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The
WAND News Bulletin is posted on the
web site monthly.
When it appears, WAND sends out a condensed
version via email.
If you would like to receive these email
Bulletins, please
let us know.
|
| Table
of Contents | Click
to move to content within the Bulletin. |
| Important
Dates - July / August 2005 |
|
August
6, 9: 60th anniversaries
of bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki |
Capitol
Hill Update, June 2005
 |
WAND
has two lobbyists who advocate
for our issues on Capitol
Hill. They keep a close
eye on the goings-on, and
work with key players on
matters closest to our hearts.
|
|
Nuclear
bunker buster
The
House eliminated virtually all
funding in both the FY06 Defense
Authorization and the FY06 Energy
and Water Appropriations bills.
The most recent legislative
action on the bunker buster was
a vote on an amendment offered
by Sen. Feinstein to the Senate
Energy and Water Appropriations
bill. We did not expect
to win that vote, but we did maintain
all previous opponents of nuclear
bunker buster funding and picked
up two more: Sen. Susan Collins
(R-ME) and Sen. George Voinovich
(R-OH).
At
this writing, it is possible that
an amendment to eliminate nuclear
bunker buster funding may be offered
when the Senate considers the
Defense Authorization.
Its consideration began July 20.
It is possible that it may not
be concluded until after the August
recess.
Addressing
Nuclear Terrorism
Sen.
Lugar intends to offer an amendment
to the Defense Authorization to
combat nuclear terrorism. Final
decisions regarding nonproliferation
issues will be made in conference
committees this fall (Members
of Armed Services Committees and
Defense Appropriations Committees).
 |
The
Peace Majority Report
Mid-year
Congressional Scorecard
They consult with
leading peace and security
groups to identify key votes
on matters of war and peace,
for a scorecard on your
legislators. They include
legislation in three areas:
1) votes to authorize and
fund war, and to support
its conduct; 2) votes for
excessive investment in
preparations for war; and
3) votes for strengthening
global peace institutions.
|
August
Recess coming up July 30-September
5:
Visit your Members at home!
If you have the opportunity to attend
a town hall meeting or other gathering
where your Representative or Senators
are present, please raise the following
issues:
1.
Do what you can to prevent funding
for the nuclear bunker buster
2.
Support efforts to increase funding
for addressing nuclear terrorism
3.
Cosponsor SMART Security
For
more about the issues that are
most important right now, visit
the Take
Action page on this site.
Visit
our Lobbying Guide for more on
how to visit your Members! |
 |
Notes
from
the
WAND
News
Bulletin
editor
Does
anyone
remember
the
federal
budget
deficit?
The
media
get
all
hot
and
bothered
about
it
once
in
a
while,
but
for
some
reason,
it's
been
under
the
radar
lately.
(Maybe
because
Clinton
repaired
some
of
the
damage
done
by
the
Republicans
before
him...)
|
|
Well, it's
looming
ever
larger
these
days--a
prime
example
of
the
doublespeak
of
this
administration.
On
the
one
hand,
buy
the
electorate
by
sending
a
tax
refund
now
and
then,
while
you
slash
domestic
programs--so
you
look
like
a
fiscal
conservative.
On
the
other,
ramp
up
a
war
on
foreign
soil
and
tap
into
the
Social
Security
trust
fund--but
keep
it
quiet...
It's
bound
to
bite
us
all
one
of
these
days.
But
it
will
be
hard
to
tell.
In
my
town,
we
just
had
to
raise
our
property
taxes
dramatically,
to
cover
the
lost
revenues
from
the
state
and
federal
governments.
The
unavoidable
truth
is
that
living
in
this
kind
of
world
--
developed,
populated,
educated,
interdependent
--
requires
all
of
us
to
chip
in
for
the
services
that
sustain
it.
It's
crazy
to
pretend
otherwise.
Although
some
people
like
to
try...
|
|
Why
Democrats
Should
Be
Thankful
At
least
they
don't
have
to
clean
up
the
Bush
fiscal
catastrophe.
By
Daniel
Gross
|
Thursday,
Nov.
4,
2004
|
on
Slate.com
Click
here
to
read
the
full
article.
...The
fiscal
record
of
the
past
four
years
has
been
one
of
unmitigated—and
seemingly
intentional—irresponsibility.
A
Republican
Congress
working
with
a
Republican
president
created
the
massive
new
Medicare
prescription-drug
entitlement,
passed
a
new,
subsidy-crammed
farm
bill,
committed
hundreds
of
billions
of
dollars
to
war
efforts,
and
loaded
up
on
pork-barrel
spending.
Meanwhile,
taxes
were
reduced—on
wage
earners,
investors,
and
companies.
The
end
result:
We
collected
about
the
same
amount
of
taxes
in
fiscal
2004
as
we
did
in
fiscal
1999.
But
we
spent
34
percent
more.
The
total
national
debt
has
risen
30
percent
in
the
past
four
years.
The
fiscally
conservative
Clinton
administration
had
committed
government
to
restraining
spending.
But
now
a
massive
structural
gap
has
opened
up
between
the
country's
financial
inflows
and
outflows.
It's
only
the
willingness
of
the
Chinese
and
Japanese
central
banks
to
buy
our
debt
that
keeps
us
afloat. |
|
|
|
White
House Power
Grab Puts Public
at Risk
 |
Our
friends
at OMB Watch
are working
to let people
know about
the things
that go
on behind
the curtain
in federal
government.
Here's their
latest news.
|
OMB
Watch critical
of President's
proposal to
institute results,
sunset commissions
Full release,
click
here.
The
White House
submitted a
legislative
proposal to
Congress (June
30, 2005) that
would imperil
the balance
between the
executive and
legislative
branches by
concentrating
power in the
White House
free of democratic
accountability
and would expose
long-standing
public protections
to powerful
special interests
and industry
insiders.
The
proposal, the
“Government
Reorganization
and Program
Performance
Improvement
Act of 2005,”
forces agencies
to plead for
their lives
every ten years
before a “sunset
commission”
and face automatic
elimination
unless Congress
acts to reauthorize
them. The White
House would
also be able
to empanel “results
commissions”
that would propose
plans for restructuring
government programs,
plans that would
then be fast-tracked
through Congress
with very limited
time for debate
and no option
for amendments.
This
proposal is
a bald power
grab. There
is no need for
the White House’s
proposal, because
Congress already
has the power
to reorganize
government programs
when it determines
the need to
do so.
|
Sharp
Rise in Tax Revenue
to Pare U.S. Deficit
By EDMUND L. ANDREWS
| New York Times
| July 13, 2005
Click
here for full
article.
...But
many independent
analysts cautioned
that the improvement,
though notable,
could prove ephemeral
and that it did
little to eliminate
much bigger fiscal
problems just
over the horizon.
"Lawmakers
who allow themselves
to be lulled into
thinking that
the economy is
growing its way
out of the deficit,"
wrote Edward McKelvey,
an economist at
Goldman Sachs
in New York, "are
unlikely to support
the painful measures
needed to reach
a more lasting
solution."
For
one thing, analysts
note, federal
spending has
continued to
climb rapidly,
about 7 percent
this year.
Despite cutbacks
in many domestic
programs, spending
has surged for
the war in Iraq
as well as in
certain benefit
programs providing
health coverage.
|
|
WAND
pitches in to
organize and
participate
in letters to
Congress from
coalitions
Our
lobbyists in
DC work diligently
to bring together
the voices of
organizations
and individuals
who share our
concerns. Here
are just two
recent efforts.
Click
here
for letter on
nonproliferation:
"Please
support Spratt
nonproliferation
amendment to
defense appropriations
bill."
Click
here
for letter on
arms trade.
"A legally-binding
Arms Trade Treaty
(ATT) is an
idea whose time
has come. The
United Kingdom’s
Foreign Minister
Jack Straw will
place the idea
of an ATT on
the agenda of
the upcoming
G8 Foreign Ministers’
meeting on June
23, in London,
England. We
are encouraged
by this initiative
and urge you
to support the
UK’s efforts
to better control
the proliferation
of conventional
weapons. A global
treaty controlling
transfers of
conventional
weapons based
on established
principles of
international
law will enhance
U.S. security,
while at the
same time further
champion its
values of freedom,
democracy, and
human rights."
|
 |
Congratulations,
Alice and Dorothy!
WAND
is thrilled to announce that
two of our National Board members
are among the 1000 women nominated
for the Nobel Peace Prize. Alice
Lynch and Dorothy Rupert have
spent their lives working for
peace and justice, and continue
to contribute every day to improving
the state of the world. Click
here for more! |
 |
WAND
and the UN
WAND
has been officially recognized
NGO at the UN since 1994. Read
more about it! |
|
The
UN and U.S. Women
July 2005
by Sayre Sheldon, WAND president
emerita
Click
here to read the full report.
Yes,
Virginia, there is an international
women’s movement; and
much of it comes from the United
Nations. Why don’t we
hear more about it?
Because we in the United States
don’t tend to look much
beyond our borders for social
change. And because we have
an administration which prefers
to act alone and especially
finds it hard to acknowledge
the importance of the UN. |
|
STAND
scholarships to talented young
women
STAND recently awarded Fall 2005 Academic
Support Scholarships to Catlin
Orr and Kelechi
Crowe. Both young women
submitted wonderful applications,
and we're happy to support them
in their education.
Catlin
Orr will enter her
sophomore year at Mount
Holyoke College
in South
Hadley,
MA. She grew up in Fullerton,
CA,
where she first became involved
with the peace movement. She
designed and sold "Think
Peace" shirts at her high
school and in the community;
people wore them every Friday
for almost two years as a means
of peaceful protest. In the
midst this, she found out about
WAND and STAND, and has been
a member ever since.
Kelechi
Crowe hails from Lithonia,
GA,
where she just finished her
year at Lithonia high school
in the top 1%. She is a leader
in her community, and has initiated
many high school programs. Not
only is she accomplished in
academics and leadership, she
is also a writer, published
poet, and school orator.
 The
STAND Scholarship Fund
was established, and funds were
raised, at the 2003 WiLL/WAND
conference. The idea was that
there should be peace scholarships
as an alternative to military
scholarships. The STAND Scholarship
Fund takes the first step by awarding
students for their progressive
activism. To date STAND has
awarded three scholarships. |
|
Pelosi
Delivers Keynote Address to
American Association of University
Women
Our
good friend House Democratic
Leader Nancy Pelosi addressed
the AAUW on June 27, 2005. She
has long been a strong advocate
of getting women into powerful
positions.
Click
here for the full address.
...It
was as if every woman who had
worked to promote women's opportunity
was sitting on that chair with
me. Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth
Cady Stanton, and every other
pioneer who fought to gain the
right to vote for women, the
right to be treated as an equal
in the workplace, and the ability
to make the decisions affecting
their own lives and careers.
Then
I heard them say, At last, we
have a seat at the table.
My
next thought was: We want more.
We want more, because it takes
the full spectrum of human talent
to administer our complex society.
Every worthwhile and
flourishing public or private
endeavor benefits from the talents
of all its people. Being
a woman in our society has its
special challenges, and women
often have different approaches
than men to similar situations.
|
|
Notes
from the WAND News Bulletin
editor
I
wasn't alive when we dropped
nuclear bombs on Japan.
And I don't know enough
to engage in the debate
about the merits of that
decision. |
But
I do know these three things:
1)
The U.S. made the decision to
drop the bombs on cities full
of innocent citizens, under the
belief that it was doing the right
thing.
2)
The men who made the decision
to fly planes into the Twin Towers
on 9/11 also believed they were
doing the right thing.
3)
If we do not get rid of nuclear
bombs -- on our soil, and in every
other country -- it is only a
matter of time until someone,
believing they are doing the right
thing, will make the decision
to use one again.
I
believe in my heart that this
will be a failure of all of us.
A failure to know our own limitations
as human beings; and to protect
innocent lives from ourselves.
The
brutal truth, as history shows
us time and again, is that we
will never be free of this darkness,
this urge to break the peace.
The only hope is to take away
these tools of ultimate destruction.
In
Japan, the 60th birthday holds
great significance. On this 60th
anniversary of the use of nuclear
bombs in Japan, I invite you to
join me in doing everything we
can to make sure this never happens
again.
|
One
more thing I do know: any
small foray into the firsthand
accounts of life in Hiroshima
and Nagasaki is enough to
make my heart ache; and to
make the faces of my own children
leap to mind. For some stunning
and horrifying photos and
memoirs, visit this site:
"HIROSHIMA"
by Hiromi Tsuchida |
|
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