| A
NEW REPORT: Paying for the Troop
Escalation in Afghanistan
Ten Ways to Cut Baseline
Defense Spending to Fight this
War within Our Means|
Executive
Summary in PDF format
Op
Ed: Fund the surge, trim the defense
bill’s fat
By Lawrence J. Korb and Laura
Conley | Boston
Globe | January 6, 2010
...In his West
Point speech, Obama argued that
we must “maintain balance
among national priorities,’’
and that we can’t ignore
the price of these wars, because
America’s economic and technological
vigor underpins our ability to
play a more secure world role.
Increasing defense spending on
items that do not maintain this
balance or help us play a more
secure role in the world will
not move us in that direction.
Obama should just say no to the
Pentagon, particularly since the
country has a $12 trillion national
debt that is equivalent to 53
percent of its gross domestic
product.
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The
decade when the U.S. lost its
way
By E.J. Dionne Jr. | Washington
Post | Thursday, December
31, 2009
I'm afraid that
the past 10 years will be seen
as a time when the United States
badly lost its way by using our
military power carelessly, misunderstanding
the real challenges to our long-term
security and pursuing domestic
policies that constrained our
options for the future while needlessly
threatening our prosperity.
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Your
Afghanistan War Bill
Pacific
Free Press | by Jo Comerford
| December 17, 2009
$57,077.60. That’s
what we’re paying per minute.
Keep that in mind -- just for
a minute or so. |
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Arkansas
WAND: Beacon of Peace and Hope
NEWS!
The
Beacon is up! The lights
are on. Drive by the submarine
and see the glow at night and
make a wish or say a prayer
for Peace in the world in 2010.
And watch for an announcement
of the dedication of the Beacon
sometime in early spring when
the finishing touches are complete.
Congratulations to Caroline
Stevenson, AIMM and all who
contributed to make the Beacon
a reality!
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On
the passing of Claire Colman
of Michigan WAND
WAND
sadly reports that Dr. Claire
Colman of Michigan passed away
in 2009. Susan Shaer, WAND executive
director, wrote a tribute that
was read at a memorial service.
Full
tribute here.
I
knew Claire as a strong advocate
and relentless spirit for peace
and justice. She was guided
by a moral compass and she did
not waiver. Every waking
moment seemed to be about what
she could do for someone else.
Her family first, of course,
her patients, friends, and,
yes, her global family... |
|
Chapters
revved up for Membership Month!
WAND
has launched Membership Month
for January 2010! During this
month, chapters share in the
national dues, and we hope to
swell our numbers on the state
and national levels!
Please
join us! We need YOU.
Arkansas:
Music,
great speakers, door prizes,
cash bar, and great Mexican
hors d’oeuvres
All
that and more at WAND’s
Annual/Membership Meeting on
January 12 at Juanita’s
Party Room. We’ll
look back at where we’ve
been in 2009 and to the challenges
ahead in 2010!
 |
Vote Yes on 66 & 67!
Tuesday, January 12th - 7:00 pm | First
Methodist Church |
 |
Join
Oregon WAND
Give the
gift of a WAND
membership. Simply contact
Oregon WAND
at oregonwand@oregonwand.org,
and provide us with the
name, address, phone and
email address of your
gift recipient. We will
send them this beautiful,
eco-friendly water
bottle, along with a gift
card from you. |
|
WAND
and WiLL leaders hit the media
with op eds...
All
100 senators should agree START
is vital first step
December
15, 2009 | Augusta Free Press
Column
by Susan Shaer, WAND Executive
Director
Reducing
the Nuclear Risk
Column
by Sen. Nan Grogan Orrock
(GA), WiLL President |
|
Arms
control: No longer just for men
Politico
| By JEN DIMASCIO | 12/10/09
If men have largely
built the world’s nuclear
arsenals, a small corps of women
is working to dismantle them... |
|
Obama
presses review of nuclear strategy
Bryan Bender | Boston
Globe | January 5, 2010
The so-called
Nuclear Posture Review, led by
the Pentagon... is shaping up
to be a major showdown for Obama
this year. It is taking on some
of the most sacred cows of the
nuclear program. For the first
time, influential voices, including
a former top nuclear commander
and senior Obama advisers, are
proposing that one leg of the
nuclear arms “triad’’
- a $30 billion-a-year enterprise
made up of land-, air-, and sea-based
weapons - be eliminated.
Another
historic change under consideration
is adopting a “no-first-use’’
policy, a public declaration stating
the United States would not use
nuclear weapons first, a step
long advocated by arms control
advocates who believe it would
reduce the incentive for other
nations to develop nuclear weapons. |
|
2010
to be key year in fight against
nuclear arms
Reuters
| December 22, 2009
If
Russia and the United States can
send the world a clear signal
that they are serious about nuclear
disarmament by getting a new pact
to shrink their Cold War stockpiles,
the NPT may get a new lease on
life when its 189 signatories
gather to discuss ways of closing
what some see as dangerous loopholes.
|
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START
and Beyond
New
York Times Editorial | December
18, 2009
President
Obama had hoped to announce a
deal with Russia this week to
extend the 1991 nuclear arms treaty
known as Start and make some modest
additional cuts in both sides’
arsenals. On Friday, negotiators
were still stuck on how to verify
the agreement, and American officials
are now saying it won’t
be done at least until January.
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Please
go to this blog and add your comments!
How Safe
Is a World Without the Bomb?
New
York Times Idea of the Day Blog
| January 5, 2010, 6:30 am
Today’s
idea: Why should we expect a world
without nuclear weapons to be
safer than one with them? It’s
time to think through the “hair-trigger”
scenarios that nuclear abolition
could bring about, says a Nobel-winning
academic. |
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IRAQ
-- and now! Afghanistan as well!
|
|
Afghanistan,
now and then
The troop buildup is just
underway, but it's not too early
to start thinking about what comes
next.
By Eric T. Olson | January 4,
2010 | LA
Times
Those
of us who were in Iraq for the
surge of 2007 and who have fought
in Afghanistan can pretty much
predict how the war in the latter
nation will unfold.
|
 |
Governing
magazine has named a long time
WiLL member and State Director
as one of ten Public
Officials of the Year. Minnesota
State Representative Phyllis
Kahn ran for state
legislature in 1972 after facing
retaliation for filing suit
over gender discrimination at
the University of Minnesota.
Since then, she has been a tireless
champion for a range of progressive
causes. In her spare time, she
plays hockey, runs marathons,
and bakes award-winning desserts!
Please read on to hear about
this amazing leader of WAND/WILL!
www.governing.com
|
Click
here and find out more.
|
News
from WAND chapters and the
field |
Click
here and find out all about
what our chapters and partners are
planning for this month.
The
WAND News Bulletin is an announcement
service of WAND. The purpose of the Bulletin
is to share
news and ideas, and to offer the support
of a national network of active members
and partner organizations. WAND chapters
and partner organizations are encouraged
to submit news for the Bulletin Board.
Please send text in a form that is ready
to be published without further editing.
Email submissions to: bulletin@wand.org.
Statements
posted on WAND’s Bulletin Board
do not necessarily reflect the position
of WAND.
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