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abolition-usa-digest       Friday, March 5 1999       Volume 01 : Number 085




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

Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 14:07:32 -0700
From: "Robert Kinsey" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Re: Name

I agree with Sally, or Marylia or whoever about the name problem and like
her suggested alternative for the tag line:  The Campaign to ....
____________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________
Bob Kinsey, Peace and Justice Task Force
United Church of Christ, Rocky Mountain Conference
[e-mail]
303-425-0348
"Two paths lie before us.  One leads to death, the other to  life."
Jonathan Schell
"Faith has need of the whole truth"  Teilhard de Chardin
"Jesus was non-violent.  Shouldn't Christians be?



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

Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 14:21:11 -0800 (PST)
From: Peace Action - National Office <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Re: Name

Hello there,

    Wondering what your thoughts are regarding our August 6-9 peace
conference and disarmament protest in New Mexico.  Since Colorado Peace
Action is now a thing of the past, I am trying to figure out the best
ways to engage the Colorado activist community for this event.  I've
included the electronic version of the flyer FYI.

   You can also find more details by going to
<http://www.peace-action.org/beyond.html or /onestop.html>

Bruce

To  :  Abolitionists Everywhere
From:  Bruce Hall at Peace Action
Date:  February 22, 1999
Re  :  Mark Your Calendars

Hello friends -
   I hope that many of you will be able to join us for what we hope
will be an unprecedented event in New Mexico this August.

Bruce

http://www.peace-action.org/beyond.html

Announcing...

BEYOND THE BOMB:  A NEW AGENDA FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
Peace Action and Peace Action Education Fund National Congress
     Albuquerque, New Mexico * August 6 through August 8, 1999

PROTEST US PLANS TO RESUME NUCLEAR BOMB PRODUCTION
Non-violent Direct Action at the Los Alamos National Laboratory
     Monday, August 9 (the 54th anniversary of the atomic bombing
     of Nagasaki, Japan).

* Speakers on the struggle for peace, justice, and nuclear
disarmament.

* How-to workshops on the movement to abolish nuclear weapons, end
weapons trafficking, stop the brutal sanctions against the Iraqi
people, build a peaceful economy, and more.

* Entertainment and a chance to meet great people from around the
world.

* Non-violent demonstration and civil disobedience at Los Alamos
National Labotory - birthplace of the Atomic Bomb and future site
of US nuclear bomb production.

* Become a part of the new peace movement.

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

The United States plans to resume the production of nuclear
warheads at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.  It's
part of a controversial nuclear weapons research and development
program that cost US taxpayers almost $60 billion dollars during
the next decade.  This program, "Stockpile Stewardship," threatens
our chance to halt the spread of nuclear weapons and secure their
elimination.

PEACE ACTION, THE NATION'S LARGEST GRASSROOTS PEACE AND DISARMAMENT
ORGANIZATION IS GEARING UP TO STOP IT.

Scientists, activists, and concerned citizens from across America
and around the world will come together in Albuquerque, New Mexico
from August 6th through 9th to commemorate the atomic bombings of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki and to call for the abolition of nuclear
weapons.  Nowhere is this message more relevant than New Mexico,
America's center for research into weapons of mass destruction.
Los Alamos National Laboratory's nuclear weapons budget has climbed
36% percent over the past five years and will reach $900 million
annually by 2003.

IT'S TIME TO TELL THE LAB THAT THE COLD WAR IS OVER!

On August 9th, the 54th anniversary of the atomic bombing of
Nagasaki, we'll be at the birthplace of the atomic bomb to demand
the abolition of nuclear weapons.

JOIN US!

Check out http://www.peace-action.org/beyond.html

Watch this space for more information or email Bruce Hall at
<[e-mail]> to keep informed.


- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 > From [e-mail]  Fri Feb 26 13:39:55 1999
 > From: "Robert Kinsey" <[e-mail]>
 > To: <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>
 > Cc: <[e-mail]>
 > Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Re: Name
 > Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 14:07:32 -0700
 > X-Priority: 3
 > X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
 > X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.71.1712.3
 > Sender: [e-mail]
 > Reply-To: [e-mail]
 >
 > I agree with Sally, or Marylia or whoever about the name problem and like
 > her suggested alternative for the tag line:  The Campaign to ....
 > ____________________________________________________________________________
 > _________________________________
 > Bob Kinsey, Peace and Justice Task Force
 > United Church of Christ, Rocky Mountain Conference
 > [e-mail]
 > 303-425-0348
 > "Two paths lie before us.  One leads to death, the other to  life."
 > Jonathan Schell
 > "Faith has need of the whole truth"  Teilhard de Chardin
 > "Jesus was non-violent.  Shouldn't Christians be?
 >
 >
 >
 > -
 >  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.
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 15:46:14 -0700
From: "mesa's" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [none]

Hi all -

as of March 1st, my new email address will be

[e-mail]


thanks,
Suzanne Westerly

Suzanne Westerly
Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety
107 Cienega
Santa Fe, NM 87501
www.nuclearactive.org



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

Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 18:14:36 -0800 (PST)
From: Jackie Cabasso <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS

Dear collegues,

        Starting March 1, 1999, I will have a new e-mail address:
[e-mail]
E-mail sent to my old address([e-mail])will be forwarded for about a
month.  Please make a note of the change.  Thanks. -- Jackie Cabasso
   ********************************************
       WESTERN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION
           1440 Broadway, Suite 500
             Oakland, CA USA 94612
              Tel: [phone]
              Fax: [phone]
               [e-mail]
   ********** Part of ABOLITION 2000 **********
   Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons


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

Date: Sat, 27 Feb 1999 14:51:44 -0800 (PST)
From: Jackie Cabasso <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) OOPS! CORRECTION TO NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS

Dear friends,  I goofed!  Please disregard my earlier message.
My CORRECT new e-mail address is: [e-mail]
Sorry for the confusion.  -- Jackie Cabasso
   ********************************************
       WESTERN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION
           1440 Broadway, Suite 500
             Oakland, CA USA 94612
              Tel: [phone]
              Fax: [phone]
               [e-mail]
   ********** Part of ABOLITION 2000 **********
   Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons


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

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

IN THE SENATE:

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

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

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

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

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



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

Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 22:14:32 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Pacific Anti-Nuclear Book Launched at UN

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


Mar 1, Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Date: Tue, 2 Mar 1999 17:16:27 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) UNSCOM

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

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

Has the US destroyed UNSCOM?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#         #

- --part0_920412988_boundary--

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

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

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

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

March 1999

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 17:10:55 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Marshall Islands correction

Dear People,

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

Sorry
Alyn

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

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

HIRING PUBLIC EDUCATION COORDINATOR, NUCLEAR ABOLITION PROJECT.

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

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

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

>
> Dear Friends,


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

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



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

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

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

Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1999 22:48:25 -0800 (PST)
From: Timothy Bruening <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Nuclear Nightmare

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


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

Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1999 22:48:23 -0800 (PST)
From: Timothy Bruening <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: memorial ceremony 6. October / new email

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

End of abolition-usa-digest V1 #85
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