Last night, WAND Executive Director Susan Shaer presented Congressman Edward J. Markey (MA-7) with an award from the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA) in honor of his effective Congressional leadership in constraining nuclear weapons programs and championing nuclear power safety issues.

"I am honored to receive this award from the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability as it celebrates its 25th anniversary,” says Congressman Markey. “It also is with great pleasure that I will receive the award from my great friend and constituent Susan Shaer, the executive director of Women's Action for New Directions. The ANA, WAND and all of the Association's member organizations have long been powerful and effective voices for creating a world free of nuclear weapons and the damage they inflict. Their robust grassroots work is transforming the Cold War nuclear legacy from insanity to accountability. I will continue to fight to end the spread of unneeded nuclear weapons and the wasteful spending that funds Minutemen missiles ahead of Medicare, and I look forward to working with the ANA, WAND and all of these committed groups to ensure a safe, healthy, equitable future for future generations."

“If we could put the nuclear weapons genie back in the bottle, we certainly would, but we must deal with the reality,” says Susan Shaer. “Policy that will help keep the world safer can come from our own Congress, and Congressman Markey is the champion for that cause. For more than 30 years, he has sustained his drive to constrain nuclear weapons programs to protect the U.S. and the world. Especially in these times, when there are so many doubters about elected leadership doing their jobs, Ed Markey’s tenaciousness should be heralded. WAND is 30 years old this year, and our history with Mr. Markey has covered those 30 years. We are pleased to be able to present this award.”

This past week, WAND joined scores of ANA activists in Washington participating in nearly 100 meetings with Obama Administration and Congressional leaders as part of ANA’s 24th annual DC Days. The awards reception honored individuals who have been leaders in the movement to clean up radioactive waste, stop unnecessary weapons research and production, and address the needs of those contaminated by nuclear facilities. Other 2012 awardees include Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-47), "downwinders" advocate Mary Dickson, and Russian environmental organizer Oleg Bodrov.

ANA is a network of three dozen organizations working together on issues of nuclear weapons production and radioactive waste cleanup. As a member organization, WAND continually works to address these concerns and redirect priorities away from the military and toward unmet human needs.

Thank you to all who sent messages to their member of Congress! Now as we move towards a transition in Afghanistan, it is time to turn our attention to building a sustainable peace with Afghan women at the table.

Did your U.S. Representative sign the letter? If so, send a note of thanks! Read an alphabetical list of all members of Congress who signed the letter here.

Read “A Peace-Building Transition Strategy for Afghanistan” from WAND and the Kroc Institute for Peace Studies, and our recent blog Lots of interest, little consensus, for even more on building peace in Afghanistan.

Over the next few months, President Obama will write new guidance that will lead to the latest nuclear war plan and new requirements for the size and structure of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. It could be the President’s last major opportunity to shift U.S. reliance on nuclear weapons.

Now is our opportunity to make our voices heard, to press President Obama to make good on his pledge to “put an end to Cold War thinking” and pursue further, dramatic steps that would make us all safer from the threat of nuclear weapons.

Join WAND in a nationwide effort to push the Obama administration to move us closer to a nuclear weapons free world. Sign our petition today!

Organizations around the country are coming together with a goal of generating 50,000 petition signatures to the President by March 31 to show widespread American support for steps to eliminate nuclear weapons. We need your help to build this groundswell!

Join thousands of Americans urging the President to “Put It in Writing” to help make the world a safer place free from the threat of nuclear weapons.

Act now!

Join us for a very special teleconference with the Department of Labor!

Friday, February 3, 2012

2:30PM EST

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis invites you to attend:

Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND) and Women Legislators’ Lobby (WiLL) Call

Please join U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis, Department of Labor Chief Economist Dr. Adriana Kugler, and Women Legislators’ Lobby President State Senator Nan Orrock for a timely briefing for members of the Women Legislators’ Lobby (WiLL) and Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND). Highlights will include Department of Labor initiatives for women and working families, as well as the importance of unemployment insurance benefits for women across the nation.

Call-In Number: 1-800-779-9045
Passcode (you give to operator): UI Call

To secure your spot on the call and ensure that we have enough lines for everyone who wishes to participate, please RSVP at: http://s.dol.gov/M0

This call is off the record and NOT for press purposes. We hope you are able to join.

Please contact A’shanti Gholar, Special Assistant to the Secretary in the Office of Public Engagement, at Gholar.Ashanti.F@dol.gov with any questions or concerns.

Comment here using Twitter to share your wishes for 2012 or comment here to post your wishes on WAND's Facebook wall.

We will highlight some of our most inspiring and favorite hopes for 2012 in an email to all of our friends! Thank you for your continued support and all that you do to make the world a better place.

Have a safe, happy, and healthy New Year!

-From all of the WAND Team

The adoption of the Merkley amendment marks a clear signal that the political pressure to end the war in Afghanistan is rapidly increasing. A previous amendment to require a plan to bring our troops home from Afghanistan garnered only 18 votes in 2010, and a bipartisan letter urging “sizable and sustained” drawdown of troops gained only 27 signatures earlier this year.

WAND appreciates all you’ve done over the years to call for an end to the war in Afghanistan. With recent polls showing a record high 63% of Americans are opposed to the war in Afghanistan, the Senate’s action shows that the voices of the American people are being heard.

Your voice continues to make all the difference! Let’s finish this together by bringing our troops home from Afghanistan and ending the longest war in our nation’s history.

Let’s capitalize on this momentum! It’s time to bring our war dollars home and reinvest it to rebuild the U.S. economy. Join us for a webinar by Chris Hellman of the National Priorities Project to learn how the Pentagon budget is affected by the Super Committee’s failure to find deficit reduction savings.  To RSVP, click 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.”

A total of 65 U.S. Representatives signed the letter urging the Super Committee to reduce the deficit by cutting nuclear weapons spending! Check below to see if your Representative signed on to the Markey letter.

Your calls to your Representative about the Markey Letter to Freeze the Nukes Fund the Future made all the difference. Thank you!

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Arizona

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)

California

Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA)

Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA)

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA)

Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA)

Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA)

Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA)

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)

Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA)

Rep. George Miller (D-CA)

Rep. Laura Richardson (D-CA)

Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA)

Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA)

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA)

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)

Colorado

Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO)

DC

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)

Florida

Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL)

Georgia

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA)

Hawaii

Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-HI)

Illinois

Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-IL)

Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)

Iowa

Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA)

Kentucky

Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY)

Maryland

Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD)

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD)

Massachusetts

Rep. Mike Capuano (D-MA)

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)

Rep. William Keating (D-MA)

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA)

Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA)

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA)

Rep. Richard Neal (MA)

Rep. John Olver (D-MA)

Rep. John Tierney (D-MA)

Maine

Rep. Mike Michaud (D-ME)

Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME)

Michigan

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI)

Rep. Hansen Clarke (D-MI)

Minnesota

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN)

New Jersey

Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ)

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ)

Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ)

New York

Rep. Timothy Bishop (D-NY)

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY)

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY)

Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY)

Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY)

North Carolina

Rep. David Price (D-NC)

Ohio

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)

Oregon

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR)

Pennsylvania

Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA)

Tennessee

Rep. Steven Cohen (D-TN)

Texas

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)

Vermont

Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT)

Virginia

Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA)

Washington

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA)

Wisconsin

Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI)

Yesterday the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Peace and Security Task Force held a hearing on the 10^th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. WAND/WiLL women Rep.Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) both serve as co-chairs of the CPC Peace and Security Task Force, and have been staunch advocates against the war in Afghanistan.

Congresswoman Woolsey delivered opening remarks by promoting her Smart Security initiative. House Resolution 19 calls for the adoption of a “smart security” platform for the 21^st century that makes war a last resort by focusing on diplomacy, multilateral cooperation, and peaceful conflict resolution. Following the Congresswoman’s remarks, a panel of academics, experts, and advocates described the costs of the ongoing war in Afghanistan, and provided practical alternatives to continued military action in Afghanistan.

Shukria Dellawar, an Afghanistan expert with extensive contacts in Afghani civil society, criticized the heavy US military strategy and lack of serious commitment to supporting the Afghani people. Dellawar highlighted the failure of reconciliation efforts, and reiterated questions she heard on a recent trip to Afghanistan: “Where is the security?” and “When will aerial bombings and air raids end?” She also emphasized the need to reconcile ethnic and political leaders in Afghanistan and to bring Pakistan to the table. The military policy has failed to consider the lives of the Afghani people and will not succeed if it continues.

Lisa Schirch, Director of 3P Security and a Research Professor at Eastern Mennonite University, offered three recommendations to bolster the peace process. To reach a successful political settlement, Schirch emphasized the need to have more members of civil society, especially women, be a part of the peace process. More stakeholders must participate in the negotiations, not just the Taliban and the Karzai Administration. She also highlighted the need for the U.S. to deploy more diplomatic staff to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the surrounding region. In addition, Schirch recommended that the U.S. State Department develop a mediation and negotiation support unit to work on the comprehensive peace process. Unlike other nations, the U.S. does not have a well-trained team with the knowledge, experiences, and skills to support peace processes.

Brock McIntosh, an Army National Guard Specialist and conscientious objector status applicant, spoke about the power of nonviolence. He recently met with the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers and cited the growing peace movement in Afghanistan. McIntosh emphasized nonviolence as a viable alternative to war and one which has a history in Afghanistan. One significant point McIntosh raised was that there is no “precise measure of violence required to yield peace.” This is a concept which has become increasingly clear and further underlines the need to end the US contribution to violence in Afghanistan.

Written by Ellen Freedman (WAND Intern) and Elaina Ramsey (WAND Field Coordinator)

Additional Information:

• WAND/WiLL Women’s Statements about the 10^th Anniversary of the War in Afghanistan
• WAND/WiLL Women Respond to President Obama’s Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal Plan
  

On September 20, community activists and legislators attending WAND/WiLL’s national conference, “Women at the Table of Power,” participated in a full day of lobby meetings on Capitol Hill. Our attendees visited over 120 congressional offices and met with staff and members of Congress from 34 states. The conference program leading up to the lobby day provided attendees with the tools to effectively communicate budget priorities, nuclear weapons issues, and requests regarding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Truman National Security Project and ReThink Media conducted messaging and communication trainings in order to prepare our members to take on WAND’s issues and advocate for change!

WAND/WiLL Minnesota delegation with Senator Al Franken (D-MN)

During the lobby day, WAND/WiLL hosted a Congressional Luncheon in the Rayburn House Office Building for conference members to stop by, take a break, and hear inspiring speeches by Lily Eskelson, Vice President of the National Education Association, and Illinois Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. Their words offered motivation to the participants continuing on with the afternoon schedule of meetings.

While meeting with members of Congress, we asked their support in reallocating excessive military spending, supporting full funding for the Global Threat Reduction Initiative program, and building a sustainable peace in Afghanistan by including women in the peace process. As indicated in the following quotes, many of our members reported productive meetings and pride in completing their first day of lobbying on the Hill! We are grateful for our WAND/WiLL members for taking the time to come to Washington, DC and speaking up for sensible budget priorities, peace and security.

It is such an honor to be a part of this powerful group of women!
- Emilia Kaiser, WAND Member (Georgia)

One of the proudest moments of my life was watching my teenage daughters converse with their congressional Representatives with grace and confidence about reprioritizing our values as a nation and redirecting excessive military spending towards unmet human needs. The WAND conference prepared them well. We will never forget this experience.
-Kelli Hunnicutt, WAND Member (North Carolina)

I feel so confident in speaking with my Congressmen. It is so important for my

reps in DC to know how I and the people I represent in KY feel about wasteful military spending.
-State Representative Joni Jenkins, WiLL Member (Kentucky)

WiLL/WAND’s work is vitally important as our country moves toward responsible positions. We make a difference because we are an informed critical mass of advocates and activists.
-The Honorable Becky Lourey, WiLL Member (Minnesota)

From left to right: Karla Vasquez (Sojourners Intern), Kathy Crandall Robinson (WAND Public Policy Director), State Rep. Cindy Ryu (D-WA), U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Jessie Choi (Sojourners Intern)

For more information about the 2011 WAND/WiLL conference, click here.

We will honor Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) as our 2011 Torchbearer recipient during our premiere "Women at the Table of Power" leadership conference in Washington, DC (September 18-20)!

For years WAND/WiLL have watched and admired Shaheen's success as the first woman to be elected as both Governor and a United States Senator. We especially appreciate that the Senator serves on both the Foreign Relations and Armed Service Committees where she plays an important role on crucial security issues. Most recently, Senator Shaheen showed exemplary leadership throughout the debate and eventual ratification of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. We know Senator Shaheen will serve as an inspiration to all of our conference participants!

If you would like to hear Senator Shaheen speak during our Torchbearer Reception on Monday, September 19, please purchase tickets here. The event will take place 6:30pm-9:00pm at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters building on Capitol Hill (25 Louisiana Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001).

To learn more about our conference and our incredible line-up of speakers, click here! If you have further questions, please contact Maureen Campbell or Elaina Ramsey at 202-544-5055.