SAY NO TO NMD / STAR WARS, FAX BUSH AFTER 20 JAN

DIRECT ACTIONS ON
NMD / STAR WARS

John Hallam
Friends of the Earth Sydney,
17 Lord Street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, 2042
Fax (61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903
nonukes@foesyd.org.au
http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd

Dear Everyone,

National Missile Defence / Star Wars is the single largest obstacle to
continued progress toward the elimination of nuclear weapons, and
threatens to re-ignite a global nuclear arms race.

Vital initiatives such as de-alerting ( see alert for US National Call -
In Days Feb 5-6 at the end of this email ), and deep cuts in warhead
numbers under START-II and III will be destroyed by NMD.

Yet Bush, in spite of initial hopes that he might proceed in a
bipartisan fashion, is proceeding rapidly down a path that will be set by cold- war
hawks such as Rumsfeld, and NMD enthusiasts such as Condoleeza Rice.

President Bush needs to hear from you urgently that you don't want
National Missile Defence / Star Wars.

Two sample letters are below.

The first is for US citizens to send direct to Bush.

If you are in a country outside the US, especially if you live in the
UK, France, Germany, Japan or Australia, your country's governments
views will be vital.

Urge your government to reject Missile Defence / Star Wars.

The second letter is for that. If you are from outside the US,
especially if you are in a US-Allied country, Please ask your government
to tell the US government that your country does not support NMD/Star Wars.

If you are in France or Germany, you need to ask your government to keep
on with telling the US not to proceed with NMD/Star Wars, and not to back down.

Then if you still have energy, you can fax President Bush - But write to
your own government first.

Yorkshire CND has initiated a postcard campaign against National Missile
Defence. CND's postcard comes after the two sample letters, and then
comes an appeal from the US 'Back from the Brink' campaign to call the
white house to take nuclear weapons off alert.

Letter to Bush, Powell, Rice, Rumsfeld.

FAX TO:
GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT,
1-202-456-2461, 1-202-456-6218, 1-202-456-6201,

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE, 1 202 647.6047,

CONDOLEEZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, 1 202 456.2883,

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY FOR DEFENCE, 1 703 695.1149,

RE: PLEASE CANCEL MISSILE DEFENCE SCHEME

Dear President George Bush, Secretary for Defence Rumsfeld, National
Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice, and Secretary of State Colin Powell,

I am writing to you to convey my dismay that your administration may
proceed with an enlarged version of the ill-concieved 'National Missile
Defence' ('Star Wars') scheme.

The deployment of NMD will make it much harder, if not impossible, to
achieve vital arms control objectives. Russia and China have made it
clear that they will increase their own nuclear offensive capabilities in
order to counter NMD. This will set back attempts to reduce nuclear weapons
severely and may lead to another nuclear arms race.

National Missile Defence in its current form, has failed two out of its
three operational tests and has been critiqued by the US scientific
establishment as fundamentally flawed.

More importantly, Russia and China as well as the US's own allies have
made it clear that they regard the preservation of the Anti-Ballistic
Missile Treaty as paramount. The ABM treaty cannot be modified in a way
that would allow the deployment of NMD, and the US should not walk away from it.

NMD has been opposed by groups ranging from 354 major NGOs representing
millions of people worldwide, to 50 of the US's Nobel prizewinners in
physics, to generals and church people.

Non-US governments worldwide, including close US allies, have strongly
opposed NMD.

NMD is a scheme that is unlikely ever to work, against a threat that may
never materialize and that is in any case better dealt with in other
ways. It will cost billions better spent elsewhere, and will make further
progress toward the total and unequivocal elimination of nuclear weapons
- an objective to which the US as well as all other governments are
committed - much more difficult if not impossible.

I therefore urge you to drop the NMD proposal and to focus your efforts
on the vital objectives of deep reductions in warhead numbers, and
reductions in the alert status of weapons, to which you committed
yourself during your campaign.

Signed Your Name

Letter to Governments other than the US Government

TO: PRESIDENTS, FOREIGN MINISTERS, DEFENCE MINISTERS AND PRIME MINISTERS
OF US ALLIES

RE: PLEASE ASK US GOVT TO CANCEL MISSILE DEFENCE SCHEME

Dear President, Prime minister or Foreign minister ( use whichever
appropriate ) I am writing to you to convey my dismay that the Bush
administration may proceed with an enlarged version of the ill-concieved
'National Missile Defence' ('Star Wars') scheme.

I urge you to use all the diplomatic influence at your disposal to
persuade the Bush administration not to proceed with this scheme, and
urge the government of this country to refuse to cooperate in any way
with the NMD scheme and thank you for the steps you have already taken
in this direction. ( If they are already doing this you need to thank
them for doing it )

The deployment of NMD will make it much harder, if not impossible, to
achieve vital arms control objectives. Russia and China have made it
clear that they will increase their own nuclear offensive capabilities
in order to counter NMD. This will set back attempts to reduce nuclear
weapons severely and may lead to another nuclear arms race.

National Missile Defence in its current form, has failed two out of its
three operational tests and has been critiqued by the US scientific
establishment as fundamentally flawed.

More importantly, Russia and China as well as the US's own allies
( including this country ( if appropriate )) have made it clear that
they regard the preservation of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty as
paramount. The ABM treaty cannot be modified in a way that would allow
the deployment of NMD, and the US should not be permitted to walk away
from it.

NMD has been opposed by groups ranging from 354 major NGOs representing
millions of people worldwide, to 50 of the US's Nobel prizewinners in
physics, to generals and church people. It has also been opposed by
every major international grouping represented in the UN General
Assembly.

NMD is a scheme that is unlikely ever to work, against a threat that may
never materialize and that is in any case better dealt with in other
ways.
It will cost billions better spent elsewhere, and will make further
progress toward the total and unequivocal elimination of nuclear weapons
- an objective to which the US as well as all other governments are
committed - much more difficult if not impossible.

IMMEDIATE USE 17/1/2001
FRIENDS OF THE EARTH AUSTRALIA
AUSTRALIAN PEACE COMMITTEE
GLOBAL CAMPAIGN TARGETS BUSH OVER MISSILE DEFENCE

Antinuclear groups worldwide have targeted President Bush over the
National Missile Defence/Star Wars scheme, with a global fax campaign
starting on January 20. According to campaign coordinator John Hallam of Friends of
the Earth Sydney, "National Missile defence, otherwise known as 'Star
Wars', will create a storm of opposition from the US's own allies, from
the United Nations as a whole, and from citizens groups worldwide. Star
Wars will cause irreparable damage to US relations with Russia and China.

NMD/Star Wars will set back attempts to decrease the number and lower
the alert status of the roughly 5-6,000 land-based intercontinental
ballistic missiles on hairtrigger alert in the US and Russia, whose use
can still end civilization, if not most life. It will replace hopeful
possibilities of eliminating nuclear weapons with a new nuclear arms
race, making the world much more dangerous.

Accordingly, antinuclear groups around the planet have decided to mount
a global fax campaign to ram home a simple message to president Bush as
soon as he is inaugurated:

The World Says No To Missile Defense / Star Wars.

We urge the Australian government to reject NMD / Star Wars, and not to
permit the use of Australian facilities for it. We urge US allies to
tell the US not to proceed with NMD/Star Wars. We urge President Bush
and Don Rumsfeld to drop their enthusiasm for this dangerous scheme, and
instead to opt for deep cuts in warhead numbers and to take missiles off
hairtrigger alert as pledged by Bush in his campaign."

Contact:
John Hallam 61-2-9517-3903
Bruce Thompson 61-3-9419-8700 0417-318-368

John Hallam
Friends of the Earth Sydney,
17 Lord Street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, 2042
Fax (61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903
nonukes@foesyd.org.au
http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd

INTERNATIONAL STAR WARS POSTCARD CAMPAIGN

The Yorkshire Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) has initiated a
postcard campaign throughout the United Kingdom urging George W. Bush to
back away from Star Wars. One side of their card has a photo of a Star
Wars protest at Fylingdales ( U.S. radar facility in their country. )
Groups all over the world are urged to create similar postcards to Bush
for distribution in your nation.

Not only would this effort help to flood the White House with messages
from all over the world, but it would also help to focus attention on
the issue in your country as the cards are distributed. ( Please let us
know if you decide to join this effort from overseas. )

The Global Network has produced such a postcard for distribution
throughout the U.S. The cards contain a "Ban War in Space" photo message
on one side and a written message to Bush on the other.

Bulk postcard orders can be made as follows ( prices include postage ):
25 cards $3.00
60 cards $7.00
120 cards $12.50
240 cards $25.00
more Negotiable

Send your order, along with check made out to GN, to address below:

Global Network Against Weapons And Nuclear Power in Space
PO Box 90083
Gainesville, Fl. 32607
(352) 337-9274
http://www.space4peace.org
globalnet@mindspring.com

The following is a priority action alert.

Dear Friends of the Brink Campaign.

There are only 4 weeks left before the NATIONAL CALL-IN DAYS TO THE
WHITE HOUSE, February 5-6, 2001 to urge President-elect George W. Bush
to reduce the danger of accidental nuclear war by working with the
Russians to TAKE ALL NUCLEAR WEAPONS OFF HAIR-TRIGGER ALERT.

The campaign is building rapidly with over 100 national, regional and
local organizations participating. If there was ever a time to let a
president know we want action on nuclear weapons, it is now and February
5 and 6 are the days to do it.

The Campaign has several resources available to promote the Call-In Days
among your friends, contacts, members and e-groups. Contact us at the
e-mail address above for printed flyers available FREE in bulk, a downloadable
flyer in .pdf format; a text announcement available via e-mail, and,
after January 21st ,a pop-up e-mail announcement.

If everyone contacts just 5 more friends, we can flood the switchboard
and make the White House take notice.

Thanks for being part of this fast growing movement to take
nuclearweapons off hair-trigger alert. Let me know how things are going
and how I can be of help.

Esther Pank
Back from the Brink Campaign
6856 Eastern Avenue, NW, # 322
Washington DC 20012
202.545.1001 ph
202.545.1004 fax
brinkprogram@backfromthebrink.net
www.backfromthebrink.org

James C. Bridgman
Research & Resource Coordinator
Peace Action Education Fund
mailto:jbridgman@peace-action.org
http://www.peace-action.org
202.862.9740x3041
fax: 202.862.9762
1819 H St., NW, #425
Washington, DC 20006

John Hallam
Friends of the Earth Sydney,
17 Lord Street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, 2042
Fax (61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903
nonukes@foesyd.org.au
http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd