Talisman Sabre Testimony

O TALISMAN – STORIES UNTOLD

We dream of a day when the story told in the news is not about missing persons and billion dollar war ships. We dream of a day when stories that are told are of brave people who gathered for the Peace Convergence in June 2007 to protest Operation Talisman Sabre where 26,000 U.S. and Australian troops practiced for war in Shoalwater Bay, QLD. Their message was very simple but profound: “We want to live in a world of peace and not war, we do not believe in war.” The stories not told are those of the people willing to step over the line saying we do not believe in war and we will break a law if it is unjust and leads to death of our brothers and sisters, we do not accept your barbwire fences, your blank faces, your lies about sovereignty.

The stories not told are of a young man who was arrested for doing the hokey pokey;
A story of whole communities in their diversity working together and living out of a common goal of peace;

A group of seven comrades prepared to risk their lives whilst camping in pristine wilderness, which happens to be military training ground and bombing site the size of Belgium;
Another group who do what Australians love most – spending time illegally at one of the most beautiful beaches (the Great Barrier Reef) in the world;

A couple of young lovers exposing their nakedness and their humanity declaring love not war;
A group of five Christian activists who walked down Samuel Hill tarmac wanting to play peace games not war games;

Stories of thousands marching together in colour and slendour to the beat of a different drum;
Independent media who follow their hearts in living for the truth uncensored;

Stories of strong women leaders from the Darumbal people (indigenous tribe of the area), from Hawaii and Guam who tell tales of what the U.S. bases have done in their countries;

Of a photographer who continues to be persecuted for taking photographs of deformed children and victims from the effects of the Gulf War;

The forgotten people who really are heroes.

Australia needs to wake up from its comfort and lives of ‘perceived’ fear of others and start opening up our hearts to the atrocities that go on every day in this world even in our own backyard. We need to ask the question: “Does our affluence fuel our apathy?” We need to say no to that plasma screen, a new flashy car and yes to our neighbours who are dying everyday in unnecessary wars. Our governments need to start operating under true democracy where people have freedom of speech and a right to stand up for what they believe in.

Sadly, these stories will not be told because of big dollars and control. We were three of the five who were voluntarily arrested on Samuel Hill airbase on the 21st June. We walked down the tarmac with other Christian activists armed with a peace flag, a Frisbee, two letters for the U.S. and Australian Major Generals and the hope for dialogue. Before we were taken away by police we enjoyed many in depth conversations with military personnel who shared their inner feelings about the Iraq war and what they saw and were exposed to (e.g. use of depleted uranium and its effects). We got to share about our concerns for their lives and civilian’s lives and about our worry over the environmental effects that war and these games have. To our utter disbelief the hypothetical mission at the games was in regards to hypothetical “terrorists” coming to take over the country. Were we those terrorists? We were just everyday Australians armed with another message: Love at all costs! As we were driven out I saw tanks and soldiers scattered all throughout the bush that had cease-fired as the base was closed whilst we were on the grounds. That day our concerns for our friend’s safety that were still on the base went to parliament, as no one believed it was possible. To me it was worth it just to have the conversation we wouldn’t have had whilst we were kept in silence. Please don’t silence it anymore!

As all the protesters go home the local are left with the night sky blaring, the sound of bombing, their homes shaking, their health at risk and the real threat that because this base is located where it is they will be a likely target. The destruction of Shoalwater Bay will continue until the 2nd July and will go on for the next twenty years. Australia continues to spend $55 million a day on its military whilst where we live in Doveton, Victoria many social problems are unaddressed and experienced daily such as lack of affordable housing, social isolation, mental health issues, lack of education to name a few.

For more information and media images please contact:

Justice and Peace Initiatives
Sarah Williams – 0418 146 601
Simon Reeves
Krystal Spencer

For our press release (June 21st, 2007) please follow the link - News “Media Coverage for Peace Convergence” and then go to “Activists Still Inside War Games Zone, More Go In: Press Conference in Action.” www.peaceconvergence.com/news/25

Crimes-against-humanity suspect a threat to Papuans

28 June 2007 – The presence in Papua of a senior Indonesian army officer indicted on crimes against humanity charges in East Timor (now Timor-Leste) endangers human rights defenders and political activists and is a sign of the Indonesian government’s lack of commitment to justice and accountability a coalition of Indonesian and international human rights organisations said today.

In an open letter to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia (see
http://tapol.gn.apc.org/news/files/let070628.htm), the organisations called for Col. Burhanuddin Siagian, commander of the Jayapura sub-regional military command (Korem 172) in Papua, to be withdrawn immediately and suspended from active duty. They urged the Indonesian government to review all evidence against Col. Siagian and other high-level East Timor suspects to determine whether proceedings should be commenced and to extradite to East Timor those indicted by Dili’s Special Panel for Serious Crimes.

“It is shocking that a government supposedly committed to military reform and fighting impunity would appoint an indicted officer to a sensitive senior post in Papua,” said Paula Makabory, the spokesperson for the Institute for Human Rights Study & Advocacy West Papua ELS-HAM.

“Papuans will continue to have their rights trampled on until the civilian authorities exert control over military behaviour and ensure accountability for past abuses,” she added.

Responding to Papuan demands for a review of their history, Col. Siagian last month reportedly threatened to “destroy” anyone who “betrays” Indonesia. This echoes similar statements he allegedly made when based in Maliana as military commander of the Bobonaro district of East Timor. Two indictments issued in 2003 state that he made speeches threatening to kill East Timorese independence supporters and was responsible for the deaths of seven men in April 1999 (See
http://jsmp.minihub.org/indictmentspdf/Cailacoindnannexeng07feb03)
and
http://jsmp.minihub.org/indictmentspdf/Maliana_Burhanuddin22_7_03.pdf)

The organisations pointed out that Papuans who campaign peacefully are not betraying Indonesia as alleged by Col. Siagian, but simply asserting their right to express their political views. It called upon President Yudhoyono to show his commitment to freedom of expression and support this right.

Col. Siagian is not the only person accused of serious crimes in East Timor who has continued in an active position of command responsibility. In April this year, Major General Noer Muis, former military commander of East Timor, controversially co-directed a joint military training exercise with the United States (see http://www.etan.org/news/2007/04muis.htm). In 2003, Timbul Silaen was appointed chief of police in Papua despite being indicted on charges arising from his occupation of the same position in East Timor in 1999. A number of senior suspects, including Major-General Adam Damiri former military commander of the East Timor region, were involved in military operations in Aceh.

Indonesia’s ad hoc human rights court tried 18 defendants (not including Col. Siagian) on charges relating to crimes against humanity in East Timor, but the proceedings were widely regarded as a sham. Twelve defendants were acquitted and five had their convictions overturned on appeal. The only conviction still standing is that of East Timorese militia leader, Eurico Guterres. The UN-established serious crimes process in East Timor indicted 392 suspects, but Indonesia refused to co-operate and more than 70 per cent of those indicted, including all the non-East Timorese nationals, remain free in Indonesia.

“We are dismayed by Indonesia’s lack of respect for the rule of law and its apparent determination to perpetuate a cycle of impunity that encourages military personnel to believe they will escape justice for past and future violations of human rights,” said Matthew Jamieson Secretary of the Institute for Papuan Advocacy & Human Rights in Australia. “Indonesia has failed to keep its obligations under international law and Indonesian domestic law to prosecute Col Siagian for his alleged crimes.”

ENDS

Contacts:

Australia: Matthew Jamieson, Institute for Papuan Advocacy and Human Rights; +61 418291998; matthew@hr.minihub.org
UK: Paul Barber, TAPOL, +44 1420 80153; plovers@gn.apc.org
US: John M Miller, ETAN, +1 917 690 4391; etan@igc.org

Pacifists Penetrate Military Perimeter at Shoalwater Bay

Five Christian pacifists have entered the Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area today to raise their concerns about and stop the Talisman Sabre live military exercises taking place over the next two weeks.Simon Reeves (26 yrs Melbourne – Social Worker), Simon Moyle (30 yrs Melbourne – Baptist Minister), Krystal Spencer (21yrs Melbourne – Student), Sarah Williams (23 yrs Melbourne – Support Worker) and Carol Powell (53yrs Brisbane – Nurse (Registered) release the following statement:

“Imagining Peace”

We plan to enter the base to disrupt these military exercise with our presence. We do so openly and honestly, without deception, and while actively seeking out military personnel with whom to dialogue.

We are five nonviolent Christian people who, like the prophet Isaiah, are working towards the day when people will beat swords into ploughshares and study war no more. As followers of the nonviolent Jesus, we cannot stand by while our country plans the destruction of our brothers and sisters in other countries and the environment here at Shoalwater Bay.

We do not take these actions lightly, but with an awareness that the gravity of our actions pales in comparison to the crimes of the Australian and US militaries this week. The destruction of pristine wilderness, with unique and endangered wildlife is unacceptable, as is the increased reliance on violent methods of conflict resolution.We take these actions because all other legal attempts to stop the exercises have failed.

People are likely to say that we have no respect for the law, however, this is not so. Rather, we say, with Martin Luther King Jr. and in accordance with the principles of nonviolence, “I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.” We believe that practicing for war only means more war. That is why we must imagine peace, embody peace, practice peace. Another world is possible: that is why we act.

More information about the action will be released when available.

Media Spokesperson contact: Jacob Bolton 0433 832 000

Peace Convergence organisers are concerned that the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) are not taking seriously securing the safety of seven peace activists who went inside the Shoalwater Bay military training area yesterday. Statements released to the media by the military indicate they don’t believe activists actually penetrated and went inside the military firing zone . Peace Convergence spokesperson Treena Lenthall said, “This is not a stunt. These people have made a personal decision based on their moral convictions the only way they can stop the war exercises is to risk their lives. They feel strongly about the war in Iraq and stopping the environmental damage to Shoalwater Bay from these military exercises. “Their lives are on the line and we want a commitment from ADF that according to normal Defence protocols live firing will cease until they are found,” Ms Lenthall said. “Their safety should be of prime concern to the military. At least two of the activists have young children under the age of two, and their partners as with the families of all those risking their lives, need assurance that their loved ones won’t be accidentally killed or injured,” Ms Lenthall said. The group includes 66 year old great grandmother, June Norman, who has taken this personal action because she is ashamed of our government’s role in Iraq.

“War is not a game. I feel for the children of Iraq who are being killed by the actions of the US and our military,” Mrs Norman said before she disappeared behind the barb wire fence yesterday of the military training area. “ The military has upped the ante with these military exercises and I felt I had to respond accordingly,” said the Brisbane great grandmother. Peace Convergence organisers have contacted politicians hoping questions will be raised in Federal parliament before it rises for the winter recess at the end of this week. “So far, the silence from the parliamentary benches from both major parties regarding the safety of these seven has been deafening,” says Ms Lenthall. “The politicians seem more intent on awarding themselves a $20,000 plus pay rise than they are about seeing that these people are not killed by our forces or the US military,” she said. Those contacted include the Minister for Defence Brendon Nelson, Joel Fitzgibbons (Labor’s spokesman for Defence), Peter Garrett Shadow minister for the Environment (who has a personal connection to Shoalwater Bay having fought for its protection from sandmining in l991 and Kirsten Livermore federal member for Capricornia).

To learn more about the peace activities at Talisman Sabre, click on:

http://www.peaceconvergence.com/

No Jail for Pine Gap Four

Four Christian pacifists are celebrating after being spared prison sentences in the Northern Territory Supreme Court today.

The Pine Gap Four, found guilty of breaching the Defence (Special Undertakings) Act 1952, have been handed minor fines.

The public gallery erupted into song, applause, cheers and hugs and the feeling of victory and vindication was in the air.

Justice Sally Thomas noted their good behaviour and co-operation in the sentencing decision.

"All four were very genuine in the cause they sought to espouse," said Justice Thomas, "however their actions - no matter for what cause - cannot justify the breaking of the law."

Jim Dowling has been fined $1250, Bryan Law fined $1000, Donna Mulhearn fined $450 and Adele Goldie fined $550. They have also been asked to contribute $2500 each towards cost of fence repair.

Justice Thomas noted that Pine Gap has a significant history of protest and trespass, with past trespassers being fined. "It's a big step up to talk about a jail sentence," she said in court on Thursday. "A prison sentence is one of last resort."

Justice Sally Thomas had allowed the defendants to present evidence throughout the 11 day trial including their beliefs about Pine Gap’s role in the war in Iraq which resulted in civilian deaths and suffering. She later instructed the jury to disregard that evidence and any sympathies they might have for the defendant’s beliefs.

When Bryan Law of Cairns, Jim Dowling and Adele Goldie of Brisbane and Donna Mulhearn of Sydney entered Pine Gap's 'Prohibited Area' to conduct a Citizens' Inspection on December 9, 2005, they were well aware of the potential consequences. Attorney-General Philip Ruddock took their actions seriously enough to charge the group under the 55 year old untested Defence (Special Undertakings) Act.


The consequences however are far greater than fines and criminal convictions. The Pine Gap Four conducted their inspection to disrupt the machinery of war and to draw Australia's attention to the missile guidance system in its heart.


Following sentencing today Mr Law said "We have still won. For me it's not about trespass, it's a moral issue. Our action was and is calculated to effectively intervene into the war-fighting operation of Pine Gap, under the public gaze, as part of an effective campaign to limit the damage from war in Iraq in the short term, and bring about global disarmament in the medium term. What's moral is not always legal, and what is immoral is not always illegal. If there is a minor law that has to be broken in the pursuit of moral faith then I will break it."


Through tears Ms Mulhearn explained "I thought it was the least I could do given the magnitude of the crime I was trying to prevent. I was trying to fulfil the promise I had made to the people of Iraq to do something to stop the war. What I did was an attempt to transform a military base into something open and honest."In the final moments of the trial, Ms Mulhearn pointed to the stained hiking boots she was wearing. She had worn them in an Iraqi marketplace, in the aftermath of a US bomb. Now, in this court room, there is blood on my boots. Blood of a human being because of the targeting decisions made in Pine Gap," she said.


Mr Dowling told the jury "We went to that base to resist what is essentially a war crime – the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of civilians."


Ms Goldie also noted Pine Gap's role in crimes against humanity.

"My action to try to prevent crimes of such tremendous gravity is lawful," she said, referring to the Nuremberg Principles.

During cross-examination Ms Mulhearn questioned the Deputy Chief of Pine Gap, Mr Michael Burgess, about the severity of the charges. She asked Mr Burgess about the demonstrations of 1987 during which hundreds of people entered the declared 'Prohibited Area'.

"Are you aware how many of them were charged under this act?" she asked Mr Burgess.
"I believe none of them," Mr Burgess replied.

The shroud of secrecy surrounding Pine Gap was maintained during the trial. Justice Thomas ruled in favour of the Commonwealth's submission for public interest immunity at the start of the case. The ruling stated: "Information as to operations of the Joint Defence Facility at Pine Gap except as may be disclosed by the prosecution brief is not relevant to any issue in this case."

Defendant Jim Dowling asked in response: "So they're allowed to give the information they want without us getting a chance to query that?" Justice Thomas concurred.

The Pine Gap Four had already successfully challenged a suppression order made in a secret court in Darwin in 2006 in relation to ASIO's involvement in their arrest.

The question of parliamentary privilege was raised when the defendants flagged their intention to tender a Joint Standing Committee Report from 1999* as part of their case. Ms Mulhearn had spoken against the Commonwealth's submission, claiming it was against the "vibe" of the act.

"As an unrepresented defendant I think I'm allowed to quote from 'The Castle', Your Honour," she said. "I think it's the 'vibe' – that wasn't the vibe of this legislation at all."

Although the report is on the public record, Justice Thomas ruled it inadmissable due to section 16 (3) of the Parliamentary Priveleges Act of 1688. Ms Mulhearn expressed grave concerns that this could result in an unfair trial.


In a surreal move described by one defendant as "more Alice in Wonderland tactics", prosecuting counsel asked that a model of Pine Gap base be forfeit to the Commonwealth on the basis that it contravened the Defence (Special Undertakings) Act 1952 section 2 ("A person is guilty of an offence if the person obtains, collects, uses.. a photograph, sketch, plan, model.. [of] a prohibited area. Maximum penalty: seven years."). The model had been brought to the courthouse on June 5 to clarify a point of evidence. It was constructed prior to the Citizens' Inspection of the base, using GoogleEarth photographs for reference.


The defendants had planned to use sections 10.3, 10.4 and 10.5 of the Criminal Code (necessity, defence of others etc.) to legally justify their actions, but these were ruled inadmissable by Justice Thomas on Tuesday. Nine barristers and lawyers were present for the prosecution case, while the Pine Gap Four represented themselves.


The trial has been closely followed by the international legal community, concerned that the Attorney General's intervention and the use of an archaic act reflect poorly on freedom of speech and political expression in Australia.


Statement on behalf of the Pine Gap 4:


We want to thank all our supporters in Alice Springs, across Australia and throughout the world. We renew our commitment to non-violent resistance, which is a powerful way that ordinary people can make a difference in the world. We encourage others to take their next step in rising up against war. Join your local peace group, or if you can, support actions challenging the US-Australian war games - Operation Talisman Sabre - that will start next week in Queensland.

"The choice now is not between violence and non-violence" said Dr Martin Luther King, "the choice is between non-violence and non-existence".


*Report 26: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jsct/reports/report26/report26.pdf

For more information contact:
Jessica Morrison 0431 519 577
Katie McRobert 0408 468 992
Donna Mulhearn 0422 749 319

Australia is'a racist society'

Paul Osborne June 15, 2007 - 6:00PM

Australia remains a racist society, allowing governments to erode many of the gains made since the landmark Mabo decision, a leading Aboriginal academic says.

"A key barrier in achieving social justice for Aboriginal people ... is the prevalence of racism in Australian society," said Professor Larissa Behrendt tonight.

The author was in Brisbane delivering the Mabo Oration - a speech in honour of Eddie Mabo and the decision by the High Court in 1992 which recognised native title.

Prof Behrendt said racism had enabled governments to get away with eroding indigenous rights, including those gained through the Mabo decision.

"Studies increasingly show that Australians are resistant to the notion that they are a racist society and resent the use of the term 'racism' to describe their attitudes and actions to any sector of the community, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders," she said.

"But it explains why it is that the government can loosely and misleadingly assert that 'they are not going to throw any more money at the situation' and many Australians agree.

To read the full article from The Brisbane Times, click on:
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2007/06/15/1181414534562.html?from=top5

Vigil to protest the Talisman Sabre Exercise

From 19 June to 2 July Australia will host the biggest joint US-Australian military exercise on our soil. This exercise should be opposed because:

• Operation Talisman Sabre 07 war games will take place inside the environmentally pristine areas in central Queensland and the Northern Territory. They include parts of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park World Heritage area and other areas of national heritage and wilderness.

Shoalwater Bay is the largest wilderness area on the central Queensland coast. For two weeks the US and Australian military will pound the fragile coastline with live naval, land based and aerial bombings.

Other locations include Cowley Beach, part of World Heritage area that contains indigenous heritage sites; Delamere Range in Northern Territory within the catchment of Kakadu National Park wetlands.

• Operation Talisman Sabre 07 locks Australia into the US global military machine making us a major US base and a launching pad for US wars in the region and around the world. It undermines our sovereignty and overrides Australian peoples’ desire for peace. The exercises are not designed to defend Australia or protect its people. They are preparations for offensive military strategies and invasions. The growing militarisation of East Asia by the US threatens peace in our region.

• Australia’s spending on Operation Talisman Sabre 07 joint military exercise cuts spending on public health, education, welfare and the environment. There are no benefits to Australia and its people, only destruction of the environment and locking Australia into America’s wars of aggression.

• The people of Japan, South Korea and the Philippines are also mobilising to close down US military bases in their countries and end the escalation of joint military activities in the East Asia region and Oceania. The people of our region want peace, not preparations for military invasions.

More than 14,000 American and 12,000 Australian troops will take part in a military exercise Operation Talisman Sabre 07.

Peace Convergence is gathering a group of people to go to Shoalwater Bay in Queensland June 18-24 where a national gathering of peace activists will witness and protest.

They have asked Pax Christi and other concerned people to hold an action in Melbourne in support of their action in Queensland and to draw attention to Operation Talisman Sabre.

With the support of Christians for Peace, Pax Christi has decided to hold a vigil outside St Paul’s Cathedral in Swanson St, on Friday 15 June 4-7 p.m

We invite you to help and join the vigil.

Join us and tell the government we want peace, we want our taxes spent on education, health, environment and community services. We want the government to serve the interests of Australian people, not US militarism.

NO radioactive waste dump in the NT

“From the heart, for the heartland”

Traditional owners speak out:
NO radioactive waste dump in the NT!

Melbourne Public meeting
Monday 18th June
6.30 – 8.30 pm
Exhibition opens for viewing from 6 pm.
Trades Hall, cnr. Lygon and Victoria St’s, Carlton South.

Indigenous traditional owners and community members from areas proposed for the Federal radioactive waste dump are undertaking a national speaking tour. Timed to coincide with the announcement of the Federal Government’s preferred dump site, this tour is an opportunity for national audiences to hear how the dump proposal is impacting the targeted communities in the Northern Territory. Speakers will share their stories and experiences and raise concerns related to contamination of the country that sustains their communities, livelihoods and traditional culture.

Speakers:
· Audrey McCormack and Benedict Stevens - Mt Everard traditional owners
· Priscilla Williams and Mitch - Harts Range community members
· Dianne Stokes - Muckaty traditional owner
· Donna Jackson - Top End Aboriginal Conservation Alliance (TEACA) and Larrakia Nations’ representative.

The evening will include an exhibition of artworks from affected communities, photos of the proposed dump sites and a short film.

The speaking tour aims to confront and dispel the myth used to justify nuclear activities in Australia; that remote areas are uninhabited and lifeless places. Federal Science Minister Julie Bishop suggested that all of the proposed waste dump sites are “far from any form of civilisation” when in fact, there are communities living and running successful enterprises three, five and eighteen kilometres away from the three areas currently being assessed.

This is a unique opportunity to hear first hand, the impact of the Federal radioactive waste dump proposal on remote and indigenous communities. With Australia poised to expand involvement in the global nuclear industry, this public forum will enable discussion of domestic radioactive waste management issues, social and environment concerns regarding the NT dump proposal and ways people interstate can engage with and support the NT community campaign.

Please advertise this public event widely amongst your family, friends and colleagues and contact the tour coordinators for any further information.

Tour coordinator: Natalie Wasley, 0429 900 774, natwasley@alec.org.au
Melbourne contact: Michaela Stubbs, 0429 136 935, michaela.stubbs@foe.org.au

Killing soldiers' humanity

The American military is training its soldiers to become so inured to killing that it becomes easy.

'Over here, killing people is like squashing an ant. I mean, you kill somebody and it's like 'All right, let's go get some pizza'."

That's an American soldier, Private Steven Green, interviewed in Iraq in 2006.
Green's words sound shocking but they represent the reality of combat in places such as Iraq: good soldiers kill quickly and dispassionately. Even with modern, high-tech weapons, someone must still pull the trigger.

And that's not necessarily easy.

A famous World War II study by S. L. A. Marshall shocked military theorists when it suggested that only a minority of American soldiers could bring themselves to fire directly at another human being in combat, even with their own life at risk.

"The average and healthy individual … has such an inner … resistance towards killing a fellow man," wrote Marshall, "that he will not of his own volition take life if it is possible to turn away from that responsibility."

The Soviet journalist Vasily Grossman noted a similar phenomenon on the Eastern Front. "Sixty per cent of our soldiers haven't fired a single shot during the war at all," a commander told him. "We are fighting thanks to heavy machine-guns, battalion mortars and the courage of some individuals."

Since then, military trainers have developed various techniques to overcome the inherent human resistance to killing.

To read the full article from The Age, click on:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/killing-soldiers-humanity/2007/06/03/1180809336364.html

Missile shield ups chance of conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin says US plans to install a missile defence system in Europe will increase the chances of a nuclear conflict.

Moscow is alarmed by US plans to deploy parts of a global missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic and last week it tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile it said could ensure the country's security for the next 40 years.

"The missile shield only creates the theoretical illusion that one is protected, but the possibility that a nuclear conflict is unleashed is actually greater," Putin told Germany's Der Spiegel magazine.

To read the full article from The Age, click on:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Missile-shield-ups-chance-of-conflict/2007/06/03/1180809311494.html

Ban this bomb from our arsenal

NO PERSON of reason, no government of moderate temper, would want to countenance using any weapon that increases the possibility of indiscriminate death. The loss of innocents — of women and children especially — would fly in the face of how a civilised person or administration ought to behave, surely. There are many weapons in the arsenal that are specific to the purpose of killing the enemy. Cluster bombs are not one of them.

To read the full editorial from The Age, click on:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/editorial/ban-this-bomb-from-our-arsenal/2007/06/01/1180205507665.html

Pine Gap Trial in Alice Springs

To catch up with the latest information about the Pine Gap Trial in Alice Springs where four Christian pacifists are being tried for entering the grounds at Pine Gap for a citizens' inspection, click on:

http://pinegapontrial.blogspot.com/