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NOVEMBER 2007 DISARM UPDATE

Posted November 8th, 2007 by carol.disarm

disarm update

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2007

 

FOCUS ISSUES: Reports and follow-up on Keep Space for Peace week
WILPF Legislative Action: November-December
WILPF statement to UN Bioweapons Treaty Meetings (12/10-12/14), and Good News for Boston WILPF in the Fightback Against the BSL-4 Biolab
DECEMBER CALENDAR
(scroll down for important November alerts, events, links and information)
December 1: New U.S. policy promotes direct bi-lateral talks with Iran. Thanks to all who have helped create a political climate that makes this possible at last!
December 2: St. Louis WILPF hosts a forum on Iran featuring Debra
Penna-Fredericls – a Peace Activist, Human Rights Advocate, Medical Ethicist, and Recent Visitor to Iran. Sunday Dec. 2, 3:00pm at the U City Library, 6701 Delmar Blvd. What are you and your Branch doing to urge direct talks with Iran?
December 3: Last chance to register for the Commission on the status of Women (CSW) 2/27 to 3/25 07. WILPF plans two work shops relevant to disarmament issues: one on women, war and global military spending and the other on UNSC 1325. Members send your name today as it appears on your passport, address, phone number and Branch affiliation (if any) to Kate Zaidan by December 5! (Non-registrants can't observe the official sessions, but can participate in NGO side events, most of which will be held in the Methodist Building where the WILPF office is located.)
December 4-5: Big News! U.S. intelligence sgencies say Iran is not developing a nuclear bomb after all! Read Los Angeles Times analyisis on December 5.We can't relax! Keep pressing for talks!
December 5: UNO registration closes for workshop proposals and participation in the CSW. Email WILPF Peace Women to try for last minute inclusion if you missed the December 3 deadline. No more registrations after this date. Good luck!
December 5: Big News! UN Assembly votes overwhelmingly for a study on the effects of depleted uranium! Read DISARM Team member Jean Verthein's report on October NGO events at the UN on depleted uranium. Check often the International Committee to Ban Uranium Weapons (ICBUW) for up-to-date information and plenty of actions you can take!
December 8: IRAN: Monterey Branch program on Iran with Michael Veiluva and
Sanaz Meshkinpour. What is your Branch doing? Use WILPF Iran action packet. (Starts with a long timeline -- scroll down for talking points, sample letter, etc.) And thanks to all who have acted thus far to create a receptive climate for the new U.S. policy of direct negotiations with Iran.
December 10: Last day of international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign. Read the information on WILPF Peace Women and report what you did.
December 8-10: Berkeley: Cluster meeting of northern California Branches.

December 10: UN Human Rights Day. Tell us how you celebrate the Universal Declaration of human rights and the web of UN human rights treaties that have codified its visions into international law. Download WILPF brochure on US and human rights treaties. In Illinois December 10 is now officially celebrated annually as Jane Addams Day! Many Branches also honor member Eleanor Roosevelt on this day. Read the international WILPF statement for Human Rights Day sent from the Geneva office.
December 10-14: Intersessional meetings on the Bioweapons Treaty in Geneva. The DISARM team is helping international WILPF develop a statement for the meetings. Latest treaty developments are reported on BASIC. International Wilpf statement for the 2007 sessions was issued on December 10.
December 12: Women and Cluster Munitions. Read Katherine Harrison's wonderful new WILPF paper posted today.
December 17: Amy Goodman reports $24 billion subsidy for nuclear power included in the $500 billion omnibus spending bill now before Congress. Read the interview with Harvey Wasserman.
NOVEMBER CALENDAR
November 4: Staff from WILPF's Geneva office hand delivered copies of the WILPF Alternative Report on Improper and Abusive Recruitment of Children by the U.S. Military to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. For an electronic copy of the report and a description of how you can both promote and contribute to it contact Laura Roskos, co-chair of the AHR/CEDAW committee.

November 5-7: Two members of the DISARM team visited more than 20 Congressional offices, most with WILPF constituencies, to urge co-sponsorship of H R 1702 (Common Sense Budget) and H Res 68 (global nuclear weapons abolition). They also promoted H R 1826, the pioneering nuclear abolition and economic conversion act. Go to WILPF Legislative Action, scroll down to 2) WILPF LOBBIES CONGRESS, and if your Representative is listed there, you can take action!

November 6: Reaching Critical Will issues the final edition of the First Committee Monitor with a clear summary of disarmament discussions in the First Committee of the General Assembly. This committee holds a month of concentrated and important discussions on disarmament treaty issues every October.

November 11: Victory for Lieutenant Watada! Truth Out report on new court decision. WILPF DISARM team members attended and reported on earlier events related to the the Watada trial.

November 19: The DISARM EYE alert tells of FCNL's action request to help get more co-sponsors for H.R. 3797 alling for a diplomatic surge in Iraq and the Middle East. Go to WILPF Legislative Action, section 1) to read the Alert and the bill. Also read about the 92 Representatives who have promised to vote no more funding for the Iraq education unless it is to bring the troops home, and Barbara Lee's explanation of why so many of them nonetheless voted for HR 4156 and $50 billion in bridge funding.

November 21: Katherine Harrison, our Disarmament Intern in the Geneva WILPF office, reports that there is now an excellent web page on Cluster Munitions, with lots of action suggestions, on the Geneva web site. Our action is needed to keep the Norway initiated treaty banning these weapons moving forward without dilution.

November 25: Beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Against GenderViolence
Read the events planned by Peace Women and get involved.

November 28: Attention Baltimore and Catonsville Branches! Fort Detrick is in your area. Are you watching the monstrous growth of these top secret military biodefense/biowarfare laboratories? Read this Frederick News-Post story. You can also watch a video of the public hearing. If you want to pursue this contact DISARM UPDATE for contacts and background information.

November 30: Great news from Boston WILPF! The Boston Globe reports the National Research Council finds NIH safety review of the BSL-4 lab (which they and many in the area have been staunchly opposing) is woefully inadquate, which may influence state and federal judges to rule it can not open without a full safety review.