WAND’s October Bulletin

Dear WAND Friends,

Happy Friday!

Thank you for your understanding when we decided to skip our September bulletin. We were knee deep in planning our WiLL/WAND conference and couldn't even spare a moment! But don't worry- it's all here this month! You'll find information on our conference and all of the other exciting things we have been working on. Please take a moment today or this weekend to read and enjoy.

 

 

 

Military Spending and the Federal Budget

 

From WAND to the Super Committee: How to reduce the deficit

In Congress, the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction, or so-called "Super Committee," is meeting to come up with $1.5 trillion in deficit reductions. Congressional committees made formal recommendations to the Super Committee on Friday, Oct. 14. The Super Committee is considering these and other incoming recommendations and will then mark up (write) and vote on its recommendations by November 23. After that, both the House and Senate will vote on the Super Committee recommendations by December 23.  All of this means that budget debates are going to be part of the political debate for the remainder of this year – in Congress, in the media and in your home town too.

As Washington takes aim at deficit reduction, we'll be aiming to make sure that lawmakers target the bloated Pentagon budget that makes up over half of annual discretionary spending. We have some ideas about where specific cuts could be made. Here are three examples:

1. Cut nuclear weapons costs and stop sinking money into nuclear submarines. The 5,000+ nuclear weapons in our Cold War-sized nuclear arsenal and related costs will run up a tab of $700 billion over the next decade.  As a prime example, we need to stop sinking money into the multiple nuclear-armed submarines cruising the oceans. They are not keeping us safer from real threats like nuclear terrorism.
2. Cut the Joint Strike Fighter.This is the biggest weapon system out there, plagued with delays, cost overruns and performance problems- not to mention that we already have superior and dominant fighter plane capabilities. Last week, even General Dempsey acknowledged that this program is a place to look for cost savings. See Dempsey: F-35 Could Be on Chopping Block 
3. Cut back on the armed forces amassed abroad. As Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) says, “We overspend because we are over-extended.” We need to expedite bringing home troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, and we need to lower the number of ground forces we maintain.                                                                

To read more about these recommendations, please go here.
To download these recommendations as a PDF, please go here.

 

Nuclear Weapons and the Deficit

Freeze the Nukes, Fund the Future

Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) submitted a letter last week to the Super Committee proposing substantial cuts in spending on the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal. You can read the letter here.

As the Markey letter indicates, cost savings should come from spending on the Cold War-era U.S. nuclear arsenal which still exceeds 5,000 nuclear weapons. We are now spending about $50 billion per year on nuclear weapons and related costs. The letter says that we should, “freeze the nukes so we can fund the future.”

WAND pushed for calls and letters and our members really came through! A total of 65 U.S. Representatives signed the letter urging the Super Committee to reduce the deficit by cutting nuclear weapons spending! Click here to see if your Representative signed on to the Markey letter.

WAND's activists also helped get their Representatives to sign on to the Lee-Campbell letter for common sense defense spending reform. The bipartisan Lee-Campbell letter had over 35 signatures. Check to see if your Representative signed on.

 

 

Take Action!

The deficit reduction work of the Super Committee provides a great opportunity to persuade Congress cut to the bloated Pentagon budget over the next 10 years. In our ailing economy, these cost savings can be redirected to vital programs and human needs that strengthen our economy and our real security.

Visit the online suggestion box of the super committee and send this message, “Much of the unchecked Pentagon spending is directed at last-century strategies, leaving us vulnerable as we fail to address 21^st century security needs. Pentagon spending discipline is needed to contribute to deficit reduction and to maintain our nation’s economic strength and security. Cut Pentagon spending, not human needs!”

To include more information about specific Pentagon spending cuts in your message to the super committee, click here.

 

2011 WiLL/WAND Conference

The 2011 WiLL/WAND Conference was a huge success!

Over 120 state legislators and community activists came to DC on September 18-20 for the 2011 WiLL/WAND conference, “Women at the Table of Power.” WiLL and WAND members from 34 states heard from distinguished speakers, participated in top-notch trainings, and took their message to Capitol Hill! We honored former WiLL member, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen with our Torchbearer Award. Under Secretary of State Ellen Tauscher told the crowd how important women’s voices are in making the world a safer place for all of us. Congresswoman Donna Edwards welcomed participants to our nation’s capitol. The Truman National Security Project and ReThink Media helped participants hone their communications skills.

 

Check here for more information about the conference!

 

At each conference we honor a group of outstanding WiLL members with Pacesetter awards for their noteworthy legislative service, their contributions to sound, progressive policy, and their groundbreaking leadership in their respective states.

Check here, here and here to see local coverage of our 2011 legislator Pacesetters!

Thank you to everyone who attended the conference and made it such a success!

 

WAND PAC Candidates Post Impressive Third Quarter Scores

Congratulations to our 2012 Endorsed Candidates for some impressive fundraising in the third quarter! New campaign finance reports show that NH-02 Democratic challenger Ann Kuster has overtaken incumbent Republican Rep. Charlie Bass in both total fundraising and cash on hand. Florida congressional candidate Lois Frankel (FL-22) raised a whopping $415,000 during the third quarter, marking one of the highest totals of any House challenger during this period! With $474,899, Elizabeth Esty had the most cash on hand among all the Democrats in CT-05. She raised $200,002 during the quarter, putting her close behind the Democratic House Speaker whom she faces in the primary. In Senate elections, Democratic candidate Susan Bysiewicz of Connecticut brought in about half the amount of her opponent, a sitting Congressman. "Connecticut is a state where it's not about having the most resources, it's about having enough,'' says Bysiewicz’s campaign manager, Jonathan Ducote. “We clearly are on a path to having enough.''

 

WAND PAC is proud to support these four strong candidates! Visit our website for more information about their campaigns and keep an eye out for our next round of endorsements, coming soon!

 

Chapter and Field News 

Susan Cundiff Shares the Latest from DC

As part of their September program, Oregon WAND leader Susan Cundiff reported about her experience at the 2011 WAND/WiLL National Conference in Washington, DC. Susan shared conference highlights, the latest news from Capitol Hill, and the resources available to all members on the national WAND websites ( wand.org and wandactioncenter.org).

Founder of WAND Visits Atlanta

Georgia WAND hosted Dr. Helen Caldicott, the founder of Women’s Action for Nuclear Disarmament (WAND), for several events on October 3 & 4 that raised awareness about the dangers of a nuclear world. As the world’s leading anti-nuclear activist, Dr. Caldicott spoke about the fallout after Fukushima and what the radioactive releases in Japan have meant for the health of its residents, especially women and children.

Nobel Peace Prize Potluck a Success

Arkansas WAND hosted a potluck dinner on October 11 to lift up this year’s three female Nobel Peace Prize winners: President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia), Leymah Gbowee (Liberia), and Tawakkul Karman (Yemen). These women have shown the utmost in courage and daring in leading peace and democracy movements in their countries. Chapter members and local peace activists met to recognize and discuss the critical role women play in changing the world.

 

Upcoming Events

Oregon WAND Thinks Fashion Forward

On October 27 Oregon WAND will host a screening of their Fashion Forward DVD. The DVD will be used to market the Fashion Show against Militarism as an Oregon WAND production to be used by other organizations at the local, regional, and national level.

Arkansas WAND to Welcome David Cortright and Karen Jacob

Arkansas WAND has arranged for David Cortright to discuss his book, Ending Obama's War: Responsible Military Withdrawal from Afghanistan, at the Clinton School for Public Service on November 3. The chapter will then hold a lunch reception on November 4 for Karen Jacob, WAND Inc. Board Chair and wife of David Cortright.

Donor Spotlight on Sally Wylde

Long time WAND supporter and former Georgia WAND Board President, Sally Wylde passed away on August 19, 2011. Throughout her life, Sally epitomized the spirit of impact philanthropy through her varied contributions to WAND and other non-profit organizations, most notably as the founding mother of Oakhurst Community Garden Project. Sally’s legacy with WAND includes a generous bequest. This month we honor Sally Wylde’s vibrant life and her forethought in designating WAND in her planned giving. Thank you Sally!

WAND Member of the Month

Congratulations to Fern Katz of Southeast Michigan WAND for being selected as our Member of the Month! Fern has led her local chapter for many years, and serves diligently as the treasurer for the WAND Inc. national board. Learn more about Fern here.

Would you like to nominate an outstanding WAND member to be featured in the next E-bulletin? Simply send your nomination(s) and a brief statement about each candidate to WAND Field Coordinator Elaina Ramsey at eramsey@wand.org.

 

Make sure to mark your calendars for WAND's upcoming webinars.

• Making the Case for Government with Demos
  Thurs. October 27, 3:00pm ET

• The "Strong on Defense" Myth with Dr. Larry Korb
  Wed. November 2, 3:00pm ET

• A Year of Opportunity for Women with The 2012 Project
  Wed. November 9, 5:00pm ET

Sign up and learn more about these webinars by clicking here.

Thank you for all of your hard work! Have a great weekend!