More than half the world’s governments have banned the production, use, and export of cluster bombs. Meeting in May, 111 countries decided that the global community should not tolerate the use of weapons that kill or maim more civilians than combatants. The U.S. government did not attend the negotiations. Instead, the Bush administration worked from the sidelines to weaken the treaty and to discourage some governments from attending.

Following the negotiations, the U.S. military released a “new” cluster bomb policy that would allow the Pentagon to continue using these indiscriminate weapons for the next ten years.

Take Action

You can help move U.S. policy in the right direction by urging your senator Carl Levin to cosponsor the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act (S.594). This bill states that, “Cluster munitions will not be used where civilians are known to be present or in areas normally inhabited by civilians.”

As chair of the Armed Services committee, Sen. Levin is the most influential senator on questions of military policy. His support for cluster bomb legislation would provide strong encouragement for other senators to do the same.

This is a new action alert on The Reliable Replacement Warhead: The Latest Threat to Nuclear Nonproliferation as provided by the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL).

The House of Representatives has already denied funding to this program, now it is time for the Senate to follow that lead.

Last Tuesday Jim Varani of our Disarmament Working Group had an excellent op-ed published in the Ann Arbor New about the need for renewed activism around nuclear weapons. Read the rest of this entry »

Action Alert - the Friends Committee on National Legislation reports that between now and April 30 (an extended deadline), the Energy Department is collecting comments on the Bush administration’s proposal to restart the U.S.’s nuclear weapons program. Sixteen national religious organizations filed formal public comments opposing the administration’s plans to build a new nuclear bomb plant that would be wasteful, unneeded, and dangerous, the Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quakers) announced.

Read the full text of the statement (PDF), organized by FCNL and the National Religious Partnership on the Nuclear Weapons Danger”, to go to the article entitled “Public Comments to the Energy Department on the Supplement to the Stockpile Stewardship and Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Complex Transformation” for further information. and to see a list of signers.

Friends Committee on National Legislation reports that between now and April 10, the Energy Department is collecting comments on the Bush administration’s proposal to restart the U.S.’s nuclear weapons program. The administration has asked for money to build a facility to make triggers for nuclear warheads and to modify facilities across the country. This proposal would set up the infrastructure to allow the U.S. to build new nuclear weapons in the future.

Use the form on their Website to send your comments directly to the Energy Department, copying your members of Congress. Remember to personalize the sample letter FCNL provides.

Nuclear Watch has an excellent article about why the proposed Reliable Replacement Warhead program and Complex Transformation programs are unnecessary. While the Pentagon is calling for programs to re-build the U.S. nuclear arsenal, Nuclear Watch points out that the government’s own numbers show these programs are not needed. Read the full article here.

What led to the arms race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union? What lessons does that leave us with today?

In this month’s movie, Richard Rhodes talked about his book, Arsenals of Folly: The Making of the Nuclear Arms Race. In his book he describes the people and events that led to the arms race between the U.S. and the Soviet Unionfollowing World War II. He also addressed the nuclear policies that emerged after World War II that are still impacting the country today.

Mr. Rhodes is an affiliate of the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University. He responded to questions from members of the audience.

Thursday, January 31. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m., the movie begins at 7:00. Free and open to the public. Located at Memorial Christian Church, 730 Tappan, Ann Arbor.

Conviction: A Nagasaki Day Dinner and a Movie. Sixty-two years after an atomic bomb was dropped on the civilian city of Nagasaki, Japan, Conviction tells the story of three Dominican Sisters who took the proliferation of nuclear weapons personally. These women saw it as their religious duty to trespass on the land of a nuclear weapons silo in Colorado, chant, pour their own blood, and get jailed for their beliefs. Come watch the film and build community around delicious food, a good film, and lively discussion.

Where: Memorial Christian Church ~ 730 Tappan St. Ann Arbor

When: Thursday, August 9, 6:30 p.m

Why: To build community around peace and justice

How Much: FREE!!! You are invited to bring a dish to share, but it is not required. Donations are accepted.

RSVP to dreyson@icpj.net or call 663-1870.

Who: Sponsored by the Disarmament Working Group of the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice

Conviction was a finalist in the Frozen River Film Festival, you can learn more about the film on the website for Zero to Sixty Productions

Spread the word. Download the August 2007 Dinner and a Movie Poster (pdf) and share it with your friends!

Half our federal income taxes go to the Pentagon. That’s a big piece of the pie.

Recently a Peace Action group in Wisconsin came up with a creative way to make that point. They staged pizza deliveries to media outlets. On the outside of the box was a Military Spending Pie Chart and a note saying “Pizza Brought to you by Peace Action” but inside the box was only half a pizza and a note saying that “the military got the other half of the pie.”

How would you make the point of how much of our money the Pentagon gobbles up? Post your ideas in the comments section below.

From the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Take Action Now

We Can Stop New Nuclear Weapons!

The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is planning to build new nuclear weapons. These new warheads are being prepared under the so-called Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) Program. There is growing public and congressional opposition to this program. Your letter to Congress will help prevent a new generation of nuclear weapons. Read the rest of this entry »