From: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com (abolition-usa-digest) To: abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: abolition-usa-digest V1 #462 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, September 6 2001 Volume 01 : Number 462 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 02 Sep 2001 20:52:06 -0700 From: Tim Bruening Subject: (abolition-usa) Save Social Security; Stop Star Wars! Dear Abolition Caucus: Below is a letter I wrote to my local newspaper about missile defense and the raiding of Social Security. Please write similar letters to your newspapers and Congress people. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Federal Government will have to raid $9 billion from the Social Security surplus to pay its bills this fiscal year. Meanwhile, the Bush Administration has requested $8.3 billion in fiscal year 2002 for its missile defense program, up $3 billion from this year, in spite of the following facts: I. Only two of the past five tests have been successful, and the tests have involved only one simple decoy, as opposed to the multiple decoys in a real life attack. Moreover, the Pentagon has rigged the tests by putting a Global Positioning beacon onboard the target missiles to guide the interceptors to them. II. It would cost over $100 billion over the next 20 years. III. The Russians and Chinese have repeatedly warned that The deployment of a U.S. missile defense system would prompt them to increase their nuclear arsenals, thus triggering a renewed nuclear arms race. Please contact Senator Boxer (U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-3553; senator@boxer.senate.gov), Senator Feinstein (U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-3841; senator@feinstein.senate.gov), and Representative Ose (U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C., 20515; 202-225-5716; doug.ose@mail.house.gov) to help save Social Security from further raids by canceling the $8.3 billion missile defense budget. For more information, please contact Bruce K. Gagnon, the coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space (PO Box 90083 Gainesville, FL. 32607; (352) 337-9274; http://www.space4peace.org globalnet@mindspring.com). Please also contact Sacramento-Yolo Peace Action (909 12th Street #118, Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-448-7157; sypeaceact@jps.net). - - 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: Tue, 04 Sep 2001 22:35:26 -0400 From: Ellen Thomas Subject: (abolition-usa) Please sign on -- Letter to Senator Paul Wellstone - --=====================_4522567==_.ALT Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Hi. I'm writing to ask you please to sign yourself and/or your organization on to the following letter in support of U.S. House of Representatives bill HR-2503, the "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act." Please see http://prop1.org/prop1/prop1.htm for more information. If you support this concept, no matter where you're from, please hit the reply button and give us your endorsement. This could help a great deal. Last year we received endorsements from 43 organizations on a letter to the Senators. See http://prop1.org/prop1/letter.htm. Hopefully we will do as well or better with this year's effort to get the idea introduced into the Senate. We also need to get HR-2503 out of the U.S. House International Relations and Armed Services Committees, and onto the floor for discussion and vote. Your help is much needed. Thanks for a quick reply.... Ellen Thomas - ------------ Letter to Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, for Sign-On - ----------- September, 2001 Senator Paul Wellstone Fax: 202-224-8438 Secretary of Energy 717 Hart SOB Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Wellstone: We found it surprising when one of your aides said recently that he thinks introducing a Senate version of HR-2503, the "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act," is an "impractical" idea. See http://prop1.org/prop1/hr2503.htm. Last year one of your aides said that you would probably support Delegate Norton's "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act" if Jesse Helms weren't Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He said that you were concerned about veterans' issues, primarily, but might be convinced that this bill was worth co-introducing with other Senators. Jesse Helms is no longer Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. If we can tell other Senators that you will co-introduce with them, this will help us get further support. To respond to the aide's dismissal that the idea is "impractical": 187 countries, including the U.S., promised in May, 2000, to abolish nuclear weapons, but haven't set a date. Our purpose here is to make it happen, to make global nuclear disarmament the LAW. Treaties aren't enforceable unless backed by national laws. National laws rarely happen without regional or local initiatives. We have proven that most people from every region of the country and the Earth favor global nuclear disarmament. This is do-able. It requires visionary thinking, a touch of faith, and a large portion of hope. What else is America about? Let me explain how HR-2503 would work. It would be a statement to the world that the U.S. is serious about global nuclear disarmament. It is a promise that the U.S. will get rid of its nuclear weapons IF everyone else does; and will use the money saved to shut down and clean up the nuclear weapons industries, and to begin converting other war industries into something good for society. For example, instead of building missiles and bombs, factories could be retooled and people could be paid to mass-produce solar panels, windmills, hydrogen fuel cells ... an entirely new, massively profitable industry which can transform all our societies. No one need lose. HR-2503 is entirely a win-win idea. I would like a personal meeting, as a fellow Minnesotan, to discuss this. Sincerely, Ellen Thomas Executive Director PROPOSITION ONE COMMITTEE PO BOX 27217, WASHINGTON, DC 20038 USA 202-462-0757-- (voice) | 202-265-5389 -- (fax) prop1@prop1.org -- (e-mail) | http://prop1.org -- (World-Wide-Web) ___________________________________________________________ I agree with this letter: Name / Organization / City/State/Country / Email Address / Website ____________________________________________________________________________ _______ - --=====================_4522567==_.ALT Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Hi.  I'm writing to ask you please to sign yourself and/or your organization on to the following letter in support of U.S. House of Representatives bill HR-2503, the "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act."  Please see http://prop1.org/prop1/prop1.htm for more information.

If you support this concept, no matter where you're from, please hit the reply button and give us your endorsement.  This could help a great deal.

Last year we received endorsements from 43 organizations on a letter to the Senators.  See http://prop1.org/prop1/letter.htm. Hopefully we will do as well or better with this year's effort to get the idea introduced into the Senate.  We also need to get HR-2503 out of the U.S. House International Relations and Armed Services Committees, and onto the floor for discussion and vote.  Your help is much needed.

Thanks for a quick reply....

Ellen Thomas

- ------------ Letter to Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, for Sign-On -----------

September, 2001

Senator Paul Wellstone                  Fax: 202-224-8438
Secretary of Energy 
717 Hart SOB            
Washington, D.C.  20510 

Dear Senator Wellstone:

We found it surprising when one of your aides said recently that he thinks introducing a Senate version of HR-2503, the "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act," is an "impractical" idea.   See http://prop1.org/prop1/hr2503.htm.

Last year one of your aides said that you would probably support Delegate Norton's "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act" if Jesse Helms weren't Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.  He said that you were concerned about veterans' issues, primarily, but might be convinced that this bill was worth co-introducing with other Senators.  Jesse Helms is no longer Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.  If we can tell other Senators that you will co-introduce with them, this will help us get further support.

To respond to the aide's dismissal that the idea is "impractical":  187 countries, including the U.S., promised in May, 2000, to abolish nuclear weapons, but haven't set a date.  Our purpose here is to make it happen, to make global nuclear disarmament the LAW.  Treaties aren't enforceable unless backed by national laws.  National laws rarely happen without regional or local initiatives.  We have proven that most people from every region of the country and the Earth favor global nuclear disarmament.  This is do-able.  It requires visionary thinking, a touch of faith, and a large portion of hope.  What else is America about?

Let me explain how HR-2503 would work.  It would be a statement to the world that the U.S. is serious about global nuclear disarmament.  It is a promise that the U.S. will get rid of its nuclear weapons IF everyone else does; and will use the money saved to shut down and clean up the nuclear weapons industries, and to begin converting other war industries into something good for society.  For example, instead of building missiles and bombs, factories could be retooled and people could be paid to mass-produce solar panels, windmills, hydrogen fuel cells ... an entirely new, massively profitable industry which can transform all our societies.  No one need lose.  HR-2503 is entirely a win-win idea. 

I would like a personal meeting, as a fellow Minnesotan, to discuss this.

Sincerely,

Ellen Thomas
Executive Director
PROPOSITION ONE COMMITTEE
PO BOX 27217, WASHINGTON, DC 20038 USA
202-462-0757-- (voice)  |  202-265-5389 -- (fax)
prop1@prop1.org -- (e-mail)  |  http://prop1.org -- (World-Wide-Web)
___________________________________________________________


I agree with this letter:

Name    /    Organization    /    City/State/Country    /    Email Address    /    Website
___________________________________________________________________________________

 - --=====================_4522567==_.ALT-- - - 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: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 08:46:52 -0700 From: "Harry Rogers" Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Please sign on -- Letter to Senator Paul Wellstone This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - ------=_NextPart_000_0016_01C135E7.4EF3C2C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Harry Rogers Nuclear Issues Coordinator Carolina Peace Resource Center Columbia SC ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Ellen Thomas=20 To: NucNews=20 Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2001 7:35 PM Subject: (abolition-usa) Please sign on -- Letter to Senator Paul = Wellstone Hi. I'm writing to ask you please to sign yourself and/or your = organization on to the following letter in support of U.S. House of = Representatives bill HR-2503, the "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic = Conversion Act." Please see http://prop1.org/prop1/prop1.htm for more = information. If you support this concept, no matter where you're from, please hit = the reply button and give us your endorsement. This could help a great = deal. Last year we received endorsements from 43 organizations on a letter = to the Senators. See http://prop1.org/prop1/letter.htm. Hopefully we = will do as well or better with this year's effort to get the idea = introduced into the Senate. We also need to get HR-2503 out of the U.S. = House International Relations and Armed Services Committees, and onto = the floor for discussion and vote. Your help is much needed. Thanks for a quick reply.... Ellen Thomas ------------ Letter to Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, for = Sign-On ----------- September, 2001 Senator Paul Wellstone Fax: 202-224-8438 Secretary of Energy =20 717 Hart SOB =20 Washington, D.C. 20510=20 Dear Senator Wellstone: We found it surprising when one of your aides said recently that he = thinks introducing a Senate version of HR-2503, the "Nuclear Disarmament = and Economic Conversion Act," is an "impractical" idea. See = http://prop1.org/prop1/hr2503.htm.=20 Last year one of your aides said that you would probably support = Delegate Norton's "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act" if = Jesse Helms weren't Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He = said that you were concerned about veterans' issues, primarily, but = might be convinced that this bill was worth co-introducing with other = Senators. Jesse Helms is no longer Chairman of the Foreign Relations = Committee. If we can tell other Senators that you will co-introduce = with them, this will help us get further support. To respond to the aide's dismissal that the idea is "impractical": = 187 countries, including the U.S., promised in May, 2000, to abolish = nuclear weapons, but haven't set a date. Our purpose here is to make it = happen, to make global nuclear disarmament the LAW. Treaties aren't = enforceable unless backed by national laws. National laws rarely happen = without regional or local initiatives. We have proven that most people = from every region of the country and the Earth favor global nuclear = disarmament. This is do-able. It requires visionary thinking, a touch = of faith, and a large portion of hope. What else is America about? Let me explain how HR-2503 would work. It would be a statement to the = world that the U.S. is serious about global nuclear disarmament. It is = a promise that the U.S. will get rid of its nuclear weapons IF everyone = else does; and will use the money saved to shut down and clean up the = nuclear weapons industries, and to begin converting other war industries = into something good for society. For example, instead of building = missiles and bombs, factories could be retooled and people could be paid = to mass-produce solar panels, windmills, hydrogen fuel cells ... an = entirely new, massively profitable industry which can transform all our = societies. No one need lose. HR-2503 is entirely a win-win idea. =20 I would like a personal meeting, as a fellow Minnesotan, to discuss = this. Sincerely, Ellen Thomas Executive Director PROPOSITION ONE COMMITTEE PO BOX 27217, WASHINGTON, DC 20038 USA 202-462-0757-- (voice) | 202-265-5389 -- (fax) prop1@prop1.org -- (e-mail) | http://prop1.org -- (World-Wide-Web) ___________________________________________________________ I agree with this letter: Name / Organization / City/State/Country / Email = Address / Website = _________________________________________________________________________= __________ - ------=_NextPart_000_0016_01C135E7.4EF3C2C0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Harry Rogers
Nuclear Issues Coordinator
Carolina Peace Resource = Center
Columbia SC
----- Original Message -----
From:=20 Ellen = Thomas
To: NucNews
Sent: Tuesday, September 04, = 2001 7:35=20 PM
Subject: (abolition-usa) Please = sign on=20 -- Letter to Senator Paul Wellstone

Hi.  I'm writing to ask you = please to=20 sign yourself and/or your organization on to the following letter in = support=20 of U.S. House of Representatives bill HR-2503, the "Nuclear = Disarmament and=20 Economic Conversion Act."  Please see http://prop1.org/prop1/prop1.htm for more=20 information.

If you support this concept, no matter where = you're from,=20 please hit the reply button and give us your endorsement.  This = could=20 help a great deal.

Last year we received endorsements from 43=20 organizations on a letter to the Senators.  See http://prop1.org/prop1/letter.htm. Hopefully we = will do=20 as well or better with this year's effort to get the idea introduced = into the=20 Senate.  We also need to get HR-2503 out of the U.S. House = International=20 Relations and Armed Services Committees, and onto the floor for = discussion and=20 vote.  Your help is much needed.

Thanks for a quick=20 reply....

Ellen Thomas

------------ Letter to Senator = Paul=20 Wellstone of Minnesota, for Sign-On -----------

September,=20 2001

Senator Paul=20 = Wellstone       =          &nbs= p; Fax:=20 202-224-8438
Secretary of Energy 
717 Hart=20 SOB      =20      
Washington, = D.C. =20 20510 

Dear Senator Wellstone:

We = found it=20 surprising when one of your aides said recently that he thinks = introducing a=20 Senate version of HR-2503, the "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic = Conversion=20 Act," is an "impractical" idea.   See http://prop1.org/prop1/hr2503.htm.

Last = year one=20 of your aides said that you would probably support Delegate Norton's = "Nuclear=20 Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act" if Jesse Helms weren't = Chairman of=20 the Foreign Relations Committee.  He said that you were concerned = about=20 veterans' issues, primarily, but might be convinced that this bill was = worth=20 co-introducing with other Senators.  Jesse Helms is no longer = Chairman of=20 the Foreign Relations Committee.  If we can tell other Senators = that you=20 will co-introduce with them, this will help us get further = support.

To=20 respond to the aide's dismissal that the idea is "impractical":  = 187=20 countries, including the U.S., promised in May, 2000, to abolish = nuclear=20 weapons, but haven't set a date.  Our purpose here is to make it = happen,=20 to make global nuclear disarmament the LAW.  Treaties aren't = enforceable=20 unless backed by national laws.  National laws rarely happen = without=20 regional or local initiatives.  We have proven that most people = from=20 every region of the country and the Earth favor global nuclear=20 disarmament.  This is do-able.  It requires visionary = thinking, a=20 touch of faith, and a large portion of hope.  What else is = America=20 about?

Let me explain how HR-2503 would work.  It would be = a=20 statement to the world that the U.S. is serious about global nuclear=20 disarmament.  It is a promise that the U.S. will get rid of its = nuclear=20 weapons IF everyone else does; and will use the money saved to shut = down and=20 clean up the nuclear weapons industries, and to begin converting other = war=20 industries into something good for society.  For example, instead = of=20 building missiles and bombs, factories could be retooled and people = could be=20 paid to mass-produce solar panels, windmills, hydrogen fuel cells ... = an=20 entirely new, massively profitable industry which can transform all = our=20 societies.  No one need lose.  HR-2503 is entirely a win-win = idea. 

I would like a personal meeting, as a fellow = Minnesotan,=20 to discuss this.

Sincerely,

Ellen Thomas
Executive=20 Director
PROPOSITION ONE = COMMITTEE
PO=20 BOX 27217, WASHINGTON, DC 20038 USA
202-462-0757-- (voice)  = | =20 202-265-5389 -- (fax)
prop1@prop1.org -- (e-mail)  |  http://prop1.org --=20 = (World-Wide-Web)
_____________________________________________________= ______


I agree with this letter:

Name    /  &n= bsp;=20 Organization    /   =20 City/State/Country    /    Email=20 Address    /    Website
________________________________________________________________= ___________________

- ------=_NextPart_000_0016_01C135E7.4EF3C2C0-- - - 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: Wed, 05 Sep 2001 08:57:33 +0100 From: Sally Light Subject: (abolition-usa) Washington Post article Friends - Something to keep an eye on re: its potential for severe penalties against whistleblowers. Let's hope it's never implemented. Peace - Sally. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42544-2001Sep4.html Sally Light Executive Director Nevada Desert Experience - - 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: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 11:09:25 -0400 From: Patricia Watson Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Please sign on -- Letter to Senator Paul Wellstone > Hi. I'm writing to ask you please to sign yourself and/or your >organization on to the following letter in support of U.S. House of >Representatives bill HR-2503, the "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic >Conversion Act." Please see >http://prop1.org/prop1/prop1.htm for >more information. > > If you support this concept, no matter where you're from, please hit the >reply button and give us your endorsement. This could help a great deal. > > Last year we received endorsements from 43 organizations on a letter to >the Senators. See >http://prop1.org/prop1/letter.htm. >Hopefully we will do as well or better with this year's effort to get the >idea introduced into the Senate. We also need to get HR-2503 out of the >U.S. House International Relations and Armed Services Committees, and onto >the floor for discussion and vote. Your help is much needed. > > Thanks for a quick reply.... > > Ellen Thomas > > ------------ Letter to Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, for Sign-On >----------- > > September, 2001 > > Senator Paul Wellstone Fax: 202-224-8438 > Secretary of Energy > 717 Hart SOB > Washington, D.C. 20510 > > Dear Senator Wellstone: > > We found it surprising when one of your aides said recently that he >thinks introducing a Senate version of HR-2503, the "Nuclear Disarmament >and Economic Conversion Act," is an "impractical" idea. See >http://prop1.org/prop1/hr2503.htm. > > Last year one of your aides said that you would probably support Delegate >Norton's "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act" if Jesse Helms >weren't Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He said that you >were concerned about veterans' issues, primarily, but might be convinced >that this bill was worth co-introducing with other Senators. Jesse Helms >is no longer Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. If we can tell >other Senators that you will co-introduce with them, this will help us get >further support. > > To respond to the aide's dismissal that the idea is "impractical": 187 >countries, including the U.S., promised in May, 2000, to abolish nuclear >weapons, but haven't set a date. Our purpose here is to make it happen, >to make global nuclear disarmament the LAW. Treaties aren't enforceable >unless backed by national laws. National laws rarely happen without >regional or local initiatives. We have proven that most people from every >region of the country and the Earth favor global nuclear disarmament. >This is do-able. It requires visionary thinking, a touch of faith, and a >large portion of hope. What else is America about? > > Let me explain how HR-2503 would work. It would be a statement to the >world that the U.S. is serious about global nuclear disarmament. It is a >promise that the U.S. will get rid of its nuclear weapons IF everyone else >does; and will use the money saved to shut down and clean up the nuclear >weapons industries, and to begin converting other war industries into >something good for society. For example, instead of building missiles and >bombs, factories could be retooled and people could be paid to >mass-produce solar panels, windmills, hydrogen fuel cells ... an entirely >new, massively profitable industry which can transform all our societies. >No one need lose. HR-2503 is entirely a win-win idea. > > I would like a personal meeting, as a fellow Minnesotan, to discuss this. > > Sincerely, > > Ellen Thomas > Executive Director > PROPOSITION ONE COMMITTEE > PO BOX 27217, WASHINGTON, DC 20038 USA > 202-462-0757-- (voice) | 202-265-5389 -- (fax) > prop1@prop1.org -- (e-mail) | http://prop1.org -- >(World-Wide-Web) > ___________________________________________________________ > > > I agree with this letter: > > Name; Patrcia Watson, editor, Peacework / Organization: American >Friends Service Committee / City/State/Country : Cambridge, MA >02140 / Email Address: / Website > > >________________________________________________________________________________ >___ > > - - 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: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 16:21:34 -0400 (EDT) From: Rosalie Tyler Paul Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Please sign on -- Letter to Senator Paul Wellstone > Harry Rogers Nuclear Issues Coordinator Carolina Peace Resource Center >Columbia SC > > ----- Original Message ----- From: Ellen Thomas To: NucNews >Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2001 7:35 PM Subject: (abolition-usa) >Please sign on -- Letter to Senator Paul Wellstone >Hi. I'm writing to ask you please to sign yourself and/or your >organization on to the following letter in support of U.S. House of >Representatives bill HR-2503, the "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic >Conversion Act." Please see http://prop1.org/prop1/prop1.htm for more >information. > >If you support this concept, no matter where you're from, please hit >the reply button and give us your endorsement. This could help a great >deal. > >Last year we received endorsements from 43 organizations on a letter to >the Senators. See http://prop1.org/prop1/letter.htm. Hopefully we will do >as well or better with this year's effort to get the idea introduced into >the Senate. We also need to get HR-2503 out of the U.S. House >International Relations and Armed Services Committees, and onto the >floor for discussion and vote. Your help is much needed. > >Thanks for a quick reply.... > >Ellen Thomas > >------------ Letter to Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, for Sign-On >----------- > >September, 2001 > >Senator Paul Wellstone Fax: 202-224-8438 >Secretary of Energy >717 Hart SOB >Washington, D.C. 20510 > >Dear Senator Wellstone: > >We found it surprising when one of your aides said recently that he >thinks introducing a Senate version of HR-2503, the "Nuclear >Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act," is an "impractical" idea. >See http://prop1.org/prop1/hr2503.htm. > >Last year one of your aides said that you would probably support >Delegate Norton's "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act" if >Jesse Helms weren't Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He >said that you were concerned about veterans' issues, primarily, but >might be convinced that this bill was worth co-introducing with other >Senators. Jesse Helms is no longer Chairman of the Foreign Relations >Committee. If we can tell other Senators that you will co-introduce >with them, this will help us get further support. > >To respond to the aide's dismissal that the idea is "impractical": 187 >countries, including the U.S., promised in May, 2000, to abolish nuclear >weapons, but haven't set a date. Our purpose here is to make it happen, >to make global nuclear disarmament the LAW. Treaties aren't enforceable >unless backed by national laws. National laws rarely happen without >regional or local initiatives. We have proven that most people >from >every region of the country and the Earth favor global nuclear >disarmament. This is do-able. It requires visionary thinking, a touch >of faith, and a large portion of hope. What else is America about? > >Let me explain how HR-2503 would work. It would be a statement to the >world that the U.S. is serious about global nuclear disarmament. It is >a promise that the U.S. will get rid of its nuclear weapons IF everyone >else does; and will use the money saved to shut down and clean up the >nuclear weapons industries, and to begin converting other war >industries into something good for society. For example, instead of >building missiles and bombs, factories could be retooled and people could >be paid to mass-produce solar panels, windmills, hydrogen fuel cells >... an entirely new, massively profitable industry which can transform >all our societies. No one need lose. HR-2503 is entirely a win-win >idea. > >I would like a personal meeting, as a fellow Minnesotan, to discuss this. > >Sincerely, > >Ellen Thomas >Executive Director >PROPOSITION ONE COMMITTEE >PO BOX 27217, WASHINGTON, DC 20038 USA >202-462-0757-- (voice) | 202-265-5389 -- (fax) >prop1@prop1.org -- (e-mail) | http://prop1.org -- (World-Wide-Web) >___________________________________________________________ > > >I agree with this letter: > >Name - Rosalie Tyler Paul, Chair Organization - Peace Action Maine City/State/Country Portland, ME, USA Email handinhand@clinic.net Address POBox 275, Georgetown, ME 04548 Website www.peaceactionme.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. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 09:54:44 -0400 From: David Culp Subject: (abolition-usa) Wash. Post: Democrats to Pare Missile Funds DEMOCRATS TO PARE MISSILE FUNDS Panel's Planned $1.3 Billion Cut Opens Defense Budget Fight By Vernon Loeb and Dan Morgan Washington Post Staff Writers Thursday, September 6, 2001; Page A05 Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee plan to cut $1.3 billion from the Bush administration's $8.3 billion request for ballistic missile defense this week as an opening shot in this fall's battle over defense spending, committee members and aides said yesterday. Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.), the committee chairman, said a move to cut missile defense would come, possibly today, as the panel crafts the fiscal 2002 defense authorization bill. Levin said the administration's request for a 57 percent increase in missile defense funds is "unjustified" militarily and strategically, particularly since Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has yet to tell the panel whether any of the money would fund research activities that violate the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Levin revealed his plan as Congress began work in earnest on the budget for the coming fiscal year amid controversy over the dwindling surplus and whether Social Security and Medicare funds should be used for defense and other spending priorities despite pledges from leaders in both parties not to do so. Sen. John W. Warner (Va.), the committee's ranking Republican, said he had been informed the Democrats plan to cut funds from missile defense and add language to the bill limiting President Bush's ability to pursue research that would violate the ABM Treaty with the Russians. Warner said these moves would ensure a veto of the bill. Any successful effort by Senate Democrats to substantially reduce missile defense funding and restrict Bush's ability to modify or withdraw from the ABM Treaty would greatly complicate discussions the administration plans to hold with both the Russians and Chinese. With Bush scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in November at Bush's ranch in Crawford, Tex., administration officials have been trying to fashion a new "strategic framework" with Moscow to replace the ABM Treaty, which prohibits numerous elements of the administration's missile defense plan. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said the moves contemplated by the Democrats would send a signal to the Russians that "they effectively have a veto over what we do, which enormously reduces their incentive to come to an understanding with us." National security adviser Condoleezza Rice and other administration officials, meanwhile, are also preparing for extensive discussions on missile defense with the Chinese in preparation for the president's meeting with President Jiang Zemin in Beijing next month. Speaking in an interview, Levin said he favors transferring the money cut from missile defense funding to other military programs and authorizing the administration's full $328.9 billion defense request for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. Full authorization of the administration's request, he added, would be contingent upon approval by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) or by a vote by 60 senators to waive the requirement of this year's budget resolution, which ruled out using surplus Medicare funds to pay for defense increases. Members of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee clashed yesterday over the administration's defense request, with committee Democrats divided over whether the Social Security surplus should be used to pay for defense and other increases. After listening to testimony from Rumsfeld and Gen. Henry H. Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii), the subcommittee's chairman, said he supports the administration's full spending request. He added he would, if necessary, recommend waiving the Senate budget resolution to dip into the Social Security trust fund. "Many of our colleagues are going to be reluctant to cut into Medicare and Social Security to pay for defense," he said. "Politically, they worry that the voters will penalize them for raiding Social Security. I, for one, believe it is essential that we provide the resources necessary for defense." But Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calf.), a subcommittee member, made it clear that she does not favor tapping Social Security and, echoing the position of Senate Majority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D), said Bush has an obligation to recommend cuts elsewhere in the budget to pay for the largest defense increase since the mid-1980s. "He has said he does not want it coming from Social Security, he does not want it coming from the Medicare trust fund," she said. "Ergo, it has to come from something else that's cut." Rumsfeld refused to speculate about what he might be willing to cut to pay for the defense request, saying that is an issue for Congress and the president to work out. "The 2002 budget includes critical funding for military quality of life," he said. "It includes funding for training and readiness, for maintenance and repair of our aging equipment, for modernization and transformational research and development. Mr. Chairman, we need every nickel of it." Across the Capitol, White House budget director Mitchell E. Daniels Jr. assured members of the House Budget Committee that the existing budget "will allow the funding of our nation's priorities -- defense, education, debt reduction -- all consistent with the full protection of the Social Security surplus for debt reduction." But Democrats challenged Daniels to show how he could fund the president's request for additional defense funds in 2002 without using surplus payroll taxes from the account that pays Medicare benefits. Ranking Democrat John M. Spratt Jr. (S.C.), citing the Congressional Budget Office, said it would be necessary to tap the Medicare surplus through 2008 to pay for defense and other priorities, such as a new Medicare prescription drug benefit. "So [Republicans] have got to not just recant political rhetoric; they have got to violate the written letter of the budget resolution that the Congress had adopted just months ago," he said. Daniels said he understood that the budget committees would have to make an "active decision" on how to get around the problem. But he argued that the Social Security and Medicare trust funds were protected whether or not their surpluses were tapped. © 2001 The Washington Post Company - - 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 #462 *********************************** - 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.