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Table of Contents | Click to move to content within the Bulletin.

2004 Elections

Iraq, Security, Alternatives to War

Federal Budget Watch

Women's Voices

Nuclear Notes

Student Activism News

Notable National Events

Ideas, Visions, and Resources for a Better World

In the Field: WAND Chapter/Partner News & Events

We can build a better world. Make history by combining your talent with WAND's resources. Enter the world of voter registration, education, and mobilization!  Explore our new project: WAND Vote 2004!

Organize – MOTHERS ACTING UP (MAU) Mothers Acting Up is spreading the word that women are empowered, have a voice and are ready to use it – especially in this election year. WAND and MAU are joining hands with Mothers Day parades and other events. INFO: election@wand.org

Action – Spread the Word: New Citizens Vote! A curriculum on voting and civic engagement available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean.  This curriculum aims to increase skills and self-confidence of immigrants and others new to the U.S. system about voting and other local decision-making processes. INFO: www.immigrantvoice.org Download at no cost. To order a bound copy, or copies in Chinese, Vietnamese or Korean: (415) 621-4808 ext. 101.  INFO / curriculum training opportunities: Monica Regan, (415) 621-4808 ext.103.

WORKING ASSETS - Working Assets has launched a major campaign to register 1 million voters and mobilize 1 million citizens to vote in the 2004 election. The campaign enables people nationwide to fill out voter registration forms online at this link. Please distribute widely.

Volunteer - National Voice electionMatch ElectionMatch.org is an election volunteer service of National Voice: http://www.electionmatch.org. Register yourself or others! ElectionMatch connects volunteers with 501(c)(3) voter mobilization activities. National Voice is a coalition of community groups and nonpartisan non-profits dedicated to increasing civic participation. INFO: www.nationalvoice.org or 1-866-868-3668 (toll free)

Ensure the integrity of your vote! To take action, click here.

ACTION. Call your Members of Congress and urge them to cosponsor this legislation. Congress must reassert itself in our nation’s foreign policy, intelligently and proactively. 

Call now. For information about your representatives and how to reach them: click here. | or Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121

For information about the legislation listed below, click here.

LEGISLATION TO PROMOTE SECURITY H.Con.Res. 392, A SMART Security Platform for the 21st Century, to promote global peace through prevention rather than preemption, introduced by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) H.Res. 307, to create a Select Committee of members of Congress to review intelligence relating to Operation Iraqi Freedom, sponsored by Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) H.R. 2616 and S. 1235, Winning the Peace Act, to set up guidelines on post-conflict reconstruction, introduced by Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) in the House and Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) in the Senate H.R. 3996 and S. 2127, on Stabilization and Reconstruction Civilian Management, introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA); Related Bills: S.2127 introduced by Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), cosponsored by Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) and Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) H.Res. 141, on disavowing the doctrine of preemption, introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)

IRAQ UPDATE

JUNE 30 TRANSFER OF POWER
In mid-April, President Bush agreed to a proposal by Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN envoy in Iraq, to dismantle the existing Iraqi Governing Council and replace it with a caretaker government to be selected by the end of May, one month before it assumes sovereignty on June 30. The caretaker government would consist of a president, prime minister, two vice presidents, and a cabinet of ministers in each agency. A national conference of perhaps 1,000 Iraqis would advise the caretaker government, which would remain in power until elections could be held next year. 

The Bush administration intends to severely limit the sovereignty of the caretaker government, including only partial command over its armed forces and no authority to enact new laws. Several European and U.N. diplomats have voiced objections to such limits. (The New York Times (4/23/04))

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DE-BAATHIFICATION
On April 22, in a major policy roll-back by the White House, U.S. administrators in Iraq announced a loosening of the policy of purging the Iraqi government of members of the former governing Baath Party. This change represents a split with the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council and, in particular, with Ahmad Chalabi, who is the council member in charge of the purges. (The New York Times, 4/23/04)

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FALLUJAH.
Marines encircled Fallujah on April 5, following the March 31 killings and mutilations of four U.S. contract workers. Last week, U.S. commanders threatened to launch an all-out attack on the city to root out an estimated 1,500 Sunni insurgents.

The U.S. has been under tremendous pressure to work out a peaceful resolution to the standoff in Fallujah, which has become a symbol of anti-U.S. resistance in Iraq. U.S. Marines had announced an agreement to pull back and allow an all-Iraqi force to take over security, but after the agreement was announced explosions and shooting continued and U.S. warplanes launched new attacks.

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NAJAF
In southern Iraq, Shiite militiamen continue to battle U.S. troops in the holy city of Najaf. The U.S. military is treading carefully in Najaf, moving to put down a militia loyal to an anti-U.S. Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, while staying away from the Imam Ali Shrine and other sensitive Shiite holy sites. (NBC, MSNBC and news services (4/29/04))

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NEGROPONTE, AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ 
On April 29, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the nomination of John Negroponte to be the first U.S. ambassador to Iraq since 1991. The full Senate is expected to move quickly to confirm Negroponte, currently U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Chairman Lugar (R-IN) said it was urgent to get Negroponte in place as quickly as possible to help steer the looming June 30 transfer of limited sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government. Negroponte will head the largest U.S. embassy in the world, with a staff estimated at about 3,000. (CQ Today Midday Update 4/29/04)

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EXTENDED TOURS 
20,000 U.S. troops are to remain in Iraq for up to three months beyond their scheduled return to quell the latest surge in violence and protect supply convoys that are under increasing attack. “We regret having to extend those individuals. But the country is at war and we need to do what is necessary to succeed,” said Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. (NYT, 4/16/04, A1)

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FUNDING
The White House has insisted that it would not be necessary to request another infusion of extra money for Iraq until January, yet pressure is mounting for additional money soon. The war is costing approximately $4.7 billion per month. INFO:  www.costofwar.com.

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THE MEMORY HOLE: www.thememoryhole.org Russ Kick filed a Freedom of Information Act request last year, seeking pictures of coffins arriving from Iraq at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. After an initial rejection, Mr. Kick’s request was granted and pictures were made available to him. On April 22, the Pentagon said the granting of the request was a mistake and no further copies would be distributed.

The release of the photographs came one day after a contractor fired Tami Silicio for taking photographs of coffins being loaded onto a plane in Kuwait. Her husband was also fired.

Since 1991, the Defense Department has prohibited taking photographs of the coffins of members of the armed services while they are being transported back to the United States. The reverent portrait Ms. Silicio produced demonstrates how irrational that policy is. The theory seems to be that the pictures are intrusive, or possibly hurtful, to bereaved families. But it seems far more likely that the Pentagon is concerned about the impact that photos of large numbers of flag-draped coffins may have on the American public's attitude toward the war. That certainly underestimates the fortitude of average citizens, who are able to accept the cost of war whenever they are confident that the cause is right. American men and women are currently suffering danger, death and injury every day in Iraq. The least those of us back home can do is to bear witness to the sacrifice. “The Real War,” NYT Editorial (4/23/04) | www.nytimes.com

Note. At least 736 U.S. troops have died in Iraq since the war began in March 2003. 126 U.S. troops to have been killed in combat in April. 

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ASSOCIATED PRESS POLL
Americans are highly pessimistic about the progress of the war on terrorism, according to a new Associated Press poll. Two-thirds of those surveyed said it was likely terrorists would strike before the November elections. Those who think the U.S.-led war in Iraq has increased the long-term risk of terrorism in the U.S. have increased from 40 percent in December to 54 percent now. Those surveyed were evenly divided, 48-49 percent, on whether the Bush administration made the right decision to go to war. In December, two-thirds said the administration made the right decision. (CQ Today Midday Update 4/21/04)

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READING

“Trusting Iraqis?”
By Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times (4/28/04)
Excerpt below. Full text: www.nytimes.com

I'm not certain that we can make a success out of Iraq. . . Yet rushing out would be a mistake. If we give up on Iraq, it will collapse into civil war . . .  turning the country with the world's second-largest oil reserves into a failed state that spawns terrorists. There are a few steps we can take that offer some hope: Deploy 25,000 additional troops in Iraq for at least a few months to try to achieve a secure transition. Stick to the June 30 transition and give the Iraqis full sovereignty. Count to one googolplex before rushing into Falluja and Najaf to wipe out the resistance. Dump Ahmad Chalabi and other carpetbaggers. Disentangle ourselves from Ariel Sharon. Bring back the most professional and least political Baathist generals.

RESPONSIBLE BUDGETS, RIVAL PLANS: Balancing Income and Expenses

Backdrop: A federal budget deficit of close to $500 billion this year

Backdrop: A battle over permanently extending almost all of the tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003, which could lead to nearly $2 trillion in federal budget deficits over the next decade

Backdrop: Three popular tax cuts set to expire this year:

• The $1,000 child tax credit
• Tax relief for married couples who would otherwise pay higher rates because their combined earnings push them into higher brackets
• An expansion of the 10 percent tax bracket

ACT I – In March, the House and Senate each passed budget resolutions (blueprints) for fiscal year 2005 (FY05), which begins Oct. 1, 2004. The Senate budget resolution contained strict “pay-as-you-go” rules requiring Congress to offset the cost of additional tax cuts with either spending cuts or tax increases in other areas. Overriding this rule would require a 60-vote majority. The House budget resolution contained no “pay-as-you-go” rules.

ACT II – A House-Senate conference committee is meeting to resolve differences in the two budget resolutions. Negotiations are difficult. Four Senate Republicans – John McCain (AZ), Lincoln Chafee (RI), Olympia Snowe (ME), and Susan Collins (ME) – are holding out for the “pay-as-you-go” rule. Senate leaders are pressuring the four to accept a 1-year compromise that would exempt legislation extending the three popular tax breaks (married couple tax relief, child tax credit, and expanded 10 percent tax bracket) that expire this year.

ACT III – Will Congress manage to pass a budget resolution? Party leaders are beginning to explore contingency plans for running the fiscal year 2005 appropriations process without a budget blueprint in place. Stay tuned.

Sources: CQ Today Midday Update 4/27/04, 4/28/04, The New York Times (4/29/04)

“We are here to take back our country.” -- Gloria Steinem On Sunday, April 25, WAND members joined hundreds of thousands of abortion rights advocates in Washington, DC to march for women’s lives. Estimates of crowd size ranged from 500,000 to over 1 million. Marchers came from 60 countries, asserting that damage from Bush policies is spreading far beyond U.S. shores through measures such as the ban on federal money for family-planning groups that promote or perform abortions abroad. For more on WAND participation, click here.

Celebrating Women's Seat at the Table of Power WAND/WiLL Capitol Hill Reception happened on April 27, 2004 Over a hundred activists, Congresspeople, and friends and family of Arlene Victor applauded as U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow pinned the gold chair on the lapel of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. More here.

NEW, MORE USABLE NUCLEAR WEAPONS

No new nukes! Take Action today. End funding for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, also known as the bunker buster. To draft a message and send to your Congresspeople, click here.

ACTION. The Senate and House Armed Services Committees will begin writing the annual defense authorization bill next week, with the full Senate and House scheduled to vote on these bills as early as the week of May 17. As part of this authorization process, Congress will be determining whether or not to allow funding for a new generation of nuclear weapons.

Contact your Representatives and Senators and urge them to support amendments to cut funds to develop new nuclear weapons.

Call now. For information about your representatives and how to reach them: click here. | or Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121

BACKGROUND. The Bush Administration is preparing to build new, more usable nuclear weapons and resume nuclear weapons testing. It has requested $27.6 million to work on a nuclear bunker buster (Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator) and $9 million that could be used to research low-yield nuclear weapons. It is also requesting funds to prepare for new nuclear explosive weapons testing and to build a new nuclear weapons bomb plant. 

Adapted from an action alert by the Council for a Livable World.

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MISSILE DEFENSE:  Staggering Cost, Lack of Real Testing, Set to Go Anyway

ACTION. The Senate and House Armed Services Committees will begin writing the annual defense authorization bill next week, with the full Senate and House scheduled to vote on these bills as early as the week of May 17. Contact your Representatives and Senators and urge them to support any amendments to the bill to cut funds from missile defense. 

Call now. For information about your representatives and how to reach them: click here. | or Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121

BACKGROUND. The Bush administration, rushing to field a missile defense system against long-range nuclear weapons, plans to lower interceptor missiles into newly built silos in Alaska and California and declare the system operational by September. But an April 23rd report by the General Accounting Office (GAO) warned that the system is “largely unproven” because of a lack of realistic testing. The report said that the eight flight intercepts attempted so far have been “repetitive and scripted,” and that critical parts of the system have yet to be flight-tested together. 

The report noted that the administration has exempted the program from many traditional oversight requirements, and sharply criticized the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency for frequently shifting goals and providing incomplete information about costs and performance. 

Missile defense receives more funding than any other weapons system in the annual Pentagon budget.  In fiscal year 2005, the Bush administration has requested $10.7 billion for missile defense.

Source:  The Washington Post, 4/24/04, A7

Full text: www.washingtonpost.com

Footnote.  On March 26, 2004, 49 Generals and Admirals sent an open letter to President Bush asking that he – “as the militarily responsible course of action” – postpone operational deployment of missile defense and shift those funds to homeland security.

For letter: click here.

Also see “Nuclear Notes” – March 30, 2004 WAND News Bulletin

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NATIONWIDE OPINION POLL – Strong Support for Arms Control

86 percent of respondents to a March PIPA/Knowledge Networks opinion poll said the U.S. should work with other nuclear powers toward eliminating nuclear weapons. 

Other findings:

• A large majority said we should ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
• As the Bush administration studies low-yield, potentially usable nuclear weapons, two-thirds said production of such weapons would set a bad example.
• 74 percent said a treaty banning weapons in space was a good idea.
• Only 21 percent favored building a missile defense system right away.

STAND -- Students Take Action for New Directions -- is WAND’s dynamic program for young women. STAND’s mission is to empower young women to act politically, to promote peace, equality, and progressive social change. For information on how you can join or start a STAND chapter, contact WAND at 404-524-5999.

The internship program at WAND/WiLL is a great way for students to learn the legislative system and gain experience in working to promote progressive policies.  WAND/WiLL offers summer, semester, and year-round internship positions requiring a minimum weekly commitment of nine hours, though three to five days a week is preferred.

To apply: Send cover letter, resume, and writing sample of two to five pages to Darcy Scott Martin, WAND/WiLL Washington Director at: Women's Action For New Directions - Women Legislators' Lobby, 322 4th St. NE, Washington, DC 20002  *  Fax: 202-544-7612  *  e-mail: wand@wand.org

WAND ON THE ROAD AGAIN WITH THE INDIGO GIRLS! Volunteers are needed to staff WAND Information and voter registration tables at Indigo Girls concerts across the country. Interested? Contact Laura Beavers, 410-223-2975 or laura_beavers@hotmail.com. Visit the Indigo Girls web site.

CAMP WELLSTONES A political action training program inspired by the late Senator Paul Wellstone, who believed that ordinary people can make extraordinary change May 1-3 – Durham, NH INFO www.wellstone.org, or Melvin Carter, 651-645-3939, Melvin@wellstone.org

Offering knowledge, practical experience and skills for practitioners, teachers and students involved in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance and development.
The summer 2003 Institute welcomed 106 participants from 26 countries. INFO / application: click here or e-mail; pcrinst@american.edu

A faculty development workshop to prepare university faculty to include issues related to reducing the threats from WMD in their courses.  INFO: www.unca.edu/nonproliferation

Training, Discussion, Celebration, Reflection, Action
August 6-9 Fast for Disarmament and Vigils lead by Bishop Gumbleton, Knoxville
Friday, August 6, 7-9 pm: Peace Lantern Ceremony in Knoxville
Saturday, August 7, 9:30-4:30: Nonviolence workshop in Knoxville
Sunday, August 8, 10-5: March from Bissell Park, Oak Ridge, to Y-12 plant

INFO: OREPA at www.stopthebombs.org

National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
NCADP has created a user-friendly site that offers quick access to information about important state legislation related to the death penalty.  Click on any state to bring up background, legislation, votes, and opportunities to take action to reform or eliminate the death penalty. Go to: www.ncadp.org/legislative_action.html

This painting by Cincinnati artist Mary Ann Lederer is a powerful statement against the Israeli Separation Wall and a call for a peaceful, nonviolent resolution to the Mideast conflict.  Available through the Fellowship of Reconciliation, proceeds from poster sales will support interfaith efforts to promote peace with justice in the Middle East. 

To order: www.forusa.org

Delegations organized by Fellowship of Reconciliation and Chicagoans for a Peaceful Colombia will visit two extraordinary communities in Colombia this summer.

Cacarica: July 18 – August 7  *  San José de Apartado: July 18-31

INFO/application: www.forusa.org

Info/Booking/Listening/Ordering: www.octoberrose.homestead.com

Women & Politics Scholarship at AU

The Women & Politics Young Women Leaders Board offers a full-tuition scholarship for a student to pursue a Graduate Certificate in Women, Policy and Political Leadership (WPPL) at American University in Washington DC.  Application deadline is July 1.

Application: