An inspiration against nuclear arms

Published on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 by The Boston Globe
RIP Randy Forsberg: An Inspiration Against Nuclear Arms
by John Tirman

Randy Forsberg, who died this month at age 64, left a remarkable legacy: She helped end the Cold War, the most costly and dangerous confrontation in world history. This singular achievement was not hers alone, of course, but she spurred the massive social movement in the United States and Europe that convinced the superpowers - the United States and the Soviet Union - that they had to stand down from their nuclear rivalry.In 1980, she invented the call to freeze the nuclear arms race, and this simple but compelling idea - essentially, a moratorium on new nuclear weapons as a prelude to gradual disarmament - became the rallying cry for millions of people sickened by the rush to develop and deploy new nuclear weapons and missiles, space weapons, stealth bombers, and all the other expensive, provocative gadgets of the arms industry.

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2007/10/30/an_inspiration_against_nuclear_arms/

Toxic feelings at proposed nuclear dump

Lindsay Murdoch in Tennant Creek
October 29, 2007

ABORIGINAL landowners surrounding the proposed site of Australia's first nuclear dump have changed their minds about allowing access to trucks carrying waste as bitter argument rages among indigenous groups about the Federal Government's plans.

"I won't sign any agreement because my mob disagrees with building the dump there," said Sammy Sambo, senior elder of the Milwayi clan, which owns the only road to the site in Muckaty, a former cattle station 120 kilometres north of Tennant Creek.

"We are upset about the way those government fellas have gone about trying to convince us and are confused and worried about what to do next."

Elders of two Aboriginal clans owning parts of Muckaty, including land adjoining the site, have told the Herald they have not been properly consulted, contradicting the federal Science Minister, Julie Bishop, who said last month she was satisfied that potentially affected Aboriginal groups have had "adequate opportunity to express their views".

To read the full article from the Sydney Morning Herald, click on:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/toxic-feelings-over-dump/2007/10/28/1193555533389.html

CLIMATE CHANGE

Not only is a community at risk, but there are national interest reasons to worry about the future of the Cocos Islands, writes DAVID CORLETT

The Cocos Islands rise only marginally above the surface of the ocean. According Simms, the kampong or village on Home Island is just 1.3 meters above sea level. A twenty centimetre levy around the island gives it a bit more height. But with tides rising to 1.3 meters, the Home Island community is already precariously close to sea inundation. With climate change-induced rising sea levels, the delicate balance seems likely to be broken.

The Australian government has declined to resettle Pacific islanders who are threatened with forced migration due to climate change-related factors. It will have little choice with the Cocos Malays. They are, after all, Australian citizens. And there is some irony in the fact that they are also devout Muslims. Commentators from the Right who have been calling for an end to Muslim immigration to Australia will have to accept that the Cocos Malays have as much claim to be in this country as they themselves have, notwithstanding the islanders’ commitment to Islam.

To read the full article from Australian Policy Online, click on:
http://www.apo.org.au/webboard/comment_results.chtml?filename_num=178493

South Korea to host worldwide Anglican peace conference

Peace initiatives and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula will be the foci of a worldwide Anglican peace conference November 14-20 when more than 150 Anglican leaders, ecumenical guests and other participants will travel to South Korea for TOPIK (Towards Peace in Korea).

The conference will begin with a three-day peace trip to Geumgangsan in North Korea, where delegates will meet employees of the Hyundai Asan Company and hear about its programs of development and economic support for projects in North Korea, including flood-relief aid. The visit to North Korea will be followed by a four-day forum in Paju, near Seoul, South Korea. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will preach at the November 16 opening Eucharist, which is expected to draw more than 400 worshippers.

The forum will introduce and summarize Korean experiences of war and forgiveness, conflict and reconciliation, and explore ways to contribute to establishing a permanent peace in Northeast Asia.

"This gathering promises to produce some lasting changes in the relationships with North Korea," Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori said. "It seems especially timely given recent progress in talks with the North Korean government."

About 100 South Koreans will be joined by 40 overseas delegates from 20 countries, including Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori; Japan Primate Nathaniel Makoto Uematsu; Taiwan Bishop David Lai; Archbishop Roger Herft of Perth (Australia); Bishop Kumara Illangasinghe of Kurunagala (Church of Ceylon, Sri Lanka); Bishop Terry Brown of Malaita (Solomon Islands); and Archbishop Francis Kyung Jo Park (Anglican Church of Korea). Peter Ng, partnership officer for Asia and the Pacific, and the Revd Canon Brian Grieves, director of Peace and Justice Ministries, will travel to Asia as part of an Episcopal Church delegation.

"The joint participation of Japanese and American representatives in a place of former warfare and occupation may provide opportunities for apology, forgiveness and the beginnings of reconciliation," said Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori.

Recently retired Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Robin Eames will attend TOPIK as special emissary of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, who has offered his full support for the conference. "The conference aims to further develop the mutual understanding necessary for successful peacemaking efforts and the church's role in them," Archbishop Williams said in a letter of commendation.

Mission and development agencies represented will include the Church Mission Society, United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, Anglican Board of Mission, Episcopal Relief and Development and the Partnerships Department of the Anglican Church of Canada.

The forum venue in Paju, although close to Seoul, is also near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the heavily fortified zone which runs the width of Korea, dividing the Peninsula into two halves. In 2005, former Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold prayed at the DMZ and met with South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun as part of a two-week visit to Asia.

The TOPIK conference was first envisioned in response to a 2005 resolution from the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), the Anglican Communion's chief legislative body, which called for peace, reconciliation and reunification between North and South Korea. Organizers hope the conference will support and encourage others working for peace in areas of conflict. The Anglican Church of Korea wishes to begin a longer-term program of aid to the north, continuing beyond the end of the conference.

"Although an armistice agreement ending hostilities was signed in 1953, no peace treaty has yet been signed to end the Korean War. It is only in this last year that the railway lines between North and South Korea have been rejoined, even if only for a trial run," a news release announcing the TOPIK conference reports. "More than 50 years of almost total separation has broken apart families and cut all the normal lines of communication. While this conference began in response to an ACC resolution, it now also represents a growing spirit among South Koreans (eager) to breach the division and heal the pain of separation over such a long period." Canon Grieves commended the Anglican Church in Korea's long tradition of witnessing for human rights and reconciliation on the peninsula.

"During the days of dictatorship in the south, it was a beacon of hope for its courageous call for democracy," he said. "It continues that tradition in its call for reunification with the north, and I think this conference will be a major building block in that direction. We in the U.S. church will have to do our part to advocate that our government's policy is consistent with the goal of reunification."

Article from: Episcopal News Service by Matthew Davies

A letter from Archbishop Francis K Park of the Anglican Church of KoreaTo All Those Attending the Worldwide Anglican Peace Conference on Korea

Greetings in the Name of the Lord:

Firstly, I would like to say thanks to all of you, our brothers and sisters, who are coming to attend the Worldwide Anglican Peace Conference, Seoul 2007 joining in this expression of the Anglican Communion throughout the world in seeking a role to make efforts for peace on the Korean peninsula and throughout all of North East Asia.

As you will know already from media sources, the summit meeting of the leaders of South and North Korea from October 2-4, 2007 was indeed an historic occasion. The Summit declaration outlined the order for dealing with the necessary and important issues relating to peace between South and North Korea. We believe all these things are attributed to God's grace working in the world and are the fruits of the fervent prayers of peace loving Christian people. It will require much interest and prayer for the decisions announced at the South North Korea Leaders Summit to be actualized.

I can assure you that the Peace Conference Preparation Committee is doing all that it can to ensure the success of the Peace Conference. We are endeavoring to enable all those participating in the Conference from November 14 through 20 to have a deep and meaningful experience through the process of the Conference. Unfortunately the visit to Pyongyang has proved too difficult to realize at this stage but we have arranged a visit to a significant location which symbolizes the relationship between South and North Korea. From Wednesday November 14 to Friday November 16 we will make our peace journey to the Geumgang Mountain area of North Korea. Then from 4 pm on the afternoon of Friday November 16 we will have the official opening ceremony of the Peace Conference. The Peace Forum will continue through Saturday November 16 to Tuesday November 20. Also the Peace Conference Preparation Committee is currently doing all that it can to arrange the details for the departure of overseas Conference participants by Wednesday November 21. In order to facilitate the smooth operation of the Worldwide Anglican Peace Conference, the Preparation Committee requires the cooperation of the Conference participants in various matters. Because the Geumgang Mountain area is part of North Korea there are various procedures which have to be completed in advance of our visit. Above all each visitor to the Geumgang Mountain area will require documentation similar to an entry visa. To this end we need a photograph of each participant and a copy of the picture page of their passport.

Also through this upcoming Peace Conference we hope to take the opportunity to establish a worldwide Anglican network for peace in North East Asia. With this in mind we are compiling the profiles of the different Conference participants. Conference participants at the Worldwide Peace Conference will be able to obtain mutual understanding and much material that will be of value to themselves in their own work as well.

Finally, we expect positive participation from those attending the Peace Forum. I believe that all Conference participants, not just those giving presentations, can bring very valuable material from the depths of their experience in their fields of activity. Those participants scheduled to give presentations at the peace forum should submit their material to the Preparatory Committee before October 26, 2007. Please refer to our official Conference website www.topik2007.org for full details regarding the Peace Conference. Let us portray in our hearts and prayers our passion to cultivate peace in Korea and throughout North East Asia.

Remaining united together as one in the Holy Spirit.

The Most Revd Francis K Par
Primate Bishop of the Anglican Church of Korea
Chairman of the Peace Conference

The power of nonviolence

By Shaazka Beyerle and Cynthia Boaz
Published: October 18, 2007

It was not a surprise that the Burmese junta violently cracked down on the "saffron revolution." The generals had lost all credibility in the eyes of their people, and were left with only one tool of control - repression.

But no matter how many guns and tanks they have, the generals still depend on ordinary soldiers to do their dirty work. History teaches that once enough people stop carrying out their orders, or switch sides, the junta's power will disintegrate.

Through this lens, the saffron revolution isn't over, it has just begun.

Disobedience is at the heart of nonviolent struggle. "Even the most powerful cannot rule without the cooperation of the ruled," Mahatma Gandhi said. Nonviolent movements succeed not necessarily when there are masses on the streets, but when enough people withdraw their cooperation, refuse to obey, and thus undermine the sustainability of the existing system.
Reports of defiance continue to leak out of Burma. Dissident sources report that opposition posters are appearing in public spaces, on prison walls, taped to helium balloons, and even on river rafts.

To read the full article from the International Herald Tribune, click on:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/18/opinion/edbeyerle.php

Priests Protesting Torture at Fort Huachuca Jailed for Justice

Bill Quigley

TUCSON, Arizona — October 17 — Louis Vitale, 75, a Franciscan priest, and Steve Kelly, 58, a Jesuit priest, were each sentenced today to five months in federal prison for attempting to deliver a letter opposing the teaching of torture at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. Both priests were taken directly into jail from the courtroom after sentencing.

Fort Huachuca is the headquarters of military intelligence in the U.S. and the place where military and civilian interrogators are taught how to extract information from prisoners. The priests attempted to deliver their letter to Major General Barbara Fast, commander of Fort Huachuca. Fast was previously the head of all military intelligence in Iraq during the atrocities of Abu Ghraib.

The priests were arrested while kneeling in prayer halfway up the driveway to Fort Huachuca in November 2006. Both priests were charged with trespass on a military base and resisting orders of an officer to stop.

In a pre-trial heating, the priests attempted to introduce evidence of torture, murder, and gross violations of human rights in Afghanistan, Abu Ghraib in Iraq, and at Guantanamo. The priests offered investigative reports from the FBI, the US Army, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Physicians for Social Responsibility documenting hundreds of incidents of human rights violations. Despite increasing evidence of the use of torture by U.S. forces sanctioned by President Bush and others, the federal court in Tucson refused to allow any evidence of torture, the legality of the invasion of Iraq, or international law to be a part of the trial.

To read the full article from Common Dreams, click on:
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/17/4650/

A time for honest talk

Patrick Dodson
October 10, 2007

History will judge Australians harshly if efforts are not made to help indigenous people survive.

THE announcement on September 20 that the Government and Galarrwuy Yunupingu had agreed to negotiate a 99-year lease on lands occupied by a small community in East Arnhem Land reveals the dysfunctional relationship between indigenous Australia and the Federal Government as well as the tragic public policy mess that embroils that relationship.

The announcement highlights three overriding themes that define our Government's vision for indigenous people in this nation and the manner in which it conducts the affairs of government to achieve its policy objectives.

To read the full article from The Age, click on:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/patrick-dodson/2007/10/09/1191695905428.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

We trained Burmese officers, police admit

Craig Skehan
October 5, 2007

THE Australian Federal Police has confirmed three of its officers trained 20 Burmese police in intelligence gathering, as the international group Aidwatch warned that such co-operation should be curtailed amid the brutal suppression of democracy activists.

The 20 police were among more than 70 from Burma who, during the past three years, have participated in a regional training program at the Australian-funded Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Co-operation in Indonesia.

Kate Wheen of Aidwatch said yesterday that Australian-imparted skills could be misused by the military regime in the pursuit of its critics.

The junta has acknowledged that at least 15 people have been killed by Burmese security forces during the past fortnight.

To read the full article from the Sydney Morning Herald, click on:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/we-trained-burmese-officers-police-admit/2007/10/04/1191091276262.html