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abolition-usa-digest     Sunday, December 6 1998     Volume 01 : Number 045




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

Date: Tue, 1 Dec 1998 07:55:26 -0800 (PST)
From: john burroughs <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Abolition 2000 December Newsletter

Sue - nice report! See you in Feb I think - John
At 04:44 PM 11/30/98 -0800, you wrote:
>ABOLITION 2000
>
>INTERNATIONAL GRASSROOTS NEWSLETTER  DECEMBER  1998
>
>

        *********************************************
        John Burroughs
        Western States Legal Foundation
        1440 Broadway, Suite 500
        Oakland, California, USA  94612
        Tel: [phone]
        Fax: [phone]
        E-mail: [e-mail]
        Western States is part of Abolition 2000:
        A Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons
        *********************************************


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

Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1998 04:40:37 -0600 (CST)
From: [e-mail] (Robert Smirnow)
Subject: (abolition-usa) NEW NUKES IN SPACE VIDEO AVAILABLE NOW

- ----
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: Wed, 02 Dec 1998 00:16:25 +0100
From: joan and steve <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]

To: Robert Smirnow <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re:Nukes In Space 2

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For Further Information Call:  Karl Grossman [phone]
                                               Steve Jambeck or Joan
Flynn [phone]

NUKES IN SPACE 2: UNACCEPTABLE RISKS
POWERFUL NEW DOCUMENTARY RELEASED BY ENVIROVIDEO


        Nukes In Space 2: Unacceptable Risks provides an update on the
Cassini space probe with 72.3 pounds of lethal plutonium on board, the
scheduled August 1999 Cassini Earth ôfly-byö and the consequences of an
accident. It reports on NASAÆs planned additional plutonium missions
and
investigates the U.S. militaryÆs aim to ôcontrol spaceö and the Earth
below with space-based nuclear-powered weaponry.

        Nukes In Space 2, produced by EnviroVideo, is hosted and
written
by
investigative reporter Karl Grossman, professor of journalism at the
State University of New York, directed by Emmy Award-winner Steve
Jambeck with Joan Flynn as associate producer.

        Dr. Karl Z. Morgan, founder of the profession of health physics
and
former director of the Health Physics Division at Oak Ridge National
Laboratory, states in Nukes In Space 2 that those behind the use of
plutonium in space ôare very brazen and almost inhuman in their
attitude, willing to run the risk of imposing a catastrophe on Earth
that manÆs never known before, where he cannot inhabit this space on
our
planet for the next million yearsàIt is inconceivable to me that you
would allow such high-risk of plutonium contamination on the Earth.ö

        Alan Kohn, a 30-year NASA veteran and a long-time emergency
preparedness officer for NASA, says in Nukes In Space 2: ôThe people
should rise up and protest this. We should not allow our democratic
government to do this to us. It is our responsibility and our duty to
prevent them from putting us at risk. We have to stop them. They wonÆt
stop themselves.ö

Nukes In Space 2 tells how the Cassini plutonium fueled space probe,
launched by NASA in October 1997, is slated to come hurtling back from
outer space on August 18, 1999 at 42,300 miles per hour to buzz the
Earth less than 500 miles high in a ôgravity assistö or ôslingshotö
maneuver so it can reach its final destination of Saturn.

It presents NASA's own acknowledgement in its Final Environmental
Impact
Statement for the Cassini Mission that if Cassini makes an "inadvertent
reentry" into the EarthÆs atmosphere during the ôflyby,ö the probe will
break up, plutonium will disperse and ôapproximately five billion of
the
estimated 7 to 8 billion world population at the timeàcould receive 99
percent or more of the radiation exposure."

 Dr. Michio Kaku, professor of nuclear physics at the City University
of
New York, declares in Nukes In Space 2 that NASA could have substituted
a solar energy system for plutonium power on Cassini by shaving off
just
1 percent, about 130 pounds,  from its weight. Former NASA scientist
Dr.
Ross McCluney agrees and cites a ôlack of vision at the highest level
of
NASA. I think they have another agenda behind-the-scenes.ö

The manufacturers of plutonium space systems, General Electric and now
Lockheed Martin, the U.S. governmentÆs string of national nuclear
laboratories involved in fabricating the systems, and the
U.S. Department of Energy, have all been pushing nuclear power in
space.
There is also a military connection, according to Nukes In Space 2.
ôStar Wars is the name of the game,ö declares Dr. Kaku in this
documentary.

Nukes In Space 2 probes the PentagonÆs plan to deploy weapons in space.
It
reveals a U.S. Air Force report, New World Vistas: Air and Space Power
for the 2lst Century, which states, ôIn 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 conflictàlasers with reasonable
mass and cost to effect very many kills.ö However, says New World
Vistas, there are ôpower limitationsö currently for such weaponry. ôA
natural technology to enable high power is nuclear power in space,ö it
declares.

Nukes In Space 2 explores the U.S. Space CommandÆs desire to become
ômaster of spaceö in order to ôcontrol spaceö and the Earth below. It
exposes the U.S. Space CommandÆs Vision For 2020 report that describes
the commandÆs mission as ôdominating the space dimension of military
operations to protect US interests and investment.ö

Among others appearing in Nukes In Space 2 are: Dr. Helen Caldicott,
president emeritus of Physicians for Social Responsibility; Dr. Ernest
Sternglass, professor emeritus of radiological physics at the
University
of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Dr. Rosalie Bertell, president of the
International Institute of Concern for Public Health; Harvey Wasserman
of Greenpeace U.S.A.; Helen John of the Menwith Hill WomenÆs Peace
Camp;
editor Loring Wirbel; Bill Sulzman of Citizens for Peace in Space; and
Bruce Gagnon and Regina Hagen of the Global Network Against Weapons and
Nuclear Power in Space.

Nukes In Space 2 also shows how the use of nuclear power and planned
deployment of weapons in space are illegal under the Outer Space
Treaty.

Nukes In Space 2 follows EnviroVideoÆs 1995 video documentary, Nukes In
Space: The Nuclearization and Weaponization of the Heavens, which
received three major film and video festival awards including the
Worldfest Gold Award at the Houston International Film and Video
Festival, the worldÆs largest film and video festival.

TO OBTAIN A COPY OF NUKES IN SPACE 2: UNACCEPTABLE RISKS
Send $19.95 +$2(s&h) to: EnviroVideo, Box 311, Ft. Tilden NY 11695
or call EnviroVideo 1-800-ECO-TV46  email: [e-mail]
For more information visit the Stop Cassini Earth Fly-by Action Site:
www.nonviolence.org/noflyby



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

Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1998 11:32:31 -0600 (CST)
From: [e-mail] (Robert Smirnow)
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: FWB: Y2K Bug and Nukes

- ----
Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1998 08:48:06 -0500
From: "Ross Wilcock" <[e-mail]>

Sender: [e-mail]
Subject: FWB: Y2K Bug and Nukes
To: "Abolition-Caucus-L" <[e-mail]>


Non-member submission from [Robert Cherwink <[e-mail]>]
- -----Original Message-----
Date:    Tue, 1 Dec 1998 21:23:32 -0800
To:    Select List <[e-mail]>
From:    Robert Cherwink <[e-mail]>
Subject:    Y2K Bug and Nukes

read this! Y2K Bug and Nukes - Two items included:
*2000 Glitch Poses Nuclear Threat
*The Impact of the Year 2000 Problem on Nuclear Weapons
http://fornits.com/renegade/articles/1798.htm

- ---

a few excerpts to entice you:

<<<
Western intelligence is warning of possible nuclear "meltdown" in the
former
Soviet bloc as a result of the so-called millennium bug...
..Russia's nuclear industry is in desperate straits. Throw in Y2K and
you
could have a giant Chernobyl on your hands...
..In a recent circular to all American power plants, the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission warned that "control room display systems,
radiation
monitoring and emergency response" are particularly at risk... "The Y2K
problem is urgent because it has a fixed, non-negotiable deadline,"
that
circular concluded. "This matter requires priority attention because of
the
limited time remaining to assess the magnitude of the problem."
<<<
* 2000 Glitch Poses Nuclear Threat, THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES  Nov 13,
1998
<<<
The dangers of a Y2K meltdown, even if restricted to a few key systems,
are
intensified by the Russian and American policy of "launch on warning."
This
policy calls for nuclear retaliation after detection of another
country's
launch of missiles, but before the adversary's warheads impact. If Y2K
breakdowns were to produce inaccurate early-warning data, or if
communications and command channels were to be compromised, the
combination
of hair-trigger force postures and Y2K failures could be disastrous...
..For all of these reasons, there should be a "safety first" approach
to
Y2K and nuclear arsenals. All the nuclear weapons states should
stand-down
nuclear operations. This approach should include taking nuclear weapons
off
alert status or de-coupling nuclear warheads from delivery vehicles.
..
.. The Y2K problem can affect every aspect of the DoE's "cradle to
grave"
nuclear program...
<<<
* "The Bug in the Bomb: The Impact of the Year 2000 Problem on Nuclear
Weapons" BRITISH AMERICAN SECURITY INFORMATION COUNCIL Executive
Summary
(The full version should be on their website at
http://www.basicint.org/ )

- ---

Y2K Bug and Nukes
http://fornits.com/renegade/articles/1798.htm

Peace!
Rob,             Sector Air Raid Warden at Rob's Place
/RENEGADE/ newsletter:  http://fornits.com/renegade/
DEDICATED TO SPIRIT, TRUTH, PEACE, JUSTICE, AND FREEDOM
Bay_Area_Activist list: http://fornits.com/renegade/articles/829.htm
CHAT: http://jupiter.beseen.com/chat/rooms/i/1055/
Rob's Place: http://www.vom.com/rc/home.htm
Robert Cherwink <[e-mail]>
Usenet: alt.thebird
WHEN SPIDERS UNITE, THEY CAN TIE DOWN A LION  -- Ethiopian Proverb




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

Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1998 17:12:25 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Late and urgent, re two US peace prisoners of conscience

 Date:    12/2/98 5:09:34 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], [e-mail], Zefalcon
 To:    RBLepley, [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], VOBARON, [e-mail]
 To:    Lthurston8, [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail], [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 CC:    [e-mail]
 BCC:    DavidMcR

 Friends,

 First, this is late and urgent.

 Second, it involves Oliver Sachio Coe - active in New Jersey's WRL "Root and
Branch Collective" and an older fellow, equally peaceful, Daniel Sicken. They
took part in a "Plowshares Action" earlier this year at a US military base in
Colorado - all this had been reported before on these nets and if you need any
specific info on the case, send an email to Melissa Jameson:
[e-mail]

 Third - if you have lists of your own that should see this, FORWARD IT PLEASE

 A week or two ago Melissa had asked responsible folks to write to the Judge,
which I did on behalf of WRL. She was worried about "crank letters" but I told
her that the Judge could live with them and it was more important to let you
all know that it would help if responsible letters were sent. I brought the
info home with me and then couldn't find it for a week. It just this minute
showed up. So I postpone getting over to the office to feed AJ (the office
cat) and our WRL Executive Committee meeting to get out this info. THE LETTERS
NEED TO BE WRITTEN THIS WEEK - MAIL BY SUNDAY EVENING.

 The Judge is:
 Judge Walker Miller
 % Susan M. Hackman
 1961 Stout St., Suite 1525
 Denver, Co. 80294-0101

 If you feel you can't write a federal judge in a polite and responsible way,
DON'T WRITE. The only persons who will suffer from a "wonderfully radical
letter" are Sachio and Daniel. If you get smart, they get hurt, not the judge.

 The arugements for Daniel would just be at one level the same as for Sachio -
no one was hurt in the action, there was no resistance to the arrest, and the
defendents voluntarily returned for their trial (They were found guilty on
November 4 and face a maximum penalty of 20 years and a half million dollars
fine. They were charged with sabotage, conspiracy to commit sabotage, and
destruction of government property in excess of $1,000).

 You don't have to agree with Plowshares actions to realize that this was a
nonviolent offense, committed out of conscience, by two people who are engaged
in positive work in their own communities.

 Your letter should argue that a long prison term would be seen as punitive,
that it would not - from all the evidence of similar terms - change the views
of the defendents, that even if a sentence of some kind is felt necessary by
the judge, it should take into account the motives of peace and justice, of a
deep committment to nonviolence, of the two defendants. And point out that
these are people who are in their daily lives of positive worth in their
communities, valued by friends and co-workers. IF YOU ARE A PROFESSOR, PASTOR,
COUNSELOR, LAWYER, ETC., note that.

 (For those who want to write, the addresses until January 20 are (and don't
forget the numbers!! - no kidding):

 Oliver Sachio Coe
 Unit A
 28361-013
 Federal Detention Center
 9595 West Quincy Avenue
 Littleton, CO 80123

 Daniel Sicken
 Unit A
 28360-013
 Federal Detention Center
 9595 West Quincy Ave.
 Littleton, Co. 80123

 If you are a pacifist you may want to send a bit of money to help with
newsletter/expenses/commisary money (Sacho is a vegan so commisary money is
helpful). No major legal fees are involved.  Make the check payable to: Gram
(say Sachio Ko-yin in the memo section) and send it to Melissa Jamieson, 10 E.
Ridgewood, N.J. 07450

 Please give this priority. Please pass on to others who believe that
nonviolent offenders should receive light prison terms, or who will be
sympathetic with the reasons behind the actions.

 Peace, fraternally, and sincerely (this goes to both pacifist and socialist
lists)

 David McReynolds
 New York City >>

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

Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 18:17:55 -0500
From: "David Culp" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Forward: START II Analysis from Carnegie's Moscow Center

__________________Proliferation Brief________________________
Vol. 1, No. 16                               December 3, 1998


        START II: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

In the Byzantine twilight of Russian political life it is ironically
now the
Communists (long-time treaty detractors) who seem ready to give the
green
light for the ratification of the START II treaty. The recent
ascendancy of
several prominent Communists into the cabinet of Prime Minister
Yevgeny
Primakov has turned the tide in favor of ratification. Prime Minister
Primakov and First Vice Prime Minister Yuriy Maslyukov personally
lobbied
members of the Communist-led Russian Duma - the lower house of the
Russian
Parliament - to ratify the treaty during closed hearings on November
10,
1998.  Following these increased efforts, chances for the approval of
the
treaty by the Duma sometime in December are now higher than ever
before.

START II was signed in January 1993 amidst the honeymoon of post-Cold
War
relations between the United States and Russia.  Its provisions
require both
sides to reduce their massive deployed strategic nuclear forces by
almost
half - to a level of 3,000-3,500 deployed warheads each.  (The United
States
still plans to retain a total stockpile of some 10,000 nuclear
weapons,
though, even as the number of deployed weapons shrinks.)  The U.S.
Senate
ratified the treaty in 1996.  The Russian Duma, in contrast, has
shelved it
for more than three years since President Yeltsin formally submitted
it for
ratification in June 1995.

The Road Ahead

Just six months ago the Duma majority would not even consider a formal
discussion of the treaty, but in November these same deputies agreed
to
accelerate the process considerably.  Now they debate not just the
notion of
ratification, but specific implementing legislation drafted by
officials
from the Duma and Foreign and Defense Ministries.

In April, President Yeltsin submitted his own START II ratification
bill,
which lacks Communist support and thus, popular opinion holds, has no
chance
of approval. In order to forestall the possibility of such a
rejection,
officials both in the Yeltsin government and Duma have begun to favor
a
Working Group approach. A Working Group draft resolution is currently
being
prepared jointly by representatives from both houses of Parliament,
the
office of the government and the presidential administration. Once
this
joint resolution is completed, the President will formally denounce
his
April bill and submit instead the agreed draft resolution.  Such an
approach
will provide the Duma with the opportunity to consider the agreed bill
from
the very beginning - with much greater probability of its rapid
approval.

Reportedly, the ratification bill looks similar to that passed by the
U.S.
Senate, containing various conditions on START III, the Anti-Ballistic
Missile (ABM) treaty, and non-deployment of nuclear weapons on the
territory
of new NATO members. Other provisions are addressed to the executive
power,
and call for the development of a START II-compatible plan for
strategic
nuclear force modernization, and sufficient financing of that plan.
Although the Working Group probably agrees on the necessity of the
conditions, concerns on specific wording remain. Some advocate more
obligatory language requiring that missile deactivation under START II
be
initiated only after a satisfactory START III agreement is concluded.
Others
prefer a softer approach, perhaps requiring only a presidential
recommendation on further START II implementation, contingent on
progress in
the negotiation of START III.

Most likely, these concerns will not permit debates to begin on the
Duma
floor in early December, as some observers hurriedly predicted. Given
that
the Duma usually considers ratification of international agreements on
Friday afternoons, December 18 or December 25 seem like more realistic
deadlines.

Potential Roadblocks Remain

Despite all the recent activity, START II ratification should not be
taken
for granted.  Communist and nationalist hardliners have so strongly
committed themselves to opposition of the treaty that it will be very
difficult for them to change their position - even if they want to
help
their newly-appointed allies in the Cabinet. Similarly, parliamentary
liberals who have supported ratification for many years might now be
unwilling to make concessions to the pro-leftist ministers.

Moreover, there may be some opposition from deputies precisely because
of
the not very subtle linking by Maslyukov of START II ratification with
new
loans from the International Monetary Fund. In their eyes, the treaty
deserves to be rejected simply because this would be the most
efficient way
to liberate Russia from the IMF and what they call its 'charlatan
prescriptions.'  Finally, the entire treaty could be revoked either by
the
Duma or by the U.S. Senate if the United States breaks out of the ABM
treaty
and deploys a national missile defense system, as some Senators
advocate.

Nonetheless, by January 3, 1999, six years after START II was signed
with
much fanfare, President Yeltsin finally has a real chance to gain its
ratification.  Unfortunately for him, this triumph may only be
possible
because of the ascendancy of his political archrivals - the Duma
Communists.

                                -  Alexander Pikayev
_____________________________________________________
Alexander Pikayev is a Scholar-in-Residence at the Carnegie Moscow
Center
and directs the Moscow-based activities of the Carnegie
Non-Proliferation
Project.

The Project maintains a comprehensive web site on issues of
proliferation
concern, with special emphasis on Russian nuclear insecurity.  Go to:
WWW.CEIP.ORG.

____________________________________________________
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Non-Proliferation Project
1779 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC  20036
ph: [phone]
fax: [phone]
email: [e-mail]
http://www.ceip.org


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

Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 00:08:54 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Re Ven. Nichigu Asangha

Some of you will remember Nichigu Asangha as the Ven. Sato, active for many
years in the Gensuikyo movement and then, on the basis of political
disagreements, tossed out.

I don't want to rehash political issues here at all. I note only that on
December 5th Nichigu Asangha will be 80 years old (perhaps under American ways
of timing it might by 79). Those who know him may want to send a greeting.

His email address is:

[e-mail]

Since his computers suffered a "virus attack" he lost many email addresses and
friends who do know him may want to restore your contact - an 80th birthday is
a very good time!

Peace,
David McReynolds

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

Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 13:23:41 -0600 (CST)
From: [e-mail] (Robert Smirnow)
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Nuke Waste Bills are BACK

- ----
Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 11:25:00 -0500
From: Auke Piersma <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail]
Organization: Public Citizen

Subject: Nuke Waste Bills are BACK

Reply-To: [e-mail]
X-Sender: Auke Piersma <[e-mail]>

Folks,

The nuclear waste bills of last Congress are coming back fast. The
first
action will be in the U.S. House of Representatives and likely to begin
in
January in the Commerce Committee. They hope to go to the floor in
February.
The bill in the House will be very similar to the one passed in Nov. of

1997. Their strategy seems to be centered on passing a bill and letting
it
sink in the Senate. I suggest we sink it in the House. I'll have
targets out
by Monday.

Auke




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

Date: Sun, 6 Dec 1998 10:08:21 -0600 (CST)
From: [e-mail] (Robert Smirnow)
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Sustainable Energy Coalition: "Weekly Update"

- ----
From: SUN DAY Campaign <[e-mail]>
To: "'Sustainable Energy Coalition: Weekly Update - List'"
     <[e-mail]>
Subject: Sustainable Energy Coalition: "Weekly Update"
Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 17:46:41 -0500



SUSTAINABLE ENERGY COALITION
"WEEKLY UPDATE"
December 6, 1998

The articles provided below were initially compiled by the SUN DAY
Campaign
for the member organizations of the Sustainable Energy Coalition.

Feel free to distribute this newsletter to others. Please let us know
of other
organizations, businesses, or government agencies that would like to be
added
to the e-mail list for this publication.


FEDERAL ENERGY BUDGET

1.) Fiscal Year 2000 Budget Request:

The November 30 issue of "Inside Energy" reports that the U.S.
Department of
Energy (DOE) Fiscal Year 2000 budget submission for fossil energy R&D
sent
earlier to the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) was slightly below
the
$384 million provided by Congress for FY'99. However, in the pass-back,
OMB
cut the fossil request by 33% overall with natural gas programs taking
a 50%
cut. The pass-back increased the FY'00 energy efficiency and renewable
energy (EE/RE) budget by $15 million above the $1.12 billion originally

requested by DOE. The article included no info on the nuclear R&D
budget but
noted that "among environmental cleanup activities, DOE's Rocky Flats
Environmental Technology Site in Colorado and the Hanford Site in
Washington
did not fare well in the passback."

Separately, several DOE officials have indicated that the passback from
OMB
is unacceptable and that they will be working with the White House to
improve
the EE/RE numbers.  However, White House officials have responded that
the
FY'00 budget caps are very tight, that OMB imposed lots of cuts from
original
requests in the passbacks elsewhere, and they could not promise an
increase.
Members of the Sustainable Energy Coalition have told the White House
that
without a substantial increase in the EE/RE programs, they are likely
to
publicly criticize the request when it is formally released.

2.) Ron Packard's Record:

The November 30 "Inside Energy" reports that Rep. Ron Packard (R-CA),
the
next chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy &
Water
(which handles the renewable energy and  nuclear power budgets), in the
past
has cast votes on several important DOE-related issues, including
supporting
fusion and nuclear energy R&D. He has also co-sponsored legislation
directing
DOE to build an interim storage facility for nuclear waste near Yucca
Mountain,
Nevada. However, he has voted against House floor amendments aimed at
increasing spending on DOE energy efficiency and renewable energy
programs.

3.) Climate Change Tax Package:

White House officials say they are working on coming up with a more
politically
sellable climate change tax package, meaning they are considering
changes
to proposals to get more industry buy-in as well as adding some
additional
products/initiatives. However, the Treasury Department is still costing
all this
out and the Administration will have to balance expanding initiatives
(e.g.,
biomass) with holding down the overall cost.  Members of the
Sustainable
Energy Coalition are urging the White House to put more money into the
$3.6
billion, five-year package if that's what it takes to get industry
support.


ELECTRIC UTILITY RESTRUCTURING

1.) Draft Executive Order/EE-RE:

The November 27 issue of "Inside EPA" included the full text of a
6-page draft
executive order under consideration by the Clinton Administration that
would
commit federal agencies to purchase electricity generated from
renewable fuel
sources even when that power costs more than other alternatives, and
would
set strict energy efficiency goals for federal agencies. It envisions
5% of the
federal government's energy needs being met with renewables by 2005
with
energy use in federal facilities being reduced by 30% by the same date.
 The
draft executive order is now being reviewed by OMB and may be issued
"early
next year." Let us know if you would like us to send you a copy
(warning: print
is small & may not fax well). Members of the Sustainable Energy
Coalition
have suggested including carbon emissions reduction goals for the
federal
government as well.

2.) Administration's Restructuring Bill:

DOE officials have told members of the Sustainable Energy Coalition
that they
are willing to consider changes in the Administration's draft utility
restructuring
bill.  However, they want to avoid major revisions that would trigger
an extensive
interagency review process. They have flatly rejected carbon caps or
similar
measures aimed directly at emissions for feat that such a proposal
would
simply sink the bill.  Regarding a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)
and
Public Benefits Fund, DOE officials have expressed a willingness to
consider
options to strengthen these proposals somewhat. For example, the RPS
might
be increased from the Administration's earlier proposal of 5.5%
renewables by
2010 to 6% or 6.5%.

3.) Rich Glick:

A November 27 Reuters story reported that Rich Glick will serve as
principle
adviser to DOE Secretary Bill Richardson on electricity issues.
Richardson
noted: "One of my priorities as energy secretary is to help our
nation's electric
utility system make the transition to choice." Glick worked as
legislative
director and chief counsel to retiring Senator Dale Bumpers (D-AR)
where he
managed legislative staff and formulated policies on electric utility
restructuring,
oil and natural gas issues, global climate change, and nuclear waste
disposal.

4.) Los Angeles/Green Power:

The Los Angeles City Council gave the Los Angeles Department of Water &

Power permission last Wednesday to offer customers the option of
purchasing
"green power." The utility said it would launch the program in the
first quarter of
next year. The utility believes that most "green power" customers "will
see no
difference on their bills and in many cases costs will be reduced"
because the
higher premium for the higher costs to purchase renewable-based
electricity
would be offset by a variety of energy-efficiency programs such as
discounts on
energy-saving appliances.


CLIMATE CHANGE

1.) Climate Change/Losses:

A November 28 Associated Press story on a new Worldwatch Institute
study
reports that storms, floods, droughts, and fires have caused a record
$89 billion
in economic losses this year worldwide.  That is more than was than the
$55
billion that was lost from weather-related disasters in all of the
1980s.
Preliminary estimates put total losses from weather-related disasters
for the
first 11 months of the year 48% higher than the previous one-year
record of over
$60 billion in 1996. In addition to the material losses, the disasters
have killed
an estimates 32,000 people and displaced 300 million -- more than the
population of the United States.  A combination of deforestation and
climate
change caused this year's most severe disasters among them Hurricane
Mitch,
the flooding of China's Yangtze River, and Bangladesh's most extensive
flood of
the century. The report can be found at <www.worldwatch.org>.

2.) CO2/Early Reductions:

The Environmental Defense Fund has provided the text of S.2617, the
"Credit
for Voluntary Early Action Act," which is designed "to encourage
voluntary
greenhouse gas emission mitigation actions by authorizing the President
to
enter into binding agreements under which entities operating in the
Untied
States will receive credit, usable in any future domestic program that
requires
mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, for voluntary mitigation
actions before
2008." Let us know if you would like us to fax or e-mail the bill to
you.


MISCELLANEOUS

1.) Combined Heat & Power:

Reuters (December 1) reports that the U.S. Department of Energy wants
to
double the use of combined heat and power (CHP) systems in commercial,
industrial, and institutional buildings throughout the U.S. by 2010.
Savings from
increased use of the energy-saving CHP units would amount to some 46
gigawatts of electricity, equal to the output of more than 50 large
power plants.
CHP can generate system efficiencies greater than 70% as compared to
central generating plants that operate at a national average of 33%.

2.) Ethanol Record:

The Renewable Fuels Association reports that the domestic fuel ethanol
industry has achieved a new all-time high for production, manufacturing
a
record of 103,000 barrels/day or ethanol in October. The previous
record of
100,000 barrels/day was set in February 1995.  Production for 1998 thus
far
exceeds 1.36 billion gallons and the industry is expected to set a new
annual
production record in 1998. Since passage in June of the extension of
the
federal ethanol tax incentive, two new farmer-owned cooperative
production
facilities commenced production in Minnesota: Pro-Corn, LLC, a
10-million
gallon plant in Preston, and Agri-Energy, LLC, a 15-million gallon
facility in
Luverne. In addition, several plants in Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota,
Louisiana,
and Minnesota have celebrated ground-breaking ceremonies and are
expected
to begin production in 1999.

3.) Wind Powers America:

The American Wind Energy Association reports that between now and next
July 1, new wind plants will be installed and begin operating in
Colorado, Iowa,
Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Wisconsin, and
Wyoming. This surge in new construction will boost installed U.S. wind
capacity by approximately 50%, to a level sufficient to power more than
half a
million average American households.

4.) Wisconsin Wind:

Madison Gas & Electric Co. were to start construction this past week on
a
$14.5 million wind farm in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin that will include

seventeen wind turbines -- sufficient to produce enough power to light
4,400
homes. The project is scheduled to start operating in June 1999 and
would be
the largest wind power project in the eastern United States. It will be
financed
by customers who designate that they want wind power as a source of
part of
their electricity. An average residential customer who signs up for 20%
of
electricity from the wind turbines will pay another $4 to $5 a month.

5.) More Wind News:

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 24.9 MW Vansycle Ridge Wind Farm near

Pendleton, Oregon on December 3 initiated construction of the first
commercial
wind energy facility to be built in the Pacific Northwest in more than
a decade.
Texas Utilities and York Research Corporation announced the unveiling
of
"phase one of the 34,000-kilowatt, $40 million Big Spring (TX)
WindPower
Project, which will include the largest wind turbines in America." A
November
30 article from the "Omaha World-Herald" discussed the Alta (IA) wind
power
project whose "wind turbines can collectively produce almost 193
megawatts of
electricity per hour." The article notes that there are now 37 wind
projects in
different phases of construction nationally, including eight in Iowa.
Let us know
if you would like us to fax you copies of any of these materials.

6.) EXXON-Mobil Merger:

In response to the EXXON-Mobil merger, SUN DAY released a 1-page
statement discussing the adverse impacts on sustainable energy and
climate
change.  A 1-page news release by US PIRG warns that the merger is "Big
Oil
at its worst" that will help the industry to "drill in even the
remotest parts of the
planet; consumers, however, will not benefit, and the environment will
almost
certainly suffer." Let us know if you would like us to fax you a copy
of either
release. Similarly, Public Citizen observed that "consumers are
eventually
going to pay the price for this since it induces non-competitive
behavior."  The
transcript of an interview by Chris Flavin (Worldwatch Institute) with
Jim Lehrer
concerning the environmental impacts of the merger is on the web at:
<http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/july-dec98/oil_12-1.html>; in
addition, a statement by the Worldwatch Institute on the merger can be
found
at <www.worldwatch.org>.

7.) Supreme Court/NuclearWaste:

Reuters reports that the U.S. Supreme Court declined on November 30 to
review a U.S. Appeals Court ruling that refused to force the U.S.
Department of
Energy to start accepting the high-level radioactive waste piling up at
nuclear
power plants, but allowed utilities to seek compensation from the
government.
A lawsuit filed by more than 30 states and state public utility
commissions and
by more than 40 utilities ought to force DOE to take the waste. A
earlier
(October 5) 6-page news release from the Minnesota Department of Public

Service noted that "28 state utility commissioners [had] joined 68 of
their
colleagues already demanding that $6.5 billion in on-going Nuclear
Waste Fund
payments be deferred until the DOE provides the nuclear waste disposal
services the fees already have paid for." Let us know if you would like
us to fax
you a copy.

8.) Yucca Mountain Doubts:

A 1-page article in "Armed Forces Newswire Service" reports that a new
geological study of Yucca Mountain has found that at some time in the
past
the proposed radioactive waste repository site area was flooded with
water.
DOE's predictions of performance at Yucca Mountain depend centrally on
its
location well above the level of the water table. Let us know if you
would like to
see a copy.

## END##







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

Date: Sun, 6 Dec 1998 16:58:58 -0600 (CST)
From: [e-mail] (Robert Smirnow)
Subject: (abolition-usa) USA PLANS TO MILITARILY DOMINATE OUTER SPACE WITH NUKES, WEAPONS

- ----
Date: Sun, 6 Dec 1998 16:23:43 -0500 (EST)
From: Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space
  This message is in MIME format.  The first part should be readable
text,
  while the remaining parts are likely unreadable without MIME-aware
tools.
  Send mail to [e-mail] for more info.

- ---




Colonising Space:
Peaceful Exploration or Military Adventure ?

Leicester Peace Action Group Annual Conference
Vaughan College, Leicester 14th November 1998
(http:/www.gn.apc.org/cndyorks/yspace/articles/lcon.htm)


The conference was organised by the Leicester Peace Action Group.
Formed
in 1982 as a Working Party of the Policy and Resources Committee of
Leicester City Council, the group operates as an umbrella organisation
on
which local peace and environmental groups are represented.  Its
objective
is to promote moves towards the fulfilment of peace by working to
remove
the threat of war, particularly nuclear war. Membership of the Group is
made up of City Councillors and representatives of the County Council
and
local organisations whose aims are consistent with the objectives of
the
Peace Action Group. The theme of the conference was inspired by the
rapid
growth in the use of space for military and peaceful purposes and by
the
development of Leicester's National Space Centre, due to open in Feb
2001.
Over 100 people attended the conference which was opened by the Chair
of
the Peace Action Group, Councillor Councillor Roy Stuttard.=20

The following report has been compiled from notes taken by various
attendees from West Midlands CND and Yorkshire CND.


Key Note Speakers:

Peaceful Space Exploration - Dr Martin Barstow
=85 is a Reader in Astrophysics and Space Science at Leicester
University a=
nd
a Fellow of the Institute of Physics. He is involved in astronomical
research using a wide variety of space instrumentation including the
Voyager mission and the Hubble Space Telescope. He is currently
developing
a new instrument for a rocket flight in 1999.

Dr. Barstow's slide illustrated presentation took us on a grand tour of
the
solar system, with impressive pictures of the solar system taken from
spacecraft. He talked of  "the peaceful use of space" and of
exploration,
discovery and understanding of the planets, the stars and the galaxies
that
inhabit the Universe.. Space flight has enabled us to see and know more
about the planets. The importance of international collaboration in
this
very costly and complex endeavour was emphasised. He did mention that
it
would be nice if the military (if it does have to exist) had to live
off
the back of a civil (ethical) space programme.

The grand tour was followed by a review of three major questions:
=B7 Why are we here ?;
=B7 How long will we be here ?;
=B7 Is there anybody else ?.

The talk included some examples of where we have acted quite
responsibly in
space (e.g. sterilisation of vehicles landing on other planets to
prevent
the introduction of possible harmful bacteria etc), He argued the value
of
pure information as an aid to solving world (human) problems.  We are
children of space, being made up of elements created in the hearts of
stars
and blown across outer space in stellar explosions.  Perhaps, therefore
it
is natural that we should explore space to help give us a sense of
place
and position?

Also in about 4.5 billion years our Sun will die naturally. The Earth
will
die with it and so will the human race (if it is still around) unless
we
find an alternative home.

One important statement came in response to a question about the use of
solar power for spacecraft control systems, so allowing peaceful
research
to continue without using nuclear energy.  He did not believe that this
was
currently possible at large distances from the sun, but would be in the
future. Perhaps a ban on nuclear power could act as a stimulus to solar
panel research?

Another question on whether we should be concerned about asteroid
impacts
prompted the reply that there is not much we can do about it.  The
chances
of impact are very low and if we blow them up the probability increases
because even if we could split the body up (which is unlikely) we make
many
more possible impacting bodies.


Military Adventure in Space - Dr Karl Grossman
=2E. is a professor of journalism at the State University of New
York/Colle=
ge
at Old Westbury who for almost 30 years has pioneered investigative
reporting and environmental journalism. He is author of "The Wrong
Stuff -
The Space Program's Threat to Our Planet" and writer and narrator of
"Nukes
in Space: The Nuclearisation and Weaponisation of the Heavens" and has
just
finished "Nukes in Space II" which was shown at the Conference. He is a
member of the Commission on Disarmament Education, Conflict Resolution
and
Peace of the International Association of University Presidents and the
United Nations.

Dr. Grossman started by stating that it is important that the new
Leicester
Space Centre holds and gives information about the military uses of
space.
Some aspects of space exploration are exploitative - planets Ours and
others) are being mapped for rare minerals: this is about money and big
corporations. And, as far as the US is concerned, no-one else is to be
allowed strategic access to space. He showed extracts from official US
documents such as "New World Vistas - Air and Space Power for the 21st
Century" which states that "in the next two decades, new technologies
will
allow the fielding of space-based weapons of devastating
effectiveness".
Further, the document makes it clear that space based nuclear power
systems
are required to enable high power for space-based radars and
weapons.=20

A major problem for putting nuclear materials in space is the
occurrence of
accidents. It was shown that the figures quoted by NASA and others for
the
probability of accidents are plucked out of the air to give false
reassurance. Before the Challenger disaster the probability of a
catastrophic accident with the shuttle was given as 1:100.000. This was
immediately revised by NASA to 1:78 after the accident. The Titan
rocket
(used to launch many of the missions carrying nuclear materials) has an
actual failure rate is 1:12.

Dr. Grossman then described the consequences of the planned 1999
Cassini
Earth "flyby". NASA calls a crash of the space probe fuelled with 72..3
pounds of plutonium dioxide into the Earth's atmosphere an "inadverent
reentry". It says in its Final Environmental Impact Statement for the
Cassini Mission that, should this occur, "approximately 5 billion of
the
estimated 7 to 8 billion world population at the time=85could receive
99
percent or more of the radiation exposure". NASA in the report projects
2,300 fatal cancers in the event of such an accident. The report also
speaks of plans if plutonium rains down on urban areas, for example -
"demolish some or all structures", "relocate affected population
permanently".  The U.S. government's Interagency Nuclear Safety Review
Panel "Safety Evaluation Report" on the Cassini mission, speaks of the
possibility of "several tens of thousands" of cancer deaths.=20
It notes that in an Earth "flyby" accident because the plutonium
canisters
"have not been designed for the high speed re-entry=85much of the
plutonium
is vaporised" and provides "a collective dose to the world's
population."
Depending on where the spacecraft might "inadvertently" re-enter the
atmosphere, there could be 1-4 million deaths. To clean up the
operation
would cost $200 million per square kilometre. NASA itself says that, if
Cassini strikes an inhabited area, the cost of  property damage and
radioactive cleanup could be as high as  ten-trillion dollars.  But the
US
government has covered itself by the Price-Anderson Act which limits
the US
liability to a total of $100-million damages to all and any affected
countries.

Alan Kohn, former safety preparedness officer for NASA now believes
that
when the "quest for knowledge becomes too expensive" it becomes
"meaningless". In contrast, a current NASA expert, Dr. Edberg, believes
the
"low" risk of an accident is worth it. On film, however, he agrees that
the
estimate of a one-in-a-million accident is "in a sense a number pulled
out
of a hat". The actual failure rate of space shots containing nuclear
material is 12%..=20

And NASA has itself listed 18 different possibilities for accidents to
occur to Cassini during the Earth fly by manoeuvre. Dr. Michio Kaku
considers the weakest point is loss of contact with a probe, leading to
an
explosion. There is a 10% chance of this, or of a rocket misfiring and
going into the wrong orbit.

And yet the plutonium on board Cassini provides as little as 740 watts
to
power instruments. The European Space Agency have developed new
high-performance silicon solar cells that "could profitably" be used in
deep space missions. The  European Rosetta probe to rendezvous with a
comet
will use solar not nuclear power.  Even so, at least 8 more space
missions
carrying plutonium 238 are planned for the near future by NASA. There
is
too much vested interest in the "space business". In Germany the solar
developers have a nuclear arm. The plutonium systems are made by
Lockheed
Martin, who also make the Titan IV launchers. In the US, the Dept of
Energy
is an extension of the Atomic Agency. On top of all this, it is
impossible
to get mainstream publicity in the US as GE & Westinghouse own major
broadcasting companies.

What is happening here? The aim of the US military is world dominance.
The
US Space Command declares itself "Masters of Space".  Their mission to
dominate space is presented, for all to see, in their "Vision 2020"
document and their "Long Range Plan" describes how they aim to achieve
it.=
=20
The U.S. space military approach is also detailed in the book, "The
Future
of War: Power, Technology & American World Dominance in the 2lst
Century",
in which George and Meredith Friedman state that through the domination
of
space with weaponry the U.S. will dominate the planet below and "just
as
Europe shaped the world for a half a millennium" by the Britain, France
and
Spain dominating the oceans with their fleets, "so too the United
States
will shape the world for at least that length of time". They also push
the
use of nuclear power as an energy source for these purposes. As
Friedman
has said: "he who controls space controls the battlefield". The
Friedmans
run a think tank for the Pentagon.

Also, of course, there has been little business for the nuclear
industry in
the US in recent years (you see - campaigns do work!) and it needs to
find
ways to keep itself going. The most recent justification for developing
a
nuclear space capability is to defend the Earth against asteroid
impacts.
Is it a coincidence that a number of Hollywood films have recently
shown
how the Earth can be saved by the use of nuclear weapons against these
"threats from nature"?

But all this is terribly risky.  Accidents have happened - space
missions
have gone wrong and dispersed Pu 238 over the Earth's surface. This has
a
shorter half life than 239, is not fissile, but is much more
radioactive.=
=20
By 1970 debris from SNAP 9A (a '64 abort) was found on all continents.
The
ill-fated Apollo 13 in 1970 had 8.3 pounds of plutonium on board.  It
was
ejected before re-entry in case the spacecraft burned up in the
atmosphere
and was said to have been aimed into the deep Tong Trench in the South
Pacific.  In 1996 the Russian space probe to Mars crashed and
disintegrated
over Bolivia & Chile.  No help was offered to clean-up the mess.

And, of course, the proposed dominance of space is a complete violation
of
International Treaties. By 2002 the ABM & Outer Space Treaties will be
breached. Both of which have been signed by the US. The US has already
developed a helium-based laser which can knock out rival satellites -
in
violation of the Outer Space Treaty.

The  U S Experience - Dr Donna Johnson
Dr. Johnson lives in Colorado Springs the home of the US Space Command
and
other military schools, centres and bases.  She showed slides of the
construction of NORAD in the heart of Cheyenne Mountain. Information
from
the BMEWS at Fylingdales in North Yorkshire is fed here directly as
part of
the "Star Wars" system. NORAD HQ is the command centre for US military
operations.  It consists of 15 buildings built on springs inside the
mountain to withstand a nuclear attack.  It has recently been renamed
"Cheyenne Mountain Air Station".=20

Dr. Johnson gave an interesting and inspiring account of how she (and
others like her) despite living in the middle of a huge military
complex,
continuously and untiringly campaign against it. She told of her
personal
campaign of refusing to pay tax that went towards military expenditure.
In
one example dollar bills, totalling the amount that should have been
paid
to the Inland Revenue for military purposes, were attached to hundreds
of
balloons which were let off outside the tax office.  A much better way
to
throw the money away!  Despite all the witholdings and fines and
interest -
she was never prosecuted or gaoled.

Other campaigns aimed against bases in Colorado Springs (e.g. Falcon,
now
Schriever, Air Force base and the Office of Space Domination) were
described.  Slides of a range of brilliantly designed T-shirts were
displayed (including one displaying the quote by Margaret Mead - "Never
doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the
world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Personnel at the
bases
refuse to confront the moral issues associated with the bases - they
are
merely "doing their job" and others should "trust us - we're working
for
your best interests."  However, this is difficult to do when there is a
$20
billion pa black budget that funds secret projects a large part of
which is
associated with the military use of space. When so much money is needed
for
improvements in health and education - are the means consistent with
the
proposed end? To the campaigners in Colorado Springs, silence signifies
consent and they cannot remain silent.  As Dr. Johnson remarked, during
the
time of the Vietnam War, only 2-3% refused the draft but it was enough
to
pay a significant part in ending the war.

Seminars

"Civil Spies in the Sky - peaceful or aggressive?" - Dr Bhupendra
Jasani
Dr. Jasani is a Visiting Professor in the Department of War Studies,
Kings
College, London, where he is heading a programme on military use of
space
and arms control verification from space. He is currently working on a
project for the International Atomic Energy Agency, on behalf of the
British and German governments to investigate the applications of
Commercial Satellite Imagery on the monitoring of nuclear power
facilities.

In a fascinating and interesting talk, Dr. Jasani explained and showed
how
information from commercial satellites is now so sophisticated that it
rivals military imaging information.  Imaging satellites are used in
the
verification of treaties such as SALTII, and although information from
military sources is secret, most information is now available - at a
price
- - through commercial satellites. Many different states operate
commercial
imaging satellites although imagery from this source is not as
high-quality
as that from military satellites (civil are 700 kilometres above earth,
whereas military are at 150).  However, the gap is narrowing. European
(French), Japanese & Indian are the best commercially available at
present.
Dr. Jasani has been urging the MOD to exploit the potential of
commercially-available images. By combining them with radar images &
information from open sources, you can arrive at valid conclusions
about
e.g. nuclear sites. Once a clear plan of the site is drawn up from
multi-sourcing, radar alone will provide continued monitoring. He has
been
urging the IAEA to use this technique. During the Korea crisis the
IAEA's
use of US satellite images intensified the confrontation as Korea
accused
them of siding with their enemy.

As well as photographs, information can also be obtained from images
looking at other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, e.g. infra red
or
radar. Images can for example, give information about hot water
discharges,
or false foliage camouflage to identify if, for example, a nuclear
power
station is operating.

Dr Jasani gave some examples of the use of imaging. Finding the phased
array radar at Krasnoyask, with interceptor missiles next door which
showed
that Russia was breaking the ABM treaty because it was looking
internally
and not externally. He clearly said that nuclear weapons are the
easiest
type of weapon of mass destruction to identify and verify because the
installations needed to make and store the weapons is distinct. He
showed
pictures taken by satellites of Israel's nuclear weapons production and
storage facilities to show how useful commercial satellite images can
be.

Dr Jasani is trying to encourage non military bodies, such as the IAEA
or
the UN to use commercial imagery, since they are often stuck because
they
are not given information which is useful to them by the military. They
can
use the images to search out which places they should visit. Using
commercial images could enable organisations to be more independent of
the
United States. Use of commercial images can be used in the
implementation
of the CTBT to prevent violation beforehand, rather than through
seismic
monitoring.

"Space in T V and film fiction" -  Dr John Cook
A fascinating talk, though contributing very little to campaigning
issues,
except for a review of the way in which the public view both ethics and
science in general.  It consisted of clips from various TV series,
mostly
StarTrek, interspersed with philosophical discussions of the issues
involved.=20

Apparently, the StarTrek series was the inspiration of a US war hero
and
was originally intended as "Hornblower in Space" - the pilot programme
in
1964, called "The Cage", being gung-ho and chauvinistic.  Surprisingly,
this pilot revealed that the liberal aspects were more popular than the
militaristic and, over the years, the programme became more politically
correct.  It was originally intended that the second-in-command of the
Enterprise would be a woman, but the producers thought the public would
not
accept a woman in charge, so made it an alien!!!  Seminar attendees
thought
that even now the women are only telephonists, etc, and don't make
important decisions.

Other points arising from the discussion :-
=B7 Computer games are all about killing
=B7 Baddies , e g Daleks in Dr Who are portrayed with German accents
=B7 The only justification for science fiction is to make people think
- - ie
about metaphysics as in "The End of Eternity" (Asimov) or ethics as in
"The
Time Machine (Wells)
=B7 TV, and therefore science fiction, forms children's view of the
world.
=B7 Britain can't win in the space race, therefore British programmes
eg Re=
d
Dwarf tend to be  more mocking.

"To Badly Go - Ethical Use of Space" - Dr David Webb
The problem may not be the science but the way it is carried out. As
Bertrand Russell said:
Science .. has two main functions: 1. to enable us to know things, and
2.
to enable us to do things. It cannot be objective. But people can.
Ethics
are concerned with what is morally good and bad, right and wrong. This
is
usually human centric, but Fritjof Kapra (in "The Web of Life")
believes we
need to consider "Deep Ecological Ethics" because "Logic does not lead
us
from the fact that we are an integral part of the web of life to
certain
norms of how we should live. However if we have deep ecological
awareness,
or experience, of being part of the web of life, we will (as opposed to
should) be inclined to care for all of living nature."

Among the questions we should ask are:
=B7 Why do we want to go into space?
=B7 Is the cost involved immoral?
=B7 How do we monitor the use of space?
=B7 Can we separate the civil and military uses of space?

Military activities are geared towards defence and dominance. Civil
activities are exploration, discovery, communication. However, most of
these activities (including communication which is used for propaganda,
spying and control) lead to some form of exploitation and exploitation
almost always leads to domination. Is this an ethical way to behave? Is
it
best for the planet?

The 'Vision Statement' of NASA talks about 'exploring frontiers'
whereas
the US Space Command 2020 argues that the protection of space requires
superior US space warfare capability. US Space Command and NASA have
now
agreed to work together in: "several areas of mutual interest in the
hopes
of saving both organisations costs and sharing in new technologies to
benefit future spaceflight and spacecraft" This suits NASA, because the
military can get cash more easily from accountable and unaccountable
budgets.

International Treaties have been drawn up and agreed to ensure an
"ethical"
use of space. These include:
=B7 the 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in
the
Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other
Celestial
Bodies;
=B7 the 1968 Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of
Astronaut=
s
and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space;
=B7 the 1972 Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by
Spa=
ce
Objects;
=B7 the 1975 Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer
Spac=
e;
and
=B7 the 1979 Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon
and
Other Celestial Bodies.

In addition the International Telecommunication Union regulates the use
of
radio frequencies for telecommunications and direct television
broadcasting
by artificial satellites. However, many problems remain unresolved:
=B7 the definition of outer space and its delimitation from airspace
=B7 equitable use of the geostationary orbit
=B7 the use of nuclear-powered satellites and spacecraft
=B7 international direct television broadcasting, remote sensing, and
the
military use of outer space
=20
 The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 provides the basic framework on
international space law it has been ratified by 91 countries it has
good
basic ethical principles:
=B7 The exploration and use of outer space shall be carried on for the
benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be the province
of
all mankind
=B7 Outer space shall be free for exploration and use by all States
=B7 Outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of
sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means
=B7 States shall not place nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass
destruction in orbit or on celestial bodies or station them in outer
space
in any other manner
=B7 The Moon and other celestial bodies shall be used exclusively for
peaceful purposes
=20
 However, although treaties are often signed with the best of
intentions,
when an advantage is to be made in breaking them - they tend to get
broken.
The Outer Space and ABM Treaties are on the verge of being broken (if
they
haven't been broken already).
 =20
No-one believes in SDI, yet billions of dollars is poured into it. The
US
has a 'black budget' where money disappears. Is this ethical? It
certainly
doesn't seem democratic. Interestingly, the EU decided not to go for a
BDM
system for Europe because it is useless, expensive and would not be
popular.

Scientists should examine what they are doing, why and how.. They must
recognise and confront the fact that the scientific programme may be
used
by military - as propaganda and a reason to keep spending on space
publicly
acceptable. How do we measure the moral advantages and disadvantages of
the
space programme? Is it inevitable that humans should want to explore
space?
At what cost?

The Friedens und Begegnungsstatte Mutlangen and the Darmstadter
Friedensforum of Germany have drawn up the following guidelines for the
Assessment for Space Missions:
Space missions should:
=B7 deal with social needs of humankind
=B7 solve problems on Earth rather than create new ones
=B7 only be used if no better terrestrial solution is available
=B7 be cheap
=B7 not run the risk of catastrophe
=B7 be sustainable (i.e. respect natural limits and use a minimum of
resources)
=B7 not create (international) conflicts, confrontations or imbalances
but
strengthen international co-operation
=B7 not be used for power politics
=B7 not be used for the deployment of weapons or missile defence

An interesting debate covering much of the above was held in the
afternoon
session. There was some agreement on what was meant by the ethical use
of
space - but differences of opinion on how much this was respected by
the
actions of scientists, politicians and the military.


Discussion and Forum

In the discussion at the end of the Conference it became clear that the
scientists  in the audience found it difficult to believe the
"domination
of space" line.  They could not believe that this was a national policy
- -
perhaps the work of some maverick general who was allowed to get away
with
saying too much?  It is difficult to believe that top scientists that
have
to deal with politicians and bid for grants and awards in national and
international contexts can be so naive.

Details of one organisation and o
ne event were mentioned - COSPAR and UNISPACE III. Notes on these,
obtained
from the internet, follow.
=20
The meeting ended
=2E.. with a closing speech from Roy Stuttard and with thanks to the
organisers and helpers and special thanks to Anna Cheetham from
Leicester
CND who put in hours of unpaid work to make the conference such a great
success.

Additional Notes

1. The Conference also hosted the premier screening of "Nukes in Space
2:
Unacceptable Risks" by Karl Grossman, from Envirovideo, which provides
an
update on the August 1999 Cassini Earth fly-by. It reports on NASA's
planned additional plutonium missions and investigates the U.S.
military's
aim to "control space" and the Earth below with space-based
nuclear-powered
weaponry.

Copies of the video can be obtained from:
Yorkshire CND
22 Edmund Street, Bradford BD5 OBH
Tel [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
(web site: http://www.gn.apc.org/cndyorks/yspace/ysnews.htm)

Or from:
EnviroVideo, Box 311, Ft. Tilden NY 11695
(call EnviroVideo 1-800-ECO-TV46
Email: [e-mail])

For more information visit the Stop Cassini Earth Fly-by Action Site:
http://www.nonviolence.org/noflyby/

2. Before the Conference Karl Grossman and Donna Johnson attended a
press
release at the House of Commons and Karl held an interview for the BBC
programme "Uncle Sam's Eavesdroppers" which was broadcast on the BBC in
Yorkshire on Thursday 3rd December. The programme covered the role of
Menwith Hill as an integral component of the US Star Wars programme
(see
also the article by Duncan Campbell in the Guardian of 3/12/98 - at
http://www.gn.apc.org/cndyorks/yspace/articles/swars.htm). =20

3. Karl Grossman is a founder member of the umbrella organisation
created
to oppose U.S. space policies, and the use of nuclear- powered space
probes
and the deployment of weapons in space . The Global Netowork Against
Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space was formed in 1992 (see
http://www.gn.apc.org/cndyorks/yspace/articles/gnet.htm). The next
meeting
of the Global Network will be in March 1999 in Darmstadt, Germany. The
Global Network can be contacted at:

PO Box 90083,=20
Gainesville,
 Fl. 32607, 352/337-9274
or E-mail ([e-mail]).=20
 4. COMMITTEE ON SPACE RESEARCH (COSPAR)=20
(See also:  http://cospar.itodys.jussieu.fr/)

Established in 1958 by the International Council for Science (ICSU) to
continue the co-operative programs of rocket and satellite research
successfully undertaken during the International Geophysical Year of
1957-1958. The ICSU resolution creating COSPAR stated that the primary
purpose of COSPAR would be to "provide the world scientific community
with
the means whereby it may exploit the possibilities of satellites and
space
probes of all kinds for scientific purposes, and exchange the resulting
data on a co-operative basis."=20

COSPAR is an interdisciplinary scientific organisation concerned with
international progress in all areas of scientific research carried out
with
space vehicles, rockets, and balloons.=20

COSPAR's objectives are carried out by the international community of
scientists working through ICSU and its adhering National Academies and
International Scientific Unions. Operating under the rules of ICSU,
COSPAR
ignores political considerations and considers all questions solely
from
the scientific viewpoint.=20

 Address: 51, bd de Montmorency 75016 Paris, France=20
Telephone: [phone]
Faxsimile: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
=20
 The IAF and COSPAR organise annual joint symposia held during the
scientific and technical sessions of the United Nations Committee on
the
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS).=20
=20
 The 33rd COSPAR Scientific Assembly will be held in Warsaw, Poland
from
16-23 July 2000.

 UNISPACE III
(See details of the Conference at:
http://www.un.or.at/OOSA/unisp-3/index.htm=20
On The Office for Outer Space Affairs web site:
http://www.un.or.at/OOSA/index.html
 See also an Index of On-Line Reports of the Committee on the Peaceful
Uses
of Outer Space at: http://www.un.or.at/OOSA/coprep/coprpidx.html)
=20
 The United Nations General Assembly agreed that the Third United
Nations
Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
(UNISPACE
III) should be convened as a special session of the Committee on the
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space open to all Member States of the United
Nations. The primary objectives of the UNISPACE III Conference will be
(a)
to promote effective means of using space technology to assist in the
solutions of problems of regional or global significance and (b) to
strengthen the capabilities of Member States, in particular developing
countries, to use the applications of space research for economic,
social
and cultural development.
=20
 The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space has agreed that a
Special Session of the Committee (UNISPACE III Conference), open to all
Member States of the United Nations, should be convened at the United
Nations Office at Vienna from 19 to 30 July 1999 as a special session
of
the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, open to all States
Members of the United Nations. Its central theme will be "Space
Benefits
for Humanity in the Twenty-first Century".
=20
 Contact Information
 For further information and queries on the UNISPACE III Conference,
contact:=20
 Office for Outer Space Affairs
Room E-0952
United Nations Office at Vienna
Vienna International Centre
A-1400 Vienna
Austria=20
 Fax: [phone]=20
Email: [e-mail]



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