OMNI
STAR WARS PROTEST TO STOP US MILITARIZATION OF SPACE, NEWSLETTER #8, September 20, 2021.
Keep Space for Peace Week (Oct 2-9, 2021)
BUILDING A CULTURE OF PEACE, Justice, and Ecology,
Compiled by Dick Bennett
(#1 December 13, 2006; #2 January 24, 2008; #3 October 4, 2008; #4 October 2-9, 2010; #5, October 1-8, 2011; #6, October 6-13, 2012; #7, March 28, 2020)
This newsletter is a mini-anthology, a little book against the militarization of space. You might start Karl Grossman on the Space Treaty of 1967 and Bruce Gagnon on Trump’s Space Force.
CONTENTS #8 Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space via sendinblue.com
Space Alert! 2021 Contents of Latest Number, edited by Bruce Gagnon
Super-Power Conflict over Bases on Moon, Colonies on Mars, J.Narayana Rao, In Memoriam
Rocket Lab in NZ
Gold Rush Into Space
Karl Grossman. Space Treaty of 1967 or WWIII
UN Outer Space Treaty
Space Law Treaties and Principles
Five Treaties
Purpose of Star Trek: US Space Dominance
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Hypersonic Missiles: Need for Skeptical Journalists
Bruce Gagnon, Trump’s Space Force
Book Review: Publisher’s Praise and Critical Review
Neil Neil deGrasse Tyson and Avis Lang. ACCESSORY TO WAR: THE UNSPOKEN ALLIANCE BETWEEN ASTROPHYSICS AND THE MILITARY. 2018.
Branko Marcetic, Trump’s Space Force
Back to 1990s: Star Wars: Irrational, Unfeasible, Dangerous
The Leap Manifesto a Way to a Peace and Justice
TEXTS
TEXT
Rocket Lab in New Zealand
A protest was held at New Zealand’s Rocket Lab in June by a coalition of organizations opposing the militarization of the launch facility there.
Like many other communities around the globe, New Zealanders were promised that Rocket Lab would only do civilian launches. But Lockheed Martin has taken over the facility and offensive military missions are now the standard fare.
Free the Sky
Activists in northern California wore the new Global Net work T-shirts at one of their regular protests at Beale AFB.
Beale flies spy planes, drones and also has a ‘missile defense’ radar facility on the base.
We've got several new colors to pick from. Check the shirts out here.
'Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth.'
~ Henry David Thoreau
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
P.O. Box 652
Brunswick, ME 04011
globalnet@mindspring.com
(207) 389-4606
Opposition growing in New Zealand to Military Space Launches
Bruce Gagnon
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space via sendinblue.com
6-28-21
Keep Space for Peace message is spreading. Check out the new Global Network Space Alert interview with Professor Kevin Clements from New Zealand about the Rocket Lab campaign opposing U.S. military space launches on indigenous Maori land.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XZzYm04xjE
Inside the Rocket Lab facility you find the U.S. flag alongside the New Zealand flag. This Lockheed Martin owned company indicates how the U.S. is currently controlling the foreign policy of New Zealand. The last launch by Rocket Lab was called 'Gunsmoke-J' on behalf of the U.S. Missile Defence Agency, for warfare combat targeting.
Keep Space for Peace Week
(October 2-9)
A gold rush into space is now underway
There are tens of thousands of mini-satellites expected to be launched in coming years, mostly for 5G which will have military application for greater surveillance and targeting.
We can expect growing deterioration of the Earth’s ozone layer due to toxic rocket exhaust. More spaceports (often in environmentally sensitive areas) are being constructed to handle the glut in launches.
Astronomers are angry as they witness the dark night sky covered in satellite trails.
The privatization of space for profit puts the United Nations’ Moon and Outer Space Treaties in jeopardy. The Pentagon’s ‘Space Force’ is issuing statements about the U.S. determination to control the pathway ‘on and off’ the planet.
Now is the time for us to gather internationally and call for protection of the space environment from greed, pollution and war.
Join us by organizing a local public event in your community during Keep Space for Peace Week.
Art design by Brandon Marx & Nancy Randolph
Events at military bases, space tech production facilities, launch sites, outside government buildings and more.
Please check out & share our many space videos. Click here
Organize a local event
Be sure to let us know about any event planned in your local community during space week. Click here
Editor. Mronline.org (9-2-21).
Originally published: CovertAction Magazine by Karl Grossman (August 25, 2021 ) | - Posted Sep 01, 2021
And yet far worse is to come—unless there is a return to the vision of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. The latter needs to be expanded, U.S. Space Force dismantled, and a full global commitment made to keep space for peace.
The United Nations Outer Space Treaty of 1967 - UNOOSA
https://www.unoosa.org › ourwork › spacelaw › treaties
Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies.
What is the Outer Space Treaty of 1967?
The treaty (formally the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies; PDF) is a product of the Cold War and primarily addresses concerns of that era, including nuclear war.Apr 1, 2017
Who signed the Outer Space Treaty of 1967?
The Outer Space Treaty was opened for signature in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union on 27 January 1967, and entered into force on 10 October 1967. As of February 2021, 111 countries are parties to the treaty, while another 23 have signed the treaty but have not completed ratification.
Why was the Outer Space Treaty created?
Created when space travel was in its infancy, the agreement was meant to address issues that could arise as space technology advanced.Jan 27, 2017
Article VI
When activities are carried on in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, by an international organization, responsibility for compliance with this Treaty shall be borne both by the international organization and by the States Parties to the Treaty participating in such an organization.
Space Law Treaties and Principles
UN OFFICE FOR OUTER SPACE AFFAIRS
The treaties commonly referred to as the "five United Nations treaties on outer space" are:
o Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects
· The "Registration Convention"
o Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space
o Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies
The Outer Space Treaty at a Glance | Arms Control Association
https://www.armscontrol.org › factsheets › outerspace
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans the stationing of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in outer space, prohibits military activities on celestial bodies, ...
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Neil deGrasse Tyson and Avis Lang ACCESSORY TO WAR: THE UNSPOKEN ALLIANCE BETWEEN ASTROPHYSICS AND THE MILITARY. 2018.
New York Times Bestseller
[First the praise from publisher and several readers, second a severe critique by T. J. Coles.]
An exploration of the age-old complicity between skywatchers and warfighters, from the best-selling author of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.
In this fascinating foray into the centuries-old relationship between science and military power, acclaimed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and writer-researcher Avis Lang examine how the methods and tools of astrophysics have been enlisted in the service of war. "The overlap is strong, and the knowledge flows in both directions," say the authors, because astrophysicists and military plannerscare about many of the same things: multi-spectral detection, ranging, tracking, imaging, high ground, nuclear fusion, and access to space. Tyson and Lang call it a "curiously complicit" alliance. "The universe is both the ultimate frontier and the highest of high grounds," they write. "Shared by both space scientists and space warriors, it’s a laboratory for one and a battlefield for the other. The explorer wants to understand it; the soldier wants to dominate it. But without the right technology—which is more or less the same technology for both parties—nobody can get to it, operate in it, scrutinize it, dominate it, or use it to their advantage and someone else’s disadvantage."
Spanning early celestial navigation to satellite-enabled warfare, Accessory to War is a richly researched and provocative examination of the intersection of science, technology, industry, and power that will introduce Tyson’s millions of fans to yet another dimension of how the universe has shaped our lives and our world.
ENDORSEMENTS & REVIEWS
“Extraordinary....A feast of history, an expert tour through thousands of years of war and conquest....Condenses multiple bodies of work into one important, comprehensive and coherent story of the symbiotic developments of astrophysics and war....The lesson is not merely a wake-up call for astrophysicists, but for all of us, for anyone with the misapprehension that science somehow marches on separate from the rest of culture” — Jennifer Carson, New York Times Book Review
“Through ample research and nimble storytelling, Tyson and [Lang] trace the long and tangled relationship between state power and astronomy....Deep and eloquent.” — Joshua Sokol, Washington Post
“Fascinating....Retells the history of space exploration, and of the Cold War, excelling in bringing forth the entangled advances of science and military interests....The book’s message rings like a wake-up call.” — Marcelo Gleiser, NPR
“Archimedes and Leonardo worked for their Departments of Defense, and when the telescope was invented it was an immediate instrument of war. Why do astrophysicists even have jobs? asks Neil deGrasse Tyson. Now you can see the inside story, from early times to the cold war, the Apollo program, spy satellites and the Hubble Space Telescope, the Iraq war, and perhaps asteroid mining. A wonderful book and a fascinating read, full of amazing stories, all backed up with deep scholarship.” — John Mather, Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics
“A sweeping panoramic overview of the enduring alliance between astrophysics and the military—from the Greeks to Galileo to GPS.” — Science
“Accessory to War is a phenomenal work that should be required reading for policy makers everywhere.” — William E. Burrows, author of Deep Black: Space Espionage and National Security and This New Ocean: The Story of the First Space Age
“This is an indispensable, mind-blowing account about a necessary near-future that is, tragically, not inevitable: that the disciplines of astrophysics and politics unite to forge a new frontier—not through ‘Rumsfeldian-Trumpian truculence,’ or by fattening the military while now starving science and the humanities, or by allowing China to continue to lead the U.S. in ‘worldwide research and development spending.’ These have already killed a supposed American Century. Beautifully combining a clear account of cutting-edge astrophysics and politics with a 3000-year historical perspective, this book deserves not only to be read, but to become a guide for those who hope for a better, survivable, near future.” — Walter LaFeber, Tisch Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, Cornell University
“Throughout history, wars tend to be won by nations that are at the forefront of science. Thus astronomers and physicists have, since ancient times, benefited from an uneasy alliance with the military. This enlightening book explores the history and current implications of this partnership between space science and national security.” — Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs and professor of history, Tulane University
“Accessory to War is not just about astrophysics. It is a readable account of the intersection between science and security policy, complete with historical background and personal insights and anecdotes from America’s most-trusted scientist. This is a much needed read for both policymakers and the public, who in 'normal' times know and care too little about science, but in today's political climate increasingly show disdain for scientific principles that fail to fit their philosophical reality or political goals. Astrophysics is too often perceived as 'not touching me or my life,' but this book artfully explains otherwise.” — Joan Johnson-Freese, professor of national security affairs, Naval War College
“A wide ranging and provocative set of observations on the two-way relationship between science-based knowledge and national power, especially power of the military variety, replete with trenchant insights. Tyson and Lang’s hopeful concluding message is on-target—that knowledge-based dominance, either in space or on Earth, is not possible in today’s interconnected world, and that cooperation in the use of our knowledge is the necessary path to planetary well-being.” — John M. Logsdon, professor emeritus, Space Policy Institute, George Washington University
Neil deGrasse Tyson: A Celebrity Salesman for the Military-Industrial-Complex
by T.J. COLES
The idea for this article came from one of those annoying “Recommended for you” thumbnails on YouTube. The title was: “Neil deGrasse Tyson: Trump’s Space Force Is Not a Crazy Idea.” Having written about and researched space weapons for over a decade, I was intrigued as to why a seemingly intelligent man (Tyson) would want to help promote an agenda that will literally imperil us all, namely the weaponization of space: the end-game of which is global domination in the interests of economic neoliberalism. So I clicked. Tyson was talking to host Stephen Colbert about the wonders of space militarization (by the US, of course, not its enemies).
It turns out that Tyson is promoting a new, co-authored book, Accessory to War: the Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military (W.W. Norton, released, tastelessly, on 11 September), which is all about the history of science militarization. The book is a disgraceful attempt to use history as an excuse to justify the continuation and expansion of taxpayer-funded R&D into hi-technology via military budgets. By now, the hi-tech sector dominates the top US corporations: Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. Much of the innovations used by these companies were initiated in the military.
Tyson is doing the rounds on national media, including Colbert and CBS This Morning, to promote the book and more broadly continued public expenditure on the Pentagon. After a little digging, I found that America’s favourite astrophysicist is a glorified salesman for the military-industrial-complex.
TYSON’S MILITARY-SCIENCE BACKGROUND
Having graduated from the Bronx High School of Science, Tyson went on to earn a PhD in astrophysics from Columbia University in 1991. From 1996, Tyson has been Frederick P. Rose director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History.
Pretty soon, the George W. Bush administration was calling on Tyson’s talents for all things space-related. Under President Bill Clinton, the Space Command (later Air Force Space Command) announced plans to dominate the entire world by force, “Full Spectrum Dominance” as the successors continue to call it. In 2001, under Bush, the Rumsfeld Space Commission, sought ways to expand the weaponization of space to reinforce US-led corporate globalization and the architecture — satellites, GPS, the internet, etc. — that supports it. In the same year, Tyson became a formal employee of the Bush administration. One of his biographical webpages states:
“In 2001, Tyson was appointed by President Bush to serve on a 12-member commission that studied the Future of the US Aerospace Industry. The final report was published in 2002 and contained recommendations (for Congress and for the major agencies of the government) that would promote a thriving future of transportation, space exploration, and national security.”
The Final Report of the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry, on which Tyson worked, makes for an interesting read. It starts from an elite-nationalistic viewpoint, namely that of maintaining US supremacy in innovation before, discussing in Appendix G: “Astronautical research and development, including resources, personnel, equipment, and facilities; Outer space exploration and control.” “Control,” no less. Controlling space is a core part of “Full Spectrum Dominance.” Tyson’s biography also states that in 2004, he:
“was once again appointed by President Bush to serve on a 9-member commission on the Implementation of the United States Space Exploration Policy, dubbed the ‘Moon, Mars, and Beyond’ commission. This group navigated a path by which the new space vision can become a successful part of the American agenda.”
The follow-up Tyson-co-authored report, A Journey to Inspire, Innovate, and Discover, also makes interesting reading. It states:
“Of particular importance to the space exploration vision is a strong partnership between NASA and the Department of Defense, where research, technical assistance, and operational assets are often shared. The Commission believes that the role of the existing Partnership Council – wherein NASA, the Air Force, and National Reconnaissance Office coordinate mutual work and interests – should also focus actively on supporting the new vision.”
The report says the US should “DARPA-ize” (my phrase) NASA. DARPA is the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency which uses taxpayer money to innovate the hi-technology which now dominates the top-ten list of US corporations. DARPA famously brought us the internet, for instance. The report says:
“we suggest that the Administration and Congress create within NASA an organization drawing upon lessons learned from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). DARPA is a highly successful organization that is chartered to fund high-risk/high return basic research in support of national defense priorities.”
R&D SALESMAN
The high-risk is paid for by the taxpayer who then buy back the given product on the consumer market. For example: touch-screen technology now used by Apple, for instance, came out of technology developed for the Air Force.
Disturbingly, the report recommends that NASA integrate a contract system like the US Missile “Defense” program, which is so essential to the overall goal of “Full Spectrum Dominance” (on his recent CBS piece, Tyson doesn’t challenge the erroneous assumption that the system is for “defense”), The report says: “In the case of U.S. Missile Defense, for example, the integrator is responsible for the overall system of systems architecture, and for integrating the space, air, land, and sea elements of the architecture.”
The goal of a successful propaganda system is to sell science designed and applied for military use (itself serving the dual-functions of ensuring US global corporate supremacy and innovation in the hi-tech economy) to the public as “cool” and fun. Enter Tyson. Since working for the federal government on these schemes, he has hostedthe PBS-NOVA series, Origins; worked on The Pluto Files documentary; appeared on ScienceNOW; and has hosted StarTalk (funded in part by the taxpayer-funded National Science Foundation), which features comedians who attract laypeople to science.
Tyson joined the US military’s 15-member Defense Innovation Board (DIB), launched in 2016. The board advises the Defense Secretary on numerous issues. DIB continues the all-American tradition of ripping off taxpayers by using their money to invest in hi-tech innovation under the cover of a “defense” budget. DIB says:
“Some of the foremost topics the DIB is exploring include artificial intelligence, machine learning, workforce capacity, organizational structure, hiring and retention strategies, acquisition reform, electronic and drone warfare, software capabilities, and IT infrastructure.”
FLEECING THE PUBLIC
So, with this background, it’s not surprising that Tyson would appear on national television and talk up the Defense Department. But it’s crucial for any successful propaganda campaign that his record with the federal government be suppressed, minimized or justified. Hence, the failure (refusal?) of host Stephen Colbert to mention any of this to the casual viewer. The show gives the impression that Tyson is just a fun and intelligent man with no vested interests. In fact, Tyson lies and tells both Colbert and CBS: “I have no dog in this fight” in relation to Trump’s (read: the Pentagon’s) creation of a “Space Force.”
As noted, Tyson has been a government advisor and at the time of appearing on the shows was a member of a DoD board. In addition, we all have a “dog in the fight” of space weaponization because fragile and complex space systems could result in catastrophic failures, including miscommunications which can escalate into near-terminal catastrophe, as has happened many times in the past in relation to nuclear weapons (see, for instance, Daniel Ellsberg’s chilling book, The Doomsday Machine). Adding a space dimension to fraught and dangerous geopolitical situations only adds to the risk.
Last month, US Defense Secretary and war criminal, James “it’s fun to shoot some people” Mattis, told reporters that the Pentagon was advocating for a separate US Space Command in response to the Defense Policy Bill’s plan to integrate space systems under the Strategic Command (which also oversees nuclear strategy). Mattis was initially against this, says Space News, but has changed his mind in light of Trump’s (read: the Pentagon’s) insistence on having a “Space Force”.
With the new “Space Force” (as yet a nickname) potentially going ahead, the friendly faces of US imperialism are rolled out to justify expanding the militarization of space. Luckily, Tyson has a new book on the same topic to promote. In addition, Trump’s undeserved reputation as a moron (see my book President Trump, Inc.) required the media presence of a respected professional (i.e., Tyson) to promote the “Space Force.”
AN AMORAL BOOK
In Accessory to War, the authors write:
“A vibrant economy … depends on at least one of the following: the profit motive, war on the ground, or war in space … Must war and profit be what drive both civilization on Earth and the investigation of other worlds? History … makes it hard to answer no … Star charts, calendars, chronometers, telescopes, maps, compasses, rockets, satellites, drones–these war not inspirational civilian endeavors. Dominance was their goal; increase of knowledge was incidental.
… The first few years after 9/11 were a fine time to be mercenary, a military engineering firm, or a giant aerospace company.”
Recall that Tyson worked to promote the aeroindustry. Tyson acknowledges that “the space research my colleagues and I conduct plugs firmly and fundamentally into the nation’s military might.” At a conference involving military brass, Tyson was directly exposed via live-feed to the realities of blowing women and children apart with hi-tech weapons in Iraq in 2003 from high-ground platforms. He writes, self-pityingly:
“Blinking back tears and fighting to keep my composure, I thought about leaving the conference. I began to choreograph my resignation from the board of the Space Foundation. But at the same time I felt I couldn’t just walk out of the sanctum of war…
[W]ithout the power sought by its participants … and without the tandem investments in technology fostered by that quest for power, there would be no astronomy, no astrophysics, no astronauts, no exploration of the solar system, and barely any comprehension of the cosmos.”
That’s alright then. Tyson told CBS This Morning that he found a psychological trick to avoid feeling responsible, namely to blame everyone else: “I had to re-direct the causes and effects of this violence, and say, ‘No. It’s us, the electorate’ ” — they voted Bush in late-2000 (yeah, right). “If you have access to weaponry that can achieve a geopolitical goal that is noble then, I’m not there to stand in judgement of it,” he also told CBS.
MEANWHILE, IN THE REAL WORLD…
Tyson is careful to avoid mentioning that both China and Russia have repeatedly advocated for signing a peace treaty with the US, both for space and cyber warfare— not because Russia and China are “good guys,” but because as much weaker military powers it is in their interests to constrain US military actions and not provoke the superpower by engaging in the same, unless the US does it first. In fact, on the Colbert show, Tyson even mentions the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 and ridicules it as an equivalent of singing “Cumbayá.”
Meanwhile, groups are actively thinking up ways to transform military spending into peaceful R&D for a green- and other hi-tech economy.
A report by the German-based institute IFSH notes that military R&D is not an inevitability. Following the end of the Cold War, military R&D declined. But, “[e]ven in the US, civilian spending is now substantially larger than military spending.” Why, then, place emphasis on military R&D, as Tyson does? In most countries, says the author, “There has been a major shift towards military use of technologies driven by civilian r&d, particularly in electronics.”
In terms of practical alternatives, Campaign Against the Arms Trade notes that skills shortages in the UK (the same applies to the US) means that renewable energy sectors would be glad to employ people previously skilled in the arms industry. Doing so lacks political will only. In addition, the Campaign Against Climate Change reckons that the UK could become a carbon neutral economy, employing one million people, for £19bn a year, which is about half the current military budget. This would also involve the kind of technological innovations currently privileged by the military sector.
The US transformed itself into a war economy during WWII and has remained that ever since. But, with enough public pressure, it can be transformed into a peace- and renewables economy. Don’t let intellectuals fool you into thinking there are no alternatives to war — and in this case, potentially terminal war.
More articles by:T.J. COLES
Dr. T. J. Coles is director of the Plymouth Institute for Peace Research and the author of several books, including Voices for Peace (with Noam Chomsky and others) and the forthcoming Fire and Fury: How the US Isolates North Korea, Encircles China and Risks Nuclear War in Asia (both Clairview Books).
Trump’s Space Force Is No Joke: China, Russia, and the U.S. are already militarizing space. BY BRANKO MARCETIC. In These Times, 20 October 2018.
Another reason why IT’S THE WAR DEPARTMENT
STAR WARS
Reasons why Star Wars is irrational, unfeasible, and dangerous.
I. Among the many programs on which the FY2000 Budget proposes to spend more money, the National Missile Defense (there’s that Newspeak word again) program provides the clearest, most powerful illustration of HUGE SUMS OF MONEY BEING WASTED to address a highly unlikely threat. The least likely threat is from nuclear missile attack. Only Russia and China possess intercontinental range ballistic missiles and nether nation has any reason to launch an attack. Russian is dependent upon U.S. assistance, and China enjoys a massive trade surplus with the U.S. The future capability of the so-called “rogue” nations (another Newspeak word, for what nation has invaded and bombed other nations the most: N. Korea, Cuba, Algeria, or the US?) to deploy ICBMs is highly exaggerated. These countries lack the resources for missile attacks with nuclear weapons. And why go to the expense, when a small nuclear device can be brought into the country through our borders and ports at a fraction of the cost and risk? Furthermore, ballistic missiles carry a return address and thus guarantee devastating retaliation. Why not use chemical or biological agents by clandestine means and avoid retaliation?
II. Star Wars program seeks to shoot a bullet with a bullet. To date, in attempting to defend the US against missile attack, the US has spent $55 billion and still has not developed technology that will work. The last five attempts to intercept a missile all failed. Even if the bullet bullet problem is solved, even one interceptor must be integrated into an as yet unimaginably complex computer system required to function in a few seconds.. And if 20 missiles are coming in, there will be no certainty that this system will function reliable the first time it is needed in the real world.
III. The National Missile Defense WAR program clearly VIOLATES THE PROVISIONS OF THE 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty with the Soviet Union. Unless Russia agrees to modify the terms of the Treaty to accommodate US arms expansion, there is an implied threat that the US will unilaterally abrogate it, placing the US and Russia in a new conflict. The ABM Treaty has effectively limited competition in nuclear arms, and it helped produce the Strategic Arms Limitation (SALT) and Strategic Arms Reduction (START) Treaties which braked and reversed the runaway US-SU nuclear arms race of the 70s and 80s. The National Missile War Program would probably block START II and keep deployed strategic weapons at the 6,000 level rather than drop to 3,500 on each side. Another danger of abrogating the ABM Treaty is that it would strengthen the ultra-nationals faction in Russia, which is already angry over NATO expansions. They certainly would cite this as another reason to cling to their ful nuclear arsenal.
IV. Canceling the National Missile DEFENSE WAR plans will facilitate the reduction of strategic arsenals of both nations. It would result in a savings of at least $12 billion in the next six years, money which could be applied through the Nunn-Lugar program to assist the Russians in dismantling nuclear weapons and stockpiles of fissile materials. It would send a clear signal to the Russians and the world that we are determined to proceed with nuclear disarmament as we pledged to do under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Source: The Defense Monitor 28.1 (1999), pub. by Center for Defense Information (former Senator Bumpers, Director). Condensed by Dick Bennett, jbennet@comp.uark.edu
The Leap
“The Leap Manifesto: A Call for a Canada Based on Caring for the Earth and One Another” (full text at end of No Is Not Enough or https://leapmanifesto.org/en/the-leap-manifesto/).
Comment by Dick Bennett
On 12-10-20 PBS NOVA promoted the US government’s renewal of its moon control program with its new generation of larger rockets enabling a greatly expanded leap into space: “Rise of the Rockets.” The first rocket will circle the moon. The second will land a rocketeer to establish a permanent claim. Each shot will cost billions. Each will expand the US empire, most recently exposed in The United States of War by David Vine. But there has been no national debate over that expenditure for that purpose. There has been no comparison of that goal with another Leap, this one a leap for humanity, all species and the planet.
In May 2015 , people from many walks of life and representing diverse institutions and movements met in Toronto to “connect the crises” and “chart a holistic vision for the future.” An example of the connections urgently needing resistance were “the economic interests pushing hardest for war” that are “the very same forces most responsible for warming the planet,” the very same “corrosive values system that places profit above the well-being of people and the planet,” the very same forces and values that have “seized control of the White House” (No Is Not Enough 232).
The Conference concluded with the signing of “The Leap Manifesto: A Call for a Canada Based on Caring for the Earth and One Another.” Its indictment of Canada applies even more forcefully to the USA for its “record on climate change [that is] a crime against humanity’s future.” The crimes have produced a global emergency, in response to which The Manifesto declares sixteen principles for “decisive action to prevent catastrophic global warming. That means small steps will no longer get us where we need to go” (269).
The US can spend a trillion dollars to dominate outer space, but nothing “to prevent catastrophic global warming.”
Contents: US Militarization of Space Newsletter #7
Panel with Air force Secretary Heather Wilson and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), 12-30-17
Letter from Bruce Gagnon, August 1, 2017
FCNL, Nuclear Calendar
Global Network, Nuclear Conference
Pax AmericanaOnline
Tomgram: McCoy, Super Weapons
Slater, Missile Ban Treaty
Possible New
KEEP SPACE FOR PEACE
#1, December 13, 2006
#2, January 24, 2008
#3. October 4, 2008
Contents of #4 2010
PBS film on colonizing outer space.
New film on arming the heavens for wars.: Pax Americana
Web sites on Keep Space for Peace Week 2010
Contents of #5 2011
War Is a Crime.org
Pax Americana Film
Contents of #6 2012
Keep Space for Peace Week (as of August 2012)
Activities 2012
Maine Peace, Justice, Environment
#7, MARCH 28, 2020.
https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2020/05/omni-star-wars-newsletter-7-march-28.html
END US STAR WARS MILITARIZATION OF SPACE #8
https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2020/05/omni-star-wars-newsletter-7-march-28.html