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abolition-usa-digest       Tuesday, May 11 1999       Volume 01 : Number 128




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

Date: Sun, 09 May 1999 00:20:13 -0700
From: Jackie Cabasso <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) WSLF letter to NPT representatives

Dear all -- For your information, following is the letter we sent to the=
 heads
of all delegations to the NPT PrepCom.  -- Jackie Cabasso

May 7, 1999

Permanent Representative to the United Nations
Head of Delegation to the NPT Preparatory Committee Meeting

Your Excellency:

        On the eve of the 1999 NPT Preparatory Committee Meeting, we write=
 to
express our hopes for and our concerns about progress towards implementation=
 of
Article VI.  In the year since the 1998 PrepCom, two new nuclear states have
declared themselves.  The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia has led Russia to=
 declare
that it will redeploy and modernize its tactical nuclear forces. The START=
 arms
reduction process appears to be dead. These developments call into question
prospects for progress on nuclear disarmament in the foreseeable future. =
 After
last-year=92s breakdown of the NPT PrepCom, we believe that the future=
 viability
of the NPT is in jeopardy.  It is all the more necessary, therefore, to
fundamentally re-examine the promises and assumptions underlying the NPT=
 1995
extension decision, and to undertake new approaches to nonproliferation and
disarmament objectives.

        Western States Legal Foundation believes that the irreversibility
of the
disarmament process is essential to the long-term viability of the NPT. This
will require a major departure from the approach taken in the NPT and the=
 CTBT,
which relies upon statements of intent not backed by measurable objectives.
This has allowed the nuclear weapon states, thus far, to circumvent=
 meaningful
compliance with the historical intent of these treaties.

        The pledge to complete a CTBT by 1996 was the most concrete promise
made
by the nuclear weapon states in connection with the 1995 NPT extension
decision. While the Preamble to the CTBT claims that =93the cessation of all
nuclear weapon test explosions and all other nuclear explosions, by
constraining the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons=
 and
ending the development of advanced new types of nuclear weapons, constitutes=
 an
effective measure of nuclear disarmament...,=94 the Treaty fails to define a
nuclear test.  In fact, the nuclear weapon states,  separately and in
cooperation with each other, are using the CTBT as a justification for
undertaking major new programs to replace underground nuclear test=
 explosions
through advanced technological means. The most recent annual White House
national security strategy report asserts that the U.S. must continue to
maintain, for =93deterrence=94 purposes,  a =93robust triad of strategic=
 forces,=94 and
states further: =93We must also ensure the continued viability of the
infrastructure that supports U.S. nuclear forces and weapons. The Stockpile
Stewardship Program will guarantee the safety and reliability of our nuclear
weapons under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.=94p. 12.  Available on the=
 World
Wide Web at http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/NSC/html/documents/nssr.pdf

        Such programs also represent the antithesis of the NPT Article VI
obligation to =93pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures=
 relating
to cessation of the nuclear arms race and an early date and to nuclear
disarmament,=94 which was reaffirmed by the nuclear weapon states in the
Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament=
 adopted
with the NPT extension decision in May 1995.  This obligation was reinforced=
 by
the International Court of Justice in July 1996, which unanimously held that
=93there exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a=
 conclusion
negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict=
 and
effective international control.=94 In fact, expanded laboratory-based
experimental programs in the nuclear weapon states fundamentally are=
 intended
to ensure that nuclear disarmament does not occur as a consequence of the
CTBT.=20
Moreover, new nuclear weapons designs, modifications and improvements=
 directly
contravene the =93cessation of the nuclear arms race=94 Article VI provision=
 and
the April 1995 Declaration by France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the=
 United
States in connection with the NPT that =93the nuclear arms race has ceased.=
=94   In
addition, the close interconnections between research, design and testing of
thermonuclear weapons and other forms of advanced weapons research have the
potential to ignite entirely new arms races.  The potential development of=
 pure
fusion weapons, using inertial confinement fusion and other Stockpile
Stewardship technologies, exemplifies this inherent danger.

        We believe that the closure and monitoring of the nuclear weapons
infrastructure in all nuclear weapons states must begin early in the process=
 of
disarmament.  Nuclear weapons research, testing, and component production
should
be halted while reductions are in progress, not after, with nuclear weapons
production and research  facilities subject to intrusive verification=
 regimes
at the earliest possible time.  Fissile materials accounting, already a
challenging task, is rendered more so by the continued fabrication and=
 testing
of weapons components in classified facilities.   Early cessation of both
research and production activities also makes evasion of emerging=
 verification
regimes and covert production of components or manufacturing equipment
particularly suited to a hidden long-term nuclear weapons capability more
difficult.  The continued pursuit of increased nuclear weapons knowledge by=
 one
state -=96 including everything from systematization of fissile materials
understanding to more rapid, flexible, and easily scaled production=
 techniques
- -- will be matched to a greater or lesser degree by others.  The longer such
activity continues prior to achievement of an abolition regime, the greater=
 and
more widespread the technical capability for breakout is likely to be. =20

        You are cordially invited to attend an international panel we are
hosting, which will further explore these ideas. The panel is entitled:
Militarized Science and the Erosion of Arms Control: Nuclear Weaponry,
High-Tech Weaponry and the Threat of Multiple Arms Races. It will be held on
Wednesday, May 19, 1999 from 1:15 - 3:00 pm in U.N. Conference Room D. =20

        Best wishes for a productive and successful PrepCom.  We look=
 forward
meeting you. =20

Sincerely,


        Jacqueline Cabasso                                      Andrew
Lichterman
        Executive Director                                      Attorney

******************************************************
Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director
WESTERN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION
1440 Broadway, Suite 500
Oakland, California USA 94612
Tel: +[phone]
Fax: +[phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
******************************************************
Western States Legal Foundation is part of  ABOLITION 2000
A GLOBAL NETWORK TO ELIMINATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS

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

Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 08:41:35 -0700
From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Request for video footage

[Sorry if duplicated:]


The Youth Peace Committe (US branch) of the Soka Gakkai Int'l is
seeking video footage for an educational package called 'Quest For
Peace.'  It's meant to engage mostly Jr. High & High school
students, but others as well, always in non-profit educational use.
They are looking for mushroom clouds and other scenes of mass
destruction -- carpet bombing & land mines, embargoes -- and also
for peacemaking:  famous leaders such as Ghandi & Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.& also the unknowns who make peace.  Naturally,
they are looking for the best licensing terms possible.

   If you have anything along those lines or know anyone who does,
pls let me know.

   Thanks,

Ed
Just chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and when you drink sak=E9, stay at home wi=
th your wife. Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there
is to enjoy. -- Nichiren, 'Happiness in This World'


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

Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 10:39:45 -0700 (PDT)
From: [e-mail] (marylia)
Subject: (abolition-usa) Call-in days to de-alert nukes

Dear Tri-Valley CAREs members and friends. This is a reminder to call to
call Bill Clinton during the national de-alerting call-in days this coming
Thursday and Friday. (If you recieve more than one copy of this, it means
you can call more than once!) This alert was prepared by Kathy Crandall of
PSR. Please participate. Peace, Marylia

******************************************************************
ACTION ALERT**ACTION ALERT**ACTION ALERT**ACTION ALERT*
CALL THE PRESIDENT, MAY 13 & 14
TELL HIM TO TAKE NUCLEAR WEAPONS OFF OF HAIR-TRIGGER ALERT
********************************************************************

A RECIPE FOR DISASTER:

36,000 Nuclear Weapons in the World -- Thousands on hair-trigger alert,
ready to fire at a moment's notice and destroy the world.

*******************
TIME FOR A CHANGE:
*******************
The Cold War was (supposedly) over years ago. Many experts agree that
de-alerting nuclear weapons will help protect  against accidental nuclear
war and enhance security. It's time for a significant step toward a nuclear
weapons-free world.

*****************
WHAT YOU CAN DO
*****************
National Call In Days
May 13 & 14
As citizens worldwide gather at the Hague Appeal for Peace, and in the
United States at the Pittsburgh Nuclear Abolition Conference, you are
invited to join in this nationwide call-in day to the President telling him
to take nuclear weapons off of hair- trigger alert.
*****************Call the President: [phone]******************

Tell him to act now:

Take U.S. nuclear weapons off of hair-trigger alert, and; urge the Russian
government to respond with similar efforts to de-alert the Russian nuclear
arsenal.

If you cannot call, or prefer to write:
President William Jefferson Clinton
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington DC 20500

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

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

<http://www.igc.org/tvc/> - is our web site, please visit us there!
Our web site will remain at this location. Only my email address has
changed on 3/1/99.

[phone] - is our phone
[phone] - is our fax

Working for peace, justice and a healthy environment since 1983, Tri-Valley
CAREs has been a member of the nation-wide Alliance for Nuclear
Accountability in the U.S. since 1989, and is a co-founding member of the
international Abolition 2000 network for the elimination of nuclear
weapons.



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

Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 14:26:30 -0700
From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Balkan War Urgent Warning

http://home.pacbell.net/herofx/radiowaves.html

 A WARNING from Steffan M. Bertsch

    Yesterday, I scanned the short-wave radio to see what others were saying
    about the NATO bombing of Kosovo. From that scan, it appears that India
    is strongly opposing the action, while Pakistan is in lock-step with
America.
    Remember that both of those countries had a show-me-your nukes stand
    off recently. Kosovo is driving a deeper wedge between them, so, the
next
    time they pull out their arsenals, it might not be just a show-and-tell.

    The scan also revealed that China is agitated beyond belief. The energy
in
    the Chinese broadcast was very angry. She demands UN Security Council
    intervention to halt the bombing. This broadcast didn't sound like a
threat,
    but a demand she was willing to back up.

    Japan is openly angered with the US because we are blaming our trade
    deficit on her, and she's threatened to return to 1940's politics with
the US.
    She also has shown military exercises against China of recent.

    Short-wave revealed Russia'a anger; Yeltsin, Primakov and the leader of
    the Communist party are now ironically on the same page; they have a
    common enemy that has joined these three together; and that enemy is the
    USA. Russia withdrew its representatives from NATO, and, like China,
    demands Security Council intervention to halt the bombing. Russia is
    already angered about the siege and bombing of Iraq, but, the Kosovo
    bombing is yet another trigger. Russia is contemplating not only aiding
    Serbia, but JOINING Serbia in the fray.

    America thought she could bribe Russia with financial aid, but, Russian
    leaders know that the ruling elite orchestrated the collapse of the
Soviet
    Union and forced a devaluation of the currency which stole between 60
    and 80 percent of Russia's wealth. Russia was playing the NWO game, but
    very reluctantly. It looks like Russia will no longer play the game of
    enslaving commerce and phony money.

    The kettle's water is steaming as Israel fires rockets into Lebanon.
These
    are only highlights of what's erupting. There's aggression going on all
over
    the globe. Tempers are pressed to their limit. Don't think the Kosovo
    bombing is guaranteed to blow over. Be forewarned. Prepare for the
    worst. While our politicians are hiding behind the same tired song that
we
    must support our troops, we better well understand that the entire world
is
    tired of being bullied and/or bribed by the USA. The retaliation could
well
    come right to our shores very, very soon.







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

Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 22:33:50 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) An Appeal from American Jews                          to theGreen Party o...

In a message dated 5/9/99 4:55:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[e-mail] writes:

<< Subj:     An Appeal from American Jews                          to
theGreen Party of Germany
 Date:    5/9/99 4:55:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time
 From:    [e-mail]
 To:    [e-mail]
 CC:    [e-mail], [e-mail]

 An Appeal from American Jews
                         to the Green Party of Germany

         We are Jewish Americans who are deeply concerned that the memory and
         tragedy of the Holocaust is being invoked in order to justify an
 unjust bombing
         campaign against the civilian population of Yugoslavia. Many of us
 have friends
         who lost family members in the Holocaust, or have lost relatives
 ourselves. We
         are deeply aware of our own history and the need for the world
 community to
         intervene in situations where there is a threat of genocide, in
 order to prevent it.
         However, this is clearly not what is happening in Yugoslavia today.

         We do not believe that our government's war against Yugoslavia is
 motivated
         by humanitarian concerns. This is evidenced by their refusal to
 airlift food and
         water to desperate refugees within Kosovo, as well as the paltry
 sums allocated
         for refugee relief as compared to the billions of dollars spent on
 the bombing.
         The Clinton Administration's great reluctance to pursue a
 negotiated solution to
         the conflict also indicates that this intervention is mainly about
 power: showing
         the world that the United States (and NATO, which it largely
 controls) is the
         self- appointed international policeman, and stands above
 international law and
         the United Nations. They are waging their war against civilians,
 destroying the
         Yugoslav economy and killing hundreds of innocent people, in order to
         demonstrate and consolidate their power.

         Many supporters of the bombing have drawn analogies to the Holocaust,
         arguing that the world cannot simply stand by in the face of ethnic
 cleansing in
         Kosovo. But the bombing has greatly worsened the situation of the
 Kosovar
         Albanians, as is now universally recognized. It has also destroyed
the
         pro-democracy movement within Yugoslavia, and is destabilizing
 neighboring
         countries.

         We urge you to reject these false and exaggerated analogies to the
 Holocaust
         and World War II, which are being used to garner support for a
bombing
         campaign that is intensifying the suffering of all nationalities in
 Yugoslavia. We
         appeal to the Green Party of Germany to oppose this war, and to
 support a
         negotiated solution of the conflict.

         (Organizations listed for identification only).

         Noam Chomsky
         Institute Professor of Linguistics
         Massachusetts Institute of Technology

         Edward S. Herman
         Professor Emeritus, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

         Mark Weisbrot
         Research Director, Preamble Center

         Dean Baker
         Senior Research Fellow, Preamble Center

         Robert Naiman
         Research Associate, Preamble Center

         Note:

         The above letter could make a difference in helping to
         stop the bombing of Yugoslavia. We have just 6 days to gather
         signatures and deliver it to the Green Party of Germany, which is
         meeting on Thursday, May 13. Many Green Party members are
         very angry about their party's support of bombing, and if the
         conference votes to oppose the bombing, the ruling Social
         Democratic-Green Party alliance will be under tremendous
         pressure to change its policies or risk the collapse of its coalition
         government.

         We are circulating this letter from American Jews because in
         Germany (as in the US), many liberal and progressive people are
         being told that those who oppose the bombing of Yugoslavia are
         committing the same mistake as those who failed to intervene in
         the events leading up to the Holocaust. We disagree strongly, as
         explained below.

         Please circulate this letter as widely and rapidly as you can,
         especially through e-mail and web sites. To sign on, simply return
         your name, and any title or organizational affiliation (it will be
         made clear that this is for identification only) to:
 [e-mail]
  >>

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

Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 22:33:41 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) Letter to Albanian friends from NGO's in Serbia

In a message dated 5/9/99 5:12:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[e-mail] writes:

<< Subj:     Letter to Albanian friends from NGO's in Serbia
 Date:    5/9/99 5:12:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time
 From:    [e-mail] (Jim Forest)
 Sender:    [e-mail] (Jim Forest)
 To:    [e-mail]

 07-05-1999  Press Now
 Letter to Albanian friends from non-governmental organisations in Serbia

 Dear friends,

 We are writing to you in these difficult moments of our shared
 suffering. Convoys of Albanians and other citizens of Kosovo, among
 whom many of you, were forced to leave their homes. The killings and
 expulsions, homes destroyed and burnt, bridges, roads and industrial
 buildings demolished - paint a somber and painful picture of Kosovo,
 Serbia and Montenegro, as in indicating that life together is no longer
 possible. We, however, believe that it is necessary and possible.

 The better future of citizens of Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, of
 Serbs and Albanians, as citizens of one state or closest neighbors,
 will not arrive by itself, or over night. But it is something we can
 and must work on together, as we have many times in the past, not so
 long ago. We know that it will now be very difficult, and sometimes
 very painful. The example of the German-French postwar reconciliation
 and cooperation could serve as a model and stimulus.

 In the sake of future life together, the pain of crime has to be
 revealed so that it is, with forgiveness,remembered. This tragedy,
 yours and ours, personal and collective, is a result of a long series
 of erroneous policies of the most radical forces among us and in the
 international community. The continuation of these policies will take
 both Serbs and Albanians into abyss. Also, the road of collective guilt
 is a road of frustration, continuation of hatred and endless vengeance.
 That is why this road has to be abandoned.

 Our first step of distancing from hatred, ethnic conflict and bloody
 retaliations is a public expression of our deepest compassion and
 sincere condemnation of everything that you and your fellow citizens
 are experiencing. As citizens of Serbia, we today suffer destruction
 and casualties as a result of NATO bombing, armed conflict in Kosovo
 and long lasting economic and social tumbles under the burden of the
 dictatorship`s deadly policies.

 Ethnic cleansing, NATO bombing and armed conflict should stop because
 they are not contributing to the solution of the Kosovo crisis but are
 only making it deepen. There should be no more casualties. All refugees
 should be allowed to return safely to their homes and live in the
 manner appropriate for free and proud people.

 We are convinced that together, we will find strength and courage to
 step on the road of peace, democracy, respect of human rights, mutual
 reconciliation and respect. Dialogue, political negotiations and peace
 process have no alternative. For all of us, it is the only way out of
 the war conflict. It is the safest way to secure the return of refugees
 to their homes, to renew normal life and activities and find a solution
 to the status of Kosovo.

 In order to make this happen, we have to join our efforts to end the
 war conflict, revitalize the peace process and reconstruct,
 economically and democratically, the development of Kosovo, Serbia
 and the entire Balkan region. We are convinced that by joining forces
 we can contribute to the reaching of a just and rational political
 solution to the status of Kosovo and build confidence and cooperation
 between Serbs and Albanians.


 Association of Citizens for Democracy, Social Justice and Support to
 Trade Unions

 United Branch Trade Unions NEZAVISNOST

 European Movement in Serbia

 Civic Initiatives

 Forum for Ethnic Relations

 Center for Transition to Democracy-ToD

 Center for Democracy and Free Elections

 Distrikt 0230 (Kikinda)

 Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia

 Women in Black

 Belgrade Center for Human Rights

 Students Union of Serbia

 VIN-Weekly Video News

 Group 484

 Yu Lawyers Committee for Human Rights

 Foundation for Peace and Crisis Management

 Urban Inn (Novi Pazar)

 Belgrade Circle

 Union for Truth about Antifascist Resistance

 Sombor`s Peace Group (Sombor)

 Society for Peace and Tolerance (Backa Palanka)

 Alternative Academic Educational Network

 In Belgrade, April 30, 1999


 Press Now is not responsible for the content of all opinions we put on
 our site.
 Support Free Press in the Balkans, giro 7676 Press Now, Amsterdam
  >>

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

Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 16:06:44 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: (abolition-usa) NYC / Action on War


 On Friday, May 14 New York peace and solidarity activists will
     picket at the offices of two liberal Congress members to
     protest their support for the air war in Yugoslavia. The
     activists--from New York CISPES, the Nicaragua Solidarity
     Network, the War Resisters League, the Socialist Party, Usa - Debs
 local,
     and other groups--will use leafleting and street theater to express
 their
     opposition to the war. Activists who cannot attend are encouraged to
 call or
     email the Congress members' offices on the same day.

     REPRESENTATIVE: Jerrold Nadler
     DATE/TIME: Friday, May 14, 12:00-1:00 PM
     LOCATION: 11 Beach Street, between Hudson and Greenwich
     Streets in Tribeca. Take the 1/9 to the
     Franklin Street Station or the A/C/E to Canal
     Street.

     Mr. Nadler's office can be called at 212-334-3207. His email is
     <[e-mail]>

     For more information, call Chris Ney at the War Resisters League,
     212-228-0450.


     REPRESENTATIVE: Joseph Crowley
     DATE/TIME: Friday, May 14, 4:30 PM
     LOCATION: Corner of 82nd Street and 37th Avenue,
     Jackson Heights. Take the 7 to 82nd Street.

     Mr. Crowley's office can be called at 718-779-1400.

     For more information, call Ann Eagan at 718-482-0170.



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

Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 14:12:13 -0700
From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Why did NATO bomb Chinese Embassy?

From: [e-mail] <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail] <[e-mail]>
Subject: LIES, DMN LIES & MAPS
Date: Tuesday, May 11, 1999 12:35 PM


Dear reader,
Feel free to distribute this in any way you wish.
- -- jared

HOW NATO & THE MEDIA MISREPRESENTED THE
CHINESE EMBASSY BOMBING

Opponents of the war against Serbia argue that much of what
passes for news these days is really a kind of war propaganda,
that NATO puts out misinformation and the media disseminates
the stuff uncritically.

A case in point is the coverage of the bombing of the Chinese
Embassy in Belgrade.  I download wire service reports from the AOL
world news database (accessible at
aol://4344:30.WORLD.338815.464449182
if you are an AOL member.  This allows me to see exactly
how wire services and newspapers change the news from hour
to hour.  Very instructive for studying how misinformation
is disseminated.

Studying misinformation is a special interest of mine.
If you'd like to see some of my previous work in this area,
send me a note and I'll email you The Emperor's Clothes,
which analyzes how the NY Times misinformed its readers
about the bombing of a Sudanese pill factory in August, 1998.

Before we examine the news coverage of the bombing of the
Chinese Embassy, let me recount a very interesting report from
a Chinese intellectual, currently at Harvard's Kennedy
Institute, who spoke on May 8th at the weekly Boston
anti-war rally (held at 3:00 every Sat. in Copley Square).

The man had conferred with people overseas and thus had direct
knowledge of the attack on the Chinese  Embassy.  He said three
missiles had struck the Embassy compound, hitting three
apartments where one or both adult family members was
a journalist.  The missiles apparently carried a light
explosive charge.

Why NATO Targeted Chinese Journalists

Why, asked the speaker, did all three missiles strike journalists'
apartments?

Clearly, he said, the goal was to punish China for sympathizing
with the Yugoslav people against NATO.  More specifically, the
intention was to terrorize Chinese newspeople in Yugoslavia,
thus silencing yet another non-NATO information source.

Does that seem too nightmarish to be true?  Keep in mind,
NATO has consistently bombed Serbian news outlets with
the stated intention of silencing sources of "lying propaganda."
Why would it be so far-fetched for them to do the same to
Chinese newspeople?

Perhaps NATO wants to silence ALL non-NATO reporting on the
war, even at the risk of starting World War III.

Or perhaps NATO, or a part of NATO, such as the U.S. government,
wants to provoke a fight with China before China gets too strong
to be crushed?

Let's take a look at the "news" coverage.


SORRY, WRONG BUILDING

NATO spokesman Jamie Shea's first response to the Embassy
bombing was a) to apologize and b) to explain that the NATO missiles
had gone astray.  NATO had intended to hit a building across the
street, a building that houses what SHEA called the "Federal Directory
for the Supply and Procurement."

Said Shea:  "'I understand that the two buildings are
close together."' (Reuters, May 8)

(If they ever catch the terrorists who bombed the US
Embassy in Kenya and bring them to trial, could their
legal team utilize the Shea Defense which consists of
a) first you say I'm very sorry and b) then you say you
meant to blow up the building across the street?)

But getting back to the "news" -- according to Jamie
Shea the Chinese Embassy is close to the "Federal
Directory for the Supply and Procurement."  But the
Chinese Embassy is in fact located in the middle of a
park in a residential neighborhood and:

"The embassy stands alone in its own grounds surrounded
by grassy open space on three sides.  Rows of high-rise
apartment blocs are located 200 (600 feet) metres away and a
line of shops, offices and apartments sits about 150
meters (450 feet) away on the other side of a
wide tree-lined avenue, [called]...Cherry Tree Street."
(Reuters, 5/8)


NEARBY BUILDING?  WHAT NEARBY BUILDING?

Apparently realizing that a "Federal Directory for the Supply
and Procurement" would not be placed in an
apartment complex -- or on a 1000 foot lawn - NATO spun
a new story a few hours later:

"Three NATO guided bombs which slammed into the
Chinese embassy in Belgrade overnight struck precisely
at the coordinates programmed into them, but it was
not the building NATO believed it to be.

'They hit bang on the three aim points they were given,'
a military source said....

[NATO military spokesman General Walter] Jertz declined
to say what sort of weapon hit the Chinese embassy, except
that it was 'smart' or guided munitions and not free-fall bombs.
He denied planners were 'using old maps, wrong maps.'"
(Reuters, May 8)

OK.  Three smart missiles or bombs hit the three
locations they were supposed to hit.  It was a misidentified
target.  And the Pilot(s) wasn't misled by old or bad maps.

On the face of it, what is the likelihood of NATO picking
target coordinates that just happen to coincide with three
apartments occupied by journalists?  I mean, one computer-guided
bomb destroying a journalist's home would not be unlikely.  But
three hitting three journalists' homes?


TOO MANY SPOKESMEN

In the same Reuters story, another expert suggests
it would be highly unlikely for NATO to make the kind
of mistake Jertz is suggesting:

"'Target identification and pilot preparation would have been
extensive in this case, because of the military importance
of the intended target and because Belgrade is heavily
defended by Serb forces,' [Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles Wald,
a strategic planner for the Joint Chiefs of Staff] said at a briefing
for reporters.

'`'The way targeting works ... the higher the threat, the more
valued the target, the more time you would study it.  The more
time you have to study it, the better,' Wald said."

Based on what Wald is saying here, isn't it pretty much unlikely
that an embassy would be mistaken for a "Federal Directory for the
Supply and Procurement?"

TOO MANY PLACES

Which brings us to yet another problem.  Because in
the same MAY 8 Reuters Story the name of the place
which NATO intended to bomb mysteriously changes -- not
once but twice.  Read the following quote from General
Jertz carefully:

 "Careful to avoid making excuses, NATO military spokesman
 General Walter Jertz said NATO went after the target because
 it thought it was the weapons warehouse of the Federal
 Directorate for Supply and Procurement.

 'The information we had was that in this building was the
 headquarters of the Directorate, and we have no evidence
 that we were misled,' he said."

 So now the thing they thought they were bombing was:

a) the Federal Directory for the Supply and Procurement;

 b) Weapons warehouse of the Federal
 Directorate for Supply and Procurement;  and

c) the headquarters of the Directorate.

 No wonder they couldn't be misled.  They couldn't
 even name the place.

TOO MANY MISSILES

NATO's next spin-control effort was an attempt to simplify
things.  Retelling the story again a bit later on the 8th, AP
reported that:

"The precision-guided weapon that hit the Chinese
embassy in Belgrade apparently did just what it was told. .."

One weapon.  That does make things more believable,
unless of course the reader has seen the previous stories
that refer to Three missiles....

Since few people read multiple news stories about the
same topic, and even fewer read them carefully, moving
from three to one missile is a pretty safe gambit.  But the
problem still remains: how could NATO targeteers, pouring
over their maps, not notice the label CHINESE EMBASSY
on a building they were planning to bomb?

IT WAS THE MAPS!

NATO's answer: switch positions on the map question.

What was the source of "the erroneous B-2 bomber attack,
which dropped several satellite-guided bombs on the embassy"?

Here's the latest explanation:

"In mistakenly targeting the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade
Friday night, U.S. intelligence officials were working from an
outdated map issued before China built its diplomatic compound
several years ago, American and NATO authorities said yesterday.

'The tragic and embarrassing truth is that our maps simply did
not show the Chinese Embassy anywhere in that vicinity,' a
senior NATO official said." (Washington Post, May 10)

Let's consider the implications of what we've just read.

First, the Post accepts without question NATO's assertion
that the embassy bombing was accidental.  Indeed
the Post doesn't mention the highly newsworthy
fact that the news media stories are so mutually contradictory.
Doesn't that tell us something about these news agencies,
about their attitude toward NATO and this war?  That they are
really part of NATO's public relations effort, dutifully
reporting whatever they are told without pointing out the
implications of NATO's ever-evolving explanations.

Second, the claim that using "old maps" was the problem
flatly contradicts an equally confident assertion made
about 36 hours earlier by NATO' spokesman, General Jertz.
You remember: "He [that is., Gen. Jertz] denied planners
were 'using old maps, wrong maps.'" (Reuters, May 8)

Third, consider the phrase "outdated map issued before China
built its diplomatic compound several years ago."
This clearly refers to PAPER maps.

Now is it believable that NATO would be working off old paper maps of
Belgrade?  What's the matter, they can't afford computers?
They have no technical staff?  We are after all talking about
the combined armed forces of the U.S. and most of Europe.
The whole focus of their attack on Serbia is aerial bombardment.
Aerial bombardment depends primarily on maps and intelligence.
Doesn't it fly in the face of rudimentary common sense -- indeed of
sanity -- to believe that this military force would have anything but
the most sophisticated mapping facilities, updated with satellite
photos and local intelligence reports hourly, all of it in computerized
 war rooms with giant screens, scores of technical personnel, etc.,
etc.

And isn't it equally obvious, that that one thing such an armed
force would have at its finger tips would be exact information
about sensitive installations -- such as diplomatic facilities --
precisely to make sure they did not get bombed.

Unless of course NATO wanted them to be bombed.

And of  all the diplomatic facilities in all of Yugoslavia, wouldn't
the one to which NATO would pay the most attention be
the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade - both because of China's
immense world-importance and because it is Belgrade's chief ally.

Of course NATO had up to date maps of the area around
the Chinese Embassy.  And of every square inch inside
the Embassy as well.

Fourth, since NATO claims it decided to bomb the Embassy
because of what the targeteers  saw on these "old maps" -- just
what did the targeteers see?  We are told they didn't see the
Embassy.  Did they see something else they wanted to attack
and destroy?  Just what was this something else?  Was it a
building which housed some military facility?  In the middle of
a 1000 foot lawn in a residential section of the city?  And if
there is such a map with such a building, why doesn't NATO
produce this ancient document, and show it to us?

And fifth -- did you notice we're talking about multiple missiles
again?

LET US NOW REVIEW NATO'S STORIES

According to NATO there were three --

  NO, there was only one

smart bomb that hit the Chinese Embassy by mistake because
it missed a building across the street that houses the "Federal Supply
and Procurement Office" --

  NO, that wasn't the problem.  The missiles (because we're back
to three missiles again)  didn't miss -- they hit right on target except
it turned out the target was all wrong, t wasn't the Federal Supply
and Procurement Office at all, it was the Chinese Embassy and
somehow the targeteers got it all confused but one thing is
definite: the mix-up was not the result of using old maps.

  But that's not right either because if a target is important a
great deal of care is taken, and given that this was such an
important target, even more care would be taken to make sure
it really was the a) Federal Directory for the Supply and
Procurement and

 NO, that should be the b) Weapons Warehouse of the Federal
Directorate for Supply and Procurement,

 NO,  that isn't right either it wasn't just a warehouse, it was the
c)  HEADQUARTERS of the Directorate and -

 NO!  Forget everything I've said so far.  It was the maps.
The maps were very old so you couldn't tell that the building
on that site was an Embassy.   And there were three missiles, of
course -- who ever said anything about there only being one?

A PARK, AND OTHER MILITARY TARGETS

 This writer has just spoken to a Serbian gentlemen whose
family lives a few blocks from the Embassy.  He says the
Embassy was built 4 or 5 years ago and that prior to
the building of the Embassy, the only thing there was: a park.

A park: tress and grass...

Therefore the notion that NATO could possess a map drawn
before the Chinese Embassy was built which showed any building
occupying the land on which the Embassy now stands is simply
impossible.  There was nothing there but trees and grass.

Therefore NATO is lying.

And since NATO is lying, we are left with the Chinese gentleman's
explanation.  It is the only one that makes sense.  NATO deliberately
blew up three apartments inhabited by Chinese journalists in the Chinese
Embassy.  This was a high-tech execution.  What will NATO do next?

(Note to reader: If you wish to see the complete text of the
articles I have quoted from, drop me a line and I'll be
glad to send them to you. [e-mail] )

Best regards,
Jared  Israel  [e-mail]

IF you know anyone to whom you would like me to send
documents and analysis of interest concerning this war and
related questions, please send me the address(es).

Thanks - [e-mail]
=DD



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