Demonstrating against the Mega-Violent and Mega-Toxic Nuclear Industry on the 66th Anniversaries of the U.S. Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011, 6-9 PM
Rally at the Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab

Gather at William Payne Park, Vasco. Road & Patterson Pass Road, Livermore. Expect fantastic vegetarian food, music, renowned speakers, activities and a live video Conversation with a nuclear bomb survivor in Japan.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2011, 8 AM
Ceremony and Nonviolent Direct Action at the Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab

Gather at the Livermore Lab West Gate on Vasco Road between Patterson Pass Road & East Avenue.

Initial sponsors: Livermore Conversion Project, Western States Legal Foundation, Tri-Valley CAREs, American Friends Service Committee, Peace Action West, Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center

Download PDF front of flier here. Download PDF back of flier (The Two-Headed Monster of Poison Fire) here.

For more information, contact Western States Legal Foundation at 510-839-5877

As the nuclear disaster continues to unfold in Japan, we are approaching the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl. Please join us for two very special events featuring three courageous women activists from Russia, who will tell us what happened at Chernobyl. SPEAKERS:

· Natalia Manzurova: lead cleanup en-gineer at Chernobyl for five years; inter-national advocate for radiation victims
· Natalia Mironova: world renowned anti-nuclear organizer, won Supreme Court case against the Russian government
· Tatiana Mukhamedyarova: outspoken voice on radiation exposure with the Movement for Nuclear Safety

Two Special Events

Tuesday evening April 12, please join Western States Legal Foundation at the home of Phyllis and Bill Olin, 544 Wildcat Canyon Road, Berkeley

from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm (presentation at 7:00 pm)

Light refreshments will be served

Russian Speakers PLUS: special guest/photo exhibit by James Lerager, documentary photographer who has photographed extensively on nuclear issues, including Chernobyl and Three Mile Island (www.webphotoessay.com)

Suggested Donation: $25 – no one turned away for lack of funds. Proceeds benefit Western States Legal Foundation and the Center for Safe Energy. RSVP requested: (510) 526-7217 or olins@pacbell.net

Sunday afternoon, April 10, 4 pm at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists

1924 Cedar St (at Bonita), Berkeley

Moderated by Joanna Macy

Russian Speakers Plus: US Premiere of “Chernobyl 4Ever,” a film featuring young people living near Chernobyl

Co-sponsors: the Center for Safe Energy, Tri-Valley CAREs, Plutonium-Free Future, the Social Justice Committee of BFUU and KPFA. Wheelchair accessible. $15 - $5 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds. RSVP: cse@igc.org or (510) 644 - 1519

PDF FLYER FOR BOTH EVENTS: Click here

Countdown to Zero is a new movie, from the producers of “An Inconvenient Truth,” that warns of the dangers posed by nuclear weapons today and calls for their global abolition. The film, which opened at selected theaters around the country in late July, is controversial among anti-nuclear groups because of its heavy emphasis on fear of a speculative nuclear terrorist attack on a US city, its limited treatment of the dangers posed by the nuclear weapons arsenals and postures of the US and the other nuclear weapon states, and its failure to acknowledge the heroic nuclear abolition efforts that have been underway by international grassroots networks for decades. Nonetheless, the film showings offer an opportunity for public education and engagement, and the United for Peace and Justice Nuclear Disarmament/Redefining Security working group convened by Western States Legal Foundation has prepared a downloadable flier, Countdown to Zero? or Fight for a Nuclear Free Future?, which we encourage local groups to distribute outside movie theaters where the film is showing. Click here for the dates and locations of film openings around the country and a link to the official Countdown to Zero website.

August 6th, 2010 marks the 65th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. The Livermore Conversion Project, Western States Legal Foundation invite all Northern California people of peace to participate in a commemoration at the gates of the Livermore nuclear weapons laboratory.

At 8 AM on Friday, August 6th, we will gather at the northwest corner of Livermore lab, located at the intersection of Vasco Road and Patterson Pass Road, in Livermore. (Take I-580 to the Vasco Road exit and go south.)

The program will feature Taiko drummers, speakers, including Norman Solomon, and spoken word poet, Kayla Marin. Around 9 AM, following the rally, we will march a short distance to the Livermore Lab's West Gate. We will observe a moment of silence at 8:15 AM. It was then, the morning of August 6, 1945, that the Enola Gay dropped a uranium bomb over the city of Hiroshima and vaporized thousands in a flash. Thousands more died agonizing deaths in the days and months that followed. Still more have died and are dying each year of the lingering effects of radiation exposure.

Join us for the gathering at Livermore Lab in remembrance and to pledge "never again." And, at the site where "new and modified" U.S. nuclear bombs are presently being developed, our physical presence and our voices will also proclaim our determination to achieve a nulcear weapons free world in our lifetimes. Our theme this year is "65: Time to retire nuclear weapons," Join us to take a stand to eliminate these weapons- at Livermore lab and around the globe.

New York City: April 30 -- May 4, 2010 By Jacqueline Cabasso, Western States Legal Foundation Core organizer, International Planning Committee

2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference International Planning Committee: "For a Nuclear Free, Peaceful, Just and Sustainable World" Declaration of the Conference International Planning Committee New York, New York, April 30-May 1, 2010

Western States Legal Foundation calls for cancellation of the planned January 22 test launch of an interceptor missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base at a simulated incoming Iranian missile launched from the Marshall Islands. The premise of this test is preposterous propaganda. Iran does not have nuclear weapons, nor is there any convincing evidence that it has an active nuclear weapons program. The test will only serve to exacerbate tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Further, U.S. development of missile defenses endangers prospects for deeper U.S. and Russian nuclear arms reductions and threatens to scuttle agreement on a follow-on to the START treaty. To add insult to injury, every U.S. test launch from the Marshall Islands causes tremendous environmental damage to surrounding land and water areas and compounds the historical injustice to the indigenous Marshallese people. This is not a launch by Iran aimed at California, but rather a launch by the U.S. military- industrial complex aimed at Congress and the February 2010 Defense budget rollout. The U.S. should pursue diplomatic efforts to normalize relations with Iran. This test should be cancelled and its estimated $150 million price tag redirected to humanitarian aid for Haiti.

Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director

Conference Presentations:
Don't Call it a Renaissance, Until They've Shown You a Masterpiece, Peter A. Bradford
Good Faith and the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, John Burroughs
The Strains on Progressive Cities, Harvey M. Jacobs
Cities and Disarmament Work in the Context of the Global Economic Crisis, Andrew Lichterman
Code Black: A Campaign to Move from Coal to Renewables, Maureen McCue
Participatory Budgeting: Principles, History and Cases, Michael Menser
Political Economy of Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Power, Wilson Riles

related articles:

John Nichols, Obama will be missed at Future Cities conference, Capital Times, November 4, 2009
Michael Shuman, Localization is the way to define globalization, Capital Times, November 5, 2009
Peter Bradford, Massive nuclear subsidies won't solve climate change, Capital Times, November 3, 2009

Nuclear Connections: Weapons and Power in the Age of Corporate Globalization, by Andrew Lichterman, Western States Legal Foundation Information Brief, Fall 2011

Nuclear Weapons at What Cost?, by Jacqueline Cabasso, Western States Legal Foundation Information Brief, Spring 2011

"Nuclear Disarmament, Civil Society, and Democracy," by Andrew Lichterman, Disarmament Forum, 2010 No.4

The START Treaty and Disarmament: a Dilemma in Search of a Debate, by Andrew Lichterman, Western States Legal Foundation Commentary, December 2010.

NPT 2010: Rhetoric vs. Reality, by Jacqueline Cabasso Western States Legal Foundation Information Bulletin, May 2010

Workshop presentation, Superficial politics, fundamental causes: some reflections on the relationship between the movements to abolish nuclear weapons and to stop global warming, by Andrew Lichterman, International Conference For a Nuclear Free, Peaceful, Just and Sustainable World, Riverside Church, New York, May 1 2010.

Civil Society, Disarmament and the Need for New Beginnings
By Andrew Lichterman, Disarmament Times, Spring 2010
Western States Legal Foundation Reprint version

Beyond arms control: challenges and choices for nuclear disarmament (Paperback - May 2010)

A collaborative work of non-governmental researchers and activists who critically examine the mainstream discourse of nuclear weapons. With contributions by Western States Legal Foundation executive director, Jacqueline Cabasso, Board members Andrew Lichterman and John Burroughs, and Counsel Michael Veiluva, the book explores some of the most important challenges that governments and civil society face at the 2010 NPT Review Conference and beyond, highlighting the prospects and pitfalls for nuclear disarmament in the current world order. Throughout, the authors demonstrate that nuclear disarmament must be pursued in the context of a broader movement for social and economic justice and equality. Edited by Ray Acheson Published by Reaching Critical Will, a project of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Read on line or order paperback: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/books/beyondarmscontrol.html

NPT 2010: Rhetoric vs. Reality
Address by Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director, Western Stats Legal Foundation Public Hearing, Challenges to Peace and National Sovereignty--The NPT Review, Brasilia, Brazil, April 7, 2010

NPT 2010: Putting President Obama's Disarmament Rhetoric to the Test
Nagasaki Global Citizens' Assembly for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons February 6--8 , 2010 Address by Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director, Western States Legal Foundation
Nagasaki Appeal 2010

NPT 2010: Putting President Obama's Disarmament Rhetoric to the Test
By Jacqueline Cabasso, Expert Advisor to the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation Peace Culture Newsletter No. 64 (English), April 2010 (contributed January 2010)

Burdens of Proof: Iran, the United States, and Nuclear Weapons A Global View
by Michael Veiluva, Western States Legal Foundation Counsel (Paperback - July, 2009)

Burdens of Proof, by Michael Veiluva, offers a rare and unique set of insights into the ongoing and complex political and legal implications surrounding the United States and Iranian political negotiations over Iran's growing nuclear program. Grabbed right from today's political headlines, author Veiluva adds valuable information that will inform and enlighten anyone concerned with today's international political situation. Veiluva's Burdens of Proof examines several fundamental themes critical to understanding the current state of U.S./Iranian relations: the "cold war" that has existed between the two countries since 1979, Iran's nuclear program, the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency, American nuclear weapons developments, and the international legal implications of the U.S.'s doctrine of preventative war. Written as a one-stop guide for anyone interested in the current crisis with Iran, Burdens of Proof brings a new voice to the complex debate over Iran's perceived ambitions and the rule of international law. Order from Amazon: click here

Rhetoric vs. Reality: Translating Feel-Good Proclamations into Attainable Security Realities
Address by Jacqueline Cabasso, November 14, 2009 North Suburban Peace Initiative, Evanston. Illinois

Fusion Energy and the Illusions of Power, Andrew Lichterman, Western States Legal Foundation Commentary, Summer 2009 pdf

Rhetoric vs. Reality: Elite Disarmament Proposals and Real Disarmament Prospects, Jacqueline Cabasso, Western States Legal Foundation Information Brief, Spring 2009 pdf

Deterrence, Torture, Power, Andrew Lichterman, Western States Legal Foundation Commentary, Spring 2009 pdf

Nuclear Weapons Forever: The U.S. Plan to Modernize its Nuclear Weapons Complex, Andrew Lichterman, Western States Legal Foundation Information Brief, Spring 2008 pdf

StratCom in Context: The Hidden Architecture of U.S. Militarism, Presentation by Jacqueline Cabasso at the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space annual meeting, Omaha, Nebraska April 12, 2008 pdf files text slides

The Divine Strake Nuclear Weapons Simulation: A Bad Signal at a Bad Time, Andrew Lichterman, Western States Legal Foundation Information Brief, Spring 2006 pdf

Vandenberg Air Force Base: Where the Present and Future of U.S. Warmaking Come Together Andrew Lichterman, Western States Legal Foundation Information Brief, Spring 2006 pdf

Questions and Answers About Weapons of Mass Destruction, Western States Legal Foundation Information Brief, Spring 2006 pdf

What's Next for the Nuclear Disarmament Movement?
By Lawrence Wittner Yes! Magazine (Blog) June 14, 2010

Other Voices TV No Nukes?
Jackie Cabasso discusses her experiences as an NGO representative at the recent UN conference on nuclear weapons. (58 mins) Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, June 1, 2010

U.N. Nuke Meet Ends with Good Intentions and Empty Promises By Thalif Deen, Inter Press Service, May 29, 2010

International News Net World Report New START pact between Russia and the USA Round Table discussion with Jacqueline Cabasso and William Hartung May 26, 2010

Some Activists Losing Faith in Obama Nuclear Weapons Agenda Friday, May 7, 2010 By Elaine M. Grossman Global Security Newswire

If You Love This Planet: A Weekly Radio Program with Dr. Helen Caldicott Jacqueline Cabasso with the latest on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation efforts Blog post and audio download Recorded May 6, 2010; posted May 24, 2010

U.S. plans major increase in nuclear budget By Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer Chugoku Shimbun, Hiroshima March 8, 2010 (posted online March 12, 2010) WSLF Executive Director Jacqueline Cabasso, quoted here, provided the background for this story during an interview conducted at the 4th Global Citizens Assembly for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons in February, in Nagasaki, Japan.

WSLF board member Andrew Lichterman on KPFA Radio's Against the Grain, February 3, noon.

A segment on the KPFA show Against the Grain featured WSLF's Andrew Lichterman talking about nuclear weapons issues in the context of the global economic crisis. The show is archived on the KPFA web site and can be accessed there. The segment was a portion of a a longer talk delivered at the Alameda Public Affairs Forum, the full talk can be accessed as an mp3 file. Links to both are below.

Against the Grain, February 3, 2010

Andrew Lichterman, talk at the Alameda Public Affairs Forum, September 12, 2009

See Disarmamentactivist.org