On October 24-30,UN Disarmament Week, the 8th Day Center for Justice invites you to say no to Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical weapons proliferation and testing world wide.
In the words of Pope John Paul II, we need a "moral about face." The whole world must summon the moral courage and technical means to say "no" to nuclear conflict; "no" to weapons of mass destruction; "no" to an arms race which robs the poor and the vulnerable; and "no" to the moral danger of a nuclear age which places before humankind indefensible choices of constant terror or surrender. Peacemaking is not an optional commitment. It is a requirement of our faith. We are called to be peacemakers, not by some movement of the moment, but by our Lord Jesus. The content and context of our peacemaking is set, not by some political agenda or ideological program, but by the teaching of his Church. The Challenge of Peace, #333 (US Catholic Bishops, 1986)
Background
UN Disarmament Week has been observed
by the United Nations since 1978 when Member States were invited to highlight
the dangers of the arms race, promote recognition of the need to stop the
arms race, and increase public understanding of the urgent tasks of disarmament.
The United Nations was founded on the belief that peace and security for all peoples would only be possible through disarmament. Article 26 of the United Nations Charter calls for 'the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security with the least diversion for armaments of the world's human and economic resources'.
UN WEB RESOURCES:
United Nations Disarmament website http://disarmament.un.org
http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/disarmament/
It is more imperative now that we speak out, in a time which the United States has broken the nuclear test ban treaty, seeks to make and use "more effective nuclear weapons", seeks develop a gene bomb that can target specific races of people, and has renewed attempts of a starwars defense initiative. Now is our golden opportunity to put an end to the madness of the nuclear/chemical/biological threat once and for all.
This was the goal of the three Dominican
sisters that entered Minuteman III silo N-8 near Greeley, Colorado, on
Oct. 6, the anniversary of the bombing of Afghanistan. They cut single
links in the chains securing the gates in the outer and inner fences surrounding
the silo. They left the gates open and peeled back a section of the fence,
opening it to reveal the presence of a weapon of mass destruction. They
poured their blood, in the form of a cross, six times on the 110-ton silo
lid and on the tracks that carry the lid to the firing position. Then,
in a ritual of prayer and symbolic disarmament, they used household hammers
on the silo and the tracks. They were convicted of two felonies , obstructing
national defense and damaging government property. Their sentences ranged
from two-and-one-half years to three-and-one-half years. Get more of the
story at:
http://www.rmpjc.org/2003/ActOfPeace.html
http://www.domlife.org/missiles.html
Facts/Talking
Points
1. From 1940 through 1996, the US spent
nearly $5.5 trillion on nuclear weapons.(If we could represent $5.8 trillion
as a stack of dollar bills, it would reach from the Earth to the Moon and
nearly back again, a distance of more than 459,000 miles.)
2. Nuclear weapons spending over this 56-year period exceeded the combined total federal spending for education; training, employment, and social services; agriculture; natural resources and the environment; general science, space, and technology; community and regional development (including disaster relief); law enforcement; and energy production and regulation.
3. On average, the United States has spent $98 billion a year on nuclear weapons.
4. The US currently has more than 10,000 Nuclear warheads.
5. While 400 megatons would be enough to obliterate a large nation such as the former USSR, we still currently have more than 2800 megatons active (available for immediate launch).
6.Total number of U.S. nuclear weapons tests, 1945-1992 1,030 Number of nuclear tests in the Pacific: 106 (one island vaporized completely) Number of U.S. nuclear tests in Nevada: 911
7. Volume in cubic meters of radioactive waste resulting from weapons activities: 104,000,000
Actions
1. Inform yourself . There are several
great web sites such as:
2. The Nuclear Policy Research Institute
(NPRI) with Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) are hosting a two
day conference on "Nuclear Power and Children's Health" featuring a long
time activist and leader in the disarmament movement , Dr. Helen Caldicott.
The event is Friday, October 15 and Saturday Oct 16 at St. Scholastica
Academy in Chicago. For more info go to www.nuclearpolicy.org.
3. Dr. Helen Caldicott, president of NPRI, will be speaking at the Peace Museum 100 North Central Ave Chicago, IL 60624 on OCTOBER 10 3:30 PM.
4. Write the three brave Dominican sisters
to let them know you appreciate their actions on our behalf.
Ardeth Platte #10857-039
FCI Danbury
Route 37
Danbury, CT 06811
Carol Gilbert #10856-039
R. 1 FPC Alderson
PO Box A
Alderson, WV 24910
Jacqueline Hudson #08808-039
FPC Victorville
PO Box 5100
Adelanto, CA 92301
5. Write a letter to the editor to you
favorite newspaper about disarmament week or the Dominicans' civil disobedience.