Report
from ANA Days
By
Kim Joy Bergier, representing WAND Michigan
and
Michigan’s Stop The Bombs Campaign
(as
Michigan’s Liaison with OREPA= Oak Ridge Environmental
Peace Alliance)
front:
Bobbie Paul, Sari, and Mariah Lance-Wagner;
back: Tanya Wallace-Hargro, Sonali Sadeque,
and Kim Joy Bergier
I
just came back from Washington DC for the
16th Alliance
for Nuclear Accountability (ANA) “DC Days
2004”
Conference and Lobbying days, March 28-31,
2004. WAND is one of the 33 organizations
that are part of this important and effective
network. Since “Oak Ridge Environmental Peace
Alliance” (OREPA) is also one of the founding
organizations I found myself sort of representing
them as well. I have been to 7 of OREPA’s
Actions in Oak Ridge, TN and now am helping
their Stop the Bombs Campaign by being “Michigan
Liaison for Stop The Bombs Campaign”.
It
was overwhelming at times because there was
so much to learn, but overall I feel that
my trip was definitely worth it. It was wonderful
to meet so many knowledgeable and dedicated
activists from around the country. I highly
recommend this annual event to other anti-nuclear
activists and hope more members of
WAND (and a few more people from MI) can go
next year for ANA’s annual DC Days.
Thanks
go to WAND Michigan and several individuals
for donating money that enabled me to fly
to Baltimore where I took Amtrak train to
D.C. I stayed in Hostelling International
and met people from all over the world, including
some Mennonites who were also there for lobbying.
I
visited WAND’s office, which is upstairs from
ANA’s office in the Victorian home/ now office
owned by Council for a Livable World. Among
those who I met were: Marie Rietmann
(WAND Public Policy Director); Darcy Scott
Martin (WAND & WiLL Washington Director);
and Erin Gould (WiLL Washington Associate).
At the pizza party I met a woman who used
to live in Royal Oak, MI and has good friends
in Metro Detroit area.
Personally
I was glad to have quality time with Bobbie
Paul (WAND National Director) especially
when I found out that she knows my oldest
brother, and his wife, in Atlanta! They all
know some of the same people like Sister Denise
and Brother Utsumi, the Buddhist Peace Walkers
who lead the walk from Atlanta, GA to Oak
Ridge, TN for every OREPA August Action.
Cherry
trees, Hiaasen and Daffodils in full bloom,
surrounding solid marble monuments, brought
a peaceful and colorful balance to an otherwise
chaotic and noisy Washington D.C. As we walked
from the Senate to the House side of Capitol
Hill we had to plan extra time because many
of the sidewalks were blocked by a huge construction
zone. The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center
being built can be seen on: www.aoc.gov/cvc/
Bush Administrative “orange” level terrorist
alert was reduced to “yellow” and yet the
overhead announcement in the Metro included
warnings of reporting any unidentified baggage
post Madrid’s train bombing.
The
results of 85 of us from around the country
visiting around 100 offices is being compiled
by ANA’s Board and will be summed up by ANA’s
Program Director soon. This was a record
number of people & a third of us were
there for the first time. I expect a report
will be posted on ANA’s web site: www.ananuclear.org
I learned a lot, met some important leaders
in the field of monitoring U.S. nuclear plants
and took part in six lobbying meetings. It
is always difficult to know how much of a
difference we made, especially as we mostly
met with staff personnel rather than directly
with our Legislators. What I found unique
was how many meetings were with administrative
offices like those dealing with our environment,
budget issues & scientific research.
See
“Sum of ANA DC Days” below for more details
of the actual Conference & Lobbying. This
is the ANA schedule of events which I adapted
to sum up what happened. This is with the
dual goals of not only reporting on my experiences
but also to encourage others to attend next
year. I ended up being the only one from Michigan,
in part because I was unable to do more recruiting.
I recommend an “Ambassadors fund” be established
(or re-established?) for WAND to help more
activists be able to go.
Michigan
has 3 active nuclear power plants, Fermi II,
Donald C. Cook II and Palisades plus Big Rock
Point which has been decommissioned. From
what I am learning they do have a history
of leaking radiation and chemicals into the
ground so that our fresh water system is threatened.
It is up to Michigan governmental agencies
and citizen groups to help monitor the Great
Lakes (and all the water systems that feed
into them) so that they never become irreversibly
contaminated. The potential health hazards
for cancers alone are cause for alarm.
Though
Michigan does not have a nuclear weapons production
facility we have the call to action by Bishop
Gumbleton to attend the OREPA August Actions
to protest the building of new “usable” nuclear
weapons being researched there now. I am organizing
the Michigan contingent to Oak Ridge, TN,
and can be contacted via MISTBC@comcast.net for more information.
You can also see OREPA’s great web site www.stopthebombs.org
.
As
citizens of Michigan we have the privileges
and responsibilities of having both of our
Senators generally behind us in these issues.
Some people in other states have expressed
envy over our having Legislators who are generally
liberal, progressive and supportive of our
anti-nuclear causes, because those in other
states often have to deal with conservative
legislators who tend to be pro-nuclear.
It
was rewarding for me to talk with Dan Jourdan,
Legislative Director for my Rep. Sandy
Levin and Erik Floden (Legislative Assistant
to our Senator Debbie Stabenow), as
they were so receptive of what we had to share.
I was glad to see that some of my key concerns
around the U.S. plans to research new “usable”
nuclear weapons were included in the list
of many nuclear waste and transportation concerns.
An
amazing “it’s a small world” synchronistic
story developed. With me to Debbie Stabenow’s
office was the meeting team leader, John H.
(from “Citizen Alert” in Reno, NV). During
our meeting with Erik Floden, I shared my
concern about the nuclear power plant spent
core that was highly radioactive as it was
transported across MI to SC this last year.
Kevin K. (from NIRS=Nuclear Info. & Resource
Service) who I met 3 times as he lead us in
the Nix MOX campaign 4-5 years ago) had sent
me an e-mail alert last year, when one of
the huge vessel’s 18 axles broke and a school
bus stop was threatened by the radiation.
Not only are John and Kevin friends, but we
found ourselves standing next to each other
that evening. This way John was able to tell
Kevin exactly what Erik wanted! This saved
me time with my follow-up report to Erik.
I promised Erik (& Amy Muhlberg) the report
that Kevin Kamps has on the dangers involved
with the transportation of a highly radioactive
core of Big Rock Point nuclear power plant
as it went across Michigan last fall, from
near Charlevoix to South Carolina.
Highlights
for me included the Awards evening on Tuesday
evening, especially to have Diane Feinstein
speak to us directly and Edward Kennedy
to speak to us via a video made that morning.
I have been told that this will be linked
to the ANA web site.
I
was very moved to hear the story of Jacque
Brever, a FBI whistleblower who used to
work at Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant
near Denver, Colorado. When she reported some
health issues and got condemned for being
a whistleblower a co-worker purposefully contaminated
her with radiation saying “That’s what you
get for rocking the boat!” After experiencing
betrayal, panic and grief she felt so harassed
that she went into hiding for 10 years. But
she stayed determined and with the help of
a “cowboy Grand Jury foreman” Wes McKinley
and a volunteer lawyer, they wrote this book:
The
Ambushed Grand Jury: How the Justice Department
Covered Up Government Nuclear Crime: And How
We Caught Them Red Handed by Wes
McKinley, Caron
Balkany. I
have just ordered it (through Amazon for $19.95
+ S & H) because the authors told us that
it is not likely to stay available much longer.
If you are interested see:
www.theambushedgrandjury.com
By
Kim Joy Bergier, representing WAND Michigan
and Michigan’s
Stop The Bombs Campaign
(as
Michigan’s Liaison with OREPA= Oak Ridge Environmental
Peace Alliance).
Sum
of Alliance for Nuclear Accountability’s DC
DAYS 2004
Sunday
– March 28
8:30
AM – 5 PM: Orientation and Training ($75)
The
training to lock in essential skills for being
successful at DC Days was held at the Methodist
Building, 100 Maryland Avenue,
NE.
Monday
– March 29
8
AM- 5:30 PM: DC Days Headquarters is located
at the ANA DC Office, 322 4th
St NE. Phone:(202) 546-0795 ext 101; Fax:(202)
544-6143. Web: www.ananuclear.org
We
used the headquarters to sign up for individual
or team lobbying appointments for 3 days,
then drop off debriefing forms. We would check
for appointment changes, have some pre-meetings,
distribute or pick up materials.
10
AM: ANA Press Conference-
Dirksen 562 (Senate) ANA released a very
important study.
It
was the result of over two years of research
supported by a grant from the Citizen’s Monitoring
and Technical Assessment Fund. “Danger
Lurks Below: The Threat to Major Water Supplies
from US Dept. of Energy Nuclear Weapons Plants.”
To request a hard copy contact ANA.
11:00 AM: I visited Dan Jourdan, Legislative Director for Rep. Sander
Levin.
1:30 PM: I visited Dixson Butler, Minority Staff Assistant for
House Appropriations Subcommittee, with Jim
Bridgman (ANA Program Director). Since Dixson
is a Physicist he and Jim talked on a level
of technical details & a history that
I struggled to understand. My main contribution
was to bring their conversation down to the
reality that they were talking about real
people. I shared how I had seen the results
of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.
3:00 PM: I visited Simon Limage, staff for Rep. Tauscher (D-CA.
5:30
– 9 PM. Pizza Party at Mott
House, 122 Maryland Ave. NE ($10)
I was delighted to visit with so many key activists.
Tuesday
– March 30
10:30
AM: I visited Amy Muhlberg, Sr. Legislative
Assistant to Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
2:00
PM: I visited Erik Floden, Legislative Asst.
to Debbie Stabenow.
6
PM – 8 PM: ANA’s Congressional Awards Reception
at The National Guard Association, 1 Massachusetts
Ave. NW
ANA
Awards were given to 6 individuals “for their
courage, leadership, and steadfast work on
nuclear weapons issues.” Senator Dianne
Feinstein (CA); Senator Edward
Kennedy (MA), Wes McKinley
(Foreman of the Rocky Flats Grand Jury, 1989-1992);
Jacque Brever (Rocky Flats Whistleblower
& Activist); Geoffrey H. Fettus
(Staff Attorney, Natural Resources Defense
Council) and LeRoy Moore (Co-Founder
of Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center).
Wednesday
– March 31
8
AM- 5:30 PM Last day of lobbying and submitting
debriefing forms.
10:00
AM: I visited Matthew Rimkunas, Legislative
Correspondent for Senator John McCain (AZ)
