From: Timothy Bruening Subject: (abolition-usa) NATO Drops Uranium, On Serbs And Albanians Date: 02 May 1999 19:54:37 -0700 (PDT) I am trying to write a letter about the use by NATO of bombs containing Depleted Uranium (DU) on Yugoslavia. I would entitled it "NATO Drops Uranium, On Serbs And Albanians". Please send me information and a sample letter about the use of DU on Yugoslavia. Is DU being used on Yugoslavia? If so, what newspaper stories and other sources can I site about the use of DU on Yugoslavia? What media reports have there been on this subject? - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Really Crucial / Yevtushenko/Yugoslavia ( Date: 03 May 1999 03:26:42 EDT For those who missed it, this column is, in my view, one of the best statement of the human - and political side - of this struggle and this tragedy. I am grateful to the CoC net for putting it out on their list. I really do urge people to read it through. Peace, David McReynolds #1 New York Times May 1, 1999 [for personal use only] History Returns to the Scene of Its Crime By YEVGENY YEVTUSHENKO Yevgeny Yevtushenko, a poet, is a professor of literature at Queens College and a former member of the Soviet Parliament. This was translated by Albert C. Todd. Not long ago I received a letter from Israel from the parents of a boy they had named Babi Yar. Through their son's name the parents wanted people to remember what happened at that ravine near the city of Kiev in 1941. But today, from the photograph of their son, two dark eyes stared out at me like the smoking coals on television from Kosovo and Belgrade. Like Raskolnikov, history returns to the scene of its crime -- to the Balkans, where World War I began with a shot fired at Archduke Ferdinand. Today, it seems to me that this Israeli boy has either an Albanian or a Serbian face. Selective solidarity -- Western or Russian -- is blind. I can hardly believe my eyes when I see some of Russia's most demagogic politicians express their knee-jerk one-sided solidarity. How can one trust their sincerity when they pound their fists on behalf of Serbia, yet show no solidarity whatsoever with Albanian refugees, nor even their own people -- war veterans with their hands out huddled in underground passageways, teachers and doctors who haven't been paid for half a year, miners crashing their helmets on the pavement without a response. Still, for many Russians, beyond the two peoples' similar languages and Orthodox religion, and beyond the many Serbian-Russian mixed marriages, true solidarity with the people of Serbia runs deep. During World War II, the feats of Yugoslav partisans in their struggle against Fascism inspired not only our soldiers but also our poets -- a whole anthology of Russian poetry about Yugoslavia could easily be compiled. Recently, when I heard a NATO spokesman placidly and icily name the city of Kragujevac as a target, I shuddered because this city was a symbol of the Yugoslav nation's heroic confrontation with Hitler's occupation. Yugoslavia was equally heroic in its opposition to Stalin's regime, but that resistance was never transformed into hatred toward Russians. In the late 1940's, Soviet propaganda branded Yugoslavia a traitor. But this slur never took root with the Russian people. In 1948, my father took me to the Moscow Circus, where a clown had an enormous dog wearing a Yugoslav Marshal's cap, a bundle of gigantic fake state dollars stuck in his teeth. "Hey, Tito, you mongrel, let go of them!" the clown screamed, laughing shrilly at his vulgar joke. But the audience kept deadly silent -- the Russian people's respect for their Yugoslav comrades in arms in the struggle against Fascism was too great to laugh at. "How disgusting -- let's get out of here," my father said loudly as he got up. And suddenly, from every seat, fathers and mothers got up and led their children out. In the 1950's, the writer Orest Maltsev received the Stalin Prize for his novel "The Yugoslav Tragedy," which lampooned the partisan movement in Yugoslavia. When Stalin died and Khrushchev made peace with Tito, naturally the reprinting of "The Yugoslav Tragedy" ceased. Maltsev became impoverished. In the store where he went from time to time for a bottle of the cheapest vodka and canned sardines, people would point fingers at him and say, "God punished him for Yugoslavia." For a long time Yugoslavia was the most prosperous and independent socialist country -- or at least that's how it appeared to us in Russia. Only later, after Tito's death and the collapse of the Yugoslav federation, which turned out to have been held together only by his "anti-Stalin Stalinist will," did we begin to understand that not everything was so pure and just in the land of our Yugoslav brothers in arms. Have today's NATO countries, which, like Russia, fought Fascism alongside the Yugoslavs, forgotten our common wartime struggle? If they have, they can rest assured that Russians have not. No sooner had the NATO bombs begun to fall on Yugoslavia than the skeleton of the old war was awakened by the explosions. This was a remarkable gift to our cheap showman-nationalist, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and other "professional patriots," who rushed to use the ribs of the skeleton like a war drummer's sticks. The West should not be surprised when ideas like the science fantasy of a union among Russia, Belarus and Serbia take hold. It seems to me that the leaders of the NATO countries, in deciding to bomb Serbs in order to save Albanians, have inexcusably not thought through many of the realities of the Yugoslav situation. One such reality is that even if NATO troops succeed in kicking out Slobodan Milosevic's Government and installing a more obedient one in its place, the result might be an exhausting, partisan war, the traditions of which the Yugoslavs have preserved since at least World War II. The shame of the Balkan situation lies with some political cynics, Russian, Western and Yugoslav, who play the Kosovo card, not on behalf of the Serbian or Albanian people but only for their own prestige, preservation of power or demonstration of hegemony. Take note that with rare exception many have a pro-Serbian or pro-Albanian position. But in my opinion the only correct position is simultaneously pro-Serbian and pro-Albanian; that is, pro-human. We must not confuse people with extremists. During the conflict in Bosnia one charming Serbian woman, who teaches philosophy at an American college, ceased being intelligent in my eyes as soon as she began to speak about Bosnians: "These dirty Bosnians are all wild animals. . . . They must all be destroyed." Wolf fangs seemed to show from her beautiful lips. But within a month I talked with a Bosnian graduate student at another university and wolf fangs appeared when she began speaking about Serbs. Do not demonize any nation because someone may begin to demonize your own. So be more cautious with the Balkans. The endless procession of completely innocent Albanian refugees moving across the television screen appeals to the mercy of humanity. But the burning houses of completely innocent Serbs appeal to it also. It is tragic that Russia and America watch two completely different wars on television, although it is one and the same war. In the American television version the Serbs are simply guilty of everything, and in the Russian version the Americans are. Years ago, when Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn spoke out against the Soviet authorities, his every half word was printed in the first columns of American newspapers. But now no one in the United States is rushing to print his words about the bombing in Yugoslavia: "A beautiful European country is being destroyed, and civilized governments brutally applaud. But desperate people, abandoning their bomb shelters, come out to the destruction like a living chain for the salvation of the Danube bridges. Isn't that a classic Greek tragedy?" But the truth is summed up not only in this, but also in a barely alive old Albanian woman being pulled over the snow in a plastic garbage bag just to drag her out of the Kosovo hell into Montenegro, and in the old Serbian woman who stands at night on a bridge with a target on her sunken chest inviting bombs from the sky, and in the three American military prisoners with their quite little-boy faces beaten and bloody. Be more careful with the Balkans! >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Washington Post: Why Russians Say Nyet Date: 03 May 1999 21:27:59 EDT In a message dated 5/3/99 4:35:26 AM Eastern Daylight Time,=20 jim_forest@compuserve.com writes: <<=20 1999.05.02 Washington Post =20 The Talk of Moscow: Why They Say Nyet =20 By Roy A. Medvedev =20 Sunday, May 2, 1999; Page B01 =20 MOSCOW-No single event in the past 50 years has provoked such elemental and fierce emotions in Russia as NATO's bombing of Serbia. Polls here show that 95 percent of Russian citizens condemn the Western alliance's actions in the Balkans. Last weekend's NATO summit, at which leaders spoke of their intent to embrace military missions beyond its members borders, received a uniformly negative response: Was NATO suggesting it might intervene in Georgia, Chechnya or other hot spots in the former Soviet Union? =20 The national indignation here is so strong that it is becoming an important factor in Russia's foreign and domestic policy and may even influence the outcome of the conflict. University students and schoolchildren, members of football clubs and sports associations are drawn into daily protests. People who used to be apolitical now participate in demonstrations and, until the Russian government prevented it, threw eggs and bottles at the U.S. Embassy. =20 Hundreds of Russian volunteers are already in Serbia; thousands are en route; and several thousand more are prepared to follow them. Not only former paratroopers and officers, but also generals and commanders of military districts say they are prepared to defend Serbia. Col. Gen. Viktor Chechevatov, commander of Russia's largest military district, recently announced that he is ready to lead the expeditionary corps to Serbia if necessary. What has produced this elemental howl of rage, supported both by opposition and pro-Western politicians? =20 Nobody here believes talk about the determination to prevent a "humanitarian catastrophe." The bombs and missiles have=20 simply hastened and deepened the humanitarian tragedy and strengthened doubts about the advantages of Western civilization. If Western civilization proves itself by such methods, what can the Arab world, Africa, China or India think of it? =20 What is clear to political scientists, commentators and analysts alike is that the long history of religious and ethnic conflict between Orthodox Serbs and Albanian Muslims in Kosovo will not be resolved by bombs falling on Belgrade, Pristina or the bridges over the Danube. Some analysts here have tried to explain the conflict by arguing that the United States and NATO want to try out their new, precise weaponry under military conditions. Other more serious theories assert that NATO, having lost its purpose after the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union disintegrated, is simply looking for new ways to justify its existence. Geopoliticians argue that the war in the Balkans is=20 intended to show the world that only one military superpower--the United States--remains. =20 These and other theories circulate among politicians, diplomats,=20 military strategists and analytical observers. But none of them=20 suffices to explain the angry response of ordinary Russians. Their violent reaction stems not from political logic but from human feelings. The reasons for their indignation are various, and I will list only those that seem to me to be most important, taking account of the Russian national consciousness and psychology, our historical traditions, and our understanding of justice, honor and dishonor. =20 * The strong strike the weak. Many strike one. Nineteen powerful countries--of which three, the United States, Great Britain and France, are great military powers--are striking targets in Serbia and even in Montenegro, which is not in conflict with anyone. This spectacle reaches us here by television and radio and in newspapers, and it is unacceptable to the Russian understanding of justice. The participation of Turkey and Germany--whose historic guilt before the Serbian people, not only in this century but before, is far from forgotten--adds to the anger. =20 * The armed strike the unarmed. Without modern aviation or new forms of antiaircraft weapons, the Serbs are practically defenseless against NATO's missiles and bombs. NATO pilots and sailors risk little; they are beyond danger; they go unpunished. There are hundreds of dead and wounded on the Serbian side; Serbia's industry is destroyed. But there is not a single dead or wounded NATO soldier. From the point of view of Russian people, this unequal conflict isn't even a war, it's a massacre. =20 * A Slav, Orthodox country is being destroyed. It was Russia that helped Serbia attain its independence from the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. In all the European wars of the past 300 years, Serbia has been Russia's ally. It was because of Serbia that Russia went to war against Austria-Hungary in 1914. Serbia has never opposed Russia, and it remains our ally outside the former Soviet Union. All Russians know this from their history lessons at school. =20 * Serbia is being beaten to humiliate and teach Russia a lesson. There is a strong conviction among Russians that the senseless destruction of Dresden by the Western allies in 1945 and the use of atomic bombs against Japan later that year were demonstrations of strength to Moscow above all. The campaign against Serbia is often seen from the same point of view. Russia only began to rise from its knees in the autumn of 1998 with the appointment of Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, and to rid itself of worthless, alien politicians who were oriented to the West. Many Russians believe that the destruction of Serbia was conceived as a demonstration of the West's strength and=20 invincibility. It was intended to break Russia's will, to put a stop to the integration process of Slav peoples. These ideas and feelings are particularly strong in the Russian army, in the defense industries and among veterans. But they are being adopted by the entire population. =20 * The West deceived and robbed Russia. Our people were told over and over again about the benefits of democracy and the market economy that the rich Western countries would help Russia construct. That illusion has long since disappeared. In the minds of the impoverished, there is a conviction that the West not only deceived us, but that it robbed Russia, trying to turn it into a source of raw materials. New wealthy Russians, stock market gamblers and financial speculators carried billions of dollars away to the West. Life in Russia became worse, and the country's debts to the West grew several times over. Russia was being squeezed not only out of international politics but also out of the international economy. =20 These arguments, popular among our people, are controversial. But they are worth considering. Although Russia is weakened, it is still strong both as a nation and as a state. Its army may not have enough food to feed its soldiers, but it has great traditions and is armed with modern weapons. Russia's military-industrial potential is still very great. If NATO ground forces and Serbia's neighboring countries are drawn into the war, Russia will certainly break the U.N. embargo against supplying arms to the Balkans. A real union between Serbia, Belarus and Russia is not utopian thinking. =20 Russian citizens are not impressed by NATO talk about the despotism of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Russia lived for centuries under conditions of despotism and political terror. Compared with our dictators, Milosevic seems a pragmatist. He was elected by the Serbian people; Serbia has a multiparty system and practically no political prisoners. =20 No one in Russia defends ethnic cleansing, but it is obvious to all here that external aggression can only make the situation worse. In Russia itself, there are about 3 million refugees who have fled from the ethnic conflicts in Central Asia, Moldova, the Caucasus and Abkhazia. There are 1 million displaced people in Azerbaijan, 500,000 in Armenia, 300,000 in Georgia. But no one thinks that bombs are the best means of returning lost land to these people. =20 In order for NATO to win a war, it will be necessary to smash the will not only of the Serb leaders but of the whole people. Serbia has lived in bondage for longer than it has been free. This small nation in the Balkans cannot be defeated. It can only be destroyed. If NATO does not intend to destroy Serbia, it would be better to stop now, and prevent a more serious war. =20 Roy Medvedev, a Russian historian living in Moscow, is the author of "Let History Judge" (Columbia University Press) and "Khrushchev: The Years in Power" (Norton). This article was translated by Margo Light. =20 =A9 Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company =20 =20 - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jackie Cabasso Subject: (abolition-usa) DANGER: US-led NATO bombing pushes Russia back into Cold War Date: 03 May 1999 18:46:52 -0700 Kremlin to Bolster Nuclear Stockpile NATO's Airstrikes Are Making Russia Worried, Sources Say David Hoffman Washington Post Foreign Service Friday, April 30, 1999; Page A19 MOSCOW, April 29 -- In a rare meeting of the Kremlin Security Council devoted to nuclear weapons policy, President Boris Yeltsin approved a new blueprint today for beefing up thousands of shortrange or tactical nuclear weapons that were taken out of service unilaterally earlier in the decade, officials said. The decision was announced by the Security Council secretary, Vladimir Putin, who said it had nothing to do with the conflict over Kosovo. But other sources said the decision clearly reflected Russia's growing anxiety about the NATO airstrikes against Yugoslavia and its continuing weakness in conventional, or nonnuclear, weapons. A second document approved today dealt with the entire Russian nuclear weapons complex, Putin said. A third document was described as top secret. Putin also said that Russian weapons designers feel cramped by the long period in which they have been unable to test nuclear weapons, while other countries use sophisticated computer modeling. Putin said a way had to be found for Russia to evaluate its nuclear stockpile without violating the international agreements banning actual tests. Details of the decision on tactical nuclear weapons were not disclosed, but Putin said Yeltsin had endorsed "a blueprint for the development and use of nonstrategic nuclear weapons." The precise actions were not specified, but some experts and Russian news reports said modernization or rebuilding tactical nuclear weapons was possible. This category of weapons generally includes nuclear shortrange missiles, bombs, artillery shells and submarinebased tactical nuclear weapons. In 1991, Presidents George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev, in backtoback unilateral announcements after the August putsch here, withdrew large numbers of these tactical nuclear weapons. However, unlike the continentspanning longrange weapons, which are covered by treaties, there was never a formal agreement governing the pullback of tactical nuclear weapons. Russian specialists have been speculating in recent weeks about the possibility of reactivating and modernizing some tactical nuclear weapons in the wake of the Kosovo conflict, and even moving them into neighboring Belarus. However, experts said Yeltsin's latest action could be a prelude to scrapping the BushGorbachev agreement if the war drags on. "The first victim of this bloody crisis will be the BushGorbachev tactical nuclear agreement," said Sergei Rogov, director of the Institute for the Study of the United States and Canada here. It is not clear that Russia has the wherewithal to rebuild or modernize its tactical nuclear weapons, but the mere threat of doing so may be part of the goal of making NATO think twice about the Kosovo conflict. Russia's conventional forces are a shambles, and in recent years its military and security doctrines have emphasized the nuclear deterrent. The strategic nuclear weapons and delivery vehicles also have been going through a sharp decline, driven by obsolescence and lack of money. On tactical weapons, William C. Potter, director of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, Calif., said recently that there are "growing pressures" in Russia to remanufacture or modernize its tactical nuclear weapons force. Although precise numbers are not available, Potter estimated Russian tactical nuclear weapons at 7,740, after the reductions announced by Gorbachev. Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company http://www.washingtonpost.com ****************************************************** Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director WESTERN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION 1440 Broadway, Suite 500 Oakland, California USA 94612 Tel: +(510)839-5877 Fax: +(510)839-5397 E-mail: wslf@earthlink.net ****************************************************** Western States Legal Foundation is part of ABOLITION 2000 A GLOBAL NETWORK TO ELIMINATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Balkan War to Secure Oil Routes as necessary domination? Date: 03 May 1999 19:58:32 -0700 Yugoslavia: A New War for Loot Unlimited News Service Yugoslavia: a New War for Loot by Michel Colon Humanitarian war? No. The NATO bombardments have worsened the situation o= f all the inhabitants of Kosovo-as foreseen, and desired. For NATO needs victims to justify its aggression against a sovereign state, a= nd in complete violation of international law. What are the real objectives of Washington, Berlin, and their consorts? 1. Control oil transport routes. 2. Recolonize and exploit East Europe. 3. Weaken Russia, thus give the West the means to pillage the whole of Asia.= 4. In order to realize the foregoing, impose NATO as the gendarme of the world, starting with assurances of military bases in this strategi= c region. All of these objectives are tied together. The most important, at this point, is the preparation for an attack on Russia. Most important: on each of these objectives, Washington and Berlin are at the same time in unity and in rivalry. Each tries to use the other so it can grab the cake. In short, a new war for loot. A war for the profits of the multinationals= , a war to break the resistance of the peoples. Objective No. 1: Always, the Battle for Oil "The oilfields of Kazakhstan, the gas fields of Turkmenistan, and the enormous offshore reserves of black gold of Azerbaijan, make up a zone that can gain, over the next fifty years, an importance equal to that of = the Persian Gulf today," writes a big German daily.1 Likewise in 1992 the US Senator Dole said, "The Gulf War was a symbol of = the American preoccupation for the security of oil and gas reserves. The frontiers of that preoccupation are advancing to the north and includ= e the Caucasus, Siberia, and Kazakhstan."2. The threat is clear. Add to this the most important gold mine in the world (in Uzbekistan), th= e largest deposit of silver (in Tajikistan), note the rumors of uranium, and you understand why Le Monde Diplomatique wrote in 1995: "To capture t= he contracts, no holds are barred."3 No holds, including war-particularly around the pipelines that transport = oil (and soon, gas, of which the importance will grow). Ferocious wars explode around the routes, real or projected, of pipelines: Chechnia, Nagorny-Karabakh, Georgia, Kurdistan. Yes, all means are good to block the people of the region (including Russ= ia) from control of their own riches. Why does Washington support the Taliban criminals in Afghanistan? To control the southern access to t= he oil of Central Asia.4 But the battle to control this wealth rages already between the Western "allies" themselves: "Baku is an oil center of great importance in the eyes of Germany. On the level of raw materials, we must be on the attack.= " Signed: F.W. Christians, Chairman of the Deutsche Bank.5 For this was always the Achilles heel of German imperialism: its lack of raw materials. Hence its constant and very strong tendency to expansionism. But the United States doesn't want to hear that. It wants to keep worldwi= de control of oil. Not for fear of need--it has enough on its own soil-but because, in the event of a new world conflict between great powers, it is essential to be able to deny energy to the adversary. Who wants to rule the world, must control the oil. What is the role of the Balkans in all of this? The oil transport routes must pass by there. From the Caucasus it goes to the Black Sea. Then there are two possibilities. First, the Danube. This very long river (280= 0 km, about 1700 mi.), of great flow, allows the connection of the Black Sea to Northwest Europe. Oil reaches Hamburg and Amsterdam by passage through the Rhine and the Main. Belgrade alone occupies a strategic position on the Danube. This shows why Germany wants to absolut= ely break Yugoslavia.6 A second path is possible: a new pipeline project would cross Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albany, and . . . Kosovo. This enormous project of several billion dollars is supported by the United States. One condition is necessary to realize it: to subdue the local populations. This shows why Washington wants absolutely to impose its military bases in the Balkans. Certainly, to justify the installation of military bases, there is a "nee= d" for a local conflict. We see why several Western powers armed the Croatian nationalists of Tudjman in '91, Muslims in Bosnia in 1993, and Kosovars of the KLA in '98. Those who call themselves firemen need incendiaries. Objective No. 2: Recolonize East Europe In 1989 the West promised East Europe prosperity. Six years later Unicef found: "75 million newly poor in the East. The hardest hit: Bulgaria (half the population is poor), Roumania, Moldova, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Lettony, Estonia. In these countries are found between 27% and 35% of poor people in 1994, as against 1.55 in 1989."7 Chance? Bad luck? Transition a little too late? Not at all. The West had = no intention at all of keeping its promises, as Noam Chomsky explains: "I think the prospects are pretty dim for Eastern Europe. The West has a plan for it -- they want to turn large parts of it into a new, easily exploitable part of the Third World. There used to be a sort of colonial relationship between Western and Eastern Europe; in fact, the Russians' blocking of that relationship was one of the reasons for the Co= ld War. Now it's being reestablished and there's a serious conflict over who's going to win the race for robbery and exploitation. Is it going to = be German-led Western Europe (currently in the lead) or Japan (waiting in the wings to see how good the profits look) or the United States (trying to get into the act)? There are a lot of resources to be taken, and lots of cheap labor f= or assembly plants. But first we have to impose the capitalist model on them."8 What isn't evident is that the West particularly fears the resistance of = the workers of the East, who have known the advantages of socialism, who have gained traditions of organization and resistance with the Communists. This is why, since 1991, NATO has threatened that, "We will continue to give our support by all means at our disposal to the reform enterprises of the East and to the efforts aiming at creation of market economies."9 This "with all the means at our disposal"! A clear threat on the part of a military organization. Here again the Western powers agree on the imposition of capitalist law a= nd the extreme pillage of the ex-socialist countries. But each intends to draw the chestnuts out of the fire to its own advantage. Objective No. 3: Weaken Russia to Plunder Asia Why does the West want to dominate and subdue Russia? First, because it i= s a tempting prize: its potential in raw materials adds up to $140 trillion. Next, and above all, to prevent Moscow from competing in the region. Paul-Marie de la Gorce, the expert of Le Monde Diplomatique, explains: "The American policy toward Russia is conceived and applied to prevent it from reconstructing around itself a power able to again play a decisive role on the international scene."10 The West is fully on guard against any return to socialism. Derycke, the Belgian Foreign Minister declared in 1996, "The West supports Yeltsin because it is the policy of the last resort. A return to communism would = be a problem."11 But the West also guards against even a bourgeois Russia that would presu= me to a policy of national independence. In reality, the war unleashed against Yugoslavia in 1991 is also a war against Russia to depr= ive it of an ally and access to the Mediterranean. The problem is that if the West humiliates Yeltsin too openly, it will pl= ay into the hands of the Communists and nationalists. The result is un delicat exercice d'equilibrisme. In the short term, they support their friend Yeltsin. In the middle run, they prepare a war against Russia. The former US Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger wrote a book to show that the United States must prepar= e itself to wage several wars. His basic argument is, "If Moscow manages to dominate the Caspian Sea (and its oil), that victory would be, for the West, more important than the expansion of the West."12 The capitalist catastrophe in Russia is obvious. Logically. Why would the West create a powerful economic rival for itself? On the contrary, wages must be low in order for the profits of the multinationals to be hi= gh. Hence the risk of revolt. Hence the threat of NATO. Thus Russia is actually the principal "enemy". Washington, Berlin, London= , Paris, and Brussels are agreed on that. But even in this situation, the snags between "allies" do not disappear. Au contraire. In 1996, the American Wall Street Journal complained, "Mr. Kohl is no lon= ger satisfied to allow the United States to set the tone of German relations with Russia. It has become completely clear that Germany's alli= es no longer control its relations with Russia."13 The celebrated US strategist Kissinger raises the alarm: "If we fail to expand NATO to the east, it could lead. . . to the danger of secret agreements between Germa= ny and Russia."14 Actually, the United States and Germany try to manipulate each other. Washington wants an obedient Europe that will help it control Russia. If Europe becomes too strong, Washington fears that it will control Russia o= r ally with it. Berlin and certain of its allies want to profit from American military power to boss Russia. But Germany hopes to more and mor= e play the sole horseman in the region. Behind this game of liar's poker is revealed the main stakes of a great competition between capitalist powers: who will control what the US strategist Brzezinski calls "Eurasia"? 75% of the world's population, 60%= of its economic production. Whomever controls it dominates the world. We will return to this in a following article. Objective No. 4: NATO, Gendarme of the World To realize the above objectives, the West needs an army. And military bas= es (and a docile public opinion, hence manipulated). There has been a problem here since 1990. Theoretically, NATO should go on unemployment since it was supposedly founded to face the Soviet menace, gone at the present. Ah well, not at all! Since 1991, NATO has defined a strategy still more aggressive: it will be the gendarme of the totality of the capitalist wor= ld. Its charge is to make the dictates of the multinationals respected everywhere. Its own documents announce the preparation of military aggressions along three axes: 1. Against East Europe and Russia. 2. Against the Arab-Mediterranean world (three zones are explicitly cited= : Algeria, Egypt, and the Middle East). 3. Against the whole of the Third World, in fact, under the most diverse pretexts ("terrorism", "arms of mass destruction", etc.) 15 The most important is to encircle Russia. Thus NATO annexed three reputed= ly "sure" countries (Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic), and it launched a "partnership" with other countries looking to take control of their armies. They gave the Russians a little carrot but carefully left i= t out. This is normal: they are the target. Ukraine got American credits in order to isolate Russia. Nuclear arms have been placed at the doors of Moscow-for a "safer world", they tell us. The strategic forces of NATO have been totally restructured: "We must be = in a position to move our forces from one region to another," declared Gen. Galvin, head of NATO in 1991.16 Thus, at the same moment th= at it claimed triumph, capitalism prepared aggressions against more and more "enemies". Behind the reform of NATO also hide the rivalries between the United Stat= es, Germany, and France. In 1995, Ruhe, the German War Minister, warned: "The NATO treaty must be replaced by a new treaty between the European Union and the United States. Europe must be able to intervene strategically as a world power at the side of the United States."17 The British review Searchlight analyses this subtle chess game: "The Fren= ch government hopes to contain Germany in the short term via the Eurocorps and the army of the West European Union. The United States and Great Britain have another idea: maintain Germany in a subordinate position through a persistent NATO presence in Europe and a larger engagement of Bonn in the affairs of NATO. At this time, Bonn plays intelligently on the two opposites and pretends to be in favor= of both."18 Effectively, Germany plays on two levels: one foot in NATO, one foot outside. It systematically reinforces its army (see chapter 5 of my book, Poker menteur. [Liar's Poker-tr.] The aim: to systematically get a foot i= n the international military scene. Its Army Minister declares: "War has become again a political means. In the future we must be capable of resolving conflicts likewise by military means."19 Controversy raged in 1995. Germany and France wanted to share the militar= y command of NATO but the United States intended to keep its monopoly. Kinkel, the German Foreign Minister, proclaimed: "In the long t= erm it is neither in the European interest, nor in the American interest to call on the aid of our American friends each time that something goes wrong somewhere."20 Translation of this polite but hypocritical language: "Our American rivals must not meddle in Europe." The American "friends" got the message. A US diplomat replied, "I cannot imagine a situation in which the Americans would not feel involved. If a real threat arises anywhere in the world, we will be there."21 Translation of this, as well, so-polite and so-hypocritical language: "Ou= r German rivals must not complain about U.S. world leadership. That include= s Europe." Why do the Americans want to tighten the grip of NATO on Europe? To obstr= uct the creation of a European army that would be their rival. In 1991 Wolfowitz, a Pentagon expert, wrote: "Our status as the only superpo= wer must be perpetuated by a military force sufficient to dissuade any nation or group of nations from defying the supremacy of the United States."22 And to be perfectly clear, Wolfowitz stipulates what he means: "discourag= e [the advance industrial nations] from challenging our leadership . . . and thwart the emergence of an exclusively European security force."23 Th= is is very clear: "allies" are at the same time "enemies". Behind the war against Yugoslavia hides an undeclared war against Russia. And also the possibility on day of a world conflict between the capitalist great powers themselves. 1 Die Zeit, March 96. =95 2 Frankfurter Allgemeine, 15 June 92. =95 3 ) L= e Monde Diplomatique, November 95, p. 22. =95 4 Michel Collon, Poker menteur, 1998, EPO, p. 133. =95 5 idem p. 132. =95 6 idem, p. 137. =95 7 Unicef, "= Poverty, Children and Policy, Central and Eastern Europe in transition," report n=B0= 3 - 1995. =95 8 Noam Chomsky, "What Uncle Sam Wants" =95 9 Revue de l'Otan,= June 91, p. 28-29. =95 10 Le Monde Diplomatique, March 94. =95 11 Le Soir, 14 December 91. =95 12 AK, (Allemagne), 23 September 92. =95 13 Wall Street Journal, 23 February 96.= =95 14 Welt am Sonntag, 12 January 97. =95 15 Poker menteur, chapter 8. =95 16 Revue de l'Otan, August 92, p. 23. =95 17 Solidaire, 13 December 95. ( =95= 18 Searchlight, "Reunited Germany", 1994, p. 31. =95 19 Der Spiegel, n=B0 5 = - 1995. =95 20 International Herald Tribune, 4 June 96. =95 21 Idem. =95 22= Poker menteur, p. 116. =95 23 Idem. Posted May 1, 1999 - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Timothy Bruening Subject: (abolition-usa) 3 To The 5th Days Left Until 2000! Date: 03 May 1999 23:45:23 -0700 (PDT) There are just 3 To The 5th Days Left Until 2000, just 243 days left in which to achieve a nuclear abolition treaty. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) NATO air strikes could cause a second Chernobyl Date: 04 May 1999 02:08:03 -0700 > SUNDAY HERALD > > 27 April 1999 > > NATO air strikes could cause a second Chernobyl > > By Felicity Arbuthnot > eddie.gibb@sundayherald.com > Publication Date: Apr 25 1999 > > EUROPE'S most dangerous nuclear power plant could be just 30 minutes fr= om > a > catastrophic meltdown due to Nato air strikes on Serbia, a British expe= rt > has claimed. > > Oil from bombed refineries has seeped into the River Danube, causing 13 > huge slicks which are now threatening Bulgaria's Kozloduy plant's cooli= ng > system, prompting environmentalists to warn of a "very real danger" of = a > second Chernobyl. > > One British expert said workers at Kozloduy, which has around five mill= ion > people within its blast danger zone, would have just half an hour to sh= ut > down the reactors if cooling water from the river becomes contaminated > with > the thick oily sludge. > > But John Large, a London-based nuclear safety consultant who has > investigated Kozloduy for the British government, claimed the plant has > been staffed by little more than farmers since Russian technicians went > home after the break-up of the Soviet Union. > > Large confirmed the thick oil slicks could jam machines which pump wate= r > 6km from the Danube to cool the reactors. He warned sparking could caus= e > fires, but his main fears concern overheating reactors due to a prolong= ed > absence of coolant, which may lead to the explosive release of a > radioactive cloud. > > Large said: "The people at Kozloduy would have perhaps 30 minutes to cl= ose > down the reactors." > > He claimed there would be ample opportunity for inexperienced operators= to > make mistakes. "How shall I put it? This is a high-tech plant which is = now > run by agrarian labourers. After the break-up of the Soviet Union, the > Russian technicians who ran the plant went home, taking the instruction > manuals with them." > > Large said that in the worst case scenario, loss of coolant combined wi= th > operator error could result in an accidental release of a cloud of > radioactive gas. The reactors were so old, he warned, that their pressu= re > vessels could have become brittle and liable to catastrophic failure. > > Kozloduy takes water from the Danube at a point just 100km from the > Serbian > border. One of the 13 slicks approaching it is 24km long. > > An emergency shutdown on one of the plant's six reactors would plunge m= uch > of Bulgaria into darkness. > > But it is the fear of catastrophe which has caused worldwide alarm. A > coalition of Bulgarian environmental groups has warned the country's > government that there is "a very real danger" of a disaster similar to > that > caused by the blast at Chernobyl in April, 1986. > > Bulgarian authorities are refusing to release details of how the risk i= s > being dealt with. However, environmentalists have warned that the 24km > slick, which eyewitnesses claim is a "thick, oily gunge", will pass the > cooling pumps in "a matter of days". > > Campaigner Rasitsa Panayotova from Za Zemiata (Bulgarian for For the > Earth), claimed oil contamination could cause reactors at Kozloduy to > explode. > > "Another danger is that oil in the vicinity catches fire, also threaten= ing > the complex," she warned. The site also houses a substantial stockpile = of > nuclear waste. > > Four of Kozloduy's aging six reactors have no secondary containment to > prevent radiation from escaping in the event of an accident. > > Most western experts regard them as unsafe and the European Union has b= een > trying to persuade the Bulgarians to close them for years. The Bulgaria= n > government has resisted because the reactors supply 35% of the country'= s > electricity. > > A detailed investigation earlier this month by the official nuclear > regulatory agencies from 10 countries, including Britain, concluded > Kozloduy could never be made safe. > > "The existing and planned safety upgrading programmes will not be > sufficient to bring these units up to acceptable safety standards," the= y > said. > > Another study by the US Department of Energy revealed the plant failed = on > six out of seven accident indicators and concluded that "operation of t= he > Kozloduy nuclear power plant is truly a high-stakes gamble." > > Last week Bulgarian environmental groups demanded the closure of Kozlod= uy > after their government gave Nato planes permission to make emergency > landings 50km away at Gabrovnica. > > The Bulgarian committee on the uses of atomic energy for peaceful purpo= ses > also warned a plane crash at Kozloduy could cause an "uncontrolled > disaster". > > Talent develops in tranquillity, > character in the full current of human life. > =CD - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: David Krieger Subject: (abolition-usa) email problems Date: 04 May 1999 11:41:36 -0700 Hello all: Due to technical difficulties we haven't received email for the past five days. If you sent us any important messages please send them again. Thank you. ********************************************************* NUCLEAR AGE PEACE FOUNDATION International contact for Abolition 2000 a Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons ********************************************************** 1187 Coast Village Road, Suite 121 Santa Barbara, CA 93108-2794 Phone (805) 965-3443 * Fax (805) 568-0466 e- mailto:wagingpeace@napf.org URL http://www.wagingpeace.org URL http://www.napf.org/abolition2000/ ********************************************************** - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Tornados as Weather Weapon? Date: 04 May 1999 11:35:21 -0700 ----- Original Message ----- Newsgroups: alt.politics.british,alt.politics.europe.misc,alt.politics.usa.congress,a= lt. politics.usa.misc,alt.politics.yugoslavia,soc.culture.russia,alt.news-med= ia Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 1999 5:41 AM Gnocci's Tornado wrote: It seems that the Kosovo crisis is taking an unexpected turn. There a= re indications that a meteorological weaponry that Russians call MTVR-1= is currently in use to create atmospherics disturbances over the U.S. It seems that the Pentagon is panicking, and Clinton is even talking about halting the air strike against Yugoslavia!? There was a web site abou= t this weapon, I can't speak Russian but [what] I understood is that it does not need to be applied over the region one wants to attack and that [it] is not controllable. It is tornado season in the united states of medium tactical vehicle replacements (MTVR) http://www.house.gov/hasc/billsandreports/105thcongress/hr3616committeere= por t/title1.htm Secret Rulers Control America's Weather A weather modification Grid System has been set up by the Elite One World Government of an astonishingly advanced nature. The Grid System consists of three enormous underwater cables laid along the continental shelf of our East, West and Gulf Coasts (the latter from Florida to Texas.) Each cable is powered by an underground nuclear power plant and can be made positive or negative relative to Earth. The power plants act like = a giant battery; one pole grounded to Earth and the other to the cables. The effect of these three grid cables along the coasts is to create electrical fields which span the continent of the United States. These power field= s control electrical charges in the upper atmosphere producing jet-stream shifts. Experiments are conducted with the cable set at either a positi= ve or a negative potential, and also alternating from positive to negative. W= hat is going on now is weather warfare, and the era of weather strategy is underway. The Russians also have weather control, making use of their formidable cosmospheres (massive antigravity spacecrafts), which is mor= e localized, but much of what has been happening more recently has been due to the secret government. These two factions are in competition for control of America's weather with the purpose of world domination. http://www.esotericworldnews.com/weather.htm -------------- HAARP, Weather War, And EMF Mind Control From James Shannon Author Uncertain Dec. 23, 1997 In May of 1988, I wrote an article for the Canadian Intelligence Service headed "Weather War?" The preamble written by the editor said this: "Her story, indeed, is 'stranger than fiction.' And it's only the beginning, the first glimpse= of a new and uncertain factor in human affairs, opening up unimagined physical possibilities - but also threatening our very survival." Those words were indeed prophetic. Advanced technology based on the original works of Nikola Tesla is being developed at an alarming rate. This discoverer of alternating current power source and transmission system (among other accomplishments was a genius before his time. In spite of this, his name is unfamiliar to most because soon after his death in 1943 his data was removed from libraries and his only claim to fame now is the Tesla Coil. He hoped his discoveries would be used for peaceful, life-enhancing purposes.) While traveling in Alaska in the summer of 1994, we visited the Copper Valley area hoping to explore the old mines. A large intimidating sign blocked all access to this region. I didn't think too much of it at the time, however I later learned of a highly secret project being constructed there and was able to locate a book published in Alaska discussing the HAARP system, that being an acronym for High-frequency Active Auroral Research Project. The authors of "Angels Don't Play This HAARP" base their information on documents they were able to view which came out of secret meeting of the U.S. Government and the U.S. Military. HAARP is a ground-based "Star Wars" weapon which has the capability to manipulate the environment in such a way as to change weather patterns, disrupt global communications systems, disrupt human mental processes, negatively affect health, and impact the Earth's upper atmosphere in an unnatural and damaging way. By interfering with the Earth's magnetic field there is no assurance that damage on an irreversible global scale will not occur. All participants involved in designing HAARP are part of a giant partnership of government, the military and many private corporations which form defense intelligence contractual networks, and it is done in secret. Critics of the project believe that large gro= ups of independent scientists should be talking a close look at these developments before the project is allowed to continue. A biggest "ionospheric heater" in the world is located on the HAARP site. Focused energy could be beamed up to the ionosphere where the radio-frequency waves would interact powerfully with charged particles that are always trapped up there. The heating effect of the focused beam would then dramatically push a plume - a large section of the ionosphere - up and outward from Earth. One critic of the project called it "skybusting." The Earth is protected from harmful cosmic rays by the Van Allen Radiation Belt in conjunction with the Earth's magnetic field. The ozone layer protect us from ultra-violet light. If this dual barrier is weakened, allowing these high-energy particles from the ionosphere to enter the atmosphere, serve damage could be caused to the DNA blueprints of all life on Earth. This is only one of the disastrous effects of which the HAARP system capable. Co-author Jean Manning, in conversation with a ham operator, learned that as early as 1975-76 the Soviet Union was beaming radio-frequency signals toward North America. Ham operators were picking up the 10-hertz (pulses per second) frequencies which they called Woodpecker signals because of the tapping they heard from extremely low frequency (ELF) waves. It was speculated that his ELF frequency could resonate the neurons in the human brain over great distance, resulting in mood changes in a large part of the population. These ELF waves could cause communication interference, power failures, and weather modification designed to have a devastating effect on food production. HAARP records disclose that when the project is up to full power, it will be able to send very low frequency and extra low frequency (VLF and ELF) waves at energy levels sufficient to affect entire regional populations. What other objective can there be but to control people? What is even more ominous is the authors' picture of what they refer to as the "psychocivilized society." After reviewing HAARP documents and Air Force materials, the possibility is there for the HAARP transmitting system to be used "inadvertently or intentionally to after mental functions." Early research on the brain was conducted on animals, using electrodes inserted into the brain to produce different kinds of behavior. Dr. Jose M.R. Delgado developed his research so that brain-manipulating effects could be achieved at a distans, and by changing wave form, could completely change the thinking and emotional state of the subject. Even these achievements can and are being used to help people with various mental dysfunctions, but the potential for abuse appears too easy to resist for the "mad scientists" working on HAARP. A European leader in alternative medicine, Dr. Reijo Makela has developed a technique whereby a patient's chemistry is rebalanced by using a combination of low levels of chemicals and the right frequency from a properly-tuned transmitter. He has had enormous success in treating debilitating diseases. However, the military approach can be used for just the opposite result. A tiny amount of chemical (below generally accepted levels for toxicity) could be introduced to the enemy by some means (perhaps water or air supply); then the right frequency could be directed toward them, activating the otherwise harmless chemicals. This would render the enemy powerless, and international agreements regarding chemical warfare would not have been violated. A radio transmitter carrying a pulsed wave of 6-12 pulses per second, acting in resonance with the radio waves which serve as a carrier, could it modulated in just the right way disrupt minds and cause serious negative health effects on humans and animals. This technology is well within the capability of HAARP and they intend to use it. We are now the age of sophisticated electromagnetic technology which can interfere with the Earth's magnetic fields all the way up to the ionosphere. The consequences of such aggressive tampering with our natural environment are not known, nor to the HAARP designers seem to care, brushing aside any attempts to develop a regulatory presence. Frustrating those who are anti-HAARP is the veil of secrecy and deception which covers the project. In order to "prepare" the people to accept these mind-bogging advances in technology, little bits of information are "leaked" out, like a trial balloon, to test the reaction. However, it seems that basi= c strategy and application remain committed to secrecy. Perhaps the most ominous aspect of the HAARP technology is the connecting of the military non-lethal research with civilian law enforcement agencies. This means that law conforcement can use this technology against the government's domestic "adversaries" - one can only surmise who these adversaries might be. We are given a clue in the policy for non-lethal weapons which states: The term 'adversary' is used .. in its broadest sense, including those who are not declared enemies but who are engaged in activities we wish to stop... Bear in mind that these weapons are "invisible" - when used to alter thinking and behavior the victims is unaware of an "attack." The authors provide a brief history of discoveries relating to the fiel= d of electromagnetic, beginning with Tesla's inventions in 1886 and ending with HAARP. Since 1994 HAARP has been testing its equipment, with 1998 being the projected date for a fully-operating system. The authors also warn us that it is not just the United States citizens who are in jeopardy - the HAARP system is a universal tool. As early as 1975, the Canadian government was aware of the use of weather modification as a weapon. Are they also aware of the expanded technology of the HAARP system? Since this use of electromagnetics will affect every one of us in some way, perhaps it would be appropriate to question your MP. Will this be the modus operandi to bring in the New World Order? (Angels Don't Play This HAARP" - Advances In Tesla Technology, by Jean Manning and Dr. Nick Begich). and, what in the HELL could be next.... by HAARP? -A Volcano eruption? -Earthquakes? -A hundred feet high wave? -Ebola virus? -or the beginning of "The New World Order" with micro-computer under your skin? http://www.sightings.com/earthchanges/emfmind.htm On the Fourth of July, 1976, the former Soviet Union began broadcasting huge, pulsed electromagnetic fields from three gigantic 40-million watt transmitters which beamed those signals halfway around the world to the U.S. This electronic assault disrupted and jammed radio and television broadcast signals, enraged the FCC, and irritated ham radio operators, wh= o quickly dubbed the signals 'The Russian Woodpecker,' because of their pulsed cadence. To date, the Russians have completed nearly 30 of the huge transmitters which emit signals primarily in the very dangerous 10-Hertz range, otherw= ise known as Extreme Low Frequency (ELF). The technology is based on the brilliant work of the peerless electrical genius, Nikola Tesla. So, what exactly does the 'Russian Woodpecker' do and how does it do it? Consider the following: These 'Tesla' transmitters create massive 'standing' ELF waves that form major high pressure 'blocking systems' that change the normal high altitu= de jet stream pattern, force it to the north, and actually retard the normal flow patterns of incoming weather systems. Ever notice the television weather satellite pictures showing the jet stream pushed north and a big stationa= ry high pressure blocking nearly every major rain system that approaches the southern half of California?... Regarding the 7-year drought, which appears to be rearing its arid head again, the 1/13/93 edition of Discovery Magazine stated: Scientists would be happy if they learned one thing from this (seven year) drought: What causes the massive high pressure system to build up just off the California coast and stay there, like a double-parked delivery truck in rush-hour traffic, pushing storms to the north? Odd things were also being reported back in the winters of the early 1980= 's: A ridge of high pressure has hovered nearly 800 miles off the California Coast for the past two months, blocking the usual flow of moist air from the Pacific. --Time 1/1981 For the past four months, a single weather pattern...causing the drought is one of the most unusual national patterns ever recorded...such lo= ng lasting (high pressure) centers were unheard of until 1977 (when the Soviets began the 'Woodpecker' transmissions --ed.) --Washington Post 2/2/81 It is important to note that the end of the 7-year California drought in = the winter of 1992-93 coincided exactly with the well-documented period of intense solar magnetic storms that disrupted all electromagnetic transmissions he= re on Earth including the 'Woodpecker.' Last summer's Midwest flooding was probably no accident, either. An unusual shift in the jet stream, acting as a barrier (is causing = the floods)... --Newsweek 7/26/93 The stagnant high pressure zone acted like a barrier, preventing the normal flow of weather patterns from west to east... New York Times 7/29/93 It is extremely unusual for weather patterns to persist for so many weeks. The reasons for the weather patterns to become fixed...are unclear. --Storm, The World Weather Magazine 9/93 As far back in April, 1969, Spectrum, a publication of the prestigious Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, featured an article by Seymour Tilson which stated: Workers in the field of atmospheric electricity and cloud physics ha= ve accumulated sufficient evidence to suggest that electric fields in t= he Earth=B9s lower atmosphere play a critical role...perhaps the critic= al role...in the development and behavior of clouds that produces precipitation. Mr. Tilson was correct. Exactly one year after the 'birth' of the Russian Woodpecker, July 4, 1978, the U.S. Government conducted its own ELF weath= er experiment which created an enormous downpour of rain over six counties o= f northern Wisconsin. This ELF-generated storm generated winds of 157 mph a= nd caused $50 million in damage, levelling Phillips, Wisconsin, and destroyi= ng 350,000 hectares of forest. The first published alarm about Soviet weather control warfare came from Dr. Andrew Michrowski of PACE (Planetary Association for Clean Energy). I= n a published paper in 1978, Dr. Michrowski described how he had placed monitoring stations all across Canada and determined that "the Soviets managed to establish relatively stable and localized ELF fields (over Nor= th America) which were able to hamper or divert the jet stream flow in the Northern Hemisphere." Several years later, Michrowski stated in a PACE Newsletter (Vol.4, #4): ELF fields...propagate vertically to the ground, creating 'standing waves'...that can redistribute energy and momentum in (atmosphere) through cumulus convection. It has been consistently noted that variance of the (Soviet) ELF transmissions leads to a subsequent change in the route of the jet stream flow in the Northern Hemispher= e within 72 hours. The 2/81 PACE Newsletter reported that the Soviets turned off their ELF Woodpecker signal for a brief period in 1980: "During the two-week lull, the Northern Hemisphere's jet stream was NORMAL... ...with the return of the Soviet ELF transmissions, the jet stream was deflected (again) by a persistent (high) pressure ridge extending from the Yukon to Arizona." There is much more, but I think you get the picture. 'Everyone complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it,' doesn=B9t function any more. Nikola Tesla said, in June, 1900, " The time is very near when we shall have the precipitation of the moisture of the atmosphere under complete control..." If you have ever read a biography of the great genius, you'll know he wasn't joking. Does the U.S. government have its own series of ELF/microwave transmitters? You bet. Can ELF be used to do more than engineer and influence just the weather (like human beings, for example)? Yes, it CAN and IS. But that's another story... Secret Weapons Technology http://www.sightings.com/political/weapons/weapons.htm IMPEACH DNA!* IMPEACH DNA!! IMPEACH DNA!!! "For the sanctity of the individual and the inALIENable rights upon which the Founders created our SpaceTime Contiuum!" InterCongressional Humanoid Rights Caucus http://www.house.gov/lantos/caucus/caucuswebpage.htm Dialogue on assembled chemical weapons assessment The DOD has committed to meaningful public involvement in the assessment program, and has stated that such involvement is critical to its success. In response to this commitment, a public interest group, known as the Dialogue on Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment ("the Dialogue") has sought to consult with the DOD to discuss issues relating to the assessment program. The Dialogue consists of a diverse group of interested individuals from the chemical weapons stockpile communities; federal, tribal, and state environmental regulators; and national activist organization representatives that regularly work on chemical weapons issues. During the committee's consideration of the National Defense Authorization Bill for Fiscal Year 1999 (H.R. 3616), a concern was raised that the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Public Law 92-462; 5 U.S.C. App.) (FACA) might apply to the Dialogue in its consultative relationship with the DOD on the assessment program. The program's near-term deadline would make it unlikely that a formal charter process for the Dialogue, which would be required under FACA, could be completed in sufficient time to meet the deadline for the assessment program's final report to Congress and, concurrently, incorporate public involvement. In response to this concern, the committee consulted with the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, the committee of jurisdiction on issues related to FACA. In the opinion of that committee, FACA does not apply to the Dialogue in its relationship with the DOD on the assessment program. * (Not to be confused with "Peach" Recombinant Deoxyribonucleic Acid!) - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) KLA funding tied to heroin profits Date: 04 May 1999 12:43:36 -0700 Washington Times front-page headline 19980503: May 3, 1999 [ top-billing above 3 soldiers release by Jesse Jackson in Yugo, Monday May 3rd following Saturday May 1= st Mike Ruppert speech at DC "March on Washington '99" rally in front of White Ho= use supported by about 150 MayDay medical marijuana activists (Million Mariju= ana March)who from the rally marched around the White House after demonstrati= ng against Rep. Bob Barr's scheduled speech, which was cancelled at the last minute, and in support of Ruppert's efforts to stop CIA confessed involvement in the hard drug trade, the CIA-KLA connection http://www.copvcia.com , and to bring out the truth about the medical marijuana issue in order to stop the drug war subterfuge oppressing Americans and populations around the world with crime, insurgencies and w= ars that could lead to nuclear and environmental catastrophe] The Washington Times, May 3, 1999 KLA funding tied to heroin profits By Jerry Seper The Kosovo Liberation Army, which the Clinton administration has embraced and some members of Congress want to arm as part of the NATO bombing campaign, is a terrorist organization that has financed much of its war effort with profits from the sale of heroin. Recently obtained intelligence documents show that drug agents in five countries, including the United States, believe the KLA has aligned itself with an extensive organized crime network centered in Albania that smuggles heroin and some cocaine to buyers throughout Western Europe and, to a lesser extent, the United States. The documents tie members of the Albanian Mafia to a drug smuggling cartel based in Kosovo's provincial capital, Pristina. The cartel is manned by ethic Albanians who are members of the Kosovo National Front, whose armed wing is the KLA. The documents show it is one of the most powerful heroin smuggling organizations in the world, with much of its profits being diverted to the KLA to buy weapons. The clandestine movement of drugs over a collection of land and sea routes from Turkey through Bulgaria, Greece and Yugoslavia to Western Europe and elsewhere is so frequent and massive that intelligence officials have dubbed the circuit the "Balkan Route." Mr. Clinton has committed air power and is considering the use of ground troops to support the Kosovo rebels against Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Last week, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, Connecticut Democrat, called on the United States to arm the KLA so ethnic Albanians in Kosovo could defend themselves against the Serbs. Mr. McConnell and Mr. Lieberman introduced a bill that would provide $25 million to equip 10,000 men or 10 battalions with small arms and anti-tank weapons for up to 18 months. In 1998, the U.S. State Department listed the KLA -- formally known as the Ushtria Clirimtare e Kosoves, or UCK -- as an international terrorist organization, saying it had bankrolled its operations with proceeds from the international heroin trade and from loans from known terrorists like Osama bin Laden. "They were terrorists in 1998 and now, because of politics, they're freedom fighters," said one top drug official who asked not to be identified. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, in a recent report, said the heroin is smuggled along the Balkan Route in cars, trucks and boats initially to Austria, Germany and Italy, where it is routed to eager buyers in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Great Britain. Some of the white powder, the DEA report said, finds its way to the United States. The DEA report, prepared for the National Narcotics Intelligence Consumer's Committee (NNICC), said a majority of the heroin seized in Europe is transported over the Balkan Route. It said drug smuggling organizations composed of Kosovo's ethnic Albanians were considered "second only to Turkish gangs as the predominant heroin smugglers along the Balkan Route." The NNICC is a coalition of federal agencies involved in the war on drugs. "Kosovo traffickers were noted for their use of violence and for their involvement in international weapons trafficking," the DEA report said. A separate DEA document, written last month by U.S. drug agents in Austria, said that while the war in the former Yugoslavia had reduced the drug flow to Western Europe along the Balkan Route, new land routes have opened across Romania, Hungary and the Czech Republic. The report said, however, the diversion appeared to be only temporary. The DEA estimated that between four and six metric tons of heroin leaves each month from Turkey bound for Western Europe, the bulk of it traveling over the Balkan Route. A second high-ranking U.S. drug official, who also requested anonymity, said government and police corruption in Kosovo, along with widespread poverty throughout the region, had contributed to an increase in heroin trafficking by the KLA and other ethnic Albanians. The official said drug smuggling is "out of control" and little is being done by neighboring states to get a handle on it. "This is the definition of the wild, wild West," said the official. "The bombing has slowed it down, but has not brought it to a halt. And, eventually, it will pick up where it left off." The heroin trade along the Balkan Route has been of concern to several countries: The Greek representative of Interpol reported in 1998 that Kosovo's ethnic Albanians were "the primary sources of supply for cocaine and heroin in that country." Intelligence officials in France said in a recent report the KLA was among several organizations in southern Europe that had built a vast drug-smuggling network. France's Geopolitical Observatory of Drugs said in the report that the KLA was a key player in the rapidly expanding drugs-for-arms business and helped transport $2 billion worth of drugs annually into Western Europe. German drug agents have estimated that $1.5 billion in drug profits is laundered annually by Kosovo smugglers, through as many as 200 private banks or currency-exchange offices. They noted in a recent report that ethnic Albanians had established one of the most prominent drug smuggling organizations in Europe. Jane's Intelligence Review estimated in March that drug sales could have netted the KLA profits in the "high tens of millions of dollars." The highly regarded British-based journal noted at the time that the KLA had rearmed itself for a spring offensive with the aid of drug money, along with donations from Albanians in Western Europe and the United States. Several leading intelligence officials said the KLA has, in part, financed its purchase of AK-47s, semiautomatic rifles, shotguns, handguns, grenade launchers, ammunition, artillery shells, explosives, detonators and anti-personnel mines through drug profits -- cash laundered through banks in Italy, Germany and Switzerland. They also said KLA rebels have paid for weapons using the heroin itself as currency. The profits, according to the officials, also have been used to purchase anti-aircraft and anti-armor rockets, along with electronic surveillance equipment. Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity --Robert Heinlein, 'Logic of Empire' News -- companies, sectors iNews -- internet companies =8C=1B - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) GATHERING May7-12: Love Your Mother Spring 99 Healing Global Wounds Date: 04 May 1999 13:25:12 -0700 Anti-Nuclear camp gathering and protest at Nevada Nuclear Test Site May 7-12, 1999 http://www.shundahai.org/HGW/spring99gath.html - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Food Irradiation and You Date: 04 May 1999 17:08:19 -0400 >Date: Tue, 04 May 1999 16:23:00 -0400 >Subject: Food Irradiation and You >Priority: non-urgent >X-FC-MachineGenerated: true >To: cmep-list@lists.citizen.org >From: hartwich@citizen.org (hartwich@citizen.org) > >============================================================== >Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy Project >============================================================== > > > Unless you act by May 18, the Nuclear Industry > Will Succeed in Forcing Irradiated Food Down Our Throats! > >*** A new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule would allow manufacturers >to sell irradiated food without any label warning consumers. By nullifying >the chief obstacle to the expanded use of radiation --consumer >opposition-- this rule would pave the way for a significant expansion of >the >sale of irradiated food and give a boost to the nuclear industry. > > This would be a disaster!!! > >*** Over 550 new facilities would need to be built to irradiate various >foodstuffs if irradiation expands to according to industry projections. > >*** Food irradiation facilities have a frightening record of accidents and >other safety incidents. > >*** According to a Carnegie-Mellon study, operating irradiators just to >treat meat and poultry (much less spices, wheat, and other foodstuffs) >would >be extremely risky, with a 99.7% chance of multiple major incidents at >these >facilities (a major incident is defined by the Nuclear Regulatory >Commission >(NRC) as "those that result in a release or spill of radioactive material, >bodily harm, or a long term shut down of the facility"). > >*** The long term health effects of eating irradiated food are unknown. >Irradiation reduces the vitamin content of food and creates new chemical >substances called radiolytic products. Some of these substances are known >carcinogens, like benzene, and others are completely new substances that >have not been tested for toxicity. > > *** ACT NOW!!! *** > ** What you can do today ** > >*** Please write to the FDA and demand that the comment period be extended >past May 18. Tell the FDA that food treated with radiation be indefinitely >labeled with the radura (the international symbol for irradiated food) and >a >statement indicating it was treated with radiation. Say the absence of >such >a statement would be misleading because irradiation destroys vitamins and >causes changes in sensory and spoilage qualities that are not obvious or >expected by the consumer. Please DO NOT write a general statement opposing >irradiation. The powers that be have already approved irradiation, we can >only fight to keep the public informed (A sample letter can be found >below). > >*** Write your Representative and Senators, telling them to oppose the FDA >rule (a sample letter can be found below). > >*** Send this e-mail to as many concerned citizens as possible. > >When writing to FDA, refer to Docket #98N-1038, "Irradiation in the >production, processing, and handling of food". > >Send comments before May 18, 1999 to: >Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305) >Food and Drug Administration >5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061 >Rockville, MD 20852 >or >Send e-mail to FDADockets@oc.fda.gov and/or FDADockets@fda.gov >(Put Docket #98N-1038 in the subject line) > >NOTE: E-mail is discouraged because e-mails are often thrown out. A >written >letter is the most effective means of communication. > >SAMPLE LETTER TO FDA: > >Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305) >Food and Drug Administration >5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061 >Rockville, Maryland 20852 > >Re: Docket No. 98N-1038, Irradiation in the Production, Processing, and >Handling of Food > >To whom it may concern: > > I support the recommendation by the Center for Science in the Public >Interest regarding labeling of irradiated foods: > > "any foods, or any foods containing ingredients that have been treated by >irradiation, should be labeled with a written statement on the principal >display panel indicating such treatment. The statement should be easy to >read and placed in close proximity to the name of the food and accompanied >by the international symbol. If the food is unpackaged, this information >should be clearly displayed on a poster in plain view and adjacent to where >the product is displayed for sale." > > Like other labels, irradiation labels are required by the FDA to be >truthful and not misleading. I believe that the terms "treated with >radiation" or "treated by irradiation" should be retained. Any phrase >involving the word "pasteurization" is misleading because pasteurization is >an entirely different process of rapid heating and cooling. > > I recognize the radura as information regarding a material fact of food >processing. The requirement for irradiation disclosure (both label and >radura) should not expire at any time in the future. The material fact of >processing remains. Even if some consumers become familiar with the radura, >new consumers (e.g., young people, immigrants) will not be. The symbol >should be clearly understandable at the point of purchase for everyone. If >there is no label, consumers will be misled into believing the food has not >been irradiated. > > I urge you to extend the comment period past its current end date of May >18 >to allow more concerned citizens the time to write in about this issue. >Also, please place the comments received on the Internet so that the public >can be informed about who is participating in this comment process. > >Sincerely, > > >SAMPLE LETTER TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATORS > >The Honorable [ ] >Washington, D.C. [ ] > >Senator/Representative [ ], > > I have recently been made aware of a frightening development at the Food >and Drug Administration. Under pressure from food manufacturers and >supporters of the nuclear industry, the FDA is considering a rule that >would >remove labeling requirements for foods treated with radiation. The public >only has until May 18 to voice its objections to this rule. Currently, any >food treated with radiation during the production process is labeled with a >symbol known as a radura (the international symbol for irradiated foods) >and >either a statement saying "treated with radiation" or "treated by >irradiation." The rule before the FDA would allow manufacturers to sell >any >and all irradiated foods to the consumer with nary a mention of the use of >radiation during processing. This is bad for consumers. > > Despite the fact that the FDA has determined that radiation is safe for >food, many consumers, including myself, do not want to eat foods treated >with radiation. Radiation changes the texture, taste, nutritional value, >and chemical composition of foods. Radiation creates a heretofore unseen >class of unique radiolytic products that have never been tested for their >possible carcinogenic effects on humans. These are things that I do not >want to put into my body. > > This is a clear cut issue of a consumer being able to know what is in >their >food. We know what the fat, protein, carbohydrate, and vitamin content is >in our food, why can we not know whether our food has been treated with >radiation emanating from some of the most deadly substances known to man? >I >implore you, as a constituent and a friend, to write a letter to the FDA >about this issue and ask them why your constituents should be kept in the >dark about whether their food has been irradiated and why the comment >period >has been so short. Enclosed you will find the letter that I wrote to the >FDA about this issue. I hope it is helpful in formulating your own >comments. > >Sincerely, > > >====================================================== >Questions about the CMEP-list can be directed to cmep@citizen.org >======================================================== > Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Timothy Bruening Subject: (abolition-usa) Stop bombing Yugoslavia! Date: 04 May 1999 14:59:33 -0700 (PDT) Below is a letter I just sent to Representative Doug Ose: Dear Representative Doug Ose: I applaud your opposition to intervention in Kosovo. Thank you for voting yes on HR 1569 (requiring the President to get Congressional authorization before deploying ground troops) and on H Con Res 82 (Resolution under War Powers Act to withdraw U.S. troops). Thank you for voting no on H J Res 44 (Declaration of War against Yugoslavia) and on S Con Res 41 (Resolution in support of current air war). I believe that the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia is one of the biggest blunders in the history of U.S. foreign policy. Aside from civilian casualties caused by the NATO bombs (such as the accidental bombing of a passenger train, a refugee convoy, and two buses, and the intentional bombing of Serbian TV stations), the bombing of Serbia has strengthened Milosevic by rallying all Serbians around him, and has given him cover to intensify the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo, forcing hundreds of thousands of refugees to flee Kosovo, and possibly killing at least 100,000. The bombing shows no signs of stopping the Serb ethnic cleansing operation. The bombing of Serbia has also seriously undermined our relations with Russia. It has angered the Russians into further delaying their ratification of START II (already delayed in recent months by the U.S. bombing of Iraq in December and Clinton's endorsement of a Ballistic Defense System) and suspending cooperation with the West, including cooperation to avert a Y2K nuclear war. NATO plans to cut off oil supplies to Serbia by setting up a naval blockade and stopping and searching oil tankers suspected of supplying Serbia have further angered Russia. On April 9, according to a Reuters story from BELGRADE, President Yeltsin even warned that the bombing of Yugoslavia could lead to a world war! Worst of all, the bombing of Serbia has caused Russia to consider deploying nuclear weapons in Belarus, and caused the Ukrainian Parliament to call for the renunciation of Ukraine's non-nuclear policy. There has been much debate recently about sending in ground troops, but I read an essay (by Patrick Theros of the Western Policy Center) on page B7 of the April 24 Sacramento Bee which argues that NATO wouldn't be able to mount an effective invasion (requiring 200,000 troops) until mid-summer, due to a shortage of roads and rails in the area, Kosovo's rugged terrain, and a shortage of U.S. military transport planes. By that time, Milosevic's minions will have completely cleansed Kosovo of its Albanians! I doubt that the KLA can stop the ethnic cleansing, even if we arm them, and I oppose arming the KLA, since they have killed Serb civilians and police officers in the past. I believe that our only hope for stopping the killing and expulsions in Kosovo is to seek a negotiated solution. Therefore, I urge you to cosponsor resolutions urging Clinton to stop bombing Serbia and adopt the following policies to defuse the Kosovo crisis, undermine Milosevic, and repair the damage to U.S.-Russian relations and to the nuclear disarmament process: I. Suspend the bombing for 24 hours as a gesture of good will, invite Russia to mediate, and propose an armed non-NATO Peacekeeping Force (from the UN or the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe, and including troops from NATO, Russia, and other European nations). I believe that such a force might be more acceptable to the Serbs, and will need to be armed to prevent further violence between the two groups. The Peacekeepers would escort the refugees back into Kosovo, police an autonomy agreement, disarm both sides, and organize an integrated Serb/Albanian Peacekeeping Force. II. Propose large scale aid to rebuild Kosovo and the rest of Yugoslavia. Build energy efficient homes and other buildings, equipped with solar energy panels, and build homes close to places of work to minimize use of cars. Also build mass transit systems. Due to the large amount of damage caused by both the ethnic cleansing and the NATO bombs, I see a golden opportunity to rebuild Yugoslavia along energy efficient and ecologically responsible lines. (As long as a country is being rebuilt, we might as well rebuild it to be energy efficient and ecologically friendly). III. Broadcast graphic accounts of Serbian atrocities against Kosovo Albanians into Serbia and into Russia, and ask listeners: Is the Serbian government worth your support? Hopefully, this would undermine Milosevic's popularity in both countries. IV. Dramatically announce that the U.S. is taking its nuclear weapons off alert, removing the warheads from their delivery vehicles, and halting all nuclear weapons design, testing, production, and deployment activities. IV. Challenge all the other nuclear nations to follow our lead, and challenge Russia to immediately ratify START II, cancel any deployment of its nuclear weapons outside its territory, and resume cooperation with the West to avert a Y2K nuclear war. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Mandela calls for nuclear disarmament Date: 04 May 1999 19:31:49 -0700 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_334000/334871.stm BBC News Tuesday, May 4, 1999 Published at 17:03 GMT 18:03 UK World: South Asia Mandela calls for nuclear disarmament Nawaz Sharif calls Mr Mandela a "hero of freedom" By Owen Bennett-Jones in Islamabad President Nelson Mandela of South Africa has urged India and Pakistan to work for nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation in South Asia. He was speaking in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, as a part of his farewell international tour. Mr Mandela said that when he took over in South Africa the nuclear arsenal established by his apartheid predecessors was dismantled. The nuclearisation of South Asia, he said, was a big concern. He called on the leaders of the subcontinent to promote nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation. Kashmiri comments toned down In the course of his speech Nelson Mandela also referred to the Kashmir dispute. Last year, when addressing the non-aligned summit in Durban, he said that all the countries present should be willing to lend all their strength to resolving the dispute. That comment was widely welcomed in Pakistan as a sign that the South African president favoured third party mediation over Kashmir. But in his Islamabad speech, Mr Mandela said that he had complete confidence in the leadership of Pakistan and India to resolve the problem themselves. Despite any disappointment about that statement, Mr Mandela did receive a standing ovation from the Pakistani audience, which earlier heard their Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, describe the South African leader as a great hero of freedom. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Call Opposing Kosovo Emergency Supplemental Date: 05 May 1999 11:39:34 -0400 >Date: Wed, 05 May 1999 07:51:30 -0400 >Subject: Call Opposing Kosovo Emergency Supplemental >Priority: non-urgent >X-FC-MachineGenerated: true >To: wilpf-news-us@igc.org >X-FC-Forwarded-From: ggilhool@ix11.ix.netcom.com >From: ggilhool@ix.netcom.com (ggilhool@ix.netcom.com) > >IMMEDIATE ACTION ALERT: > >The Kosovo Supplemental Appropriations Bills will be voted on by both >the House and the Senate this week or early next week. The House vote >is scheduled for >tomorrow Thursday, May 6th. > >The House Appropriations Committee added $6.8 billion to the President's > >$6 billion request before sending it to the floor. They have used the >bill to load in the increased spending that was going to violate the >FY2000 defense budget caps. Their intention is to free up the later >appropriations bill for more outrageous pork. The Pentagon doesn't need > >any more money whatsoever. > >For more information about the House bill, see analysis below. > >Call or email your Representative at 202-225-3121 or > >and Senators at 202-224-3121 or > >today to let them know you oppose the emergency spending bill and >increased military >spending for any purpose and urge them to vote against the supplemental >appropriations bills except for emergency aid for refugees from Kosovo. > >To get all your elected officials' contact information and voting >records, go to the >Vote Smart webpage, , or call Project >Vote-Smart >free at 1-888-868-3762. > >Gillian > > >* * * * * > >Kosovo Supplemental Appropriations Bill: >Republicans Load Up the Bill for a War Most Oppose; >Layaways for Pork in Fiscal 2000 > > >On Thursday, April 29, the House Appropriations Committee voted for a >$12.9 billion Kosovo "emergency" supplemental appropriations bill, more >than double the Administration request for $6 billion to pay for the war > >in Kosovo. > >The Committee majority resorted to a shell game to avoid charges of >adding pork to the bill to pay for a war. They loaded programs into the > >supplemental appropriations bill that have nothing to do with the war in > >order to clear room for pork requests in the fiscal 2000 Defense >Appropriations bill. > >As Rep. David Obey (D-WI), ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations >Committee pointed out yesterday: "I do not believe that we should be >using something as serious as the war in order to simply make a lot of >headroom for somebody's pork that will be added in the defense bill down > >the line." > >Three important points to note in the $6.9 billion hike in military >spending: > >1. The extra money approved by the House Appropriations Committee will >come out of social security surpluses. Less than two weeks after >Congress passed the fiscal 2000 budget resolution in which Members of >both parties pledged to protect social security, the House Republican >majority has now countenanced a $6.9 billion raid out of a program that >just days >before they argued must be protected by a "lock box." > >2. Republicans who denounce President Clinton for neglecting military >needs should stand accused of similar neglect. In October 1998, six >months ago, the Republicans leadership had an opportunity to pay for >essential programs that the President had supposedly shortchanged. >Instead they >pumped money into other pet projects. After President Clinton requested > >$1.1 billion to deal with readiness problems last fall, Congress >appropriated $8.3 billion in the October emergency supplemental bill -- >but managed to neglect the shortfalls that they now find so critical. >Between 1995 and 1998 the Republican Congress added $23 billion to >defense budget requests; only 10% of the money added went to the O&M and >personnel >accounts. > >3. Much of the so-called emergency funding is motivated by >Republicans' desire to spend money in fiscal 1999 that does not count >against the fiscal 2000 budget caps to free funding for pork >projects in fiscal 2000. > >Rep. Obey accurately described the decisions of the House Appropriations > >Committee: "I find it mind- boggling that some of the same members who >yesterday voted against the operation will today vote to more than >double the amount of spending that the president has asked for to >conduct those operations." > >[Excerpted from analysis by John Isaacs, Council for a Livable World] > >Gillian Gilhool >Legislative Organizer >WILPF in Washington >110 Maryland Avenue NE, Suite 102 >Washington, DC 20002 >Phone: 202-546-6727 >Fax: 202-544-9613 >Website: www.wilpf.org > > > > > >-- >Gillian Gilhool >Legislative Organizer >WILPF in Washington >110 Maryland Avenue NE, Suite 102 >Washington, DC 20002 >Phone: 202-546-6727 >Fax: 202-544-9613 >Website: www.wilpf.org > Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: NN: Nuclear war, courtesy of Nato Date: 05 May 1999 14:33:41 -0400 >Date: Wed, 05 May 1999 13:32:33 -0400 >Subject: NN: Nuclear war, courtesy of Nato >Priority: non-urgent >X-FC-MachineGenerated: true >To: abolition@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca, cnanw@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca >X-FC-Forwarded-From: delong@nucleus.com >From: abolition@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca (abolition@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca) > >Kosovo, like Vietnam, has liberal support. But what of our weapons? > >By John Pilger=20 >Tuesday May 4, 1999=20 >The Guardian > >The 'just and noble liberal war', in which Nato bombs have now >incinerated >people on a bus, having already killed passengers on a train, refugees >on >tractors, the elderly in a hostel, workers in factories and children in >their homes, is not the first. Vietnam was a liberals' war, described as >a >'righteous crusade' by Bill Clinton's hero, John Kennedy, and a 'noble >cause' by Ronald Reagan, a conservative. The labels are important only >as >illusion, now that Clinton is Reagan and Blair is Thatcher.=20 > >Nato's 'new vision' is to seek justification for American-led attacks >all >over the world. When communism retired from the cold war game, the 'war >on >drugs' was used to justify renewed American military intervention in >Latin >America. After that, the pursuit of demons took over. Demons are >dictators >of no further use to Washington. There was General Noriega in Panama, >where >the US invasion cost 2,000 lives, and Saddam Hussein in Iraq (200,000 >lives) >and various warlords in Somalia (7,000 lives). Now it is the turn of >Milosevic, with whom Clinton and Blair share responsibility for emptying >most of Kosovo. > >Demons as a justification for attacking countries have since been >reinforced >by Weapons of Mass Destruction, or WMD. These are chemical, biological >and >nuclear weapons, the possession of which, says Nato literature, 'may >require >pre-emptive retaliation'. The ferocity of the continuing military and >economic assault on Iraq is justified in this way - when the real reason >has >to do with the policing of an expanded American protectorate from the >Gulf >to the Caspian Sea. > >The hypocrisy is on a grand scale. Only one nation on earth has used all >three WMDs: the United States. Smallpox was used to ethnically cleanse >Native Americans and to spread plague in Cuba. Chemicals were used in >Vietnam: between 1961 and 1971, American planes dropped on South Vietnam >a >defoliant, Agent Orange, which contained dioxin, a poison that causes >foetal >death, congenital defects and cancer (this was code-named Operation >Hades). > >When a Congressional inquiry revealed that the equivalent of six pounds >of >dioxin had been dumped on every man, woman and child in South Vietnam, >Operation Hades was changed to the friendlier Operation Ranch Hand, and >the >spraying continued. A pattern of deformities began to emerge: babies >born >without eyes, with deformed hearts and small brains and stumps instead >of >legs. I glimpsed these children in contaminated villages in the Mekong >Delta; and whenever I asked about them, people pointed to the sky; one >man >scratched in the dust a good likeness of a bulbous C-130 aircraft, >spraying. >In the towns and cities, it was not unusual to see deformed children >begging. They were known as 'Agent Orange babies'. > >Recently, at the Tu Do hospital in Saigon, I was shown a group of >newborn >babies, all of whom had Agent Orange deformities. The war that >officially >ended in 1975 goes on; contaminated soil and water are poisoning a third >generation. Unlike American and Australian veterans of the war, who have >been finally compensated by the manufacturers of dioxin, the Vietnamese >have >received nothing. Now a five-year Canadian study has discovered that >dioxin >runs right through Vietnam's food chain and has called for international >help in decontaminating agricultural land, forests and waterways. The >cost >of one F-16 bomber would pay for this. > >'Can you imagine pilots from a democratic country doing such a thing >deliberately?' said Jamie, the Nato spin doctor, following the craven >killing of refugees by an F-16 pilot. Today, the same pilots are >spreading >over Serbia and Kosovo a poison potentially as cataclysmic as Agent >Orange. >It is carried in depleted uranium, which makes missiles and shells more >destructive. This is how Rosalie Bertell, a Canadian specialist, >describes >the effects on humans: 'Depleted uranium comes from radioactive waste >produced for nuclear weapons and the nuclear industry. It can pierce >tanks >and release a deadly radioactive aerosol of uranium, unlike anything >seen >before. This lies in the dust or is suspended in the air, or carried in >the >wind. It penetrates the lung tissue and enters the blood stream, storing >in >the liver, kidney and bone and irradiating all the delicate tissues. It >can >initiate cancer or promote cancer.' > >The truth is that the US and Britain are engaged in a form of nuclear >warfare in the Balkans. In 1996, the United Nations Human Rights >Tribunal >called depleted uranium a WMD. Like the Agent Orange babies of Vietnam, >the >deformed and cancer-stricken children of southern Iraq, where depleted >uranium was tested by British and American forces during the 1991 Gulf >war, >bear witness to the true nature of righteous Western crusades. Civilised >people should speak out urgently before the latest noble cause claims >more >expendable victims and beckons a world war. No amount of specious >moralising >will conceal the scale of the crime.=20 > >=A9 Copyright Guardian Media Group plc. 1999=20 > > > >Michael D. Wallace >Department of Political Science >University of British Columbia >Vancouver, Canada V6T 1Z1 >phone:(604)822-4550, fax:822-5540 > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ >~ > =20 Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Action Alert-Pakistan Date: 05 May 1999 17:58:56 -0400 >> >>>Date: Wed, 05 May 1999 15:07:03 -0400 >>>Subject: may 11 and may 28 anniversary >>>To: aslater@gracelinks.org >>>From: zia@Princeton.EDU (zia@Princeton.EDU) >>> >>>Friends, >>>this is an appeal to protest and appeal for solidarity. I hope after >>>reading it you will respond and share it with every list and peace group >>>you can. >>> >>>May 11 and May 28 will mark the first anniversary of the nuclear weapons >>>tests by India and Pakistan respectively. When they carried out the >>>nuclear tests both governments claimed the tests were a desperate last >>>ditch decision motivated by grave threats to national security. A year >>>later there are elaborate official plans to celebrate the anniversary of >>>the tests, especially in Pakistan. We must protest this celebration of a >>>capability to commit nuclear mass murder. >>> >>>In a sickening display of nuclear nationalism, the government of >>>Pakistan has ordered 10 days of national celebrations to mark the >>>anniversary of its nuclear tests on May 28. The government is running an >>>official competition, announced daily on national television, with a >>>prize of Rs. 100,000 (about $2,000, equivalent to about year's income) >>>to whoever comes up with the most appropriate name for this May 28 >>>anniversary celebration.Every day now, Pakistan television shows >>>coverage of the new missiles, Ghauri & Shaheen, being paraded & >>>launched, with suitably stirring nationalistic songs. >>> >>>May 28, the day of the anniversary, is to be a national holiday. It will >>>begin with a 21-gun salute, and there will be special prayers of thanks >>>at all the mosques. The nation is expected to stand for a one minute >>>silence while the national anthem is played at 3:17 pm, the time when >>>Pakistan detonated its nuclear weapons. The Pakistan flag will be raised >>>on state buildings, provincial capitals and local government offices. >>>The prime minister will address a public rally at the mausoleum of the >>>founder of Pakistan, and later he will preside at an award ceremony to >>>honour Pakistan's nuclear weapon scientists. >>> >>>Every branch of government is involved. The Ministry of Sports and >>>Culture has arranged sports and cultural events across the country, >>>while the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) has arranged a >>>national art competition to commemorate the tests. Even the Ministry of >>>Youth Affairs is organising events. >>> >>>This national nuclear circus shows up just how false the claims were >>>that the government of Pakistan made at the time of its tests. It had >>>argued then that Pakistan had no choice but to respond to the grave >>>threat posed by India, after India's May 11 nuclear tests. What was then >>>claimed to be desperation has now become joy. The reasons for this >>>circus are obvious. It is meant to both broaden and deepen support >>>within Pakistan for nuclear weapons. It is this support that the >>>government will subsequently point to in international discussions and >>>say it cannot agree to arms control, never mind disarmament. >>> >>>The fledgling peace movement in Pakistan, which is working in an >>>extraordinarily difficult and hostile atmosphere, is organising protests >>>across the country on May 28. The international peace movement must show >>>solidarity. Peace groups and activists around the world must join with >>>activists in Pakistan in publicly demonstrating complete and utter >>>revulsion at the government of Pakistan's plans to celebrate nuclear >>>weapons and its cynical attempt to manufacture public support for its >>>nuclear ambitions. >>> >>>Please write an email, or send a fax to >>> >>>1. The Prime Minister of Pakistan >>>email: primeminister@pak.gov.pk >>>Fax:(92-51) 920 8890 >>> : (92-51) 920 1545 >>> >>> >>>2. The Federal Minister of Information and Culture, >>>email: mushahid@pak.gov.pk >>> >>> >>>3. The Pakistan Mission to the United Nations (New York) >>>8 East 65th Street, New York NY 10021. >>>Tel: (212) 879.8600 >>>email: pakistan@undp.org email >>> >>> >>>Please send copies of your messages to the peace movement through >>> >>>4. Joint Action Committee for People's Rights >>>email: sgah@lhr.comsats.net.pk >>> >>>5. Pakistan Peace Coalition >>>email: b.m.kutty@cyber.net.pk >>> >>> >>>Please send a copy, seperately, to Pakistan's leading english newspapers >>> >>>6. The News >>>email: tns_pk@yahoo.com >>>and >>>editor@jang.com.pk >>> >>>7. Dawn >>>email: letters@dawn.com >>> >>> >>> >>>Zia Mian >>>Center for Energy and Environmental Studies >>>Princeton University >>>email: zia@princeton.edu Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Enrollment in the Network Date: 05 May 1999 18:55:35 -0400 Dear Friends, At our last annual meeting we set a goal of enrolling 2000 organizations into the Abolition 2000 Network by the time of our next meeting. That meeting will take place following the Hague Appeal for Peace, on May 15-17th. By now you should have received a yellow enrollment card in the mailing that went out from the our international Abolition 2000 contract, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, announcing the annual meeting in the Hague, with a walk to Delft in support of the Nuclear Weapons Abolition Days direct action project. Could you please try to speak to one other organization about the importance of nuclear abolition and urge them to enroll in our Network between now and May 15th? (You can also copy the enrollment card and use it for enrolling more than one organization and for distribution to those organizations you enroll.) ENROLLMENT is an opportunity to educate others about the urgency of our cause--to bring nations to the table to negotiate a treaty for the elimination of nuclear weapons. We are all tackling this issue from a variety of angles, but enrollment in our Network is something each group can do in concert with others. We are now approaching 1400 organizations. Let's put the Network over the top before the annual meeting!! (You can also find an enrollment form at www.napf.org) Many thanks. Peace, Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Call-Email Congress on Funding NATO bombing Date: 05 May 1999 20:21:41 -0400 >Date: Wed, 05 May 1999 19:19:23 -0400 >Subject: Call-Email Congress on Funding NATO bombing >To: wtr-s@igc.apc.org >From: CarolMoore@kreative.net (CarolMoore@kreative.net) > >You also can email both Senators and your congressman by going to >http://www.StoptheWarNow.com >------ >Please forward to all anti-war networks. > >The emergency supplemental will be voted on tomorrow (Thursday). Rep. >Rohrabacher, supported by Rep. Kucinich, will introduce an amendment to >remove funding for the war in Yugoslavia. Based on the previous vote on >the resolution in support of the air war, this amendment could pass if >there is grassroots pressure in favor of it. If the amendment passes it >will dramatically increase pressure on the Administration to stop the >bombing and seriously pursue negotiations. > >Moreover, the if the Congress approves the authorization of funds the >Administration is expected to use this to argue that the requirements of >the War Powers Act have been fulfilled, that they have Congressional >authorization for the war. Thus it is doubly important that this money >not be approved by the House. > >Please call your Rep. ASAP and ask her/him to support the Rohrabacher >amendment to eliminate funding for the war from the emergency >supplemental. It is especially urgent to contact those Reps who voted in >favor of requiring explicit Congressional approval for ground troops >and/or opposed the Senate Resolution supporting the air war, be they >Democratic or Republican. The Congressional switchboard is 202-225-3121, >from which you can be transferred to your Rep. > >Thanks, >Robert Naiman > Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Other Voices from Serbia Date: 05 May 1999 21:07:46 EDT In a message dated 5/4/99 8:32:16 AM Eastern Daylight Time, jim_forest@compuserve.com writes: << Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 16:21:34 -0700 From: "Fr. Victor Sokolov" Subject: Free Serbia: Other Voices from Serbia http://freehosting.at.webjump.com/am/aman-bre-webjump/e-index.html Free Serbia: Other Voices from Serbia - "Anti-Milosevic and Anti-NATO" site run by Yugoslav students. Includes details of civilian targets & casualties, comments, and eyewitness reports. >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Text of National Committee Statement on Yugoslavia Date: 05 May 1999 21:53:36 EDT << Socialist Party USA Statement on the Crisis in Yugoslavia The Socialist Party USA vehemently opposes the U.S.-led NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. The action only serves to strengthen the hand of the right-wing nationalist Serbian military government, heightens the chance for expanding military conflict to other Balkan countries, and puts hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in harms way. We oppose the U.S. government's all but unilateral decision to initiate this foray into senseless militarism. We call for a multinational, secular Yugoslavian federation, governed democratically by farmers, students and workers of all ethnicities, so that the right to self-determination for all peace-loving peoples may be guaranteed. We call for the immediate withdrawal of all Yugoslavian military forces from Kosovo. We support the right of autonomy for Kosovo. We support the democratic forces who oppose the Milosevic regime. We call for the disbanding of NATO. It has outlived its purpose for existence. We oppose the economic policies of the IMF and World Bank, and call for forgiving all international debts. We believe the NATO bombing only reinforces the cynical worldview that certain groups and countries are undemocratic, dangerous and unable to govern themselves. We call for an end to the international arms trade and demand an immediate and unilateral 50-percent cut in the U.S. military budget. Passed on May 2, 1999 SP USA National Committee - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Re: James Carroll challenges US/Nato Date: 05 May 1999 22:22:49 -0400 >Date: Wed, 05 May 1999 21:40:23 -0400 >Subject: Re: James Carroll challenges US/Nato >Priority: non-urgent >X-FC-MachineGenerated: true >To: wilpf-news@igc.apc.org >From: marmed@home.com (marmed@home.com) > >>> It's on NATO now >>> By James Carroll, 05/04/99 >>> >>> Now that Jesse Jackson and Viktor Chernomyrdin have provided an opening >>in the Balkans stalemate, President Clinton should move through it. In >>his recent interview with UPI, Slobodan Milosevic went on record with >>these proposals: >>> >>> - a cessation of all military activities; >>> - the simultaneous withdrawal of NATO troops from Yugoslav border areas >>and the reduction of Serb forces in Kosovo to a normal garrison level; >>> - the return of all refugees; >>> - continued negotiations aiming at ''the widest possible autonomy for >>Kosovo within Serbia;'' >>> - free access of refugee relief teams from the UN and the Red Cross; >>> - an economic recovery plan for the three Yugoslav Federation states. >>> >>> A seventh point, made clear in the interview, was Milosevic's >>acceptance of an international peacekeeping force, armed with weapons of >>self-defense. Here is the heart of the Serb leader's proposal. ''The UN >>can have a huge mission in Kosovo, if it wants. They can bear witness to >>the legal behavior of our >>> law-enforcement agencies, and to the fact that everything is now >>peaceful.'' >>> >>> Administration officials dismissed the Milosevic proposals as >>''propaganda spewing from the highest source,'' and the Milosevic >>approach through Jesse Jackson as ''a PR stunt.'' It is not clear yet >>what yesterday's meeting between >>> Chernomyrdin and Clinton will lead to, but the initial dismissals of >>this new attempt to open negotiations is not promising. We citizens must >>arrive at independent judgments of these developments. In order to do >>that, we must >>> return to the basic question: >>> >>> What is the purpose of the NATO air war? If it is the vindication of >>NATO, coupled with the humiliation of Milosevic, then this new set of >>initiatives must be rejected. But if NATO's purpose is the protection of >>Kosovar >>> civilians, those hundreds of thousands at the mercy of Serb forces, >>and, now, of disease and hunger, then Chernomyrdin must absolutely be >>enabled to build on the Milosevic proposals. These openings offer a way >>to stop the rapes, murders, and further ''ethnic cleansing,'' and they >>offer the >>> hope of a substantial reversal of that ethnic cleansing. ''A huge UN >>mission in Kosovo'' right now is exactly what is required. >>> >>> On the crucial point of whether that force is armed or not, Milosevic >>has already reversed himself, backing down from his prior rejection even >>of sidearms. His distinction between ''defensive'' and ''offensive'' >>weapons can be read more as face-saving than as a deal-breaker. What >>counts now is >>> the prompt introduction of many thousands of UN peacekeepers, to stand >>with the vulnerable Kosovars, to bring the eyes and ears of the world >>back into the killing fields, to ''bear witness,'' exactly, that the >>atrocities have stopped. >>> >>> NATO insists that any such presence be mainly made up of its own >>forces, but what difference does it make to terrorized Kosovars whether >>the helmets of their protectors are green or blue? >>> >>> Whatever happens, this is a turning point in the war. Until now, there >>has been a painful division between those who see the conflict as a >>tragic but necessary campaign to stop savage human-rights abuses, and >>those who see it as a terribly misguided, if initially well-intentioned, >>effort to stop one kind of unacceptable violence with another. But a >>resolution to the >>> killing phase of this conflict - a precondition to political resolution >>of the intractable problems remaining - is now possible. Such are the >>horrors facing the fugitive population of Kosovo that everything must be >>put second to the urgent task of rescuing them. >>> >>> Alas, despite the rhetoric of ''Never again!,'' NATO and the White >>House seem to have lost sight of the endangered human beings they set out >>to save. Having made the humiliation of Milosevic the central meaning of >>this war, NATO now seems to be defining negotiation with Milosevic as its >>own humiliation. >>> >>> If NATO clings to this refusal, we the American people in whose name >>this war is being waged must understand what it means. From here on out, >>any pretense that the violence is justified by a defense of human rights >>is gone. Every >>> woman raped, every village burned, and every refugee dead of starvation >>or disease will be on the conscience of the West. >>> >>> Meanwhile, NATO's savage air war escalates into its ''domination >>phase,'' which makes the true character of that campaign crystal clear. >>NATO prides itself on the pains its flyers take to avoid direct civilian >>casualties. As Saturday's obliterated bus reminds us, ''collateral >>damage'' is inevitable. But NATO expressions of regret do not remove the >>question of criminality. Ours is now an open air war against the civic >>society of Yugoslavia - as Sunday's attack on the power grid of Belgrade >>demonstrates. NATO is deliberately causing the destruction of the >>Yugoslav economy, the pollution of its environment, the degradation of >>everything necessary to civilization. However it started, the air war has >>become a >>> crime against humanity. >>> >>> If President Clinton and his partners continue to slap away the >>possibility of a true and quick rescue of Kosovar Albanians, NATO here >>and now joins the ranks of the perpetrators, and America, for its part, >>enters a new age of infamy. >>> >>> James Carroll's column appears regularly in the Globe. >>> >>> This story ran on page A21 of the Boston Globe on 05/04/99. >>> (c) Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company. >>> >>> "All your strength is in your union, >>> All your danger is in discord." -- Longfellow, Hiawatha >>> >>> Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee, 4806 York Road, Baltimore, >>MD 21212 >>> Ph: 410-323-7200; Fax: 410-323-7292; Email: mobuszewski@afsc.org > Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Lunchtime deaths: 12 children on Jovina Street Date: 05 May 1999 23:52:20 EDT In a message dated 5/5/99 6:14:25 AM Eastern Daylight Time, jim_forest@compuserve.com writes: << The Guardian (UK) Thursday April 29, 1999 MILIC WENT TO FETCH LUNCH. WHEN HE RETURNED HIS FAMILY WERE DEAD There is no sign of the soldiers and trucks NATO may have been seeking in Surdulica. By Maggie O'Kane in Surdulica What is left of the 12 children of Jovina Street is piled on four metal trellis tables in the back room of a white-tiled morgue. Their street was named after a childrens' poet, Zmaj Jovina, who took to writing stories after he lost his seven children to tuberculosis. Now Jovina Street has 12 more children to mourn. On Monday, between noon and 1pm -- nobody seems to remember exactly when - they died when a NATO missile burrowed into their hiding place in a cellar. 'They were aged between five and 11,' said Dr Alexander Nicolic, though it was impossible to tell the ages from the four heaps of human remains on the table. Most were from the Voyislav family. They had been waiting for their grandfather to come back. He had gone to fetch a salad from his sister's garden for lunch. Milic Voyislav liked to make himself useful when he was at home on holiday. For 31 years he had worked in a car factory in Cologne, raising his children on the wealth of German industry. This holiday he was fulfilling a long term promise: the Voyislav family were finally getting a satellite dish. Dragan came at lunchtime to put it up. That's when the two planes came in, high above the suburban spread of Surdulica. There, most of the 300 houses are built from the money of migrant fathers; plain two-storey homes built in the 70s and 80s, each with a car in the driveway. When the NATO planes had finished, the white four-door saloon in Milic Voyislav's driveway was crushed into a pancake - its number plate VR633-52 just discernible - and at least 20 people, 12 of them children, were dead. It is night and the earth movers are still working by the electric arc lights. Men in navy boiler suits, white hats and rubber gloves are picking between the rubble for more bodies. An old man, his jeans covered in dust, finds his sheepskin rug and a pair of his trousers in the debris. He shakes them, folds them and carefully lays them to one side. Next to him, Ilica Srebena is saying: 'My sister is here somewhere, she's here somewhere. I don't understand it. What were they trying to hit? The barracks have been empty since the beginning and they blew it up on April 6. There was nothing more here, we didn't expect them to come back.' There is no sign of the soldiers and trucks NATO may have been seeking in Surdulica. The road to the town, 300 miles south of Belgrade, is a ghost highway. Once the trucks of Germany, Austria and Hungary ploughed through Serbia on their way to Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. Now there is nothing. Further south, the great highway becomes a mud track through a village, winding under 16th century bridges and past mountain lodges. Soldiers are silhouetted in the doorways of their commandeered houses, their trucks stowed in farmers' barns or untidy garages with corrugated iron roofs. They are far from military barracks in towns like Surdulica and the streets where the Voyislavs live. In Britain, Surdulica's medical facilities would be called a cottage hospital, an ordinary place where women give birth and the old die. But late on Tuesday night it was not a place that belonged to humans. In the first room of the morgue, under hard electric strip lights, a giant white table cloth held a mass of human flesh - the parents and grandparents of the children of Jovina Street. Body parts were mixed with shredded carpet, newspapers, torn flesh and raw bone. Three generations of Milic Voyislav's family are here. Somewhere among them perhaps is Dragan, the man who had come to put up the long-awaited satellite dish. Dragan's friend stood in the morgue. 'He was putting it on the roof of Milic's house,' he said. 'I saw him up there, then it hit and when I turned my head I saw that there was no Dragan and no roof.' Milic Voyislav, a grandfather in his 60s who worked all his life in Cologne, had come home to visit his family - now there is no one left. Somewhere in the morgue are his wife Vesna, his daughter Llijana, his son Dladica, his grandchildren Jana, Marina and Sash, his brother Alexander and Alexander's wife, Stamena. 'I went to my sister's to get the salad for lunch,' said the old man, 'and when I got to the front of my house I saw what had happened and then my neighbour told me "they are all dead".' * * * - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Kosovo Crisis Website Date: 06 May 1999 03:28:10 -0700 Important website on Yugoslavia war, excerpts: http://www.strategicstudies.org/crisis/newrome.htm#-NATO "Ironically, the KLA=92s head of =E9lite forces, Muhammed al-Zawahiri, is= the brother of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the military commander for Saudi-born terrorist leader, Osama bin Laden." [regarding recent civilian casualites] One case in point was the bombing by NATO aircraft of four Kosovo refugee convoys in one day during the week of April 11-17, 1999. The attention focused around one of the convoys =97 the one which Yugoslav authorities = first reached, and filmed, and to which they brought journalists later =97 whic= h at first NATO denied attacking. NATO authorities at first said that it could have been attacked by Yugoslav Super Galeb fighters, flying low. Graduall= y, however, the NATO spokesmen had to retreat, a step at a time, from that position, although always maintaining that =93some Yugoslav aircraft=94 c= ould have been in the area and added to the carnage. NATO released video and audio tapes which they later admitted were, in fact, not connected with t= he incident at all. Then they released stories about how difficult it was to identify targets from 15,000 feet. Another minor piece of deception, as w= e shall see. This writer has, however, heard the voice traffic between the initial str= ike aircraft and his EC-130 Hercules AWACS. This is what happened: The four convoys were made of Kosovars who were returning to their homes = in the Dakovica area of Western Kosovo-Metohija, not far from the Albanian border. They were moving away from the Albanian border, not attempting to =93flee=94 from the =93ethnic cleansing=94. Given that the Clinton Admini= stration has made it clear that Kosovars cannot be allowed to re-settle their land= s without NATO supervision, this phase of the bombing war was not going as planned. The continuation of the NATO strategy depended upon the continui= ng horror and tragedy of the refugees fleeing into Albania and Macedonia. A USAF F-16 fighter was deployed to the area of the convoy in question. T= he following is the transcript of the mission radio traffic: Pilot: =93Good day, I am in position 80. No movement underneath. Please information on red MiGs [jargon for Yugoslav combat aircraft].=94 AWACS: =93Hello Charlie Bravo. Mother here. Patrol northwest direction Prizren-Dakovica. There are no red MiGs in the air.=94 Pilot: =93OK, I am going to 3,000ft.=94 AWACS: =93Mother to Charlie Bravo. You get reinforcements in about 10 min= utes. There will be something interesting south of Dakovica.=94 Pilot: =93Charlie Bravo to Mother. I am coming out of the clouds, still nothing in sight.=94 AWACS: =93Mother to Charlie Bravo. Continue to the north, course 280.=94 Pilot: =93Charlie Bravo to Mother. I am keeping 3,000 feet. Under me colu= mns of cars, some kind of tractors. What is it? Requesting instructions.=94 AWACS: =93Mother to Charlie Bravo. Do you see tanks? Repeat, where are th= e tanks?=94 Pilot: =93Charlie Bravo to Mother. I see tractors. I suppose the Reds did= not camouflage tanks as tractors.=94 AWACS: =93Mother to Charlie Bravo. What kind of strange convoy is this? W= hat, civilians? Damn, this is all the Serb=92s doing. Destroy the target.=94 Pilot: =93Charlie Bravo to Mother. What should I destroy? Tractors? Ordin= ary cars? Repeat, I do not see any tanks. Request additional instructions.=94 AWACS: =93Mother to Charlie Bravo. This is a military target, a completel= y legitimate military target. Destroy the target. Repeat, destroy the targe= t.=94 Pilot: =93Charlie Bravo to Mother. OK, copy. Launching.=94 NATO spokesmen, including the politically ambitious NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Wesley Clark, said: =93We may never know what really happe= ned.=94 Clearly, that is not true. Who and What is the KLA? The Ushtria Clirimtare e Kosove (UCK) or Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) has several =93parents=94 =97 including the Iranian and Bosnia-Herzegovina governments =97 and several important =93midwives-cum-doting aunts=94, in= cluding the United States, Croatian and Turkish governments and a wide range of individuals. The KLA would not be the significant factor it is today in t= he Kosovo crisis, however, had it not been for the blessing of the United States Clinton Administration, and for the direct and indirect support gi= ven to it by the Clinton Administration. It now seems clear that the US Clinton Administration and the German Government have been actively supporting the KLA since 1992 with weapons, training, intelligence and, most importantly, significant political encouragement. The final turning point in KLA fortunes came when US speci= al envoys Richard Holbrooke and Peter Galbraith posed in 1998 for pictures w= ith the KLA leadership, thereby cementing the endorsement. Ironically, the KL= A has its origins in the stalinist/leninist/maoist Albanian Party of Labor = of the late Albanian leader Enver Hoxha. Today, although clearly of a maoist bent =97 its leader, Adem Demaci, uses the maoist clenched fist salute constantly =97 it also uses the appeals of nationalism and religion to wi= n converts among the Kosovar Albanians. Gradually, following the end of the stalinist era in Albania in 1992, the KLA, by now mainly operating out of Germany and among the expatriate Albanian Kosovars, as well as inside Albania, began drifting more toward becoming a purely criminal organization, almost totally preoccupied with narcotics trafficking and extortion to sustain itself. Not much has chang= ed since then, apart from the addition to the KLA=92s persona of political-military support from the Iranian Government and then from the = US and German governments. In a landmark report =97 Italy Becomes Iran=92s New Base for Terrorist Operations =97 written for Defense & Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy in = late 1997, and published in the April-May 1998 edition, Senior Editor Yossef Bodansky noted: =93[B]y late 1997, the Tehran-sponsored training and preparations for the Liberation Army of Kosovo (UCK =97 Ushtria Clirimtar= e e Kosoves =97 in Albanian; OVK in Serbian), as well as the transfer of weap= ons and experts via Albania, were being increased. Significantly, Tehran=92s primary objective in Kosovo has evolved from merely assisting a Muslim minority in distress to furthering the consideration of the Islamic strategic access along the Sarejevo-to- Tiran=EB line. And not only by expanding and escalating subversive and Islamist-political presence can t= his objective be attained.=94 =93In the Fall of 1997, the uppermost leadership in Tehran ordered the IR= GC [Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps; the Pasdaran] High Command to launch = a major program for shipping large quantities of weapons and other military supplies to the Albanian clandestine organizations in Kosovo.=94 =93... [B]y early December 1997, Iranian intelligence had already deliver= ed the first shipments of hand grenades, machine- guns, assault rifles, nigh= t vision equipment, and communications gear from stockpiles in Albania to Kosovo. ... the Iranians began sending promising Albanian and UCK command= ers for advanced training in [Iranian-controlled] al-Quds forces and IRGC cam= ps in Iran. Meanwhile, weapons shipments continue. Thus Tehran is well on it= s way to establishing a bridgehead in Kosovo.=94 The report detailed the KLA=92s requirements for men and equipment, and outlined the KLA=92s proposed theaters of operations. [The full text of t= he report is available on the Defense & Foreign Affairs website at www.StrategicStudies.org.] The report further went on to say that the KLA=92s radical wing was considering the assassination of the leader of the moderate Democratic League of Kosovo (DLK), Dr Ibrahim Rugova, and Fehmi Agani, the DLK deput= y chairman, and blaming Belgrade for the killings. Dr Rugova, however, esca= ped assassination and remained in Yugoslavia to help negotiate a peaceful solution to the Kosovo crisis. Even after the NATO bombings began on Marc= h 24, 1999, he remained in Yugoslavia to help negotiate an end to the crisi= s, a move which has led KLA sources to =93leak=94 to the media the fact that= Dr Rugova was, in fact, =93a virtual prisoner=94 of the Yugoslav Government, something which Dr Rugova=92s visibility in the Yugoslav media should hav= e dispelled. Dr Rugova=92s position, however, is not one which the US Clinton Administration wishes to hear. The US committed itself to the KLA, and therefore to trying to break off Kosovo =97 with its 20 ethnic groups, no= t just the Kosovar Albanians =97 into a separate state. So the thought that= Dr Rugova was =93a virtual prisoner=94 remained in the media interpretation, blessed by the Clinton White House. Either because of political commitmen= t, or to simplify the public=92s perceptions, the Clinton Administration has promoted the view that the KLA represents those Kosovo residents of Alban= ian origin. Clearly, the KLA does not. The KLA has for some years based its revenue collection on extorting money from expatriate Kosovars under the threat of assassination of their relatives at home, and on drug trafficki= ng and violence aimed largely at the Kosovo people themselves. The KLA is the principal proponent of the =93greater Albania=94 philosoph= y, under which the organization first hopes to achieve an independent Kosovo under its control and then to use that base to take over Albania itself, given that Albania is currently in a virtual state of anarchy. Before tha= t stage is reached, however, the swelling Albanian minority in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYRM) would be targeted for either comple= te takeover or for the =93Albanian part=94 to be targeted for =93independenc= e=94. These are objectives which the KLA does not bother to hide. However, the German and US administrations have chosen to ignore these objectives, and the ongoing criminal activities of the organization. As noted, the KLA, supported since 1992 by the US and Iran =97 who are, i= n fact, strategic opponents, given the Iranian clerical administration=92s structural incompatibility with the West =97 received much support and training from the radical Muslim leadership of Bosnia-Herze- govina, unde= r President Alija Izetbegovi=E6. It may be a matter of some significance th= at during 1992, before William Clinton became US President, he signed, as Governor of the US State of Arkansas, an =93initiative=94 with the =93Soc= ialist Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina=94. In response, the Bosnians =93pronounce= [d] the month of April 1992 as =91The Month of Bosnia-Berzegovina and Arkansas=92= =94. The Official Gazette of the Bosnians, in February 1992, published the followi= ng item, dated February 15, 1992: =93On acceptance of the initiative of the governor of the state of Arkansas, on establishment of close cooperation with the Socialist Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina: The initiative of the governor of the state of Arkansas on establishment of close cooperation between the Socialist Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the field of culture, education, economy, science and other forms of cooperation is hereby accepted.=94 The implications for the KLA are apparent in this closeness. Ironically, the KLA=92s head of =E9lite forces, Muhammed al-Zawahiri, is = the brother of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the military commander for Saudi-born terrorist leader, Osama bin Laden. The US Clinton Administration has, of course, declared bin Laden =93public enemy number one=94 for his alleged involvement in the bombing of the two US embassies in East Africa in 1998. And Ayman al-Zawahiri has been implicated in the assassination attempt in 1995 against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Little wonder that numerous US policy analysts, even those who are hostil= e to Yugoslavia as a basic stance, are extremely uncomfortable with the Clinton Administration=92s close ties with the KLA. There is no doubt that the involvement of the two brothers al-Zawahiri in the two movements is not coincidental. Ben Works, director of the Strateg= ic Research Institute of the US, noted: =93There=92s no doubt that bin Laden= =92s people have been in Kosovo helping to arm, equip and train the KLA. ... [T]he [US] Administration=92s policy in Kosovo is to help bin Laden. It a= lmost seems as if the Clinton Administration=92s policy is to guarantee more terrorism.=94 Noted strategic analyst and columnist, former US Army Colonel Harry Summe= rs, said on August 12, 1998, that in Kosovo, the US found itself =93championi= ng the very Islamic fundamentalist terrorist groups who are our mortal enemi= es elsewhere=94. The KLA=92s criminal activities are well-known in Europe, but in nearby I= taly, they are of greatest concern, because increased war will make its first impact on the European Union=92s prosperity by affecting Italy. In the fi= rst two weeks of January 1999, alone, there were nine murders carried out in Milan by KLA assets. The line between the KLA and the other purely crimin= al Albanian mafia elements is now indistinguishable. And yet this is the group favored by the Clinton Administration (and as a result by the Blair Administration in the UK) over the moderate Kosovo Albanian leaders who have always sought to create a situation in which Yugoslavs of Albanian origin could live, pray and work in harmony alongsi= de the other 25 Yugoslav nationalities. Indeed, Clinton and Blair deliberate= ly overturned a workable agreement signed by all Yugoslav parties in Kosovo = so that the KLA-written =93Rambouillet Accords=94 could be served up as an ultimatum to the Yugoslav Government. Agim Gashi, 35, an ethnic Albanian from the Kosovo capital, Pristina, was= , until his recent arrest, the major drug dealer in Milan. In a March 15, 1999, article (ie: before the bombing began) by writer William Norman Gri= gg, an Italian police telephone intercept was cited in which Gashi urged his Turkish heroin suppliers to continue shipments during the holy Muslim per= iod of Ramadan. Gashi said that the continuation of the shipments was for the sake of an important cause: =93To submerge Christian infidels in drugs.=94= But at least part of the billions which Gashi made from the narcotics trade w= ent to buy a variety of weapons for the KLA. Most of the weapons were from pirated Russian stocks, ironically. Today, Russia is trying to reinforce Yugoslavia in the fight against the KLA and NATO. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Petition Confirmation Date: 06 May 1999 12:38:56 -0400 >Date: Thu, 06 May 1999 10:50:33 -0400 >Subject: Petition Confirmation >To: aslater@gracelinks.org >From: info@moveon.org (info@moveon.org) > >This email confirms that we've received your petition signup at >MoveOn.org. Thank you for adding your voice. > >This campaign is based on word of mouth, so if you can tell friends and >colleagues about the campaign, it will keep the ball rolling. Email people >you know and who know you -- indiscriminate messages hurt the campaign. > >Here is a sample letter you can "forward" to your contacts by email: >____________________ >Like most people, I've been disturbed at the rise of violence in our >lives. But Littleton really brings it home. It seems ridiculous to me >that that guns can be picked up at gun shows without even a background >check. Why aren't guns regulated for safety like other consumer products? > Thousands of small children could be saved by simple child safety >standards for handguns. Extremists are obviously still running the show >in Washington, but I believe it can change. > >I'm helping launch an Internet campaign to tell our representatives that >we've had enough. It's time for government to accept its proper role in >regulating firearms. Will you help? Just sign the petition at this link: > > http://www.moveon.org/children/ > >MoveOn is the group that ran the online anti-impeachment campaign last >year. They got a half million people to speak out. And it made a >difference. It only takes a minute to sign. And then if you send a >message on to your friends and colleagues, the ball will really get >rolling. It's up to us. > >Please feel free to forward this message to anyone you think would be >interested. Don't send this message indiscriminately. Spam hurts the >campaign. > Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: marylia@earthlink.net (marylia) Subject: (abolition-usa) Congress Res. on Nuclear Weapons Abolition Date: 06 May 1999 14:11:20 -0700 (PDT) ACTION ALERT! U.S. CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION TO ELIMINATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS for cosponsors, how to contact your Representative and "talking points" read on... The Woolsey Resolution: House Resolution 82 On Feb. 24, 1999, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and 21 others took a giant step toward lifting the specter of nuclear annihilation from future generations by calling on the President to initiate multilateral negotiations on a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons world-wide. By May 3, House Resolution 82 had already attracted 33 co-sponsors. If your Rep. is a co-sponsor, please thank him or her. If your Rep. is not listed below, please ask him or her to join the others and co-sponsor the Woolsey Resolution. Co-sponsors of House Res. 82 as of 5/2/99: Rep. Robert Andrews Rep. Tammy Baldwin Rep. Earl Blumenauer Rep. Peter DeFazio Rep. Anna Eshoo (CA) Rep. Eni Faleomavaega Rep. Bob Filner (CA) Rep. Barney Frank Rep. Charles Gonzalez Rep. Earl Hilliard Rep. Maurice Hinchey Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick Rep. Barbara Lee (CA) Rep. Bill Luther Rep. Carolyn Maloney Rep. Ed Markey Rep. Jim McDermott Rep. James McGovern Rep. Cynthia McKinney Rep. George Miller (CA) Rep. Patsy Mink Rep. Jerrold Nadler Rep Eleanor Holmes Norton Rep. John Olver Rep. Lynn Rivers Rep. Bobby Rush Rep. Bernie Sanders Rep. Louise Slaughter Rep. Pete Stark (CA) Rep. Rep. John Tierney Rep. Edolphus Towns Rep. Robert Underwood Rep. Henry Waxman (CA) Call your Rep. at 202-224-3121. Your Rep. can contact Woolsey's office at 202-225-5161. TALKING POINTS The Woolsey Resolution: Calling for a Treaty to Abolish Nuclear Weapons A huge majority in the U.S. no longer sees any reason for maintaining a nuclear arsenal, according to a 1997 nation-wide poll conducted by Lake, Sosin, Snell & Associates. Of the 1,006 people polled, 87% wanted the U.S. to negotiate an agreement to abolish nukes. And, 84% said they would feel safer if no country, including the U.S., had such weapons. 77% responded that the U.S. spends too much on its arsenal. Unlike similar surveys conducted in decades past, this poll found no significant gender gap or regional variation. Support for eliminating nuclear arms was shared equally by Democrats and Republicans. Former head of the U.S. Strategic Air Command, General Lee Butler and more than 60 other retired general and admirals from 17 countries issued a 1996 statement that the creation of a nuclear weapons-free world is both "necessary" and "possible." Former President Jimmy Carter and more than 100 former and current heads of state and civilian leaders from 46 countries said in 1998 that there exists a "moral imperative" for the abolition of nuclear weaponry. The time has come for abolition. The Woolsey Resolution urges the President to initiate multilateral negotiations leading to the early conclusion of a global treaty on nuclear weapons elimination. The U.S. has a vital security interest in promoting the nonproliferation and disarmament of nuclear weapons, states the Woolsey Resolution. Cited are the United States' duties to pursue disarmament under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the 1996 World Court opinion that the threat or use of nuclear arms is essentially illegal. Ask your Representative to co-sponsor the 1999 House Resolution 82 to help create the political climate for a nuclear weapons-free 21st century. ++++ Please note that my email address has changed to on 3/1/99 ++++ Marylia Kelley Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment) 2582 Old First Street Livermore, CA USA 94550 - 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. (925) 443-7148 - is our phone (925) 443-0177 - 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. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: marylia@earthlink.net (marylia) Subject: (abolition-usa) Congress Res. on Stockpile Stewardship Date: 06 May 1999 14:21:41 -0700 (PDT) ACTION ALERT! CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION TO CUT "STOCKPILE STEWARDSHIP" The Markey Resolution: House Concurrent Resolution 74 On March 24, 1999, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) and 17 other members of the U.S. House of Representatives had the courage and foresight to call for a less provocative, less wasteful, and more responsible, custodianship program for the U.S. nuclear arsenal. By May 3, 1999 House Concurrent Resolution 74 had already gathered 25 cosponsors. If your member of the U.S. House is a co-sponsor, please thank him or her. If your member of the House is not listed below, ask him or her to join the others and co-sponsor the Markey Resolution. Co-sponsors of H. Con. Res. 74 as of 5/3/99: Rep. Thomas Allen Rep. Robert Andrews Rep. Thomas Barrett Rep. Lois Capps (CA) Rep. John Conyers Rep. Donna DeGette Rep. Anna Eshoo (CA) Rep. Barney Frank Rep. Luis Gutierrez Rep. Barbara Lee (CA) Rep. Nita Lowey Rep. Carolyn Maloney Rep. Ed Markey Rep. James McGovern Rep. Cynthia McKinney Rep. Martin Meehan Rep. George Miller (CA) Rep. Jerrold Nadler Rep. Major Owens Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. Rep. Donald Payne Rep. Lynn Rivers Rep. Pete Stark (CA) Rep. John Tierney Rep. Mark Udall Rep. Lynn Woolsey (CA) Urge your Rep. to co-sponsor today. To reach your Rep., call 202-224-3121. Your Rep. can contact Markey's office at 202-225-2836. TALKING POINTS The Markey Resolution: A Necessary Antidote to Nuclear Weapons Forever The "Stockpile Stewardship" program is the new name for nuclear weapons research, development, testing, and production at the Dept. of Energy's labs and other nuclear weapons facilities. At a price tag of $4.5 billion annually, "Stockpile Stewardship" involves dozens of upgraded and new research facilities and supercomputers, enhanced weapons production capabilities, fusion devices and explosive tests using nuclear weapons material including uranium and plutonium. The nuclear weapons establishment claims that this program is needed to ensure the safety and reliability of existing nuclear weapons. However, the program has little to do with ensuring safety of the arsenal (preventing accidental detonations) or verifying reliability (assuring the bombs explode as predicted). "Stockpile Stewardship" is intended to maintain the capability to design new weapons and to train a new generation of nuclear bomb makers. The proliferation-provocative nature of U.S. "Stockpile Stewardship" was demonstrated last year when India cited this program to justify its own detonation of several underground nuclear tests. Pakistan followed suit. What is the alternative? The Markey Resolution calls for an end to "Stockpile Stewardship" and for a more responsible custodianship program that is far smaller, less expensive and requires fewer facilities than the current program. Moreover, the Markey Resolution provides for the maintenance needs of the U.S. arsenal in a manner that is consistent with U.S. obligations under the long-standing nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which is awaiting ratification by the U.S. Senate. Ask your Representative to co-sponsor the 1999 House Concurrent Resolution 74 to redirect the DOE's "Stockpile Stewardship" program. ++++ Please note that my email address has changed to on 3/1/99 ++++ Marylia Kelley Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment) 2582 Old First Street Livermore, CA USA 94550 - 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. (925) 443-7148 - is our phone (925) 443-0177 - 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. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: marylia@earthlink.net (marylia) Subject: (abolition-usa) events! DOE database/Nix MOX, more Date: 06 May 1999 17:47:52 -0700 (PDT) Hi folks. Here are events from the May 1999 Citizen's Watch. The DOE database stakeholders meeting (part of the settlement in the cleanup lawsuit) and the internation Nix MOX day may be of particularly wide interest, geographically speaking. Read on... (P.S. -- give us a day or two to set up the link from our website to DOE's. Thanks) Monday, May 17 International "NiX MOX" Action Day White House comment line: (202) 456-1111 Join people around the world on this second annual "Nix MOX" day to oppose the use of plutonium in nuclear reactors. MOX stands for "mixed oxide fuel" and is made by mixing uranium (the common fuel source in nuclear reactors) with plutonium. The U.S. and Russia are embarking on a dangerous path: using surplus nuclear weapons plutonium in their reactors. Vice President Al Gore has been the chief U.S. negotiator, and the resulting agreement, in which U.S. money goes to support the Russian MOX program, is causing problems in both countries. Call the White House comment line and ask Al Gore to support a program for immobilizing plutonium (e.g., in a ceramic matrix) and keeping it out of the environment instead of MOX. Tell Gore that putting plutonium in civilian reactors increases proliferation risks. "Nix MOX" day is sponsored by the Nuclear Information and Resource Service and many other organizations. Call Tri-Valley CAREs if you would like to receive a "Nix MOX" fact sheet or action kit. Thursday, May 20 Tri-Valley CAREs meets 1000 So. Livermore Ave. (925) 443-7148 for details Calling all peace-makers and environmental advocates. Come and learn, share and work together to create a healthy community-and a more peaceful world. Sally will share her experiences at the Hague Appeal for Peace where 4,000 activists will be joined by Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the U.N., and others to explore topics of disarmament, conflict resolution and human rights. Marylia will be freshly returned from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee meeting at the U.N., and she will detail disarmament initiatives and opportunities. A discussion of local activities will follow. Also hear about "DC Days" and what's new at the Lab. Thursday, June 3 Tri-Valley CAREs' mailing party 7 PM, Tri-Valley CAREs' office 2582 Old First St., Livermore (925) 443-7148 for details Definitely, the social event of the month. If you can affix labels, munch on snacks and chat with other wonderful people-then you are invited. Call for more info, or just come and join the "party." June 3 - 4 Nuclear and Toxic Waste Central Internet DOE Database National "Stakeholder" Forum (925) 443-7148 for details, or link via http://www.igc.org/tvc This is part of the lawsuit settlement won by Tri-Valley CAREs and 38 other plaintiff organizations. The Department of Energy will be putting together a comprehensive database on its wastes and contaminated facilities, including Livermore. This first public forum is designed for those of us monitoring (and being affected by) DOE activities. This is an opportunity to tell DOE what we would like to see included in the database, and what the Department can do to make the database useful to us, the public. Deadline for your application for travel subsidy is May 14. Registration deadline is May 19. Call us for details or access DOE's Internet registration through our web site. June 21 - Day of Global Healing Arvol Looking Horse, keeper of a Lakota sacred medicine bundle, is, for the 4th straight year, calling for people everywhere to pray for peace on June 21, either with him or at sacred places in their own communities. According to Lakota prophesy, we are currently in a time when the world, faced with its greatest challenges, needs everyone to use prayer and peaceful cooperation to resolve the moment of crisis. Arvol has successively visited East, West, & North points in the Western Hemisphere over the last 3 years on June 21, which is also the summer solstice in the European calendar. This year, Arvol will be in Costa Rica, the South point of the 4 directions. According to Arvol, June 21 is a significantly beneficial time of the yearly cycle to have as many people around the world pray at sacred sites simultaneously (10 am Central time). Consider holding your own local event, and participating in any manner that feels comfortable for you. Or, to be a part of a medicine wheel on Mt. Tamalpais, call Sally Light at (925) 443-7148. ++++ Please note that my email address has changed to on 3/1/99 ++++ Marylia Kelley Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment) 2582 Old First Street Livermore, CA USA 94550 - 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. (925) 443-7148 - is our phone (925) 443-0177 - 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. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: ALERT! Senate Comm. vote next week on Mobile Chernobyl Date: 07 May 1999 10:00:03 -0400 >Date: Thu, 06 May 1999 13:19:26 -0400 >Subject: ALERT! Senate Comm. vote next week on Mobile Chernobyl >To: nirsnet@nirs.org >From: nirsnet@nirs.org (nirsnet@nirs.org) > >NIRS ACTION ALERT: PLEASE FORWARD >MOBILE CHERNOBYL -- the High-Level Nuclear Waste Bill (would trigger the >largest nuclear waste shipping campaign in history) is beginning to move >in the U.S. Senate -- Energy Committee VOTE EXPECTED NEXT WEEK on S 608 > >CALLS TO U.S. SENATE NEEDED NOW -- Capital Switchboard: 202-224-3121 >Message: Stop Mobile Chernobyl, VOTE NO on S 608, The Nuclear Waste >Policy Act of 1999, sponsored by Energy Committee Chair, Murkowski >(R-AK) > >Or write -- Senator XYZ, US Senate, Washington, DC 20510 > >Please call both your Senators, whether they are on the Committee or >not. This issue is heating up on The Hill, and they all need to know we >are watching and we care. The Senate is where we >have traditionally won in this fight. We are in the 5th year of STOPPING >the Mobile Chernobyl bill. We are winning, but now we have the hard job >of KEEPING OUR WIN! Please forward this Alert widely to help bring a >resurgence of focus on this issue -- it is much easier to stop nuclear >waste trucks and trains on Capitol Hill than it is on the roads and >rails near your home! Basic info follows... > >Also drop President Clinton a line and thank him for his >continuing opposition to the Mobile Chernobyl bills. 202-456-1111 -- >wait on the line for an operator or send a letter President Clinton, The >White House, Washington, DC 20500. > >ACTION ALERT: ATOMIC TRAIN -- a TV movie on NBC May 16 & 17 will be the >biggest ad ever for the hazards of nuclear waste transport -- "The plot >is fiction, the threat is real" -- a good time to get letters to the >Editor in your paper about S 608 and its companion in the House (still >pending) HR 45...or do an "action" alerting people to your local route! >For projected nuclear waste transport maps of your state, visit the NIRS >website www.nirs.org -- in the Don't Waste America section > >NIRS -- Nuclear Information & Resource Service -- is a national activist >clearinghouse on commercial nuclear power and radioactive waste issues. >1424 16th St NW Suite 404 Washington, DC 20036 202-328-0002 >www.nirs.org nirsnet@nirs.org >Stop Mobile Chernobyl Campaign: maryo@nirs.org > >BACKGROUND: > >The nuclear utilities are paying top dollar -- tens of millions in >contributions to congress members as well as advertising and lobby time >-- to try to rewrite U.S. nuclear waste laws to their benefit as nuclear >waste generators. For a current report on how much your U.S. >Representative has accepted from the nuclear cartel, go to >www.citizen.org/cmep. > >High-level nuclear waste is the irradiated fuel (also call "spent" fuel >which is very misleading) from commercial nuclear reactors and military >irradiated fuel and waste left from reprocessing of irradiated fuel. >Military high-level waste includes the irradiated fuel from the nuclear >fleet of submarines and aircraft carriers. It also includes research and >production reactor fuels. If we were to be able to phase out all the >reactors tonight, we would prevent more than half of to total nuclear >waste that the Department of Energy (DOE) is already committed to >dealing with under current law. > >Current law says that you and I as taxpayer would only >take this deadly waste when there is a permanent, long term program in >place. The new idea that the nuclear reactor owners are promoting would >put up a nuclear waste parking lot dump -- on Native American land, in >one of the most seismically active places in North America...the nuclear >utility's idea is to move the waste NOW. > >This would be the largest nuclear waste shipping campaign in history. >80,000 metric tons of the most intensely radioactive waste (lethal >exposure in less than a minute if unshielded) would travel across 43 >states. It will take at least 30 years of continuous shipping to move >this waste. More than 200 accidents expected according to >DOE data, which also calculates that 50 million people live within 1/2 >mile of these shipping routes. To check out the projected shipping >routes in your state, visit the NIRS website: www.nirs.org look in the >Don't Waste America section. > >The site targeted for this parking lot dump (the shipping >containers would literally sit in rows on a concrete slab) is Yucca >Mountain, on Western Shoshone Lands in Nevada. It is the one site under >study for a permanent geologic "disposal" site. The studies already >completed by DOE and others show that Yucca Mountain will fail to >isolate nuclear waste from the environment and should be disqualified. >219 organizations sent a message to Energy Secretary Richardson last >November calling upon him to drop this site from further consideration >for nuclear waste disposal. > >Meanwhile Congress is still considering the parking lot concept. To >their credit, DOE under the leadership of President Clinton has opposed >the pending utility legislation -- saying they want to deliver a final >answer on the permanent site before making a decision on temporary >storage. President Clinton's veto threat is the ONLY way we (the >environmental community) and the Senators from Nevada have been able to >stop this legislation -- the utilities have enough votes to pass the >legislation (and have in the last 2 congresses) but not enough votes to >override the veto that Clinton has vowed to deliver. > >TOGETHER WE CAN STOP MOBILE CHERNOBYL -- WE DO THAT BY MAKING THE US >SENATE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT DOES IMPACT ALL OF US. >WHEN IT COMES TO NUCLEAR WASTE TRANSPORTATION, WE ALL LIVE IN NEVADA! > >Mary Olson >Nuclear Information & Resource Service >202-328-0002 > Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Sign the petition to STOP THE WAR NOW! Date: 07 May 1999 10:58:34 -0400 >I'm participating in an Internet campaign to stop the war in >Yugoslavia before ground troops are deployed, and I'd like to >invite you to join me. > >Please forward this message to any friends, family, co-workers, >neighbors, or other people you know personally who may be >interested. > >Then go to http://www.StopTheWarNow.com and sign the petition. >It will be submitted directly to your representative in the U.S. >House and to both your U.S. Senators. > >Every day that this undeclared war continues, it becomes more >likely that ground troops will be deployed, and that we will >find ourselves in another Vietnam-style quagmire. As the war >escalates, it will become increasingly difficult for politicians >to admit that they made a mistake, end the war, and bring our >troops home. > >The bombing of Yugoslavia is a textbook example of the folly of >foreign intervention: So far, the US-NATO air assault has >accomplished the exact opposite of what President Clinton >promised. > >Our bombardment has prompted more attacks on innocent civilians, >worsened the plight of refugees, caused the conflict to spill >over to neighboring nations, and inflamed anti-American >sentiments around the world. Bombing errors have resulted in the >deaths of refugees -- the very people we are supposed to be >protecting. > >We acknowledge the terrible human suffering of ethnic Albanians >in Kosovo -- suffering which has been exacerbated by our >reckless attack on Yugoslavia. However, that tragedy does not >justify American military intervention that puts our nation at >risk. > >The job of the American military is to defend the United States >and to keep Americans safe. Instead, our air assault on >Yugoslavia has reduced our military preparedness, reignited Cold >War tensions with Russia, and made us a more tempting target for >terrorists. > >If the American people don't speak out, the war will continue to >escalate, ground troops will be eventually be deployed, and >American casualties will rise. If we don't want that to happen, >we must persuade our representatives in Congress to stop the war >now. > >Please forward this e-mail to everyone you know who might be >interested in helping, but please don't send it indiscriminately >-- spam will only hurt our campaign. > >Then go to http://www.StopTheWarNow.com and sign the petition. > >Thank you. > >Robert E. Nordlander >nord@powernetonline.com >333 Lopas Street >Menasha, WI 54952 > >Telephone: 920 725 1864 > Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "William F. Santelmann, Jr." Subject: (abolition-usa) De-Alerting petition drive in Lexington, MA Date: 07 May 1999 12:17:57 -0400 A petition drive asking President Clinton "to initiate by means of an Executive Order a phased 'de-alerting' with all nuclear powers of all nuclear missiles, to be completed before the end of 1999" begins in Lexington, MA on May 18. Petitions will be circulated until July 4, when they will be collected and sent to President Clinton, with copies to all Massachusetts Senators and Representatives in Washington. The drive begins with a meeting on May 18 at which Lachlan Forrow, MD, President, The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and Past Chair (1993-1996), International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War [1985 Nobel Peace Prize], will be the guest speaker to present the case for de-alerting and Abolition 2000. This meeting will be at 7:00pm at the Lexington United Methodist Church, 2600 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA 02421-6798. Petition forms and fact-sheet brochures are ready for distribution then. The meeting is open and free to all. This petition drive is presented by the Metro-Boston Committee to De-Alert Nuclear Weapons. You may contact us by e-mail, either at dealert99@aol.com or at wsantelmann@peacenet.org. We would like to hear from other groups bringing de-alerting to the public, and will share our triumphs and failures with any group that will contact us. William F. Santelmann, Jr. Metro-Boston Committee to De-Alert Nuclear Weapons dealert99@aol.com wsantelmann@peacenet.org - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) The Electromagnetic Bomb - a Weapon of Electrical Mass Destruction Date: 07 May 1999 14:06:42 -0700 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Electromagnetic Bomb - a Weapon of Electrical Mass Destruction Carlo Kopp Defence Analyst Melbourne, Australia Carlo.Kopp@aus.net http://www.cs.monash.edu.au/~carlo/ High Power Electromagnetic Pulse generation techniques and High Power Microwave technology have matured to the point where practical E-bombs (Electromagnetic bombs) are becoming technically feasible, with new applications in both Strategic and Tactical Information Warfare. The development of conventional E-bomb devices allows their use in non-nuclear confrontations. This paper discusses aspects of the technology base, weapon delivery techniques and proposes a doctrinal foundation for the use of such devices in warhead and bomb applications. Full article http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/kopp/apjemp.html - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---------------- Global Emergency Alert Response http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000 ********************************************************* gear2000@lightspeed.net GENERAL AGENCY SERVICES David Crockett Williams 661-822-3309 20411 Steeple Court, Tehachapi CA 93561 USA ********************************************************* The Global Peace Walk 1999-2000 1999: 22APR Taos, NM, ---> Santa Fe 26APR 2000: 15JAN San Francisco --> New York 24OCT 12 OCT Washington, DC, Columbus Day Ceremony Rededicating The Washington Monument as a Symbol of Peace. October 24th is United Nations Day "GLOBAL PEACE NOW!" Global Peace Zone2000 Remove the scourge of war from future generations http://www.egroups.com/list/global-peace-walk FOR ONE HUMAN FAMILY: Love All, Serve All - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jackie Cabasso Subject: (abolition-usa) REPORT FROM US ABOLITION CAMPAIGN; JOIN A WORKING GROUP! Date: 08 May 1999 14:33:33 -0700 Dear friends -- For those who were at the Feb. 12 - 24 Santa Barbara meeting, and for those who weren't, following are the notes from the April 13 Facilitators' Group conference call. Please note that after the introductory section you will find a list of Working Groups, descriptions and convenors. You are cordially invited to contact the convenors if you'd like to get involved.! (Or let us know if you'd like to convene a group on another topic). The Facilitators' Group has been meeting by conference call every few weeks. We are tentatively planning a follow-up meeting in August, and will keep you posted. Many of us are off to The Hague and the NPT PrepCom meeting in New York, so things will probably be on hold till the end of May. -- Jackie Cabasso US ABOLITION CAMPAIGN FACILITATORS GROUP CONFERENCE CALL 4-13-99 Present on call: Jackie Cabasso, Matteo Ferreira, Alan Haber, Jan Harwood, Sally Light, Pamela Meidell, Jo Peterson, Dave Robinson, Alice Slater, John Burroughs, Esther Pank, Andrew Lichterman, Robert Manning, Tad Daley Facilitator: Jackie Cabasso Note taker: Andrew Lichterman It was noted at the outset that two facilitators' group members, Gordon Clark and Clayton Ramey, were no longer receiving e-mails at their known addresses. Dave Robinson will get their new addresses if possible. As agreed at the end of the last call, the agenda was devoted mainly to how to move forward with discussion and formation of strategies. The group decided that the means for now should be the strategy working groups identified at the end of the Santa Barbara meeting, and that the first step would be circulation of working group descriptions, contact points, and a general invitation to participate in the working groups to the Abolition lists.-serves. The working group descriptions and contact people are listed following these minutes. In general, people thought that the conference calls were working as a means to exchange information, and thought that the working groups could extend and improve the network function of the Abolition campaign as it now stands. Several people expressed concern, however, that the campaign was not moving forward in terms of formulating common strategies which would make a national campaign visible. The view also was expressed that our next gathering should not be just a repeat of the general discussion at Santa Barbara, but instead that we would have progressed to the point of having a name, and some cohesive common strategies/activities, to propose, so that we could move forward with the launching of a campaign. The working groups were viewed as a first step towards this end. Tad Daley reported that the video Sleepwalking to Armageddon is nearing completion, and may be shown on 60 Minutes 2. The groups producing the video are considering either large town hall style viewings or distributing it for use in house parties, with the particular aim of reaching new people rather than just the existing constituencies of anti-nuclear groups. Tad asked for input on what we should be asking viewers to do as a follow-up action. Several people asked for preview copies or scripts of the documentary to determine whether their organizations would be interested in participating in this part of the campaign. At least a fact sheet is likely to be available, and in general the video makes the case that the danger of a nuclear conflagration has increased in some ways since the end of the Cold War, with a focus on Russian "loose nukes" and the dangers they present. Several people expressed concern that the particular dangers posed by the nuclear weapons policies of other nuclear weapons states might receive too little attention, and stressed again the desire for more information about the film's content. Next conference call: Tuesday, April 27, 10 am PDT/1 pm EDT. Jackie will set up the call and post an agenda. We will pick up our old business, report back on the working groups, and move forward with our other designated responsibilities. ================================================================== BELOW ARE THE ABOLITION CAMPAIGN WORKING GROUPS. PLEASE CONTACT THE LISTED CONVENERS IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH A GROUP OR OBTAINING MORE INFORMATION ABOUT IT. FOR THOSE GROUPS WITHOUT IDENTIFIED CONVENORS, PLEASE RESPOND TO THE LIST IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING FOR THE JOB. -- STAR WARS/ABM WORKING GROUP This group was formed initially to respond quickly to the legislation pending at the time of the Santa Barbara meeting authorizing further research and limited deployment of an anti-ballistic missile system by the United States. Although there is currently no convener for this group, those on the conference call agreed that ballistic missile defense continues to be a key issue of concern for advocates of nuclear weapons abolition, due to continuing development of the system, its potential to revive a multilateral nuclear arms race, and the controversy over its possible extension in the Western Pacific. Conveners: To be determined. --CIVIL SOCIETY CAMPAIGN TO ENROLL ORGANIZATIONS IN A BRIEF ABOLITION STATEMENT AND CITY DIALOGUES ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT WITH PROMINENT MOVERS AND SHAKERS WORKING GROUP This working group covers several related efforts aimed at mobilizing opinion via existing groups in civil society and campaigns aimed at elected officials in municipalities. It includes various efforts to get mayors and city and town governing bodies to endorse abolition statements, as well as similar efforts aimed at non-governmental civic groups. Campaigns represented within this working group include A campaign aimed at creating discussion forums among "opinion leaders" in major cities on nuclear weapons and their abolition; a campaign aimed at convincing a wide range of civic groups to endorse an abolition statement; and the campaign to obtain endorsement of the Abolition 2000 statement by municipalities. Conveners Pamela Meidell (The Atomic Mirror) pmeidell@igc.org; (805)985-5073; Ed Aguilar (Lawyers Alliance for World Security, Philadelphia)(610)668-5470 --CONGRESSIONAL FOCUS (Originally Congress and Adminsitration, now split in two) This working group will focus on initiatives relevant to nuclear weapons abolition in the U.S. Congress. Examples include the pending Markey and Woolsey resolutions, aimed respectively at scaling back U.S. nuclear weapons research and production programs and at encouraging the Administration to engage in meaningful negotiations to achieve abolition. Its work encompasses grassroots efforts to mobilize widespread attention to particular measures and issues pending in Congress. Conveners: to be determined. --ADMINISTRATION FOCUS This group will work to focus attention on the nuclear weapons policies and activities of the Executive branch, trying in particular to create forums for discussion and criticism of nuclear weapons policies. Its current initiative is a teach-in at the University of Michigan on nuclear weapons issues, with the organizers hoping to get administration officials to participate and to publicly debate critics of existing nuclear weapons policies. If the teach-in model works the hope is to extend it to other campuses. Convener: Alan Haber (Michigan Coalition of Peace and Environmental Organizations) od4life@aol.com; (734)761-7967 --YOUTH/CAMPUSES This working group aims to raise the level of awareness among young people about nuclear weapons and efforts to abolish them. It will work on the teach-ins discussed in the Administration focus working group above. It will also attempt to gather and broaden the distribution of existing nuclear weapons abolition materials aimed at a youth and campus audience. Convener: Odile Haber (Michigan Coalition of Peace and Environmental Organizations) od4life@aol.com; (734)761-7967 --DIRECT ACTION Nonviolent direct action long has been a central part of the movement to abolish nuclear weapons. Despite a lack of media coverage, direct action continues at weapons and government facilities around the country, from the Nevada Test Site, to the weapons laboratories in Livermore, California and Los Alamos, New Mexico, to Washington D.C. and the newly opened Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, also in New Mexico. This working group will be a place for people involved in particular direct action campaigns to raise national awareness of their activities and to exchange ideas and information. It also will try to provide resources which will be broadly useful, for example nonviolence training materials and lists of nonviolence trainers. Convener Matteo Ferreira (Shundahai Network) shundahai@shundahai.org; (702)647-3095 --INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ORGANIZING AND CONCERNS The cycle of nuclear materials mining and nuclear weapons testing and production always has had a disproportionate impact on indigenous people world-wide. Nuclear weapons testing has occurred for the most part on the lands of indigenous peoples, without regard for their sovereign rights, and with devastating effects on people and their lands. Indigenous people have taken the lead in many parts of the globe both in making the connections between nuclear weapons and the effects of the entire cycle of nuclear materials, nuclear power, and nuclear weapons production, and in advocating for nuclear weapons abolition. This working group will provide a focus for making these voices heard both inside and outside the movement. Conveners: Michele Xenos (Shundahai Network), shundahai@shundahai.org; (702)647-3095; Pilulaw Khus (Coastal Band, Chumash Nation), pilulaw@jps.net; (805)771-8922; Richard Salvador (Pacific Islands Association of NGOs) salvador@hawaii.edu; (818)956-8537 --NATO AND NATO 50TH ANNIVERSARY MEETING, APRIL 23 This working group initially focused on the upcoming NATO 50th anniversary meeting in Washington, D.C. and the likelihood that NATO nuclear weapons policies would be debated there. There has been interest in continuing this as a working group, since the controversy over NATO nuclear weapons policies, including a refusal to renounce first use, a potential counter-proliferation role for nuclear weapons, and the expansion of NATO's military scope to include broad out-of-area combat roles is likely to continue for a long time. Convener: Mark Mebane (Fourth Freedom Forum) mmebane@fourthfreedom.org; (219)543-3402 --INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS AND ISSUES This working group aims at coordinating the abolition campaign in the United States with efforts world-wide, including Abolition 2000 and other efforts in particular nations and regions to eliminate nuclear weapons. With the emergence of a new nuclear weapons and ballistic missile race in South Asia, growing controversy over possible theatre and domestic ballistic missile deployments, and the stagnation of arms control negotiations, this working group will help the abolition campaign in the U.S. remain aware of the effects U.S. nuclear weapons and military policies have on efforts to achieve abolition in other nuclear weapons states and globally. Conveners: Alice Slater (Global Resource Action Center for the Environment) aslater@gracelinks.org; (212)726-9161; Richard Salvador (Pacific Islands Association of NGOs)salvador@hawaii.edu; (818)956-8537or 3691; David Krieger(Nuclear Age Peace Foundation) wagingpeace@napf.org; (805)965-3443 --AFFECTED COMMUNITIES Communities across the country have been affected by half a century nuclear weapons research, testing, and production. They range from workers at DOE facilities to people who live downwind from those facilities to armed services veterans exposed to nuclear tests. Many of these groups already have organized to put pressure on the Federal government to clean up the environmental damage, to perform meaningful health and environmental studies, and to provide compensation. These groups share many of our concerns, and often already are committed to abolition of nuclear weapons. This working group will focus attention on the destructive legacy of nuclear weapons, and will work to integrate these communities and their concerns into the broader campaign. Convener: Joseph Gerson Jgerson@afsc.org; (617) 661-6130 --RESEARCH FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS COMPLEX This group will focus on the activities of the nuclear weapons and production complex, and will explore the impacts of continuing nuclear weapons research on the global test ban and nonproliferation regime and on efforts to achieve abolition. It will also examine the overlap between nuclear weapons research technologies and other emerging arms races which affect chances for abolition, including anti-ballistic missile technologies, spece weaponry, and possible next-generation nuclear weapons. The group will be both a means to coordinate research efforts and to distribute relevant information within the campaign and to a wider public. Convener: Jackie Cabasso (Western States Legal Foundation), wslf@earthlink.net, (510)839-5877 --MEDIA/CAMPAIGN LAUNCH This working group will be a place to develop and share media strategies. An initial focus will be efforts to coordinate a campaign launch that is cohesive and nationally visible. Convener: Steve Kent (Kent Communications)kentcom@highlands.com; ((914)424-8382 --BOTTOM UP ORGANIZING (local movement building and making the connection to other issues) Through discussing and organizing around the way nuclear weapons are connected to other social ills and injustices, from local ecological devastation, distorted government spending priorities, and a culture of violence which stretches from the state to the street to global inequality, we can deepen our own understanding of what must be done to achieve abolition of nuclear weapons, as well as the understanding of those we hope to persuade. We then open up the possibility that we will become part of a larger movement which can make the changes which could make abolition possible. This working group will explore ways to make connections on the local level with other organizing efforts which share some of our concerns, and by doing so to help create the social movement needed to achieve theabolition of nuclear weapons. Convener: Andrew Lichterman (Western States Legal Foundation), alichterman@worldnet.att.net 510-839-5877 --DEMOCRACY, POWER AND NUCLEAR WEAPONRY DRAFTING COMMITTEE This working group has taken responsibility for following through on the commitment made in Santa Barbara to develop a carefully thought out statement on the relationships between democracy, power and nuclear weapons. A draft statement is currently being prepared, to be circulated for comment in the near future. Convener: David Krieger (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation), wagingpeace@napf.org; (805)965-3443. ****************************************************** Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director WESTERN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION 1440 Broadway, Suite 500 Oakland, California USA 94612 Tel: +(510)839-5877 Fax: +(510)839-5397 E-mail: wslf@earthlink.net ****************************************************** Western States Legal Foundation is part of ABOLITION 2000 A GLOBAL NETWORK TO ELIMINATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Richard N Salvador Subject: (abolition-usa) Global Indigenous Movement and The Hague (fwd) Date: 08 May 1999 17:25:11 -1000 fyi: Dear Abolitionists, the writer of the following, Tony Castanha, will also be a member of the Pacific delegation to The Hague Appeal for Peace. He is a descendant of Caribe/Taino indigenous peoples of the island of Boriken (Puerto Rico) as well as descended from the Puerto Rican migrations to Hawaii early this century as sugar plantation workers. There are some good historical information on Indigenous peoples' organizing that will provide some insights which are useful to understanding the Indigenous peoples' anti- nuclear struggles. Tony is also a PhD candidate in political science at the University of Hawaii and is a colleague. Thank you for your interest. Please delete if this is irrelevant to you, but thank you all for your kind support. Richard Salvador University of Hawaii at Mano Honolulu, Hawaii ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Cc: kanakamaoliallies-l@hawaii.edu, TAINO-L@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU, polisci-l@hawaii.edu, ohanakoa@gte.net, lcruz@hawaii.edu, lilikala@hawaii.edu, salvador@hawaii.edu, scott@aloha.net, alohamau@lava.net, cgnv@hawaii.edu, aumakua@aloha.net, meganhap99@igc.org, napua@gte.net, afsc@pixi.com, ulla@hawaii.edu, fboyle@law.uiuc.edu, kekula@aloha.net, petweiss@igc.org, daturner@ncen.org, tyh@att.net, snewcomb@carbon.cudenver.edu, santana@mills.edu, p_mccarthy@iprolink.ch, pacific@talent.com.au, jeb23@cornell.edu, majid@hawaii.edu, anelia.manova@usa.net, kwood@igc.org, pollard@hawaii.edu, dok@paradice.net, p.dussel@st.hanze.nl, SISIS@envirolink.org, nalanima@aol.com, summy@hawaii.edu, shapiro@hawaii.edu, kent@hawaii.edu, disarm@forusa.org Writer's Note: The following paper provides general background information on the global indigenous peoples movement as recent phenomenon in conjunc- tion with the upcoming Hague Appeal for Peace conference. The paper was originally submitted for publishing to the Toda Institute for "Global Peace" and Policy Research. This version is slightly edited. The section titled "Indigenous Epistemology and Makiguchi" stresses that Soka Gakkai (a lay Buddhist organization from which the Toda Institute arose) founder Tsuneburo Makiguchi would surely have been a strong supporter of indigenous rights, unlike symbolic gestures rendered by some organizations today. The writer is a member of the Matsunaga Institute for Peace and a descendant of the Caribe/Taino indigenous peoples of the island of Boriken (Puerto Rico). *********** THE GLOBAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES MOVEMENT: A CASE FOR EQUALITY AMONG ALL PEOPLES Tony Castanha (Copyright 1998) The Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research has introduced seven "megatrends" into its platform for Human Security and Global Governance (HUGG). These megatrends concern shifts in global power structures and distribution which could profoundly impact the world in the coming century. In a paper submitted to Toda last year titled, "The Toda Institute's Missing 'Megatrend': The Global Indigenous Movement ('Indigenism:' Spiritual vs. Material)," I proposed a missing megatrend within Toda's formula for global peace. This trend is already in motion and concerns the roughly 300 million indigenous peoples around the globe, over 5 percent of the world's population. This trend, or "fifth generation of human rights," is already acknowledged by Toda but, yet to be developed and articulated, that no longer speaks of rights, but of human caring, compassion, and love for all life forms. Emerging out of the most profound spiritual traditions of civility in the world, this generation of rights recognizes that human security cannot be ultimately achieved in its totality unless and until we see the individual as an integral part of the cosmos. (Tehranian, 1997) This paper proposes that the global indigenous movement could very well have a profound impact on humanity in the next century. Indeed, indigenous peoples have much to contribute to saving and preserving the earth. But the continued genocide against Native peoples and cultures today is not only a threat to indigenous peoples but to humanity as a whole. We are all on the brink of self-destruction as the present day capitalist world-economy usurps global resources, intensifies global assimilation and violates the human spirit. Thus, vibrant knowledge and practical skills from cultural, spiritual and metaphysical indigenous traditions can be applied to restoring the fundamental dignity and respect for the diversity of all peoples and for all life forms. (Minton, 1998) Who are the "Indigenous?" First peoples have a strong sense of their own identity as unique peoples, with their own lands, languages, and cultures. They claim the right to define what is meant by indigenous, and to be recognized as such by others. Some now live in cities, earning their living as, for example, lawyers and community workers--or in many cases strug- gling to make ends meet; others retain a traditional way of life. But they are united in their desire to maintain their identity and yet be able to adapt and survive. (Burger, 1990) The term "indigenous" or "indi'gena" is derived from the Latin term "indigena" which defines "the natives of a specific area in comparison to immigrants." (Siebert, 1997?) In the context of the "Americas" the word is colonial in origin, first used by the Spanish to describe the so-called "Indians" of the Caribbean Antilles. The term "indigenous" was first used as a self-definition by indigenous peoples in 1975, when the World Council of Indigenous Peoples was founded. Some indigenous peoples believe the word is less derogatory and offensive than other terms such as "aboriginal" or "native," and choose to use the term as a unifying mechanism for indigenous peoples at the inter- national level. (Siebert, 1997?) Nevertheless, many indigenous peoples naturally prefer to use their own names in their own languages, for instance Cree, Yanomami, Maya or Kanaka Maoli (indigenous Hawaiian), when identifying themselves and each other. In 1982, the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP) adopted a working definition of indigenous peoples. It reads, in part: Indigenous populations are composed of the existing descendants of peoples who inhabited the present territory of a country wholly or partially at the time when persons of a different culture or ethnic origin arrived there from other parts of the world, overcame them, and by conquest, settlement or other means, reduced them to a non- dominant or colonial situation; who today live more in conformity with their particular social, economic and cultural customs and traditions than with the institutions of the country of which they now form a part ... An emphasis on group or collective rights are fundamental to the protection of indigenous culture, language, religion, lands and natural resources. The use of the "s" in the term "peoples" refers to collective rights to be enjoyed by the indigenous peoples concerned, rather than merely individual rights as derived from the term "people." Since indigenous pre-colonial occupation within states is distinguished from minority or ethnic group existence, "indigenous rights" clearly differ from "minority rights." The "numbers of indigenous peoples, therefore, does not constitute a criterion in their definition." (Trask, 1993) The Indigenous Peoples Movement The indigenous voice in world politics calls for the admission of indigenous peoples to the world community as equals. It calls on the nation-state to come to terms with the continuing existence of indigenous nations as enduring and distinct communities with a right to self-determination. Perhaps most compelling of all, the indigenous voice in world politics suggests that the harm that is and has been done to indigenous peoples, the so-called dominant society has already done to itself--alienating human beings from the spiritual reality of their own inner world as well as from the natural world on which they depend for their survival. (Wilmer, 1993) The global indigenous movement is a recent phenomenon. At the first United Nations World Conference on Human Rights in 1968 the term "indigenous people" was not a part of the vocabulary of the conference. At this time indigenous peoples were basically considered no longer in existence, "a remnant of the past" inevitably assimilated into mainstream society. (Burger, 1993) However, indigenous peoples and nations such as the Maori of Aotearoa (New Zealand), Aborigines of Australia, and various indigenous nations of Canada had been advocating for rights and the resolution of conflicts at the international level since the late 19th century. (Morris, 1992) Typically denied recognition and rights within the countries they live in, indigenous peoples have joined together to voice their concerns and demand equality at the international level. In 1957, the International Labor Organization's (ILO) Convention 107 attempt- ed to protect the rights of indigenous peoples, but the document formulated soon met indigenous criticism for its "assimilationist and paternalistic" approach. (Burger, 1993) ILO Convention 169 in 1989 "updated the archaic provisions of 107 but was reviled by many native peoples as ignoring the legitimate aspirations of indigenous nations and continuing to protect states in their denial of native claims for self-determination." (Morris, 1992) During the 1970s, indigenous movements such as the American Indian Movement (AIM) began to grow and call for international recognition of traditional rights and practices. The 1971 and 1977 Declarations of Barbados, which were documents drafted by indigenous representatives and progressive anthropolo- gists, expressed the need for a global re-examination of the impact of colonialism on indigenous peoples, and recognized "the necessity of a hemispheric indigenous movement led by native peoples." (Morris, 1992) The 1982 establishment of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations, the only body of the UN where indigenous peoples, nations and organizations are represented, led to the 1993 Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This most comprehensive document recognizing the rights of indigenous peoples includes the indigenous right to self-determination. In addition, 1993 was the International Year of the World's Indigenous People, when the second UN World Conference on Human Rights asked the General Assembly to proclaim a decade of commitment in support of the rights of indigenous peoples. (Burger, 1993) And in 1992, a K'iche' Maya woman named Rigoberta Mench Tum was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to battle human rights abuses in Guatemala. Despite the gains, however, the Draft Declaration and indigenous rights in general are constantly being subverted. The Draft has been derailed on its way to the General Assembly. A group of states, led by the United States, have taken the liberty to determine what the Draft Declaration will imply as policy. (Morris, 1996) The U.S. intends that its own treatment of indi- genous peoples under "US Indian Law" be emulated by other nation-states, and "is attempting to create a broader, more encompassing hegemony that minimizes the possibility that indigenous peoples might actually be pro- tagonists of their own destinies." (Morris, 1996) So why is it that indigenous peoples have to constantly struggle to maintain rights and dignity? Why is it that nation-states constantly exploit indigenous lands and resources? Why is it that indigenous peoples, who have existed since time immemorial, must constantly present their case for equality among all peoples? Indigenous Epistemology and Makiguchi We are at a critical juncture in human history in which the forces of globalization can tip us toward either more humane forms of governance or growing global gaps that will turn the world into islands of riches in oceans of structural violence. The opening of a new century has always served as a symbolic turning point in human history. The twenty-first century is not an exception. The world stands at a historical juncture between the roads to self-destruction and self-renewal. (Tehranian, 1997) The global indigenous movement has everything to do with "self-renewal" within any future system of global governance. Indigenous peoples do not simply oppose modernization and progress but insist on defining and pursuing development consistent with their own cultural beliefs and practices. (Wilmer, 1993) For the indigenous world, technology is not only conceived of as "material technology," or as a way to overcome the natural world (the path traveled by the West), but as the application of knowledge to social, psychological and spiritual technologies. In contrast to the western view of solving "the problems" of the natural world, the indigenous view begins with the assumption that the limits of nature are ultimately immutable. In order to live within the limits of nature, their cultures have emphasized technologies of consciousness and ecosystem management. The technology of consciousness was necessary to the survival of indigenous peoples who chose to remain vulnerable to the natural world.... Western culture emphasized changing the natural world wherever it resisted human manipulation. Indigenous cultures, on the other hand, choose ways of adapting to the limits of the natural world. (Wilmer, 1993) There are at least two central areas where the indigenous peoples movement can benefit humanity in the coming century: 1) through ecological preserva- tion and subsistency; and 2) through increased levels of spiritual conscious- ness or awareness by less dependency on the material world. The latter area is basically contingent on success in the former area. That is, there will not be any possibility for heightened human spiritual development as long as humanity continues to worship the "money god," value excessive materialism, and exploit the natural world. This trend surely spells the demise of the human race. However, indigenous spiritual awareness and technology can contribute to the preservation of life on the planet. Franke Wilmer notes that in addition to the development of a kind of "inner technology" of heightened consciousness, indigenous peoples also acquired a different kind of knowledge about the natural world, a kind of knowledge that is unique to oral history and a philosophy of learning to live within the limits of the natural world.... Indigenous peoples' knowledge of the environment is based on information accumulated over hundreds, even thousands, of years. It is not a knowledge of the ecosystem that can be acquired in a laboratory in a matter of several decades. It can only be acquired over time if it is the sort of knowledge considered valuable. This kind of information was not deemed valuable to Western societies until very recently. (Wilmer, 1993) Indeed, indigenous knowledge of our ecosystem can be applied to help save the earth today. Deforestation, global warming, and the nuclearization of the planet are some of the major global environmental problems calling for urgent action. Surely Soka Gakkai founder Tsunesburo Makiguchi would agree that urgent action is necessary today. Makiguchi's profound belief in the oneness of humanity in nature and of the earth basically parallels indigenous philo- sophy and metaphysics. He observed within Japanese society how the pursuit of profits and the learning of "masses of fragmented, unrelated facts" in the classroom alienated children, youth and adults from traditional values and the natural environment. (Bethel, 1997) Human potential for goodness and greatness had been squandered because of the lack of direct observation and contact with the natural world. (Bethel, 1997) Makiguchi's reverence for life echos the indigenous spirit. In A Geography of Human Life, he writes that humankind should ... regard people, animals, trees, rivers, rocks, or stones in the same light as ourselves and realize that we have much in common with them all. Such interaction causes us to feel, if not consciously think, 'if I were in their (or its) place, what would I feel ... or do?' Sympathetic interactions occur, therefore, when you regard or feel another person or object that you are in contact with as a part of yourself or as one of your kind. You share experience with that person or object and are able to place yourself in the position of that person or object. (Makiguchi in Bethel, 1997) If Makiguchi were alive today, he would most likely be supportive of the indigenous peoples movement and an advocate for the protection of indigenous rights and dignity. This man, who gave his life for his belief in peace and unity on earth, would surely see that indigenous peoples and culture have much to contribute to global society, but are endangered. Thus, the Toda Institute's work concerning indigenous peoples must be more than symbolic. As Rigoberta Mench said before the UN Commission on Human Rights in 1993: I am convinced that peace is more than a symbol. It is at the heart of the entire society. And I insist, once again, that symbolic acts are not sufficient for indigenous peoples. Our civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights cannot wait any longer. *********** REFERENCES Bethel, Dayle, "Makiguchi's Philosophy of Peace and Human Security," A paper presented at the Toda Institute international conference on Human Security and Global Governance, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i, June 6-8, 1997. Burger, Julian, "The Gaia Atlas of First Peoples" (A Future for the Indigenous World), London: Gaia Books Ltd., 1990. Cultural Survival, "State of the Peoples" (A Global Human Rights Report on Societies in Danger), Boston: Beacon Press, 1993. Jaimes, M. Annette, ed., "The State of Native America: Genocide, Colonialism and Resistance," Boston: South End Press, 1992. Morris, Glenn, "US Model of Indigenous Rights Subverts Inter-sessional Working Group," Fourth World Bulletin, Spring/Summer, 1996. Siebert, Ute, "The Meaning of the category 'indigenous' within the United Nations: The politics of the debate on a definition," 1997? Tehranian, Majid, "Human Security and Global Governance: Power Shifts and Emerging Security Regimes," A paper presented at the Toda Institute international conference on Human Security and Global Governance, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i, June 6-8, 1997. Trask, Haunani-Kay, "From a Native Daughter" (Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawai'i), Monroe, Maine: Common Courage Press, 1993. Wilmer, Franke, "The Indigenous Voice in World Politics" (Since Time Immemorial), Newbury Park/London/New Delhi: Sage Publications, 1993. m - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jackie Cabasso Subject: (abolition-usa) WSLF letter to NPT representatives Date: 09 May 1999 00:20:13 -0700 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: +(510)839-5877 Fax: +(510)839-5397 E-mail: wslf@earthlink.net ****************************************************** Western States Legal Foundation is part of ABOLITION 2000 A GLOBAL NETWORK TO ELIMINATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: erippy@jps.net Subject: (abolition-usa) Request for video footage Date: 09 May 1999 08:41:35 -0700 [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' - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: marylia@earthlink.net (marylia) Subject: (abolition-usa) Call-in days to de-alert nukes Date: 09 May 1999 10:39:45 -0700 (PDT) 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: (202) 456-1111****************** 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 on 3/1/99 ++ Marylia Kelley Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment) 2582 Old First Street Livermore, CA USA 94550 - 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. (925) 443-7148 - is our phone (925) 443-0177 - 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. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Balkan War Urgent Warning Date: 09 May 1999 14:26:30 -0700 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. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) An Appeal from American Jews to theGreen Date: 09 May 1999 22:33:50 EDT In a message dated 5/9/99 4:55:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, reporter@magicnet.net writes: << Subj: An Appeal from American Jews to theGreen Party of Germany Date: 5/9/99 4:55:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: reporter@magicnet.net To: redyouth@debs.pinko.net CC: socialistsunmoderated@debs.pinko.net, fnb-l@tao.ca 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: naimanr@preamble.org >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Letter to Albanian friends from NGO's in Serbia Date: 09 May 1999 22:33:41 EDT In a message dated 5/9/99 5:12:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time, jim_forest@compuserve.com writes: << Subj: Letter to Albanian friends from NGO's in Serbia Date: 5/9/99 5:12:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: jim_forest@compuserve.com (Jim Forest) Sender: jim_forest@compuserve.com (Jim Forest) To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com 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 >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) NYC / Action on War Date: 11 May 1999 16:06:44 EDT 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 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. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Why did NATO bomb Chinese Embassy? Date: 11 May 1999 14:12:13 -0700 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. jaredi@aol.com ) Best regards, Jared Israel jaredi@aol.com 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 - jaredi@aol.com =DD - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: News Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Why did NATO bomb Chinese Embassy? Date: 11 May 1999 20:48:06 -0400 At 12:44 AM 5/12/99 +0200, >schwann wrote, >>JaredI@aol.com wrote: : >>HOW NATO & THE MEDIA MISREPRESENTED THE >>CHINESE EMBASSY BOMBING >> >>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? >You know that conspiracy theories can easily be put forward, but even >though I've critised the USA/NATO involvement in Yugoslavia I cringed when >I read your post. Even those warmongers aren't so stupid not to know what >the Chinese represent. > >Just so you know who's side I'm on I'll paste in below the article that I >posted to Usenet....but Puleeeze!!! Gee, schwann, although your criticism of USA/NATO ivolvement is indeed eloquent, you didn't address even one of the (what certainly seemed to me to be) very significant points raised by JaredI@aol.com. Could it be that you've got a very good heart, but you're just too totally brainwashed to deal with factual allegations? Thomas ____________________________________________________________ * Peace Through Reason - http://prop1.org -Convert the War Machines! * ____________________________________________________________ - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) NIX MOX/ATOMIC TRAIN ACTION DAY--May 17 Date: 11 May 1999 17:57:49 -0700 May offers you an "Atomic Issue Buffet" and we invite you to join a national and international focus day of education, action and media work. May 17 is INTERNATIONAL NIX MOX ACTION DAY 1999!!!!!!!!!!!!! MOX (mixed oxide plutonium fuel) for use in commercial power reactors that were not designed for them, initiates plutonium as an element of commerce, undermines nonproliferation policy and will give the international plutonium cartel billions in U.S. taxpayer money. (more info follows) May 17 is also the second night of a 2 day NBC mini-series called "Atomic Train" which will feature as an out-of-control train carrying nuclear weapons and commercial nuclear waste near Denver. It promises to be one of the biggest ads ever on the dangers of nuclear transport (we haven't seen it, but it is not a rosy ending). Atomic Train is airing just as nuclear shipments are traveling to New Mexico to the WIPP site and as Congress debates Mobile Chernobyl legislation (AGAIN) that would trigger an even larger nuclear waste shipping campaign, expediting commercial and military high-level nuclear waste travel to Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Mobile Chernobyl (HR 45 sponsored by Upton R-MI and Towns D-NY and S 608, sponsored by Murkowski R-AK) -- would send 20,000--100,000 shipments of high-level military and civilian waste across 43 states to Yucca Mountain, Nevada beginning in 2003 and continuing for 30 years! This is the 4th year that the nuclear industry has tried to push, bribe and beg their way to changing nuclear waste law. Transport remains the key issue to turn heads on the Hill, since the routes cross over 300 Congressional districts. We already know Yucca is such a bad site that if the waste is moved there, it would have to be moved again in order to meet the goal of nuclear waste isolation. The Department of Energy (DOE) has illegally begun plutonium shipments to WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant) -- the salt repository in southern New Mexico. The DOE does not have authority to do this since they do not yet have a permit for mixed waste, and in order to prove that they are sending waste that is not mixed radioactive and chemical waste, these first shipments are waste from the fabrication of the Cassini probe. It is expressly excluded from WIPP since it is not military waste. WIPP shipments will travel across 22 states and are a key issue in Colorado where the NBC drama is set. MAY 17 ACTION DAY -- So, this is an invitation to pick your focal point -- MOX, Mobile Chernobyl and Yucca or WIPP --- or maybe weave them together if you happen to be on a cross-roads for one or more...though for outreach and press work it is best to be focused and have no more than 3 points you are trying to get across. WHERE THE ISSUES INTERSECT: MOX fuel fabrication will produce more plutonium laced wastes that might eventually find their way to WIPP. MOX also complicates any geologic repository for irradiated fuel since it is hotter and has both more fission products and more long-lived elements heavier than uranium, including more plutonium that irradiated uranium fuels. MOX will also increase the number of shipments since fewer MOX fuel rods can be packaged together for shipment. Meanwhile the opening of WIPP is a huge booster for the international nuclear industry since it is the first big hole in the ground accepting waste for permanent disposal on a large scale. It is a big boost of morale for DOE to open Yucca too. And Yucca is the king pin for the MOX program since both tracks of plutonium disposition depend upon a permanent repository for final disposition. ACTION DAY SUGGESTIONS -- Does your community know about the key issue and what it means locally? If not, this is a chance to begin the educating process. Press conference? Teach-In? Flyers or articles/letters to the paper? An International NIX MOX ACTION DAY packet of materials is available, along with many web sites with information ready to be printed --- start with http://www.nirs.org, http://www.nci.org and http://www.ieer.org and follow the links from there. E-mail to maryo@nirs.org for the packet -- put NIX MOX ACTION in the subject line. (or call Mary Olson at NIRS 202-328-0002) Last year grassroots activists in the U.S. and Russia joined together to send the NIX MOX message to Clinton and Yeltsin, people in England, Canada and other parts of the plutonium empire also took action. Let's build on last year's initiative. Mobile Chernobyl -- the plan is to release once again to the press the projected transport routes and information on the status of the legislation at that time. It has been 4 years since over 100 groups released the project route maps from the nation's nuclear reactor to Nevada. It is time to do it again, and Atomic Train will give us the perfect entree. NBC affiliate stations will be hungry for local angles. We find that focusing on the projected routes to be the most powerful. NIRS can provide basic maps projecting the shipment routes of civilian and military waste to Yucca Mountain. They are available in the Don't Waste America section of NIRS' website (http://www.nirs.org) or e-mail to maryo@nirs.org and put "Yucca Maps" in the subject line. (or call Mary Olson at NIRS 202-328-0002) WIPP -- we will network you to groups who are working on this issue intensively. If your community is already aware of the issue(S) and you have news then a press conference is the way to go. Have one near a major rail or highway transport route. Or maybe it is time to make some news. A peaceful demonstration outside a nuclear utility? A caravan along a projected transport route? Hang a banner on the route a that irradiated fuel or plutonium would travel? Start a petition drive? Introduce a resolution before your town or county opposing plutonium fuel use or use of tax dollars for plutonium economy, or the Mobil Chernobyl bills (HR 45 and S 608). YOUR IDEA HERE! Do share it and we will circulate it back out with the next ALERT on this Action Day. PLEASE DO CONTACT US IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE TAKING ACTION OF ANY KIND ON MAY 17...let us know what your issue focus is too. A list will be compiled of all the actions, and distributed so that each site is aware of the other sites and interested media and the industry can see that it is not a small world, but we are a BIG FAMILY! To get on this list and get a copy of it, once again, e-mail maryo@nirs.org or call 202-328-0002 ask for Mary Olson. We know that this is short notice, and apologize. We hope that people nationwide will join in in some way. Why May 17? Not only is NBC doing its broadcast, but the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is hosting a 3 day meeting in Vienna on MOX, starting May 17. Let's send a loud message -- NIX MOX! STOP MOBILE CHERNOBYL -- STOP WIPP BACKGROUND NIX MOX The international nuclear cartel is promoting the use of MOX plutonium fuel in current power reactors worldwide that were designed for uranium fuel. In the U.S. and Russia, the conversion of warhead plutonium to plutonium reactor fuel is the opportunity for these same plutonium promoters to receive a huge a U.S. taxpayer subsidy, in the name of surplus plutonium disposition. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has just awarded a contract to a group of corporations to develop MOX fuel in the U.S. This contract has been awarded prior to the final environmental analysis or official decision to pursue MOX as the disposition for surplus plutonium from warhead dismantlement. The contract went to these corporations: Duke Engineering, Cogema Inc., Stone and Webster, Belgonucleaire, Framatome Cogema Fuels, Nuclear Fuel Services, Duke Power and Virginia Power. The United States has had a policy in the past of at least superficial separation between military and civilian nuclear activities. The U.S. MOX program demolishes even the thin veil that has been there. By promoting, and indeed paying for use of plutonium fuel in Russia, the U.S. is also supporting the development of a plutonium economy there. Cogema is the primary beneficiary of the U.S. federal MOX contact, and British Nuclear Fuels is the primary contractor at the Savannah River site in South Carolina where the plutonium processing and MOX fuel fabrication is supposed to occur. It is clear that the plutonium promoters of Europe will benefit from the U.S./Russia program even while their homeland plutonium businesses are facing serious economic and environmental challenges. Mobile Chernobyl This nick-name for legislation openly authored by the commercial nuclear power industry raises the specter of the worst case scenario for a nuclear waste transport accident: a cask damaged to expose nuclear fuel, engulfed in a high temperature fire which spreads particles of the lethal waste in the smoke plume. This is similar, on a smaller scale, to what happened when the fire burned out of control at Chernobyl. The two bills, HR 45 and S 608 are variations on proposals first introduced in 1994, which would remove current law and authorize an interim "parking-lot" style dump next door to the one site under study for a permanent high-level nuclear waste dump. This would trigger the largest nuclear waste shipping campaign in history. Over 95% of the radioactivity of the nuclear age is in this irradiated fuel. It would travel on interstates and highways, on common carrier freight trains, traveling through nearly every U.S. city since the commerce routes would be used. This most deadly waste -- lethal radiation exposure in less than a minute if it is unshielded -- would travel within 1/2 of the homes of 50 million people. It would continue for 30 years, or more. Why now? The utilities claim it is because DOE missed the deadline to begin taking this waste off utility property by 1998, transferring liability from the private industry to the taxpayer. It is also the case that with utility deregulation, many nuclear utilities have lost their monopoly and are facing competition. They are seeking to expedite this transfer. The proposed legislation (particularly the House version) sets terrible precedents, gutting environmental protection, forbidding EPA to set a radiation standard for Yucca Mountain permanent repository, instead legislating one (100 millirems) that is 4-100 time less protective than other country's waste disposal standards, and threatening to preempt EVERY other law except for the Atomic Energy Act! HR 45 and S 608 take us many steps further away from a sound nuclear waste policy. Lets be clear and strong. Together we will NIX MOX and Stop the Dumps! - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) "UNINTENTIONAL" BOMBING REPEATS A FAMILIAR PATTERN Date: 11 May 1999 19:05:35 -0700 PATTERN Actual heading: Bombing of Chinese Embassy Content-Length: 5242 Status: R COMMENTARY-720 WORDS "UNINTENTIONAL" BOMBING REPEATS A FAMILIAR PATTERN EDITOR'S NOTE: NATO forces and President Clinton have expressed regret over the fact that the Chinese embassy in Belgrade was destroyed just as there was word of a possible peace initiative, calling the incident unfortunate and unintentional. But the timing and nature of the bombing brings to mind a number of similar actions during the Vietnam War era. PNS contributor Peter Dale Scott, a former Canadian diplomat, has authored numerous books and articles on U.S. foreign affairs. BY PETER DALE SCOTT, PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE The recent bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade looks like a replay. During the Vietnam War era, U.S. forces hit political targets, specifically embassies, just when international peace initiatives looked promising. Congress should insist on a thorough accounting from those responsible for the bombing. The attack on the Chinese Embassy came one day after Russia and leading NATO nations agreed to a set of general principles for ending the conflict over Kosovo. NATO has called the incident unintentional, but the Chinese claim that three separate precision missiles hit the Embassy. Eyewitness reports appear to corroborate the Chinese version. The threat to the peace process is obvious. The draft plan calls for approval by the U.N. Security Council, where China, a bitter opponent of the bombing, exercises a veto. This recalls December 1966, when the Rumanian Premier visited Hanoi in support of a secret Polish peace initiative dubbed "Marigold." Mid-December saw U.S. bombing of downtown Hanoi at unprecedented levels, after months when the city's center had been off-limits to American planes. During the raids one U.S. rocket damaged three adjacent Embassies -- the Rumanian, the Polish, and the Chinese which effectively terminated "Marigold." The U.S. called the Embassy bombings unintentional. But such correlations occurred repeatedly. In April 1966, just as a Polish diplomat was arriving in Hanoi to initiate "Marigold," bombs dropped near a Polish vessel in a Vietnamese harbor. In June 1967, just after the White House-Kremlin hot line was first used in a search for a diplomatic solution, the Soviet freighter Turkestan was bombed by two U.S. fighter planes. Three times, in almost identical circumstances, other Polish and Soviet vessels were later attacked. When in 1967 two French emissaries bearing a U.S. peace message arrived in Hanoi, the city experienced yet another surge in the bombing. My 1972 book, "Conspiracy" analyzed more than a dozen such incidents. The habit of timing bombs to peace initiatives apparently began as a deliberate policy of Lyndon Johnson, who habitually balanced concessions to hawks and doves. Thus Johnson authorized the December 1966 raids at the LBJ ranch in November, one day after he learned of "Marigold" from his roving ambassador Averell Harriman. In this way Johnson ensured that, if the North Vietnamese did negotiate, it would be in a context of humiliating air strength. But by June 1967 a different pattern emerged -- one involving military attacks which the President had forbidden. When activating the Washington-Moscow hot line in late May, Johnson ordered U.S. pilots to stay away from Hanoi and Haiphong, where there were Soviet ships. The two pilots who had attacked the Turkestan knew they were violating presidential orders. They and their commander tried to conceal the incident, the latter by destroying the planes' flight film. In his memoir former Defense Secretary McNamara recalled the "scathing denial" he erroneously issued after this incident, blaming "an outright lie by a military officer." He added that the colonel responsible for the bombing "was later court-martialed and fined." McNamara did not mention that the colonel's conviction and $600 fine were soon set aside. The two pilots were acquitted and remained on active duty, even though their unauthorized action had killed a Soviet seaman. This suggests that the bombing had high-level military support. A similar Air Force action in 1971 temporarily ended the series of secret meetings which Kissinger had been holding with North Vietnam's Le Duc Tho. To help the meetings President Nixon had limited air strikes against North Vietnam to "protective reaction" after enemy attacks. But the USAF general in charge of the air war, John Lavelle, continued to target North Vietnam, instructing the pilots to suppress the fact that there had been no enemy provocation. Thus Kissinger was caught off guard when Le Duc Tho broke off the talks in November, insisting (over Kissinger's misinformed denials) that the bombing went beyond "protective reaction." In short, it is clear that in the past, U.S. military commanders have bombed without authorization at times of significant peace initiatives, of which they apparently did not approve. The recent attack on the Chinese embassy should be investigated. It is of course too early to analyze with confidence how it occurred. But history demonstrates unequivocally that such incidents frustrate diplomacy and prolong war. (05101999) **** END **** =A9 COPYRIGHT PNS -- Sandy Close Pacific News Service (415) 438-4755 - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Ted Turner: Nuclear War in Future Date: 12 May 1999 03:00:56 -0700 Ted Turner: Nuclear War in Future Saturday, May 8, 1999; 9:05 p.m. EDT ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- Ted Turner told University of Georgia graduates today to keep thinking and learning, then rained on their parade by suggesting that NATO bombing in Yugoslavia could lead to nuclear war. ``Here's the class of '99, and y'all are just starting out. Wouldn't it be terrible to have nuclear war in the next week or two and mess up y'alls careers befor= e they have gotten started?'' Turner said in a commencement address to 5,00= 0 graduates. Turner, who founded CNN, said that as a child during the Cold War he worried that he wouldn't live to see the end of the millennium. At age 60, he said he has the same worries. Referring to the NATO bombing o= f China's Embassy in Belgrade, Turner said: ``If we drop a bomb on the Russian Embassy, we could be at war with Russia and China tomorrow, and they both got lots of nuclear weapons. We might not even get to see the millennium.'' =A9 Copyright 1999 The Associated Press What's "Grow to Give"? http://www.onelist.com It's a new incentive program at ONElist. See homepage for details. InTheShadows is a discussion list dedicated to keeping up-to-date with ne= w technologies, advancements in medicine, environmental concerns, 'conspira= cy theories', politics, and, of course, UFO stuff. Discussion is encouraged. Bashing and soapboxing will get you bounced off the list. To subscribe send a blank email to: InTheShadows-subscribe@onelist.com To unsubscribe send a blank email to: InTheShadows-unsubscribe@onelist.com List Moderator: Hilary Thomas InTheShadows-owner@onelist.com 4=08 - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: prop1 Subject: (abolition-usa) Confronting the Speaker Date: 12 May 1999 07:15:59 -0400 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------F70199FC71ACA73656C91FF5 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/editorial/12wed1.html --------------F70199FC71ACA73656C91FF5 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii; name="12wed1.html" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline; filename="12wed1.html" Content-Base: "http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/edito rial/12wed1.html" Content-Location: "http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/edito rial/12wed1.html" Confronting the Speaker

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May 12, 1999

Confronting the Speaker
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    The fate of campaign finance reform is in the hands of a few dozen Republican moderates afraid to stand up for what they believe. That much is clear from the refusal of House Republicans who support the Shays-Meehan "soft money" ban to sign a petition forcing the bill to the floor. At a meeting with Speaker Dennis Hastert last week, many of these Republicans asked for a vote before midsummer. The Speaker said he would think about it. A week has gone by, and he has not gotten back to them. With 191 Democrats on board to bring the legislation to a vote, it would take only 27 Republican signatures, out of 59 Republican supporters of the bill, to let the vote take place.

    The Speaker has been all over the calendar in predicting when a vote could come. First he said next year, then the end of September. Yesterday the House majority leader, Dick Armey, said it should come in late July. That would still be too late. There is no reason a vote on campaign reform cannot be scheduled this month or next. But if the House leaders insist on July, they must guarantee that a vote takes place then, not just a debate. The need is urgent because the legislation, which would ban unregulated soft-money donations to parties by corporations, unions and rich individuals, must be passed quickly to leave time to block a Republican-led filibuster in the Senate.

    Mr. Hastert is cultivating an image of openness, flexibility and putting the House "back on track," as Alison Mitchell reports in The Times today. But he should not be given more than a few more days to make up his mind about scheduling a vote. He made his own parochial interests clear when he said last week that he had "serious concerns" about the Shays-Meehan bill. Translation: He fears it would cut off a large chunk of special-interest funds that have corrupted both parties in the last several years. But the Speaker's obligation now is not to his own party's narrow financial interests. It is to let the majority of the house give Americans the reforms they have yearned for since the fund-raising scandals of 1996.

    Mr. Hastert keeps saying that appropriations bills must be taken up before campaign finance reform. But the appropriations bills will probably stir up a time-consuming battle and may not get approved until the end of the year. The Speaker is also reported to have told fellow Republicans that he regrets his passivity in failing to push for passage of a resolution supporting the use of military action in Yugoslavia. He can demonstrate true leadership this time by letting the principled members of his party have the vote they want.

    The main Republican sponsor of the reform bill, Christopher Shays of Connecticut, has taken a back seat in the drive to press the Speaker. Two other respected Republicans, Marge Roukema of New Jersey and Zach Wamp of Tennessee, have taken the initiative. Mrs. Roukema was right to say that Mr. Hastert would be inviting a "big problem" if he did not yield. These declarations are not threats. They are a restatement of principle. Without the tenacity of these few dozen Republican lawmakers, campaign reform will die. It is that simple.



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    --------------F70199FC71ACA73656C91FF5-- - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: News Subject: (abolition-usa) Question Re: "Confronting the Speaker" Date: 12 May 1999 07:20:45 -0400 Sorry, folks, I accidentally sent you a news article, "Confronting the Speaker" (NY Times, 5/12/99 editorial) without explaining why. The article mentions a petition to force the speaker to bring legislation to the floor for a vote. There are several important nuclear abolition bills/resolutions languishing in House committees. Does anyone know what such a petition would look like, the number of signatures required, etc.? Thanks for advice.... Ellen Thomas PROPOSITION ONE COMMITTEE P.O. Box 27217, Washington, DC 20038 USA 202-462-0757 (phone) | 202-265-5389 (fax) http://prop1.org | prop1@prop1.org - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Bob Tiller Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Question Re: "Confronting the Speaker" Date: 12 May 1999 08:36:21 -0400 The mechanism is formally known as a "Discharge Petition" because it discharges the bill from any committee to which it was referred. When joining a Discharge Petition, House Members actually physically sign a piece of paper. A majority of the House, i.e. 218 signatures, is required for the discharge to occur. (It rarely happens.) When the 218 number is reached, the bill must come to the House floor within a specified time period (something like seven days, I think, but it could be some other number of days). There are House rules about length of debate and permissible amendments. Shalom, Bob Tiller News wrote: > Sorry, folks, I accidentally sent you a news article, "Confronting the > Speaker" (NY Times, 5/12/99 editorial) without explaining why. The article > mentions a petition to force the speaker to bring legislation to the floor > for a vote. There are several important nuclear abolition > bills/resolutions languishing in House committees. Does anyone know what > such a petition would look like, the number of signatures required, etc.? > > Thanks for advice.... > > Ellen Thomas > > PROPOSITION ONE COMMITTEE > P.O. Box 27217, Washington, DC 20038 USA > 202-462-0757 (phone) | 202-265-5389 (fax) > http://prop1.org | prop1@prop1.org > > - > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > 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. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Bob Tiller Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) REPORT FROM US ABOLITION CAMPAIGN; JOIN A WORKING Date: 12 May 1999 09:59:17 -0400 Jackie, It only SEEMED like 12 days. We weren't really in Santa Barbara that long. Shalom, Bob Tiller Jackie Cabasso wrote: > Dear friends -- For those who were at the Feb. 12 - 24 Santa Barbara meeting, > and for those who weren't, following are the notes from the April 13 > Facilitators' Group conference call. Please note that after the introductory > section you will find a list of Working Groups, descriptions and convenors. > You are cordially invited to contact the convenors if you'd like to get > involved.! (Or let us know if you'd like to convene a group on another topic). > The Facilitators' Group has been meeting by conference call every few weeks. > We are tentatively planning a follow-up meeting in August, and will keep you > posted. Many of us are off to The Hague and the NPT PrepCom meeting in New > York, so things will probably be on hold till the end of May. -- Jackie Cabasso > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ----------------------------------------- > > US ABOLITION CAMPAIGN FACILITATORS GROUP CONFERENCE CALL 4-13-99 > > Present on call: Jackie Cabasso, Matteo Ferreira, Alan Haber, Jan Harwood, > Sally Light, Pamela Meidell, Jo Peterson, Dave Robinson, Alice Slater, John > Burroughs, Esther Pank, Andrew Lichterman, Robert Manning, Tad Daley > > Facilitator: Jackie Cabasso > Note taker: Andrew Lichterman > > It was noted at the outset that two facilitators' group members, Gordon > Clark and Clayton Ramey, were no longer receiving e-mails at their known > addresses. Dave Robinson will get their new addresses if possible. > > As agreed at the end of the last call, the agenda was devoted mainly to > how to move forward with discussion and formation of strategies. The group > decided that the means for now should be the strategy working groups identified > at the end of the Santa Barbara meeting, and that the first step would be > circulation of working group descriptions, contact points, and a general > invitation to participate in the working groups to the Abolition lists.-serves. > The working group descriptions and contact people are listed following these > minutes. > > In general, people thought that the conference calls were working as a > means to exchange information, and thought that the working groups could extend > and improve the network function of the Abolition campaign as it now stands. > Several people expressed concern, however, that the campaign was not moving > forward in terms of formulating common strategies which would make a national > campaign visible. The view also was expressed that > our next gathering should not be just a repeat of the general discussion at > Santa Barbara, but instead that we would have progressed to the point of having > a name, and some cohesive common strategies/activities, to propose, so that we > could move forward with the launching of a campaign. The working groups were > viewed as a first step towards this end. > > Tad Daley reported that the video Sleepwalking to Armageddon is nearing > completion, and may be shown on 60 Minutes 2. The groups producing the video > are considering either large town hall style viewings or distributing it for > use in house parties, with the particular aim of reaching new people rather > than just the existing constituencies of anti-nuclear groups. Tad asked for > input on what we should be asking viewers to do as a follow-up action. Several > people asked for preview copies or scripts of the documentary to determine > whether their organizations would be interested in participating in this part > of the campaign. At least a fact sheet is likely to be available, and in > general the video makes the case that the danger of a nuclear conflagration has > increased in some ways since the end of the Cold War, with a focus on Russian > "loose nukes" and the dangers they present. Several people expressed concern > that the particular dangers posed by the nuclear weapons policies of other > nuclear weapons states might receive too little attention, and stressed again > the desire for more information about the film's content. > > Next conference call: Tuesday, April 27, 10 am PDT/1 pm EDT. Jackie will set > up the call and post an agenda. > > We will pick up our old business, report back on the working > groups, and > move forward with our other designated responsibilities. > ================================================================== > BELOW ARE THE ABOLITION CAMPAIGN WORKING GROUPS. PLEASE CONTACT THE LISTED > CONVENERS IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH A GROUP OR OBTAINING MORE > INFORMATION ABOUT IT. FOR THOSE GROUPS WITHOUT IDENTIFIED CONVENORS, PLEASE > RESPOND TO THE LIST IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING FOR THE JOB. > > -- STAR WARS/ABM WORKING GROUP > > This group was formed initially to respond quickly to the legislation > pending at the time of the Santa Barbara meeting authorizing further research > and limited deployment of an anti-ballistic missile system by the United > States. Although there is currently no convener for this group, those on the > conference call agreed that ballistic missile defense continues to be a key > issue of concern for advocates of nuclear weapons abolition, due to continuing > development of the system, its potential to revive a multilateral nuclear arms > race, and the controversy over its possible extension in the Western Pacific. > > Conveners: To be determined. > > --CIVIL SOCIETY CAMPAIGN TO ENROLL ORGANIZATIONS IN A BRIEF ABOLITION STATEMENT > AND CITY DIALOGUES ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT WITH PROMINENT MOVERS AND SHAKERS > WORKING GROUP > > This working group covers several related efforts aimed at mobilizing > opinion via existing groups in civil society and campaigns aimed at elected > officials in municipalities. It includes various efforts to get mayors and > city and town governing bodies to endorse abolition statements, as well as > similar efforts aimed at non-governmental civic groups. Campaigns represented > within this working group include A campaign aimed at creating discussion > forums among "opinion leaders" in major cities on nuclear weapons and their > abolition; a campaign > aimed at convincing a wide range of civic groups to endorse an abolition > statement; and the campaign to obtain endorsement of the Abolition 2000 > statement by municipalities. > > Conveners Pamela Meidell (The Atomic Mirror) pmeidell@igc.org; (805)985-5073; > Ed Aguilar (Lawyers Alliance for World Security, Philadelphia)(610)668-5470 > > --CONGRESSIONAL FOCUS (Originally Congress and Adminsitration, now split in > two) > > This working group will focus on initiatives relevant to nuclear > weapons > abolition in the U.S. Congress. Examples include the pending Markey and > Woolsey resolutions, aimed respectively at scaling back U.S. nuclear weapons > research and production programs and at encouraging the Administration to > engage in meaningful negotiations to achieve abolition. Its work encompasses > grassroots efforts to mobilize widespread attention to particular measures and > issues pending in Congress. > Conveners: to be determined. > > --ADMINISTRATION FOCUS > > This group will work to focus attention on the nuclear weapons policies > and activities of the Executive branch, trying in particular to create forums > for discussion and criticism of nuclear weapons policies. Its current > initiative is a teach-in at the University of Michigan on nuclear weapons > issues, with the organizers hoping to get administration officials to > participate and to publicly debate critics of existing nuclear weapons > policies. If the teach-in model works the hope is to extend it to other > campuses. > > Convener: Alan Haber (Michigan Coalition of Peace and Environmental > Organizations) od4life@aol.com; (734)761-7967 > > --YOUTH/CAMPUSES > > This working group aims to raise the level of awareness among young > people about nuclear weapons and efforts to abolish them. It will work on the > teach-ins discussed in the Administration focus working group above. It will > also attempt to gather and broaden the distribution of existing nuclear weapons > abolition materials aimed at a youth and campus audience. > > Convener: Odile Haber (Michigan Coalition of Peace and Environmental > Organizations) od4life@aol.com; (734)761-7967 > > --DIRECT ACTION > > Nonviolent direct action long has been a central part of the > movement to > abolish nuclear weapons. Despite a lack of media coverage, direct action > continues at weapons and government facilities around the country, from the > Nevada Test Site, to the weapons laboratories in Livermore, California and Los > Alamos, New Mexico, to Washington D.C. and the newly opened Waste Isolation > Pilot Plant, also in New Mexico. This working group will be a place for > people involved in particular direct action campaigns to raise national > awareness of their activities and to exchange ideas and information. It also > will try to provide resources which will be broadly useful, for example > nonviolence training materials and lists of nonviolence trainers. > > Convener Matteo Ferreira (Shundahai Network) shundahai@shundahai.org; > (702)647-3095 > > --INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ORGANIZING AND CONCERNS > > The cycle of nuclear materials mining and nuclear weapons testing and > production always has had a disproportionate impact on indigenous people > world-wide. Nuclear weapons testing has occurred for the most part on the > lands of indigenous peoples, without regard for their sovereign rights, and > with devastating effects on people and their lands. Indigenous people have > taken the lead in many parts of the globe both in making the connections > between nuclear weapons and the effects of the entire cycle of nuclear > materials, nuclear power, and nuclear weapons production, and in advocating for > nuclear weapons abolition. This working > group will provide a focus for making these voices heard both inside and > outside the movement. > > Conveners: Michele Xenos (Shundahai Network), shundahai@shundahai.org; > (702)647-3095; Pilulaw Khus (Coastal Band, Chumash Nation), pilulaw@jps.net; > (805)771-8922; Richard Salvador (Pacific Islands Association of NGOs) > salvador@hawaii.edu; (818)956-8537 > > --NATO AND NATO 50TH ANNIVERSARY MEETING, APRIL 23 > > This working group initially focused on the upcoming NATO 50th > anniversary meeting in Washington, D.C. and the likelihood that NATO nuclear > weapons policies would be debated there. There has been interest in continuing > this as a working group, since the controversy over NATO nuclear weapons > policies, including a refusal to renounce first use, a potential > counter-proliferation role for nuclear weapons, and the expansion of NATO's > military scope to include broad out-of-area combat roles is likely to continue > for a long time. > > Convener: Mark Mebane (Fourth Freedom Forum) mmebane@fourthfreedom.org; > (219)543-3402 > > --INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS AND ISSUES > > This working group aims at coordinating the abolition campaign in the > United States with efforts world-wide, including Abolition 2000 and other > efforts in particular nations and regions to eliminate nuclear weapons. With > the emergence of a new nuclear weapons and ballistic missile race in South > Asia, growing controversy over possible theatre and domestic ballistic missile > deployments, and the stagnation of arms control negotiations, this working > group will help the abolition campaign in the U.S. remain aware of the effects > U.S. nuclear > weapons and military policies have on efforts to achieve abolition in other > nuclear weapons states and globally. > > Conveners: Alice Slater (Global Resource Action Center for the Environment) > aslater@gracelinks.org; > (212)726-9161; Richard Salvador (Pacific Islands Association of > NGOs)salvador@hawaii.edu; (818)956-8537or > 3691; David Krieger(Nuclear Age Peace Foundation) wagingpeace@napf.org; > (805)965-3443 > > --AFFECTED COMMUNITIES > > Communities across the country have been affected by half a century > nuclear weapons research, testing, and production. They range from workers at > DOE facilities to people who live downwind from those facilities to armed > services veterans exposed to nuclear tests. Many of these groups already have > organized to put pressure on the Federal government to clean up the > environmental damage, to perform meaningful health and environmental studies, > and to provide compensation. These groups share many of our concerns, and > often already are committed to abolition of nuclear weapons. This working > group will focus attention on the destructive legacy > of nuclear weapons, and will work to integrate these communities and their > concerns into the broader campaign. > > Convener: Joseph Gerson Jgerson@afsc.org; (617) 661-6130 > > --RESEARCH FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS COMPLEX > > This group will focus on the activities of the nuclear weapons and > production complex, and will explore the impacts of continuing nuclear weapons > research on the global test ban and nonproliferation regime and on efforts to > achieve abolition. It will also examine the overlap between nuclear weapons > research technologies and other emerging arms races which affect chances for > abolition, including anti-ballistic missile technologies, spece weaponry, and > possible next-generation nuclear weapons. The group will be both a means to > coordinate research efforts and to distribute relevant information within the > campaign and to a wider public. > > Convener: Jackie Cabasso (Western States Legal Foundation), > wslf@earthlink.net, (510)839-5877 > > --MEDIA/CAMPAIGN LAUNCH > > This working group will be a place to develop and share media > strategies. An initial focus will be efforts to coordinate a campaign launch > that is cohesive and nationally visible. > > Convener: Steve Kent (Kent Communications)kentcom@highlands.com; ((914)424-8382 > > --BOTTOM UP ORGANIZING (local movement building and making the connection to > other issues) > > Through discussing and organizing around the way nuclear weapons are > connected to other social ills and injustices, from local ecological > devastation, distorted government spending priorities, and a culture of > violence which stretches from the state to the street to global inequality, we > can deepen our own understanding of what must be done to achieve abolition of > nuclear weapons, as well as the understanding of those we hope to persuade. > We then open up the possibility that we will become part of a larger movement > which can make the changes which could make abolition possible. This working > group will explore ways to make > connections on the local level with other organizing efforts which share some > of our concerns, and by doing so to help create the social movement needed to > achieve theabolition of nuclear weapons. > > Convener: Andrew Lichterman (Western States Legal Foundation), > alichterman@worldnet.att.net 510-839-5877 > > --DEMOCRACY, POWER AND NUCLEAR WEAPONRY DRAFTING COMMITTEE > > This working group has taken responsibility for following through > on the > commitment made in Santa Barbara to develop a carefully thought out statement > on the relationships between democracy, power and nuclear weapons. A draft > statement is currently being prepared, to be circulated for comment in the near > future. > > Convener: David Krieger (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation), wagingpeace@napf.org; > (805)965-3443. > > ****************************************************** > Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director > WESTERN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION > 1440 Broadway, Suite 500 > Oakland, California USA 94612 > Tel: +(510)839-5877 > Fax: +(510)839-5397 > E-mail: wslf@earthlink.net > ****************************************************** > Western States Legal Foundation is part of ABOLITION 2000 > A GLOBAL NETWORK TO ELIMINATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS > > - > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > 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. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) URGENT Need Old Map of Belgrade to document Chinese Embassy bombing motives/story Date: 12 May 1999 23:12:35 -0700 Excellent Brian! Good job on this thoughtful and potentially significant suggestion! Although it was an obvious next step, this is a classic example of productive internet collaboration. I "should" have thought of it too, but dealing with 4-500 emails a day had me moving too fast. Your "right on time" response to Peter Dale Scott's post and your insight here may prove pivotal if Jared can get ahold of this old map. If he does I hope that he will scan and copy to each of us asap so we can forward to our media and activist contact lists. If so this will blow the lid off of this and we should coordinate rapid dissemination of this data on emergency basis. In case Jared has a hard time getting such map it could be a good idea to put the word out on this idea to any others who may have access to one. I already forwarded the two posts that I sent to you (Jared's and Peter Dale Scott's) on this to my national media lists so perhaps others are looking into this right now. Here's hoping....and praying..... David gear2000@lightspeed.net Global Emergency Alert Response http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000 Very good point. I will try right now - I may be able to do this. J Cc: Brian Murphy ; Yugoslavia Discussion List Jared, can you or anyone get hold of a map from this Serbian gentleman? See Brian Murphy's comments following. 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. Is there any way to get pre-embassy maps that show the area was a park? I think that would be a smoking gun that everone can see! For how can they blow this off as an old map, when a old map would show a park! Brian ---------------- Global Emergency Alert Response http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000 ********************************************************* gear2000@lightspeed.net GENERAL AGENCY SERVICES David Crockett Williams 661-822-3309 20411 Steeple Court, Tehachapi CA 93561 USA ********************************************************* The Global Peace Walk 1999-2000 1999: 22APR Taos, NM, ---> Santa Fe 26APR 2000: 15JAN San Francisco --> New York 24OCT 12 OCT Washington, DC, Columbus Day Ceremony Rededicating The Washington Monument as a Symbol of Peace. October 24th is United Nations Day "GLOBAL PEACE NOW!" Global Peace Zone2000 Remove the scourge of war from future generations http://www.egroups.com/list/global-peace-walk FOR ONE HUMAN FAMILY: Love All, Serve All - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) US shuts down Yugoslav Internet Date: 12 May 1999 23:36:53 -0700 The following message is ominous for all who believe in the free exchange of information and ideas. NATO has rationalized the murder of journalists and the destruction of transmitting facilities by claiming they were disseminating "official propaganda." Now they want to shut down the only independent source of news and information between Yugoslavia and the outside world. As with the systematic destruction of Yugoslavia's infrastructure, this is an attack not on the military but on all the people. Now only NATO's version of the war will be available. How nice. --MC + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + PLEASE POST AND DISTRIBUTE WIDELY US shuts down Yugoslav Internet Dear sirs, We have reliable information that the US Government ordered Loral Orion company to shut down its satellite feeds for Internet customers in Yugoslavia. This action might be taken as soon as later tonight or tomorrow (May 12 or 13, 1999). This is a flagrant violation of commercial contracts with Yugoslav ISPs, as well as an attack on freedom of the Internet. A Web site in protest of these actions should be up shortly. We will supply you with the URL. In the meantime, please be so kind to inform as many people as possible about this tragic event for the Internet community in Yugoslavia and Europe. Kind regards, BeoNET Belgrade, Yugoslavia http://www.beonet.yu .yuP - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) NATO to Target Nuclear Reactor, US orders Yugo Internet crashed [2 fwd posts] Date: 13 May 1999 00:29:35 -0700 Activist Mailing List - http://get.to/activist Fwd From: Maria-Raimonda USAI Hello, I have been forwarded this, apparently sent by P.R. Adzic, Belgrad= e. I replied to both email addresses ( the one from CERN in Switzerland and the one from Belgrade) and didn't get a reply. They ask to send this to a= s many people as possible to avoid the disaster. Perheaps it would be useful to inform the press, anybody knows how/who? Raimonda Usai ------------- Real disaster threat Dear friends, Something which we feared that might happen, seems very likely. I can confirm now we expect that NATO planes will bomb VINCA Institute. In the passed several days we received this warning, but today we got this information as serious threat from the highest authorities. Our reactor is not working for more than 15 years, but the significant amount of 235-U enriched and unused fuel is still in its interior. Highly radioactive material for everyday activities is also located in several research laboratories. I fear that a big disaster may occur. In the worst case, no Balkan and even European country would be safe. Not to mention ecological catastrophe. I still hope that this disaster could be avoided, unless we are already late. I would appreciate if you succeed in informing as many people as possible on the eventual tragedy. God bless you. P.R. Adzic ------ P.R. Adzic Tel:(381 11) 444-7965/455-041 VINCA Institute of Nuclear Sciences Fax:(381 11) 455-041 Laboratory of Physics (010) P.O. Box 522, 11001 Belgrade E-mail:apetar@rt270.vin.bg.ac.yu Yugoslavia peter.adzic@cern.ch ------------------------------- ADVANCES IN NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RELATED AREAS Thessaloniki 8-12 July 1997 E-mail thesnuc@physics.auth.gr tel: +30-31-998031 fax: +30-31-998128 -------------------------------- The following message is ominous for all who believe in the free exchange of information and ideas. NATO has rationalized the murder of journalists and the destruction of transmitting facilities by claiming they were disseminating "official propaganda." Now they want to shut down the only independent source of news and information between Yugoslavia and the outside world. As with the systematic destruction of Yugoslavia's infrastructure, this is an attack not on the military but on all the people. Now only NATO's version of the war will be available. How nice. --MC + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + PLEASE POST AND DISTRIBUTE WIDELY US shuts down Yugoslav Internet Dear sirs, We have reliable information that the US Government ordered Loral Orion company to shut down its satellite feeds for Internet customers in Yugoslavia. This action might be taken as soon as later tonight or tomorrow (May 12 or 13, 1999). This is a flagrant violation of commercial contracts with Yugoslav ISPs, as well as an attack on freedom of the Internet. A Web site in protest of these actions should be up shortly. We will supply you with the URL. In the meantime, please be so kind to inform as many people as possible about this tragic event for the Internet community in Yugoslavia and Europe. Kind regards, BeoNET Belgrade, Yugoslavia http://www.beonet.yu - message sent by infoterra@cedar.univie.ac.at to signoff from the list, send an email to majordomo@cedar.univie.ac.at the message body should read unsubscribe infoterra your@email.address - ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to Activist_List-unsubscribe@listbot.com Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/ .=C0 - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Yugoslavia barred from Hague Peace Conference Date: 17 May 1999 13:03:45 EDT In a message dated 5/17/99 11:36:52 AM Eastern Daylight Time, jim_forest@compuserve.com writes: << * * * forwarded posting * * * Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 22:25:16 -0400 From: Michael Subject: Yugoslavia barred from Peace Conference YUGOSLAV DELEGATION PREVENTED FROM ATTENDING PEACE CONFERENCE From Tanjug, Belgrade, May 13 The Yugoslav League for Peace Independence and Equality of Peoples Thursday informed the domestic and foreign public that its delegation had been prevented from attending the international conference"The Hague Appeal for Peace" in the Hague May 11-13. The delegation of the Yugoslav League for Peace was unable to attend the biggest peace conference in the past few years because the Dutch Foreign Ministry did not give the approval necessary for the issue of visas to the delegation members. The delegation of the Yugoslav League for Peace had intended to inform the conference about NATO aggression on Yugoslavia and the grave consequences of the brutal bombardments of civilians and civilian facilities, the destruction of the Yugoslav economy and the entire infrastructure, hospitals, cultural and historical monuments, and religious facilitis, as well as about the efforts invested by the Yugoslav League for Peace for a peaceful solution to the crisis. The delegation informed the organizers of the international peace conference that they were prevented from attending the meeting, and voiced hope that the Hague conference would condemn NATO aggression on Yugoslavia and the discriminatory act towards the Yugoslav League for Peace and lend support to the resumption of the political process for a peaceful, equitable and lasting solution, the Yugoslav League for Peace said. * * * >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Paul Watson, L.A. Times Date: 17 May 1999 21:44:46 EDT In a message dated 5/17/99 1:12:37 PM Eastern Daylight Time, b.ally@thing.ne= t=20 writes: << Monday, May 17, 1999 DISPATCH FROM KOSOVO from the Los Angeles Times=20 In One Village, Albanian Men Are Everywhere =20 By PAUL WATSON, Times Staff Writer (no, apparently not the same Paul Watson from the Sea Shepherd. Strange synchronicities!)=20 =A0 In One Village, Albanian Men Are Everywhere =20 VETLJE, Yugoslavia--Something strange is going on in this Kosovo Albanian village in what was once a hard-line guerrilla stronghold, where NATO accuses Serbs of committing genocide. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0An estimated 15,000 displaced ethnic Albanians live in and a= round Svetlje, in northern Kosovo, and hundreds of young men are everywhere, strolling along the dirt roads or lying on the grass on a spring day. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0So many fighting-age men in a region where the Kosovo Libera= tion Army fought some of its fiercest battles against Serbian forces are a challenge to the black-and-white versions of what is happening here. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0By their own accounts, the men are not living in a concentra= tion camp, nor being forced to labor for the police or army, nor serving as human shields for Serbs. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Instead, they are waiting with their families for permission = to follow thousands who have risked going back home to nearby villages because they d= o not want to give up and leave Kosovo, a province of Serbia, the main Yugoslav republic. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0"We wanted to stay here where we were born," Skender Velia, = 39, said through a translator. "Those who wanted to go through Macedonia and on to Europe have already left. We did not want to follow." =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0A foreign journalist spent two hours in Svetlje over the wee= kend, his second visit in less than a week, without a police or military escort or a Serbian official to monitor what was seen or said. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0The closest Serbian security forces were two policemen sitti= ng at a checkpoint half a mile up the dirt road, who weren't pleased to see so many refugees moving back into the Podujevo area. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Just as NATO accuses Yugoslav forces of using ethnic Albania= n refugees as "human shields," the Serbs say KLA fighters hide among ethnic Albanian civilians to carry out "terrorist attacks." =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0But Velia and other ethnic Albanians interviewed in Svetlje = said they haven't had any problems with Serbian police since the police allowed them to come back. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0"For the month that we've been here, the police have come on= ly to sell cigarettes, but there hasn't been any harassment," Velia said. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0That isn't what North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary= -General Javier Solana believes is happening in Kosovo. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Solana told BBC television Sunday that he expected much more = evidence of "ethnic cleansing" in the province to emerge once the war is over. "You don't see males in their 30s to 60s," he said. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0And on CBS-TV's "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Defense Secreta= ry William S. Cohen said that as many as 100,000 ethnic Albanian men of fighting age have vanished in Kosovo and may have been killed by Serbian forces. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0The claims and counterclaims are only part of the tangled we= b that threatens to trap NATO after nearly two months of bombing intended to make peace here. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Kosovo Albanians continue to flee Yugoslavia, often with det= ailed accounts of atrocities by Serbian security forces or paramilitaries. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Yet thousands of other ethnic Albanians are coming out of hi= ding in forests and in the mountains, hungry and frightened, and either going back home or waiting for police permission to do so. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0While Serbian police seize the identity documents of Kosovo = Albanians crossing the border into Albania or Macedonia, government officials in Pristina, Kosovo's provincial capital, issue new identity cards to ethnic Albanians still here. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0The Kosovo Democratic Initiative, an ethnic Albanian politic= al party opposed to the KLA's fight for independence, is distributing relief aid, offering membership cards and gathering the names of Serbs accused of committing atrocities. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0"As an Albanian, I am convinced that the Serbian government = and security forces are not committing any kind of genocide," Fatmir Seholi, th= e party's spokesman, said in an interview Sunday. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0"But in a war, even innocent people die," Seholi said. "In e= very war, there are those who want to profit. Here there is a minority of people who wanted to steal, but that's not genocide. These are only crimes." =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0As an Albanian, Seholi also knows the risks of questioning c= laims that Yugoslavia's leaders, police and military are committing crimes against humanity in Kosovo. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0His father, Malic Seholi, was killed Jan. 9, 1997, apparentl= y for being too cooperative with Serbian authorities. The KLA later claimed responsibility for the slaying in a statement published in Bujku, a local Albanian-language newspaper, his son said. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0There are pressures to toe the party line in villages like S= vetlje too, where a man who overheard Velia speaking with a Serbian correspondent for Agence France-Presse told him to stop. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0"Don't talk to the Serbs," the man said angrily in Albanian. = "They are to blame for everything that is happening." =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Velia, his wife, Hajiri, their three children and his mother= , Farita, 56, were among as many as 100,000 Kosovo Albanians who fled the northern city of Podujevo in the early days of NATO's air war. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Some said Serbs drove them from their homes, while others sa= id they were simply scared and left on their own. But they all ended up moving from one village to another, trying to escape fighting between KLA guerrillas an= d Serbian security forces. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Now they must live with another danger--the NATO bombs that = fall ever closer to Svetlje as the alliance intensifies its attacks on Yugoslav force= s across Kosovo. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Last week, a bomb exploded just 200 yards from the five-room = school that currently houses about 60 refugees. The explosion killed an ethnic Albanian man named Bashota, who was about 22 years old and from nearby Lapastica, Velia said. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0When the foreign visitor asked Velia whether he thought NATO= 's bombing was helping or hurting, he shifted at the wooden desk where he was sitting in one of the school's classrooms. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0"My blood is the same as yours," he said. "I just want the s= ituation stabilized. People are not very interested in what is going on with big [political] discussions here and there. They are just interested in going home." =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Despite the mass exodus of Kosovo Albanians during the NATO = bombing, several hundred thousand remain in the province, many of them still hiding without proper food, medicine and shelter. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0After waves of looting, arson, killings and other attacks tu= rned many of Kosovo's cities into virtual ghost towns, the government took steps to restore order, and ethnic Albanians began to move back, often under police protection. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Of an estimated 100,000 people living in Pristina, roughly 8= 0,000 are ethnic Albanians and a quarter of those are displaced people from the Podujevo area living with relatives, friends or in abandoned homes, Seholi said. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0An additional 32,000 ethnic Albanians are living in and arou= nd Podujevo itself, he added. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0A total of 120,000 ethnic Albanians are waiting to return to = their homes in four areas--near Podujevo, Pristina, Stimlje and Prizren--while another 350,000 have proper homes, Seholi estimated. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Home for Zajda Hasani, 76, and 10 others in her family is a = classroom and an adjoining storage room, where the shelves are stacked with books by writers such as Twain and Tolstoy. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0"I have no problems at all," Hasani said between long draws = on a cigarette. "I'm relaxed." =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0In Svetlje, the biggest problem is getting enough to eat. No= ne of the foreign relief agencies delivering food to refugees outside Kosovo has been able to come to feed those ethnic Albanians left behind. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Agencies such as the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner fo= r Refugees are negotiating with Yugoslav authorities about security guarantees and other matters as a prelude to resuming work in Kosovo. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0On Friday, the International Committee of the Red Cross sent = a four-truck convoy carrying medicine, food and other relief, the first shipment since NATO launched the air war March 24. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0It wasn't nearly enough to feed the tens of thousands who ar= e going hungry. The last aid Velia's family received was from the Yugoslav Red Cross, which gave them 41=8E2 pounds of flour and some yeast a month ago. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Like many of the children in Svetlje, Velia's 7-month-old da= ughter, Erinisa, is sick. The baby has received four injections but needs six more. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Her mother has to line up with other refugees at the edge of = Podujevo for police permission to enter the town and visit the hospital. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0The refugees have started a small, roadside market in Svetlj= e that sells pasta, coffee, onions, rubber sandals, cigarettes and a few other assorted items. But in the absence of any jobs, few people can afford to bu= y much. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0"The entire day, we just sit here or walk and wander around,= " Velia said. Although no one in Svetlje has been forced to work for the police or military, "Who knows what may happen tomorrow?" he added. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0Just a few minutes' walk away, there was a horrible reminder = of just how uncertain the future is. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0It was a human skull, partly charred by fire. It lay in the = grass outside a one-story building where refugees once were sheltered in about half a dozen rooms that were previously municipal offices. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0The floors were covered with hay, where families slept, and = the clothes and other belongings they left behind were scattered everywhere. =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0A single, burned corpse lay in the middle of one room, not p= roof of genocide, but a hint of the dark mystery that is Kosovo. =20 Copyright Los Angeles Times =20 =20 Attachment Converted: "d:\mspg30\eudora\attach\PaulWats.htm" =20 =20 =20 - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Column On Madeleine Albright Date: 18 May 1999 22:07:40 EDT Subj: Column On Madeleine Albright Date: 5/18/99 2:45:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: jbcafsc@igc.org (Jennifer Bing-Canar, Chicago AFSC) To: ccook25@hotmail.com A very interesting column by Steve Chapman in Thursday's Tribune . . . > > WHO SHOULD BEAR THE BLAME FOR "MADELEINE'S WAR"? > Steve Chapman > Chicago Tribune > May 13, 1999 > >Madeleine Albright strikes a Churchillian pose on the cover of this week's >Time magazine, >swathed in a leather bomber jacket, steely eyes staring into the distance, >uttering what are >doubtless tough words into a cell phone. But "Churchillian" would not be a >term of praise today >if the British prime minister had handled his job as poorly as she has hers. >She may take pride in the fact that the air assault on Yugoslavia is now >known as "Madeleine's >War." But even by the standards of moralistic interventionists, Kosovo has >been an unmitigated >debacle. So why shouldn't Albright be held accountable for the mess? >Maybe because the real fault lies with Bill Clinton. He makes the final >decisions, and he has >responsibility for them, regardless of what his subordinates tell him. But >in our system, >presidents don't resign whenever they screw up. So the least the American >people should ask is >that Clinton get rid of the advisers who talked him into this war, >starting with his secretary of >state. >Canning Cabinet officers for ineptitude and poor judgment is hardly >unprecedented. Clinton fired >Defense Secretary Les Aspin largely because he refused to reinforce our >troops in Somalia in >the weeks before a bloody firefight in Mogadishu that killed 18 American >soldiers. Unhappy with >their performance, Jimmy Carter sacked four Cabinet officers at once in 1979. >Albright's mistake on Kosovo was not an isolated lapse of judgment but a >blunder growing out >of her entire approach to foreign policy - a combination of moralism, >arrogance and boundless >faith in military solutions. She sees every foreign policy problem as a >rerun of World War II, with >America obliged to choose between shameful appeasement of evildoers and >courageous armed >resistance.Her policymaking is a version of "Jeopardy" in which the answer >is always "U.S. >military intervention." Only the questions change. >We got into a war we were not prepared to fight simply because Albright >grossly misjudged >Slobodan Milosevic. "As we contemplated the use of force over the past 14 >months, we >constructed four different models," a senior administration official told >the Washington Post last >month. "One was that the whiff of gunpowder, just the threat of force, >would make [Milosevic] >back down. Another was that he needed to take some hit to justify >acquiescence. Another was >that he was a playground bully who would fight but back off after a punch >in the nose. And the >fourth was that he would react like Saddam Hussein" and refuse to yield. >But the fourth >scenario, when it materialized, came as a shock to the administration. >So did the brutal campaign of Serbian ethnic cleansing that followed the >onset of the war. The >administration insists it wasn't surprised, but a high-ranking official >tells Newsweek, "Anyone >who says that we expected the kind of refugee flows that we saw is smoking >something." >Albright can be grateful that the Kosovo crisis distracts from her other >foreign policy foul-ups - >such as the bombing last August of a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan. The >unnoticed recent >news is that the Treasury Department released $24 million dollars in bank >deposits belonging to >the owner of the plant - admitting, in effect, that contrary to the >administration's past charges, >he had no connection to Islamic militant Osama bin Laden. >The president and his aides have yet to acknowledge something even more >embarrassing: >There is no convincing evidence that the plant was used to make chemical >weapons, as they >claimed. After the attack, a Pentagon official lamented Albright's view of >force as a first resort. >"Madeleine is willing to fire a missile at anybody," he told the New >Yorker, an impulse that has >not subsided in the intervening months. >She makes much of the lessons of Munich, while ignoring more recent >experience. Eight years' >use of air power has failed to budge Saddam Hussein - even as economic >sanctions have killed >hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis. But no one in the administration >has drawn the >obvious conclusion that we ought to try something different, in Iraq or >anywhere else. >Albright's relentlessly aggressive approach has earned the U.S. the >worldwide reputation as a >rogue superpower, bent on forcing every other country to do things our way >or else be bombed. >Maybe the Chinese people refuse to believe that the destruction of their >embassy in Belgrade >was an accident because we've bombed so many enemies on purpose. >Hectoring and bombing are about the only things Albright knows how to do. >That's one big >reason America's reputation and influence have declined every year she has >stayed in office. >And it explains why Warren Christopher never looked so good. > >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Russian Warns One Big EMP Could Cripple America Date: 18 May 1999 23:45:11 -0700 On May 18th I attended the Cato Institute's day long conference "NATO's Balkan War." The ten presenters generally agreed that the US and NATO had blundered into an illegal and counterproductive war. They only disagreed about the fastest and least costly and humilitiating way of getting out of it. (And at least one libertarian panelist seemed open to a humilitating exit, if it would teach the US and NATO not to aggress again.) Our luncheon speaker was Representative Kurt Weldon (R-PA) who led an early May delegation of U.S. congressional representatives to meet with members of the Russian State Duma to discuss ways to end the US-NATO bombings. Weldon repeatedly expressed the opinion that President Clinton wants the bombings to continue for irrational reasons which are unclear to his congressional critics. During the question period, I asked Weldon, "Given the weakness of the Russian missile alert system, especially with probable year 2000 computer problems, and the irrationality of both President Clinton and President Yeltsin, who already several times has threatened nuclear war over the bombings, what do you consider to be the percentage chance of nuclear war in the next 12 months." (My question and his reponse were the first and only reference to nuclear war during the conference, except for one panelist's sarcastic comment about using nuclear weapons against Belgrade.) Weldon said (somewhat paraphrased): "This is why we in Congress are working so hard and doing our own negotiations. We are worried about the Russian nuclear safety issues. We are worried about the possibility of nuclear war over the instabilities this war has caused. In fact, I have a story to tell. When the eleven members of our congressional delegation were sitting there with the members of the Russian Duma, Chairman of the Russian State Duma Foreign Policy Committee, Vladimir Lukin, warned the Americans, 'You have to understand that if we want to cause you a problem over this, we could. Someone, we don't know who, could send up a missile from a ship or a submarine and detonate a nuclear weapon high over the United States. The EMP (electromagenetic pulse) would take away all your capability.'** So we in Congress take this whole situation very very seriously." This warning is even more direct and threatening than President Yeltin's several warnings that the bombing of Yugoslavia could eventually lead to World War Three or that Russian would massively retaliate should one US bomb stray into it's territory. **Note: an electromagnetic pulse from a high detonated nuclear weapon could burn out most unprotected electrical and electronic equipment, unprotected computers, solid state electrical components of aircraft, modern autos, trucks, tractors and most consumer equipment and effectively bring America to a halt. Check out my article "Four Reasons We May See Nuclear War in 1999" http://www.kreative.net/carolmoore/4-reasons-nuke-war.html Also, photos from recent D.C. demonstrations against War in the Balkans Http://www.kreative.net/carolmoore/balkans-photos.html Http://www.kreative.net/carolmoore/war-tax-resisters.html Carol Moore in D.C. ===================== Sign on to worldwide moment of silence for peace in the Balkans, May 24 http://www.momentofsilence.org - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Sunday NY Times Op Ed / 5.16 Date: 19 May 1999 14:15:16 EDT In a message dated 5/19/99 12:47:21 AM Eastern Daylight Time, DavidMcR writes: << Subj: Sunday NY Times Op Ed / 5.16 May I call your attention to Owen Harries chilling - and in my view accurate - assessment of the Kosovo/NATO mess on the Op Ed page. It follows out my own thinking, (which, of course, is why I think it so good!) and takes note of the shift toward a new Russian/Chinese entente which the Clinton policy has made inevitable. If you still have the Sunday edition, I think this is one of the best and hardest bits of analysis I've seen. Peace, David - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Five Russian Threats of Nuke War Date: 19 May 1999 23:44:30 -0700 Why we must stop this war now!! =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =93I told NATO, the Americans, the Germans: Don't push us toward military action. Otherwise there will be a European war for sure and possibly world war.'' Russian President Boris Yeltsin, April 6, 1999 (Reuters) "In the event that NATO and America start a ground operation in Yugoslavia, they will face a second Vietnam,I do not want to forecast what is going to start then. I cannot rule out a third world war.'' Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, April 17, 1999 (Associated Press) "If NATO goes from air force to ground force it will be a world catastrophe. (Russia) has never felt such anti-Western, anti-European feelings,"First Deputy Russian Prime Minister Anatoly Chubais, April 25, 1999. (Reuters) =93You have to understand that if we want to cause you a problem over this, we could. Someone, we don't know who, could send up a missile from a ship or a submarine and detonate a nuclear weapon high over the United States. The EMP (electromagenetic pulse that destroys electronic and computer equipment) would take away all your capability.=94 Vladimir Lukin, Chairman of the Russian State Duma Foreign Policy Committee, late April, 1999 (Rep. Kurt Weldon in May 18, 1999 speech.) =93Just let Clinton, a little bit, accidentally, send a missile. We wil= l answer immediately. Such impudence! To unleash a war on a sovereign state. Without Security Council. Without United Nations. It could only be possible in a time of barbarism.=94 Boris Yeltsin, May 7, 1999 (Washington Post) =3D=3D=3D Carol Moore in D.C. http://www.kreative.net/C&C-news.html =08=07 - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Belgrade Maps may prove Chinese Embassy targeting not a mistake Date: 20 May 1999 11:26:51 -0700 Old Belgrade maps question NATO's excuse for targeting Chinese Embassy. http://www.stratfor.com/crisis/kosovo/specialreports/special67.htm - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: The Greeks: Verdict against NATO Date: 20 May 1999 14:51:03 -0400 >Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 09:49:51 -0400 >Subject: The Greeks: Verdict against NATO >Priority: non-urgent >X-FC-MachineGenerated: true >To: abolition@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca, cnanw@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca >X-FC-Forwarded-From: delong@nucleus.com >From: abolition@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca (abolition@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca) > >Thanks go to Robin Collins of UNA for finding this rather amazing item! >Bev > "http://www.zmag.org/judges.htm" > >JUDGES=92 BOMBSHELL =ABVERDICT=BB AGAINST NATO > >Twenty members of the Council of State (Greece=92s supreme >administrative court) have issued a statement deploring the >international crimes against Yugoslavia, which inaugurate a =ABperiod of >lawlessness=BB and bring us back to the =ABeras of the Holy Alliance and >the Axis=BB > >NATO was found guilty of an unprecedented and barbaric attack >against Yugoslavia in a statement signed by 20 high-ranking judges of >the Greek Council of State, headed by its most senior vice-president >Michalis Dekleris. > >In this important statement, the judges condemn the NATO bombardments, >denounce the international crimes being committed by the NATO >countries through this armed attack, and warn that any law passed >deciding to involve Greece in this war will constitute a gross >violation of the Constitution. > >For the first time since the bombing began, Greek judges have taken a >stand and, citing legal arguments, point out that the NATO offensive >against Yugoslavia has inaugurated a period of lawlessness in >international relations, bringing us back to the eras of the Holy >Alliance and the Axis. In fact, they pointed out that =ABthis attack is >accompanied by the revival of black propaganda that attempts to >exploit the misfortunes of the refugees to draw public attention >away from the violation of international law.=BB > >Following is the full text of the statement: > >1. NATO=92s offensive against a sovereign European state, unprecedented in >the post-war years, is an affront not only to the ethical principles >of Greek and European civilisation, but also to the fundamental >precepts of international law. This latter is a legal issue and should >not be overshadowed by the moral revulsion that is justly provoked by >this cowardly and barbaric attack. O ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Report on New Yugoslavia Peace Coalition Date: 20 May 1999 21:56:34 EDT In a message dated 5/20/99 8:05:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time,=20 CarolMoore@kreative.net writes: << Subj:=09 Report on New Yugoslavia Peace Coalition Date:=095/20/99 8:05:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time From:=09CarolMoore@kreative.net (Carol Moore) To:=09carolmoore@kreative.net (Peace list from) =20 Report on National Coalition for Peace in Yugoslavia Press Conference and Meeting May 20, 1999 =20 **Big News** Civil Disobedience at White House Planned June 3=96see below** =20 The coalition was formed earlier this month by leaders of major U.S. peace organizations, including the American Friends Service Committee, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Pax Christi, Peace Action, War Resisters League, Women's Action for New Directions, and the Women's International League for Peace & Freedom. (Plus others, did not get whole list. I don=92t think there is a web page yet with all these details.) =20 The coalition issued an =93appeal for peace=94which: **called for end to bombing as prerequisite for peace process to begin **an immediate ceasefire **condemned all atrocities **encouraged all efforts made in good faith toward a diplomatic solution, as well as nonviolent alternatives **supports return of OSCE monitors and truly international peacekeeping operation that will monitor activities of Serb military and KLA. =20 PRESS CONFERENCE At National Press Club Speakers included: Representative Dennis Kucinich Representative Barbara Lee (Senator John McCain, who supports invading Yugoslavia and was speaking at a National Press Club function stuck his head in.) Reps. of American Friends, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Veterans for Peace. Moderator Gordon Clark of Peace Action, Sladjana Dankovic, a Serbian progressive and peace activist, and Chris Ney of War Resisters League were particularly effective, IMHO. =20 Actions announced: Ongoing Bridge of Light actions around the country May21-22 coordinated actions around the country June 5th March June 12-Demo vs. Clinton in Chicago June 18-Demo vs. Albright in Chicago July 24th=96National Action in DC if bombing has not stopped =20 Reporters questions: (there weren=92t many representatives of press; they were looking for =93big news=94 and not just announcement of a coalition) **Mr. Kempster of the Los Angeles Times asked (rather abrasively) what is your solution for ethnic cleansing and where were the =93peaceful Serbs=94 last fall during the negotiation period? He was offered a range of answers, which boiled down to: the bombing greatly escalated the Serbian expulsions and killings, plus Albanians are fleeing NATO bombs; and the press ignored the Serbian and Albanian peacemakers in favor of the extremist Serb government and the KLA; OSCE was there and very successful, but press ignored them cause not =93sexy.=94 **A Reporter from a Religious publication asked (also somewhat abrasively): your groups are all Christians, why should we listen to you instead of Jewish groups who experienced the Holocaust? Gordon Clark of Peace Action (who identified himself as being Jewish) gave a spirited and definitive response: Not everyone is Hitler and not every situation is the Holocaust. It=92s a misplaced analogy. You can=92t say that only Jewish people can have an opinion on the US going to war in this or similar situations. Others pointed out that the Jewish Peace Fellowship was against the War and that various religious views and secular groups were involved in the coalition. =20 LUNCH MEETING =20 Issue: how to work with Serb groups and the issue of nationalism is something that should be discussed in smaller group situation with representatives of peace groups and Serbians. Also, Albanian peace people should be invited to join. =20 Endorsements: there will be levels of endorsement for Coalition for Peace in Yugoslavia: national, regional and local, to give everyone a chance to endorse. Must only agree with the Appeal for Peace. =20 Civil Disobedience: A lot of Quakers and others are itching to get arrested so we decided to do a civil disobedience at the White House on June 3, the same day a big C.D. is being organized at the UN. Peace groups will write letters to Clinton before hand asking for an audience; because he will refuse, we will go to White House and get arrested. =20 July 24th: while it is hoped the bombing will be done by then, we must in the meantime build a coalition to do a Washington action that day. =20 Advertising Campaign: a proposal will be drawn up to raise money for an advertising campaign on local cable television stations. =20 It was a great day for peace and I hope we can all plug in an support the coalition. Peace Action is the main contact at this moment, including for the civil disobedience. Peace Action, 1819 H St., NW #420, Washington, DC 20006. (202) 862-9740 http://www.peace-action.org/ =20 Carol Moore in D.C. Http://www.kreative.net/carolmoore/C&C-news.html =20 =3D=3D >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: marylia@earthlink.net (marylia) Subject: (abolition-usa) New! On the Web! From TVC! Date: 20 May 1999 23:24:46 -0700 (PDT) Dear friends and colleagues: Hello. This is to announce that our May 1999 newsletter, Citizen's Watch is up on our web site and waiting for you to peruse it. Our web site is located at http://www.igc.org/tvc. Once there, you will find: (1) "Stewardship: Check Under the Hood" which previews an upcoming Tri-Valley CAREs' report on alternatives to the Department of Energy's "Stockpile Stewardship" program. (2) "Shared Vision and DC Days" which recounts the adventures of Tri-Valley CAREs members and friends from across the U.S. and Russia as they advocate in Washington, DC's halls of power for disarmament, nonproliferation and cleanup of the Cold War legacy. (3) "Hague: Group to Present Appeal on Fusion Weapons Research" regarding our participation in the Hague Appeal for Peace, and highlighting an international appeal to halt the U.S. National Ignition Facility and the =46rench Laser M=E9gajoule, both of which may be illegal under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. (Copies of the petition are available in English and French by email or snail mail on request.) Also, read an analysis of the "Dysfunctional DOE," check out upcoming events and MUCH MORE. Log on and enjoy. And, don't forget to visit our new web links while you are there. Peace, Marylia ++ Please note that my email address has changed to on 3/1/99 ++ Marylia Kelley Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment) 2582 Old First Street Livermore, CA USA 94550 - 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. (925) 443-7148 - is our phone (925) 443-0177 - 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. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Bob Tiller Subject: (abolition-usa) Chemical weapons? Date: 21 May 1999 12:08:40 -0400 Today's Washington Post reports that Italian fishermen are netting unexploded NATO bombs in their fishing nets, and NATO confirms that sometimes its planes drop unexploded bombs in the Adriatic Sea. A former PSR intern, who has many friends in Italy, called to say that he heard that the Italian media are reporting that some of these bombs are chemical weapons. This doesn't seem credible to me, but we need to pursue it. Anything can happen. Does anyone have access to Italian media reports, or any information on the possible use of chemical weapons by NATO? Shalom, Bob Tiller - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Timothy Bruening Subject: (abolition-usa) Bombing of Chinese Embassy Date: 22 May 1999 23:17:54 -0700 (PDT) Last week, Jared (JaredI@aol.com) alleged that the U.S. bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade on purpose to eliminate some hostile journalists. I don't buy that theory. After all, the Embassy bombing severely embarrassed NATO and alienated China and Russia. How could NATO possibly consider the gain from silencing a few journalists to be worth the huge cost to NATO's image and relations with China and Russia? - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Timothy Bruening Subject: (abolition-usa) Pay Russia To Solve Kosovo Crisis Date: 23 May 1999 00:23:43 -0700 (PDT) Yesterday, I read a letter in the Davis Enterprise proposing that the U.S. pay Russia $1 billion to send peacekeeping troops into Kosovo. The letter writer suggested that Russia, being on good terms with Yugoslavia, would be able to persuade Yugoslavia to let Russian peacekeepers in to disarm booth sides and stop the killing. The letter writer also argued that paying Russia to solve the crisis would help the Russian economy and improve our relations with Russia. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Timothy Bruening Subject: (abolition-usa) Drop Food, Not Bombs On Yugoslavia Date: 23 May 1999 01:27:18 -0700 (PDT) Instead of bombing Yugoslavia, I propose that NATO parachute packages of food, water, and medicine to the people of Yugoslavia, along with literature detailing the atrocities committed by Serbs against Kosovo Albanians and calling on the people of Yugoslavia to end the killing. The idea would be to sway the people of Yugoslavia against Milosevic. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Date: 23 May 1999 15:18:57 EDT In a message dated 5/23/99 11:21:26 AM Eastern Daylight Time,=20 grupa484@beotel.yu writes: << Subj:=09=20 Date:=095/23/99 11:21:26 AM Eastern Daylight Time From:=09grupa484@beotel.yu (grupa484) To:=09uladzimir@bcchs.unibel.by (Uladzimir Kolas), jsubotic@infosky.net=20 (Jelena Subotic), oberg@transnational.org (Jan Oberg), ivanka@npa.c3.hu=20 (Ivanka Kostic), PLSGRK@teleline.es (Haukur_=C1stvaldsson10307-SabrCatLvr=3D= ao),=20 spulstra@fnasu.de (Hans), MD8322@mclink.it (Franco Toldi) CC:=09sduric@palmecenter.se (Svetlana Djuric), pxitalia@diana.it (Pax=20 Christi-Italy), K.HOPFMANN@IPN-B.de (Karin Hopfmann) =20 REPORT =20 Subject: Jelena Santic's peace trip to Berlin from 8-18 May 1999. Invited by parliamentarian group of PDS in City Hall of Berlin, I arrived i= n=20 Berlin on May 8th. After the introduction with the hosts and the programme,=20 on which I had no remarks, we went to the Town Square where the=20 demonstrations were going on, organized by a famous peace group. =20 =20 8. May, 14.00h Approximately 40 000 people were gathered at the=20 demonstration, mostly Germans and a few "Serbian patriots" with flags and a=20 group of Kurds with pictures of Ojalan. The speakers were from the parts of=20 the parties that oppose the bombing (Green Party and SDP), a famous=20 psychologist, a famous actress, Gregor Gisy and myself. My speech (5 min) wa= s=20 about why there could not be brought in the democracy in Yugoslavia by NATO=20 bombing, what means the destruction and the killing of civilians in the name=20 of the goals which are constantly changing, about our sympathizing with the=20 tragedy of the Kosovo Albanians, about the upcoming humanitarian catastrophe=20 of 10 000 000 people, about the struggle of NGOs against the war and about=20 the big responsibility of Slobodan Milosevic. I called for the joining of=20 antiwar movements in Europe and America and thanked for the solidarity they=20 showed and which we will need in the days to come. They said that the speech=20 was good, only a few "patriots" were shouting "boo", but I did not hear it.=20 Afterwards there was a moment of silence for all who died in this Yugoslav=20 war and a call to keep the resistance on.=20 =20 =20 9. May, 10.00h Pressbreakfast in Hotel "Unter den Linden". Introduction wit= h=20 my stay, positions of NGOs and few interviews. =20 14.00h Peace rally of young people, organized by the parliament of the=20 Berlin's suburb, Hellesdorf. This time, I spoke more about the young people=20 of Yugoslavia during the war, and about the joining the youth together. They=20 played music dedicated to the Yugoslav war, Hans Spoelstra sang his protest=20 songs. A big peace sign was made and we planted flowers in it. Then we went=20 for a protest walk throughout the suburb. =20 =20 10. May, 11.00h Meeting in the City Hall with the vice-president of the Cit= y=20 Hall, Ms. Martin Michels, and with the women from the parties in the=20 parliament. =20 14.00h Conversation with the vice-president of Bundestag, Ms. Petra Bl=E4ss= is=20 in the City Hall. =20 16.30h Discussion about the war in Yugoslavia, held in Youth Center. Presen= t=20 were people from the parts of the parties that oppose the war, a German Army=20 officer and a politician from SDP who is for the bombing. The hall was full=20 of young people (mostly from the East), which shows that they were intereste= d=20 in general problems. The young people were well informed about the situation= ,=20 so the officer and the politician were having difficulties. Reactions on=20 their statements were laughter and remarkable answers. I spoke about the=20 Albanians, war, individual human rights, and I said to the politician "if=20 Wily Brant was alive, non of this would have happened". That made him=20 ashamed.=20 =20 19.00h Discussion in Autonomous Women Club =20 =20 11. May, 9.30h Conversation with the members of Parliament from PDS about=20 the situation in Yugoslavia and about the concrete help for the NGOs. =20 =20 12. May, 12.30h Agreement with the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation =20 19.00h Discussion in the Faculty of Engineering. Presentation of the film=20 about the Woman in Black and Antiwar campaign (Sandrina) =20 =20 13. May, 14.00h Meeting in Deutsches Theater where they informed me that=20 every day at 19.00h they have public reading of antiwar texts and poetry. =20 18.30h Visit and the discussion in the Antiwar Museum. =20 =20 14. May, Free =20 =20 15. May, 15.00h Lunch and conversation about humanitarian help in Women=20 Informative Group =20 =20 16. May, 19.30h At Volksb=FChne Theatre, a play written by Jean Paul Sartre=20 "Dirty Hands", discussion afterwards. =20 =20 17. May, 11.00h Press conference at the City Hall =20 =20 18. May, 9.40h Return to Belgrade, via Budapest =20 =20 =20 =20 Working stay in Berlin was very important because people were interested to=20 hear the real news about the events in Yugoslavia. The division of the=20 Germans from the former Eastern Germany, who are against the bombing, and=20 Germans from the former Western Germany, who are less active but more "for",=20 could be seen clearly. The only party who declared itself against the bombin= g=20 is PDS. Green Party is divided, 2/3 of SDP is "for" and 1/3 "against" the=20 bombing. CDP is "for". Besides the lack of complete information, it could be=20 felt the changing of the public opinion. It is said that around 52% are=20 against. The young are mainly against. I was welcomed there after my speech,=20 which could be seen from the newspapers. True wish for helping the NGO secto= r=20 is very visible. The Unions are especially interested. Everyone is aware of=20 the fact that there is a possibility for a theft and for enormous profit in=20 the restoration process. Because of that, proposals for the alternative=20 programs are in progress. =20 =20 Karin Hopfmann, Member of Parliament in the City Hall and my host has well=20 organized and planned my visit. =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 May, 20 1999 Belgrade Jelene Santic=20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 -- -- =20 =20 =20 NON'S REACTION TO THE=20 =20 EXECUTION OF THE JAIL SENTENCE =20 TO DOBROSAV NESIC =20 =20 =20 =20 President of the Committee for Human Rights in Leskovac and Editor-in-Chief=20 of the monthly "Rights of Man", Mr.Dobrosav Nesic, on May 13 started to serv= e=20 the sentence of 30 days in jail passed under the draconian Law on=20 Information. Municipal transgression court in Leskovac on January 21=20 confirmed the verdict of first-degree court by which, under the Article 69 o= f=20 the Serbian Law on Information, he was to pay immediately a fine equalling=20 7,000 US, with alternative of 30 days' imprisonment. =20 Association of NGO's and Trade Union "Nezavisnost"(Independence) reminds=20 that the reason for the punishment of the founder and activist of one of the=20 few NGO in the South of Serbia, is in fact oral crime, i.e. alleged untrue=20 about the program of Radio Leskovac published in text "To write as the rest=20 of the sane wold does" in the monthly "Rights of Man" in issue No. 5=20 published in December 1998. The execution of the sentence almost four months=20 after the verdict was reached, before the decision of the Yugoslav's Supreme=20 Court, in the state of war in Yugoslavia, we find as inadequate repression=20 and the intense of local authorities in Leskovac to use this tragic=20 circumstances to settle accounts with those who are not same-minders. This=20 proceeding is aimed at making the atmosphere of fear and could have very=20 damaging circumstances. =20 We express our believes and hope that this is not an introduction to the=20 repression aimed at nongovernmental organizations, but jus an isolated case=20 of local authorities which will meet the criticism of their party colleagues=20 and the democratic public in Yugoslavia. =20 =20 =20 1.. Trade Union Confederation-Nezavisnost=20 =20 =20 2.. Alternative Academic Educational Network=20 =20 =20 3.. Belgrade Circle=20 =20 =20 4.. Belgrade Women Lobby=20 =20 =20 5.. Center for Policy Studies=20 =20 =20 6.. Belgrade Women's Studies Center=20 =20 =20 7.. Center for Transition to Democracy=20 =20 =20 8.. Humanitarian Fund for Children=20 =20 =20 9.. Society for Truth on Antifascist War 1941-1945=20 =20 =20 10.. Society for Cooperation with Neighbouring Countries=20 =20 =20 11.. ECO Center=20 =20 =20 12.. European Movement in Serbia=20 =20 =20 13.. Foundation for Peace and Crisis Management=20 =20 =20 14.. FOSCODE-NGO Glasnik=20 =20 =20 15.. Forum for Ethnic Relations=20 =20 =20 16.. Civic Initiatives=20 =20 =20 17.. Civil Forum - Novi Pazar=20 =20 =20 18.. Group 484=20 =20 =20 19.. YU Lawyers Committee for Human Rights=20 =20 =20 20.. Committee for Human Rights - Leskovac=20 =20 =20 21.. Safe Houses for Woman=20 =20 =20 22.. Association of Citizens for Democracy, Social Justice and Support=20 for Trade Unions=20 =20 =20 23.. WIN (Weekly Independent News)=20 =20 =20 24.. Woman in Black=20 =20 =20 25.. Student Union of Yugoslavia=20 =20 =20 26.. Women's Center - SOS phone=20 =20 =20 27.. Movement of Margine=20 =20 =20 28.. Women's Civic Initiatives Subotica=20 =20 =20 29.. Ethnic Forum - Subotica=20 =20 =20 30.. District 0230 - Kikinda=20 =20 =20 31.. URBAN IN - Novi Pazar=20 =20 =20 32.. Youth Creative Group=20 =20 =20 33.. Ecology Committee=20 =20 =20 34.. Committee for Humanitarian Work=20 =20 =20 =20 =20 -------------------- =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20
  • Belgrade Women's Studies Center=20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20
  • Society for Cooperation with Neighbouring Countries=20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Timothy Bruening Subject: (abolition-usa) Myths of the Yugoslav War Date: 23 May 1999 14:41:04 -0700 (PDT) Below is my draft letter based on the pamphlet entitled "The U.S./NATO War in Yugoslavia: Seven Myths. Please suggest ways to improve this letter, and pay special attention to the section on MYTH #3, which contains an internal contradiction. To the editor of the Bee: In response to the recent Bee editorial about Serbia's misleading propaganda about Serb atrocities against the Albanians and about the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, I am writing to expose some myths about the war put forth by supporters of NATO: Myth #1: US/NATO attacked Yugoslavia because the Yugoslav government refused to negotiate on Kosovo, a Yugoslav province with an ethnic Albanian majority. REALITY: The US/NATO, in "peace talks" led by Secretary of State Madeline Albright, issued an ultimatum to the Yugoslav government which had three main points: 1) Kosovo must be granted autonomy. 2) NATO must be allowed to station 28,000 ground troops in Yugoslavia to ensure this autonomy; and 3) A NATO- conducted referendum for Kosovo's independence from Yugoslavia within 3 years. In fact, the Rambouillet "peace plan" would have allowed NATO forces to occupy all of Yugoslavia and given them immunity from prosecution by Yugoslav or Kosovo authorities for any crimes they commit. Appendix B, Section 6a: reads "NATO shall be immune from all legal process, whether civil, administrative, or criminal." Section 6b reads: "NATO personnel, under all circumstances and at all times, shall be immune from the Parties, jurisdiction in respect of any civil, administrative, criminal or disciplinary offenses which may be committed by them in the FRY (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)." Section 7 reads: "NATO personnel shall be immune from any form of arrest, investigation, or detention by the authorities in the FRY." Sections 8, 11, 15, and 22 would have allowed NATO and its personnel full access to the territory, transportation systems, and telecommunications systems of Yugoslavia free of charge! No government in its right mind would accept such an agreement voluntarily. US/NATO stated that it would bomb Yugoslavia if Yugoslavia didn't sign the Rambouillet "peace proposal". The Yugoslav government accepted the first conditions (believe it or not) but rejected the other two, saying that conditions 2 and 3 were a violation of Yugoslavia's sovereignty. The next day (March 24), the bombing began. MYTH #2: Yugoslavia is the aggressor in this war, and US/NATO has responded in accord with international law. REALITY: At the time the bombing started, Yugoslavia was not attacking any other nations. Thus the US/NATO bombing of Yugoslavia violates Article 2 of the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against sovereignty states not engaged in outside aggression. US/NATO are also violating the following international agreements: 1) The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which forbids the use of force in compelling any nation to sign an international agreement, 2) The Helsinki Accord Final Act, which guarantees the boundaries of European States; and 3) Article 5 of NATO' Charter, which restricts NATO' mandate to mutual self-defense. MYTH #3: The Clinton Administration was moved to bomb Yugoslavia due to concerns for human suffering and ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. REALITY: The bombing has greatly intensified the ethnic cleansing and refugee crisis in Kosovo. The big refugee crisis began after the bombing occurred. In preparation for the bombing, US/NATO pulled relief workers and international observers out of Kosovo, allowing the Serbs free rein (I remember hearing that the Serbs were overjoyed to see the observers leave!). Then the bombing incited horrendous Serb retaliation against the ethnic Albanians (the most accessible enemy). In the year prior to the bombing, human rights groups estimate that there were 2000 dead and 250,000 displaced people within Kosovo and another 150,000 displaced people outside Kosovo due to KLA violence and brutal Serb retaliation. These numbers have greatly increased since the bombing started. CIA, NATO, and Pentagon officials knew that bombing could trigger ethnic cleansing and a massive refugee crisis, yet insisted on bombing Yugoslavia anyway. NATO Supreme Commander General Clark stated, "I can't say that I'm surprised by any of this. The military authorities fully anticipated the vicious approach that Milosevic would adopt." (Newsweek, April 12). Was it a "humanitarian" decision to put nearly 2 million ethnic Albanians at risk? MYTH #4: The US/NATO bombing is needed to bring stability to the Balkans. REALITY: US/NATO bombing has destabilize the region. The risk of an expanded war spreading throughout the Balkans (a la WWI) increases with the rising intensity and scope of the bombing. Macedonia, overwhelmed by 230,000 refugees, fears that its 40% ethnic Albanian population will demand independence. Greece, a NATO member, faces the potential involvement of its Albania minority in armed support of a "greater Albania". In Bosnia, the fragile peace and cease-fire have become increasingly difficult to maintain. Outside of the Balkans, Europe is torn apart by anti-NATO demonstrations. Russia is greatly angered by the bombing, and has as a result further postponed the ratification of START II, ended cooperation with the West to prevent the infamous Y2K bugs from triggering WWIII, and considered redeploying nuclear weapons in Belarus. China, already opposed to the bombing, in angered by the bombing of its embassy in Belgrade. MYTH #5: The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)warrants US/NATO support and agrees with Clinton's policy of "no independence for Kosovo". REALITY: The KLA's stated goal is an independent Kosovo: "No half measures will be acceptable to the KLA nor any solution whose goal is not independence." (commando leader Rjseyman Selenic, LA Times, March 7). U.S. drug enforcement officials charges that the KLA is heavily engaged in heroin trafficking. The US/NATO may need to disarm or fight the KLA to maintain a peace agreement in Kosovo. MYTH #6: US/NATO bombing of Yugoslavia mush not stop because bombing requires more time to succeed. If the bombing stops, US/NATO will have to send in ground troops. REALITY: Each day of continued bombing raises the death toll of ethnic Albanians, Serbs, and other Yugoslav peoples, increases instability in the Balkans, and increases the risk of all out war. Is it "humanitarian" to persist in bombings which have killed hundreds of civilians, including ethnic Albanians, and not protected anyone? US/NATO has bombed bridges (including bridges with trains and buses on them and/or "human shields" under them), refugee convoys, hospitals, homes, schools, universities, TV stations, power and water treatment plants, factories, oil refineries (dumping oil into the Danube) and the Chinese Embassy. A ground war would be hell, putting the refugees, the Kosovo Albanians, and Serb civilians at tremendous risk. MYTH #7: The US/NATO can't tolerate ethnic cleansing and must continue the bombing. REALITY: To stop bombing will not send the message that the West tolerates ethnic cleansing; it will make clear that US/NATO values the lives of ethnic Albanians and Serbs more than arrogantly adhering to a disastrous policy that has unsuccessfully gambled with the fate of hundreds of thousands. An escalated war will not protect more ethnic Albanians. A US/NATO military "victory" will exact a high cost in human lives. Viable aid for the refugees requires a timely peace process. The estimated US cost for the first month of bombing was $5 billion. The billions of dollars designated for further detestation of Yugoslavia could be used to provide substantial immediate and long-term aid. The only truly humanitarian alternative is to negotiate for peace within the scope of international law. The UN, European Union, and the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) can help resolve the critical issues. The first step is to stop the bombing. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Timothy Bruening Subject: (abolition-usa) Myths of the Yugoslav War Date: 23 May 1999 14:41:02 -0700 (PDT) I am trying to write a letter based on the pamphlet entitled "The U.S./NATO War in Yugoslavia: Seven Myths. MYTH #3 reads "The Clinton Administration was moved to bomb Yugoslavia due to concerns for human suffering and ethnic cleansing in Kosovo." The rebuttal says that "The refugee crisis began after the bombing occurred.", but also says that "In the year prior to the bombing, human rights groups estimate that there were 2000 dead and 250,000 displaced people within Kosovo (mainly ethnic Albanians, some Serbs) plus 150,000 displaced people outside of the province, due to Kosovo Liberation Army violence and brutal Serb retaliation." 400,000 displaced people sure sounds like a refugee crisis to me. How can the pamphlet say that the refugee crisis began after the bombing when there were already 400,000 displaced persons before the bombing? How many refugees are there now? - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: The British Helsinki Human Rights Group: Report of a visit to Date: 24 May 1999 12:11:11 EDT In a message dated 5/24/99 10:13:37 AM Eastern Daylight Time, grupa484@beotel.yu writes: << Subj: The British Helsinki Human Rights Group: Report of a visit to Belgrade Date: 5/24/99 10:13:37 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: grupa484@beotel.yu (grupa484) CC: vh@iki.fi (Ville Holmberg), sduric@palmecenter.se (Svetlana Djuric), krugpen@bih.net.ba (Slavko Santic), sladjana@juno.com (Sladjana R Dankovic), sdabic@usaid.gov (Sandra Dabic), roland.salvisberg@ohr.int (Roland Salvisberg - Helsinki com. for H.R. - RS), rvilhu@uiah.fi (Reeta Vilhu), red@nytid.fi (Ny Tid - svedski nedeljnik), h0444yr7@rz.hu-berlin.de (MIROVNJACI(Lidija, Nemacka)), maria@kaapeli.fi, maria@amnesty.fi (Maria Sundell), lenab@vihrealanka.fi (Lena Bjorklund), mvtpaix@globenet.org (Le Mouvement de la Paix), lassmann@nuklearmedizin.uni-wuerzburg.de, hca@ecn.cz (HELSINKI CITIZENS ASSEMBLY), ghunter@ci.athens.oh.us (Garry E. Hunter), MD8322@mclink.it (Franco Toldi), Neuffer@compuserve.com (elizabeth neuffer), d.bogdanovic@ndh.net (Dusan Bogdanovic), Barbara.Mueller@t-online.de (Dr. Barbara Mueller), DavidMcR@aol.com, B.Luber@BIONIC.zerberus.de (B.Luber-foundation "Die Schwelle"-Bremen), mfhr@ath.forthnet.gr (99), dphr@zamir.net (98), john.reed@news.wsj.com (97), W.Lottje@gaia.de (96), nkhramov@glasnet.ru (95), saundej@hrw.org (94), purser@uni2a.unige.ch (93), guarneri@cybercable.tm.fr (92), italbelg@eunet.yu (9), avancees@skynet.be (89), transitions@ijt.cz (88), 101737.1436@compuserve.com (87), office@ihf-hr.org (86), helsinki@ping.at (85), nhc@ANTENNA.NL (84), wolfgang.benedek@kfunigraz.ac.at (83), Gabriele.Schroers@bertelsmann.de (82), awilson@cipe.org (81), observatoire.paris@wanadoo.fr (80), alla@sezampro.yu (8), busek_sec2@osce.or.at (79), soant01@emducms1.sis.ucm.es (78), united@ANTENNA.NL (77), p.fontani@unesco.org (75), davisb@un.org (73), robert.austin@utoronto.ca (72), S.Trifunovska@jur.kun.nl (71), M.Spice@ukc.ac.uk (69), eudelyug@eunet.yu (68), pmiller@amnesty.org (67), yterling@amnesty.org (66), silica@gn.apc.org (65), tabatabai@un.org (64), harden@leland.stanford.edu (63), europe@lchr.org (62), hrwnyc@hrw.org (61), enie.wesseldijk@coe.fr (60), imartin.hchr@unog.ch (59), rsuh@rsuh.ru (58), FIER@euronet.nl (57), oates@ceu.hu (56), crc@ceu.hu (55), 100074.2671@compuserve.com (54), hnswsps@bridge.anglia.ac.uk (51), kai.artes@kepa.fi (5), robben@ndi.org (49), hrc@essex.ac.uk (47), labour-party@geo2.poptel.org.uk (46), Centre@lichr.ee (45), LCHR@post.omnitel.net (44), hodbor@bn.rstel.net (43), rarfid@der-pu.uc3m.es (42), longomai@Karatel.fr (41), britemb@eunet.yu (40), LasiewiczN@aol.com (4), ivankako@eunet.yu (39), tast@eunet.yu (38), jeroen.schokkenbroek@coe.fr (37), lisa.helfand@bgrad01.x400.gc.ca (36), finembas@eunet.yu (32), fcorley@mail.ndirect.co.uk (28), aire@btinternet.com (27), stamenka@cepes.ro (25), olav.riste@ifs.mil.no (24), zorana@osi.hu (22), J.Moody@ifad.org (19), ifiasbrussels@compuserve.com (150), Balkan-Peace-Team@BIONIC.zerberus.de (147), julianbraithwaite@compuserve.com (145), Maxim.FERSCHTMAN@coe.fr (144), Miroslav.Kusy@fphil.uniba.sk (143), shrc@dial.pipex.com (142), hrcenter@glas.apc.org (141), weiss@spdfrak.de (14), fidh@hol.fr (139), fdahan@essex.ac.uk (138), dahlgren@katto.kaapeli.fi (137), D.Goldberg@law.gla.ac.uk (136), clo@rcl.nig.com (135), citwatch@mail.wplus.net (134), zoran.pajic@kcl.ac.uk (133), wus-i@mail.antenna.nl (132), unicri@unicri.it (131), secretariat@rwi.lu.se (130), M.Krygier@unsw.edu.au (13), Rolf.Ring@rwi.lu.se (129), OHR_TUZLA@zamir-tz.ztn.apc.org (127), ntate@unt.edu (126), mv@humanrights.dk (124), Lidija.Basta@unifr.ch (123), lerner@idc.ac.il (122), L97kor45@STUDENT.CEU.HU (121), L.Haxthausen@unesco.org (120), kas_sa@zamir-sa.ztn.apc.org (119), jovo.kosanovic@ah.telia.no (118), jovank@diplomacy.edu (117), ipb@gn.apc.org (116), helodbor@eunet.yu (115), apt@apt.ch (114), chrf@chrf.ca (113), forum_tz@zamir-tz.ztn.apc.org (111), swoodward@brook.edu (11), feral-tribune@st.tel.hr (109), council@caa.org.yu (107), cornelius.ochmann@bertelsmann.de (106), wfd@wfd.org (105), Kan@ntb.no (102), petrolw@beotel.yu (101), michael.ingledow@coe.fr (100), brett@pop.unicc.org (10), J.Werdmoelder@law.uu.nl (1), Kjell.Arild.Nilsen@ntb.no (Kjell Arild Nilsen) >British Helsinki Human Rights Group >22 May 1999 BHHRG analysts >NATO targets Yugoslavia: Report of a visit to Belgrade, >10th-13th May, 1999 >by The British Helsinki Human Rights Group > >While NATO's air campaign against Serbia continued into its second month >three members of the British Helsinki Human Rights Group with a French >colleague visited Belgrade. Understandably, perhaps, in a time of war >both parties to the conflict are accused of using propaganda. For >example, the UK news media regularly refers to Serbia as a dictatorship >which brooks no opposition; where there is no media freedom enabling >people to know what is really going on in the beleaguered province of >Kosovo and where people cower, hungry and frightened, at the mercy of >what British Defense Secretary, George Robertson, calls Milosevic's >"murder machine". It was to investigate these and other claims that the >BHHRG embarked upon its mission.ALLEGATIONS OF DICTATORSHIP >Members of the BHHRG monitored the parliamentary and presidential >elections held in Serbia in Autumn 1997. Their report, published on the >Group's web page, reached the following conclusions: >.. After serving two consecutive terms as president of Serbia Slobodan >Milosevic observed the Yugoslav Federation's constitution by not >altering (or ignoring) its provisions to seek a third term in office. He >next stood for election as president of Yugoslavia itself. Such respect >for constitutional propriety has not been observed by everyone in the >region: Slovenia's president, Milan Kucan, has served three terms in >office in spite of the country's constitutional requirement that the >state president should only be elected twice. In other post-communist >countries (Georgia, for example) the terms of the constitution have been >strained to allow the incumbent to continue holding office. >.. Although BHHRG observers found many shortcomings in the Serbian >election process these were no more serious than those observed in other >places - the Yugoslav republic of Montenegro, for example, which was >hailed as exemplary by other international monitoring groups. ... >.. Allegations have always been made that there is no media pluralism in >Serbia. Before the war there were several opposition newspapers as well >as radio and TV outlets. Numerous anti-Milosevic foreign-funded NGOs >also operated in the country. By May 1999 much of the opposition media >had been closed down. However, large numbers of people receive foreign >television programmes via cable and satellite and, contrary to the >received wisdom, are aware of the situation of the Kosovan Albanians. >Members of the BHHRG failed to detect signs of the sort of behaviour >associated with a classic dictatorship while in Belgrade. People openly >criticize Milosevic - but not for the war. Many say they never voted for >his party the SPS but while the country is under attack they must stand >together whatever their political persuasion. Some, like Vuk Draskovic, >[interviewed by the BHHRG] criticize the Kosovan Albanians for >boycotting elections and thus giving the SPS a free rein. The 40 or so >seats allocated to them in the Serb parliament might have been won by >the opposition which would have severely reduced - or eliminated - the >SPS's hold on power. He also pointed out that opposition politicians >favoured by the West, like Zoran Djindjic, had forfeited any further >chance of gaining public support >by leaving the country - Djindjic is in Montenegro with the West's other >favourite, President Milo Djukanovic. "He [Djindjic] will only be able >to come to power on the top of an American tank" says Draskovic who has >stayed in the country throughout the war. >Considering that a war is on, police presence in the city is minimal. >Even the police who asked to examine the BHHRG's cameras were courteous >and unthreatening. Ordinary people were friendly and keen to point out >that they did not blame ordinary British citizens for the bombs that >were falling on their country every day. In both Bulgaria and Romania >members of the Group were followed by local police; crossing the >Romanian border took three times as long as crossing into and out of >Serbia proper. WILL THE SERBS BEND? PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS >Nearly everyone we spoke to had endured some aspect of the bombing. >People talked about being thrown out of bed [after the bombing of the >Socialist Party headquarters, for example]; of the powerful winds that >blow through a building after a particularly heavy raid pulling the >person into a vortex and seemingly towards the epicentre of the attack. >Door and window frames break loose and the building shakes. One day >there was even an earthquake in Belgrade after an air raid on the city. >Marija S. a Belgrade housewife is typical. She lives in a small, >three-room apartment with her husband, two children, younger brother and >elderly parents. Her father has Alzheimer's disease but she had to move >him and her mother away from their home in the vicinity of some of the >heaviest bombing. Marija and her husband have not worked since before >the war and live on meagre savings. Pensions for elderly people are paid >late and not in full. Children all over Serbia have not been to school >for the past two months. >The worst time for the family was when the first graphite bombs were >used and the electricity failed. Not only power but also water pumping >facilities are affected when this occurs. Nevertheless, they are not >giving in nor do they expect the government to bend on their behalf. >Anyway, the authorities have become better organized than ever before >and the electricity problems are sorted out quite quickly andefficiently. >There is no shortage of food. Unlike many people in the West, Serbs do >not live on a diet of fast-food. The country's fields are properly >husbanded and fresh produce is widely available from peasant markets. >Cars and buses are running, no doubt fuelled by the large amount of >illegal petrol that is reaching the country. >The BHHRG also visited the Mufti of Belgrade who lives next to the >city's only mosque. Despite the fact that the war is (ostensibly) being >fought on behalf of Muslim Albanians the Mufti thinks it an attack on >all Muslims as well as Serbs: "We understand American politics from what >went on in Sudan, Afghanistan and Somalia. We understand now better than >before". Like many people he also attacked Clinton as an "immoralcowboy". ... >People are fully aware of what is happening in Kosovo but would argue >about the causes of the tragedy there. This means that they are >criticized by Western commentators for being heartless. However, the >remorseless nature of the bombing (sirens warning of an attack wail >twice a day) and the unpredictable way the bombs fall mean that people's >minds are, understandably, directed towards their own plight. Although >Serbs have often displayed a tendency to self-pity they have a case when >they point out that c.200,000 Serbs were expelled from the Krajina in >1995 without a similar outpouring of indignation. Bitterness about the >treatment of the Krajina Serbs often flares up. A hard-working >representative from the Yugoslav Red Cross pointed out that Kosovan >refugees in Montenegro were receiving aid to the value of 300DM per >month last year whereas neighbouring Krajina Serbs got c.30DM worth ofgoods..... > REPORT ON THE HUMANITARAIN SITUATION BY THE YUGOSLAV RED CROSS >On 8/5/99 the Yugoslav Red Cross reported that since the bombing started >on 24th March more than 700 civilians have been killed and 6400 have >been injured. Obviously, this does not take into account what has >happened since including the dreadful casualities that resulted from the >NATO bombing at Korisha on 13th May. >The largest number killed or wounded are from Aleksinac, Surdulica, >Dakovica-Prizren, Orahovac, Cacak, Grdelica gorge, Kragujevac, Koris, >Valjevo, Nis, Kragujevac and Belgrade. Many of the wounded will be >invalids for the rest of their lives. An inevitable consequence of the >bombing is that a large number of people have lost their homes. The >largest number of private apartments destroyed are in Aleksinac, >Surdulica, Nis, Novi Sad, Cacak, Cuprija, Prokuplje, Kursumlija, >Kraljevo and Belgrade >The destruction of factories and places of work has left 500,000 people >without jobs. If their families are included, this means that c.2m >people will be affected by this economic catastrophe for the forseeablefuture. >In Novi Sad more than 90,000 people are without running water as pipes >were destroyed when the bridges were bombed. Added to this are the >difficulties of transport and communication. The destruction of the >heating plant in Novi Belgrade will leave that part of the city without >heat in the winter if it cannot be repaired (or reconstructed) beforethen. >Hospitals have been hit and patients killed; health clinics are >destroyed in the bombing. The clinic in Aleksinac, for example, which >served over 60,000 people was wiped out. Disruption of electricity means >that high-tech. equipment (scanners etc.) in hospitals are unusable. >Medicines are in short supply. >Children gave not gone to school since the war began and many schools >have been bombed. Children are also among the victims some dying in >horrific circumstances. >500,000 live below the subsistence level, mostly pensioners. The Red >Cross fears that their means to operate soup kitchens will not stretch >to the numbers they fear will be in need of them, particularly when >winter comes. Pensions are paid late. >There are large numbers of internally displaced people both in Serbia >proper and Kosovo _ the Red Cross says there are c. 1.2m. Fear of >bombing has caused over one million people to relocate to the country or >to be with friends. Added to which are the existing 500,000 refugees >>from Krajina some of whom (11,500) went to Kosovo and have endured displacement >twice now. Within Kosovo itself the Red Cross estimates that 250,000 people are >internally displaced. >Yet, politicans and NATO spokesmen repeatedly deny that the war is >directed at civilians. The opposite is true: this is a war directed 7 >rumours abounded that the KLA a shadowy organization with ties to >Albanian leftist groups in Switzerland and Germany was preparing to >launch an armed struggle. The US was rumoured to be promoting and >financing it from an early stage. Many, including the moderate Albanian >leader, Ibrahim Rugova, (and some Western journalists) speculated that >this was Milosevic-inspired disinformation. Others saw it as the natural >response to the Ghandi-esque policies of Rugova which had failed to >deliver full independence. >.. During 1998 the violence worsened. Policemen, Serb officials and even >Albanian "collaborators" were killed by KLA snipers and, according to >the UNHCR, 90 Serbian villages were ethnically cleansed in the course of >the year. Reprisals were taken against those considered to be members of >the organization. This involved the use of scorched earth tactics >whereby houses (in the case of Kosovo this often turned out to be large >compounds) were burned down to flush out the terrorists. However, >compared with Bosnia, where thousands were killed in a week during the >early part of the war in 1992 only 1700 Albanians (mainly fighters) 180 >Serb policemen and 120 Serb soldiers were killed in Kosovo last year. >The regime in Belgrade has not been stupid: it knew that it was being >provoked into massive retaliation and refused to respond in the requiredmanner. >.. The killings in Kosovo were still the West's best hope of provoking >the fall of the Milosevic regime even though the conflict was of low >intensity compared with many other places in the world. By February the >parties gathered at the chateau of Rambouillet in France to discuss >peace. At the last moment, when it looked as though some agreement might >be reached the Americans handed the Serb delegation an annex to the >final document demanding freedom of movement (and much else) to NATO >troops and personnel not only in Kosovo but throughout the whole of >Yugoslavia. No sovereign state would have accepted such terms. >Naturally, they were rejected not just by Milosevic but by a vote in the >Serbian parliament. The scene was set for the air campaign to begin. >.. Perhaps the diplomatic players believed their own propaganda. >Christopher Hill, the US ambassador to Macedonia, was confident that >Milosevic would cave in before the first bombs fell despite being told >by well-informed Serbs that this was not going to happen. It is >unsurprising in these circumstances that the NATO allies were unprepared >for what followed. >With such confusion and a cavalier belief in the likelihood of Serb >capitulation at the last minute, NATO went to war. Despite attempts by >CNN among others to talk up the conflict by showing what purported to be >the large movement of refugees from Kosovo in the preceding months few >appeared to have moved out of the province before March 24th. There were >no camps before then. After the bombing began huge numbers of refugees >flooded out of the province. The rest is history. >THE SOUTH EAST EUROPEAN FEDERATION >The dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1991 displeased the West as did the >emergence of little nations with their motley collection of individual >ethnic minorities. Officials at the US Department of State began to >envisage a renewed federation - something more ambitious than the former >Yugoslavia because it would include countries like Romania, Albania and >Bulgaria. In fact, it would resemble something very similar to the >Stalin Dimitrov Plan scotched by Tito in 1948. >According to the idea's proponents, such a Federation would work more >effectively if it was composed of ethnically pure units. So, Bosnia >itself was destroyed as a multi-ethnic state and put together again as >an uneasy federation of ethnically-based groups. Croatia still has Serbs >in Eastern Slavonia but complaints about the treatment of this minority >persist - even if they have been put on the 'back-burner' while Croat >cooperation is sought in the Kosovo war. Anyway, Croatian nationalism >has been even less popular with the international community than the >Serb variety. Although the Milosevic regime was responsible for waging >war on these two countries during the early nineteen nineties the West >never tried convincingly to stop this happening. >Further south, multi-ethnic Macedonia weighed down by the influx of >ethnic Albanians into its territory is threatened with disintegration >and there are signs that the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria is flexing >its muscles. Watch for a possible change of borders there. Both Romania >and Albania have minorities that could secede from the centralauthorities. >The fomentors of such a policy need to deal with weak and pliable >states. This Serbia has failed to be. Although the Serbs will often >resort to elaborate historical myths and tiresome nationalistic rhetoric >they are less likely to be pushed around, as has been amply proved. In >fact, the West's bullying has actually toughened Belgrade's stance on >Kosovo. Whereas before 24th March 1999 many people would have abandoned >the province they now see it is as being inextricably tied up with their >own survival. >Of course, the US desire to reinvent the former Yugoslavia is also tied >to economic considerations including the ambition to control oil and gas >pipelines from Central Asia and the Caucasus region via the Black Sea. >Whether the Russians, who have been somewhat supine in the Kosovo >conflict, will also accept such acts of economic imperialism remains tobe seen. > REPERCUSSIONS >Hundreds of thousands of people have been rendered homeless and many >others maimed and killed as a result of the West's political >machinations and military blunders since 24th March 1999. NATO leaders' >pronouncements that this conflict is about human rights seems to be a >cruel and dishonest fig leaf put forward to hide strategic ambitions in >the Balkans. >Unhappily, the Hague War Crimes Tribunal is unlikely to be a forum for >objective justice, as presently composed. Far from promoting the rule of >law the Tribunal is controlled by NATO countries: the chief judge is >American, the chief prosecutor Canadian. Until NATO took sides in this >conflict this was not necessarily a flaw of the Tribunal but now its >impartiality must be questioned. >This means that no one from a NATO country is likely to face prosecution >for war crimes - such as alleged breaches of the Geneva Convention. >However, the words of Major-General Curtis LeMay who spearheaded the >bombing of Japan in World War 11, including the dropping of the first >atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki could be prophetic: "I wasn't >particularly worried about getting the job done. I suppose if I had lost >the war, I would have been tried as a war criminal". It remains to be >seen who will win this war and what the response of countries like China >will be to the.outcome. >Even if the conflict stops with a carefully crafted NATO 'victory' the >region will remain unstable with more wars - between Albanian and >Albanian, for example - possible. The followers of Ibrahim Rugova and >those of the KLA are already deeply distrustful of one another - the >former are alleged to control large sums of money collected as taxes >>from the Albanian diaspora over the past few years. The KLA, according to the >Wall Street Journal (20/5/99) would dearly like to gain access to these funds. >Either side could be joined by Albanians from Albania proper who support one >side or the other as well as different political formations in Albania itself. >And, far from having their hands burnt, it is also likely that the period of >reconstruction that will, inevitably, follow the conflict will offer Western >governments fresh opportunities for meddling in the internal politics of Serbia >and the rest of the Balkans. Large numbers of consultants, analysts and experts >will descend to 'rebuild' the country - and its neighbours. There will be rich >rewards for those who do what the donors want. A major sticking point for >Western politicians in the past has been Serbia's failure to enter into the >right kind of business deals; all these issues will be on the table again. >In other words, there is little optimism that much good will come out of >the tragic war over Kosovo. Other places have been watching events in >the Balkans with interest. For example, a Polish diplomat publicly >stated that neighbouring Belarus 'met all the conditions' for a similar >invasion by the West. And during the recent presidential campaign in >Slovakia, people have been told by state and private media that if they >vote for Vladimir Meciar the country will meet the same fate as >Yugoslavia. In the Caucasus region there is unease about the future of >disputed regions like Nagorno Karabakh. >The question is: will the United States and its allies have the stomach >for taking on any more adventures of this kind? If they do, the world >could face the nightmare predicted in George Orwell's 1984 with small, >low-grade wars going on all the time while people become dehumanized, >impoverished and ultimately reduced to meaninglessness. THE END > >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Peace Organizations Set to Take On Clinton Date: 24 May 1999 21:17:44 EDT In a message dated 5/24/99 3:31:23 PM Eastern Daylight Time,=20 jorgen.johansen@trada.se writes: << Subj:=09 Peace Organizations Set to Take On Clinton Date:=095/24/99 3:31:23 PM Eastern Daylight Time From:=09jorgen.johansen@trada.se (JJ) To:=09jorgen.johansen@trada.se (JJ), DavidMcR@aol.com (McReynold, David ),=20 x11099@Bradford.ac.uk (Michael Randle), tor.brostigen@sv.no (Tor Brostigen),=20 amk.majken@forum.dk (Majken_Jul_S=F8renseno>), ikkevold@hotmail.com,=20 ikkevold@powertech.no, gordanil@hfstud.uio.no, torolf@metastasis.net,=20 o.h.holen@bio.uio.no, oystein.kleven@nbbl.no, redaksjonen@smabrukarlaget.no,=20 rmeum@student.matnat.uio.no (Roar) =20 From the Los Angeles Times Friday, May 21, 1999 Peace Organizations Set to Take On Clinton By NORMAN KEMPSTER, Times Staff Writer =20 WASHINGTON--Eighteen peace groups, many of them allies of the young Bill Clinton in the antiwar movement three decades ago, announced Thursday a coordinated campaign to pressure the president into ending the bombing of Yugoslavia. =20 The organizations--including such long-established groups as the American Friends Service Committee and the Roman Catholic Pax Christi--vowed to follow Clinton around the country with noisy demonstrations, a tactic that was used with devastating impact against President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s during the Vietnam War. =20 "We demand an end to the NATO bombing, and we will act on those demands until they are met," Gordon Clark, executive director of Peace Action, the nation's largest grass-roots antiwar organization, told a Washington news conference. "This is a wide and broad coalition of peace and religious groups." =20 The groups also called for "an end to ethnically targeted violence" and for deployment of an international peacekeeping force in Kosovo, demands aimed at Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and his military. Participants said they had no magic formula to induce Milosevic to stop "ethnic cleansing" of Kosovo Albanians and accept peacekeepers in the province, but they insisted that the bombing campaign has failed to protect civilians targeted by Yugoslav troops. =20 "We can't force Slobodan Milosevic to do anything, but it seems to us that if [nearly] 60 days of bombing and civilian casualties did not force him to act, it is time to try something else," Clark said. =20 Although there have been a few scattered protests since the NATO bombing campaign began March 24, Thursday's news conference marked the opening of an organized national effort. =20 Asked in an interview later Thursday why it had taken so long for groups with well-developed pacifist ideologies to react to the bombing, Clark said some peace organizations were concerned about alleged Yugoslav atrocities in Kosovo that "made some of us think twice about what to do." =20 Besides, he said, the Clinton administration has used force so often that "the peace movement is stretched thinner by President Clinton than we were even during the Reagan years." =20 The coalition plans to hold demonstrations Saturday in Washington and several other cities, including Sacramento, leading up to a rally in the nation's capital June 5 that organizers hope will draw thousands of protesters. Other demonstrations are planned for June 12, when Clinton gives a commencement address at the University of Chicago, and June 18, when Secretary of State Madeleine Albright delivers a graduation speech at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. =20 Opinion polls continue to show widespread support in the United States for Clinton's stated aims of ending "ethnic cleansing" in Kosovo, a province of Yugoslavia's dominant republic, Serbia, and allowing hundreds of thousands of refugees to return home under the protection of an international force that includes North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops. =20 Some polls, such as one issued this week by the Program on International Policy Attitudes, indicate that Americans would support stronger measures--including a ground invasion of the province--if that is needed to stop the purge of Kosovo Albanians. =20 =20 =20 >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Chinese Embassy Bombing Coverup Date: 24 May 1999 19:39:09 -0700 Why would NATO/US intentionally target Chinese Embassy in Belgrade? Old Belgrade maps question NATO's excuse for targeting Chinese Embassy. http://www.stratfor.com/crisis/kosovo/specialreports/special67.htm Following are two forwarded posts offering deeper reasons behind the May 1999 NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. The first offers a historical perspective on this as part of a repeated pattern of US military/politcal maneuvers and the second some specifics gleened from conflicting news reports and some evidence contradicting mainstream media coverage of this incident which seems to have galvanized many nations in = a resolve to treat the US as their enemy thus moving closer to the potentia= l of a WWIII possibly involving nuclear and other weapons of mass destructi= on. For details on a Global Emergency Alert Response campaign, see http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000 David Crockett Williams gear2000@lightspeed.net Coordinator, Global Peace Walk 2000 ----------------------- [fwd] From: Peter Dale Scott by Peter Dale Scott Actual heading: Bombing of Chinese Embassy Content-Length: 5242 Status: R COMMENTARY-720 WORDS "UNINTENTIONAL" BOMBING REPEATS A FAMILIAR PATTERN EDITOR'S NOTE: NATO forces and President Clinton have expressed regret ov= er the fact that the Chinese embassy in Belgrade was destroyed just as there was word of a possible peace initiative, calling the incident unfortunate and unintentional. But the timing and nature of the bombing brings to min= d a number of similar actions during the Vietnam War era. PNS contributor Peter Dale Scott, a former Canadian diplomat, has authored numerous books and articles on U.S. foreign affairs. BY PETER DALE SCOTT, PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE The recent bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade looks like a replay. During the Vietnam War era, U.S. forces hit political targets, specifical= ly embassies, just when international peace initiatives looked promising. Congress should insist on a thorough accounting from those responsible fo= r the bombing. The attack on the Chinese Embassy came one day after Russia and leading NATO nations agreed to a set of general principles for ending the conflic= t over Kosovo. NATO has called the incident unintentional, but the Chinese claim that three separate precision missiles hit the Embassy. Eyewitness reports appear to corroborate the Chinese version. The threat to the peace process is obvious. The draft plan calls for approval by the U.N. Security Council, where China, a bitter opponent of the bombing, exercises a veto. This recalls December 1966, when the Rumanian Premier visited Hanoi in support of a secret Polish peace initiative dubbed "Marigold." Mid-Decemb= er saw U.S. bombing of downtown Hanoi at unprecedented levels, after months when the city's center had been off-limits to American planes. During the raids one U.S. rocket damaged three adjacent Embassies -- the Rumanian, the Polish, and the Chinese which effectively terminated "Marigold." The U.S. called the Embassy bombings unintentional. But such correlations occurred repeatedly. In April 1966, just as a Polis= h diplomat was arriving in Hanoi to initiate "Marigold," bombs dropped near= a Polish vessel in a Vietnamese harbor. In June 1967, just after the White House-Kremlin hot line was first used in a search for a diplomatic solution, the Soviet freighter Turkestan was bombed by two U.S. fighter planes. Three times, in almost identical circumstances, other Polish and Soviet vessels were later attacked. When in 1967 two French emissaries bearing a U.S. peace message arrived in Hanoi, the city experienced yet another sur= ge in the bombing. My 1972 book, "Conspiracy" analyzed more than a dozen suc= h incidents. The habit of timing bombs to peace initiatives apparently began as a deliberate policy of Lyndon Johnson, who habitually balanced concessions = to hawks and doves. Thus Johnson authorized the December 1966 raids at the L= BJ ranch in November, one day after he learned of "Marigold" from his roving ambassador Averell Harriman. In this way Johnson ensured that, if the Nor= th Vietnamese did negotiate, it would be in a context of humiliating air strength. But by June 1967 a different pattern emerged -- one involving military attacks which the President had forbidden. When activating the Washington-Moscow hot line in late May, Johnson ordered U.S. pilots to st= ay away from Hanoi and Haiphong, where there were Soviet ships. The two pilo= ts who had attacked the Turkestan knew they were violating presidential orders. They and their commander tried to conceal the incident, the latte= r by destroying the planes' flight film. In his memoir former Defense Secretary McNamara recalled the "scathing denial" he erroneously issued after this incident, blaming "an outright l= ie by a military officer." He added that the colonel responsible for the bombing "was later court-martialed and fined." McNamara did not mention that the colonel's conviction and $600 fine were soon set aside. The two pilots were acquitted and remained on active duty= , even though their unauthorized action had killed a Soviet seaman. This suggests that the bombing had high-level military support. A similar Air Force action in 1971 temporarily ended the series of secret meetings which Kissinger had been holding with North Vietnam's Le Duc Tho. To help the meetings President Nixon had limited air strikes against Nort= h Vietnam to "protective reaction" after enemy attacks. But the USAF general in charge of the air war, John Lavelle, continued to target North Vietnam, instructing the pilots to suppress the fact that there had been no enemy provocation. Thus Kissinger was caught off guard when Le Duc Tho broke off the talks in November, insisting (over Kissinger's misinformed denials) that the bombing went beyond "protective reaction." In short, it is clear that in the past, U.S. military commanders have bombed without authorization at times of significant peace initiatives, o= f which they apparently did not approve. The recent attack on the Chinese embassy should be investigated. It is of course too early to analyze with confidence how it occurred. But history demonstrates unequivocally that such incidents frustrate diplomacy and prolong war. (05101999) **** END **** =3DA9 COPYRIGHT PNS -- Sandy Close Pacific News Service (415) 438-4755 w 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. jaredi@aol.com ) Best regards, Jared Israel jaredi@aol.com 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 - jaredi@aol.com =908 - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: jrussow@coastnet.com (Joan Russow) Subject: (abolition-usa) The Hague Appeal Conference a black mark on peace activism: Date: 25 May 1999 08:36:58 -0600 The Hague Appeal Conference: a black mark on peace activism Not only the Dutch Embassy was remiss in not granting visas to Yugoslavian peace groups but also the organizers of the Hague Peace appeal were derelict in their duty to ensure that a strong statement related to Yugoslavia be issued at the conference. Why did the organizers prevent the carefully crafted statement on Kosovo from being presented at the plenary? Why did Bill Pace, who is purported to support the NATO bombing, be allowed to prevent the organizers from allowing a statement? Why were two Albanians- the most ardent supporters of NATO allowed to speak at the plenary? Why did Cora Weiss, when asked at a press conference about a statement on Kosovo state that there was division within the peace movement? Why was RAmsay Clarke who was asked to participate by the Dutch Peace groups, prevented from speaking at the conference? Why did the organizers describe the request to have a large protest in front of the International Court of Justice during the NATO presentations to the ICJ as being "too political"? The Hague Peace conference organizers have seriously erred and have discredited the peace movement. I was told that the US even used the fact that there was no statement from the peace movement in the Hague to be an indication that there was support for the NATO intervention. Which groups were involved with the decision making, and whose interests are they really serving? Joan Russow - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Squintyrb@aol.com Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Re: Peace Organizations Set to Take On Clinton Date: 26 May 1999 18:46:36 EDT Kevin, Is a noisy disruptive rally being planned for the Northwestern commencement? I have no problem with big--but noisy and disruptive would create a lot more enemies among North shore folks and with the parents of grads than support for our cause. Being all-pervasive would be more effective. I know Gabe Huck is helping coordinate those of us in the North shore and my understanding is that he's advocating a "dignified" event--I hope that isn't being disregarded. Debby - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Fw: Vlada Petric Date: 27 May 1999 14:41:08 EDT Friends, I send a cc of this to our co-workers in Belgrade to let them know their material is being widely circulated. This is an important response to Susan Sontag's piece, from a responsible intellectual. Fraternally, David McReynolds << Subj: Fw: Vlada Petric Date: 5/27/99 10:07:45 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: grupa484@beotel.yu (grupa484) To: ivanka@npa.c3.hu (Ivanka Kostic), spoelstra@fnasu.de (Hans Spoelstra), MD8322@mclink.it (Franco Toldi), gomilic@EUnet.yu (Goran Milicevic) CC: rmaks@EUnet.yu (Rajko Maksimovic), K.HOPFMANN@IPN-B.de (Karin Hopfmann), jsubotic@infosky.net (Jelena Subotic), oberg@transnational.org (Jan Oberg) -----Original Message----- From: Irina Subotic To: grupa484@beotel.yu Date: 27 05 1999 09:12 Subject: Vlada Petric >Subject: [BGD-forum] How Susan Sontag Promotes War by Vlada Petric >Date: Sun, 16 May 1999 10:13:46 +0200 > >Introduction > >It seems that 50 days of persistent bombing of Yugoslavia, with >repeated "collateral damage" and increasing numbers of innocent >citizens killed due to "unintentional errors," has produced a unique >effect on people of Yugoslav extraction in this country. > >This phenomenon is particularly interesting from a psychological >standpoint because the emotional impact of the inhuman destruction >affects individuals directly, regardless of their political persuasion >or social background. > >As a result, more and more Americans of Yugoslav origin, who left the >Communist regime and involved themselves wholeheartedly in the social, >economic, and cultural life of the United States, are beginning to >reconsider their faith in the "New World Order." > >Also among the disillusioned are those who were born in this country, >but have become gradually aware of the injustice and double standards >their government exercises towards the land of their fathers. > >Vlada Petric, renowned film theorist and professor at the Visual Arts >Department, Harvard University, has spent three decades teaching at >various American universities, and was the first Curator of the >Harvard Film Archive. Throughout this period he did not participate in >any political action in this country, dedicating all his intellectual >capacity to education, but he vigorously supported the massive >demonstrations against Milosevic's authoritarian regime in Yugoslavia. > >Triggered by the article in The New York Times Magazine, in which >Susan Sontag justifies the NATO aggression on Yugoslavia, Professor >Petric felt compelled to get involved and wrote a response to Sontag. > > Why Are We Bombing Kosovo? > - How Susan Sontag Promotes War - > by prof. Vlada Petric > > Realizing that the NATO attack on Yugoslavia "has been bungled," >the initiators and supporters of this military intervention in Europe >are now trying to present the action as a "moral" issue. In her >article entitled "Why Are We in Kosovo?" (The New York Times Magazine, >May 2, 1999), Susan Sontag provides for the war a rationalization that >sounds like a call to revenge. Instead of asking her ill-conceived >question, it is more appropriate to ask, "Why Are We Bombing Kosovo?" >Because by bombing Kosovo--and Yugoslavia, for that matter--we will >never "be" in Kosovo. To achieve this and to resolve the Kosovo >conflict--which Sontag irresponsibly proclaims "not that >complicated"--there exist only two options: > > a) Instant invasion that would involve bitter fighting on the > ground, resulting in great casualties among the soldiers (which > one can argue to be justifiable), with enormous losses of innocent > people on all sides. > b) Persistent negotiations that may last long, yet are worth every > innocent human being destroyed by the brutal military machine and > by single-minded political thinkers like Sontag. > > Untouched by the tragic aspect of the situation in the Kosovo >province of Yugoslavia, Sontag recommends war as the best solution, >posing yet another question: "How can you stop those bent on genocide >without war?" It seems inconceivable that an artist, who is supposed >to put humanistic ideals above politics, can conceive such a question, >and conclude that "not all wars are unjust." In her mind, the NATO >bombing of Yugoslavia is a "just war" (read: "just aggression") >although it "has been bungled," but she fails to explain why this war >is doing badly. To do so, she would have to admit that, after NATO >intervention, the number of Albanian Kosovar refugees who had to leave >their homes has increased from a trickle to a flood, while many >hundreds of innocent people have been killed throughout Serbia, >Montenegro, and Kosovo, due to "technical and logistic errors." In a >"just" war, of course, errors must be justified, and Sontag assumes >the role of an arbitrator who declares that it is "only a small >portion of the suffering that the Milosevic government has inflicted >on neighboring peoples." What a grotesque rationalization: a "small >portion" of the prescribed punishment of a people for the misdeeds >committed by both their own and other leaders! This implies blind >retribution that can only ignite more hatred and continue the >killing. As an educator, I fortunately learned that such a vindictive >method of "teaching" people how to behave does not work, since it >expands violence and encourages retaliation. > > Dividing wars between "just" and "unjust," Sontag estimates how >much retaliation is "necessary" to punish the nation she proclaims as >the sole culprit for the war in what once was Yugoslavia. She readily >equates the Serbian people with the Milosevic regime, which is like >declaring the Russian people responsible for the Stalinist atrocities, >or claiming that all Germans are guilty for what Hitler did to the >Jews, Gypsies, Serbs, and other ethnic minorities in Europe. Only a >mind infected by hatred can produce and popularize such a monstrous >concept. > > To support her thesis, Sontag recalls her experience in Sarajevo >during the Summer of 1993, comparing the ethnic civil war in >Yugoslavia with the Nazi slaughter of the German Jews. Again, her >comparison is tendentious and severely flawed, motivated by >one-sidedness. Certainly, the shelling of Dubrovnik, Sarajevo, >Vukovar--as well as ethnic cleansing--is wrong, just as the bombing of >Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis, Podgorica, Pristina, and many other cities in >Yugoslavia is wrong and counter-productive. Moreover, bombing as an >ultimatum cannot bring the warring parties to a negotiating table, >particularly if the "supreme judge" unequivocally supports only one >side in the conflict. > > Promotion of war, whether labeled as "just" or "unjust," is a >crime against humane consciousness, because it excludes concern for >the innocent citizens trapped in the power struggle for political, >military, and economic supremacy. Deaf to the cries of the innocent >Yugoslav citizens threatened by NATO bombs, Sontag proposes bloody >retribution as a "just reaction" to the Kosovo conflict, and poses her >final question "Can we really say that there is no response to this?" >Of course, there is and should be a response, but not by warmongering >and encouraging more bloodshed, as Sontag does, with the pretense of >extinguishing the "radical evil in the world." By killing innocent >people, Susan, you would create more evil in the world. > > There have always been those who glorified war as a means of >resolving discord between states and nations and some even label wars >as "holy," blessed by God. Today, when nothing is sacred any more, we >have to oppose ideas that place ideology above human life, instead of >contributing to the supercilious militaristic logic that is "a >dangerous aberration of human consciousness," as Mirko Kovac, the >great Serbian writer and both Susan's and my friend, would >say. Unconcerned with peoples' suffering and the multiplication of >innocent victims, Susan Sontag promotes her "just" war" from an >Italian coffee bar on the sunny Adriatic coast. > >Professor Vlada Petric taught film history at the Visual Department, >Harvard University from 1973-1997. He is the founder and first Curator >of the Harvard Film Archive. Retired, he lives in Cambridge, >completing his two books on film theory and aesthetics. > > >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) ACTION ALERT-Nuked Food Date: 27 May 1999 16:20:14 -0400 ACTION ALERT COMMENTS TO FDA ON FOOD IRRADIATION EXTENDED TO JULY 18! WRITE THE FDA AND CONGRESS TODAY!! The comment period for the proposed Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule that allows manufacturers to sell irradiated food without any labeling requirements to warn consumers has been extended to July 18th. Agribusiness and the nuclear industry are pressing to label irradiated foods under the heading “cold pasteurization”. Tell the FDA and Congress that food treated with radiation must continue to be clearly labeled with the radura (the international symbol for irradiated food) and a statement indicating it was treated with radiation. Say the absence of such a statement would be misleading because irradiation destroys vitamins and causes changes in sensory and spoilage qualities that are not obvious or expected by the consumer. Irradiation creates a new class of unique radiolytic products that have never been tested for the possible carcinogenic effects on humans and new volumes of radioactive waste from Cobalt-60 and Cesium will plague our nation, exposing workers to toxic radionuclides when we haven't a clue as to what to do with the nuclear waste we already have. Please DO NOT write a general statement opposing food irradiation; unfortunately, it has already been approved thanks to pressure from Agribusiness on Congress. You must demand that such foods be clearly labeled Also request that public comments be placed on the Internet so that the public can be informed about who is participating. If we can generate enough letters to maintain labeling, then despite the government approval for this process, we will be able to boycott irradiated products--but only if we know which foods have been “nuked” based on honest labeling. When writing, refer to Docket #98N-1038 “Irradiation in the production, processing, and handling of food” Send comments before July 18th to: Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305) Food and Drug Administration 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061 Rockville MD 20852 or Send an email to: FDADockets@oc.fda.gov and/or FDADockets@fda.gov (Put Docket #98N-1038 in the subject line) Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Washington Post on Nuclear War Dangers Date: 27 May 1999 16:33:49 -0700 Invitation to Nuclear Disaster By Michael Krepon Tuesday, May 25, 1999; Page A15 Unless concerted action is taken soon to reduce nuclear dangers, conditions will be coming into place for a dreadful accident, incident or even a nuclear detonation of Russian origin. The problems posed by Chinese nuclear espionage pale in comparison with the dangers inherent in Russia's domestic plight, its aging arsenal, stressed-out command and control and lax export controls. Moreover, the current U.S. nuclear posture exacerbates current dangers by requiring the deployment of 6,000 nuclear weapons, approximately half of which are on hair-trigger alert. Russia, whose GNP is now the size of Belgium's (and falling), cannot match U.S. nuclear force levels. Over the next decade, deployed Russian nuclear weapons on strategic forces may well dip below 1,000 -- six times below the number allowed by the START II treaty, which has been held hostage by the Russian Duma since January 1993. At present the Kremlin retains as many of its nuclear forces on hair-trigger alert as possible. This is done to compensate for weaknesses in Russia's conventional forces, for gaping holes in the old Soviet early warning network and for the vast launch readiness of U.S. nuclear forces. Independent estimates suggest that Russia maintains in excess of 3,000 nuclear warheads in very high states of launch readiness. This is a recipe for disaster. The CIA's unclassified assessment of the "fail-safeness" of Russian command and control is not reassuring. Although the CIA says nuclear safety is not a concern as long as current security procedures and systems are in place, stresses in the Russian command and control system are growing, and are aggravated by the high launch readiness of U.S. nuclear forces. In January 1995 Russian forces mistook a scientific rocket launched from Norway for a U.S. attack, thus activating President Boris Yeltsin's nuclear "suitcase." In September 1998 a deranged Russian sailor killed seven of his shipmates and barricaded himself inside the torpedo bay of his nuclear attack submarine. Security forces recaptured the boat, which may or may not have had nuclear weapons on board. In September 1998, a guard at a facility holding 30 tons of plutonium shot other guards and then escaped, heavily armed. The list of incidents of this kind in Russia that we know about is chilling. How does the U.S. maintenance of 6,000 deployed nuclear weapons, half on hair-trigger alert, help this country deal with such dangers? With Russian forces projected to decline dramatically over the next decade, what useful purpose is served by maintaining bloated nuclear arsenals at such high states of launch readiness? While U.S. nuclear forces have been downsized with the end of the Cold War, U.S. nuclear doctrine and targeting requirements have changed relatively little. We still maintain massive attack options, with the potential for many hundreds of nuclear detonations. We still place Russia's crumbling industrial capacity "at risk," even though these factories have become liabilities rather than assets for the Kremlin. We still maintain forces at very high launch readiness, even though there is no longer a doctrinal requirement to launch quickly in the event of a Russian nuclear attack. Capitol Hill has barely addressed the dangers inherent in interlocking U.S. and Russian nuclear postures. Extensive targeting lists and high Russian alert rates reinforce high U.S. alert rates. This vicious circle will be extremely dangerous as strains on Russian command and control continue to grow. As long as the U.S. strategic posture involves keeping our nuclear guns out of their holsters with the triggers cocked, there is no chance whatever of persuading Russia to take its dangerous and aging nuclear missiles off hair-trigger alert. These nuclear dangers are badly compounded by congressional insistence that the United States maintain a force level of 6,000 deployed warheads -- the maximum allowed under START I -- until the 1993 START II accord finally enters into force. In this way, national decisions on the proper size of U.S. strategic forces are determined by the most retrograde delegates of the Russian Duma, who have blocked ratification of START II. What could the United States conceivably do with 6,000 deployed nuclear warheads in the post-Cold War era? Why is it in the national security interest of the United States to wait for action by Russia's unpredictable and erratic legislature before taking new initiatives to reduce nuclear dangers? Doesn't it make more sense to accelerate the process of deep reductions now? Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) has a better idea than waiting for the Duma. He would strike the legislative requirement to remain at 6,000 deployed weapons and proceed instead with parallel, reciprocal, verifiable reductions. Without accelerated reductions and new initiatives, such as a stand-down of alert nuclear forces, we invite tragedies on a massive scale. The writer is president of the Henry L. Stimson Center. =A9 Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company Distributed under fair use--or sue me quick before the inevitable nuke war.... - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) McReynolds: Reflections on the Indictment of Milosevic Date: 28 May 1999 03:33:37 EDT The decision by the International Tribunal in The Hague to indict Slobodan Milsoevic will probably complicate negotiations to end the war. On the one hand it looks bad for NATO to negotiate with a man indicted of crimes, and on the other hand Milosevic now has little incentive to settle without some guarantee of immunity. It was always more urgent to get a peace settlement that to indict someone. But now that an indictment has been issued there are questions for the American and European peace, religious, and left movements. One question is whether the indictment is valid. I'm not a lawyer. I think, however, that there are serious problems with the indictment. For law to be seen as legitimate it must be seen as relatively impartial. There is no question in my own mind that the mass expulsions from Kosov@ occured at the orders of Milosevic, that the flight of hundreds of thousands of civilians from Kosov@ was not, in the beginning, a response to the bombing but a result of intimidation and violence by the Serb paramilitaries, Serb troops, etc. And that these expulsions, without any basis in law, and without any process of law, are, on the face of it, a crime. They do not in my view constitute genocide - a term I urgently wish we used with more restraint. (If Hitler had driven six million Jews out of the Third Reich it would have been a terrible thing - but infinitely to be preferred to their actual fate). I am aware that at the time the bombing began, and even before it began, the KLA had been involved in major armed conflict with the Serb forces and that in such situations it is impossible to be sure without careful investigation which killings were "military" (ie., between armed forces of the KLA and the Serb military) and which were atrocities committed against unarmed and non-resisting civilians. (There are various reports out of Kosov@ of some areas where Albanians seem to be living peacefully and other reports, largely based on the refugees, of killing. Given the past record of exaggeration on both sides during a war, the only fact of which we can be certain is that a vast number of Albanians have been driven out of Kosov@, and that action in itself would, I believe, be criminal). However there is also the NATO attack on Yugoslavia which violated NATO's own charter, the assurances given to the OSCE, and the Charter of the United Nations. Walter Rockler, a Washington lawyer and a former prosecutor at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials is reported to have said "The Nuremberg Court found that to initiate a war of aggression, as the U.S. has done against Yugoslavia, is not only an international crime, it is the supreme international crime". These "reflections" don't seek to excuse Milosevic on the grounds that for justice to be done we must apply it equally to events that may now be decades or more in the past (such as slavery, the ethnic cleansing of the Native Americans, or even more recent events such as direct US involvement in torture, rape, assassination, and mass murder in Central America, or the horrors of Indochina). Rather, taking the immediate events of this time period, and the actors involved, it is impossible to single out Milosevic and not also indict the Muslim leader in Bosnia, or the leader in Croatia - there is, I believe, substanial evidence that both men were involved in war crimes and, in the case of Croatia, disturbing evidence that the US was directly involved in the final "ethnic cleansing" of the Kraina region in Croatia, resulting in the mass "purge" of over 200,000 Serbs, and the murder of a number of them at the hands of the Croatian forces. Nor is it possible even in this very most immediate "time frame" to indict Milosevic for one crime - ethnic cleansing - and not also indict all member states of NATO for the more serious crime of a war of aggression. Since the NATO bombing began, NATO has used weapons (cluster bombs) which many consider to be criminal, it has targeted with deliberation and by its own admission such objectives as factories, power plants and communications centers which were primarily civilian and not military. (I leave aside the many "accidents" including the deadly attack on the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade). I think all of us are disturbed by the light use of the term "war criminal". As with the term "genocide", it should be used carefully and with precision. Most of us have a very hard time finding "two parties both guilty of a crime". That is, we are really happy if we can say that World War II was a "good war" because Japan attacked us. We are very uneasy when we attack someone else - as in Indochina. It was hard for us to confront that fact - a certain bias toward our own nation, a certain trust of our leaders, a certain respect for authority, all require long discussion of facts before, gradually, over time, a new consensus is reached, as it was during the Indochina War, that the United States was the aggressor. In the present war, both sides have committed genuine crimes. There is no "good guy". Yet thus far only one side has been indicted. Unless the Hague Tribunal follows on with indictments of Clinton, Blair, etc. etc., then the indictments are entirely political and the Hague Tribunal is discredited. (Which I fear is what will happen). It won't mean that Milosevic didn't commit crimes - it will mean that the failure to indict others guilty of crimes in this same situation means the indictment is tainted, politically motivated, and the court itself part of a corrupt process. I know that some who get this - and I'll post it fairly widely - will continue to insist that NATO had the right and even the moral duty to violate the UN Charter. Legally, and morally, that excuse can't hold water. It was what Hitler said when he invaded the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia in 1938, on the grounds that the German population there was being abused by the government. No nation, and no group of nations, can set themselves above a clear international law. If there is confusion about this in the United States and Great Britain it is because at the moment there is a good deal of guilt, and a great deal of dodging the reality of how much of the rest of the world see the present horror. And because, at the moment, the one - and the only - reason for continuing the war is a desperate effort to save NATO's face. The fate of the Albanians has long ceased to be of serious interest to any of the policy makers. The Kosovars are pawns to be manipulated, not human beings to be rescued. Few - outside of a handful of left sects - defend Belgrade's purge of the Albanian popuation. Posts that one receives daily from inside Yugoslavia make it clear there is a healthy opposition there to Milosevic, men and women who speak out at great risk. Milosevic is guilty of indefensible conduct. But the world has also seen the full fury of NATO's air force unleashed in what is essentially a cowardly attack on Kosov@ and Serbia - attacks that would rather see civilian casualties than risk the lives of US and British pilots. The world has watched as refugee convoys, hospitals, bridges, homes, factories, etc., etc., etc. are destroyed by massive air attack. There cannot, really, after more than two months of such attack, be many "military" targets left - what we have now in an effort to break the will of a whole people. These attacks do not "justify" anything which Milosevic has done. Rather, like the ethnic cleansing, these attacks are profoundly criminal in and of themselves. We must, as individuals and organizations, be clear that what is involved is not some "error", not some "accident", but a rogue state at loose. the United States is that state. We have seen Clinton brutalize Sudan and Afghanistan with air strikes to divert attention from the impeachment hearings. Now we see the vastly more arrogant unleashing of power against a population which fought bravely on the side of the Allies during World War two. Former President Jimmy Carter, in his Op Ed piece in the Thursday edition of the NY Times came as close to saying this as a former President can. Our work remains complex - we do not support Milosevic. But we are dealing in a situation where the conscience of the West is not represented at the Hague, or #10 Downing St., or the White House. We - along with our coworkers under air attack in Serbia - must condemn crimes and criminals, not only in distant countries, but in our own. It is a lonely time for many of us who had looked to European social democracy as a kind of force for civilization and have seen it coopted by the military power of NATO. We have long known that Clinton was a liar. Now, along with Milosevic, he is a war criminal - though not yet indicted. David McReynolds - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Peacework Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) The Hague Appeal Conference a black mark on Date: 26 May 1999 09:57:10 -0400 Here at Peacework (monthly AFSC publication) we wonder who Joan Russo is and how to reach her. Can you help us, plese. Thanks, Patricia Warson, editor - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Karl Grossman Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) The Hague Appeal Conference a black mark Date: 29 May 1999 06:03:46 -0400 Dear Folks, Joan Russow is the national leader of the Green Party in Canada. Here is her E-mail address: Karl Grossman At 09:57 AM 5/26/99 -0400, Peacework wrote: >Here at Peacework (monthly AFSC publication) we wonder who Joan Russo is >and how to reach her. Can you help us, plese. Thanks, Patricia Warson, >editor > > > >- > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > 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. > - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Karl Grossman Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) The Hague Appeal Conference a black mark Date: 29 May 1999 06:03:46 -0400 Dear Folks, Joan Russow is the national leader of the Green Party in Canada. Here is her E-mail address: Karl Grossman At 09:57 AM 5/26/99 -0400, Peacework wrote: >Here at Peacework (monthly AFSC publication) we wonder who Joan Russo is >and how to reach her. Can you help us, plese. Thanks, Patricia Warson, >editor > > > >- > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > 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. > - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Walter Rockler: Date: 29 May 1999 15:05:32 EDT WAR CRIMES LAW APPLIES TO U.S. TOO By Walter J. Rockler. Walter J. Rockler, a Washington lawyer, was a prosecutor at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trial. May 23, 1999 WASHINGTON -- As justification for our murderously destructive bombing campaign in Yugoslavia, it is of course necessary for the U.S. to charge that the Serbs have engaged in inhuman conduct, and that President Slobodan Milosevic, the head Serb demon, is a war criminal almost without peer. President Clinton assures us of this in frequent briefings, during which he engages in rhetorical combat with Milosevic. But shouting "war criminal" only emphasizes that those who live in glass houses should be careful about throwing stones. We have engaged in a flagrant military aggression, ceaselessly attacking a small country primarily to demonstrate that we run the world. The rationale that we are simply enforcing international morality, even if it were true, would not excuse the military aggression and widespread killing that it entails. It also does not lessen the culpability of the authors of this aggression. As a primary source of international law, the judgment of the Nuremberg Tribunal in the 1945-1946 case of the major Nazi war criminals is plain and clear. Our leaders often invoke and praise that judgment, but obviously have not read it. The International Court declared: To initiate a war of aggression, therefore, is not only an international crime, it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole. At Nuremberg, the United States and Britain pressed the prosecution of Nazi leaders for planning and initiating aggressive war. Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson, the head of the American prosecution staff, asserted "that launching a war of aggression is a crime and that no political or economic situation can justify it." He also declared that "if certain acts in violation of treaties are crimes, they are crimes whether the United States does them or whether Germany does them, and we are not prepared to lay down a rule of criminal conduct against others which we would not be willing to have invoked against us." The United Nations Charter views aggression similarly. Articles 2(4) and (7) prohibit interventions in the domestic jurisdiction of any country and threats of force or the use of force by one state against another. The General Assembly of the UN in Resolution 2131, "Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention," reinforced the view that a forceful military intervention in any country is aggression and a crime without justification. Putting a "NATO" label on aggressive policy and conduct does not give that conduct any sanctity. This is simply a perversion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, formed as a defensive alliance under the UN Charter. The North Atlantic Treaty pledged its signatories to refrain from the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations, and it explicitly recognized "the primary responsibility of the Security Council (of the United Nations) for the maintenance of international peace and security." Obviously, in bypassing UN approval for the current bombing, the U.S. and NATO have violated this basic obligation. From another standpoint of international law, the current conduct of the bombing by the United States and NATO constitutes a continuing war crime. Contrary to the beliefs of our war planners, unrestricted air bombing is barred under international law. Bombing the "infrastructure" of a country-- waterworks, electricity plants, bridges, factories, television and radio locations--is not an attack limited to legitimate military objectives. Our bombing has also caused an excessive loss of life and injury to civilians, which violates another standard. We have now killed hundreds, if not thousands, of Serbs, Montenegrins and Albanians, even some Chinese, in our pursuit of humanitarian ideals. In addition to shredding the UN Charter and perverting the purpose of NATO, Clinton also has violated at least two provisions of the United States Constitution. Under Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, Congress, not the president, holds the power to declare war and to punish offenses against the law of nations. Alexander Hamilton in The Federalist No. 69 pointed out one difference between a monarchy and the presidency under the new form of government: A king could use his army as he pleased; the president would have no such unlimited power. Under Article VI of the Constitution, treaties, far from being mere scraps of paper as we now deem them to be, are part of the supreme law of the United States. Of course, these days a supine Congress, fascinated only by details of sexual misconduct, can hardly be expected to enforce constitutional requirements. Nor can a great deal be expected from the media. Reporters rely on the controlled handouts of the State Department, Pentagon and NATO, seeing their duty as one of adding colorful details to official intimations of Serb atrocities. Thus, the observation of a NATO press relations officer that a freshly plowed field, seen from 30,000 feet up, might be the site of a massacre has been disseminated as news. The notion that humanitarian violations can be redressed with random destruction and killing by advanced technological means is inherently suspect. This is mere pretext for our arrogant assertion of dominance and power in defiance of international law. We make the non-negotiable demands and rules, and implement them by military force. It is all remindful of Henrik Ibsen's "Don't use that foreign word `ideals.' We have that excellent native word `lies.' " - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) NYT Ignores Violation of War Powers Act Date: 29 May 1999 15:05:38 EDT In a message dated 5/29/99 12:07:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time, nicadlw@earthlink.net writes: << Subj: jhurd_newparty: FAIR: NYT Ignores Violation of War Powers Act Date: 5/29/99 12:07:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: nicadlw@earthlink.net (David L. Wilson) Sender: owner-jhurd_newparty@indiana.edu To: jhurd_newparty@indiana.edu FAIR ACTION ALERT: New York Times Ignores Violation of the War Powers Act May 28, 1999 The indictment of Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes is the story of the day--the New York Times ran two front page pieces on it on the day the announcement was made (5/27/99). Of course, Milosevic's indictment is an important story for the American media to cover. But isn't it at least as important for the press to cover accusations that the U.S. president is conducting an illegal war? That story has gotten virtually no mention in the Times. According to the War Powers Act of 1973, the president must "terminate any use of United States Armed Forces" within 60 days of the declaration of military action, unless he receives Congressional authorization to do otherwise. This period expired on May 25. Four days into what seems to be a clear violation of the law, the New York Times, considered to be "the paper of record," has not said a word about the expiration of the War Powers Act's deadline. Prior to the expiration of the 60 days, the Times' coverage of the issue was skimpy. One piece (4/29/99) obliquely touched on the issue, reporting that though Clinton promised to seek Congressional support for sending in ground troops, he would not seek Congressional approval, since, as his spokesman, Joe Lockhart, said, "such a step would raise a host of constitutional questions." Another article, titled "NATO Says New Bombing Is the Strongest Effort Yet," mentions in passing the suit filed by Tom Campbell and 16 other representatives against Bill Clinton for violating the War Powers Act (5/1/99). The only serious attention the Times gave to the issue was in a piece by Alison Mitchell called "Only Congress Can Declare War. Really. It's True," which ran in the "Week In Review" section (5/2/99). This article described the House's voting down of a resolution in support of the air war, by a 213-213 vote, as "a philosophical muddle devoid of practical effect." In fact, the losing vote is an important element in Campbell's lawsuit, proof that Clinton does not have congressional approval for his military actions. But since the 60-day deadline expired, the Times has not so much as mentioned the War Powers Act. In notable contrast to the Times' silence, USA Today ran an editorial headlined "Again, Public Gets Bypassed" (5/25/99), which examined the history of the Act and concluded that the Clinton administration's refusal to abide by it is "an exceedingly risky policy that ignores both the ugly lesson of Vietnam and the Founders' warnings about the ease with which unconstrained kings spend lives." The War Powers Act, as USA Today noted, is designed to guarantee a fundamental democratic safeguard--that the people have a say, through their elected representatives, over whether or not the country goes to war. Clinton is the first president ever to violate the time limit provisions of the Act by keeping troops in combat without congressional authorization. Why isn't this news "fit to print?" ACTION: Please ask the New York Times to seriously address the implications of President Clinton's ongoing violation of the War Powers Act, and to cover the suit being brought against him by Tom Campbell and other representatives. You might also let USA Today know that you appreciate their coverage of the issue. New York Times 229 W 43 St., New York, NY 10036 Phone: 212-556-1234 Fax: 212-556-3690 mailto:letters@nytimes.com USA Today 1000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22229 Phone: 703-276-3400 Fax: 703-247-3108 mailto:editor@usatoday.com >> - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Embrace Global Peace Walk 2000 Date: 30 May 1999 14:55:15 -0700 Your embrace of Global Peace Walk 2000 can make a significant contribution to the genuine cause of global peace, justice, environmental healing, and prosperity for all. To accomplish these goals we urge you to help us echo the prayer for "Global Peace Now!" until this sound becomes the universal human resolve that can actually achieve these goals by developing a comprehensive Global Culture of Peace that integrates science, art, and spirituality (the highest form of politics). Since the political United Nations came to this Earth, war, crime, violence, oppression, and belligerent confrontations have increased around the world. Following the guidance of indigenous spiritual messengers like the late Hopi Prophecy interpreter Thomas Banyacya, we must create a Spiritually United Nations to end war and violence by correcting human thinking into harmony with the Natural World Order. To do this we must recognize that above any perceived differences we are all human beings on this Mother Earth; male and female, but only one human race. We must redirect human activity away from war and violence towards correcting environmental and social imbalances before it becomes too late so save all life on Earth from increasing disasters and weapons of mass destruction. To recognize these facts, and to offer The Message of Peace to the people and governments of the world, Global Peace Walk 2000 will be conducted from San Francisco, California, on the January 15, 2000, Martin Luther King Jr. birthday anniversary to New York City for the 55th United Nations anniversary October 24, 2000. On October 12, 2000, Columbus Day, GPW2000 will be in Washington, DC, to conduct a circle of hands ceremony, with perhaps over a million people including world leaders, a ceremony to rededicate the Washington Monument as a Symbol of The Message of Peace. "Everyone must become a new Columbus or a new Jesus and together discover the New World of Global Peace by recognizing that not only is this Earth a globe but This Globe is our house and our altar -- and Real Love does make this New World go around The Globe", says Rev. Yusen Yamato, initiator of the Global Peace Walk project. Rev. Yamato is a Buddhist monk and Zen Shiatzu Meditation Practitioner who has brought from The East the ancient knowledge of its culture of peace to share with those who have the heart/mind to understand. He has been networking with students, scientists, artists, musicians, and with religious, cultural and spiritual leaders in America over the past 25 years. He introduced Thomas Banyacya to His Holiness Dalai Lama on several occasions, one of which was followed by the United Nations finally opening its door after 40 years to receive the Hopi Prophecy and other indigenous peoples' messages for peace that brought about the UN declaration of 1995-2004 as the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples. He feels that to find the pathway to true peace we must understand and respect the cultures, traditions and ancient wisdom carried by the indigenous peoples and by the surviving traditional and tribal cultures. Please join us in supporting Global Peace Walk 2000 to unify all ways of thinking in this unversal human resolve for "Global Peace Now!". Since the Global Peace Walk project was initiated in 1995 walking from New York City to San Francisco for the United Nations 50th anniversary, we have received numerous letters and proclamations of support from religious, political, community and cultural leaders towards creation of a worldwide Global Peace Zone 2000. Please offer your support as well. We will be posting and circulating your and/or your group's letters of support for "Global Peace Now!" containing any survival issue messages and will include these in the compiled messages for delivery to the United States and United Nations governments and available to all. We need: More letters of support; walkers (local, long distance, branch routes, etc.); local, national, and cultural coordinators; emailers, webmasters, increasing computer and internet capabilities, telephoners, publicity, writers, food, support vehicles, diesel mechanic, financial support, and most of all your firm personal resolve for "Global Peace Now!" Offerings may be made to Global Peace Walk at PO Box 170245, San Francisco, CA 94117-0245, phone 415-863-2084, phone/fax 415-751-6851, GPZone2000@aol.com (hardcopy flyers available, t-shirts, etc.) Tax deductible contributions may be made at above address to Yucca Foundation [a 501(c)3 California Association, for the Spiritual Arts] and a receipt with tax ID number will be sent by return mail upon request. Please join our coordinators email group list at http://www.egroups.com/list/global-peace-walk For more information see interim Global Peace Walk site http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000/gpw.html Thank you very much. Global Peace Now! David Crockett Williams Coordinator, Global Peace Walk Project Local Coordinator, Tehachapi, California, for Global Peace Walk 2000 Global Emergency Alert Response http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000 Some quotes from Global Peace Walk letters and proclamations of support: "Global Peace Now is critical to the survival of the human race. Collectively, we have been apathetic to the state of our neighbors and the deteriorating condition of our Earth Mother for too long. Global Peace Now is not just an invitation, it is a great cry for us to open our eyes and ears, to use our heads and hands and create the kinds of change that will save the planet and all who live and breathe upon Her", ----Leonard Peltier, American Indian Movement spiritual leader, U.S. political prisoner "The U.N. enters its second half-century of service facing new opportunities and challenges. If the nations of the world are to fully embrace these opportunities and overcome challenges, we must work more closely together to fully realize the principles of the original United Nations Charter and must commit to improving the organization's efficiency and effectiveness. During this momentous anniversary celebration, let us reaffirm the ideals, principles, and goals contained in the Charter and rededicate ourselves to working for the good of all humankind", ---President Bill Clinton "...best wishes for a successful event", ---Vice President Al Gore "...I send you my best wishes for a successful event in promoting harmony and peace for all people", ---Bill Richardson, US Representative to the United Nations "It is gratifying that the United Nations 50th Anniversary Global Peace Walk '95 is committed to working for the realization of my husband's dream for a beloved world community. The great work that you are doing is an inspiration to all of the King Center family", ---Coretta Scott King, CEO, Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Atlanta, GA "We must all make a commitment to work for peace and for justice in our world. Your efforts demonstrate to the world, and remind us all here at La Paz, that there is much work to be done... You and the participants of the Global Peace Now march are leading us all by standing up and taking the right steps -- the steps toward peace and justice for everyone", ---Helen Chavez (widow of Cesar Chavez), United Farm Workers Community La Paz, Keene, California (near Tehachapi) "Dr. King believed that hate destroys a person's sense of value and objectivity. His message was to stick to love, because hate is too great a burden to bear. Never lose sight of Dr. King's genius as you go forth to educate, and as you gather and congregate. Hope for us all continues to thrive and to remain vitally alive because of the insight and selfless efforts of dedicated persons like you", ---Rev. Jesse Jackson "...today's local social issues are interconnected with many global issues such as racism, sexism, religious intolerance, natural disasters, war, health, environment, crime, violence, poverty, drugs; and...all over the world people are fighting for land and life and looking for the Pathway to Peace...the Global Peace Walk...[is]...offering the prayer of 'Global Peace Now!' to demonstrate this universal human resolve as the pathway to Global Peace Zone 2000", ---Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown "...senseless loss of life, liberty and property can be eliminated once we establish a vision of world peace in concurrence with nonviolent solutions to world differences...we must rededicate ourselves to promote knowledge and love, and to spread the message of 'Global Peace Now!'...the Global Peace Walk seeks to unite the world in peace in the spirit of great inspirational leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.", ---San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown "On behalf of all New Yorkers, I ask you to convey throughout the world our wish for peace. May your physical and spiritual journey in pursuit of global peace inspire the world's leaders", ---New York Mayor Giuliani "As Governor of a diverse Commonwealth where people of various race, culture and religion strive to cast aside differences and stand together as Pennsylvanians, we join in helping you convey your message of peace, prosperity and human value", ---Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge "...as children of an interdependent world, we must always strive to settle our differences without resorting to violence..." ---Mel Carnahan, Governor of Missouri "Throughout our world, today, there is a plethora of tension and strife. Far too many nations are preoccupied with civil unrest and military warfare. However, senseless loss of life, liberty and property can be diminished once mankind regains a vision of world peace. I pray that your spiritual journey touches the hearts and minds of our national leaders" ---Freeman R. Bosley Jr., Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri "May the Great Spirit make us all conscious participants in this spiritual journey to World Peace" ---Albert Hale, President, Navajo Nation "Because of our belief in a true peace among all people of the world, in spirit, we are participants to achieve this goal. Welcome to the Hopi land, may the great spirit be your guide as you continue through your journey" ---Ferrell Secakuku, Chairman, Hopi Tribe "As an artist I have always believed in world peace...keep peace in your hearts for now and for all the future generations to come, for a peaceful existence is the only way to ensure prosperity for the entire planet. With all of my love and blessings to all of humanity for their efforts toward world peace." ---Peter Max - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Peacework Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) The Hague Appeal Conference a black mark on Date: 31 May 1999 08:08:44 -0400 thanks - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) European Appeal for a Peaceful Solution of the Kosovo Crisis Date: 01 Jun 1999 00:48:02 EDT In a message dated 5/31/99 6:09:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time, grupa484@beotel.yu writes: << Subj: Fw: [balkanhr] European Appeal for a Peaceful Solution of the Kosovo Crisis Date: 5/31/99 6:09:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: grupa484@beotel.yu (grupa484) To: rmaks@EUnet.yu (Rajko Maksimovic), spoelstra@fnasu.de (Hans Spoelstra), gomilic@EUnet.yu (Goran Milicevic), MD8322@mclink.it (Franco Toldi), B.Luber@BIONIC.zerberus.de (B.Luber-foundation "Die Schwelle"-Bremen) CC: DavidMcR@aol.com (David McReynolds), J.Werdmoelder@law.uu.nl (1), brett@pop.unicc.org (10), michael.ingledow@coe.fr (100), petrolw@beotel.yu (101), Kan@ntb.no (102), wfd@wfd.org (105), cornelius.ochmann@bertelsmann.de (106), council@caa.org.yu (107), fdahan@essex.ac.uk (108), feral-tribune@st.tel.hr (109), swoodward@brook.edu (11), forum_tz@zamir-tz.ztn.apc.org (111), chrf@chrf.ca (113), apt@apt.ch (114), helodbor@EUnet.yu (115), ipb@gn.apc.org (116), jovank@diplomacy.edu (117), jovo.kosanovic@ah.telia.no (118), kas_sa@zamir-sa.ztn.apc.org (119), L.Haxthausen@unesco.org (120), L97kor45@STUDENT.CEU.HU (121), lerner@idc.ac.il (122), Lidija.Basta@unifr.ch (123), mv@humanrights.dk (124), ntate@unt.edu (126), OHR_TUZLA@zamir-tz.ztn.apc.org (127), Rolf.Ring@rwi.lu.se (129), M.Krygier@unsw.edu.au (13), secretariat@rwi.lu.se (130), unicri@unicri.it (131), wus-i@mail.antenna.nl (132), zoran.pajic@kcl.ac.uk (133), citwatch@mail.wplus.net (134), clo@rcl.nig.com (135), D.Goldberg@law.gla.ac.uk (136), dahlgren@katto.kaapeli.fi (137), fidh@hol.fr (139), weiss@spdfrak.de (14), hrcenter@glas.apc.org (141), shrc@dial.pipex.com (142), Miroslav.Kusy@fphil.uniba.sk (143), Maxim.FERSCHTMAN@coe.fr (144), julianbraithwaite@compuserve.com (145), Balkan-Peace-Team@BIONIC.zerberus.de (147), ifiasbrussels@compuserve.com (150), yterling@amnesty.org (17), J.Moody@ifad.org (19), FIER@euronet.nl (20), zorana@osi.hu (22), olav.riste@ifs.mil.no (24), stamenka@cepes.ro (25), aire@btinternet.com (27), fcorley@mail.ndirect.co.uk (28), eudelyug@EUnet.yu (30), finembas@EUnet.yu (32), alla@sezampro.yu (33), italbelg@EUnet.yu (34), lisa.helfand@bgrad01.x400.gc.ca (36), jeroen.schokkenbroek@coe.fr (37), tast@EUnet.yu (38), ivankako@EUnet.yu (39), LasiewiczN@aol.com (4), britemb@EUnet.yu (40), longomai@Karatel.fr (41), rarfid@der-pu.uc3m.es (42), hodbor@bn.rstel.net (43), LCHR@post.omnitel.net (44), Centre@lichr.ee (45), labour-party@geo2.poptel.org.uk (46), hrc@essex.ac.uk (47), robben@ndi.org (49), kai.artes@kepa.fi (5), hnswsps@bridge.anglia.ac.uk (51), 100074.2671@compuserve.com (54), crc@ceu.hu (55), oates@ceu.hu (56), rsuh@rsuh.ru (58), imartin.hchr@unog.ch (59), enie.wesseldijk@coe.fr (60), hrwnyc@hrw.org (61), europe@lchr.org (62), harden@leland.stanford.edu (63), tabatabai@un.org (64), silica@gn.apc.org (65), pmiller@amnesty.org (67), M.Spice@ukc.ac.uk (69), S.Trifunovska@jur.kun.nl (71), robert.austin@utoronto.ca (72), davisb@un.org (73), p.fontani@unesco.org (75), united@ANTENNA.NL (77), soant01@emducms1.sis.ucm.es (78), busek_sec2@osce.or.at (79), observatoire.paris@wanadoo.fr (80), awilson@cipe.org (81), Gabriele.Schroers@bertelsmann.de (82), wolfgang.benedek@kfunigraz.ac.at (83), nhc@ANTENNA.NL (84), helsinki@ping.at (85), office@ihf-hr.org (86), 101737.1436@compuserve.com (87), transitions@ijt.cz (88), avancees@skynet.be (89), guarneri@cybercable.tm.fr (92), purser@uni2a.unige.ch (93), saundej@hrw.org (94), nkhramov@glasnet.ru (95), W.Lottje@gaia.de (96), john.reed@news.wsj.com (97), dphr@zamir.net (98), mfhr@ath.forthnet.gr (99), B.Luber@BIONIC.zerberus.de (B.Luber-foundation "Die Schwelle"-Bremen), Barbara.Mueller@t-online.de (Dr. Barbara Mueller), d.bogdanovic@ndh.net (Dusan Bogdanovic), Neuffer@compuserve.com (elizabeth neuffer), MD8322@mclink.it (Franco Toldi), ghunter@ci.athens.oh.us (Garry E. Hunter), hca@ecn.cz (HELSINKI CITIZENS ASSEMBLY), Kjell.Arild.Nilsen@ntb.no (Kjell Arild Nilsen), lassmann@nuklearmedizin.uni-wuerzburg.de, mvtpaix@globenet.org (Le Mouvement de la Paix), lenab@vihrealanka.fi (Lena Bjorklund), h0444yr7@rz.hu-berlin.de (MIROVNJACI(Lidija, Nemacka)), red@nytid.fi (Ny Tid - svedski nedeljnik), rvilhu@uiah.fi (Reeta Vilhu), roland.salvisberg@ohr.int (Roland Salvisberg - Helsinki com. for H.R. - RS), sdabic@usaid.gov (Sandra Dabic), sladjana@juno.com (Sladjana R Dankovic), krugpen@bih.net.ba (Slavko Santic), sduric@palmecenter.se (Svetlana Djuric), vh@iki.fi (Ville Holmberg), maletin@EUnet.yu (Zenski centar-SOS telefon), stasazen@EUnet.yu (ZENE U CRNOM), vvicko@EUnet.yu (Zdravko Marijanovic), golubovi@instifdt.bg.ac.yu (Zaga Golubovic - AAOM), xxl@Angelfire.com (XXL Kreativna grupa mladih), awcasv@EUnet.yu (Women's Center Belgrade), gsusa@EUnet.yu (VIN (Video nedeljnik)), majlukic@EUnet.yu (Viktimolosko Drustvo), matic@InfoSky.net (Veran Matic), rborota@EUnet.yu (Univerzitetski odbor za gradjansku inicijativu), msk@kalca.junis.ni.ac.yu (Udruzenje nezavisnih intelektualaca "TRAG" - Nis), n.milos@EUnet.yu (Udruzenje gradjana za demokratiju, soc.pravdu i podr.sind.), imbacil@yahoo.com (Teodora Tabacki), tmpavlov@ptt.yu (Tanja Pavlov), othervoices@iname.com (Studentska Unija Jugoslavije), chvorke@hotmail.com (Studentska Unija Fil.Fak.), srba@galeb.etf.bg.ac.yu (Srba Turajlic), serbiamld@aol.com (Pokret za demokratske slobode (Paris-Kragujevac)), Margina@tron-inter.net (Pokret sa margine), btoncic@EUnet.yu (Odbor za ljudska prava-Leskovac), ngoboard@EUnet.yu (NGO board), m.nikolic@yubc.net (Milan Nikolic), prising@EUnet.yu (Manda Prising), lidija@cent.co.yu (Lidija), bkovac@EUnet.yu (JUGOSLOVENSKI KOMITET PRAVNIKA), jsubotic@InfoSky.net (Jelena Subotic), ianetbgd@EUnet.yu (Internacional Aid Network), micca@EUnet.yu (Gradjanski Forum-Novi Pazar), civin@EUnet.yu (GRADJANSKE INICIJATIVE), janjicd@EUnet.yu (Forum za etnicke odnose), FONDMIR@EUnet.yu (Fondacija za mir i resavanje kriza), emins@EUnet.yu (EVROPSKI POKRET), vpavlovi@EUnet.yu (EKO Centar-Vukasin Pavlovic), distrikt@EUnet.yu (DISTRIKT 0230), zpapic@EUnet.yu (Centar za zenske studije), ialeksic@yubc.net (Centar za proucavanje alternativa), ni_cent@cent.co.yu (CENTAR ZA LJUDSKA PRAVA-NIS), cesid@bits.net (C E S I D), jaric@EUnet.yu (Beogradski zenski lobi), beokrug@EUnet.yu (Belgrade Circle), nadiac@EUnet.yu (Agencija lokalne demokratije-Subotica), veranb92@xs4all.nl (Veran Matic), dejan.lazic@hwp.uni-hamburg.de (Dejan Lazic) -----Original Message----- From: European Movement in Serbia To: NON ; grupa484 Date: 31 05 1999 10:56 Subject: Fw: [balkanhr] European Appeal for a Peaceful Solution of the Kosovo Crisis ---------- | From: Greek Helsinki Monitor | To: balkanhr@greekhelsinki.gr | Subject: [balkanhr] European Appeal for a Peaceful Solution of the Kosovo Crisis | Date: Friday, May 28, 1999 10:00 PM | | ISCOMET | ISCOMET - INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE MINORITIES FOR EUROPE OF | TOMORROW | ISCOMET - MEDNARODNA ZNANSTVENA KONFERENCA MANJSINE ZA JUTRISNJO EVROPO | | NGO enjoying consultative status with the Council of Europe | ISCOMET ima posvetovalni status pri Svetu Evrope | | Mladinska 9, SI-2000 Maribor, Slovenia; Tel.: +38 62 221 709, Fax: +386 62 | 222 240 | E-mail: devetak@uni-mb.si; jasmina.klojcnik@uni-mb.si | ============================================================================ | ============== | | | STATEMENT | ON THE PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF THE KOSOVO CRISIS | | ISCOMET - The International Scientific Conference of Minorities for the | Europe of Tomorrow, faithful to its moral and legal principles concerning | peace, democracy, human rights, reconciliation between peoples and the | protection of minorities, being convinced that the use of violence can not | be a means for resolving ethnic conflicts, continuing its activities | undertaken since 1990 for the realisation of these principles in the | territory of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia and with regard | to the relations between them, has adopted the following Statement on the | Peaceful Resolution of the Kosovo Crisis: | General considerations. The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia has apparently had | the opposite effect of that which was intended, that is to prevent the | further expulsion of the Albanian population from Kosovo and to make | possible a political settlement of the conflict, in line with the | requirements of the international community. The continuation of bombing | has resulted in a severe deterioration of the situation not only for the | population of Kosovo, but also for other parts of Yugoslavia, irrespective | of their ethnic, religious or political affiliations. In addition to the | humanitarian catastrophe that has been caused by the expulsion or exodus of | the Albanians and, proportionally, of members of other ethnic groups from | Kosovo, a human catastrophe is emerging that effects the entire Yugoslav | population, which is composed not only of Serbs (64 per cent of the total) | but also of Albanians, Hungarians, Montenegrins, Romanians, Croats, | Slovaks, Ruthenians and other ethnic groups who have their kith and kin in | neighbouring countries. | It is essential to be aware of the number of civilian casualties, which is | increasing day by day (at least 500 killed and even more injured by now), | of other "collateral damage" which has now achieved disastrous proportions | and of the real danger of a major ecological catastrophe, which could | affect the whole geographical area, etc. As things now stand, the final | outcome could be the total destruction of the economic, social and cultural | foundation of a European nation and of the international infrastructure in | this part of Europe, on the one hand, and the additional exodus of | Albanians from a devastated Kosovo, who will probably remain for an | uncertain time in neighbouring countries which are either unable or are | unwilling to host them, on the other hand. | The existing regime in Serbia has been reinforced by NATO attacks against | Yugoslavia due to the natural response of people to "rally round the flag" | at a time of external aggression. Contrary to the NATO's intention, | democratic forces in Serbia have been weakened and, in addition, the | democratic government of Montenegro finds now itself between the NATO | "hammer" and the Serbian regime's "anvil"; it is also confronted with a | large pro-Serbian oriented population with the potential for violent | conflict between the two groups. | Proposals. In order to stop the further deterioration of the situation it | is necessary, with political wisdom and human dignity, to undertake the | following measures: | 1.The immediate and simultaneous cessation of any action by Serbian | military, paramilitary and police units which leads to the harassment and | expulsion of the Albanian population remaining in Kosovo, a cease-fire | between Serbian forces and the KLA , the withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from | Kosovo, cessation of NATO bombing of targets in Yugoslavia, and the | suspension of economic and symbolic sanctions directed against Yugoslavia | and its constituent republics. | 2. The immediate sending of humanitarian aid to Kosovo and other parts of | Yugoslavia affected by the present conflict and to the approximately half a | million refugees from previous conflicts in Croatia and Bosnia Hercegovina | who have not received international aid in the past, and whose resentment | and unequal treatment could jeopardise long-term prospects for peace in the | region. | 3.The development of an international peace-keeping force in Kosovo | organised and co-ordinated by the UN. | 4.The return of the OSCE verifiers to Kosovo and their introduction into | other parts of Yugoslavia affected by the war in order to investigate the | amount of damage and to identify the urgent needs of the population with | the aim of avoiding a further major human catastrophe. | 5. The persecution and punishment of persons, whoever they are, who | committed, collaborated with the perpetrators of, or instigated the crime | of genocide, crimes against humanity, the crime of ethnic cleansing and war | crimes. | 6.The organisation of the safe return of the Albanian and other peoples of | Kosovo to their homes. | 7. The immediate start of Serbian/Albanian negotiations under the aegis of | the Secretary General of the UN with the participation of all parties | involved in the conflict, European neutral states and states who have a | connection with the region, leading to the adoption, by the Parliament of | Serbia, of clearly worded legislation for the broadly autonomous status of | Kosovo within Yugoslavia and a detailed programme of legislative, | educational and other measures to be taken to improve inter-ethnic | relations within Kosovo and for a better understanding of the culture, | history and traditions of Albanians and other minorities living in Yugoslavia. | 8. The convening of a donor's conference aimed at discussing and proposing | plans for the adoption of economic, social and logistical measures for war | affected areas and war affected populations including refugees and | displaced persons from the present and previous conflicts, and the | restoration of navigation on international waterway, the river Danube. | 9. The convening of an international conference within the framework of the | OSCE dealing with security, stability, human rights and the protection of | ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities in south-eastern Europe leading | to the repatriation of all refugees and displaced persons and the | development of programmes of assistance for the strengthening of democratic | institutions and the culture of democracy. The representatives of the | relevant NGOs, religious communities and organisations as well as other | entities of civil society should be invited to take part and give their | contributions to the deliberations of the conference. | | | Prof.Dr. Silvo Devetak, President of ISCOMET - International Scientific | Conference on Minorities for the Europe of Tomorrow (Slovenia) | Romedi Arquint, President of FUEN - Federal Union of European | Nationalities (Switzerland) | Dr. Ludwig Elle, Vice-President of FUEN - Federal Union of European | Nationalities and Vice-President of DOMOWINA (Germany) | Hans Heinrich Hansen, Vice-President of FUEN - Federal Union of European | Nationalities (Denmark) | Bojan Brezigar, President of EBLUL - The European Bureau for Lesser Used | Languages (Belgium) | Prof.Dr. Winfried Bottcher, Vice-President of ISCOMET (Germany) | Prof.Dr. Peter Roberts, Vice-President of ISCOMET (United Kingdom) | Dr.Lyuba Shishelina, Vice-President of ISCOMET (Russian Federation) | Prof.Dr.Emil Kirchner, President of the Scientific Council of ISCOMET | (United Kingdom) | Jasmina Klojcnik, Secretary General of ISCOMET (Slovenia) | Prof.Dr. Semyen Appatov (Ukraine) | Prof.Dr. Jan Berting (Netherlands) | Prof.Dr. Thomas Bremer (Germany) | Costa Carras, Vice-president, Europa Nostra (Greece) | Prof.Dr. hab. Wladyslaw Czaplinski, Jean Monnet Professor of International | and European Law (Poland) | Richard Danitza (Poland) | Dr. Vladimir Dubovik (Ukraine) | Miljenka Fischer Devetak, M.A. (Croatia) | Prof. Karsten Fledelius (Denmark) | Angus Fowler M.A. (Germany / United Kingdom) | Hermann Heil (Denmark) | Prof.Dr. Henry R. Huttenbach (United States of America) | Dr. Zivojin Jazic (FR Yugoslavia) | Prof.Dr. Igor Koval (Ukraine) | Karl Kring (Germany) | Bostjan Lovsin, M.A.Ph. (Slovenia) | Maire Mattinen, arch. (Finland) | Igor Mekina (Slovenia) | Dr.Dahlia Moore (Israel) | Jasna Murgel M.A. (Slovenia) | Elisabeth Naucler, The Aland Islands (Finland) | Hon. Francis Noel Baker (Greece / United Kingdom) | Letas Palmaitis (Lithuania) | Dr. Franc Perko, Belgrade Archbishop and Metropolitan (FR Yugoslavia) | Prof.Dr. Remigio Ratti, (Ticino, Switzerland) | Donall O Riagain (Ireland) | Prof. Andras Roman PhD Architect (Hungary) | Prof.Dr. Dominique Rosenberg (France) | John Sell, RIBA, DipCons (United Kingdom) | Dr.Vasile Sandru (Romania) | Dr.Julija Spiridonova (Bulgaria) | Maja Uzelac M.A., Director, A Small Step, Centre for the Culture of Peace | and Non-violence (Croatia) | Prof. Vera Varsa - Szekeres, MA (Hungary) | Svetlana Vasovic-Mekina (Slovenia) | Boze Vuleta, Franciscan Institute for the Culture of Peace (Croatia-Bosnia | Herzegovina) | Jane Wade, MFA, DipCons (United Kingdom) | Bojana Weiss-Hatic (Slovenia / | Croatia) | | (The list of supporters is continuously being updated with new signatures) | | Maribor, 5 May 1999 | | | ISCOMET - is an international NGO with about 250 members from all European | countries and is enjoying the consultative status with the Council of Europe | FUEN - is an international NGO which includes representatives of minorities | from all European countries and has the consultative status with the | Council of Europe and the UN | EBLUL - was established in the framework of the EU with the aim to protect | and ensure the development of the lesser used languages within the EU | | ------------------ | balkanhr mailing list | To unsubscribe please send mail to majordomo@greekhelsinki.gr | with the word "unsubscribe balkanhr" (without the ") in the subject. | Please report abuse at balkanhr-owner@greekhelsinki.gr - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" 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.