From: ASlater Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Re: stats Date: 01 Apr 1999 11:11:54 -0500 In response to Dave McReynolds stunning statistics, you may want to check out the World Game website, to see Buckminster Fuller's World Game Institute amazing one page chart on "What the World Needs and How to Pay For It Using Military Expenditures". http://www.worldgame.org/wwwproject/ Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Bob Tiller Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Nuclear Knife Aimed at America's Heart Date: 01 Apr 1999 12:05:54 -0500 Some thoughts in response: 1. If PDD-60 is top secret, how can we trust this (or any) report of what it says? 2. The U.S. military is required by current U.S. law to maintain deployment of nuclear weapons at the START I level, i.e. 6,000 warheads deployed. Period. No exceptions. It is ridiculous, but it's the law. (By the way, the START II level is not 2,500. It is 3,500.) 3. Launch-on-warning places everyone at greater risk, because or the possibility of misreading or misunderstanding the data. Incinerating others (and probably ourselves) in response to a warning seems a rather stupid way to act, because the warning could be about something as benign as a weather rocket. 4. Satellites will not be downed in a first strike, and communications capacity will not totally disappear in a first strike. It is absurd to say that U.S. naval strategic forces could not withstand a first strike. Even if half the U.S. Trident force were eliminated, the U.S. could still launch many hundreds of nuclear weapons from the remaining Tridents. 5. With the massive deterioration of Russia's military and the shrinkage of Russia's economy, no serious observer believes that Russia would be able to launch 4,000 to 6,000 warheads today. 6. Where is the evidence to support the claim that Russia has a nationwide ABM system? 7. No one in Congress or the Administration has claimed that missile defense would work against a massive first strike of nuclear weapons against the U.S. It just can't be done, and everyone knows that. The current debate about missile defense is about protecting against a small number of weapons (presumably launched by a "rogue" state.) 8. It is impossible for the Clinton Administration to assume credit or blame for actions taken by the U.S. in 1992. 9. The U.S. is not undertaking unilateral nuclear disarmament. Rather the opposite is occuring. The U.S. is engaging in "subcritical" tests on plutonium in order to perfect its nuclear weapons, is engaging in research on pure fusion weapons, and much more. (Also see #2 above.) 10. Finally, why would any sane person discourse about "taking out" all the nuclear weapons in Russia, or in the U.S.? If some nation (Russia, U.S., or any other) uses as few as 40 nuclear weapons, all life on earth would be radically transformed, especially in the industrialized world. Every single dimension of our lives -- agriculture, banking, medicine, transportation, communication, politics, education -- would be so totally different that we can not even imagine what things would be like following the use of a small number of nuclear weapons. After the launch of a few dozen nuclear warheads, millions of people would be dead and dying, while millions more would have no electricity, no food supply, no gasoline, etc. We can not pretend that using nuclear weapons is in anyway comparable to dropping some conventional bombs. Shalom, Bob Tiller David Crockett Williams wrote: > > [fwd]--One would think that it is a good idea to understand all perspectives > on the abolition issue. Here is one perspective supporting need for > multilateral abolition.... > > A Nuclear Knife Aimed at America's Heart > Joel M. Skousen > March 25, 1999 > > In November 1997, President Clinton signed a top-secret Presidential > Decision Directive (PDD-60) directing U.S. military commanders to > abandon the time-honored nuclear deterrence of "launch on warning." > Ironically, this was done in the name of "increased deterrence." > Every sensible American needs to understand why this reasoning is > fraudulent at best and deadly at worst. First, some background. > > The impetus to change U.S. strategic nuclear doctrine came on the > heels of Clinton's demand to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in early 1997 > that they prepare to unilaterally reduce America's nuclear warhead > deployment to 2,500 in eager anticipation of the ratification of the > START II disarmament treaty. This pact has yet to be ratified by the > Russian Duma. > > Gen. John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, responded that > he couldn't comply, since the U.S. military was still operating on a > former Presidential Decision Directive of 1981 to prepare to "win a > protracted nuclear war." A winning strategy couldn't be implemented > without the full contingent of current nuclear strategic warheads. > > According to Craig Cerniello of Arms Control Today (November/December > 1997 issue), "the administration viewed the 1981 guidelines as an > anachronism of the Cold War. The notion that the United States still > had to be prepared to fight and win a protracted nuclear war today > seemed out of touch with reality, given the fact that it has been six > years since the collapse of the Soviet Union." > > Certainly, the apparent collapse of the Soviet Union is the linchpin > in every argument pointing toward the relaxation of Western vigilance > and accelerated disarmament. Indeed, it is the driving argument that > is trumpeted constantly before Congress, U.S. military leaders, and > the American people. > > Almost everyone is buying it -- even most conservatives who should > know better. However, the most savvy Soviet-watchers can point to a > host of evidence indicating that the so-called "collapse" was > engineered to disarm the West and garner billions in direct aid to > assist Russia while inducing the West to take over the economic > burden of the former satellite states. > > But the most ominous evidence is found in defectors from Russia who > tell the same story: Russia is cheating on all aspects of > disarmament, and is siphoning off billions in Western aid money to > modernize and deploy top-of-the-line new weapons systems aimed at > taking down the U.S. military in one huge, decapitating nuclear > strike. > > Contrast this with the Clinton administration's response. Incredibly, > while still paying lip service to nuclear deterrence, Assistant > Secretary of Defense Edward L. Warner III went before the Congress on > March 31, 1998, and bragged about the litany of unilateral > disarmament this administration has forced upon the U.S. military: > > Warner noted the "success" the Clinton administration has had in > recent years, which has: > > Eliminated our entire inventory of ground-launched non-strategic > nuclear weapons (nuclear artillery and Lance surface-to-surface > missiles). > > Removed all nonstrategic nuclear weapons on a day-to-day basis from > surface ships, attack submarines, and land-based naval aircraft > bases. > > Removed our strategic bombers from alert. > > Stood down the Minuteman II ICBMs scheduled for deactivation under > Start I. > > Terminated the mobile Peacekeeper and mobile small ICBM programs. > > Terminated the SCRAM-II nuclear short-range attack missile. In > January 1992, the second Presidential Nuclear Initiative took further > steps which included: > > Limiting B-2 production to 20 bombers. > > Canceling the entire small ICBM program. > > Ceasing production of W-88 Trident SLBM (submarine-launched missile) > warheads. > > Halting purchases of advanced cruise missiles. > > Stopping new production of Peacekeeper missiles (our biggest > MIRV-warhead ICBM). "As a result of these significant changes, the > U.S. nuclear stockpile has decreased by more than 50 percent," Warner > enthused. > > All of this has been done without any meaningful disarmament by the > Russians. > > The Clinton administration would counter this charge by citing the > "successful" dismantling of 3,300 strategic nuclear warheads by > Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus, and the destruction of their 252 > ICBMs and related silos -- all paid for with U.S. taxpayer funds to > the tune of $300 million per year. But the real story is otherwise. > > Yes, Americans paid for the dismantling of these systems -- the > oldest and most out-of-date in the Soviet inventory. They were > scheduled for replacement anyway, so the U.S. taxpayer ended up > saving the Russians over a billion dollars, allowing them to use this > and other Western aid to develop and build new systems, coming on > line right now. But that isn't all. > > What the administration doesn't say is that they allowed the Russians > to reclaim all the nuclear warheads, and paid them to recycle the > usable material into new, updated warheads. We didn't diminish the > threat at all. We only helped them to transform it into something > more dangerous. > > Thus, the Russians still maintain a more than 3-to-1 advantage over > the United States in both throw-weight and nuclear delivery vehicles. > That disparity is widening dramatically with the Clinton > administration's unilateral disarmament while at the same time > encouraging the Russians to proceed not only with the deployment of > 500 new Topol-M missiles (which are mobile-launched and therefore > difficult to target), but to put three MIRVed warheads on each > missile instead of the treaty limit of one warhead -- for a total > deployment of 1,500 warheads. > > Not counting the presumed minimum 4,000 to 6,000 warheads in the > current Russian inventory, these 1,500 new warheads would overwhelm a > measly 200-interceptor ABM system in North Dakota -- which the > Clinton administration is insisting should NOT be deployed before > 2005. I wonder why? > > With our 50 Peacekeeper ICBMs scheduled to be decommissioned in 2003, > that gives the Russians or Chinese a wide-open window for attack, > should they choose to exercise their first-strike, > nuclear-decapitation option. > > So much for the "new realism" of the Clinton disarmament team and > their assertion that Russia poses no threat. Judging strictly by > public data from establishment sources (which is always understated > due to Moscow's heavy shroud of secrecy) the Russian threat is much > greater than it ever was, both in quantity and quality of strategic > nuclear forces. This is thanks, in part, to ongoing technology > transfers by IBM and other defense contractors with the knowing > participation and encouragement of this administration. > > Now let's take a close look at this presumed "increased deterrence" > the Clinton Department of Defense is promising. The administration > claims its brand of deterrence is still based on the "mutual assured > destruction" (MAD) concept -- a truly appropriate acronym. > > This is the presumption that, since both sides have an overwhelming > capability to destroy each other, that no sane leadership would > engage in nuclear war. Let's examine this closely. MAD could only > stand as a viable assumption if: > > Both sides had sufficient weapons and delivery vehicles to inflict > total devastation. > > Neither side had an effective anti-ballistic-missile system. > > Neither side had electronic jamming capability on its incoming ICBMs. > > Neither side had hardened shelters protecting its population and > leadership. These assumptions clearly do not exist today: > > First, we barely have enough nuclear warheads to take out the Russian > arsenal as presently constituted if we used them all at once (which > no sane military commander could afford to do, leaving him with no > reserves). Russia, on the other hand, has enough to devastate our > entire strategic forces and still retain 60 percent of her weapons in > reserve, for a prolonged conflict. > > Second, we have no ABM system to protect against ICBMs at all. Our > dumbed-down and slowed-down Patriots are theater weapons (built to > conform to the flawed ABM Treaty) and can barely catch slow, > low-flying Scud missiles, let alone ICBMs that coming screaming in > from space at 6 to 12 kilometers per second. The Russians have (in > violation of the same ABM Treaty) a nationwide system of ABMs tied to > phased-array radars and satellite guidance systems. > > Third, we have no electronic jamming on our missiles to help them > penetrate the Russian ABM system, and the Russians claim their newest > Topol-M missiles do have such a capability. Whether or not this claim > is a bluff is immaterial. The fact is, they are building new, > high-tech missiles and our technology is 10 years old and stagnant. > We are not developing or building anything new. This aspect can only > worsen as time goes on. > > Fourth, our civilian population is totally unprotected, while a large > portion of the Russian cities have public fallout shelter facilities. > New bunkers are being constructed for the Russian leadership despite > the economic hardships the people suffer. This should tell us > something about Russian leadership intentions. > > Is this Mutually Assured Destruction? Hardly. It equates to United > States Assured Destruction! In every category of deterrence, we are > disarming and stagnant, and the Russians are building and deploying. > There is, in fact, only one type of deterrence that is capable of > somewhat balancing the scales: the nuclear response doctrine of > Launch on Warning. > > Launch on Warning takes advantage of the fact that long-range > ballistic missiles take time to arrive on target -- up to 25 minutes, > depending on where the missiles are fired from. If the Russians were > to launch a first strike, our satellites would detect and confirm > that launch within seconds. In a Launch on Warning doctrine, our > missiles (if on alert status) could be launched before the Russian or > Chinese missiles hit our silos. There is also time to retarget our > missiles so that they are not wasted on Russian silos that are now > empty. > > Thus, one of the great advantages for a Launch on Warning doctrine is > that it allows the nation that launches second to have an advantage > over the nation that launches first. The one to launch first wastes a > certain number of its missiles on our silos that are now empty. By > contrast, our missiles (utilizing real-time targeting data from > satellites) strike targets that are still viable. > > Now that is deterrence -- a deterrence that we presently do not have > due to PDD-60. > > Clinton national security aide Robert Bell proudly proclaimed to a > group of disarmament advocates, "In this PDD, we direct our military > forces to continue to posture themselves in such a way as to not rely > on Launch on Warning -- to be able to absorb a nuclear strike and > still have enough force surviving to constitute credible deterrence." > > This is patently preposterous. Respond with what? > > We have no mobile missiles to avoid being targeted. We have already > unilaterally agreed to keep over half of our ballistic missile > submarines in port at any one time, so they can easily be targeted. > After all, we don't want our Russian "allies" to feel insecure! > > All of our Navy and Air Force strategic forces are incapable of > withstanding a nuclear strike. Even the remaining Trident subs on > patrol would be unable to respond when communication links and > satellites are downed in a first strike. > > PDD-60 removes all alternate submarine launch codes so that our subs > cannot fire without direct communication with the president. Those > vital communications links will assuredly not survive a massive first > strike. When you tell the Russians we are going to absorb a first > strike, you induce them to make sure they hit us with everything > necessary to make sure we cannot respond. > > This is not deterrence. This is suicide. > > Joel M. Skousen is a political scientist by training and former > chairman of the Conservative National Committee. He is a specialist > in security matters and consults nationwide on "Strategic Relocation" > -- the title of his latest book. > > - > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. > For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send > "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Peter Weiss Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) In Belgrade, Ramsey Clark calls for end of NATO Date: 01 Apr 1999 11:17:19 -0500 While I would agree with Ramsey Clark that NATO should have been dissolved ten years ago and that the bombing violates the UN Charter, it should also be borne in mind that Ramsey is the lawyer for Radovan Karadzic in the class action suit brought against Karadzic by the victims of the anti-Bosnian genocide. And has he said anything about what is currently going on in Kosovo, or is that solely the fault of the US? Peter Weiss David Crockett Williams wrote: > > Last night at about 3AM I saw on CSPAN a Serbian Television account of > former > Carter Administration Attorney General Ramsey Clark now in Belgrade touring > hospitals, war damage, meeting with civilians, and an interview with SerbTV > journalist translated back to English apparently by CSPAN translator. The > gist of his message was that NATO should have been dissolved 10 years ago at > the end of the cold war and that the current military offensive by NATO was > a violation of the UN charter and should be stopped. I wonder if this > interview will make the mainstream news today. It was announced that the > University in Belgrade had awarded him an honorary Doctoral degree in > respect of his efforts for peace. > > - > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. > For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send > "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Duma to vote on impeaching Russian President Yeltsin mid-April Date: 01 Apr 1999 12:49:11 -0800 -----Original Message----- Yeltsin mid-April >Peace. > >A friend who lives in Russia has just informed me that the Duma (Russian >parliament) will be voting on impeachment of Russian President Boris Yeltsin in >mid-April. Hard-liners are poised to take power in Russia, and if they take >power, they may well send forces to defend Serbia. > >Unless somebody makes NATO understand the consequences of their actions >(particularly the refusal to consider Serbian President Milosevic's agreement to >resume peace talks if the bombing is stopped), there is a realistic possibility >that NATO may be in direct conflict with Russia by the end of April or early >May. > >I'd like to suggest that PeaceBuilders who have contacts with high government >officials (particularly in Canda and other nations which might be receptive) use >those contacts to try to make NATO see reason. > >Yours, > >Habib >Host of The Garden >Web: http://www.thegarden.net >Email: habib@thegarden.net >ICQ: 7649155 > - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Timothy Bruening Subject: (abolition-usa) Russian Nuclear Missiles Are On Their Way! Date: 01 Apr 1999 21:55:53 -0800 (PST) Russia, angered by the continued bombing of Serbia, has just launched nuclear missiles from its subs. They will arrive at their targets in less than 15 minutes. April Fool! However, the above scenario is possible. The U.S. and Russia remain ready to launch more than 5,000 nuclear warheads on less than half-an-hour's notice, and nuclear missiles on subs can reach their targets in 15 minutes. Thus if either side's early warning system shows that nuclear missiles are on their way, military leaders and the country's leader have only a few minutes to determine if enemy missiles are really on their way and decide whether to launch their own missiles. This hair-trigger alert policy leaves the world vulnerable to an accidental nuclear war, especially with Russia and its military in chaos. Moreover, there is the possibility that the infamous Y2K bug will cause the Russian or the U.S. early warning system to falsely indicate an attack. This possibility has even the Pentagon worried. How can the U.S. and Russia continue to be one bad call away from a nuclear disaster? To reduce the risk of an accidental nuclear war, I believe that its imperative that the world's nuclear nations (the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France, India, Pakistan, and Israel, and I hope not North Korea, Iraq, or Iran) take their missiles off alert, remove the warheads from the missiles, and begin negotiating a treaty to abolish nuclear weapons. This would reduce the risk of an accidental war by reducing nuclear tensions and by increasing the amount of time it would take to launch nuclear weapons, thus giving the nuclear nations' militaries more time to determine whether or not reports of an attack are true. There is a precedent for such bold steps. In September 1991, as the USSR fell apart, President Bush unilaterally ordered a stand-down of U.S. strategic bombers, which had, for decades, been prepared to take off in minutes. Their bombs were later unloaded and stored. Some missiles were taken off alert in just a few days, and orders for some new weapons were canceled. Soviet President Gorbachev reciprocated within a week. He garrisoned the Soviet Union's rail-based missiles, de-activated submarines, and lowered the alert level of the USSR's strategic bombers. Within a few months, both nations had withdrawn most of their tactical nukes from forward positions. These steps made a time of turmoil safer. Let's demand that our leaders follow the bold example set by Presidents Bush and Gorbachev. Please contact President Clinton (1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington DC 20500; (202) 456-1111; president@whitehouse.gov) to urge him to de-alert our missiles, remove the warheads from the missiles, call on all the other nuclear nations to do the same, and call for a treaty to abolish nuclear weapons. Please also contact your Congressional Representatives to urge them to sponsor a resolution calling for the above steps to reduce the risk of an accidental nuclear war. (Members of Congress (202)224-3121. Senators Boxer and Feinstein (U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C., 20510). Representatives (U.S. House, Washington, D.C., 20515)). - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Balkan report from IWPR Date: 02 Apr 1999 04:07:29 -0800 fwd: THE KLA'S NEW MOBILISATION To turn back the Serbian onslaught, The KLA hopes to turn the wave of refugees into an army of the dispossessed. And they want Western military support to do it. By Fron Nazi in Kukes The Kosovars call it the "besa"--the sworn vow on which an Albanian stakes his life. Kosovo Liberation Army soldier Shkem Dragobia says NATO made such a pledge to his people. And broke it. "When we signed the Rambouillet agreement, we were led to believe that NATO and the US will help the Albanians. So we stopped arming and mobilising ourselves," he says. The KLA was strongly pressured to reduce its military activities. The talk in France was of decommissioning, and plans to convert the KLA into a force to peacefully police its own communities. At all costs, they were told, the KLA was not to take advantage of any NATO action to embark on an offensive of their own. The Albanians say they kept their word--on the expectation that NATO would do its part to prevent the kind of humanitarian catastrophe that is now unfolding. "NATO has failed to keep its part of the besa," he adds. He is speaking in a tight room, packed with rifles, machine guns, helmets and other basic military hardware, on the outskirts of the town of Kukes, Albania. Outside, every hour around a hundred wagons and carts pass the Albanian-Kosovo border, each one packed with ten, 15 desperate, despairing people, an entire extended family for each miserable transport. It is a devastating spectacle, and for Albanians the most bitter illustration of the failure of the West's strategy. But while the international refugee agencies and journalists count the numbers, at Dragobia's base in a small warehouse, others are counting potential recruits. According to Dragobia, a field commander reporting to the general staff, all agreements are now off. If NATO refuses to enter Kosovo with ground forces, the KLA is calling on the West to provide heavy arms, artillery and other materiel so that it can take up the fight itself. "We call on all Albanians and our friends to join us now," he says. "It's now or never." He asserts that if the West fails to find a way to turn the tide in the ground war now, the conflict between the KLA and Yugoslav forces could last for five years. But since the onset of the NATO campaign, behind the massive displacement of civilian refugees, despite the daily strikes at the Yugoslav military, the Belgrade troops have been giving the KLA a hammering. Like all KLA sources, Dragobia refuses to give details, but it is clear that fighting has stretched far beyond the central Decani area where the pre-strikes clashes were concentrated, and throughout the western part of the province. The town of Pec, the province's second city, has been emptied and reportedly largely destroyed, and Prizren and Djakovica are said to have suffered similar fates. Serbian TV continues to show coverage of the mass evacuation of Pristina. Refugees claim the Yugoslav forces are storing their military hardware in Albanian homes and other civilian buildings, especially throughout Pristina, to evade NATO air power. The KLA is still active in the mountains, but have suffered from loss of communications and limitations on movement. The roads and all the towns are firmly under Yugoslav Army control. Significantly, a strategy is emerging. Serb authorities are organising buses for the displaced, but appear to be directing them not to Macedonia--which for many would be the nearest refuge--but towards Albania. It suggests a calculated plan by Belgrade to unsettle Albania, which has directly supported the KLA, while easing the refugee burden on Macedonia. The West is particularly sensitive to the political disruption that a massive ethnic Albanian migration could cause to Macedonia's fragile multi-ethnic balance. It's a kind of strategic ethnic cleansing. "We are trying to stop Kosovars first from leaving Kosova by expanding our control over the territory, and secondly we are trying to stop them from leaving Albania," says Dragobia--a nom de guerre, taken from a mountain peak in the province. Like many other KLA members, Dragobia feels that if the West, in particular Italy and Greece, take the refugees, without clear hope of their return, they will be directly aiding Belgrade's campaign of ethnic cleansing. So the KLA is trying to reassemble a fresh army by recruiting among the streams of dispossessed, presently as many as 160,000 people, that are now entering Albania. Men freshly expelled from their homes and villages are presented with a quick choice: sign up for the KLA and join the counterattacks or resign themselves to an uncertain life in a refugee camp. Dragobia again declined to give numbers, but he said that Albanians from Albania are also joining the KLA, though they are being kept in reserve. But the main recruits are from Kosovo itself. Angry and in shock, many refugees sign on. To meet Dragobia we pass around 100 KLA soldiers, armed to the teeth with kalashnikovs and the mixed weaponry of a guerrilla force. Twenty or so young men, no more than 21 years old, in civilian clothes and possibly refugees, take the same route. "We want NATO and the US to keep their original promises," Dragobia stressed. That would mean the use of Western ground troops. "If not, we want them to furnish us with arms and to give us time to reorganise and equip ourselves," he said. That implies an escalation of the air war against Yugoslav forces and NATO supply routes and even military advisors within Kosovo. "If this cannot be done, then our wish is that they leave us alone to resolve our own problems. We're convinced we can handle the Serbs by ourselves, if we have to," he said. As we departed the warehouse, the 20 young Albanians, new recruits, had been freshly attired in neatly creased camouflage uniforms, new boots and bright red berets. They looked at each other awkwardly, like students just signed up to a college sports squad, and getting used to the new jerseys--yet about to play a very dangerous game. Fron Nazi is an IWPR senior editor. IWPR'S BALKAN CRISIS REPORT, NO. 15 -- ### -- - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LCNP@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) LCNP's Events Schedule Date: 02 Apr 1999 16:00:07 EST Schedule of Upcoming Events as of April 2, 1999 April 3 *East Timor Action Network New York "East Timor: Prospects for Peace and Freedom" Nobel Peace Prize Winner Jose Ramos-Horta on the future of Indonesia-Occupied East Timor With Amy Goodman of WBAI and Pacifica Radio 777 UN Plaza-- 1:00 PM $5.00 Donation Requested April 5 *Abolition 2000 NY Metro "Voices from Kosovo and Belgrade: E-mails and letters from the war." Celebrity guests include Erica Jong, Tim Robbins, and Rosie Perez Helen Hayes Theater, 240 W. 44th St., 7:00 PM $10.00 Donation at the door Contact: MADRE, 212-627-0444 April 7 *Lawyers Alliance for World Security (LAWS) "The Role of Nuclear Weapons in the Post-Cold War World: Preventing the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction" General Charles Horner (USAF-Ret.) Case Western Reserve University School of Law Full registration, including meals and reception, $50.00 For more information call Damien LaVera at (202) 745-2450 or Christine Lucas at (216) 781-3730 April 7-10 * International Conference on Nonviolence Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia For more information, contact Ms. Arlie Holliday, Conference Coordinator 92 Piedmont Avenue, Suite C, Atlanta, GA 30303 Ph.: 404 221 1480 / Fax: 404 221 1569 / E-mail: arliea@radia1.com April 8, 1999 *DPI/NGO Briefing: Issues before the commission on Sustainable Development Speakers include: JoAnne DiSano ad Navid Hanif 10:30 AM Dag Hammarskjold Library April 15, 1999 *DPI/NGO Briefing: Emerging Disarmament Issues Speakers Include: Saul Mendlovitz, Randall Forsberg, and Jonathan Dean 10:30 AM Dag Hammarskjold Library April 16-May 27 *American Indian Community House Exhibit: "Unmentionables" Opening reception: Friday, April 16, 6:00-8:00 PM 708 Brodway, New York, NY 10003 Contact: 212-598-0100 April 22-23 *8th International Conference of the World Information Transfer (WIT) Health and Environment: Global Partners for Global Solutions-- Environmental Challenges to Health Through Key Stages of Life Starts 10:00 AM in the Dag Hammarskjold Library, co-sponsored by DPI April 22-26 * Global Peace Walk Walk from Taos to Santa Fe, New Mexico Global Emergency Alert Response Contact: David Crockett Williams-- 661-822-3309 April 23 *Demostration in Washington against NATO Call to eliminate nuclear weapons and to adopt a no-first-use policy Meet at 11:00 at 14th St. and Constitution Avenue on SW corner of the Mall Free bus ride from NY to DC. Contact Felicity Hill ASAP to make reservations--682-1265 April 23-25 * 50th anniversary summit of the NATO in Washington D.C. NPT PrepCom meeting will take place in New York (before or after the summit) The Fourth Freedom Forum will organize a two-day event in Washington D.C. before the summit Contact Alistair Millar (program director, Fourth Freedom Forum) for more information: 733 15th St, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005 ph.: 202 393 5201, fax: 202 39305202 April 29, 1999 *Third UN Conference on Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III) Speakers to be confirmed May 7-10 * Honoring the Mother: Healing Global Wounds Spring Gathering 'Healing Global Wounds' is an alliance of organizations working to break the nuclear chain At Nevada Test Site (the camp is located on Western Shoshone land at the gates of the Test Site) Each day will begin with a Sunrise Ceremony led by Western Shoshone Spiritual Leader Corbin Harney Contact: Healing Global Wounds, P.O. Box 420, Tecopa CA 92389 Ph.: 760 852 4175 / Fax: 760 852 4151 / e-mail: hgw@scruznet.com May 11-15 * The Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century Contact: The Hague Appeal for Peace c/o World Federalist Movement, 777 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212-599-1320, Fax: 212-599-1332 May 13-14 *Eliminating Weapons of Mass Destruction: Why Not Nuclear Abolition? General Lee Butler, Admiral Stansfield Turner, and Stephen Schwartz Physicians for Social Responsibility, Pittsburgh $65 Registration fee before April 15, $75 thereafter. Contact: Kathy McCauley at 412-486-9065 June 18-20 * Nuclear Policy and Security on the eve of the 21st century: St. Petersburg Conference Co-hosted by St. Petersburg Peace Council, RPPNW, IPPNW, SLMK etc. Themes to be covered: International Humanitarian Law and Nuclear Weapons, European Security, Russian nuclear policy, and Security in the Baltic Region, among other things… Contact: Xanthe Hall, IPPNW Germany Ph.: +49 30 693 0244 / e-mail: ippnw@oln.comlink.apc.org August 3-9 *World Conference Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs Annual conference geared towards the total abolition of nuclear weapons Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan Contact: Organizing Committee, 6-19-23 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0004 Japan. Phone: 81-3-3431-1014, Fax: 81-3-3431-8781, e-mail: antiatom@twics.com August 6-8, 1999 *Beyond the Bomb: A New Agenda for Peace and Justice Albequerque, N.M. Contact: Bruce Hall, Peace Action-panukes@igc.apc.org October 10-16 * The 1999 International Conference of NGOs-- The Role of NGOs in the 21st Century Seoul, Korea - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) fwd: North Korea on NATO bombing of Serbia (WWIII brewing) Date: 02 Apr 1999 20:09:18 -0800 North Korea's reaction to NATO's bombing of Serbia should not be surprising to observers of current global hotspots. According to DPRK officials, the bombing campaign has convinced Pyongyang that it is dealing with "a new Hitler" and that North Korean officials believe that the Unted States would attack the DPRK like a "vulture" given the slightest opportunity. Therefore, North Korea will speed up its missile development and related military programs to deter U.S. "aggression." The DPRK justifies this as a "matter of survival." More details in the following Special Report by The Northeast Asia Peace And Security Network. (http://www.nautilus.org/napsnet/latest.html) With the continuing air campaign in Iraq and U.S. Armed Forces spread throughout the globe such as Somolia, Germany, Japan, Haiti, South Korea, and other places - the U.S. Military is spread dangerously thin. Given the hollowing out of the U.S. Armed Forces over the last six years, the U.S. Military involvement in Yugoslavia puts a further strain on U.S. Military service personnel and resources. Our adversaries in North Korea, China, Russia and elsewhere are taking notes! NOTE: The "Ethnic Cleansing" taking place in Kosovo is of particular interest. The "wars and rumors of wars," which Jesus referred to in Matthew 24:6 as a sign of His coming, is translated by many as "Ethnic Cleansing." Rick Woodcock KIN Intelligence Director ----------- NORTHEAST ASIA PEACE AND SECURITY NETWORK: SPECIAL REPORT ---------- The following "DPRK Report" is the product of a joint project between the Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) of the Monterey Institute of International Studies (Monterey, California, USA) and the Center for Contemporary International Problems (ICIP) (Moscow, Russia). It is written by Russian analysts associated with the ICIP and edited by the CNS. THE DPRK REPORT, No. 17 (March-April 1999) 1. North Korea's Reaction to the NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia has apparently had a very deep impact on the thinking of North Korean authorities. DPRK representatives say privately that their government now "has discarded all illusions about Washington's intentions." According to these officials, the bombing has "completely and irreversibly" convinced Pyongyang that it is dealing with "a new Hitler" who is "determined to conquer the entire world through intimidation, pressure, and aggression." Pyongyang reportedly now has no doubts that, given the slightest opportunity, the United States will attack the DPRK like a "vulture." To deter this aggression, North Korea, while continuing to talk and bargain with Washington, will reportedly speed up its missile development and related military programs. "It is a matter of our national survival," said one high-ranking North Korean official, "and the United States is mistaken if it thinks that it can check the DPRK's missile development through cooperation with other countries or by any other tricks." North Korean officials hint that their country intends to acquire such a significant deterrent force that Washington "will not dare even to think about attacking the DPRK." North Koreans believe that Washington, if confronted with stiff resistance by the Serbs and worldwide condemnation of "NATO aggression" against Yugoslavia, may become temporarily more flexible in other parts of the world, including Korea. In their view, the situation around Yugoslavia presumably broadens opportunities at this juncture to woo theUnited States into agreements favorable to the DPRK. The North hopes to use this advantage to develop formal diplomatic relations with the United States, remove U.S. economic sanctions, and join international financial institutions like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. The situation will be even better, North Korean representatives add, if the United States gets tied up in Yugoslavia for a long time. As one official notes: "Then, Washington will really have to act from the position of weakness. The myth of American invincibility will be destroyed. The prestige and influence of the United States in the world arena will vanish, and the Clinton administration will be seriously damaged at home." 2. The Status of North Korean Military Maintenance and Readiness According to various Russian assessments, North Korean conventional forces are suffering from a shortage of fuel, spare parts, ammunition, and repair facilities. Though quantitatively the armed forces are impressive, the qualitative side is rather backward. To overcome the widening gap compared to the armed forces of the Republic of Korea and the U.S. troops stationed there, Pyongyang is now trying to upgrade the technical level of its air force and army. Local research anddevelopment is being augmented by imports of high-tech weaponry from abroad, which is being acquired through the export of North Korean missiles. A particular emphasis is being made to develop the country's missile potential as the main deterrent against external threats. It cannot be also excluded that non-conventional arms are being made as well. While the technical component of the DPRK's military might leave much to be desired, the human component should not be underestimated. Experts believe that the fighting spirit and physical condition of the officers and soldiers remain very high. There is no lack of food for the DPRK's armed forces, so this factor should not be construed as one weakening the military's readiness. While they may not be well trained in dealing with sophisticated weaponry, North Korean troops may prove superior to their opponents in any prolonged conflict. --END-- Koenig's International News - Bill Koenig - http://watch.org/ Post Office Box 671164, Dallas, TX 75367 - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) RadWaste Remediation ACTION OPPORTUNITY Date: 04 Apr 1999 12:46:17 -0700 Following is forwarded request for emails to EPA official in support of RadWaste remediation technologies instead of Yucca Mountain and other radiation waste burials as now started in New Mexico under "Mobile Chernobyl" plan. Reference article below in today's Las Vegas newspaper. ----Original Message----- Awfully strange time of the day for a government official to be sending this out. I originally sent the e-mail about two months ago! Better late than never, I suppose. I suggest ALL of you send in some kind of a comment or question asking how come the DOE, EPA, and other agencies don't want to spend a dime on transmuting radioactive waste and still spend $6 billion so far on Yucca Mountain. Some of you are Las Vegas residents. Today's Review-Journal in its Las Vegas Sun section has some long articles on transmutation. [[DCW: See "Removing the sting from nuclear waste", By Mary Manning http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/1999/apr/04/508619786.html = ]] Not a word on the processes that we know about like Hal Fox's group or Paul Brown's photoremediation process. The blackout by the mass media still continues. I would protest to the EPA the blackout. [[[DCW: note; Low Energy Nuclear Transmutation (LENT) technologies, a "byproduct" of previously mis-labeled but viable "cold fusion" devices, actually neutralize radioactive materials. some website references are s= how here. Get more details from Gary Vesperman. Photo of flake of non-radioactive copper which had been transmuted from radioactive thorium using low-energy nuclear transmutation (LENT): http://web.gcis.net/cincygrp Stories of scientific skeptics proven wrong: http://www.padrak.com/ine/FABFACTS.html Possibly the most original alternative physics site is Mike Hanson=92s at= : http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Lab/6771/magnet.html I [Gary] am a member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for New Energy. Information on over 100 energy devices (and Hal Fox's work) is at: http://www.padrak.com/ine Cold Fusion Times magazine: http://www.world.std.com/~mica/cft.html Long list of cold fusion sites: http://www.skypoint.com/members/jlogajan Infinite Energy and Cold Fusion mag: http://www.mit.edu:8001/people/rei/CFdir/CFhome.html **Mallove, Infinite Energy Magazinehttp://www.infinite-energy.com ]]] [Gary, continued:] If you get any responses, forward them to me. I will forward them back to you all. -----Original Message----- > >Your Comment: >---------------------------------------------------------------- >Hello! >Below is an e-mail I sent to Hal Fox Thursday. >We are trying to arrange for sponsorship by the Nevada Governor's office for the >LENT demo at the Feb. 16 nuclear waste summit in Carson City. I thought some of >your members may like to drive over and see the demo, if it is held. We have a >few little nuclear problems like Iraq possibly acting up in preparation = for >smuggling uclear bombs next to some of our nuclear power plants. The figure I >remember is that a 1000-megawatt nuclear power plant running at full pow= er for >one year accumulates the radioactive equivalent of 2,300 Hiroshima atomi= c bombs. >One Hiroshima bomb killed, and is still killing, 300,000 people. > >Let's assume a complex of two large elderly nuclear power plants in Illinois has >in its waste fuel storage pools 10,000 Hiroshima bombs of radioactivity. Iraq >smuggles in just one bomb and blows it up. (Notice that I did not say th= at an >ICBM is needed to deliver the bomb.) We would then >have a situation in our agricultural heartland far worse than Chernobyl.= I >remember reading that Italy alone had to dispose of $750,000,000 worth o= f >radioactivity-contaminated food. I still try not to buy food imported fr= om >Europe. > >I recently saw a report that the inspectors never found and destroyed Iraq's >nuclear apparatus. Their technical people are now free to finish buildin= g their >own bombs within a few months. >Iraq has been acting strangely confident lately with its saber-rattling. What >the low-energy nuclear transmutation technology offers is a method of easily >transmuting the radioactivity out of the waste nuclear fuel. I had sent = out the >e-mail to the environmental community to try to wake them up and stop wasting >time and money on Yucca Mountain. Please support the development of the LENT >process so that we can reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism. I don't thi= nk we >have time to lose. Please forward this message to other nuclear activist= s. > >For more information about the conference, call the Nevada Governor's office >at 775-684-5670. >Thank you! >Gary Vesperman > >---------------------------------------------------------------- > >EPA's Reply: >---------------------------------------------------------------- >Dear Mr. Vesperman: > >You can learn more about radioactive waste disposal in the United States= by >visiting the following pages: > >General Overview - www.epa.gov/radiation/radwaste/ >Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - www.epa.gov/radiation/wipp/ >Yucca Mtn. - www.epa.gov/radiation/yucca/ > >Let me know if you have any specific questions. > >Sincerely, > >Carey Johnston >USEPA - Radiation Protection Division >johnston.carey@epa.gov >---------------------------------------------------------------- > >Please contact us if you have additional questions. > > > - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) fwd: Kosovo, a "leftist" perspective Date: 04 Apr 1999 15:08:56 -0700 >This from a leftist perspective, but who can doubt the relevance of the >information? When (and if) Kosovo is "liberated", who winds up in contr= ol >of the mines? Anyone who might be making campaign contributions? Remem= ber >the movers and shakers of the NWO are just as amused by the rantings of = the >"leftists" as they are by the rantings of "right wing extremists" -- as >long as the two blame each other and continue to fail recognize their >common serfdom. ICE >************************************************************************= *** * >Subject: The Serbian Cash Register A real Eye Opener > >Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the July 30, 1998 issue of >Workers World newspaper >------------------------- Kosovo: 'The war is about the mines' By Sara >Flounders > >Wars are at root about economics, and the rapidly expanding war in Kosov= o >is no different. So why have millions of dollars in high-tech weapons >suddenly become available to the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army by way= of >the U.S. and Germany? > >A July 11 report by New York Times Balkans bureau chief Chris Hedges >describes the KLA's new arsenal=97the latest anti-tank rocket-propelled >grenades and anti-aircraft weapons. These weapons are shifting the bala= nce >of power toward the KLA, which is funded fully by outside sources, mostl= y >from the U.S. and Germany. >The KLA is "fed by recruits, money and arms from outside Serbia," Hedges >confirms. It has an "inexhaustible supply line," he reports. > >"Rebel soldiers, in full uniform with the red and black patch of the Kos= ovo >Liberation Army, pull thick wads of German marks from their pockets. The= re >are also signs that the arrival of dozens of former professional soldier= s >as well as some mercenaries are turning the ragtag band into a viable >military force of several thousand fighters." In fact, the KLA is >primarily a mercenary army funded by the kind of shadowy sources that ha= ve >long been associated with U.S. and German intelligence services. It is= a >contra army. > >Kosovo is often portrayed in the media as an isolated mountainous region >that's poor and without resources. It might seem, from these accounts, = to >be an area of interest only to those who live there. >The New York Times, for example, has carried dozens of such articles by >Chris Hedges in the last six months. Only once, on July 8, did Hedges >write about the real wealth of Kosovo=97the Stari Trg mining complex. I= t was >a tip-off that something more was at stake in this war. > >Hedges' visit to the Stari Trg mining complex is an eye opener. He >describes the glittering veins of lead, zinc, cadmium, gold and silver i= n >Stari Trg. According to Hedges, "The sprawling state-owned Trepca mining >complex, the most valuable piece of real estate in the Balkans, is worth= at >least $5 billion." According to the mine's director, Novak Bjelic, "The = war >in Kosovo is about the mines, nothing else. This is Serbia's Kuwait=97t= he >heart of Kosovo. > >... In addition to all this, Kosovo has 17 billion tons of coal reserve= s." >The whole world knows and observed firsthand in the war against Iraq to >what horrendous extent the Pentagon was willing to go in order to guaran= tee >control of the oil wealth of Kuwait. But the enormous mineral wealth of >Kosovo is never publicly discussed by U.S. United Nations Ambassador >Richard Holbrooke, President Bill Clinton or the Pentagon generals. The= y >speak only of "self-determination" of the Albanian population of Kosovo. >Of course, they never mention what U.S.-imposed "self-determination" mea= ns. > It means colonization under the guise of "liberation," like what the U.= S. >did to Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Philippines a hundred years ago. > >An Internet search for reports on the mines of Kosovo=97the Trepca minin= g >complex or Stari Trg=97turned up only the one article by Hedges and a sm= all >piece in the June 22 Wall Street Journal. All other mentions are in >metallurgical journals. How could this vital fact be omitted from all >discussion of what is at stake in Kosovo? It is comparable to describin= g >Kuwait and the oil-rich Gulf states as barren deserts. The wealth of Kos= ovo >is greater than the rich veins of ore in the mines. Hedges describes the >mining complex: "The Stari Trg mine, with its warehouses, is ringed with >smelting plants, 17 metal treatment sites, freight yards, railroad lines= , a >power plant and the country's largest battery plant." > >The labor power of millions of workers throughout socialist Yugoslavia >built this mining complex into the powerhouse it is today. It was their >wealth that was invested in developing the complex. It belongs not just= to >those who live in Kosovo, but to the workers of all Yugoslavia. The >Yugoslav web site www.yugo slavia.com describes Trepca as the "richest l= ead >and zinc mines in Europe." Lignite deposits in the Kosovo mines are, >according to experts, sufficient for the next 13 centuries. The capacit= y >of the lead and zinc refineries ranks third in the world. > >Miners work round the clock, day and night, in six-hour shifts. Accordin= g >to the mine director, "In the last three years we have mined 2,538,124 >tons of lead and zinc crude ore and produced 286,502 tons of lead and zi= nc >and 139,789 tons of pure lead, zinc, cadmium, silver and gold." Although >the average person watching the news in the evening has never heard of >Stari Trg, it has been a prize changing hands for two thousand years. >The wealth of Stari Trg is legendary. Precious metals were mined there >more than 2,000 years ago, first by the Greeks, then by the Romans. > >These mines were the grand prize in the Nazi occupation of the Balkans >after Germany grabbed control from the British. The mines have great >industrial and military importance. The Nazis used batteries produced >there to power their U-boats. Today submarine batteries are still made >there. Profits from these mines are helping to keep the Yugoslav Federat= ion >afloat. > >U.S. and UN sanctions imposed on Serbia and Montenegro, the two remaini= ng >republics of Yugoslavia, have taken an enormous toll. Without investment >credits, loans for financing industry, imports and exports, the economy = has >been stifled. Inflation has weakened the currency. The mines, which onc= e >were the largest employer in the province, have also been affected. The >most important words in Hedges' article are the description of the compl= ex >as "state owned." Throughout this decade, as the capitalist market has >swept over the former socialist countries of Eastern Europe and the Sovi= et >Union, socialist Yugoslavia has attempted to resist privatization of its >industry and natural resources. To break this resistance, the Western >imperialist countries played a major role in the breakup of socialist >Yugoslavia. > >This huge complex of mines, refining, power and transportation in Kosovo >may well be the largest uncontested piece of wealth not yet in the hands= of >the big capitalists of the U.S. or Europe. The industry, natural resourc= es >and transportation of all the former Soviet republics, the socialist >countries of Eastern Europe, and the secessionist republics of Yugoslavi= a >are now being rapidly privatized. No one within the region has the weal= th >or connections to finance capital to buy controlling shares of these vas= t >state-owned industries. The major Western corporations are gobbling the= se >industries up. > >While the fate of some industries is still in negotiation, the lending a= nd >credit conditions of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank >require the breakup of all state-owned industries. This is true for the >oil and natural gas wealth in the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea as well a= s >the diamond mines of Siberia. >The decision on who will own or have controlling interest in the 22 mine= s >and the many processing plants of the Trepca complex will be made by >whoever wins the armed struggle raging in Kosovo. NATO domination on th= e >ground would put U.S. corporations in the best ownership position. >Nationalist strife advances their position. >Although being forced to privatize in order to survive in today's global >market, Yugoslavia has tried to control the process and to propose Balka= n >regional development. > >According to the June 22 Wall Street Journal, the Yugoslav Federation is= in >negotiations to sell shares in the Trepca mining complex. Forced by the >economic crisis, they have been negotiating with a Greek >investor=97Mytilineos Holdings SA=97for partial ownership. The former ma= nager >of the mines, Byrhan Kavaja=97who is now allied with the opposition to t= he >Yugoslav government=97has written to all corporations dealing in soft me= tals >to tell them not to make agreements with the Yugoslav government. Kavaj= a >says that once a new government is in power, all past decisions on >ownership will be invalidated. The opposition will make "new agreements= ." >Who is likely to be the beneficiary of these agreements? > >The progressive movement in the U.S. and throughout Western Europe must= be >at the forefront in explaining that the billions of dollars spent on the >U.S./NATO occupation of the region is not in the interests of any of the >people of the Balkans. Nor is it in the interests of poor and working >people in the U.S. or Europe. The war is destroying all that was built >through collective ownership and collaboration in the Balkans. This war >will mean higher taxes and even more cuts in social programs in the U.S = and >Europe. But the billions of dollars in profit will go to a few wealthy >stockholders in the U.S. or in Western Europe. >- END - > - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) [a response to] Kosovo, a "leftist" perspective Date: 04 Apr 1999 17:15:51 -0700 -----Original Message----- >Readers of Sara Flounders' propaganda for Milosevic need to know that >she is not exactly a "leftist" but a member of a tiny "revolutionary" >splinter party that is apparently loyal to Belgrade. Back in the old >days, there were "Marxist" parties sworn to Moscow, Beijing, Hanoi, >Yugoslavia and even Hoxha's Albania, plus others I'm sure. Each party >claimed it's particular workers' paradise or dead Communist leader had >the One True Way to Socialism, with all others being deviationist >enemies of the people. The Workers' World Party is one of the few of >these little groups to survive the Cold War. I suspect they are being >supported directly by Belgrade or else by Serbs living in the US. In >any case, Flounders in other documents and public speeches denies that >there has been any genocide or "ethnic cleansing" either in Kosovo or >Bosnia, in spite of the overwhelming body of evidence. It's bizarre. >She denies the Omarska concentration camp, the massacre at Srebrenica, >the mass rapes of Bosnian Muslim women, and the recent massacre at >Racak witnessed by the OSCE observers. Her party is a conspiratorial, >hierarchical organization which brings thugs to its public meetings in >order to silence any dissenters in the audience. > >As for her point about the mines, it is indeed likely that these mines >play a role in motivating the current holocaust -- on the Serbian side. >If, as she claims, the mines are worth $5 billion, that would certainly >explain Milosevic' determination to hold on to them. It would not >explain the US interest in the Kosovo genocide, which is going to end >up costing the United States a lot more than $5 billion, and in which >we are risking stakes potentially as high as a nuclear apocalypse. > >The notion that these mines are what the conflict is about for the US >would be laughable, if it were possible to laugh about any of this. > >Mark Gubrud > - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: hcaldic Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Nuclear Knife Aimed at America's Heart Date: 04 Apr 1999 20:35:42 -0400 Bob Tiller wrote: > > Some thoughts in response: > > 1. If PDD-60 is top secret, how can we trust this (or any) report of > what it says? > > 2. The U.S. military is required by current U.S. law to maintain > deployment of nuclear weapons at the START I level, i.e. 6,000 warheads > deployed. Period. No exceptions. It is ridiculous, but it's the law. > (By the way, the START II level is not 2,500. It is 3,500.) > > 3. Launch-on-warning places everyone at greater risk, because or the > possibility of misreading or misunderstanding the data. Incinerating > others (and probably ourselves) in response to a warning seems a rather > stupid way to act, because the warning could be about something as > benign as a weather rocket. > > 4. Satellites will not be downed in a first strike, and communications > capacity will not totally disappear in a first strike. It is absurd to > say that U.S. naval strategic forces could not withstand a first strike. > Even if half the U.S. Trident force were eliminated, the U.S. could > still launch many hundreds of nuclear weapons from the remaining > Tridents. > > 5. With the massive deterioration of Russia's military and the shrinkage > of Russia's economy, no serious observer believes that Russia would be > able to launch 4,000 to 6,000 warheads today. > > 6. Where is the evidence to support the claim that Russia has a > nationwide ABM system? > > 7. No one in Congress or the Administration has claimed that missile > defense would work against a massive first strike of nuclear weapons > against the U.S. It just can't be done, and everyone knows that. The > current debate about missile defense is about protecting against a small > number of weapons (presumably launched by a "rogue" state.) > > 8. It is impossible for the Clinton Administration to assume credit or > blame for actions taken by the U.S. in 1992. > > 9. The U.S. is not undertaking unilateral nuclear disarmament. Rather > the opposite is occuring. The U.S. is engaging in "subcritical" tests > on plutonium in order to perfect its nuclear weapons, is engaging in > research on pure fusion weapons, and much more. (Also see #2 above.) > > 10. Finally, why would any sane person discourse about "taking out" all > the nuclear weapons in Russia, or in the U.S.? If some nation (Russia, > U.S., or any other) uses as few as 40 nuclear weapons, all life on earth > would be radically transformed, especially in the industrialized world. > Every single dimension of our lives -- agriculture, banking, medicine, > transportation, communication, politics, education -- would be so > totally different that we can not even imagine what things would be like > following the use of a small number of nuclear weapons. After the > launch of a few dozen nuclear warheads, millions of people would be dead > and dying, while millions more would have no electricity, no food > supply, no gasoline, etc. We can not pretend that using nuclear weapons > is in anyway comparable to dropping some conventional bombs. > > Shalom, > Bob Tiller > > David Crockett Williams wrote: > > > > [fwd]--One would think that it is a good idea to understand all perspectives > > on the abolition issue. Here is one perspective supporting need for > > multilateral abolition.... > > > > A Nuclear Knife Aimed at America's Heart > > Joel M. Skousen > > March 25, 1999 > > > > In November 1997, President Clinton signed a top-secret Presidential > > Decision Directive (PDD-60) directing U.S. military commanders to > > abandon the time-honored nuclear deterrence of "launch on warning." > > Ironically, this was done in the name of "increased deterrence." > > Every sensible American needs to understand why this reasoning is > > fraudulent at best and deadly at worst. First, some background. > > > > The impetus to change U.S. strategic nuclear doctrine came on the > > heels of Clinton's demand to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in early 1997 > > that they prepare to unilaterally reduce America's nuclear warhead > > deployment to 2,500 in eager anticipation of the ratification of the > > START II disarmament treaty. This pact has yet to be ratified by the > > Russian Duma. > > > > Gen. John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, responded that > > he couldn't comply, since the U.S. military was still operating on a > > former Presidential Decision Directive of 1981 to prepare to "win a > > protracted nuclear war." A winning strategy couldn't be implemented > > without the full contingent of current nuclear strategic warheads. > > > > According to Craig Cerniello of Arms Control Today (November/December > > 1997 issue), "the administration viewed the 1981 guidelines as an > > anachronism of the Cold War. The notion that the United States still > > had to be prepared to fight and win a protracted nuclear war today > > seemed out of touch with reality, given the fact that it has been six > > years since the collapse of the Soviet Union." > > > > Certainly, the apparent collapse of the Soviet Union is the linchpin > > in every argument pointing toward the relaxation of Western vigilance > > and accelerated disarmament. Indeed, it is the driving argument that > > is trumpeted constantly before Congress, U.S. military leaders, and > > the American people. > > > > Almost everyone is buying it -- even most conservatives who should > > know better. However, the most savvy Soviet-watchers can point to a > > host of evidence indicating that the so-called "collapse" was > > engineered to disarm the West and garner billions in direct aid to > > assist Russia while inducing the West to take over the economic > > burden of the former satellite states. > > > > But the most ominous evidence is found in defectors from Russia who > > tell the same story: Russia is cheating on all aspects of > > disarmament, and is siphoning off billions in Western aid money to > > modernize and deploy top-of-the-line new weapons systems aimed at > > taking down the U.S. military in one huge, decapitating nuclear > > strike. > > > > Contrast this with the Clinton administration's response. Incredibly, > > while still paying lip service to nuclear deterrence, Assistant > > Secretary of Defense Edward L. Warner III went before the Congress on > > March 31, 1998, and bragged about the litany of unilateral > > disarmament this administration has forced upon the U.S. military: > > > > Warner noted the "success" the Clinton administration has had in > > recent years, which has: > > > > Eliminated our entire inventory of ground-launched non-strategic > > nuclear weapons (nuclear artillery and Lance surface-to-surface > > missiles). > > > > Removed all nonstrategic nuclear weapons on a day-to-day basis from > > surface ships, attack submarines, and land-based naval aircraft > > bases. > > > > Removed our strategic bombers from alert. > > > > Stood down the Minuteman II ICBMs scheduled for deactivation under > > Start I. > > > > Terminated the mobile Peacekeeper and mobile small ICBM programs. > > > > Terminated the SCRAM-II nuclear short-range attack missile. In > > January 1992, the second Presidential Nuclear Initiative took further > > steps which included: > > > > Limiting B-2 production to 20 bombers. > > > > Canceling the entire small ICBM program. > > > > Ceasing production of W-88 Trident SLBM (submarine-launched missile) > > warheads. > > > > Halting purchases of advanced cruise missiles. > > > > Stopping new production of Peacekeeper missiles (our biggest > > MIRV-warhead ICBM). "As a result of these significant changes, the > > U.S. nuclear stockpile has decreased by more than 50 percent," Warner > > enthused. > > > > All of this has been done without any meaningful disarmament by the > > Russians. > > > > The Clinton administration would counter this charge by citing the > > "successful" dismantling of 3,300 strategic nuclear warheads by > > Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus, and the destruction of their 252 > > ICBMs and related silos -- all paid for with U.S. taxpayer funds to > > the tune of $300 million per year. But the real story is otherwise. > > > > Yes, Americans paid for the dismantling of these systems -- the > > oldest and most out-of-date in the Soviet inventory. They were > > scheduled for replacement anyway, so the U.S. taxpayer ended up > > saving the Russians over a billion dollars, allowing them to use this > > and other Western aid to develop and build new systems, coming on > > line right now. But that isn't all. > > > > What the administration doesn't say is that they allowed the Russians > > to reclaim all the nuclear warheads, and paid them to recycle the > > usable material into new, updated warheads. We didn't diminish the > > threat at all. We only helped them to transform it into something > > more dangerous. > > > > Thus, the Russians still maintain a more than 3-to-1 advantage over > > the United States in both throw-weight and nuclear delivery vehicles. > > That disparity is widening dramatically with the Clinton > > administration's unilateral disarmament while at the same time > > encouraging the Russians to proceed not only with the deployment of > > 500 new Topol-M missiles (which are mobile-launched and therefore > > difficult to target), but to put three MIRVed warheads on each > > missile instead of the treaty limit of one warhead -- for a total > > deployment of 1,500 warheads. > > > > Not counting the presumed minimum 4,000 to 6,000 warheads in the > > current Russian inventory, these 1,500 new warheads would overwhelm a > > measly 200-interceptor ABM system in North Dakota -- which the > > Clinton administration is insisting should NOT be deployed before > > 2005. I wonder why? > > > > With our 50 Peacekeeper ICBMs scheduled to be decommissioned in 2003, > > that gives the Russians or Chinese a wide-open window for attack, > > should they choose to exercise their first-strike, > > nuclear-decapitation option. > > > > So much for the "new realism" of the Clinton disarmament team and > > their assertion that Russia poses no threat. Judging strictly by > > public data from establishment sources (which is always understated > > due to Moscow's heavy shroud of secrecy) the Russian threat is much > > greater than it ever was, both in quantity and quality of strategic > > nuclear forces. This is thanks, in part, to ongoing technology > > transfers by IBM and other defense contractors with the knowing > > participation and encouragement of this administration. > > > > Now let's take a close look at this presumed "increased deterrence" > > the Clinton Department of Defense is promising. The administration > > claims its brand of deterrence is still based on the "mutual assured > > destruction" (MAD) concept -- a truly appropriate acronym. > > > > This is the presumption that, since both sides have an overwhelming > > capability to destroy each other, that no sane leadership would > > engage in nuclear war. Let's examine this closely. MAD could only > > stand as a viable assumption if: > > > > Both sides had sufficient weapons and delivery vehicles to inflict > > total devastation. > > > > Neither side had an effective anti-ballistic-missile system. > > > > Neither side had electronic jamming capability on its incoming ICBMs. > > > > Neither side had hardened shelters protecting its population and > > leadership. These assumptions clearly do not exist today: > > > > First, we barely have enough nuclear warheads to take out the Russian > > arsenal as presently constituted if we used them all at once (which > > no sane military commander could afford to do, leaving him with no > > reserves). Russia, on the other hand, has enough to devastate our > > entire strategic forces and still retain 60 percent of her weapons in > > reserve, for a prolonged conflict. > > > > Second, we have no ABM system to protect against ICBMs at all. Our > > dumbed-down and slowed-down Patriots are theater weapons (built to > > conform to the flawed ABM Treaty) and can barely catch slow, > > low-flying Scud missiles, let alone ICBMs that coming screaming in > > from space at 6 to 12 kilometers per second. The Russians have (in > > violation of the same ABM Treaty) a nationwide system of ABMs tied to > > phased-array radars and satellite guidance systems. > > > > Third, we have no electronic jamming on our missiles to help them > > penetrate the Russian ABM system, and the Russians claim their newest > > Topol-M missiles do have such a capability. Whether or not this claim > > is a bluff is immaterial. The fact is, they are building new, > > high-tech missiles and our technology is 10 years old and stagnant. > > We are not developing or building anything new. This aspect can only > > worsen as time goes on. > > > > Fourth, our civilian population is totally unprotected, while a large > > portion of the Russian cities have public fallout shelter facilities. > > New bunkers are being constructed for the Russian leadership despite > > the economic hardships the people suffer. This should tell us > > something about Russian leadership intentions. > > > > Is this Mutually Assured Destruction? Hardly. It equates to United > > States Assured Destruction! In every category of deterrence, we are > > disarming and stagnant, and the Russians are building and deploying. > > There is, in fact, only one type of deterrence that is capable of > > somewhat balancing the scales: the nuclear response doctrine of > > Launch on Warning. > > > > Launch on Warning takes advantage of the fact that long-range > > ballistic missiles take time to arrive on target -- up to 25 minutes, > > depending on where the missiles are fired from. If the Russians were > > to launch a first strike, our satellites would detect and confirm > > that launch within seconds. In a Launch on Warning doctrine, our > > missiles (if on alert status) could be launched before the Russian or > > Chinese missiles hit our silos. There is also time to retarget our > > missiles so that they are not wasted on Russian silos that are now > > empty. > > > > Thus, one of the great advantages for a Launch on Warning doctrine is > > that it allows the nation that launches second to have an advantage > > over the nation that launches first. The one to launch first wastes a > > certain number of its missiles on our silos that are now empty. By > > contrast, our missiles (utilizing real-time targeting data from > > satellites) strike targets that are still viable. > > > > Now that is deterrence -- a deterrence that we presently do not have > > due to PDD-60. > > > > Clinton national security aide Robert Bell proudly proclaimed to a > > group of disarmament advocates, "In this PDD, we direct our military > > forces to continue to posture themselves in such a way as to not rely > > on Launch on Warning -- to be able to absorb a nuclear strike and > > still have enough force surviving to constitute credible deterrence." > > > > This is patently preposterous. Respond with what? > > > > We have no mobile missiles to avoid being targeted. We have already > > unilaterally agreed to keep over half of our ballistic missile > > submarines in port at any one time, so they can easily be targeted. > > After all, we don't want our Russian "allies" to feel insecure! > > > > All of our Navy and Air Force strategic forces are incapable of > > withstanding a nuclear strike. Even the remaining Trident subs on > > patrol would be unable to respond when communication links and > > satellites are downed in a first strike. > > > > PDD-60 removes all alternate submarine launch codes so that our subs > > cannot fire without direct communication with the president. Those > > vital communications links will assuredly not survive a massive first > > strike. When you tell the Russians we are going to absorb a first > > strike, you induce them to make sure they hit us with everything > > necessary to make sure we cannot respond. > > > > This is not deterrence. This is suicide. > > > > Joel M. Skousen is a political scientist by training and former > > chairman of the Conservative National Committee. He is a specialist > > in security matters and consults nationwide on "Strategic Relocation" > > -- the title of his latest book. > > > > - > > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > > with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. > > For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send > > "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. > > - > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. > For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send > "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. Excellent commentary Bob, Helen Caldicott PS get it published in the same paper where he was published - demand equal time, it works! - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Fw: Nuclear War-Related Links Date: 04 Apr 1999 18:52:04 -0700 -----Original Message----- >Below are some good links related to nuclear war, Y2K and nuclear >issues, and non-intervention. Remember even in the most peaceful >of times we are 1/2 hour from nuclear destruction--not to mention >when we are busy bombing two Russian allies, as we are now!! > >Nuclear Information Resource Center http://www.nirs.org/ >Nuclear Age Peace Foundation http://www.napf.org/ >The Bug in the Bomb http://www.basicint.org/y2krept.htm >Union of Concerned Scientists http://www.ucsusa.org/about/index.html >Physicians for Social Responsibility http://www.psr.org/ >Nuclear Control Institute http://www.nci.org/home.htm >Nuclear Information and Resource Service http://nuke.handheld.com/ >Big List of Nuclear Related Links >http://www.fas.org/nuke/hew/News/Bigbig.html >Proposition One Committee's Bigger List of Nuclear Related Links > http://prop1.org/prop1/azantink.htm >Bulletin of Atomic Scientists Atomic Clock >http://www.bullatomsci.org/clock.html >Daily Y2K articles, including nuclear related, at: >http://www.year2000.com/y2karticles > >Photos of nuke war http://pegasus.phys.saga-u.ac.jp/peace1e.html >Nuclear War Related Movies--The War Game, Testament, Miracle Mile, >Threads, >The Day After and By Dawn's Early Light--and other good links can be >found from: >http://www.ibp-intl.demon.co.uk/nuccult.htm > >NonIntervention Pages >Committee Against U.S. Intervention http://www.antiwar.com >International Action Center http://www.iacenter.org/ >NonViolence Web http://www.nonviolence.org >DC Demos Photos site http://www.sinkers.org > >from Carol Moore >http://www.kreative.net/carolmoore/C&C-news.html > - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Peter Weiss Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) LCNP's Events Schedule Date: 04 Apr 1999 23:26:16 -0400 Dear Jerrold: Glad to see some contact numbers for the Hague Appeal, but please let's get them right: Hague Appeal for Peace c/o WFM (no need to spell out), 777 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017 phone 212 687 2623 fax 212 599 1332 e-mail hap99@igc.org http://www.haguepeace.org Thanks, Peter LCNP@aol.com wrote: >=20 > Schedule of Upcoming Events as of April 2, 1999 >=20 > April 3 > *East Timor Action Network New York > "East Timor: Prospects for Peace and Freedom" > Nobel Peace Prize Winner Jose Ramos-Horta on the future of > Indonesia-Occupied East Timor > With Amy Goodman of WBAI and Pacifica Radio > 777 UN Plaza-- 1:00 PM > $5.00 Donation Requested >=20 > April 5 > *Abolition 2000 NY Metro > "Voices from Kosovo and Belgrade: E-mails and letters from the war." > Celebrity guests include Erica Jong, Tim Robbins, and Rosie Perez > Helen Hayes Theater, 240 W. 44th St., 7:00 PM > $10.00 Donation at the door > Contact: MADRE, 212-627-0444 >=20 > April 7 > *Lawyers Alliance for World Security (LAWS) > "The Role of Nuclear Weapons in the Post-Cold War World: Preventing th= e > Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction" > General Charles Horner (USAF-Ret.) > Case Western Reserve University School of Law > Full registration, including meals and reception, $50.00 > For more information call Damien LaVera at (202) 745-2450 > or Christine Lucas at (216) 781-3730 >=20 > April 7-10 > * International Conference on Nonviolence > Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia > For more information, contact Ms. Arlie Holliday, Conference Coordina= tor > 92 Piedmont Avenue, Suite C, Atlanta, GA 30303 > Ph.: 404 221 1480 / Fax: 404 221 1569 / E-mail: arliea@radia1.com >=20 > April 8, 1999 > *DPI/NGO Briefing: Issues before the commission on Sustainable Developm= ent > Speakers include: JoAnne DiSano ad Navid Hanif > 10:30 AM Dag Hammarskjold Library >=20 > April 15, 1999 > *DPI/NGO Briefing: Emerging Disarmament Issues > Speakers Include: Saul Mendlovitz, Randall Forsberg, and Jonathan Dea= n > 10:30 AM Dag Hammarskjold Library >=20 > April 16-May 27 > *American Indian Community House > Exhibit: "Unmentionables" > Opening reception: Friday, April 16, 6:00-8:00 PM > 708 Brodway, New York, NY 10003 > Contact: 212-598-0100 >=20 > April 22-23 > *8th International Conference of the World Information Transfer (WIT) > Health and Environment: Global Partners for Global Solutions-- > Environmental Challenges to Health > Through Key Stages of Life > Starts 10:00 AM in the Dag Hammarskjold Library, co-sponsored by DPI >=20 > April 22-26 > * Global Peace Walk > Walk from Taos to Santa Fe, New Mexico > Global Emergency Alert Response > Contact: David Crockett Williams-- 661-822-3309 >=20 > April 23 > *Demostration in Washington against NATO > Call to eliminate nuclear weapons and to adopt a no-first-use policy > Meet at 11:00 at 14th St. and Constitution Avenue on SW corner of the= Mall > Free bus ride from NY to DC. > Contact Felicity Hill ASAP to make reservations--682-1265 >=20 > April 23-25 > * 50th anniversary summit of the NATO in Washington D.C. > NPT PrepCom meeting will take place in New York (before or after the = summit) > The Fourth Freedom Forum will organize a two-day event in Washington = D.C. > before the summit > Contact Alistair Millar (program director, Fourth Freedom Forum) for = more > information: > 733 15th St, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005 ph.: 202 393 5201, = fax: > 202 39305202 >=20 > April 29, 1999 > *Third UN Conference on Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space > (UNISPACE III) > Speakers to be confirmed >=20 > May 7-10 > * Honoring the Mother: Healing Global Wounds Spring Gathering > 'Healing Global Wounds' is an alliance of organizations working to br= eak > the nuclear chain > At Nevada Test Site (the camp is located on Western Shoshone land at= the > gates of the Test Site) > Each day will begin with a Sunrise Ceremony led by Western Shoshone > Spiritual Leader Corbin Harney > Contact: Healing Global Wounds, P.O. Box 420, Tecopa CA 92389 > Ph.: 760 852 4175 / Fax: 760 852 4151 / e-mail: hgw@scruznet.com >=20 > May 11-15 > * The Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century > Contact: The Hague Appeal for Peace c/o > World Federalist Movement, 777 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017 > Phone: 212-599-1320, Fax: 212-599-1332 >=20 > May 13-14 > *Eliminating Weapons of Mass Destruction: Why Not Nuclear Abolition? > General Lee Butler, Admiral Stansfield Turner, and Stephen Schwartz > Physicians for Social Responsibility, Pittsburgh > $65 Registration fee before April 15, $75 thereafter. > Contact: Kathy McCauley at 412-486-9065 >=20 > June 18-20 > * Nuclear Policy and Security on the eve of the 21st century: St. Peter= sburg > Conference > Co-hosted by St. Petersburg Peace Council, RPPNW, IPPNW, SLMK etc. > Themes to be covered: International Humanitarian Law and Nuclear Weap= ons, > European Security, > Russian nuclear policy, and Security in the Baltic Region, among othe= r > things=85 > Contact: Xanthe Hall, IPPNW Germany > Ph.: +49 30 693 0244 / e-mail: ippnw@oln.comlink.apc.org >=20 > August 3-9 > *World Conference Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs > Annual conference geared towards the total abolition of nuclear weapo= ns > Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan > Contact: Organizing Committee, 6-19-23 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 10= 5-0004 > Japan. Phone: 81-3-3431-1014, Fax: 81-3-3431-8781, e-mail: > antiatom@twics.com >=20 > August 6-8, 1999 > *Beyond the Bomb: A New Agenda for Peace and Justice > Albequerque, N.M. > Contact: Bruce Hall, Peace Action-panukes@igc.apc.org >=20 > October 10-16 > * The 1999 International Conference of NGOs-- The Role of NGOs in the 2= 1st > Century > Seoul, Korea >=20 > - > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.= com" > with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. > For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send > "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Chris Davenport" Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Fwd: US Test EMP Weapon in Yugoslavia? Date: 04 Apr 1999 23:35:53 -0400 I have received almost a dozen emails surrounding this report. Is it not possible that this weapon is related to recent tests (of sub-critical weapons) in the Nevada desert? Chris Davenport, ACT for Disarmament. -----Original Message----- >>Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 17:37:27 -0500 >>Subject: US Test EMP Weapon in Yugoslavia? >>Priority: non-urgent >>X-FC-MachineGenerated: true >>To: abolition-caucus@igc.apc.org >>From: robwcpuk@gn.apc.org (robwcpuk@gn.apc.org) >> >>Dear Abolitionists, >> >>During an interview yesterday on Vancouver's CKNW Radio with Stirling Faux, >>I was told that they had seen a report from the Russians that a B2 stealth >>bomber had dropped an Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) weapon in Yugoslavia. >>Made by Los Alamos Laboratories, it apparently produces a similar effect to >>a large nuclear weapon in disrupting electronics and communications in >>order to weaken the enemy's ability to retaliate for some time, but without >>the destructive power and radioactive fallout. However, I haven't seen any >>further report of this. >> >>If true, then we are witnessing another field trial for new US weapons. >>Also, it means that, sensibly, the Russians have a sophisticated >>intelligence-gathering capability in Yugoslavia, to get first-hand >>information on how NATO is performing. I saw a report that the first people >>to inspect the downed F117 Stealth fighter-bomber were a Russian "trade >>mission"... >> >>Best wishes, >>Rob Green >>Chair, World Court Project UK >> >>* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * >> >> Commander Robert D Green, Royal Navy (Retired) >> Chair, World Court Project UK >> >>NZ: Disarmament & Security Centre UK: 2 Chiswick House >> PO Box 8390 High Street >> Christchurch Twyford >> Aotearoa/New Zealand Berkshire RG10 9AG >> >>Tel/Fax: (+64) 3 348 1353 Tel/Fax: (+44) 1189 340258 >> >> Email: robwcpuk@gn.apc.org >> >>* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * >> >Alice Slater >Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) >15 East 26th Street, Room 915 >New York, NY 10010 >tel: (212) 726-9161 >fax: (212) 726-9160 >email: aslater@gracelinks.org > >GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty >to eliminate nuclear weapons. > >- > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. > For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send > "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. > - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Short and Urgent / Kosovo & black arm bands Date: 05 Apr 1999 01:24:43 EDT Friends, This comes off the Mennonite list. It strikes me as a powerful and simple idea - the wearing of black armbands. No slogans, no symbols. We don't even all have to agree on a single analysis. I assume most of us would wear them because we are horrified both at the bombing of Yugoslavia, and the expulsion from Kosova of the Albanians. It is a way of saying "NO" both to NATO and to Milosevic. It might take off on campuses particularly - therefore IF this idea appeals to you, consider forwarding it to friends and coworkers. Peace, David McReynolds << Subj: Re: Kosovo & black arm bands Date: 4/2/99 11:53:56 PM Eastern Standard Time From: rabone@aol.com (Art Pierson, Denver CO) Sender: err.processor@MennoLink.org Reply-to: rabone@aol.com (Art Pierson, Denver CO), menno.org.peace@MennoLink.org To: menno.org.peace@MennoLink.org Your idea is appealing to me. Many people in my world are already concerned about the US government's approach in the Balkans. I'm going to try wearing a black armband. I'll try to base my responses to questions on Romans 12:21: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Sincerely, Art Pierson Denver, Colorado USA - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jackie Cabasso Subject: (abolition-usa) Bombings fuel Cold War sentiments Date: 05 Apr 1999 00:12:09 -0700 Dear friends, This article can be found at http://www.commondreams.org/kosovo/kosovo.htm This site is an excellent source for international news stories and perspectives on the war in Yugoslavia. I highly recommend it. -- Jackie Cabasso =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Attacks Stir Cold War Feelings in Russia Balkans Conflict Compounds Heightened Suspicions of U.S., West By David Hoffman Washington Post Foreign Service Sunday, April 4, 1999; Page A01=20 MOSCOW, April 3=97Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov was asked= in the lower house of parliament last weekend whether Russia= should send a few warships to the Mediterranean as a show of force against= the NATO bombardment of Yugoslavia. Ivanov quickly rejected the idea. "Just sending ships from Murmansk to Greece is not going to stop the aggression," he said. But four days later, Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev= announced that Russia was sending a reconnaissance ship to the Mediterranean,= and was preparing to send as many as six more. "We must ensure the security of Russia," he insisted. The abrupt turnabout speaks volumes about the whirlwind of antiWestern feeling that the NATO attack on Yugoslavia has stirred= here. For Russia, the airstrikes have been a moment of truth, revealing a= vein of unease and suspicion about the West especially the United States = that analysts say is stronger than at any time since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The doubts are the results of various factors and= perceived betrayals=20 from pledges that an expanded NATO would be purely= defensive to the U.S. decision to move ahead on an antiballistic missile system to Russia's economic meltdown last August, which discredited Western economic ideas here. "It's a fullblown crisis, the first real crisis since the= end of the Cold War" in RussianU.S. relations, said Sergei Rogov, director of the Institute for the Study of the U.S. and Canada here. "It covers economic relations, foreign credits, debts, sanctions, arms control, START II, the ABM treaty and, I am afraid, a few others. "It's a bad crisis which could have very longterm implications for RussianAmerican relations, producing something between disengagement, 'cold peace' and maybe even something more serious." In recent days, President Boris Yeltsin and Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov have been buffeted by the antiAmerican sentiment. They have responded with selective withdrawal from military= agreements while holding back from far more serious measures demanded by nationalists and Communists in parliament. The rhetoric has been whitehot, with Russians accusing the United States and NATO of "genocide" in Yugoslavia, of supporting Kosovo Albanian separatists with "narco money," of seeking world diktat= and of using the Balkans as a proving ground for new, hightechnology= weapons. In its actions, however, Russia has been more restrained. Russia canceled meetings with Western military experts, ousted NATO= military attaches, rejected plans for sharing early warning missile launch= data with the United States, and shelved, once again, parliamentary= ratification of the strategic arms treaty. The first ship that Russia is sending to the battle zone is the Liman, a 27yearold, 60man electronic spying vessel from= the Black Sea Fleet that carries eavesdropping gear but no rockets. Russia so far has not announced plans to break the United Nations arms embargo and ship weapons to Yugoslavia, and there has not been a major disruption of U.S.Russian cooperation on nuclear and= chemical arms dismantlement. However, Col. Gen. Leonid Ivashov, head of= the military's international department, told reporters today that the Russian Defense Ministry has severed all contacts for the next few months with countries in the "criminal organization" of NATO. And some analysts worry that sentiments are so strong that antiWestern reactions could spin out of control. "I'm afraid that now it is serious; we see some sort of consensus in society which we haven't seen since 1991," said Alexander Pikayev,= a nonproliferation specialist at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Center here. "Then, it was a broad anticommunist consensus. Now, unfortunately, we face a strong antiNATO consensus, which could have a very dramatic impact on the overall U.S.Russian relationship. "In August, we saw the collapse of Yeltsin's marketreform policy and in March, we saw the collapse of Yeltsin's foreign and= security policy." Analysts have predicted that economic hardship and humiliation could trigger a retreat from market democracy here. But until recently, the economic woes of postSoviet Russia seemed to have created= a benign isolationism. Russians were too preoccupied with survival= to be outraged about their weakening influence abroad. But the Yugoslav crisis is changing that. "What you have today is, the antiAmerican sentiment is enormous," said Rogov, of the U.S.Canada institute. "This is very bad. It is something that can be used against economic reform, especially since the people who are= blamed for the economic collapse are also the people who are friends of= the United States . . . It was coming to the surface before. Now, it is a= sea change. "There is something personal in the attitude of Russian leaders," he added, recalling earlier claims of a friendship between President Clinton and Yeltsin. "The president feels that his friend Bill is not such a friend at all, who simply does not pay attention. 'What friend?' Boris is saying." [In Washington Friday, Clinton said he believes the= Russians "are looking for ways to continue to oppose what NATO is doing, but to leave open the prospect that they could play a very constructive role= in making peace. I don't think anyone wants to see this conflict escalate,= and I certainly don't believe the Russian government does."] In a nationwide survey last week, the Public Opinion Foundation, one of Russia's leading polling organizations, found overwhelming opposition to the NATO attacks. The group reported that 92 percent of= those surveyed were against the NATO bombing and only 2 percent supported it. The poll found an unusually high level of awareness about the NATO strikes; fewer than once percent said they knew nothing about it. Andrei Kortunov, a political analyst, said that Russia has lost confidence in the West in the wake of the ruble's devaluation and debt crisis last August. "One of the problems today is that we had a narrow but= vocal stratum which favored better relations with the West," he said.= "It is nearly nonexistent right now. The middle class was a major social base for better relations with the West, and it is now disintegrating.= There is very little to replace this. . . ." There are still some checks and balances. One is Russia's continuing dependence on Western financial aid, underscored by the ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for new loans. But this dependence is increasingly unpopular. According to the= Public Opinion Foundation poll, when asked last year whether the IMF= brings benefit or harm to Russia, 17 percent said benefit and 19 percent= said harm and 46 didn't know. But today there is a major shift: 14 percent= say benefit, 43 percent say harm, and 28 percent know nothing. However, one small contrary sign appeared in a callin= survey by Echo of Moscow, a popular radio station. When listeners were asked= if they were prepared to give up using American dollars to protest the airstrikes, the answer was unequivocal: 77 percent said no, and 23 percent said yes.=20 =A9 Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company =20 ****************************************************** Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director WESTERN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION 1440 Broadway, Suite 500 Oakland, California USA 94612 Tel: +(510)839-5877 Fax: +(510)839-5397 E-mail: wslf@earthlink.net ****************************************************** Western States Legal Foundation is part of ABOLITION 2000 A GLOBAL NETWORK TO ELIMINATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Bombings fuel Cold War sentiments Date: 05 Apr 1999 04:02:09 EDT Jackie, (and others getting her post), Thank God for helping provide these alternative sources of information. I do not think that either London or Washington realize we are about to "create our own Afghanistan" and instead of looking for a way out, searching for ways to step back, reaching out to the Russians (and perhaps the Eastern Orthodox church) to help mediate, Clinton is "bombing his way" more deeply into a quaqmire. The "talking heads", the "old grey men" who will not be doing any fighting, are now hot for arming the KLA (which would, given the chance, do the Serbs in Kosava, just what the Serb troops have done to the Albanians) and for sending in ground troops. We have no idea what we are doing. These people will fight and die against our forces. They Yugos - any part of them - are not Czechs, French, Italians, or English. Thanks again. David McReynolds - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Bob Tiller Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) fwd: North Korea on NATO bombing of Serbia (WWIII brewing) Date: 05 Apr 1999 09:18:20 -0400 I have never heard or read of a single scholar who believes that the original text of Matthew 24:6 should be translated "ethnic cleansing." Did you look at the Greek text before coming up with this translation? Shalom, Bob Tiller David Crockett Williams wrote: > > North Korea's reaction to NATO's bombing of Serbia should not be > surprising to observers of current global hotspots. According to DPRK > officials, the bombing campaign has convinced Pyongyang that it is > dealing with "a new Hitler" and that North Korean officials believe that > the Unted States would attack the DPRK like a "vulture" given the > slightest opportunity. Therefore, North Korea will speed up its missile > development and related military programs to deter U.S. "aggression." > The DPRK justifies this as a "matter of survival." More details in the > following Special Report by The Northeast Asia Peace And Security > Network. (http://www.nautilus.org/napsnet/latest.html) > > With the continuing air campaign in Iraq and U.S. Armed Forces spread > throughout the globe such as Somolia, Germany, Japan, Haiti, South > Korea, and other places - the U.S. Military is spread dangerously thin. > Given the hollowing out of the U.S. Armed Forces over the last six > years, the U.S. Military involvement in Yugoslavia puts a further strain > on U.S. Military service personnel and resources. > > Our adversaries in North Korea, China, Russia and elsewhere are taking > notes! > > NOTE: The "Ethnic Cleansing" taking place in Kosovo is of particular > interest. The "wars and rumors of wars," which Jesus referred to in > Matthew 24:6 as a sign of His coming, is translated by many as "Ethnic > Cleansing." > > Rick Woodcock > KIN Intelligence Director > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ----------- > > NORTHEAST ASIA PEACE AND SECURITY NETWORK: SPECIAL REPORT > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ---------- > > The following "DPRK Report" is the product of a joint project between > the Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) of the Monterey Institute > of > International Studies (Monterey, California, USA) and the Center for > Contemporary International Problems (ICIP) (Moscow, Russia). It is > written by Russian analysts associated with the ICIP and edited by the > CNS. > ------------------------------------------ > THE DPRK REPORT, No. 17 (March-April 1999) > > 1. North Korea's Reaction to the NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia > > NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia has apparently had a very deep impact on > the thinking of North Korean authorities. DPRK representatives say > privately > that their government now "has discarded all illusions about > Washington's intentions." According to these officials, the bombing has > "completely > and irreversibly" convinced Pyongyang that it is dealing with "a new > Hitler" who is "determined to conquer the entire world through > intimidation, pressure, and aggression." Pyongyang reportedly now has no > doubts that, given the slightest opportunity, the United States will > attack the DPRK like a "vulture." > > To deter this aggression, North Korea, while continuing to talk and > bargain with Washington, will reportedly speed up its missile > development and related military programs. "It is a matter of our > national survival," said one high-ranking North Korean official, "and > the United States is mistaken if it thinks that it can check the DPRK's > missile development through cooperation with other countries or by any > other tricks." North Korean officials hint that their country intends to > acquire such a significant deterrent force that Washington "will not > dare even to think about attacking the DPRK." > > North Koreans believe that Washington, if confronted with stiff > resistance by the Serbs and worldwide condemnation of "NATO aggression" > against Yugoslavia, may become temporarily more flexible in other parts > of the world, including Korea. In their view, the situation around > Yugoslavia presumably broadens opportunities at this juncture to woo > theUnited States into agreements favorable to the DPRK. The North hopes > to use this advantage to develop formal diplomatic relations with the > United States, remove U.S. economic sanctions, and join international > financial institutions like the World Bank and the Asian Development > Bank. > > The situation will be even better, North Korean representatives add, if > the United States gets tied up in Yugoslavia for a long time. As one > official notes: "Then, Washington will really have to act from the > position of weakness. The myth of American invincibility will be > destroyed. The prestige and influence of the United States in the world > arena will vanish, and the Clinton administration will be seriously > damaged at home." > > 2. The Status of North Korean Military Maintenance and Readiness > > According to various Russian assessments, North Korean conventional > forces are suffering from a shortage of fuel, spare parts, ammunition, > and repair facilities. Though quantitatively the armed forces are > impressive, the qualitative side is rather backward. To overcome the > widening gap compared to the armed forces of the Republic of Korea and > the U.S. troops stationed there, Pyongyang is now trying to upgrade the > technical level of its air force and army. Local research anddevelopment > is being augmented by imports of high-tech weaponry from abroad, which > is being acquired through the export of North Korean missiles. A > particular emphasis is being made to develop the country's missile > potential as the main deterrent against external threats. It cannot be > also excluded that non-conventional arms are being made as well. > > While the technical component of the DPRK's military might leave much to > be desired, the human component should not be underestimated. Experts > believe that the fighting spirit and physical condition of the officers > and soldiers remain very high. There is no lack of food for the DPRK's > armed forces, so this factor should not be construed as one weakening > the military's readiness. While they may not be well trained in dealing > with > sophisticated weaponry, North Korean troops may prove superior to their > opponents in any prolonged conflict. > > Subject: DPRK Report #17 > > Date: Fri, 02 Apr 1999 15:34:18 -0800 > > From: NAPSNet@nautilus.org (NAPSNet) > > --END-- > > Koenig's International News - Bill Koenig - http://watch.org/ > Post Office Box 671164, Dallas, TX 75367 > > - > To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" > with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. > For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send > "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Radioactive weapons used by U.S./NATO in Kosovo Date: 05 Apr 1999 10:43:53 -0400 >Date: Fri, 02 Apr 1999 00:38:53 -0500 >Subject: Radioactive weapons used by U.S./NATO in Kosovo >To: depleted.uranium.list@killian.chelsea.net >From: iacenter@iacenter.org (iacenter@iacenter.org) > >International Action Center >39 West 14th Street, #206, New York, NY 10011 >212-633-6646 fax: 212-633-2889 >web site: http://www.iacenter.org >email: iacenter@iacenter.org > >Attention: Assignment Editor Press Contact: Sara Flounders or >For Immediate Release John Catalinotto, 212-633-6646 >April 1, 1999 > >Radioactive weapons used by U.S. and NATO in Kosovo > >The International Action Center, a group that opposes the use of >depleted-uranium weapons, called the Pentagon's decision to use the >A-10 "Warthog" jets against targets in Kosovo "a danger to the people >and environment of the entire Balkans." > >The A-10s were the anti-tank weapon of choice in the 1991 war against >Iraq. It carries a GAU-8/A Avenger 30 millimeter seven-barrel cannon >capable of firing 4,200 rounds per minute. During that war it fired >30 mm rounds reinforced with depleted uranium, a radioactive weapon. > >There is solid scientific evidence that the depleted uranium residue >left in Iraq is responsible for a large increase in stillbirths, >children born with defects, and childhood leukemia and other cancers >in the area of southern Iraq near Basra, where most of these shells >were fired. Many U.S. veterans groups also say that DU residues >contributed to the condition called "Gulf War Syndrome" that has >affected close to 100,000 service people in the U.S. and Britain with >chronic sickness. > >John Catalinotto, a spokesperson from the Depleted Uranium Education >Project of the International Action Center and an editor of the 1997 >book Metal of Dishonor: Depleted Uranium, said the use of DU weapons >in Yugoslavia "adds a new dimension to the crime NATO is perpetrating >against the Yugoslav people--including those in Kosovo." > >Catalinotto explained that the Pentagon uses DU, a waste product of >the uranium enrichment process used for making atomic bombs and >nuclear fuel, because it is extremely dense--1.7 times as dense as >lead. "DU is used in alloy form in shells to make them penetrate >targets better. As the shell hits its target, it burns and releases >uranium oxide into the air. The poisonous and radioactive uranium is >most dangerous when inhaled into the body, where it will release >radiation during the life of the person who inhaled it," said >Catalinotto. > >Sara Flounders, a contributing author of Metal of Dishonor: Depleted >Uranium and the Co-Director of the International Action Center, said, >"Warthogs fired roughly 940,000 rounds of DU shells during the Gulf >War. More than 600,000 pounds of radioactive waste was left in the >Gulf Region after the war. And DU weapons in smaller number were >already used by NATO troops during the bombing of Serbian areas of >Bosnia in 1995. > >"The use of Warthogs with DU shells threatens to make a nuclear >wasteland of Kosovo," Flounders said. " The pentagon is laying waste >to the very people_along with their children--they claim to be saving; >this is another reason for fighting to end NATO's attack on >Yugoslavia. > >"Worldwide protests against these bombings are growing. The U.S. use >of radioactive weapons must be linked to all the protests and >opposition that is taking place internationally to the bombing. These >protests must be joined by environmental activists, veterans groups, >anti-nuclear groups, and all those who know the long-term destruction >to the environment and to whole civilian populations that this type of >warfare will cause." > >Flounders said that Metal of Dishonor: Depleted Uranium, which has >been translated and published in Arabic and Japanese, will be coming >out soon with a second edition. > Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Depleted Uranium Date: 05 Apr 1999 10:45:31 -0400 > > Date: Fri, 02 Apr 1999 10:10:28 -0500 > Subject: Depleted Uranium > To: undisclosed.recipients@jcca.org > From: branka_j@yutarget.com (branka_j@yutarget.com) > > Depleted (DU) uranium is one of the largest categories of radioactive > waste produced for the nuclear weapons and nuclear reactor industry. It is > highly toxic to humans, both chemically as a heavy metal and radiologically > as an alpha particle emitter which is very dangerous when taken internally. > Recently it has been substitute for lead in bullets and missiles by the US > and UK, and was first used extensively by the West in the Gulf War. It is > most likely a major contributor to the Gulf War Syndrome experienced both > by the veterans and the people of Iraq. > > When used in war, the DU bursts into flame from the impact when it hits a > target. It can pierce tanks and armoured cars, releasing inside of them a > deadly radioactive aerosol of uranium, unlike anything seen before. > Concentrated like this, it can kill everyone in a tank. This ceramic > aerosol is much lighter than uranium dust. It can disperse in air tens of > kilometres from the point of release, or be stirred up in dust and > resuspended in air with wind or human movement. It is very small and can > be breathed in by anyone: a baby, pregnant woman, the elderly, the sick. > This radioactive ceramic can stay deep in the lungs for years, irradiating > the tissue with powerful alpha particles within about a 30 micron sphere, > causing emphysema and/or fibrosis. The ceramic can also be swallowed and > do damage to the gastro-intestinal tract. In time, it penetrates the lung > tissue and enters into the blood stream. It can be stored in liver, > kidney, bone or other tissues, again for years, irradiating all of the > delicate tissues located near its storage place. It can effect the blood, > which is the basis of our immune system, and do damage to the renal system > as it is eventually excreted in the urine. It can also initiate cancer or > promote cancers which have been initiated by other carcinogens. > > In October 1998 the WHO undertook a two year study of the increasing cancer > rates, especially leukemia in young children, which have been note in > southern Iraq where most of the war took place.The WHO report is not yet > out, but newer data from Iraq tells the story of even more dramatic > increases in cancer rates, especially among the Iraqi > veterans who participated in the war. In the West, thousands of veterans > are recognized as seriously ill with an unknown syndrome, and we have been > able to document DU in their urine as late as 7 or 8 years after the war. > There is no natural source of DU to explain this phenomena! > > It is imperitive that we all denouce this radiation and toxic chemical > warfare! It has been used by the US and Britain against Iraq and in > Bosnia. It is now being used in Kosovo (NATO announcement in Europe, 30 > March 1999). It has been condemed by the United Nations Human Rights > Tribunal (August 1996 Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights, > Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of > Minorities). The Human Rights Commission has requested that the Secretary > General prepare a written report on DU and certain other weapons of mass > destruction (Resolution 1997/36, which also established a UN Rapporteur to > take over the study of DU and other weapons of mass destruction on behalf > of the UN). The damage being done will not only cause incredible and > unending suffering to today's victims, but the genetic damage it may cause > can be passed on to their offspring. Such weapons and war itself need to > be condemned as utter barbarianism! > > This is certainly not to be interpreted as condoning so called ethnic > cleasing or any of the nationalistic actions of the Yugoslave government. > However, as one of the Professors at the University of Toronto said, "I can > offer a different and more effective policy, but I would not start from > here". This Kosovo action is resulting from deep seated conflicting ideas > of "World Order" - that proposed by NATO's vision of itself as a world > police force, and that of the OSCE (Organization for Security and > Cooperation in Europe) which sees security rising out of honest cooperation > and legal resolution of conflicting opinions.>>> > > > Rosalie Bertell, Ph. D., GNSH > President, ACS (1998-2000) > President IICPH (1984+) > 710-264 Queens Quay West > Toronto ON M5J 1B5 CANADA > Tel: 1-416-260-0575 > Fax: 1-416-260-3404 > Email: IICPH@compuserve.com > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > eGroups Spotlight: > "Kosovo-Reports" - Direct reports from Kosovo/Serbia/Yugoslavia. > http://offers.egroups.com/click/252/0 > > eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/du-list > Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com > > Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network working for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons. - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) Why, is there a CIA war in Kosovo? Date: 05 Apr 1999 10:24:45 -0700 [Does any of this sound familiar to anyone?] Is there a CIA war in Kosovo? By Gary Wilson News reports here about the Yugoslav province of Kosovo have presented greatly exaggerated tales. The stories have been "enhanced" by those with an interest in either promoting a civil war or weakening the Yugoslav government. The Western big-business-controlled media all report the same thing. They say Yugoslav government forces are engaged in "ethnic cleansing" in Kosovo, forcing a flood of refugees from Kosovo to Albania. The Yugoslav government says its military operations against armed mercenaries entering over the Albanian border ended June 1. It also says there has been no significant exodus from Kosovo to Albania. So what is the truth of the situation? First, it should never be forgotten that the big media like the New York Times and CNN have close ties to the U.S. State Department, the CIA, the Pentagon and other U.S. government agencies. These media giants usually serve as propaganda arms for U.S. foreign policy. They can lie about events and frequently do. Sometimes they admit much later that their original reports weren=92t exactly true. KLA is mercenary army For example, most reports don=92t make it clear that the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army is a foreign mercenary army in the pay of the Western imperialist powers. The KLA did not exist until recently. It became active only in the last few months. The June 6 New York Times reported that KLA forces are entering Kosovo through Albania. But they are not from Albania. According to the report, most of them come from Germany- where they were born- and most speak only German, not Albanian. The report claims that many of them, but not all, have parents or grandparents who emigrated from Albania. All the funds for the mercenary army come from abroad, primarily from the United States, reported the May 26 Washington Post. The money is funneled through Albanian immigrant groups. These are the sort of anti-communist groups long promoted by the CIA. Since March, the Post reported, the U.S. group has sent $4 million to the KLA. These are the openly reported funds. There is more "cash carried in suitcases" that hasn=92t been disclosed, the Post said. The article said the U.S. State Department has encouraged the transfer of funds to the KLA. It is all legal, State Department spokesperson John Russell said, because the KLA has not been classified by the U.S. government as "terrorist." This is in contrast to every genuine national liberation movement in the world. The U.S. government routinely labels them all as terrorists. For example, groups like the Palestine Liberation Organization have been labeled as terrorist. Anyone in the U.S. sending funds to the PLO would risk arrest and prison. The KLA has no known leaders, political platform, publications or anything else to indicate that it is a liberation force. In fact, the tactics used by the KLA are more akin to those used by fascist terror squads. In its long report of May 26, the Washington Post buried a paragraph describing how KLA mercenaries have targeted Serbs. One out of every 10 people in Kosovo is Serbian. The paragraph described KLA mercenaries stopping a train. They proceed to search the train, and then abduct a man traveling with his family because he is a Serb. "About a dozen Serbs have been kidnapped in the past week. Two have been found dead," the Post reports. The mercenaries don=92t just kill Serbs. They also kill Albanians considered to be friendly to Serbs. As for the press reports of a mass exodus from Kosovo, none shows pictures of masses of people. A photo of a family of eight walking through a field, for example, accompanied the New York Times report. The caption said "thousands of refugees are fleeing." In the meantime, the United States is waging a two-pronged war against Yugoslavia. Since 1991, Washington has imposed sanctions on Yugoslavia. Sanctions are like an army surrounding your house. They may not be firing weapons at the house, but they are stopping all kinds of supplies and food from entering. It is a policy of starvation once favored during sieges by medieval armies. These sanctions continue to this day. Now the United States is proposing to stiffen them. Will U.S. troops be next? U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke said in London June 7: "The sanctions regime of the Contact Group led by the U.S. and Great Britain has been very tight and is poised to tighten further if the situation deteriorates, and NATO is already making contingency plans if everything falls apart." (French News Agency, June 7) The contingency plan Holbrooke referred to is the threat of military occupation by U.S./NATO forces. U.S. Senate leader Trent Lott supported a U.S. military operation in Kosovo on CNN=92s "Late Edition" June 7. According to news reports, the U.S. State Department recently confirmed that U.S. policy has not changed since December 1992. That is when President George Bush declared that the United States would intervene militarily in Kosovo if it decided that it was "necessary." The French News Agency reported on June 6 that the United States and Britain have put into place everything needed to assert authority for sending a military force into Kosovo. - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted if source is cited. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY,NY 10011; via e-mail: ww@workers.org. For subscription info send message to:info@workers.org. Web: http://www.workers.org) [but what could the "US" possibly want in Kosovo that is worth this?]: -----Original Message----- > -Caveat Lector- > >4-4-1999, Mark wrote: >>(snip) >>> As for her point about the mines, it is indeed likely that these >>> mines play a role in motivating the current holocaust -- on the >>> Serbian side. If, as she claims, the mines are worth $5 billion, >>> that would certainly explain Milosevic' determination to hold on >>> to them. It would not explain the US interest in the Kosovo >>> genocide, which is going to end up costing the United States >>> a lot more than $5 billion ... > > > Probably this should read '$5 trillion' - (not $5 billion) ... > > As posted recently here ( Kosovo: 'The war is about the mines' ) > [following the same article by Sara Flounders] : > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > from: http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a36fd198d79a4.htm > > Topic: Kosovo > > There is another factor in this, something the rapacious > World Bank, IMF and the UN are interested in -- the estimated > $17 trillion in natural resources in Serbia/Kosovo. > > Kosovo has one of Europe's largest reserves of coal and lignite > while Serbia alone has huge deposits of aluminum ore. Albania has > large reserves of crude oil, which was part of the reason why > Marshal Tito, after WWII, wanted to absorb Albania into Yugoslavia. > > The other was that Tito feared an extreme Maoist Albania (which > retained the USSR Stalinist policy until 1961) being a Red Chinese > version of Cuba in Europe