus was parked directly in front of the recruiting cent=
ers
- - army,
 navy,  airforce and marines.  All were there at least until the bus arriv=
ed!
Just as it
 pulled up, the army recruiting center shut their blinds, locked the doors=
 and
left.  The
 navy and airforce soon did the same.  What are they afraid of?  The marin=
es
risked the
 caravaners  presence and toughed it out.  They seemed to enjoy the skit a=
nd
laughed with
 the crowd from the comfort of their office.  The day before the South Ben=
d
Tribune
 carried a story about the coming protest and they showed up to take photo=
s of
the event
 which went in the next day=92s edition.  A local TV station (FOX channel =
4)
interviewed
 one bus passenger and took lots of footage.  Thanks to Michiana War Resis=
ters
League for
 dinner and helping with the turnout and the press.

 Kent, our last stop before Annapolis, went well.  A crowd of about 50
students listened
 to speakers.  Marine recruiters were on campus at the time one speaker
addressed getting
 recruiters off campus.  The May 4th Task Force also spoke about their eff=
orts
to close
 off parking spaces where some activities occurred on May 4th, 1970, when =
four
students
 were killed and nine wounded by the  National Guard.  The bus riders went=
 by
the
 memorial after the rally.  There was one reporter from the Akron Beacon
Journal, one
 from the campus TV station and one from the campus daily newspaper (Kent
Stater).
 Thursday=92s (October 15th) Beacon Journal also had a small story with an
announcement of
 the rally.  There were also follow-up stories in the Akron Beacon Journal=
 and
the Kent
 Stater.  Sue Jeffers and the May 4th Task Force helped with the Kent even=
t.

 The positive response that the bus has got was amazing as it carried the
message to the
 interstate, truck stops, and cities.  Driving through the cities and town=
s,
there were a
 lot of thumbs up and only a rare negative response.  Not that this is a
scientific poll,
 but it seems like most people the caravaners came in contact with as they
crossed the
 U.S. would be happy if the Day Without the Pentagon dragged on for the  n=
ext
hundred
 years or so.  Thanks to NACC's many friends and supporters that helped ma=
ke
the Day
 Without the Pentagon bus tour a success. stops at 14 locations along the =
way
generated
 enthusiasm and visibility for the bus and the idea of closing the Pentago=
n
down.

 DWOP:

 An early morning action started the days events.  Twenty one people were
carried away by
 Metro Police for allegedly trying to block Defense Department workers fro=
m
entering the
 Pentagon at the Pentagon Metrostation.  They were released in about two h=
ours
and were
 later able to attend the rally at the Pentagon.

 For most of the crowd, the day began at 9:00 a.m. at Arlington National
Cemetery.  Here
 affinity groups continued to meet (some had formed the previous night) an=
d
Bread and
 Puppets prepared their giant cranes to lead the way.  Signs, banners and
other props
 were made ready for the one mile march to the Pentagon.  At 10 A.M. the c=
rowd
of 600 or
 so began their march to the Pentagon.  Escorted by dozens of police the c=
rowd
created
 quite the spectacle for commuters and the media.

 The rally began at 11 AM with speakers and music at the river side of the
Pentagon.
 Some of the speakers were Dave Dellinger, Daniel Ellsberg, Mandy Carter, =
Pam
Africa,
 Alan Nairn, David McReynolds, Luis Nieves-Falcon, Greg Payton, Barbara Sm=
ith
and Alyn
 Ware.  Youth Peace. Performers were also there as well as lots of good mu=
sic.
C-span
 covered the entire rally as well as many other media sources.

 With over 300 police surrounding the Pentagon the task of shutting it dow=
n
would prove
 to be impossible.  But about ten affinity groups were dedicated to doing
their best to
 have a Day Without the Pentagon.  At 1:50 PM about 200 people moved south
toward a 5
 foot retaining wall 100 feet from the river entrance.  About 50 police to=
ok
up position
 in a line between the protestors and the Pentagon.  The idea, worked out
during the day,
 was that two affinity groups would attempt to get to the Pentagon by stai=
rs
on each side
 of the retaining wall.  A third affinity group would attempt to go over t=
he
wall.

 I was with the Food Not Bombs affinity group that would try to go over th=
e
wall.  A
 dozen of us sat on a ledge just below the top of the wall.  The police th=
en
moved in to
 within a few feet of us and at that time it was announced that for violat=
ions
of
 international law and for it=92s role in the production of weapons of mas=
s
destruction, we
 were here to close down the Pentagon.  We then stood up and attempted to =
walk
toward the
 Pentagon but were pushed back by the police.  Two of us began to dive to =
the
ground on
 the pentagon side of the wall.  Practicing our best nonviolent non-
cooperation we were
 half carried half dragged down the steps to the other side of the wall.  =
We
new the
 preferred tactic of the police was not to arrest us but we were determine=
d to
test the
 limits of that tactic.  After 5 attempts to get through the police, two o=
f us
were
 finally arrested.  The command was given by a person in a black uniform
without any
 insignias.  He was a part of one of many different police forces (soldier=
s)
that were
 there to make sure that the pentagon=92s plans of death and destruction
continued.

 Within the next 15 minutes, four more were persistent enough to get arres=
ted
=96 one
 merely for waving a US flag upside down.  It was obvious that the police =
had
been
 ordered not too make any arrests.  Arrests make news and Pentagon officia=
ls
wanted to
 make this as much a non-news event as possible.  Nine more protestors wer=
e
arrested for
 blocking an access road to the pentagon.  Although we were all booked by =
the
Defense
 Protective Service, we were released and later found out that there would=
 be
no charges
 filed.

 All total 36 were arrested during the daylong event -  21 taken into cust=
ody
early in
 the day at the Pentagon Metrostation station and the remaining 15, arrest=
ed
on charges
 they tried to block two other entrances to the Pentagon.  About 100 had
committed to
 risking arrest.  Many others attempted to block the different entrances t=
o
the Pentagon
 but were carried or pushed out of the way even after repeated attempts to
shut the
 Pentagon down.

 In spite of the reality that we did not shut the Pentagon down, for a day=
 we
got the
 word out all across the country that the bloated military budget has got =
to
go.
 Combined with the media bus tour we reached thousands that would otherwis=
e
remain in the
 dark about the massive amount of money that the Pentagon drains form much
needed
 services thus in effect weakening this country   Because of this action w=
e
are one step
 closer to the dream of the day when the Pentagon will be not the symbol o=
f
war but a
 symbol of human  needs met; when the $1.7 billion is spent on health care=
,
education,
 the environment, housing and jobs.





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

Date: Sun, 01 Nov 1998 16:28:47 +1100
From: hcaldic <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) FWD: Re: SpaceNews:  Energy / Plutonium

Peace through Reason wrote:
>
> Reply-To: [e-mail]
> Date: Fri, 30 Oct 1998 22:42:37 -0500 (EST)
> From: Mark Gubrud <[e-mail]>
> Subject: Re: SpaceNews:  Energy / Plutonium
>
> <<
>     Huge rockets will launch NASA's deep-space missions early
> in the next millennium, first to Europa, one of Jupiter's moons,
> and later to Pluto.
> ...
> power cells in the space probes will convert heat that is
> supplied by plutonium into electrical power.
> >>
>
> At the risk of being called (again) a "government scientist" or
> something equally ugly, I offer the following OPINION:
>
> All the concern about NASA's use of plutonium batteries has been
> and is a bit silly.  It is a shame that (apparently former)
> anti-nuclear weapons activists such as Michio Kaku and Helen
> Caldicott have lent themselves to these antinuke reunions which
> are profoundly embarassing to the community that fought the nuclear
> power industry to a standstill and helped put the brakes on the
> nuclear arms race but seems to have lost its vision under the
> New World Order.  A few pounds of plutonium, exquisitely well
> protected against being released into the environment in the
> (admittedly very possible) event of a launch accident, are a
> ridiculously irrelevant threat at a time when thousands of nuclear
> weapons remain in the inventories of the major powers, Russia
> teeters on the edge of chaos, the non-proliferation treaty regime
> is threatened with collapse, the US remains committed to a path
> that will result in evisceration of the ABM Treaty and deployment
> of space weapons, and we face a new century laden with the
> promise and threat of technologies many times more powerful than
> even those we have today.  But there is apparently no appetite
> to take on these very serious and scary issues.  Instead, it
> seems the old antinukers would prefer to gather in Florida to
> protest a symbol that probably everybody understands is of no real
> consequence.  It is the very silliness of this gathering that
> makes it attractive to people.  Meanwhile, the real storms are
> quietly brewing...
>
> Mark Gubrud
>
> _______________________________________________________________________
>
> * 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.

    Mark, Every issue you mentioned are of supreme importance, never to be
ignored, don't worry, we are working on all of them, Helen Caldicott



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

Date: Mon, 02 Nov 1998 11:11:34 -0500
From: Lisa Ledwidge <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Reminder

Please vote Tuesday, November 3rd.

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

Date: Mon, 02 Nov 1998 11:21:05 +0000
From: "Phyllis Turner Jepson/Local-Regional Coord." <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) IEER Disarmament Resource

Please send a copy to:

    Phyllis Turner Jepson
    Pax Christi USA - Local/Regional Coordinator
    442 33rd Street
    West Palm Beach, FL 33407

Many thanks.

Peace,
Phyllis

At 09:37 AM 10/30/98 -0500, you wrote:
>===================================================
>        Disarmament/De-alerting Resource Available
>
>The Institute for Energy and Environmental Research has just released a
>double issue of its newsletter, "Science for Democratic Action," which
>covers many aspects of nuclear disarmament and de-alerting.
>
>This issue examines technical and other requirements for achieving enduring
>nuclear disarmament; the role of treaties; de-alerting measures that can be
>achieved before the end of 1999; and post-Cold War threats, such as
>accidental nuclear war, black markets in nuclear materials, and research
>that could lead to the development of pure fusion weapons.  Also presented
>is an extensive plan for urgent, short-term, medium-term, and long-term
>disarmament measures.
>
>Articles in this issue:
>
>    -Achieving Enduring Nuclear Disarmament
>    -De-Alerting: A First Step
>    -Treaties Are Not Enough
>    -Pure Fusion Weapons?
>    -The Nature of Post-Cold War Nuclear Dangers
>    -The South Asian Nuclear Crisis
>    -and more...
>
>You will also find regular features of IEER's newsletter, such as "Dr.
>Egghead" (a guide to nuclear jargon), and the Atomic Puzzler (a chance for
>you to sharpen your technical skills and have some fun doing it).
>
>The newsletter is free and is available from IEER. If you would like a
>copy, ether reply to this message ([e-mail]), or call IEER at
>301-270-5500.  You can also request bulk copies. This newsletter will be
>posted on our website (www.ieer.org) in the next week or so.
>
>
>************************************************************
>* Hisham Zerriffi                                          *
>* Project Scientist                Phone: [phone]   *
>* Institute for Energy             Fax:   [phone]   *
>* and Environmental Research       E-mail: [e-mail] *
>* 6935 Laurel Ave. Suite 204       Web:    www.ieer.org    *
>* Takoma Park, MD  20912                                   *
>************************************************************
>
>
>-
> 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.
>
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Phyllis Turner Jepson
Pax Christi USA Local/Regional Coordinator
<mailto:[e-mail]>[e-mail]


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

End of abolition-usa-digest V1 #35
**********************************

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