From: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com (abolition-usa-digest) To: abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: abolition-usa-digest V1 #45 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 Sunday, December 6 1998 Volume 01 : Number 045 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 1 Dec 1998 07:55:26 -0800 (PST) From: john burroughs Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Abolition 2000 December Newsletter Sue - nice report! See you in Feb I think - John At 04:44 PM 11/30/98 -0800, you wrote: >ABOLITION 2000 > >INTERNATIONAL GRASSROOTS NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 1998 > > ********************************************* John Burroughs Western States Legal Foundation 1440 Broadway, Suite 500 Oakland, California, USA 94612 Tel: +1 510 839 5877 Fax: +1 510 839 5397 E-mail: jburroughs@igc.apc.org Western States 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. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1998 04:40:37 -0600 (CST) From: smirnowb@ix.netcom.com (Robert Smirnow) Subject: (abolition-usa) NEW NUKES IN SPACE VIDEO AVAILABLE NOW - ---- Message-ID: <366478C8.4C1E7291@earthlink.net> Date: Wed, 02 Dec 1998 00:16:25 +0100 From: joan and steve Reply-To: envirovideo@earthlink.net To: Robert Smirnow Subject: Re:Nukes In Space 2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For Further Information Call: Karl Grossman (516)725-2858 Steve Jambeck or Joan Flynn (718)318-8045 NUKES IN SPACE 2: UNACCEPTABLE RISKS POWERFUL NEW DOCUMENTARY RELEASED BY ENVIROVIDEO Nukes In Space 2: Unacceptable Risks provides an update on the Cassini space probe with 72.3 pounds of lethal plutonium on board, the scheduled August 1999 Cassini Earth “fly-by” and the consequences of an accident. It reports on NASA’s planned additional plutonium missions and investigates the U.S. military’s aim to “control space” and the Earth below with space-based nuclear-powered weaponry. Nukes In Space 2, produced by EnviroVideo, is hosted and written by investigative reporter Karl Grossman, professor of journalism at the State University of New York, directed by Emmy Award-winner Steve Jambeck with Joan Flynn as associate producer. Dr. Karl Z. Morgan, founder of the profession of health physics and former director of the Health Physics Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, states in Nukes In Space 2 that those behind the use of plutonium in space “are very brazen and almost inhuman in their attitude, willing to run the risk of imposing a catastrophe on Earth that man’s never known before, where he cannot inhabit this space on our planet for the next million years…It is inconceivable to me that you would allow such high-risk of plutonium contamination on the Earth.” Alan Kohn, a 30-year NASA veteran and a long-time emergency preparedness officer for NASA, says in Nukes In Space 2: “The people should rise up and protest this. We should not allow our democratic government to do this to us. It is our responsibility and our duty to prevent them from putting us at risk. We have to stop them. They won’t stop themselves.” Nukes In Space 2 tells how the Cassini plutonium fueled space probe, launched by NASA in October 1997, is slated to come hurtling back from outer space on August 18, 1999 at 42,300 miles per hour to buzz the Earth less than 500 miles high in a “gravity assist” or “slingshot” maneuver so it can reach its final destination of Saturn. It presents NASA's own acknowledgement in its Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cassini Mission that if Cassini makes an "inadvertent reentry" into the Earth’s atmosphere during the “flyby,” the probe will break up, plutonium will disperse and “approximately five billion of the estimated 7 to 8 billion world population at the time…could receive 99 percent or more of the radiation exposure." Dr. Michio Kaku, professor of nuclear physics at the City University of New York, declares in Nukes In Space 2 that NASA could have substituted a solar energy system for plutonium power on Cassini by shaving off just 1 percent, about 130 pounds, from its weight. Former NASA scientist Dr. Ross McCluney agrees and cites a “lack of vision at the highest level of NASA. I think they have another agenda behind-the-scenes.” The manufacturers of plutonium space systems, General Electric and now Lockheed Martin, the U.S. government’s string of national nuclear laboratories involved in fabricating the systems, and the U.S. Department of Energy, have all been pushing nuclear power in space. There is also a military connection, according to Nukes In Space 2. “Star Wars is the name of the game,” declares Dr. Kaku in this documentary. Nukes In Space 2 probes the Pentagon’s plan to deploy weapons in space. It reveals a U.S. Air Force report, New World Vistas: Air and Space Power for the 2lst Century, which states, “In the next two decades, new technologies will allow the fielding of space-based weapons of devastating effectiveness to be used to deliver energy and mass as force projection in tactical and strategic conflict…lasers with reasonable mass and cost to effect very many kills.” However, says New World Vistas, there are “power limitations” currently for such weaponry. “A natural technology to enable high power is nuclear power in space,” it declares. Nukes In Space 2 explores the U.S. Space Command’s desire to become “master of space” in order to “control space” and the Earth below. It exposes the U.S. Space Command’s Vision For 2020 report that describes the command’s mission as “dominating the space dimension of military operations to protect US interests and investment.” Among others appearing in Nukes In Space 2 are: Dr. Helen Caldicott, president emeritus of Physicians for Social Responsibility; Dr. Ernest Sternglass, professor emeritus of radiological physics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Dr. Rosalie Bertell, president of the International Institute of Concern for Public Health; Harvey Wasserman of Greenpeace U.S.A.; Helen John of the Menwith Hill Women’s Peace Camp; editor Loring Wirbel; Bill Sulzman of Citizens for Peace in Space; and Bruce Gagnon and Regina Hagen of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space. Nukes In Space 2 also shows how the use of nuclear power and planned deployment of weapons in space are illegal under the Outer Space Treaty. Nukes In Space 2 follows EnviroVideo’s 1995 video documentary, Nukes In Space: The Nuclearization and Weaponization of the Heavens, which received three major film and video festival awards including the Worldfest Gold Award at the Houston International Film and Video Festival, the world’s largest film and video festival. TO OBTAIN A COPY OF NUKES IN SPACE 2: UNACCEPTABLE RISKS Send $19.95 +$2(s&h) to: EnviroVideo, Box 311, Ft. Tilden NY 11695 or call EnviroVideo 1-800-ECO-TV46 email: envirovideo@earthlink.net For more information visit the Stop Cassini Earth Fly-by Action Site: www.nonviolence.org/noflyby - - 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, 2 Dec 1998 11:32:31 -0600 (CST) From: smirnowb@ix.netcom.com (Robert Smirnow) Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: FWB: Y2K Bug and Nukes - ---- Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1998 08:48:06 -0500 From: "Ross Wilcock" Sender: owner-abolition-caucus@igc.org Subject: FWB: Y2K Bug and Nukes To: "Abolition-Caucus-L" Non-member submission from [Robert Cherwink ] - -----Original Message----- Date: Tue, 1 Dec 1998 21:23:32 -0800 To: Select List From: Robert Cherwink Subject: Y2K Bug and Nukes read this! Y2K Bug and Nukes - Two items included: *2000 Glitch Poses Nuclear Threat *The Impact of the Year 2000 Problem on Nuclear Weapons http://fornits.com/renegade/articles/1798.htm - --- a few excerpts to entice you: <<< Western intelligence is warning of possible nuclear "meltdown" in the former Soviet bloc as a result of the so-called millennium bug... ..Russia's nuclear industry is in desperate straits. Throw in Y2K and you could have a giant Chernobyl on your hands... ..In a recent circular to all American power plants, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission warned that "control room display systems, radiation monitoring and emergency response" are particularly at risk... "The Y2K problem is urgent because it has a fixed, non-negotiable deadline," that circular concluded. "This matter requires priority attention because of the limited time remaining to assess the magnitude of the problem." <<< * 2000 Glitch Poses Nuclear Threat, THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES Nov 13, 1998 <<< The dangers of a Y2K meltdown, even if restricted to a few key systems, are intensified by the Russian and American policy of "launch on warning." This policy calls for nuclear retaliation after detection of another country's launch of missiles, but before the adversary's warheads impact. If Y2K breakdowns were to produce inaccurate early-warning data, or if communications and command channels were to be compromised, the combination of hair-trigger force postures and Y2K failures could be disastrous... ..For all of these reasons, there should be a "safety first" approach to Y2K and nuclear arsenals. All the nuclear weapons states should stand-down nuclear operations. This approach should include taking nuclear weapons off alert status or de-coupling nuclear warheads from delivery vehicles. .. .. The Y2K problem can affect every aspect of the DoE's "cradle to grave" nuclear program... <<< * "The Bug in the Bomb: The Impact of the Year 2000 Problem on Nuclear Weapons" BRITISH AMERICAN SECURITY INFORMATION COUNCIL Executive Summary (The full version should be on their website at http://www.basicint.org/ ) - --- Y2K Bug and Nukes http://fornits.com/renegade/articles/1798.htm Peace! Rob, Sector Air Raid Warden at Rob's Place /RENEGADE/ newsletter: http://fornits.com/renegade/ DEDICATED TO SPIRIT, TRUTH, PEACE, JUSTICE, AND FREEDOM Bay_Area_Activist list: http://fornits.com/renegade/articles/829.htm CHAT: http://jupiter.beseen.com/chat/rooms/i/1055/ Rob's Place: http://www.vom.com/rc/home.htm Robert Cherwink Usenet: alt.thebird WHEN SPIDERS UNITE, THEY CAN TIE DOWN A LION -- Ethiopian Proverb - - 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, 2 Dec 1998 17:12:25 EST From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Late and urgent, re two US peace prisoners of conscience Date: 12/2/98 5:09:34 PM Eastern Standard Time From: DavidMcR To: JDCoffin, 71564.3573@compuserve.com To: prcsandiego@igc.apc.org, psu02368@odin.cc.pdx.edu To: fbp@igc.apc.org, Epank, Doriew@igc.apc.org To: goodwork@igc.apc.org, jorgen.johansen@trada.se To: pjowens@flash.net, wrlne9@idt.net, Zefalcon To: RBLepley, lialliancepeace@hoflink.com To: etandc@igc.apc.org, VOBARON, jlucyny@enter.net To: Lthurston8, dhostetter@igc.apc.org To: nonweb@nonviolence.org, eschwartz@peacenet.org To: vickirov@worldnet.att.net, wrll@scn.org To: COC-L@CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU To: DEMSOC-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM To: LEFT-L@CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU To: RedYouth@lefty.techsi.com To: SocialistsUnmoderated@lefty.techsi.com To: cfaatz@teleport.com To: menno.org.peace@MennoLink.org To: nvweb@nonviolence.org CC: mjameson@lenoxhill.org BCC: DavidMcR Friends, First, this is late and urgent. Second, it involves Oliver Sachio Coe - active in New Jersey's WRL "Root and Branch Collective" and an older fellow, equally peaceful, Daniel Sicken. They took part in a "Plowshares Action" earlier this year at a US military base in Colorado - all this had been reported before on these nets and if you need any specific info on the case, send an email to Melissa Jameson: mjameson@lenoxhill.org Third - if you have lists of your own that should see this, FORWARD IT PLEASE A week or two ago Melissa had asked responsible folks to write to the Judge, which I did on behalf of WRL. She was worried about "crank letters" but I told her that the Judge could live with them and it was more important to let you all know that it would help if responsible letters were sent. I brought the info home with me and then couldn't find it for a week. It just this minute showed up. So I postpone getting over to the office to feed AJ (the office cat) and our WRL Executive Committee meeting to get out this info. THE LETTERS NEED TO BE WRITTEN THIS WEEK - MAIL BY SUNDAY EVENING. The Judge is: Judge Walker Miller % Susan M. Hackman 1961 Stout St., Suite 1525 Denver, Co. 80294-0101 If you feel you can't write a federal judge in a polite and responsible way, DON'T WRITE. The only persons who will suffer from a "wonderfully radical letter" are Sachio and Daniel. If you get smart, they get hurt, not the judge. The arugements for Daniel would just be at one level the same as for Sachio - no one was hurt in the action, there was no resistance to the arrest, and the defendents voluntarily returned for their trial (They were found guilty on November 4 and face a maximum penalty of 20 years and a half million dollars fine. They were charged with sabotage, conspiracy to commit sabotage, and destruction of government property in excess of $1,000). You don't have to agree with Plowshares actions to realize that this was a nonviolent offense, committed out of conscience, by two people who are engaged in positive work in their own communities. Your letter should argue that a long prison term would be seen as punitive, that it would not - from all the evidence of similar terms - change the views of the defendents, that even if a sentence of some kind is felt necessary by the judge, it should take into account the motives of peace and justice, of a deep committment to nonviolence, of the two defendants. And point out that these are people who are in their daily lives of positive worth in their communities, valued by friends and co-workers. IF YOU ARE A PROFESSOR, PASTOR, COUNSELOR, LAWYER, ETC., note that. (For those who want to write, the addresses until January 20 are (and don't forget the numbers!! - no kidding): Oliver Sachio Coe Unit A 28361-013 Federal Detention Center 9595 West Quincy Avenue Littleton, CO 80123 Daniel Sicken Unit A 28360-013 Federal Detention Center 9595 West Quincy Ave. Littleton, Co. 80123 If you are a pacifist you may want to send a bit of money to help with newsletter/expenses/commisary money (Sacho is a vegan so commisary money is helpful). No major legal fees are involved. Make the check payable to: Gram (say Sachio Ko-yin in the memo section) and send it to Melissa Jamieson, 10 E. Ridgewood, N.J. 07450 Please give this priority. Please pass on to others who believe that nonviolent offenders should receive light prison terms, or who will be sympathetic with the reasons behind the actions. Peace, fraternally, and sincerely (this goes to both pacifist and socialist lists) David McReynolds New York City >> - - 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, 3 Dec 1998 18:17:55 -0500 From: "David Culp" Subject: (abolition-usa) Forward: START II Analysis from Carnegie's Moscow Center __________________Proliferation Brief________________________ Vol. 1, No. 16 December 3, 1998 START II: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER In the Byzantine twilight of Russian political life it is ironically now the Communists (long-time treaty detractors) who seem ready to give the green light for the ratification of the START II treaty. The recent ascendancy of several prominent Communists into the cabinet of Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov has turned the tide in favor of ratification. Prime Minister Primakov and First Vice Prime Minister Yuriy Maslyukov personally lobbied members of the Communist-led Russian Duma - the lower house of the Russian Parliament - to ratify the treaty during closed hearings on November 10, 1998. Following these increased efforts, chances for the approval of the treaty by the Duma sometime in December are now higher than ever before. START II was signed in January 1993 amidst the honeymoon of post-Cold War relations between the United States and Russia. Its provisions require both sides to reduce their massive deployed strategic nuclear forces by almost half - to a level of 3,000-3,500 deployed warheads each. (The United States still plans to retain a total stockpile of some 10,000 nuclear weapons, though, even as the number of deployed weapons shrinks.) The U.S. Senate ratified the treaty in 1996. The Russian Duma, in contrast, has shelved it for more than three years since President Yeltsin formally submitted it for ratification in June 1995. The Road Ahead Just six months ago the Duma majority would not even consider a formal discussion of the treaty, but in November these same deputies agreed to accelerate the process considerably. Now they debate not just the notion of ratification, but specific implementing legislation drafted by officials from the Duma and Foreign and Defense Ministries. In April, President Yeltsin submitted his own START II ratification bill, which lacks Communist support and thus, popular opinion holds, has no chance of approval. In order to forestall the possibility of such a rejection, officials both in the Yeltsin government and Duma have begun to favor a Working Group approach. A Working Group draft resolution is currently being prepared jointly by representatives from both houses of Parliament, the office of the government and the presidential administration. Once this joint resolution is completed, the President will formally denounce his April bill and submit instead the agreed draft resolution. Such an approach will provide the Duma with the opportunity to consider the agreed bill from the very beginning - with much greater probability of its rapid approval. Reportedly, the ratification bill looks similar to that passed by the U.S. Senate, containing various conditions on START III, the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty, and non-deployment of nuclear weapons on the territory of new NATO members. Other provisions are addressed to the executive power, and call for the development of a START II-compatible plan for strategic nuclear force modernization, and sufficient financing of that plan. Although the Working Group probably agrees on the necessity of the conditions, concerns on specific wording remain. Some advocate more obligatory language requiring that missile deactivation under START II be initiated only after a satisfactory START III agreement is concluded. Others prefer a softer approach, perhaps requiring only a presidential recommendation on further START II implementation, contingent on progress in the negotiation of START III. Most likely, these concerns will not permit debates to begin on the Duma floor in early December, as some observers hurriedly predicted. Given that the Duma usually considers ratification of international agreements on Friday afternoons, December 18 or December 25 seem like more realistic deadlines. Potential Roadblocks Remain Despite all the recent activity, START II ratification should not be taken for granted. Communist and nationalist hardliners have so strongly committed themselves to opposition of the treaty that it will be very difficult for them to change their position - even if they want to help their newly-appointed allies in the Cabinet. Similarly, parliamentary liberals who have supported ratification for many years might now be unwilling to make concessions to the pro-leftist ministers. Moreover, there may be some opposition from deputies precisely because of the not very subtle linking by Maslyukov of START II ratification with new loans from the International Monetary Fund. In their eyes, the treaty deserves to be rejected simply because this would be the most efficient way to liberate Russia from the IMF and what they call its 'charlatan prescriptions.' Finally, the entire treaty could be revoked either by the Duma or by the U.S. Senate if the United States breaks out of the ABM treaty and deploys a national missile defense system, as some Senators advocate. Nonetheless, by January 3, 1999, six years after START II was signed with much fanfare, President Yeltsin finally has a real chance to gain its ratification. Unfortunately for him, this triumph may only be possible because of the ascendancy of his political archrivals - the Duma Communists. - Alexander Pikayev _____________________________________________________ Alexander Pikayev is a Scholar-in-Residence at the Carnegie Moscow Center and directs the Moscow-based activities of the Carnegie Non-Proliferation Project. The Project maintains a comprehensive web site on issues of proliferation concern, with special emphasis on Russian nuclear insecurity. Go to: WWW.CEIP.ORG. ____________________________________________________ Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Non-Proliferation Project 1779 Massachusetts Ave, NW Washington, DC 20036 ph: (202) 939-2296 fax: (202) 483-1840 email: npp@ceip.org http://www.ceip.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: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 00:08:54 EST From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Re Ven. Nichigu Asangha Some of you will remember Nichigu Asangha as the Ven. Sato, active for many years in the Gensuikyo movement and then, on the basis of political disagreements, tossed out. I don't want to rehash political issues here at all. I note only that on December 5th Nichigu Asangha will be 80 years old (perhaps under American ways of timing it might by 79). Those who know him may want to send a greeting. His email address is: nichigu_asangha1@po.teleway.ne.jp Since his computers suffered a "virus attack" he lost many email addresses and friends who do know him may want to restore your contact - an 80th birthday is a very good time! Peace, 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. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 13:23:41 -0600 (CST) From: smirnowb@ix.netcom.com (Robert Smirnow) Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Nuke Waste Bills are BACK - ---- Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 11:25:00 -0500 From: Auke Piersma Sender: owner-nukenet@envirolink.org Organization: Public Citizen Subject: Nuke Waste Bills are BACK Reply-To: apiersma@citizen.org X-Sender: Auke Piersma Folks, The nuclear waste bills of last Congress are coming back fast. The first action will be in the U.S. House of Representatives and likely to begin in January in the Commerce Committee. They hope to go to the floor in February. The bill in the House will be very similar to the one passed in Nov. of 1997. Their strategy seems to be centered on passing a bill and letting it sink in the Senate. I suggest we sink it in the House. I'll have targets out by Monday. Auke - - 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: Sun, 6 Dec 1998 10:08:21 -0600 (CST) From: smirnowb@ix.netcom.com (Robert Smirnow) Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Sustainable Energy Coalition: "Weekly Update" - ---- From: SUN DAY Campaign To: "'Sustainable Energy Coalition: Weekly Update - List'" Subject: Sustainable Energy Coalition: "Weekly Update" Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 17:46:41 -0500 SUSTAINABLE ENERGY COALITION "WEEKLY UPDATE" December 6, 1998 The articles provided below were initially compiled by the SUN DAY Campaign for the member organizations of the Sustainable Energy Coalition. Feel free to distribute this newsletter to others. Please let us know of other organizations, businesses, or government agencies that would like to be added to the e-mail list for this publication. FEDERAL ENERGY BUDGET 1.) Fiscal Year 2000 Budget Request: The November 30 issue of "Inside Energy" reports that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fiscal Year 2000 budget submission for fossil energy R&D sent earlier to the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) was slightly below the $384 million provided by Congress for FY'99. However, in the pass-back, OMB cut the fossil request by 33% overall with natural gas programs taking a 50% cut. The pass-back increased the FY'00 energy efficiency and renewable energy (EE/RE) budget by $15 million above the $1.12 billion originally requested by DOE. The article included no info on the nuclear R&D budget but noted that "among environmental cleanup activities, DOE's Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site in Colorado and the Hanford Site in Washington did not fare well in the passback." Separately, several DOE officials have indicated that the passback from OMB is unacceptable and that they will be working with the White House to improve the EE/RE numbers. However, White House officials have responded that the FY'00 budget caps are very tight, that OMB imposed lots of cuts from original requests in the passbacks elsewhere, and they could not promise an increase. Members of the Sustainable Energy Coalition have told the White House that without a substantial increase in the EE/RE programs, they are likely to publicly criticize the request when it is formally released. 2.) Ron Packard's Record: The November 30 "Inside Energy" reports that Rep. Ron Packard (R-CA), the next chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy & Water (which handles the renewable energy and nuclear power budgets), in the past has cast votes on several important DOE-related issues, including supporting fusion and nuclear energy R&D. He has also co-sponsored legislation directing DOE to build an interim storage facility for nuclear waste near Yucca Mountain, Nevada. However, he has voted against House floor amendments aimed at increasing spending on DOE energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. 3.) Climate Change Tax Package: White House officials say they are working on coming up with a more politically sellable climate change tax package, meaning they are considering changes to proposals to get more industry buy-in as well as adding some additional products/initiatives. However, the Treasury Department is still costing all this out and the Administration will have to balance expanding initiatives (e.g., biomass) with holding down the overall cost. Members of the Sustainable Energy Coalition are urging the White House to put more money into the $3.6 billion, five-year package if that's what it takes to get industry support. ELECTRIC UTILITY RESTRUCTURING 1.) Draft Executive Order/EE-RE: The November 27 issue of "Inside EPA" included the full text of a 6-page draft executive order under consideration by the Clinton Administration that would commit federal agencies to purchase electricity generated from renewable fuel sources even when that power costs more than other alternatives, and would set strict energy efficiency goals for federal agencies. It envisions 5% of the federal government's energy needs being met with renewables by 2005 with energy use in federal facilities being reduced by 30% by the same date. The draft executive order is now being reviewed by OMB and may be issued "early next year." Let us know if you would like us to send you a copy (warning: print is small & may not fax well). Members of the Sustainable Energy Coalition have suggested including carbon emissions reduction goals for the federal government as well. 2.) Administration's Restructuring Bill: DOE officials have told members of the Sustainable Energy Coalition that they are willing to consider changes in the Administration's draft utility restructuring bill. However, they want to avoid major revisions that would trigger an extensive interagency review process. They have flatly rejected carbon caps or similar measures aimed directly at emissions for feat that such a proposal would simply sink the bill. Regarding a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and Public Benefits Fund, DOE officials have expressed a willingness to consider options to strengthen these proposals somewhat. For example, the RPS might be increased from the Administration's earlier proposal of 5.5% renewables by 2010 to 6% or 6.5%. 3.) Rich Glick: A November 27 Reuters story reported that Rich Glick will serve as principle adviser to DOE Secretary Bill Richardson on electricity issues. Richardson noted: "One of my priorities as energy secretary is to help our nation's electric utility system make the transition to choice." Glick worked as legislative director and chief counsel to retiring Senator Dale Bumpers (D-AR) where he managed legislative staff and formulated policies on electric utility restructuring, oil and natural gas issues, global climate change, and nuclear waste disposal. 4.) Los Angeles/Green Power: The Los Angeles City Council gave the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power permission last Wednesday to offer customers the option of purchasing "green power." The utility said it would launch the program in the first quarter of next year. The utility believes that most "green power" customers "will see no difference on their bills and in many cases costs will be reduced" because the higher premium for the higher costs to purchase renewable-based electricity would be offset by a variety of energy-efficiency programs such as discounts on energy-saving appliances. CLIMATE CHANGE 1.) Climate Change/Losses: A November 28 Associated Press story on a new Worldwatch Institute study reports that storms, floods, droughts, and fires have caused a record $89 billion in economic losses this year worldwide. That is more than was than the $55 billion that was lost from weather-related disasters in all of the 1980s. Preliminary estimates put total losses from weather-related disasters for the first 11 months of the year 48% higher than the previous one-year record of over $60 billion in 1996. In addition to the material losses, the disasters have killed an estimates 32,000 people and displaced 300 million -- more than the population of the United States. A combination of deforestation and climate change caused this year's most severe disasters among them Hurricane Mitch, the flooding of China's Yangtze River, and Bangladesh's most extensive flood of the century. The report can be found at . 2.) CO2/Early Reductions: The Environmental Defense Fund has provided the text of S.2617, the "Credit for Voluntary Early Action Act," which is designed "to encourage voluntary greenhouse gas emission mitigation actions by authorizing the President to enter into binding agreements under which entities operating in the Untied States will receive credit, usable in any future domestic program that requires mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, for voluntary mitigation actions before 2008." Let us know if you would like us to fax or e-mail the bill to you. MISCELLANEOUS 1.) Combined Heat & Power: Reuters (December 1) reports that the U.S. Department of Energy wants to double the use of combined heat and power (CHP) systems in commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings throughout the U.S. by 2010. Savings from increased use of the energy-saving CHP units would amount to some 46 gigawatts of electricity, equal to the output of more than 50 large power plants. CHP can generate system efficiencies greater than 70% as compared to central generating plants that operate at a national average of 33%. 2.) Ethanol Record: The Renewable Fuels Association reports that the domestic fuel ethanol industry has achieved a new all-time high for production, manufacturing a record of 103,000 barrels/day or ethanol in October. The previous record of 100,000 barrels/day was set in February 1995. Production for 1998 thus far exceeds 1.36 billion gallons and the industry is expected to set a new annual production record in 1998. Since passage in June of the extension of the federal ethanol tax incentive, two new farmer-owned cooperative production facilities commenced production in Minnesota: Pro-Corn, LLC, a 10-million gallon plant in Preston, and Agri-Energy, LLC, a 15-million gallon facility in Luverne. In addition, several plants in Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota, Louisiana, and Minnesota have celebrated ground-breaking ceremonies and are expected to begin production in 1999. 3.) Wind Powers America: The American Wind Energy Association reports that between now and next July 1, new wind plants will be installed and begin operating in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. This surge in new construction will boost installed U.S. wind capacity by approximately 50%, to a level sufficient to power more than half a million average American households. 4.) Wisconsin Wind: Madison Gas & Electric Co. were to start construction this past week on a $14.5 million wind farm in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin that will include seventeen wind turbines -- sufficient to produce enough power to light 4,400 homes. The project is scheduled to start operating in June 1999 and would be the largest wind power project in the eastern United States. It will be financed by customers who designate that they want wind power as a source of part of their electricity. An average residential customer who signs up for 20% of electricity from the wind turbines will pay another $4 to $5 a month. 5.) More Wind News: A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 24.9 MW Vansycle Ridge Wind Farm near Pendleton, Oregon on December 3 initiated construction of the first commercial wind energy facility to be built in the Pacific Northwest in more than a decade. Texas Utilities and York Research Corporation announced the unveiling of "phase one of the 34,000-kilowatt, $40 million Big Spring (TX) WindPower Project, which will include the largest wind turbines in America." A November 30 article from the "Omaha World-Herald" discussed the Alta (IA) wind power project whose "wind turbines can collectively produce almost 193 megawatts of electricity per hour." The article notes that there are now 37 wind projects in different phases of construction nationally, including eight in Iowa. Let us know if you would like us to fax you copies of any of these materials. 6.) EXXON-Mobil Merger: In response to the EXXON-Mobil merger, SUN DAY released a 1-page statement discussing the adverse impacts on sustainable energy and climate change. A 1-page news release by US PIRG warns that the merger is "Big Oil at its worst" that will help the industry to "drill in even the remotest parts of the planet; consumers, however, will not benefit, and the environment will almost certainly suffer." Let us know if you would like us to fax you a copy of either release. Similarly, Public Citizen observed that "consumers are eventually going to pay the price for this since it induces non-competitive behavior." The transcript of an interview by Chris Flavin (Worldwatch Institute) with Jim Lehrer concerning the environmental impacts of the merger is on the web at: ; in addition, a statement by the Worldwatch Institute on the merger can be found at . 7.) Supreme Court/NuclearWaste: Reuters reports that the U.S. Supreme Court declined on November 30 to review a U.S. Appeals Court ruling that refused to force the U.S. Department of Energy to start accepting the high-level radioactive waste piling up at nuclear power plants, but allowed utilities to seek compensation from the government. A lawsuit filed by more than 30 states and state public utility commissions and by more than 40 utilities ought to force DOE to take the waste. A earlier (October 5) 6-page news release from the Minnesota Department of Public Service noted that "28 state utility commissioners [had] joined 68 of their colleagues already demanding that $6.5 billion in on-going Nuclear Waste Fund payments be deferred until the DOE provides the nuclear waste disposal services the fees already have paid for." Let us know if you would like us to fax you a copy. 8.) Yucca Mountain Doubts: A 1-page article in "Armed Forces Newswire Service" reports that a new geological study of Yucca Mountain has found that at some time in the past the proposed radioactive waste repository site area was flooded with water. DOE's predictions of performance at Yucca Mountain depend centrally on its location well above the level of the water table. Let us know if you would like to see a copy. ## 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. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Dec 1998 16:58:58 -0600 (CST) From: smirnowb@ix.netcom.com (Robert Smirnow) Subject: (abolition-usa) USA PLANS TO MILITARILY DOMINATE OUTER SPACE WITH NUKES, WEAPONS - ---- Date: Sun, 6 Dec 1998 16:23:43 -0500 (EST) From: Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space This message is in MIME format. The first part should be readable text, while the remaining parts are likely unreadable without MIME-aware tools. Send mail to mime@docserver.cac.washington.edu for more info. - --- Colonising Space: Peaceful Exploration or Military Adventure ? Leicester Peace Action Group Annual Conference Vaughan College, Leicester 14th November 1998 (http:/www.gn.apc.org/cndyorks/yspace/articles/lcon.htm) The conference was organised by the Leicester Peace Action Group. Formed in 1982 as a Working Party of the Policy and Resources Committee of Leicester City Council, the group operates as an umbrella organisation on which local peace and environmental groups are represented. Its objective is to promote moves towards the fulfilment of peace by working to remove the threat of war, particularly nuclear war. Membership of the Group is made up of City Councillors and representatives of the County Council and local organisations whose aims are consistent with the objectives of the Peace Action Group. The theme of the conference was inspired by the rapid growth in the use of space for military and peaceful purposes and by the development of Leicester's National Space Centre, due to open in Feb 2001. Over 100 people attended the conference which was opened by the Chair of the Peace Action Group, Councillor Councillor Roy Stuttard.=20 The following report has been compiled from notes taken by various attendees from West Midlands CND and Yorkshire CND. Key Note Speakers: Peaceful Space Exploration - Dr Martin Barstow =85 is a Reader in Astrophysics and Space Science at Leicester University a= nd a Fellow of the Institute of Physics. He is involved in astronomical research using a wide variety of space instrumentation including the Voyager mission and the Hubble Space Telescope. He is currently developing a new instrument for a rocket flight in 1999. Dr. Barstow's slide illustrated presentation took us on a grand tour of the solar system, with impressive pictures of the solar system taken from spacecraft. He talked of "the peaceful use of space" and of exploration, discovery and understanding of the planets, the stars and the galaxies that inhabit the Universe.. Space flight has enabled us to see and know more about the planets. The importance of international collaboration in this very costly and complex endeavour was emphasised. He did mention that it would be nice if the military (if it does have to exist) had to live off the back of a civil (ethical) space programme. The grand tour was followed by a review of three major questions: =B7 Why are we here ?; =B7 How long will we be here ?; =B7 Is there anybody else ?. The talk included some examples of where we have acted quite responsibly in space (e.g. sterilisation of vehicles landing on other planets to prevent the introduction of possible harmful bacteria etc), He argued the value of pure information as an aid to solving world (human) problems. We are children of space, being made up of elements created in the hearts of stars and blown across outer space in stellar explosions. Perhaps, therefore it is natural that we should explore space to help give us a sense of place and position? Also in about 4.5 billion years our Sun will die naturally. The Earth will die with it and so will the human race (if it is still around) unless we find an alternative home. One important statement came in response to a question about the use of solar power for spacecraft control systems, so allowing peaceful research to continue without using nuclear energy. He did not believe that this was currently possible at large distances from the sun, but would be in the future. Perhaps a ban on nuclear power could act as a stimulus to solar panel research? Another question on whether we should be concerned about asteroid impacts prompted the reply that there is not much we can do about it. The chances of impact are very low and if we blow them up the probability increases because even if we could split the body up (which is unlikely) we make many more possible impacting bodies. Military Adventure in Space - Dr Karl Grossman =2E. is a professor of journalism at the State University of New York/Colle= ge at Old Westbury who for almost 30 years has pioneered investigative reporting and environmental journalism. He is author of "The Wrong Stuff - The Space Program's Threat to Our Planet" and writer and narrator of "Nukes in Space: The Nuclearisation and Weaponisation of the Heavens" and has just finished "Nukes in Space II" which was shown at the Conference. He is a member of the Commission on Disarmament Education, Conflict Resolution and Peace of the International Association of University Presidents and the United Nations. Dr. Grossman started by stating that it is important that the new Leicester Space Centre holds and gives information about the military uses of space. Some aspects of space exploration are exploitative - planets Ours and others) are being mapped for rare minerals: this is about money and big corporations. And, as far as the US is concerned, no-one else is to be allowed strategic access to space. He showed extracts from official US documents such as "New World Vistas - Air and Space Power for the 21st Century" which states that "in the next two decades, new technologies will allow the fielding of space-based weapons of devastating effectiveness". Further, the document makes it clear that space based nuclear power systems are required to enable high power for space-based radars and weapons.=20 A major problem for putting nuclear materials in space is the occurrence of accidents. It was shown that the figures quoted by NASA and others for the probability of accidents are plucked out of the air to give false reassurance. Before the Challenger disaster the probability of a catastrophic accident with the shuttle was given as 1:100.000. This was immediately revised by NASA to 1:78 after the accident. The Titan rocket (used to launch many of the missions carrying nuclear materials) has an actual failure rate is 1:12. Dr. Grossman then described the consequences of the planned 1999 Cassini Earth "flyby". NASA calls a crash of the space probe fuelled with 72..3 pounds of plutonium dioxide into the Earth's atmosphere an "inadverent reentry". It says in its Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cassini Mission that, should this occur, "approximately 5 billion of the estimated 7 to 8 billion world population at the time=85could receive 99 percent or more of the radiation exposure". NASA in the report projects 2,300 fatal cancers in the event of such an accident. The report also speaks of plans if plutonium rains down on urban areas, for example - "demolish some or all structures", "relocate affected population permanently". The U.S. government's Interagency Nuclear Safety Review Panel "Safety Evaluation Report" on the Cassini mission, speaks of the possibility of "several tens of thousands" of cancer deaths.=20 It notes that in an Earth "flyby" accident because the plutonium canisters "have not been designed for the high speed re-entry=85much of the plutonium is vaporised" and provides "a collective dose to the world's population." Depending on where the spacecraft might "inadvertently" re-enter the atmosphere, there could be 1-4 million deaths. To clean up the operation would cost $200 million per square kilometre. NASA itself says that, if Cassini strikes an inhabited area, the cost of property damage and radioactive cleanup could be as high as ten-trillion dollars. But the US government has covered itself by the Price-Anderson Act which limits the US liability to a total of $100-million damages to all and any affected countries. Alan Kohn, former safety preparedness officer for NASA now believes that when the "quest for knowledge becomes too expensive" it becomes "meaningless". In contrast, a current NASA expert, Dr. Edberg, believes the "low" risk of an accident is worth it. On film, however, he agrees that the estimate of a one-in-a-million accident is "in a sense a number pulled out of a hat". The actual failure rate of space shots containing nuclear material is 12%..=20 And NASA has itself listed 18 different possibilities for accidents to occur to Cassini during the Earth fly by manoeuvre. Dr. Michio Kaku considers the weakest point is loss of contact with a probe, leading to an explosion. There is a 10% chance of this, or of a rocket misfiring and going into the wrong orbit. And yet the plutonium on board Cassini provides as little as 740 watts to power instruments. The European Space Agency have developed new high-performance silicon solar cells that "could profitably" be used in deep space missions. The European Rosetta probe to rendezvous with a comet will use solar not nuclear power. Even so, at least 8 more space missions carrying plutonium 238 are planned for the near future by NASA. There is too much vested interest in the "space business". In Germany the solar developers have a nuclear arm. The plutonium systems are made by Lockheed Martin, who also make the Titan IV launchers. In the US, the Dept of Energy is an extension of the Atomic Agency. On top of all this, it is impossible to get mainstream publicity in the US as GE & Westinghouse own major broadcasting companies. What is happening here? The aim of the US military is world dominance. The US Space Command declares itself "Masters of Space". Their mission to dominate space is presented, for all to see, in their "Vision 2020" document and their "Long Range Plan" describes how they aim to achieve it.= =20 The U.S. space military approach is also detailed in the book, "The Future of War: Power, Technology & American World Dominance in the 2lst Century", in which George and Meredith Friedman state that through the domination of space with weaponry the U.S. will dominate the planet below and "just as Europe shaped the world for a half a millennium" by the Britain, France and Spain dominating the oceans with their fleets, "so too the United States will shape the world for at least that length of time". They also push the use of nuclear power as an energy source for these purposes. As Friedman has said: "he who controls space controls the battlefield". The Friedmans run a think tank for the Pentagon. Also, of course, there has been little business for the nuclear industry in the US in recent years (you see - campaigns do work!) and it needs to find ways to keep itself going. The most recent justification for developing a nuclear space capability is to defend the Earth against asteroid impacts. Is it a coincidence that a number of Hollywood films have recently shown how the Earth can be saved by the use of nuclear weapons against these "threats from nature"? But all this is terribly risky. Accidents have happened - space missions have gone wrong and dispersed Pu 238 over the Earth's surface. This has a shorter half life than 239, is not fissile, but is much more radioactive.= =20 By 1970 debris from SNAP 9A (a '64 abort) was found on all continents. The ill-fated Apollo 13 in 1970 had 8.3 pounds of plutonium on board. It was ejected before re-entry in case the spacecraft burned up in the atmosphere and was said to have been aimed into the deep Tong Trench in the South Pacific. In 1996 the Russian space probe to Mars crashed and disintegrated over Bolivia & Chile. No help was offered to clean-up the mess. And, of course, the proposed dominance of space is a complete violation of International Treaties. By 2002 the ABM & Outer Space Treaties will be breached. Both of which have been signed by the US. The US has already developed a helium-based laser which can knock out rival satellites - in violation of the Outer Space Treaty. The U S Experience - Dr Donna Johnson Dr. Johnson lives in Colorado Springs the home of the US Space Command and other military schools, centres and bases. She showed slides of the construction of NORAD in the heart of Cheyenne Mountain. Information from the BMEWS at Fylingdales in North Yorkshire is fed here directly as part of the "Star Wars" system. NORAD HQ is the command centre for US military operations. It consists of 15 buildings built on springs inside the mountain to withstand a nuclear attack. It has recently been renamed "Cheyenne Mountain Air Station".=20 Dr. Johnson gave an interesting and inspiring account of how she (and others like her) despite living in the middle of a huge military complex, continuously and untiringly campaign against it. She told of her personal campaign of refusing to pay tax that went towards military expenditure. In one example dollar bills, totalling the amount that should have been paid to the Inland Revenue for military purposes, were attached to hundreds of balloons which were let off outside the tax office. A much better way to throw the money away! Despite all the witholdings and fines and interest - she was never prosecuted or gaoled. Other campaigns aimed against bases in Colorado Springs (e.g. Falcon, now Schriever, Air Force base and the Office of Space Domination) were described. Slides of a range of brilliantly designed T-shirts were displayed (including one displaying the quote by Margaret Mead - "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Personnel at the bases refuse to confront the moral issues associated with the bases - they are merely "doing their job" and others should "trust us - we're working for your best interests." However, this is difficult to do when there is a $20 billion pa black budget that funds secret projects a large part of which is associated with the military use of space. When so much money is needed for improvements in health and education - are the means consistent with the proposed end? To the campaigners in Colorado Springs, silence signifies consent and they cannot remain silent. As Dr. Johnson remarked, during the time of the Vietnam War, only 2-3% refused the draft but it was enough to pay a significant part in ending the war. Seminars "Civil Spies in the Sky - peaceful or aggressive?" - Dr Bhupendra Jasani Dr. Jasani is a Visiting Professor in the Department of War Studies, Kings College, London, where he is heading a programme on military use of space and arms control verification from space. He is currently working on a project for the International Atomic Energy Agency, on behalf of the British and German governments to investigate the applications of Commercial Satellite Imagery on the monitoring of nuclear power facilities. In a fascinating and interesting talk, Dr. Jasani explained and showed how information from commercial satellites is now so sophisticated that it rivals military imaging information. Imaging satellites are used in the verification of treaties such as SALTII, and although information from military sources is secret, most information is now available - at a price - - through commercial satellites. Many different states operate commercial imaging satellites although imagery from this source is not as high-quality as that from military satellites (civil are 700 kilometres above earth, whereas military are at 150). However, the gap is narrowing. European (French), Japanese & Indian are the best commercially available at present. Dr. Jasani has been urging the MOD to exploit the potential of commercially-available images. By combining them with radar images & information from open sources, you can arrive at valid conclusions about e.g. nuclear sites. Once a clear plan of the site is drawn up from multi-sourcing, radar alone will provide continued monitoring. He has been urging the IAEA to use this technique. During the Korea crisis the IAEA's use of US satellite images intensified the confrontation as Korea accused them of siding with their enemy. As well as photographs, information can also be obtained from images looking at other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, e.g. infra red or radar. Images can for example, give information about hot water discharges, or false foliage camouflage to identify if, for example, a nuclear power station is operating. Dr Jasani gave some examples of the use of imaging. Finding the phased array radar at Krasnoyask, with interceptor missiles next door which showed that Russia was breaking the ABM treaty because it was looking internally and not externally. He clearly said that nuclear weapons are the easiest type of weapon of mass destruction to identify and verify because the installations needed to make and store the weapons is distinct. He showed pictures taken by satellites of Israel's nuclear weapons production and storage facilities to show how useful commercial satellite images can be. Dr Jasani is trying to encourage non military bodies, such as the IAEA or the UN to use commercial imagery, since they are often stuck because they are not given information which is useful to them by the military. They can use the images to search out which places they should visit. Using commercial images could enable organisations to be more independent of the United States. Use of commercial images can be used in the implementation of the CTBT to prevent violation beforehand, rather than through seismic monitoring. "Space in T V and film fiction" - Dr John Cook A fascinating talk, though contributing very little to campaigning issues, except for a review of the way in which the public view both ethics and science in general. It consisted of clips from various TV series, mostly StarTrek, interspersed with philosophical discussions of the issues involved.=20 Apparently, the StarTrek series was the inspiration of a US war hero and was originally intended as "Hornblower in Space" - the pilot programme in 1964, called "The Cage", being gung-ho and chauvinistic. Surprisingly, this pilot revealed that the liberal aspects were more popular than the militaristic and, over the years, the programme became more politically correct. It was originally intended that the second-in-command of the Enterprise would be a woman, but the producers thought the public would not accept a woman in charge, so made it an alien!!! Seminar attendees thought that even now the women are only telephonists, etc, and don't make important decisions. Other points arising from the discussion :- =B7 Computer games are all about killing =B7 Baddies , e g Daleks in Dr Who are portrayed with German accents =B7 The only justification for science fiction is to make people think - - ie about metaphysics as in "The End of Eternity" (Asimov) or ethics as in "The Time Machine (Wells) =B7 TV, and therefore science fiction, forms children's view of the world. =B7 Britain can't win in the space race, therefore British programmes eg Re= d Dwarf tend to be more mocking. "To Badly Go - Ethical Use of Space" - Dr David Webb The problem may not be the science but the way it is carried out. As Bertrand Russell said: Science .. has two main functions: 1. to enable us to know things, and 2. to enable us to do things. It cannot be objective. But people can. Ethics are concerned with what is morally good and bad, right and wrong. This is usually human centric, but Fritjof Kapra (in "The Web of Life") believes we need to consider "Deep Ecological Ethics" because "Logic does not lead us from the fact that we are an integral part of the web of life to certain norms of how we should live. However if we have deep ecological awareness, or experience, of being part of the web of life, we will (as opposed to should) be inclined to care for all of living nature." Among the questions we should ask are: =B7 Why do we want to go into space? =B7 Is the cost involved immoral? =B7 How do we monitor the use of space? =B7 Can we separate the civil and military uses of space? Military activities are geared towards defence and dominance. Civil activities are exploration, discovery, communication. However, most of these activities (including communication which is used for propaganda, spying and control) lead to some form of exploitation and exploitation almost always leads to domination. Is this an ethical way to behave? Is it best for the planet? The 'Vision Statement' of NASA talks about 'exploring frontiers' whereas the US Space Command 2020 argues that the protection of space requires superior US space warfare capability. US Space Command and NASA have now agreed to work together in: "several areas of mutual interest in the hopes of saving both organisations costs and sharing in new technologies to benefit future spaceflight and spacecraft" This suits NASA, because the military can get cash more easily from accountable and unaccountable budgets. International Treaties have been drawn up and agreed to ensure an "ethical" use of space. These include: =B7 the 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies; =B7 the 1968 Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronaut= s and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space; =B7 the 1972 Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Spa= ce Objects; =B7 the 1975 Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Spac= e; and =B7 the 1979 Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies. In addition the International Telecommunication Union regulates the use of radio frequencies for telecommunications and direct television broadcasting by artificial satellites. However, many problems remain unresolved: =B7 the definition of outer space and its delimitation from airspace =B7 equitable use of the geostationary orbit =B7 the use of nuclear-powered satellites and spacecraft =B7 international direct television broadcasting, remote sensing, and the military use of outer space =20 The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 provides the basic framework on international space law it has been ratified by 91 countries it has good basic ethical principles: =B7 The exploration and use of outer space shall be carried on for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be the province of all mankind =B7 Outer space shall be free for exploration and use by all States =B7 Outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means =B7 States shall not place nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or on celestial bodies or station them in outer space in any other manner =B7 The Moon and other celestial bodies shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes =20 However, although treaties are often signed with the best of intentions, when an advantage is to be made in breaking them - they tend to get broken. The Outer Space and ABM Treaties are on the verge of being broken (if they haven't been broken already). =20 No-one believes in SDI, yet billions of dollars is poured into it. The US has a 'black budget' where money disappears. Is this ethical? It certainly doesn't seem democratic. Interestingly, the EU decided not to go for a BDM system for Europe because it is useless, expensive and would not be popular. Scientists should examine what they are doing, why and how.. They must recognise and confront the fact that the scientific programme may be used by military - as propaganda and a reason to keep spending on space publicly acceptable. How do we measure the moral advantages and disadvantages of the space programme? Is it inevitable that humans should want to explore space? At what cost? The Friedens und Begegnungsstatte Mutlangen and the Darmstadter Friedensforum of Germany have drawn up the following guidelines for the Assessment for Space Missions: Space missions should: =B7 deal with social needs of humankind =B7 solve problems on Earth rather than create new ones =B7 only be used if no better terrestrial solution is available =B7 be cheap =B7 not run the risk of catastrophe =B7 be sustainable (i.e. respect natural limits and use a minimum of resources) =B7 not create (international) conflicts, confrontations or imbalances but strengthen international co-operation =B7 not be used for power politics =B7 not be used for the deployment of weapons or missile defence An interesting debate covering much of the above was held in the afternoon session. There was some agreement on what was meant by the ethical use of space - but differences of opinion on how much this was respected by the actions of scientists, politicians and the military. Discussion and Forum In the discussion at the end of the Conference it became clear that the scientists in the audience found it difficult to believe the "domination of space" line. They could not believe that this was a national policy - - perhaps the work of some maverick general who was allowed to get away with saying too much? It is difficult to believe that top scientists that have to deal with politicians and bid for grants and awards in national and international contexts can be so naive. Details of one organisation and o ne event were mentioned - COSPAR and UNISPACE III. Notes on these, obtained from the internet, follow. =20 The meeting ended =2E.. with a closing speech from Roy Stuttard and with thanks to the organisers and helpers and special thanks to Anna Cheetham from Leicester CND who put in hours of unpaid work to make the conference such a great success. Additional Notes 1. The Conference also hosted the premier screening of "Nukes in Space 2: Unacceptable Risks" by Karl Grossman, from Envirovideo, which provides an update on the August 1999 Cassini Earth fly-by. It reports on NASA's planned additional plutonium missions and investigates the U.S. military's aim to "control space" and the Earth below with space-based nuclear-powered weaponry. Copies of the video can be obtained from: Yorkshire CND 22 Edmund Street, Bradford BD5 OBH Tel 01274 730795 Email: cndyorks@gn.apc.org (web site: http://www.gn.apc.org/cndyorks/yspace/ysnews.htm) Or from: EnviroVideo, Box 311, Ft. Tilden NY 11695 (call EnviroVideo 1-800-ECO-TV46 Email: envirovideo@earthlink.net) For more information visit the Stop Cassini Earth Fly-by Action Site: http://www.nonviolence.org/noflyby/ 2. Before the Conference Karl Grossman and Donna Johnson attended a press release at the House of Commons and Karl held an interview for the BBC programme "Uncle Sam's Eavesdroppers" which was broadcast on the BBC in Yorkshire on Thursday 3rd December. The programme covered the role of Menwith Hill as an integral component of the US Star Wars programme (see also the article by Duncan Campbell in the Guardian of 3/12/98 - at http://www.gn.apc.org/cndyorks/yspace/articles/swars.htm). =20 3. Karl Grossman is a founder member of the umbrella organisation created to oppose U.S. space policies, and the use of nuclear- powered space probes and the deployment of weapons in space . The Global Netowork Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space was formed in 1992 (see http://www.gn.apc.org/cndyorks/yspace/articles/gnet.htm). The next meeting of the Global Network will be in March 1999 in Darmstadt, Germany. The Global Network can be contacted at: PO Box 90083,=20 Gainesville, Fl. 32607, 352/337-9274 or E-mail (globenet@afn.org).=20 4. COMMITTEE ON SPACE RESEARCH (COSPAR)=20 (See also: http://cospar.itodys.jussieu.fr/) Established in 1958 by the International Council for Science (ICSU) to continue the co-operative programs of rocket and satellite research successfully undertaken during the International Geophysical Year of 1957-1958. The ICSU resolution creating COSPAR stated that the primary purpose of COSPAR would be to "provide the world scientific community with the means whereby it may exploit the possibilities of satellites and space probes of all kinds for scientific purposes, and exchange the resulting data on a co-operative basis."=20 COSPAR is an interdisciplinary scientific organisation concerned with international progress in all areas of scientific research carried out with space vehicles, rockets, and balloons.=20 COSPAR's objectives are carried out by the international community of scientists working through ICSU and its adhering National Academies and International Scientific Unions. Operating under the rules of ICSU, COSPAR ignores political considerations and considers all questions solely from the scientific viewpoint.=20 Address: 51, bd de Montmorency 75016 Paris, France=20 Telephone: +33 1 45 25 06 79 Faxsimile: +33 1 40 50 98 27 E-mail: COSPAR@paris7.jussieu.fr =20 The IAF and COSPAR organise annual joint symposia held during the scientific and technical sessions of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS).=20 =20 The 33rd COSPAR Scientific Assembly will be held in Warsaw, Poland from 16-23 July 2000. UNISPACE III (See details of the Conference at: http://www.un.or.at/OOSA/unisp-3/index.htm=20 On The Office for Outer Space Affairs web site: http://www.un.or.at/OOSA/index.html See also an Index of On-Line Reports of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space at: http://www.un.or.at/OOSA/coprep/coprpidx.html) =20 The United Nations General Assembly agreed that the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III) should be convened as a special session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space open to all Member States of the United Nations. The primary objectives of the UNISPACE III Conference will be (a) to promote effective means of using space technology to assist in the solutions of problems of regional or global significance and (b) to strengthen the capabilities of Member States, in particular developing countries, to use the applications of space research for economic, social and cultural development. =20 The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space has agreed that a Special Session of the Committee (UNISPACE III Conference), open to all Member States of the United Nations, should be convened at the United Nations Office at Vienna from 19 to 30 July 1999 as a special session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, open to all States Members of the United Nations. Its central theme will be "Space Benefits for Humanity in the Twenty-first Century". =20 Contact Information For further information and queries on the UNISPACE III Conference, contact:=20 Office for Outer Space Affairs Room E-0952 United Nations Office at Vienna Vienna International Centre A-1400 Vienna Austria=20 Fax: +43-1-21345-5830=20 Email: OOSA@unov.un.at - ---2132565244-315033615-912979423=:48656-- - - 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 #45 ********************************** - 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.