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abolition-usa-digest      Monday, August 14 2000      Volume 01 : Number 357




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

Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 08:23:47 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Questions for congressional candidate

Hi, Thanks for doing this. Text please.

Colby Lowe

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

Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 12:03:46 -0400
From: "Howard W.Hallman" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Questions for congressional candidate

At 08:23 AM 8/14/00 EDT, you wrote:
>Hi, Thanks for doing this. Text please.
>
>Colby Lowe


Here they are.

QUESTIONS ON ISSUES OF NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT
for Candidates for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives
in Election of November 2000

Please adapt to suit your needs.

NUCLEAR ARMS REDUCTION

Although the Cold War is over, the United States and Russia maintain a
large nuclear arsenal.  Thousands of nuclear weapons are kept on
hair-trigger alert.  That means they are within moments of firing.

Do you favor action to de-alert the nuclear arsenal?

    Do you favor initiatives to achieve deep cuts in the nuclear arsenal?

    If so, as a senator/representative, what will you do to promote
de-alerting and deep cuts?

If you don't favor such initiatives, why not?

NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION

At the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),
held in May 2000, the United States joined Russia, the United Kingdom,
France, and China in making a commitment to "an unequivocal undertaking to
accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals."  The
non-nuclear nations are now waiting to see progress toward this goal.

Do you support the objective of total elimination of all nuclear weapons on
Earth?

    If so, what will you do to achieve this goal?

For instance, will you support multilateral negotiations for a nuclear
weapons convention that bans nuclear weapons and provides for their
elimination within a timebound framework with effective verification and
enforcement?

If you disagree with the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons, of what use
are nuclear weapons in your opinion?

Are you willing to see the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the entire
non-proliferation regime collapse?

NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE

Currently the concept of National Missile Defense (NMD) is being debated.
On the surface an anti-missile defense seems a worthy objective, but many
see deployment of such a system as step down the slippery slope to another
nuclear arms race.

Where do you stand on the deployment of National Missile Defense?

Are you willing to commit $60 billion for the system being developed by the
Clinton Administration and even more for the much larger system proposed by
Governor George W. Bush?  If so, what budgetary reductions or tax increases
would you propose to pay for it?

The Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty has been a cornerstone of stable
relations between Russia and the United States.  It has provided a firm
foundation for START I and START II agreements to reduce strategic nuclear
weapons.  Now there are voices in the United States urging that the ABM
treaty be weakened or even abrogated to allow for a National Missile
Defense system.

Do you favor keeping the ABM Treaty in its present form? Or would you scrap
it or modify it?  If the latter, what changes do you  favor?

COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY (for senatorial candidates)

In 1999 the U.S. Senate rejected ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty (CTBT) a measure intended to control the spread of nuclear weapons.
 Votes of senators up for re-election were as follows:
Voted against CTBT: Abraham (MI), Ashcroft (MO), Burns (MT), DeWine (OH),
Frist (TN), Gorton (WA), Grams (MN), Hatch (UT), Hutchison (TX), Kyl (AZ),
Lott (MS), Lugar (IN), Roth (DE), Santorum (PA), Snowe (ME), Thomas (WY)
Voted for CTBT: Akaka (HI), Bingaman (NM), Conrad (ND), Feinstein (CA),
Jeffords (VT), Kennedy (MA), Kohl (WI), Lieberman (CT), Robb (VA), Sarbanes
(MD)
Succeeded senator who voted for CTBT: Chafee (RI)
Voted present: Byrd (WV)
Open seats: Florida, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York

For candidates who voted against CTBT

On October 13, 1999 you voted against ratification of the Comprehensive
Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which would ban nuclear weapon testing throughout
the world.  What is your reason for this negative vote?

If you are re-elected, how will you vote when the CTBT comes up again?

If leaning toward a "no" vote, what would it take to get you to vote "yes"?


For challengers and candidates for open seats

In October 1999 the U.S. Senate refused to ratify the Comprehensive Test
Ban Treaty (CTBT), which would ban nuclear weapon testing throughout the
world.  If elected, will you vote to ratify the CTBT when it comes before
the Senate again?

For candidates who voted for the CTBT
In 1999 you voted to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).  If
re-elected, will you vote for the CTBT when it comes up again?
There are other important nuclear disarmament issues to consider, such as
de-alerting and deep cuts in strategic weapons.  If re-elected, what will
you do to promote action on these matters?

These questions were developed by members of the Interfaith Committee for
Nuclear Disarmament.  They were discussed at a meeting on June 22, 2000 and
then edited by Howard W. Hallman, chair of the committee, based upon that
discussion.
August 12, 2000

Howard W. Hallman, Chair
Methodists United for Peace with Justice
1500 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
Phone/fax: [phone]; e-mail: [e-mail]

Methodists United for Peace with Justice is a membership association of
laity and clergy.  It has no affiliation with any Methodist denomination.

- -
 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, 14 Aug 2000 12:02:54 -0400
From: "Howard W.Hallman" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Questions for congressional candidates

QUESTIONS ON ISSUES OF NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT
for Candidates for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives
in Election of November 2000

Please adapt to suit your needs.

NUCLEAR ARMS REDUCTION

Although the Cold War is over, the United States and Russia maintain a
large nuclear arsenal.  Thousands of nuclear weapons are kept on
hair-trigger alert.  That means they are within moments of firing.

Do you favor action to de-alert the nuclear arsenal?

    Do you favor initiatives to achieve deep cuts in the nuclear arsenal?

    If so, as a senator/representative, what will you do to promote
de-alerting and deep cuts?

If you don't favor such initiatives, why not?

NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION

At the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),
held in May 2000, the United States joined Russia, the United Kingdom,
France, and China in making a commitment to "an unequivocal undertaking to
accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals."  The
non-nuclear nations are now waiting to see progress toward this goal.

Do you support the objective of total elimination of all nuclear weapons on
Earth?

    If so, what will you do to achieve this goal?

For instance, will you support multilateral negotiations for a nuclear
weapons convention that bans nuclear weapons and provides for their
elimination within a timebound framework with effective verification and
enforcement?

If you disagree with the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons, of what use
are nuclear weapons in your opinion?

Are you willing to see the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the entire
non-proliferation regime collapse?

NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE

Currently the concept of National Missile Defense (NMD) is being debated.
On the surface an anti-missile defense seems a worthy objective, but many
see deployment of such a system as step down the slippery slope to another
nuclear arms race.

Where do you stand on the deployment of National Missile Defense?

Are you willing to commit $60 billion for the system being developed by the
Clinton Administration and even more for the much larger system proposed by
Governor George W. Bush?  If so, what budgetary reductions or tax increases
would you propose to pay for it?

The Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty has been a cornerstone of stable
relations between Russia and the United States.  It has provided a firm
foundation for START I and START II agreements to reduce strategic nuclear
weapons.  Now there are voices in the United States urging that the ABM
treaty be weakened or even abrogated to allow for a National Missile
Defense system.

Do you favor keeping the ABM Treaty in its present form? Or would you scrap
it or modify it?  If the latter, what changes do you  favor?

COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY (for senatorial candidates)

In 1999 the U.S. Senate rejected ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty (CTBT) a measure intended to control the spread of nuclear weapons.
 Votes of senators up for re-election were as follows:
Voted against CTBT: Abraham (MI), Ashcroft (MO), Burns (MT), DeWine (OH),
Frist (TN), Gorton (WA), Grams (MN), Hatch (UT), Hutchison (TX), Kyl (AZ),
Lott (MS), Lugar (IN), Roth (DE), Santorum (PA), Snowe (ME), Thomas (WY)
Voted for CTBT: Akaka (HI), Bingaman (NM), Conrad (ND), Feinstein (CA),
Jeffords (VT), Kennedy (MA), Kohl (WI), Lieberman (CT), Robb (VA), Sarbanes
(MD)
Succeeded senator who voted for CTBT: Chafee (RI)
Voted present: Byrd (WV)
Open seats: Florida, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York

For candidates who voted against CTBT

On October 13, 1999 you voted against ratification of the Comprehensive
Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which would ban nuclear weapon testing throughout
the world.  What is your reason for this negative vote?

If you are re-elected, how will you vote when the CTBT comes up again?

If leaning toward a "no" vote, what would it take to get you to vote "yes"?


For challengers and candidates for open seats

In October 1999 the U.S. Senate refused to ratify the Comprehensive Test
Ban Treaty (CTBT), which would ban nuclear weapon testing throughout the
world.  If elected, will you vote to ratify the CTBT when it comes before
the Senate again?

For candidates who voted for the CTBT
In 1999 you voted to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).  If
re-elected, will you vote for the CTBT when it comes up again?
There are other important nuclear disarmament issues to consider, such as
de-alerting and deep cuts in strategic weapons.  If re-elected, what will
you do to promote action on these matters?

These questions were developed by members of the Interfaith Committee for
Nuclear Disarmament.  They were discussed at a meeting on June 22, 2000 and
then edited by Howard W. Hallman, chair of the committee, based upon that
discussion.
August 12, 2000

Howard W. Hallman, Chair
Methodists United for Peace with Justice
1500 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
Phone/fax: [phone]; e-mail: [e-mail]

Methodists United for Peace with Justice is a membership association of
laity and clergy.  It has no affiliation with any Methodist denomination.

- -
 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, 14 Aug 2000 18:17:41 +0200
From: "Lau" <[e-mail]>
Subject: R: (abolition-usa) Stop Stars Wars - Join 200 organisations signed on to StarWars/NMD letter

OK , Jo.Lau
- ----- Original Message -----
From: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign <[e-mail]>
To: <[e-mail]>; <[e-mail]>;
<[e-mail]>
Sent: Monday, August 14, 2000 5:40 AM
Subject: (abolition-usa) Stop Stars Wars - Join 200 organisations signed on
to StarWars/NMD letter


> PLEASE SIGN THIS LETTER BY EMAILING FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign
> <[e-mail]> with your organisations name and location
(remember
> to state which COUNTRY you are from), and your title.
>
> Dear All who recieve this email,
>
> My apologies if you have seen this sign- on letter many times before - It
> now has just over 200 organisations signed on to it, and this is in fact
> just the third posting.  You may have recieved it more times because of
> overlapping lists.
>
> If you have already signed many thanks for your signature.
>
> If your organisation has not yet signed on to this appeal, your signature
> will make a difference and you are urged to do so.
>
>
>
> PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON,
> 1-202-456-2461, 1-202-456-2883,  1-202-456-6218, 1-202-456-6201,
>
> PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN,
> [phone], [phone], [phone],
>
> PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR, 44-171-925-0918,
>
> PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC, [phone],
>
> PRIME MINISTER LIONEL JOSPIN [phone]
>
> GERMAN PRESIDENT, JOHANNES RAU,
> [phone],
>
> CHANCELLOR GERHARD SCHROEDER,
> [phone], [phone],
>
> PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN, YOSHIRO MORI,
> [FAX NO?]
>
> JEAN CHRETIEN, PRIME MINISTER, CANADA,
> [phone],
>
> KOSTAS SIMITIS, PRIME MINISTER OF GREECE, [phone]
>
> POUL NYRUP RASMUSSEN, PRIME MINISTER OF DENMARK,  [phone]
>
> PRIME MINISTER DAVID ODDSSON, PRIME MINISTER OF ICELAND, [phone],
>
> PRIME MINISTER MASSIMO D'ALEMA, PRIME MINISTER OF ITALY,  [phone]
>
> PRIME MINISTER KJELL MAGNE BONDEVIK, PRIME MINISTER OF NORWAY,
[phone]
>
> PRIME MINISTER WILLHEM KOK, PRIME MINISTER OF THE NETHERLANDS,
> [phone],
>
> CC
> US SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT  [phone],
>
> US SECRETARY FOR DEFENCE, WILLIAM S. COHEN [phone],
>
> FOREIGN MINISTER OF RUSSIA IGOR IVANOV,
> [phone],   [phone],
>
> ROBIN COOK, UK  MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, [phone],
> [phone],
>
> HUBERT VEDRINE, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF FRANCE,  [phone],
>
> JOSCHKA FISCHER, FOREIGN MINISTER OF GERMANY [phone],
> [phone],
> [phone], [phone],
>
> YOHEI KONO, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN, [phone]
>
> LLOYD AXWORTHY, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, CANADA,  [phone],
> [phone]
>
> LOUIS MICHEL, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF BELGIUM,  [phone],
>
> THEODOROS PANGALOS, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF GREECE, [phone]
>
> George Bush Presidential Candidate, [phone].
> Al Gore, Presidential Candidate, [phone]
>
> Dear Presidents and Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers and Defence
Ministers,
>
> The undersigned NGO groups and Parliamentarians, representing  millions of
> people,  are writing:
>
> 1) To urge the US not to proceed with proposals for a National Missile
> Defence System (NMD),
>
> 2) To urge  US allies to make the strongest representations in appropriate
> forums or bilaterally, to press the US government not to proceed with the
> deployment of NMD, and to maintain the integrity of the ABM Treaty.
>
> Proceeding with National Missile Defence threatens to undermine the basis
> of existing and future offensive nuclear arms reduction measures.
>
> We note the strong statements made on NMD by the Governments of France,
> Germany and Sweden, and the expressions of concern by other US allies
> including the UK, Canada, and the European Union.
>
> At the recent NPT Review Conference, the US together with 187 other
> countries, signed a final declaration that commits it to an unequivocal
> undertaking to accomplish the total elimination of its nuclear arsenal.
> Plans to deploy a missile defence system threaten that vital goal, to
which
> the US is legally committed, together with all other NPT signatories. The
> final declaration of the NPT Review Conference expressly calls for:
> "the early implementation and entry into force of START-II and conclusion
> of START-III as soon as possible while preserving and strengthening the
> Antiballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty as a cornerstone of strategic stability
> and as a basis for further reductions of strategic offensive weapons in
> accordance with its provisions."
>
> We do not believe it is possible for this to be interpreted in a way that
> will allow the deployment of an NMD system, nor should it be so
> interpreted. We therefore  urge the US and Russia instead to proceed to
the
> negotiation of START-III at the lowest possible force levels and to the
> immediate implementation of START-II.
>
> We note that the UN Secretary-General, and representatives of Russia,
> China, the UK, France, Sweden, the European Community, the New Agenda
> Coalition and the Non-Aligned movement have expressed the view that the
ABM
> treaty is the cornerstone of global strategic stability.
>
> The recent meeting of G8 foreign ministers has also expressed strong
> concern over the possibility that the ABM treaty may be abrogated to allow
> NMD to proceed, and has stated that they are 'deeply concerned' over
> missile proliferation as a result of NMD.
>
> The Australian Senate on June 29th, passed a motion in which it called on
> the US not to proceed with the deployment of an NMD system and in which it
> called for the implementation of START-II as soon as possible, and the
> negotiation of START-III at the lowest possible force levels.
>
> We note also recent expressions of concern within the US, by
> Congresspeople, Nobel laureates, and other distinguished and influential
> people and organizations.
>
>
> America should not simply ignore the strongly repeated opinion of
> governments and NGOs of the whole world, that NMD should not proceed,  and
> that the integrity of  the ABM treaty should be maintained.
>
> Missile defence schemes respond to an exaggerated perception of the
missile
> threat from so-called 'Rogue States', (now termed 'States of Concern')
are
> not the solution to missile proliferation,  sabotage nuclear disarmament
> efforts to which the US is legally committed along with the rest of the
> world, and decrease overall US and international security.
>
> There are serious doubts  whether this system, or  whether any missile
> defence system,  can ever work.  The problems posed even by relatively
> simple decoys are probably technically insoluble. The Welch Panel, an
> independent team of scientists,  released a report outlining the
> probability of NMD systems failure due to time and schedule constraints.
>
> Instead of pursuing missile defence, it is vital that the US  focus on
> practical solutions to global  strategic security.  We therefore urge the
> US and Russia,  as the highest priority, to proceed to the elimination of
> as many warheads as possible under any START-III agreement, the removal of
> obstacles to the implementation of START-II,  and  the removal of
> strategic missile forces from high alert status as advocated by the
> Canberra Commission, subsequent UN resolutions and the final NPT
> declaration.
>
> Yours Sincerely,
> (Signed)
>
> Carah Ong, Coordinator, Abolition 2000, Santa Barbara, Calif., USA.,
> Ian Maddocks, Chair, Dr. Mary Wynne-Asford, Co-President, Dr. John Loretz,
> Program Director, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear
> War (IPPNW), BC Canada/Cambridge, USA.,
> Kate Dewes, Vice-President, International Peace Bureau (IPB), Geneva/NZ
> Bernice Boermans, Executive Director, International Association of Lawyers
> Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA), Neth.,
> Dan Plesch, Director, British-American Security Information Council
> (BASIC), Washington/London,
> Bruna Nota, International President, Womens International League for Peace
> and Freedom (WILPF), Geneva/NY.,
> Dr. John Burroughs,Executive Director, Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy
> (LCNP), NY/NZ.,
> Pol D'Huyvetter, For Mother Earth International, Ghent, Belgium,
>
> Ricardo Navarro, Chair, Friends of the Earth International (FOEI), El
> Salvador/Amsterdam,
> Ricardo Navarro, Friends of the Earth El Salvador,(CESTA) El Salvador,
> Jarna Pasaren, Friends of the Earth Finland, Turku, Finland,
> Peep Mardiste, Friends of the Earth Estonia, Tartu, Estonia,
> Victor Khazan, MP, Friends of the Earth Ukraine, Member, Ukrainian
Parliament.
> Kika Kapela, Friends of the Earth Cyprus,
> Lonnenga Ginting, Campaign Director, Friends of the Earth Indonesia
> (WALHI), Jakarta, Indonesia,
> Fahmi Rizal, WALHI-Acheh,
> Daniel Sanchez, Amigos de la Tierra Espana, Madrid, Spain,
>
> Commander Robert D. Green, RN (Retd.) Chair, World Court Project UK.,
NZ/UK.,
> Dave Knight, Chair, Rae Street, Vice-Chair, CND UK.,
> Dave Webb, Yorkshire CND, Yorks, UK.,
> Jenny Maxwell, West Midlands CND, Birmingham, UK.,
> R. Ralph Say, Woking Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), UK.,
> Jill Stallard, CND-Cymru, Wales,
> Anni Rainbow and Lindis Percy, Campaign for the Accountability of US
Bases,
> (CAAB), Yorkshire, UK.,
> Dr. Chris Busby, Low-Level Radiation Campaign, UK.,
> Liz Waterson, Gillian Reeve, Executive Director, MEDACT, UK.,
> Jane Tallents, Trident-Ploughshares, UK.
> Frank Cook MP, Vice-President, NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Vice-Chair,
> Defence and Security Committee,
> David Drew MP, Westminster.,
>
> Stephen Mc Closkey,  One World Centre, Belfast, Northern Ireland,
>
> Dr Heinz-Peter Romberg, Xanthe Hall, IPPNW-Germany, Berlin,
> Regina Hagen, Darmstadter Friedensforum, Darmstadt, Germany,
> Claus Biegert, Nuclear Free Future Award, Munich, Germany,
> Eva Quistorp, Women for Peace, Berlin, Germany,
> Manfred Stenner, Director, Network of the German Peace Movement, Bonn,
Germany,
> Wolfgang Schupp-Hauck, Friedens und Begegungsstaette Mutlangen, Mutlangen,
> Germany,
>
> Helene Connor, Director, HELIO International, Paris, France.,
> Dr Josep Puig, Chair, Dr Joaquim Corominas, Vice-Chair, Scientists and
> Technologists Group for a Non-Nuclear Future, Barcelona, Spain,
> Grupo Autonomo di Volontariato Civile in Italia (GAVCI), Bolongna, Italy,
>
> Martin Schwander, Swiss Peace Movement, Basel, Switz.,
> David Schmitter, Global Initiative for Immediate Disarmament, Switz,
>
> Malla Kantola, Secretary-General, Committee of 100 in Finland, Helsinki,
> Finland,
> Ulla Lehtinen, President,  First Peoples, Turku, Finland.,
> Kirsten Osen, Vice-Chair, Anne Grieg MD, IPPNW Norway, Horten, Norway.,
>
> Jorma Kahanpaa, Swedish Anti-Nuclear Movement,
> Agneta Norberg, Women for Peace, Sweden,
> Agneta Norberg, 'Living Future', Sweden,
> Agneta Norberg, Swedish Peace Committee,Sweden,
> Agneta Norberg, Swedish Womens Left Association,Sweden,
> Agneta Norberg, Peace in Kurdistan,Sweden,
> Agneta Norberg, Peace in Iraq,Sweden,
> Poul-Eck Sorensen, Peace Movement of Esbjerg, Denmark.,
>
> Karel Koster, Project on European Nuclear Nonproliferation (PENN
> -Netherlands), Neth.,
> Hans Lammerant, Forum Voor Vredesaktie, Antwerp, Belgium,
> Eloi Glorieux, MP, Flemish Regional Parliament, Belgium,
>
> Biljana Stevanovska, Association for Sustainable Development, Skopje,
> Macedonia,
>
> Vladimir Sliviak, 'ECODEFENSE', Russia,
> Alisa Nikoulina, Social-Ecological Union Antinuclear Campaign, Moscow,
> Galina Ragouzhina, World Information Service on Energy(WISE) Russia,
> Alexandra Koroleva, Baltic Research and Action Centre, Kaliningrad,
> Professor A.V. Yablokov, President, Centre for Russian Environmental
> Policy, Moscow, Russia,
> Andrei Laletin, Chair, Friends of the Siberian Forests, Russia,
> Nikolai Zubov, CEO, Krasnoyarsk Social-Ecological Union, Russia,
>
> Alla Shevchuck, Chairwoman, Odessa Branch Social-Ecological Union, Odessa,
> Ukraine,
>
> Paul Saoke, IPPNW, Kenya,
> Bahig Nassar, Coordinator, Arab Coordination Centre of NGO's, Egypt,
> Boaz Fyler, Campaign Director, Green Action, Tel Aviv, Israel,
> Roy Cabonegro, Secy-General, YSDA Phillipines,
> Jean P. Patterson, Heredia Disarmament Committee, San Jose, Costa-Rica.,
> Luis Guttierez Esparza, President, Latin American Circle for International
> Studies, Mexico City, Mexico,
> Grace De Haro, Suzanne Schultz, Lihue Association, Patagonia, Argentina,
>
> Alfred Felix Perez Aruaza, Environmental Strategic Research Council,
Uruguay,
> Alfredo Felix Perez Aruaza, Instituto de Estudios Estrategicos No Alineado
> para la Paz Mundial, Uruguay,
> Eusebio Garcia Varela, Mesa Ambientista de San Jose de Mayo, Uruguay,
> Blanca Nivia Peirano, Corporacion Nacional de Ecologia y Turismo del
Uruguay,
> Gonzalo Ciganda, Instituto Naval de Arqueologica Subaciutica e
> Investigaciones Marinas del Uruguay,
> Psilink Uruguay,
> Mesa Social Coordinadora de NGO Independientes del Uruguay,
> Geovision Tercer Milenio,
> Grupo de Derechos Civiles del Uruguay,
> Comision Nacional de Solidaridad Uruguayo-Argentino,
> Felix Perez  Aruaza, South American Peace Committee, Uruguay,
>
> S. P. Udayakumar, South Asian Community Centre for Education and Research,
> Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India,
> Dr Kamrul, Bangladesh Medical Association, Dhaka, Bangladesh,
> Dr. Ronald Mc Coy, Chair, Malaysian Physicians Against Nuclear War
(IPPNW),
> Petaling Jaya, Malaysia,
>
> Siti Maimunah, Kappala Indonesia, East Java, Indonesia.,
> Syafryzaldi, Walhi Sumbar, Padang, Indonesia.,
> Rally Syumanda, deputy Director, ULAYAT, Bengkulu, Indonesia.,
> Tanty Thamrin, Yayasan Pendidikan Rakyat Bulukumbu, Sulawesi, Indonesia,
> Berry Nahdian Forquian, Executive Director, Yayasan Cakrawala Hijau
> Indonesia, Kalimantan, Indonesia.
>
> Youk Kyung Sook, Coordinator, Green Korea United, Seoul, S. Korea,
> Chauyen Lai Shrestha, President, Youth Alliance for Development,
> Kathmandhu, Nepal,
>
> Niel Arya, President, Physicians for Global Survival,(PGS) Canada.,
> Joyce Lydiard, WILPF-British Columbia, Canada.,
> Gordon Edwards, President, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear
> Responsibility,(CCNR), Canada,
> Dr. Rosalie Bertell, International Institute of Concern for Public
> Health,(IICPH) Toronto, Canada.,
> David Morgan, President, Veterans Against Nuclear Arms, Canada.,
> Dr. Joan Russow, National Leader,  Green Party of Canada, Victoria, BC.,
> Dave Greenfield, Green Party of Canada, Saskatoon Chapter,
> Dr. Desmond Berghofer, Institute for Ethical Leadership, Vancouver,
> Linda Murphy, Inter-Church Uranium Committee, Sask, Canada,
> Niel Sinclair, New Green Alliance, Sask, Canada,
> Tryna Booth, Canadian Peace Alliance, Toronto, Canada,
> Dr. Jennifer Allen Simons, President, Dr. Penelope Simons, Vice-President,
> The Simons Foundation, Vancouver, BC, Canada,
>
> Rear-Admiral Eugene J. Carroll Jr, US Navy (Retd), Vice-President, Centre
> for Defence Information,(CDI) Washington, USA.,
> Barbara Hatch Rosenberg, Program Director, Federation of American
> Scientists, (FAS), NY,
> Sally Light, Nuclear Weapons Program Analyst, Tri-Valley CARES, Livermore,
> Calif., USA.,
> Alice Slater, President, Global Resource Action Centre for the Environment
> (GRACE) NY, USA,
> Michael Marriott, Director, Nuclear Information and Resource Service
> (NIRS), Washington, USA.,
> Bill Smirnow, Nuclear-Free New York, NY, USA.,
> Ellen Thomas, Executive Director, Proposition One Committee, Washington
> DC., USA.,
> Martin Butcher, Director of Security Programs, Physicians for Social
> Responsibility (PSR), Washington DC, USA.,
> Bruce Gagnon, Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space,
> Gainesville, Florida.,
> Randall Forsberg, Director, Institute for Defence and Disarmament Studies,
> Cambridge, Mass,
> Michael D. Intriligator, Vice-Chair, Economists Allied for Arms Reduction
> (ECAAR), UCLA, USA.,
> Jennifer Olaranna Viereck, Director, HOME, Tecopa, Calif..,
> Bob Kinsey, Peace and Justice Task Force, Rocky Mountains Conference,
> United Church of Christ, Colorado, USA.,
> Rev H.J. Grapes, Sanctuary of Light Healing and Spiritual Centre, NY.,
USA.,
> Don Reeves, General Secretary, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC),
> Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,
> Ruah Swennenfeldt/Stan Becker Clerk, Friends Committee on Unity with
> Nature, Burlington Vermont USA.,
> Rev. William J. Morton SSC, Coordinator, Columban Mission Office, El Paso,
> Texas, USA.,
> Lori Redhair-Martin, Planetary Transformations, Grover Beach, CA, USA.,
> Ross Mc Cluney PhD, Principal Research Scientist, Florida Solar Energy
> Centre, Florida,(pers. capy)
> Mark Colby, Office Manager, Solar Energy International, Colo, USA.,
> John Reese, Community Action Network, Seattle, Wash, USA.,
> Terry Gips, President, Alliance for Sustainability, Minneapolis, Mn,USA.,
> John M. Laforge, 'Nukewatch', Wisconsin, USA.,
> Paige Knight, Hanford Watch, Portland, Ore, USA.,
> Barbara Weidener, Grandmothers for Peace International, Calif..,
> Alan Moore, Peace and Justice Commission, City of Berkley,
> Alan Moore, Patch Adams Peace and Justice Centre,
> Alan Moore, Butterfly Gardeners Association,
> Anthony Guarisco, Alliance of Atomic Veterans, USA.,
> Phyllis S. Yingling, Chair, Kay Camp, Former Chair, Womens International
> League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) USA.,
> Yoshiko Ikuta President, Women Speak out for Peace and
> Justice,(WILPF-Cleveland), Cleveland Ohio,
> Margo Schepart, Coordinator, NO ESCAPE, NY, USA.,
> Lynn Sims, Don't Waste Oregon, Portland, Ore, USA.,
> Deb Katz, Citizens Awareness Network, Shelburne, Mass, USA.,
> Sherry Larsen-Beville, Livermore Conversion Project, Livermore, USA.,
> Mary Byrd-Davis, Yggdrassil Institute, Georgetown, KY, USA.,
> Paul Williams, Green Party of New Jersey, Atlantic City, NJ.,
> Samara Dun, Just Act: Youth Action for Global Justice, San Francisco,
> Calif., USA.,
> Corrinne Carey, Don't Waste Michigan, Grand Rapids, Mich, USA.,
> Michael J. Keegan, Coalition for a Nuclear-Free Great Lakes, Monroe,
Mich.,
> Keith Gunter, Citizens Resistance at Fermi-Two, Monroe, Michigan,
> John M. Laforge, Nukewatch, Wisconsin, USA.,
> Mary-Anne Zepettello, Peace Action Central New York.,
> Susan Shaer, Womens Action for New Directions, (WAND), Arlington, MA,
USA.,
> Lt-Col WC Holmberg (Retd), President, Global Biorefineries, Wash, DC.,
> Tracy Moavero, Peace Action Education Fund, USA.,
> Dr. Kathleen Sullivan, Project EDNA, Brooklyn, NY., USA.,
> Corbin Harney, Shundahai Network, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.,
> Richard L. Salvador, Pacific Island Association of NGOs, Honululu, Hawaii,
> USA.,
>
> Marion Hancock, Coordinator, Peace Foundation, Aotearoa/NZ., Auckland, NZ,
> Kate Dewes, Disarmament and Security Centre, (DSC), Christchurch, NZ.,
> Dr. R. E. White, Deputy Director, Centre for Peace Studies, University of
> Auckland, NZ.,
> Jim Holdom, CORSO, Hamilton, NZ.,
> Leona Fay, Womens International League for Peace (WILPF), Christchurch,
NZ,
> Carol-Anne Bradford, Coalition for Gun Control, Auckland, NZ.,
> Richard Frizzell, Nelson Peace Group, Nelson, Aotearoa/NZ.,
> Gerry Coates, Founder, Engineers for Social Responsibility, Wellington,
NZ.,
> Larry Ross, New Zealand Nuclear-Free Peacemaking Association,
Christchurch,
> NZ.,
> Ian Shearer, Sustainable Energy Forum, Wellington, New Zealand,
> Stewart Sontier, FAIR-NZ, Auckland, NZ.,
> Kieth Locke, MP, Greens, Aotearoa/NZ
>
> Dr. Carmen Lawrence MP, (ALP) Federal Member for Fremantle, W.A.,
> Anthony Albanese MP, (ALP) Federal Member for Grayndler, NSW.,
> Tanya Plibersek, ALP Federal Member for Sydney, NSW.,
> Allan Morris MP, ALP Federal Member for Newcastle, NSW.,
> Daryl Melham MP, ALP Federal Member for Banks, NSW.,
> Kelly Hoare MP, (ALP) Federal Member for Charlton, NSW,
> Jan Mc Farlane, (ALP) Federal Member for Stirling, W.A.,
> Colin Hollis, (ALP) Federal Member for Throsby, NSW.,
> Senator Vicky Bourne, Foreign Affairs Spokesperson for the Democrats,
> Democrat Senator for NSW.,
> Senator George Campbell, ALP Senator for NSW,
> Senator Chris Schacht, ALP Senator for SA.,
> Senator Brian Grieg, Democrat Senator for W.A.,
> Cheryl Davenport, MLC, Member for South Metropolitan, W.A.,
> Norm Kelly MLC, Member for North Metropolitan, W.A.,
> Lee Rhiannon MLC (Greens) NSW.,
> Richard Jones MLC, (Ind) NSW.,
> Kerrie Tucker MLA, Greens Member for Molonglo ACT,
> Don Nardella MLA, ALP Member for Melton, Vic.,
> Gis Watson MLC, Member for North Metropolitan, W.A.,
> Gareth Smith, Nuclear Disarmament Party, Vic.,
> Dr. Susan Wareham, Medical Association for the Prevention of War (MAPW)
> Canberra,
> Irene Gale AM, Australian Peace Committee, Adelaide, SA,
> Babs Fuller-Quinn, Australian Peace Committee Sydney,
> Jack Forward, Central Coast Peace Forum,
> Doreen Burrows, South Coast Peace Committee,
> George Gotsis, Greek Peace Committee, (Sydney)
> Brian Miller, Hiroshima Day Committee Sydney
> Jo Vallentine, People For Nuclear Disarmament (PND) W.A.,
> Scientists and Technologists Against Nuclear Dumping (STAND) W.A.,
> Robin Chapple, Anti-Nuclear Alliance of W.A.,
> Hannah Middleton, Anti-Bases Campaign,
> Denis Doherty, Pax Christi NSW
> Reverend Professor James Haire, President, Uniting Church in Australia,
> Rev. Greg Thompson, St Johns Anglican Church Darlinghurst, NSW.,
> Pauline Mitchell, Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament,
> (CICD) Melb, Vic.,
> Jacob Grech, Earthworker, Trades Hall, Melb.,
> Cherie Hoyle, Urban Ecology Australia,
> Kirsten Blair, Coordinator, Environment Centre of the Northern Territory
> (ECNT), Darwin, NT,
> Rowena Skinner, Environment Centre of W.A.(ECWA), Perth, W.A.,
> Glenn Marshall, Arid Lands Environment Centre (ALEC), Alice Springs, NT.,
> Dave Sweeney, Nuclear Campaigner, Australian Conservation Foundation
(ACF),
> Melb.,
> Alec Marr, Campaign Director, The Wilderness Society,(TWS), Canberra,
> Margaret Reynolds, United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA),
> John Hallam, Nuclear Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Australia Sydney,
> Australia,
> Dr. Joachim Lau , Italian Lawyers Agains Nuclear Arms, IALANA-Italy ,
Florence .


> John Hallam
> Friends of the Earth Sydney,
> 17 Lord Street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, 2042
> Fax [phone]  ph (61)(2)9517-3903
> [e-mail]
> http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd
>
>
>
> -
>  To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to
"[e-mail]"
>  with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
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------------------------------

Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 13:48:40 -0400
From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Natl Academy of Sciences Rpt on Nuclear Waste

Dear Friends,
Listed below is a letter to the editor I wrote about the National Academy of
Sciences report on the clean-up of the nuclear complex,(which they said they
would publish a shortened version) as well as a story below that on the report
by Matthew Wald.  I think we all need to weigh on the disgraceful mess and the
lack of political will, resources, etc. to rid us of this nuclear scourge.
Alice Slater

                                                  August 8, 2000

Editor
New York Times
BY FAX: [phone]


The conclusion of the National Academy of Sciences, (öNuclear Sites May Be
Toxic in Perpetuityö, 8-8-00) that 109 of the 144 contaminated nuclear weapons
sites across our land can not be adequately cleaned up because of
ôinsufficient
money, technical skill or political will to do the jobö,  is a reflection of
the skewed priorities of our nationÆs leadership. This year, Congress has
approved the PresidentÆs request for $4.6 billion to the Department of
EnergyÆs
weapons labs which will fund the design of new nuclear weapons, and both major
Presidential candidates propose a program which will cost at least $60 billion
to revive ReaganÆs ill-conceived Star Wars.

Our Doctor Strangeloves continue to create new sources of toxic waste with
sub-critical underground tests of plutonium mixed with high explosives at the
Nevada test site and plans to fabricate 6,000 toxic new plutonium pits for
nuclear bombs at Los Alamos.  Tens of thousands of IQ points are devoted to
these provocative programs which threaten to start a new arms race with Russia
and China and encourage nuclear proliferation in other countries.  Yet, the
scientists donÆt seem to have a clue about how to protect our earthÆs future
from the lethal residue of their careless weapons work.

We can only hope that the AcademyÆs recommendation to establish a long-term
program that ôactively seeks out and applies new knowledgeö will be heeded.
 It
has been estimated that the US spent $5.5 trillion on its nuclear weapons
program which left us in the mess we are today.  Just as we had a Manhattan
project to build the bomb, we need, perhaps,  a ôBronxö project to clean up
the
toxic legacy of the nuclear age which will devote the intelligence,
willingness, and resources commensurate with those that were used to cause the
disgraceful state we find ourselves in today.

Alice Slater
President



The New York Times National Report

August 8, 2000, Tuesday
National Desk
Nuclear Sites May Be Toxic In Perpetuity, Report Finds
By Matthew L. Wald
Most of the sites where the federal government built nuclear bombs will
never be
cleaned up enough to allow public access to the land, and the plan for
guarding
sites that are permanently contaminated is inadequate, the National
Academy of
Sciences said today in a report.
''At many sites, radiological and nonradiological hazardous wastes will
remain,
posing risks to humans and the environment for tens or even hundreds of
thousands of years,'' the report said. ''Complete elimination of
unacceptable
risks to humans and the environment will not be achieved, now or in the
foreseeable future.''



The idea that the production of nuclear weapons has produced ''national
sacrifice zones,'' land that the public can never use again, is not new.
The
term became common in environmental circles in the late 1980's, when the
United
States began recognizing the environmental legacy of the Manhattan Project,
the
effort during World War II to develop atomic weapons, and the cold war.
But the report, commissioned by the Department of Energy, goes a step
further.
It says that the government can try to declare certain areas permanently
off-limits, but that it lacks the technology, money and management
techniques
to prevent the contamination from spreading.
In addition, some of the contaminants have already ''migrated'' outside
plant
boundaries and others will follow, the report said.
Thomas M. Leschine, the chairman of the committee that wrote the report,
said
managers could use barbed wire and guards at the sites.
But Dr. Leschine, an associate professor in the School of Marine Affairs at
the
University of Washington, added: ''There's no assurance that we can
maintain
any of that control. It's one thing to put a fence up around something, but
it's really something else to maintain it in perpetuity.''
Controls on the use of some of the land are already breaking down, the
report
said. For example, in the early 1990's, the Department of Energy sold land
near
its Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee for use as a golf course,
stipulating
that the groundwater was contaminated and was not to be used. ''Within a
few
years, however, D.O.E. discovered that a well was being drilled to irrigate
the
golf course,'' the report said.
Dr. Leschine said the committee had found another case in which the
Department
of Energy had posted ''no fishing'' signs at a creek near Oak Ridge
because of
radiation contamination in the water.
''The signs all got stolen, because the local high school kids thought they
were nice things to have,'' he said. ''Then there were months of protracted
battles between the local authorities and the Department of Energy, over
whose
responsibility it was to replace the signs.''
At the Department of Energy, Gerald G. Boyd, the deputy assistant secretary
for
science and technology, said his agency established a long-term stewardship
office a year ago to cope with the problem, with about a dozen people
working
with engineers and planners at the various sites. The office was
established
soon after the department requested the study from the National Academy of
Sciences, Mr. Boyd said.
The department has accelerated its clean-up efforts, reduce the costs
involved
and minimize risks to surrounding communities, but a perfect cleanup is not
possible, he said.
As an example of the breakdown of control, Dr. Leschine cited the fire that
endangered the Los Alamos National Laboratory, in New Mexico, in May. The
fire
set the stage for mud slides in the coming rainy season that could
contaminate
the Rio Grande with radioactive and chemical toxins from the laboratory.
But the cause of the blaze was not natural or malicious; the fire was set
by
another government agency as part of its land-management efforts.
The report said that no plan written now to minimize the spread of
uncontained
wastes would suffice over the tens, hundreds or even thousands of years
that
some of the contaminants would remain dangerous.
It urged the department to assume that engineered barriers like concrete
and
steel would eventually fail, and that most of what was known about the
behavior
of contaminants in air, soil or water might ''eventually be proven wrong.''
The
department needs a long-term program that ''actively seeks out and applies
new
knowledge,'' the report said.
The report identified 144 sites where the department and its predecessors,
notably the Atomic Energy Commission, processed nuclear materials, and it
said
that 109 would not be cleaned up enough for unrestricted release, because
of
insufficient money, technical skill or political will to do the job.



Organizations mentioned in this article:
National Academy of Sciences; Energy Department
Related Terms:
Atomic Weapons; Hazardous and Toxic Substances; Nuclear Wastes

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]
http://www.gracelinks.org
GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network for the elimination
nuclear weapons.

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

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