From: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com (abolition-usa-digest) To: abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: abolition-usa-digest V1 #331 Reply-To: abolition-usa-digest Sender: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk abolition-usa-digest Thursday, June 29 2000 Volume 01 : Number 331 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 10:13:33 -0400 From: "Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space" Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Australian Senate Passes Motion on BMD Great work John. Bruce - ----- Original Message ----- From: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign To: ; ; ; ; ; Cc: Rob Green ; George Farebrother ; Merav Datan ; Alyn Ware ; Alan F. Phillips ; Ak Malten ; Carah ; Ron Gray ; Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space ; Juergen Scheffran ; Yorkshire CND ; ; Daryl Kimball ; Ernst Guelcher ; Sharon Riggle ; Dave Webb ; Regina Hagen Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2000 3:06 AM Subject: (abolition-usa) Australian Senate Passes Motion on BMD > John Hallam > Friends of the Earth Sydney, > 17 Lord Street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, 2042 > Fax (61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 > nonukes@foesyd.org.au > http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd > > > Dear All, > > This morning the Australian Senate passed a motion in which it called on > the US not tp proceed with the BMD scheme. > > Our press release follows, then text of the motion as adopted. > > > AUSTRALIAN PEACE COMMITTEE/PEOPLE FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT W.A., FRIENDS OF > THE EARTH AUSTRALIA 29/6/2000 > SENATE SAYS NO TO US MISSILE DEFENCE SCHEME > > The Australian Peace Committee, People for Nuclear Disarmament W.A, and > Friends of the Earth Australia have welcomed a vote by the Senate this > morning on a motion put by Senator Lyn Allison of the Democrats to call on > the US not to deploy a ballistic missile defence system. A test of this > system is scheduled for July 7th. > > According to spokespeople Irene Gale of APC, Jo Valentine of PND, and John > Hallam of Friends of the Earth, > "The US proposal to deploy a ballistic missile defence system is the > greatest obstacle to the achievement of the total and unequivocal > elimination of nuclear weapons as required by the terms of the final > declaration of the recent nuclear nonproliferation treaty review > conference, and is the single factor that is most likely to contribute to a > renewed arms race." > "At the recent NPT Review Conference, nation after nation, and group after > group, including the EU, the New Agenda Coalition, the Non-Aligned > Movement, Portugal, Sweden, France, and the UN Secretary General all stated > that the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which the US proposal will violate, > is the cornerstone of strategic stability. Russia and China have warned > that if the ABM treaty is violated by the US building an ABM system, that > all arms control agreements arrived at with the US will be void and there > will be a new arms race." > > "If the US were to deploy this system it risks spending some $60 billion on > an exotic weapons system that can't tell the difference between a warhead > and a striped decoy balloon, that will alienate every other country in the > world, that does nothing for the security of US allies, and that has the > potential to terminate further efforts to fulfill the legal obligations of > the nuclear weapons powers to eliminate their nuclear arsenals." > > "The Australian Government can't just stand by and let this happen. As a > close US ally, it has an obligation to urge the US not to allow the ABM > treaty to be trashed and the arms race to recommence. It should press for > the early implementation of START-II and the negotiation of a START-III > nuclear weapons agreement that aims at the lowest possible warhead numbers > offered so far by Russia." > "The G8 will be meeting in Okinawa on 21-23 July. One can safely assume > that BMD will be discussed somewhere there. An international fax campaign > exists to urge G8 governments to raise their concerns with the US." > "We welcome this motion by Senator Allison, the support of the ALP and the > Greens, and thier continuing efforts on nuclear disarmament. It places the > Australian government on notice that it must stand up and be counted on > this vital global issue." > Contact: > John Hallam 02-9517-3903 h9810-2598 > Irene Gale AM, 08-8364-2291 > Jo Valentine, 08-9272-4252 > > > NOTICE OF MOTION > > > June 28th 2000 > > > I give notice that on the next day of sitting I shall move: > > (1) That the Senate notes: > > a) the final declaration of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) > Review Conference in New York, 24 April -19 May 2000, commits the nuclear > weapon states to 'the early implementation and entry into force of START-II > and conclusion of START-III as soon as possible while preserving and > strengthening the Anti Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty as a cornerstone of > strategic stability and as a basis for further reductions of strategic > offensive weapons in accordance with its provisions' > > b) that at the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference, the > United Nations Secretary General, the EU, Sweden, Portugal, the UK, and > France have all expressed concern at the prospect of the deployment by the > US of a National Missile Defence System (NMD), which would require the > alteration or abrogation of the ABM treaty, and have stated that the ABM > treaty is the cornerstone of strategic stability > > c) the statements made by the heads of Government of France and > Germany with respect to the inadvisability of deployment of a National > Missile defence system by the United States > > d) the strong statements by the governments of Russia and China, that > deployment of a National Missile Defence system as currently proposed would > have serious consequences for arms control and arms reduction talks, and > could result in the abandonment of START commitments by Russia, with the > alarming possibility of a new arms race > > e) increasing doubts about the technical viability of any system of > ballistic missile defence, and especially the current NMD proposal > surfacing in the United States > > f) the recent declaration, released by the Washington National > Cathedral, by a large number of retired senior military personnel and > religious leaders, asking that nuclear weapons be eliminated and > expressing opposition to NMD. > > > (2) That the Senate asks the Australian Government: > > a) to make known its position in relation to the United States' > proposal to deploy a National Missile Defence System > > b) to call on the United States not to deploy an NMD system > > c) to urge the United States and Russia to proceed with the early > implementation and entry into force of START-II and conclusion of START III > as soon as possible > > d) to call on the Nuclear Weapons States to outline how they will > implement the NPT Final Document requirement that nuclear weapons play a > diminishing role in security policies > > e) to urge the United States and Russia to maintain the integrity of > the Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty. > > Senator Lyn Allison > > > > > - > 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. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 14:27:56 -0700 (PDT) From: Brian McDermott Subject: [none] - --0-783368690-962314076=:15400 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii DALLAS ACTION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE HELP STOP THE IMPACTS of URANIUM MINING ON INDIAN LANDS AND NUCLEAR WASTE DUMPING IN TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO COMMUNITIES FRIDAY, JULY 7, 2000 8-9 AM CITIZENS' ACTION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE RALLY STREET THEATER PRESS CONFERENCE & SPEAKERS Uranium Resources, Inc./ Hydro Resources Inc. Corporate Headquarters 12750 Merit Drive, North Dallas 10- 2 PM ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Sheraton Park Central Hotel 7750 LBJ Freeway, North Dallas ( 1 block from URI ) Events will feature South Texas Opposes Pollution(STOP), Eastern Navajo Dine' Against Uranium Mining (ENDAUM), and Friends of Ward County. Coordinated by the Water Information Network (WIN) of New Mexico in collaboration with numerous organizations, individuals, and the faith based community. GET IN TOUCH AND GET INVOLVED E-Mail: win52@earthlink.net or CALL: 505-255-4072 or REGISTER YOUR SUPPORT BY CLICKING HERE ON: http://www.geocities.com/brian_mcdermott_1999/support_endaum.html Agua es Vida, To' ell bellna' at ', Water is Life - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Mexico/ Texas Alliance Forged to Stop Uranium Mining and Nuclear Waste Dumping Members of South Texas Opposes Pollution (STOP) are calling for a complete halt to in situ leach (ISL) uranium mining in Kleberg County, Texas. Uranium Resources, Inc.'s (URI's) ISL. mines are polluting groundwater at the Kingsville Dome mining site. "We want the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission to intercede with immediate cleanup and remediation and we want URI's permits and leases terminated." said Teo Saenz of Kingsville. To the Dine', water is sacred. members ENDAUM are fighting to protect their drinking water supplies from ISL uranium mining proposed by Hydro Resources, Inc. (HRI), a subsidiary of U RI. In 1998, the Nuclear regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a license to HRI to mine uranium in the Navajo communities of Church Rock and Crownpoint, New Mexico. ENDAUM appealed the decision and on May 25, 2000, the NRC agreed with one of ENDAUM's contentions. The NRC found that HRI had failed to submit a financial assurance plan for the mining project and barred the company from using its' license, until such a plan is submitted and approved. "The decision of the Commission means ENDAUM was right, and that HRI cannot use its' license to start this unneeded and unsafe uranium project across the road from my house," said ENDUE member Larry King of Churchrock. On may 16, URI announced that " the company has exhausted all of its readily available sources of cash to support continuing operations and expects to be unable to continue in business beyond the next 45-60 days unless it can secure a cash infusion." On the radioactive front, in November1999 Envirocare applied to the Texas Department of Health to operate a nuclear waste facility in Ward County, Texas. Friends of Ward County are organizing community members, counties, municipalities, water districts and churches to oppose this latest nuclear waste siting threat. ***JOIN US JULY 7 IN DALLAS*** RALLY TO STOP URANIUM MINING AND NUCLEAR WASTE DUMPING IN NM AND TX FOR INFORMATION ,call: 505-255-4072 or-email win52@earth link.net or REGISTER YOUR SUPPORT BY CLICKING HERE ON: http://www.geocities.com/brian_mcdermott_1999/support_endaum.html - --------------------------------- Do You Yahoo!? Get Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! - --0-783368690-962314076=:15400 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii  

 DALLAS  ACTION  FOR



ENVIRONMENTAL   JUSTICE



 



      HELP STOP THE IMPACTS of URANIUM MINING ON INDIAN LANDS AND         



             NUCLEAR  WASTE DUMPING             IN TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO COMMUNITIES



 



FRIDAY, JULY 7, 2000



8-9 AM              CITIZENS' ACTION FOR



                                    ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE



                                    RALLY STREET THEATER



                                    PRESS CONFERENCE & SPEAKERS



                                    Uranium Resources, Inc./ Hydro Resources Inc.



                                    Corporate Headquarters



                                    12750 Merit Drive, North Dallas



 



10- 2 PM                       ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE



                                    LEADERSHIP SUMMIT



                                    Sheraton Park Central Hotel



                                    7750 LBJ Freeway, North Dallas



                                    ( 1 block from URI )



 



 



Events will feature South Texas Opposes Pollution(STOP),



Eastern Navajo Dine' Against Uranium Mining (ENDAUM),



and Friends of Ward County. Coordinated by the Water Information Network (WIN) of New Mexico in collaboration with numerous organizations, individuals, and the faith based community.



 



 



GET IN TOUCH AND GET INVOLVED



 



E-Mail: win52@earthlink.net or CALL: 505-255-4072



or



REGISTER YOUR SUPPORT BY CLICKING HERE ON:



http://www.geocities.com/brian_mcdermott_1999/support_endaum.html



 



Agua es Vida, To' ell bellna' at ', Water is Life                     



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



New Mexico/ Texas Alliance Forged to



Stop Uranium Mining and Nuclear Waste Dumping



        Members of South Texas Opposes Pollution (STOP) are calling for a complete halt to in situ leach (ISL) uranium mining in Kleberg County, Texas. Uranium Resources, Inc.'s (URI's) ISL. mines are polluting groundwater at the Kingsville Dome mining site. "We want the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission to intercede with immediate cleanup and remediation and we want URI's permits and leases terminated." said Teo Saenz of Kingsville.



 



            To the Dine', water is sacred. members ENDAUM are fighting to protect their drinking water supplies from ISL uranium mining proposed by Hydro Resources, Inc. (HRI), a subsidiary of U  RI. In 1998, the Nuclear regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a license to HRI to mine uranium in the Navajo communities of Church  Rock and Crownpoint, New Mexico. ENDAUM appealed the decision and on May  25, 2000, the NRC agreed with one of ENDAUM's contentions. The NRC found that HRI had failed to submit a financial assurance plan for the mining project and barred the company from using its' license, until such a plan is submitted and approved. "The decision of the Commission means ENDAUM was right, and that HRI cannot use its' license to start this unneeded and unsafe uranium project across the road from my house," said ENDUE member Larry King of Churchrock.



 



            On may 16, URI announced that " the company has exhausted all of its readily available sources of cash to support continuing operations and expects to be unable to continue in business beyond the next 45-60 days unless it can secure a cash infusion."



 



            On the  radioactive front, in November1999 Envirocare applied to the Texas Department of Health to operate a nuclear  waste facility in Ward  County, Texas.



Friends of Ward County are organizing community members, counties, municipalities, water districts and churches to oppose this latest nuclear waste  siting threat.



 



***JOIN US JULY 7 IN DALLAS***



RALLY TO STOP URANIUM MINING AND



NUCLEAR WASTE DUMPING IN NM AND TX



          FOR INFORMATION ,call: 505-255-4072 or-email win52@earth link.net



or



REGISTER YOUR SUPPORT BY CLICKING HERE ON:



http://www.geocities.com/brian_mcdermott_1999/support_endaum.html



 


Do You Yahoo!?
Get Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! - --0-783368690-962314076=:15400-- - - 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. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 22:39:17 -0400 From: Norman & Karen Cohen Subject: (abolition-usa) [Fwd: [downwinders] Massive Demonstration Planned August 9th in Los Alamos] This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - --------------66FA942EA0EEDFBBE5E00170 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-MIME-Autoconverted: from 8bit to quoted-printable by smtp-out1.bellatlantic.net id WAA15380 fyi - -- Coalition for Peace and Justice and the UNPLUG Salem Campaign; 321 Barr Ave., Linwood, NJ 08221; 609-601-8537 or 609-601-8583 (8583: fax, answer machine); norco@bellatlantic.net; UNPLUG SALEM WEBSITE: http://www.unplugsalem.org/ COALITION FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE WEBSITE: http://members.bellatlantic.net/~norco/ ICQ# 54268619; The Coalition for Peace and Justice is a chapter of Peace Action. =93We have two lives, the one we=92re given, and the other one we make=94 (Mary Chapin Carpenter) =93Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights...Get up, stand up, don=92t give up the fight!=94 (Bob Marley) - --------------66FA942EA0EEDFBBE5E00170 Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Disposition: inline Return-Path: Received: from fj.egroups.com ([208.50.144.72]) by immta4.bellatlantic.net (InterMail vM.4.01.02.27 201-229-119-110) with SMTP id <20000629185838.LVCB10068.immta4.bellatlantic.net@fj.egroups.com> for ; Thu, 29 Jun 2000 14:58:38 -0400 X-eGroups-Return: sentto-31256-9694-962305121-norco=bellatlantic.net@returns.onelist.com Received: from [10.1.10.37] by fj.egroups.com with NNFMP; 29 Jun 2000 18:58:41 -0000 Received: (qmail 3488 invoked from network); 29 Jun 2000 18:58:39 -0000 Received: from unknown (10.1.10.142) by m3.onelist.org with QMQP; 29 Jun 2000 18:58:39 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO mail.aros.net) (207.173.16.20) by mta1 with SMTP; 29 Jun 2000 18:58:39 -0000 Received: from mail.aros.net (dm3-144.slc.aros.net [207.173.25.144]) by mail.aros.net (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id MAA09873; Thu, 29 Jun 2000 12:58:38 -0600 (MDT) Message-ID: <395B9C0C.B61A8CAF@mail.aros.net> X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [en] (Win98; I) X-Accept-Language: en,en-US To: "downwinders@onelist.com" , "nukenet@envirolink.org" X-eGroups-From: Winston Weeks From: Winston Weeks MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list downwinders@egroups.com; contact downwinders-owner@egroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list downwinders@egroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 12:57:17 -0600 Reply-To: downwinders@egroups.com Subject: [downwinders] Massive Demonstration Planned August 9th in Los Alamos Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-MIME-Autoconverted: from 8bit to quoted-printable by smtp-out1.bellatlantic.net id WAA15380 http://www.downwinders.org/protest.htm Massive Demonstration Planned August 9th in Los Alamos A coalition of anti-nuclear, peace, social justice and environmental groups, facilitated by Peace Action New Mexico, is organizing for what we hope will be a massive demonstration in Los Alamos, New Mexico, Wednesday, August 9th, Nagasaki Day, 2000. Los Alamos is the heart of the nuclear beast. It is our goal to convert the labs into a facility which will work for the health of the planet and all living things or shut it down completely. Last year 400 people participated in this protest, with 74 arrested on lab property. This year we anticipate that many, many, more people will join to bring even greater pressure to end the production of these illegal nuclear weapons. In addition to the demonstration at Ashley Pond, beginning at 11:00 a.m. there will be a march to the labs at 2:00 p.m. Preceding the day of this action, there will be two days of workshops and trainings, on August 7th and 8th. Please join us: AUGUST 9TH LOS ALAMOS NEW MEXICO: IT STARTED HERE, LET=B9S END IT HERE! For information: Peace Action New Mexico, 226 Fiesta Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501 Phone: 505.989.4812 Email: lostdog@mindspring.com or at LANLaction@aol.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Special Offer-Earn 300 Points from MyPoints.com for trying @Backup Get automatic protection and access to your important computer files. Install today: http://click.egroups.com/1/5667/7/_/497087/_/962305121/ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - --------------66FA942EA0EEDFBBE5E00170-- - - 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. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 14:16:05 +1000 From: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Subject: (abolition-usa) July 7 NMD Test - Tell Clinton, Bush, Gore, Cohen, please no BMD! PLEASE FORWARD THIS ON TO RECEPTIVE PEOPLE WHO WILL MAKE USE OF IT Dear Everyone, By now you should have seen various notices telling you that the next test of the projected NMD system is July 7. You will also have seen appeals from me suggesting that you might like to send faxes to your governments, (US and outside the US) asking the US government not to proceed with BMD. This appeal complements those appeals. (If you are outside the US it is best to approach your own government first, and to ask them to approach the US government - though given the short time till the July 7 test, you may wish to fax the US govt directly also). I understand from Abolition 2000 that a vigil will be taking place outside Vandenburg Airforce Base, commencing July 1 (press release at the end of this email if you haven't already seen it). Yesterday, the Australian Senate passed a motion, (albeit a bit watered down from its original wording), which asked that the US not proceed with BMD. (If you want hard copy of this, email me with your fax number) If, like me, you're not in the US, you can still fax president Clinton on +1-202-456-2461, and ask that the US not deploy BMD. You could also fax defence secretary Cohen on +1-703-695-1149. You should also try to fax candidates Bush and Gore. You should also visit the 'Dont Blow it' website at http://DontBlowit.org. from which you can send the president a free e-postcard. I am enclosing: 2)The Abolition 2000 Press release re the vigil, 3) The Australian senate motion 1)A sample letter to Clinton/Cohen. Happy faxing! 1) Sample letter to Clinton and Cohen 1)SAMPLE LETTER FOR ESP US FOLKS, TO SEND TO BILL CLINTON, WILLIAM S. COHEN, MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, BUSH, GORE, AND RELEVANT CONGRESSIONAL SUBCOMMITTEES. PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, 1-202-456-2461, SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT 1-202-647-6047 SECRETARY FOR DEFENCE, WILLIAM S. COHEN 1-703-695-1149 cc George Bush Al Gore Dear President Clinton, William Cohen, Madeleine Albright, and Presidential candidates, I am writing to urge you not to proceed with proposals for a national ballistic missile defence system. Missile defence schemes respond to a nonexistent or exaggerated threat, are not the solution to real threats, make the rest of the US's security environment less safe, sabotage nuclear disarmament efforts to which the US is legally committed along with the rest of the world, and show contempt for the opinions of US allies and the rest of the world. At the recent NPT Review Conference, the US together with 187 other countries, signed a final declaration that commits it to an unequivocal undertaking to accomplish the total elimination of its nuclear arsenal. Plans to deploy a missile defence system threaten that vital goal, to which the US is legally committed. At the very same conference, the UN Secretary General, and representatives of Russia, China, the UK, France, Sweden, the European community, the New Agenda Coalition and the Non- aligned movement have all expressed strongly that they believe the ABM treaty is the cornerstone of global strategic stability. They do not think it should be modified to allow a missile defence system, still less abrogated unilaterally. On your recent European trip, leaders of Europe and Russia have made the same point. America simply cannot ignore the strongly repeated opinion of the whole world, that the ABM treaty should not be modified to permit BMD. =46urthermore: 1)The threat that the national missile defence system is supposed to address, namely that of missile - equipped so- called 'rogue states' is in all likelihood, nonexistent. 2) A state that really wished to inflict serious damage on the US would probaby rather smuggle a nuclear explosive device into a US city by means that are more reliable and more difficult to trace than missiles. 3)There are serious doubts as to whether this system can work at all, or as to whether any missile defence system can ever work. The problems posed even by relatively simple decoys are probably technically insoluble. 4)National (and theatre) missile defence schemes are unsustainably costly, and cost estimates are likely to rise without limit. Instead of pursuing missile defence, it is vital that the US focus on real solutions to global strategic security. The highest priorities have to be the elimination of as many warheads as possible under any START-III agreement with Russia, and the removal of strategic missile forces from high alert status as advocated by the Canberra Commission, subsequent UN resolutions and the final NPT declaration. In this respect, the commitment of Candidate Bush to deep cuts in warhead numbers and to reductions in alert status are worthy of support. Commitments to costly and dangerous missile defence schemes are worthy only of opposition. Yours Sincerely, Signed =2E... 2) Abolition 2000 Press release =46OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Carah Ong Coordinator, Abolition 2000 Global Network Tel: (805) 965-3443 Fax: (805) 568-0466 Email: admin@abolition2000.org Controversy and Protest Surround Missile Test The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) announced on 20 June 2000 that it has scheduled the third national missile defense (NMD) intercept flight test for 7 July 2000. This will be the first full system test of the NMD system. After several test date delays, program officials stated that the 7 July flight test date depends on the readiness of all test elements to meet specific requirements for performance, safety and system integration. The test will include a target missile, carrying a warhead and a decoy, and will be launched from Vandenberg AFB, California. After the target missile lifts off, an interceptor missile carrying a model "kill vehicle" will launch from Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean and be directed toward the target, using data collected from the system's radars. A protest vigil will be held at the main gate of Vandenberg Air =46orce Base on Saturday, 1 July 2000 from 12 Noon to 4:00 pm. A Press Conference will be held at 1 pm. The following groups are participating the event: =B7 Abolition 2000 Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons =B7 American Friends Service Committee (Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo) =B7 Atomic Mirror =B7 California Peace Action =B7 Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space =B7 Green Party (Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo) =B7 Green Peace =B7 Grey Panthers =B7 Guadalupe Catholic Worker =B7 Nuclear Age Peace Foundation =B7 Peace & Environmental Council (San Luis Obispo) =B7 San Luis Obispo County Environmental Toxic Coalition =B7 Santa Cruz Center for Non-Violence =B7 War Resisters League (San Luis Obispo) =B7 Vandenberg Action Coalition The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) claims that the NMD system is needed to protect the US from incoming Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles that would be launched by "states of concern" such as North Korea. President Clinton is scheduled to make a decision on deployment later this year. The estimated cost to deploy the system by the year 2005 is $5.6 billion. However, a report released this week by the Welch Panel, an independent team of scientists, outlines the probability of the systems failure. The deployment of a national missile defense system would violate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty between Russia and the US. The treaty is viewed as the cornerstone of arms control efforts and amendment or abrogation of the treaty will pose serious threats to international relations. On 22 June 2000, China attacked the proposed US national missile defense (NMD) saying it would turn outer space into a "battlefield'' and jeopardize global stability. China has also voiced opposition to amending the ABM Treaty. Both Russia and China have called for negotiations to ban the weaponization of outer space, but the US has refused to engage in any such discussions. Carah Ong, Coordinator of Abolition 2000 Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons stated, "The relentless pursuit by the US to deploy a national missile defense system that threatens to initiate a new nuclear arms race must be stopped. Rather than developing new technology that undermines international and national security, the US should uphold the commitments it has made in international law to eliminate its nuclear arsenal. As long as the BMDO continues to test this system, we will continue to protest at the front gate of Vandenberg until our voice is heard...NO NEW STAR WARS! NO NEW ARMS RACE! KEEP SPACE FOR PEACE!" 3) Australian Senate Motion on BMD NOTICE OF MOTION June 28th 2000 I give notice that on the next day of sitting I shall move: (1) That the Senate notes: a) the final declaration of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in New York, 24 April -19 May 2000, commits the nuclear weapon states to 'the early implementation and entry into force of START-II and conclusion of START-III as soon as possible while preserving and strengthening the Anti Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty as a cornerstone of strategic stability and as a basis for further reductions of strategic offensive weapons in accordance with its provisions' b) that at the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference, the United Nations Secretary General, the EU, Sweden, Portugal, the UK, and =46rance have all expressed concern at the prospect of the deployment by the US of a National Missile Defence System (NMD), which would require the alteration or abrogation of the ABM treaty, and have stated that the ABM treaty is the cornerstone of strategic stability c) the statements made by the heads of Government of France and Germany with respect to the inadvisability of deployment of a National Missile defence system by the United States d) the strong statements by the governments of Russia and China, that deployment of a National Missile Defence system as currently proposed would have serious consequences for arms control and arms reduction talks, and could result in the abandonment of START commitments by Russia, with the alarming possibility of a new arms race e) increasing doubts about the technical viability of any system of ballistic missile defence, and especially the current NMD proposal surfacing in the United States f) the recent declaration, released by the Washington National Cathedral, by a large number of retired senior military personnel and religious leaders, asking that nuclear weapons be eliminated and expressing opposition to NMD. =0C (2) That the Senate asks the Australian Government: a) to make known its position in relation to the United States' proposal to deploy a National Missile Defence System b) to call on the United States not to deploy an NMD system c) to urge the United States and Russia to proceed with the early implementation and entry into force of START-II and conclusion of START III as soon as possible d) to call on the Nuclear Weapons States to outline how they will implement the NPT Final Document requirement that nuclear weapons play a diminishing role in security policies e) to urge the United States and Russia to maintain the integrity of the Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty. Senator Lyn Allison - - 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. ------------------------------ End of abolition-usa-digest V1 #331 *********************************** - To unsubscribe to $LIST, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe $LIST" 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.