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abolition-usa-digest     Tuesday, October 26 1999     Volume 01 : Number 205




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

Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 10:01:05 -0500
From: "Boyle, Francis" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Greenock: Trident motion Scottish Parliament

- -----Original Message-----
From: Scottish CND [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Monday, October 25, 1999 8:58 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Trident motion Scottish Parliament


The following motion has been put down in the Scottish Parliament by Margo
MacDonald MSP (SNP)


*S1M-215 Ms Margo MacDonald: Legal Ruling on Nuclear Weapons-That the
Parliament notes the ruling by Sheriff Margaret Gimblett on the illegality
of the nuclear weapons system located at Faslane; further notes that the
Lord Advocate will have to decide whether to refer the judgement to the High
Court; calls upon Her Majesty's Government, irrespective of the final legal
outcome, to recognise and accept that this issue falls within Scots law
jurisdiction, and urges Her Majesty's Government to desist from seeking to
exercise any powers in the matter.


John Ainslie
Administrator
Scottish CND



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

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 12:58:06 -0700
From: "Pamela S. Meidell" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) 1999 Abolition 2000 Report Card

Dear Abolition Friends,

Here is this year's Report Card. Please distribute widely and make use of
it wherever you can. We would be pleased to receive any feedback. We are
planning to produce and print a special Abolition 2000 Report Card for the
NPT Review and Extension Conference next spring, that will cover progress
(or lack thereof) since the founding of Abolition 2000 in 1995. Please feel
free to send any suggestions to us.

In peace,
Pamela and Janet

ABOLITION 2000 PROGRESS REPORT CARD=20
UNITED NATIONS DAY: OCTOBER 24, 1999.

Total grade on progress toward abolition: 12 out of 120 points.  For
comparison, the 1996 report card scored 31/110, the 1997 card: 7/120, the
1998 card: 16/120. (The discrepancy in total points is due to the inclusion
since 1997 of the Moorea Declaration.)

For the last three years, we have issued an Abolition 2000 report card in
October, assessing progress toward a nuclear weapons free world. For the
fourth year, we pause again to take stock of the state of the Nuclear
World, and of efforts to abolish nuclear weapons. Looking at this year's
events in the context of the Abolition 2000 Statement offers a simple way
to make such an evaluation. This Report Card offers a brief assessment of
progress in the past year in the implementation of the 11 points of the
Abolition Statement, and compliance with the letter and spirit of the
Moorea Declaration. We offer it on United Nations Day, October 24, to
recall the initial promise of the UN Charter: "to save succeeding
generations from the scourge of war," keeping in mind our future
descendants, knowing that the elimination of nuclear weapons will go far in
fulfilling our promise to them.=20

1) Immediately initiate and conclude by the year 2000 negotiations on a
nuclear weapons abolition convention that requires the phased elimination
of all nuclear weapons within a timebound framework, with provisions for
effective verification and enforcement.

Report: The New Agenda Coalition (NAC) grouping of countries sponsored a
resolution at the United Nations General Assembly at its final session in
1998: UN Resolution 53/77 "Towards a Nuclear Weapon Free World: The Need
for a New Agenda". This resolution was agreed by a large majority. Most
encouragingly, 12 NATO countries, including Germany, abstained from the
resolution, indicating their willingness to take the proposals seriously.
The NAC will table another resolution at the UN this year.

Apart from this effort, little progress has been made. The non-governmental
organizations that crafted the Model Nuclear Weapons Convention published a
book in 1999 "Security and Survival: The Case for a Nuclear Weapons
Convention." A number of "Track Two Diplomacy" meetings (where NGO experts
met with decision-makers in nuclear weapons states off the record) have
discussed the Convention. But there is still no sign of any multilateral
government forum taking on the task of negotiating such a convention. The
Japanese government, following the model of the influential Canberra
Commission, has convened the Tokyo Forum. This international expert group
has warned that unless concerted action is taken "nuclear non-proliferation
and disarmament treaties could become hollow instruments" We think their
assessment is irrefutable.

Grade: 1 out of 10.

2) Immediately make an unconditional pledge not to use or threaten to use
nuclear weapons.

Report: The NATO action in Kosovo was a defining event of 1999 in relation
to nuclear policy. NATO's review of its nuclear posture, timed to be agreed
at NATO's 50th Anniversary Summit in April, was overshadowed by events in
the Balkans. The developing debate about no-first use initiated by Canada
and Germany was completely sidelined. However, the alliance did agree to a
review of its nuclear policy in December 1999, which may give an
opportunity for progress. Meanwhile Washington and London argue that the
right to first use of nuclear weapons gives NATO the flexibility to respond
to a variety of threats to the alliance.=20

The increasing insecurity felt by Russia has led it to become more in
favour of the policy of first use of nuclear weapons than before. This
stance could not have been clearer than at the Abolition 2000 Meeting in St
Petersburg in June. Speaker after speaker from the Russian Federation spoke
of the serious situation that we were now facing, particularly with regard
to nuclear disarmament, after the NATO war in the Balkans. NATO policy was
identified clearly as US Foreign Policy. The NATO action, carried out
without the mandate of the UN and against the principles of international
law, was seen as an extension of the Cold War, or 'Cold Peace,' as one
speaker called it. Why didn't the US abide by the clauses of the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty? What about the US nuclear weapons on bases in
Europe? Russians, already suffering from vastly reduced living standards
since the introduction of the market economy, have now suffered the further
indignity of this attack, as it was often seen, on their compatriots.
Already upset at NATO expansion nearer and nearer to their border, Russians
view recent events in NATO's 50th Anniversary year as further evidence of
the pursuit of the US government of complete global military dominance.=20

China remains the only state with a public policy in place of no first use,
although India has recently made a statement in favour of this posture.
Speaking at the UN in September the representative of India urged nuclear
weapons' states to re-orient nuclear doctrines to incorporate
"no-first-use" and then "no-use" policy to de-legitimise nuclear weapons
globally. It remains to be seen if this is a serious proposal or just
rhetoric.=20

Grade: 1 out of 10.

3) Rapidly complete a truly Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) with a
zero threshold and with the stated purpose of precluding nuclear weapons
development by all states.

Report: On October 13, when after a bitter debate, the US Senate voted down
ratification of the CTBT, it dealt a severe blow to the world's
non-proliferation regime, and jeopardized the treaty's chances of ever
becoming law. Since the CTBT was open for signature on Sept. 24, 1996, 154
nations have signed the convention and 45 of them have ratified it. Among
the 44 countries with nuclear weapons, power stations or other atomic
capabilities, all but India, Pakistan and North Korea have signed. All five
declared nuclear powers -- the United States, Russia, France the UK, and
China -- signed the treaty. But only the UK and France have ratified it.
India has vowed not to sign the treaty until the declared atomic powers
devise a timetable for destroying their nuclear arsenals. Pakistan will not
sign until India does.=20

The 21 nuclear-capable countries that have so far ratified the treaty are:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France,
Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland,
Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the UK. For the treaty to take
effect, however, ratification is still needed from 23 countries: Algeria,
Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Mexico, North Korea,
Pakistan, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, US,
and Vietnam. What will happen to the ratification process in these other
countries after the recent debacle in the US Senate is anyone's guess. But
it doesn't bode well for the world community. (See also number 7.)

Grade: -5 out of 10.

4) Cease to produce and deploy new and additional nuclear weapons systems,
and commence to withdraw and disable deployed nuclear weapons systems.

Report: Again the Kosovo war had a profound effect on prospects for nuclear
disarmament. An already resistant Russian Duma will not ratify START II
and, despite a flurry of diplomatic activity between Russia and the US,
discussion on START III between the two countries looks bleak.=20

The need for de-alerting of nuclear warheads has been brought into sharp
focus by growing concerns about the possible effects of the Millennium
Computer Bug. (Y2K). Nuclear weapons and their delivery systems rely on
computers. 4,400 of the world's nuclear weapons are still held on "hair
trigger alert." Early warning and communication systems are liable to be
severely affected by Y2K, thereby risking a misreading of nuclear weapons
data, and increasing the danger of an unauthorized or accidental use of
nuclear weapons. Citizen's groups involved in Abolition 2000 are calling
for a World Atomic Safety Holiday--taking all nuclear weapons off "hair
trigger alert" from 1 December 1999 onwards, and removing all nuclear
warheads from their delivery systems so that they cannot be launched
immediately.

The US Deputy Secretary of Defense John Hamre stated this year that "
Probably one out of five days I wake up in a cold sweat thinking [Y2K] is
much bigger than we think, and then the other four days I think maybe we
really are on top of it. Everything is so interconnected, it's hard to know
with any precision whether we have got it fixed."  His worry was confirmed
on 29 September when the US and Russia announced via a top Pentagon
official that they have found millennium bug glitches in all but one of
their seven cold war-era "hotlines" and are rushing to correct them.=20

The situation regarding India and Pakistan has deteriorated even further
since their nuclear tests last year. In April, Abdul Kalam, the head of
India's missile program said that the Agni-II, with a range of 2,000-3,000
kilometers, was operationally ready for deployment with a nuclear warhead.
In his Independence Day speech, India's Prime Minister announced that
"Agni-II has been tested ... and will be integrated into our defence
arsenal." India's space launcher successfully launched three satellites
from one rocket, and could be converted into an intercontinental ballistic
missile with multiple warheads, given enough time and money. There is no
doubt Pakistan's missile men will say that they too can achieve this, if
they are given enough money.

Prior to the Indian elections, the Indian government produced a chilling
document outlining its nuclear doctrine. The doctrine declares that "the
very existence of offensive doctrine pertaining to the first use of nuclear
weapons and the insistence of some nuclear weapons states on the legitimacy
of their use even against non-nuclear weapon countries constitute a threat
to peace, stability and sovereignty of states." It is this threat, the
doctrine declares, that India's nuclear weapons are supposed to protect
against. What account does the Indian government take of the International
Court of Justice opinion declaring such treat of nuclear weapons "generally
illegal?" How will Pakistan respond? The recent military coup there does
not bode well for the future. In the same region of the world, China made a
break with its past statements on nuclear weapons by announcing that it is
developing a neutron bomb and a Chinese equivalent of the W-88 warhead
(used by the US and The UK on their Trident submarines).

Grade: 2 out of 10.

5) Prohibit the military and commercial production and reprocessing of all
weapons-usable radioactive materials.

Report: As the Fissile Material Cut Off talks in Geneva remain stymied in
procedural wrangling, the first of a series of up to 80 plutonium fuel
shipments between Europe and Japan (that could take place over the next 10
years to 15 years) started this year. This reality has been greeted with
protests from citizen's groups and governments along the shipments' route.
Among those who have lodged strenuous objections with the Japanese, French
and British Governments are: Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, Mauritius,
Fiji, the South Pacific Forum, the Federated States of Micronesia, South
Korea, and the Association of Caribbean States.=20

Confidence in European plutonium-MOX production was further undermined
following the revelation in September that vital quality checks on MOX
produced for Takahama in Japan by British Nuclear Fuel Limited (BNFL) had
been bypassed and data sheets had been falsified. While the BNFL data
falsification scandal has placed a question mark over the MOX fuel arriving
in Japan, it also underlines the inherent danger in plutonium-MOX fuel.
Such are the risks linked to this material that even a small error in
production could lead to a major accident when it is loaded into a reactor.
It appears that European plutonium-MOX fuel manufacturers are failing to
adequately test the distribution of plutonium in their MOX fuel, a failure
that drastically undermines reactor safety.

The dangers of nuclear fuel fabrication going badly wrong were underlined
by the September 30th nuclear accident at a test facility in the uranium
processing plant located in Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Workers
at the plant mistakenly put nearly eight times the proper amount of uranium
into a mixing tank, triggering an uncontrolled nuclear reaction. Initially,
an atmospheric radiation count of 0.84 mSv/hour (10,000 times of the annual
dose limit) was monitored. 55 workers at the plant were exposed to high
levels of radiation with three becoming very seriously ill. Over 300,000
people were confined to their houses for over 24 hours. According to
Greenpeace, the number of people exposed to radiation by the accident was
much higher than official estimates. The accident has been rated a 5 on an
internationally established scale of 1-9 (Chernobyl was a 7.)

On the plus side, US-Russian co-operation on the control of fissile
materials continues after a hiatus caused by NATO's Kosovo action.

Grade: 1 out of 10.

6) Subject all weapons-usable radioactive materials and nuclear facilities
in all states to international accounting, monitoring, and safeguards, and
establish a public international registry of all weapons-usable radioactive
materials.

Report: No other government followed the lead of the UK last year when it
announced the details of its stocks of weapons-usable radioactive materials.=
=20

Grade: 0 out of 10.

7) Prohibit nuclear weapons research, design, development, and testing
through laboratory experiments including but not limited to non-nuclear
hydrodynamic explosions and computer simulations, subject all nuclear
weapons laboratories to international monitoring, and close all nuclear
test sites.

Report: The US sub-critical nuclear test program continues unabated. The
latest US Department of Energy's (DOE) detonation of a subcritical nuclear
test, code-named "Oboe 1," the seventh in a series which began in 1997, was
detonated on September 30th at the Nevada Test Site.=20

However the US nuclear weapons complex has not had an easy year. Dogged by
accusations of lax security and spying, it has even had to issue guidelines
to its employees on how to conduct their love lives. Lawrence Livermore
Laboratory's top laser scientist, Michael Campbell, who was responsible for
the National Ignition Facility project, resigned in August after it was
revealed he never earned a doctorate from Princeton University. More
importantly the $5 billion National Ignition Facility (NIF)-- the
centerpiece of the $60 billion* US "Stockpile Stewardship" program is
seriously over budget. The true nature of "Stockpile Stewardship" was
revealed in a public ceremony at Livermore Laboratory this summer,
featuring the "Death Star" centerpiece of the program. US Energy Secretary
Bill Richardson joined Livermore Lab employees and officials from various
federal agencies (such as the Strategic Air Command) to oversee the
dedication of the 130 ton spherical target chamber of the NIF, designed to
contain thermonuclear explosions. The installation of the target chamber
marked the halfway point in NIF construction. The nuclear establishments of
France and the UK have invested over one hundred million dollars in the US
Stockpile Stewardship Program. (See also number 3)

* US General Accounting Office estimate for 13 years of Stockpile=
 Stewardship.

Grade: -4 out of 10.

8) Create additional nuclear weapons free zones such as those established
by the treaties of Tlatelolco and Rarotonga.

Report: Very few African states have ratified the Treaty of Pelindaba,
creating the world's latest Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in Africa. No nuclear
weapon state has ratified the protocols related to it. Any discussion of a
Central European Nuclear Weapons Free Zone was buried when NATO bombed
Belgrade.

Grade: 0 out of 10.

9) Recognize and declare the illegality of threat or use of nuclear
weapons, publicly and before the World Court.

Report: 100 years after the first Hague Peace Conference, which helped lay
the foundations of today's international law, governments and citizens'
groups commemorated the event at the Hague and in St Petersburg. At the end
of the Hague Appeal for Peace Conference, several hundred people from all
over the world joined the "2000 Walk for Nuclear Disarmament" to NATO
headquarters (organized by Abolition 2000 group For Mother Earth). Calling
for NATO to uphold international law and abandon its policy of nuclear
deterrence, the Walk arrived on May 27th to be greeted by riot police and
water cannons. On May 27th and 28th, 450 people were arrested.=20

Actions to uphold international law against the US and UK Trident systems
have continued in Bangor, Washington and in Scotland. In Washington State,
home of the Pacific US Trident Base, nine defendants were unanimously
acquitted by a boxful of tearful jurors. Presiding Juror Barbara Johnson
explained that the jurors had been deeply moved by the defendants'
convictions and courage, and that "we discussed the ramifications of this
decision on our community," but that ultimately, we simply "followed the
law" in reaching not-guilty verdicts. Judge James Riehl concluded, "I think
we all agree that the use of nuclear weapons is unacceptable=85"

In Scotland, a judge took the even bolder step of declaring Trident
illegal. As part of the Trident Ploughshares 2000 campaign, 326 arrests and
39 trials have taken place, with the case for the illegality of nuclear
weapons being argued strongly by each defendant. In the best news all year,
three Trident Ploughshares activists made history at Greenock Sheriff's
court on October 21st when Sheriff (Judge) Margaret Gimblett declared
Trident illegal and acquitted the activists of "malicious damage," letting
them walk free. Sheriff Gimblett said she accepted the argument put forward
by defense advocate John Mayer who said Trident was illegal under
international law and the women were acting simply to prevent a crime. Mr.
Mayer said a ruling by the International Court of Justice in 1996 made
Trident and all nuclear weapons illegal. At the time of this writing, the
flow of congratulations to Sheriff Gimblett for her courageous ruling has
not stopped. The implications of these decisions for the abolition movement
will continue to reverberate for many years to come.=20

Grade: 8 out of 10.

10) Establish an international energy agency to promote and support the
development of sustainable and environmentally safe energy sources.

Report: The use of renewables is growing but there is no overall strategy
in place globally to encourage their use. Although development is
piecemeal; some positive signs this year include: In June US Energy
Secretary Bill Richardson announced a plan to produce 5 percent of the
nation's electricity from wind by 2020, up from one-tenth of one percent
now. Richardson stated that "We think that wind technology has the most
potential of any renewable energy technology right now."

In August, a poll of Japanese opinion conducted on behalf of the Prime
Minister's Office revealed that 70% of Japanese people are concerned about
possible nuclear accidents, while 67% supported introducing alternative
energy sources and 60% wanted to see greater efforts made in energy
conservation.

In September, the Belgian group, For Mother Earth, signed a contract to
place a 1.65 megawatt wind turbine near the Belgian coast as an investment
for the future, and to promote anti-nuclear politics and green energy. This
Vestas-turbine could generate electricity for 1,200 families!=20

Grade: 3 out of 10.

11) Create mechanisms to ensure the participation of citizens and NGOs in
planning and monitoring the process of nuclear weapons abolition.

Report: This year the Abolition 2000 network has grown to over 1300 groups
in 89 plus countries. At its annual meeting in the Hague in May, Abolition
2000 agreed to aim for a total of 2000 groups in the network by the 2000
NPT Review Conference next April. Once again, NGOs spoke at the New York
NPT Prep Comm but access was still limited. The aspirations of the Hague
Appeal for Peace for the development of a "New Diplomacy" between citizens
and governments (as pioneered by the landmines campaign) are still limited
by the secrecy of the nuclear weapons states. However Abolition 2000 made a
major step forward on October 11 (Indigenous Peoples' Day) when US
abolitionists launched the US Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons -- part
of the Abolition 2000 Global Network in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This
initiative could not be more timely.=20

Abolition groups and activists have also been engaging in new arenas such
as the G8 meetings (where they were admitted as official participants in
Y2K Contingency Planning in Berlin in September) and the World Trade
Organization meeting, in Seattle in November, where they will be making the
links between economic globalization and nuclear weapons.

Grade: 5 out of 10

From the Moorea Declaration: "The anger and tears of colonized peoples
arise from the fact that there was no consultation, no consent, no
involvement in the decision when their lands, air and waters were taken for
the nuclear build-up, from the very start of the nuclear era.... Colonized
and indigenous peoples have, in the large part, borne the brunt of this
nuclear devastation.... We reaffirm... that indigenous and colonized
peoples must be central... in decisions relating to the nuclear weapons
cycle - and especially in the abolition of nuclear weapons in all aspects.
The inalienable right to self-determination, sovereignty and independence
is crucial in allowing all peoples of the world to join in the common
struggle to rid the planet forever of nuclear weapons."

Report: The Pacific has continued to suffer as the nuclear age continues.
The protests of the South Pacific Forum against nuclear shipments were
treated with contempt by BNFL. The Aboriginal peoples of Australia continue
the struggle to stop Energy Resources of Australia from developing a mining
lease carved out of the heart of Kakadu National Park at Jabiluka, a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. The plan by a company called PANGEA to create a global
nuclear waste depository in the heart of Australia is also being resisted.
This company has a budget of $5million per annum from BNFL to organize a PR
campaign on the citizens of Australia, who are opposed to the plan.

On a positive note, the letter and spirit of the Moorea Declaration will be
taken to the heart of the Amazon in November, to a tribal people's
conference in Leticia, Colombia. These tribal people invited Pacific
activists to share with them about indigenous issues and activities in the
Pacific.=20

Grade: 0 out of 10

Total grade: 12 out of 120

Conclusions: As John Kenneth Galbraith argued in his most recent essay: the
great unfinished business of the 20th Century is the global elimination of
nuclear weapons. But that business looks set to be unfinished for many
years if current trends continue. The hopes of the early and mid-nineties
are fading and the proponents of nuclear weapons appear to be back in the
saddle (Reagan's Star Wars brainstorm has been resuscitated, for example).
This reality was demonstrated most starkly by the CTBT vote in the USA. A
nuclear armed NATO is the dominant force in Europe whilst the human rights
and conflict prevention based OSCE (Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe) is starved of resources.=20

Two new factors have arisen this year that bode ill for the future:=20

(1) The undermining of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty due to a
renewed interest in the US in a national ballistic missile defense (BMD)
system, to defend the country against a limited ballistic missile attack
The 1972 ABM Treaty restricts the testing and deployment of ballistic
missile defenses. Eroding the ABM Treaty further threatens the prospects of
progress on US/Russian nuclear disarmament.=20
(2) An increasing emphasis by the Pentagon on space warfare. Russia and
China have called for the UN Conference on Disarmament to form an ad hoc
committee on the "prevention of an arms race in outer space." But the US is
blocking that initiative as the Pentagon plans "full spectrum dominance"
including the dominance of space by 2020.=20

All in all, 1999 was a pretty depressing year for nuclear abolition. It is
at times like these that the vision that led to the creation of Abolition
2000 needs to be re-affirmed. As the St Petersburg Declaration approved by
the Abolition 2000 meeting of June 19th states:

"There can be no peace and security with nuclear weapons. The dogma of
"nuclear deterrence" led to the building of ever-larger arsenals by the
nuclear weapons states. It is illegal, immoral and irresponsible; it must
be rejected. For worldwide security, nuclear weapons must be eliminated.
We must move to common security based on human and ecological values and
respect for international institutions and law. NATO's recent assertion of
the right to engage in "out-of-area" operations conducted without United
Nations authority is contrary to this imperative. Future European security
arrangements must comply with international law, encompass all European
countries including Russia, and exclude nuclear weapons. Genuine and
lasting peace cannot be achieved by building and expanding military
alliances."=20

We can only hope that, as the reality of the situation is made plain by the
work of the Abolition 2000 network and others, the opportunity to mobilize
for a nuclear free 21st Century will be taken.

Janet Bloomfield and Pamela S. Meidell
(with thanks to abolition colleagues for contributions, comments and
suggestions)
October 24, 1999
=20
[Janet Bloomfield <[e-mail]> is a consultant to the Oxford
Research Group in Oxford, England; Pamela S. Meidell  <[e-mail]>is
the founder/director of the Atomic Mirror in Port Hueneme, California. Both
have been involved with Abolition 2000 since its conception.]


Pamela S. Meidell
Director
The Atomic Mirror
P.O. Box 220
Port Hueneme, California USA 93044
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

The Atomic Mirror is part of Abolition 2000:
A Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons


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 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.

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

Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 16:20:07 -0700
From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Holmes Norton Bill

Thanks Alyn for your evaluation and suggestions on this attempt for nuclear
disarmament.  Are there specific modifications that can be made in Norton's
bill to address these potential hindrances to this goal?  Can the Markey
resolution be added to it as a "rider" or something?   One advantage in
principle to this idea of a Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act
would be specific appeal to local congressional constituencies to pressure
individual congresspeople in these 12months before their next election, yes?
Some plan towards nuclear disarmament that those congressional candidates
who want to get (re)elected are pressured by their voters to support during
the next 12months could be effective, it seems to me.  Perhaps the Prop1
folks can collaborate on some update on Holmes Norton Bill that would bring
it closer to center of debate in Congress on this issue and therefrom be
formulated into an ideal final draft wording that can actually get passed in
this Congress?

David Crockett Williams [e-mail]
Global Emergency Alert Response http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000
Global Peace Walk2000 http://www.globalpeacenow.org

- -----Original Message-----
From: Alyn Ware <[e-mail]>
To: David Crockett Williams <[e-mail]>
Cc: abolition caucus <[e-mail]>; [e-mail]
<[e-mail]>
Date: Monday, October 25, 1999 3:38 PM
Subject: Re: Proposal to Abolition 2000. Holmes Norton Bill


>Dear David,
>
>Thank you for your communication regarding the bill proposed by Eleanor
>Holmes Norton. I believe that Holmes Norton should be supported for this
>initiative. I have distributed the bill in a variety of fora, including to
>representatives arguing against nuclear weapons in the International Court
>of Justice, with the result that it was referred to in the 1995-6 case.
>
>However, there are a number of problems with the bill which make it
>difficult to swing in behind with wholehearted support.
>
>1. Requirement to "Refrain from all military operations".
>
>While I am personally a Pacifist and would support this statement, it
>precludes those congresspeople who would support nuclear disarmament but
not
>yet support a pacifist US policy. It also could be inferred to prevent US
>participation in UN peacekeeping operations.
>
>2. "This Act shall take effect when the President certifies to the Congress
>that all foreign countries possessing nuclear weapons have established
legal
>requirements comparable to those set forth in section 2 and those
>requirements have taken effect."
>
>The requirement that all foreign countries possessing nuclear weapons must
>"undertake vigorous good faith efforts to eliminate war, armed conflict,
and
>all military operations (from Section 2)" is too stringent and allows the
US
>an easy excuse not to implement the bill, ie if Russia is in armed conflict
>with Chechnya, the US can refuse to implement the ill.
>
>The process implied here is also problematic. According to this clause, the
>US shall wait until all other nuclear weapon states have dismantled their
>nuclear weapons before they begin the process. Other countries will not
>agree to this. They will only agree to simultaneous dismantling.
>
>In order to achieve nuclear disarmament, the US cannot take a unilateral
>position and then expect others to jump to their bidding. The process will
>require negotiations between states in order to achieve an agreement on
>universal non-use of nuclear weapons and an agreed process for the
eliminati
>on of nuclear weapons which can be verified, ie a nuclear weapons
>convention. This is why the Markey resolution, while only a resolution, is
>much more realistic in what it calls for. The Markey resolution is backed
up
>by the Model Nuclear Weapons Convention, which outlines the legal,
political
>and technical considerations required for the elimination of nuclear
>weapons.
>
>I hope these comments are helpful
>
>Yours
>Alyn Ware
>
>
>


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

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 11:15:19 -0400
From: Norm and Karen Cohen <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) alec baldwin at stockton 11/9 tooth fairy project

Apologies for duplicate postings. Please pass this on to your friends and=
 contacts. Hope to see everyone there on 11/9.

thanks
norm

> -
>            UNPLUG Salem Campaign   COALITION FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
>                                     321 Barr Ave., Linwood NJ 08221
>                                  609-601-8583/8537   norco@bellatlantic=
=2Enet
>                                 http://members.bellatlantic.net/~norco/=

>
> Date: 10/24/99
>
> For Immediate Release:
> And Community Calendars:
>
> ALEC BALDWIN IS BRINGING THE TOOTH FAIRY PROJECT TO STOCKTON COLLEGE
>
>       Actor Alec Baldwin will moderate a panel discussion entitled: =93=
The Tooth Fairy Project:  Investigating the Effects of Low-Level Radiatio=
n=94, on Tuesday, November 9th, at 4:30 PM at Richard Stockton State Coll=
ege, in the A-Wing lecture hall. Joining Alec Baldwin on this panel will =
be: Joseph Mangano, Research Associate for the Radiation and Public Healt=
h Project, Norm Cohen, Coordinator of the UNPLUG Salem Campaign, Melissa =
Medford, Tooth Fairy Project Coordinator for Salem and Cumberland Countie=
s, and Fran Rosenfeld, Director of the New Jersey Breast Cancer Coalition=
=2E This forum is co-sponsored by SAVE (Stockton Action Volunteers for th=
e Environment), Stockton Peace Action, New Jersey PIRG, the UNPLUG Salem =
Campaign, the Coalition for Peace and Justice,  and the STAR (Standing fo=
r the Truth About Radiation) Foundation.
>      Baldwin, who is well-known for his social activism, has starred in=
 numerous films, including Prelude to a Kiss, Ghosts of Mississippi, Hunt=
 for Red October, and many others. On October 21st, Alec Baldwin hosted a=
 press conference that announced that higher than expected levels of a ma=
n-made, cancer-causing  element first introduced as a by-product of nucle=
ar bomb tests had been found in baby teeth collected near nuclear power p=
lants in three states. Levels of radioisotope Strontium (Sr-90), should h=
ave dropped to almost zero once all global aboveground nuclear bomb testi=
ng ended in 1980. But most of the 515 teeth analyzed were from the 1979-1=
992 period and had similar concentrations of Strontium-90 as those found =
in children in the mid-1950s when the U.S. and the Soviet Union were stil=
l doing  atmospheric nuclear bomb tests, according to initial findings of=
 the Radiation and Public Health Project study.
>    The teeth for the RPHP study were collected as part of the "Tooth Fa=
iry Project," an appeal to parents by Alec Baldwin to send in baby teeth =
they put under their children's pillows for the "Tooth Fairy" after they =
fell out.  Baldwin, a resident of Suffolk County on  Long Island where RP=
HP focused part of its study, said he sent out 15,000 letters to parents =
in February 1999. "The initial findings are disturbing," Baldwin said at =
the news conference. He added that "the same results (as in the mid-50s) =
should merit the same level of concern."
>     Because of these initial results, Baldwin is coming to Stockton Col=
lege to appeal for additional baby teeth, to ask Stockton students to vol=
unteer to help collect baby teeth, and to educate the public about the da=
ngers of low-level radiation.
>      Norm Cohen, coordinator of the UNPLUG Salem Campaign, that now has=
 over 60 organizations united in a drive to close down the Salem Nukes, w=
ill urge people to help close down both Salem and Oyster Creek. =93Just b=
ecause we in Atlantic County are 50 miles away from either Salem or Oyste=
r Creek does not mean we are safe from the effects of radiation. We are c=
aught in the cross-hairs of pollution from those plants along with Three =
Mile Island, Peach Bottom, Limerick, and Millstone.=94 said Cohen.
>    Melissa Medford, a Salem County resident who has helped to organize =
the Tooth Fairy Project in the Salem area, will describe how she organize=
d her local campaign and how others can do the same throughout New Jersey=
=2E Joseph Mangano, who has authored a series of statistical studies abou=
t the health effects of low-level radiation on infant mortality and immun=
e system diseases, will talk about his findings from both the Oyster Cree=
k and Salem County areas, and what his findings indicate for the Atlantic=
 County area. And Fran Rosenfeld, Director of the New Jersey Breast Cance=
r Coalition, will discuss the links between breast cancer and low-level r=
adiation.
>    This forum is open to all members of the public, who are urged to at=
tend to learn the truth about how nuclear power plants are affecting our =
lives, and the lives of our children.
>     For those who can not attend, you can contact the Tooth Fairy Proje=
ct at www.radiation.org

>
> CONTACT:  Norm Cohen 609-601-8583/8537
>                     Alec Baldwin (via the STAR Foundation, Scott Cullen=
) 516-324-0655
>                     Joe Mangano: 718-857-9825
>                     Melissa Medford: 609-935-9277
>
> UNPLUG SALEM and STOP THE SALEM FISH SLAUGHTER CAMPAIGNS
> NJ ACORN; Affordable Housing Network; American Littoral Society (fish c=
ampaign only); Asian American Political  Coalition; Citizens=92 Energy Co=
uncil; Consumers League of New Jersey; Coalition for Peace and Justice; C=
raft=92s Creek Coalition; Cumberland Conservation League; C.H.O.R.D.; Del=
aware Riverkeeper Network (fish campaign only); Energy Photovoltaics (EPV=
); Environmental Response Network; First Hopewell Baptist Church; Friends=
 of Pinebrook; Grassroots Environmental Organization (GREO); Grey Panther=
s, NJ Chapter; Ironbound Committee Against Toxic Waste;  Latino Community=
 Land Trust; Monmouth Citizens for Clean Air; NAACP- Paterson Branch; NJP=
IRG Citizen Lobby; NJ Environmental Federation; Paterson Task Force for C=
ommunity Action; Physicians for Social Responsibility; Republicans for En=
vironmental Protection; Seaville Friends Meeting; Urban Women=92s Center;=
 Green Delaware; NIRS (Nuclear Information & Resource Service); Delaware =
Valley Peace Action; Salem Quaker Quarterly Meeting; SJ
> Campaign for Peace and Justice; Clean Ocean Action; Philadelphia Greens=
; EAGLE; Anne Arundel Peace Action; Pennsylvania Environmental Network; G=
EO (Glassboro Environmental Organization, Rowan College); Stockton Peace =
Action; SAVE (Stockton Action Volunteers for the Environment); Fish Unlim=
ited; Mercer Greens; Philadelphia Solar Association; SEAC-Region 13; Natu=
ral Law Party; CATA; Coalition Against Toxics; Zero Waste America; NJ Sie=
rra Club; Public Citizen; John Byrne, Director, Center for Energy & Envir=
onmental Policy, University of Delaware (for i.d. only); Committee Agains=
t Plutonium Economics; Committee for Nuclear Power Postponement; CAN; Atl=
antic City Area Quaker Meeting.

- --
Coalition for Peace and Justice and the UNPLUG Salem Campaign; 321 Barr A=
ve., Linwood, NJ 08221; 609-601-8537 or 609-601-8583 (8583: fax, answer m=
achine) UNPLUG SALEM WEBSITE:  http://members.aol.com/robvfp/page4/index.=
htm COALITION FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE WEBSITE:  http://members.bellatlantic=
=2Enet/~norco/  The Coalition for Peace and Justice is a chapter of Peace=
 Action.
UPCOMING EVENTS:  ALEC BALDWIN IS COMING TO STOCKTON 11/9, A-Wing Lecture=
 Hall AT 4:30 pm;  FORUM ON THE EFFECTS OF LOW-LEVEL RADIATION AND THE TO=
OTH FAIRT PROJECT;  Volunteers needed to staff booth at NJEA Convention 1=
1/11 & 11/12
=93We have two lives, the one we=92re given, and the other one we make=94=
 (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
=93Where do we go from here - chaos or community?=94 (Martin Luther King)=





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

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