Created by the Greater Houston Chapter, Peace Action

Short preface

Nuclear disarmament is once more front page news. A series of events has starkly revealed our nation’s continued drive toward world domination through overwhelming nuclear supremacy. Nationally, Peace Action is at the forefront of activity to blunt this drive and redirect US policy toward nuclear abolition--the wish of 80% of our own people and almost 100% of everyone else.

The following workplan is coherent, building toward a specific near-term objective. It is also constructed of discrete actions. Thus, you need not feel that buying into the plan means taking responsibility for implementing it in its entirety. There are many meaningful activities that can be undertaken by individuals with little free time, or by small groups.

Opportunities and occasions for action

June 8 and on-going: National call-in and fax-in on Star Wars to President Clinton.

July 7: next test of BMD

August 6-9: Hiroshima and Nagasaki anniversaries

Early fall: Clinton decides whether to authorize deployment of BMD

After Labor Day: Presidential election campaign

Actions

Send on-line postcard; sign two on-line petitions

These are the easiest of all actions. Go to www.DontblowIt.org to send a free postcard to Clinton. One of the petitions calls on members of Congress to "Stop Missile Defense!" It was developed by the Disarmament Clearinghouse. Fill in a few lines of information, including ZIP + 4 to identify your Congressional District, then click the Submit button.

Another Stop the BMD petition, this one to President Clinton, has been developed and posted by the Global Network Against Nuclear Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space. Go to www.petitiononline.com/BKG/petition.html and just follow instructions.

Call-in to White House on BMD

When: ASAP. What: No BMD. Why: It is threatening to undo 30 years of progress on nuclear disarmament; is that the legacy Clinton wants to leave? (Other talking points can be found in the accompanying resources and on the web at the suggested sites.) How: Call 202.456.1414. If that line is busy, call 202.456.1111 and immediate choose the "to speak to an operator" option. Or fax 202.456.2461.

Group letter writing

This is worthwhile in itself, a good organizing tool, and fun. Invite some folks (not necessarily activists) to your house. Begin with a group discussion of US nuclear policy, of BMD and Star Wars, and of the world’s response to these plans. Use the accompanying materials to firm up people’s understanding. Then have a letter writing session (furnish stationery and stamps) with the same When, What, and Why(s) as above. Address is The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C. 20500. (On request, Herb will supply a good 10-minute videotape on BMD.) If people in attendance have already contacted Clinton, they can write Gore and Bush, both of whom support BMD. Gore’s address is Vice President Al Gore, Old Executive Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20501. Bush’s address is The Governor, State Capitol, Austin, TX 78711.

Letters to the editor

When: Anytime, but from now through the next BMD test in early July is advisable. What: Discredit the BMD program on several scores. How: Use the information on this HPJC website, or at the websites listed at the end of the workplan under Sources of Information. Then create a piece about 200 to 400 words long, tightly focused on nuclear disarmament and how the BMD poses the greatest obstacle to it. For submission to the Houston Chronicle, e-mail it to viewpoints@chron.com. Be sure to put your home address and a daytime phone number.

Demonstration against BMD

When: Day of the next test. Where: Any symbolic site (a national armory, a federal building, a defense contractor). Who: Even a few people with placards and literature will give media a local hook for the national story. If there are universities in your area, reach out to academic physicists; the Union of Concerned Scientists just had a big DC news conference about the unworkability of BMD. How: Be sure to get out media notice before the event.

Hiroshima/Nagasaki Day observance

People in your area will relate to this activity because it is familiar. Reach out to everyone on your list of activists as well as to the broader community. The outreach will be an occasion to educate people about how their government has betrayed their expectations of rapid progress toward nuclear disarmament after the Cold War ended.

When: August 6 is a Sunday. Good opportunity to include religious leaders. Where: Outdoors is best. Floating lit lanterns on a lake at dusk is one tradition. Who: As many people as possible. How: We all know how. (Again, if there is enough interest, Herb will put together a media packet.)

Presidential campaign: Rethinking what it means to waste one’s vote

Nuclear policy unexpectedly has become a campaign issue, yet Gore and Bush differ only marginally. They both favor deploying the BMD, but Bush favors a more extensive and costly system. Both have spoken recently of cuts in the nuclear arsenal below START II limits, with Bush favoring unilateral moves and Gore a quick negotiation of START III. Ralph Nader, candidate for the Green Party, supports Peace Action’s agenda. With Nader on the ballot in Texas and Bush sure to beat Gore in this state, perhaps a vote for Nader, not Gore, is the way progressives can avoid wasting their vote.

What: Debunk the "debate" over nuclear policy between Gore and Bush, showing that they both are committed to nuclear arms forever. When: From Labor Day through November 7. How: Independent activity or activity through the Green Party organization in your area. (If there is enough interest, Herb will produce a Peace Voter handout on the three major candidates and nuclear policy. Great for leafleting door to door and in public places.)

Sources of up-to-date information

Peace Action’s national website has easily digestible information and speaking points, plus updates on nationally coordinated activities.

Perhaps the most useful website for opposing not only BMD, but the entire US drive to control the world by weaponizing and nuclearizing space, is that of the Global Network Against Nuclear Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space. www.globenet.free-online.co.uk.

More broadly still, Abolition 2000 covers the gamut of work to free the world from nuclear threats. Abolition 2000 is an umbrella for grassroots action. Its network includes more than 1000 organizations worldwide. Many of the major U.S. arms control and peace groups, such as the Arms Control Association, Federation of American Scientists, Peace Action, and Physicians for Social Responsibility, are working in a coordinated way for Abolition 2000 through The Coalition to Reduce Nuclear Dangers: www.clw.org/coalition. The Abolition 2000 web site is www.napf.org.

Federation of American Scientists has excellent factual explanations of the various nuclear programs. Its website is www.fas.org. To go directly to the BMD, use www.fas.org/spp/starwars/program/nmd.htm.