Another world is possible: Remembering the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
August 8, 2005   |   www.standwand.org

On August 6, 1945, at 8:15am, Japanese time, a B-29 bomber flying at high altitude dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. More than 4 square miles of the city were instantly and completely devastated. 66,000 people were killed, and 69,000 injured. On August 9, at 11:02am, another B-29 dropped a bomb on the industrial section of Nagasaki, totally destroying 1-1/2 square miles of the city, killing 39,000 persons, and injuring 25,000 more.

1. STARS: Students Taking Action for Real Security!
   Congratulations to our Scholarship recipients

2. If you don’t know, now you know-
   Conscientious Objector 101

3. Ways to STAND and take action-
   Plan to participate in rallies and protests! Let your voices be heard!

4. Heads Up!
5. On the News-
   Military Draft and War Resistance News

6. Update from National WAND-
7. Announcements/Internships

 

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1) STARS: Congratulations to talented young women of STAND!!!!!

STAND recently awarded Fall 2005 Academic Support Scholarships to Catlin Orr and Kelechi Crowe. Both young activists submitted wonderful applications and we're happy to support them in their education and organizing. Two brilliant and inspiring STARS!

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.

For more information or to make a donation to our scholarship fund please contact Jennifer I. Ortiz at 404-524-5999, Email at jortiz@wand.org or write a check to WAND Education Fund and mail to 464 Cherokee Avenue #201 Atlanta, GA 30312

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2. If you don't know, now you know.

Talking points on The Poverty Draft!

The U.S. military is filled by the working poor--young men and women who entered the military because of the promise of job training, government subsidies for college and an alternative to minimum-wage jobs. This is the impact of the "poverty draft"-- the military's reliance on working class communities and communities of color to raise their enlistment numbers. For more information check out:

AFSC web site

1. In 2003 the Pentagon spent almost $4 billion targeting high-achieving low income youth with commercials, video games, personal visits, enlistment bonuses, and slick brochures.

Source: USA Today

Washington Post

Erin O'Connor

2. The U.S. military takes advantage of an economy that increasingly squeezes out those without a college degree, while gutting college financial aid and eliminating affordable housing.

Source: WAND Action Guide

3. Military recruiters never mention that the college money is difficult to come by, or that very few job skills are transferable from military to civilian life.

4. African Americans represent about 29% of the enlisted personnel of the Army, 21.1% enlisted personnel of the Navy, 15.8% enlisted personnel of the Marine Corps, and 18.5% enlisted personnel of the Air Force with only 8% overall represented as officers. Latinos represent about 9% of the enlisted personnel of the Army, 10.5% enlisted personnel of the Navy, 14% enlisted personnel of the Marine Corps, and 5.6% enlisted personnel of the Air Force with only 4% overall represented as officers. 17.5% of Latinos in the armed forces are in critical combat-related positions. These numbers are disproportionately high considering that African Americans make up about 13% of the US population and Latinos make up about 13.5% of the US population.

Source: Boston Globe

5. Puerto Rico is the Army's number one recruiting territory. Capitalizing on an unemployment rate of more than 40%, Army recruiting offices in Puerto Rico garner more than 4 times the number of recruits US-based recruiting offices average on a yearly basis.

Source: LFSC

6. Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) programs in US public schools are growing at an exponential rate. JROTC is not considered a recruiting tool by the Department of Defense (DoD), but the DoD encourages the relationships between JROTC instructors and military recruiters. In spite of the DOD's claim, more than 50% of JROTC cadets with two or more years of JROTC experience join the military as enlisted personnel. Most JROTC programs occur in schools in working class or impoverished communities. More often than not those schools are also predominately populated by youth of color.

Source: Military free Schools

7. The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test (ASVAB), the admissions and placement tool for the US military, is administered in over 14,000 schools throughout the US. It determines whether a potential recruit is qualified for the military and for certain military jobs. Offered free of charge to schools by the Pentagon, the test’s primary aim in the secondary school environment is to identify pre-qualified leads for military recruiters.

Source: Boston Globe

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3. Ways to STAND and take action!

Plan to participate in rallies, protests, and conscientious objection to war! Let your voices be heard!

1. Sept. 24 Rally to Be Held at Washington Monument
United for Peace and Justice (UPJ) is delighted to announce that they have secured the grounds of the Washington Monument for the rally that will precede a massive peace march on Saturday, September 24. This large, high-profile location will readily accommodate the truly enormous turnout against the war expected for September 24.

The route for the massive march that will follow the rally on Saturday, September 24, is still being negotiated. UPJ is seeking a route that will take us past the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, now headed by Iraq War architect Paul Wolfowitz. The IMF and World Bank will be meeting throughout the weekend, and will be highlighting the close connections between their aggressive and destructive policies of corporate globalization and the larger empire-building agenda of the Bush Administration. The Mobilization for Global Justice and other groups are planning a number of additional activities to protest the IMF/World Bank meetings, and STAND will keep you posted on how to plug in.

2. Sept. 24-25 "Anti-war Fair" Planned
The United for Peace and Justice fall mobilization will include a special "anti-war fair" designed to connect grassroots activists with a wide array of organizations and campaigns. At the "anti-war fair," you'll find leaflets, how-to guides, activist toolkits, and other resources; have an opportunity to talk to knowledgeable organizers involved in everything from counter-recruitment work to faith-based organizing to immigrant rights and civil liberties; learn more about a range of key issues that United for Peace and Justice works on, from seeking to disarm nuclear weapons to opposing U.S. support for Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands. We're very excited about our plans for this participatory, interactive "anti-war fair," which will strengthen a broad range of important activist initiatives. More details to come ...

3. Sept. 25 Interfaith Service to Feature Actor Danny Glover & Notable Religious Leaders
A major interfaith service is being organized for Sunday evening, September 25, as part of the three-day mobilization. Spearheaded by Clergy and Laity Concerned About Iraq (CALC-I), a project of United for Peace and Justice, this event will bring together people from a wide array of faith traditions who are united in moral outrage about the ongoing war in Iraq. The master of ceremonies for this important evening will be actor Danny Glover, an outspoken voice for peace. We are still finalizing the venue for the interfaith service and will update you when the information is available.

Counter-Recruitment Organizations by State

Please Visit this link and register as a Conscientious Objector

http://www.afsc.org/youthmil/counter-recruitment/other-orgs.htm

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4. Heads up! Some organizations putting in major work

Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (www.wagingpeace.org)

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation initiates and supports worldwide efforts to abolish nuclear weapons, to strengthen international law and institutions, to use technology responsibly  in a sustainable manner, and to empower youth to create a more peaceful world.

This year, the 60th anniversaries of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki also coincide with the 40th anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights Act on August 3, 2005. Ensuring our basic voting and civil rights is at the heart of keeping our democracy alive and healthy. A vibrant democracy with open public debate is essential to keep US power in check. Given that US power is directly expressed and projected through its possession and threat to use nuclear weapons, the links between democracy, power and nuclear weapons becomes clear.

Join with the global majority to say NO! to militarism, war and oppression, and YES! to democracy nonviolence, justice and a more secure world for all. On May 1, 40,000 people marched to the United Nations to demand global disarmament. While the Bush Administration stymied global attempts to move toward nuclear disarmament, our voices reinforced the critical need for nuclear abolition to remain a part of the agenda.

In Iraq, they never found nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction, yet the daily reality of death and destruction continues, sparked by the Bush administration's invasion and fueled by the ongoing U.S. military occupation. A majority of people in this nation now oppose the war, but the White House and most members of Congress are resisting the only solution to the crisis: bring the troops home immediately.

The missing weapons of mass destruction were found. On August 6, demonstrators will take their voices to the active nuclear weapons sites across the country. They will demand an end to US nuclear weapons development, production and testing. They will demand an end to wars of empire and an end to nuclear excuses for war.

http://www.wagingpeace.org/august6and9/

The United Church of Christ (www.ucc.org)

Throughout its history--from early engagement in the movement to abolish slavery to modern campaigns for civil rights and social justice--the UCC in every setting of the church has been engaged in ministries of compassion, advocacy and reconciliation.

Remember and Repent: The 60th Anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Written by Rev. Loey Powell

This coming August 6th and 9th mark the 60th anniversary of the dropping of atomic bombs by the United States on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is the only time in history when nuclear weapons have been used in war.

At the recent General Synod 25 in Atlanta, a resolution called, "Another World Is Possible: A Peace With Justice Movement in the United Church of Christ," was adopted by the Synod. This resolution lifts up and affirms previous actions of the General Synod which have given the UCC many of its distinctive justice identities, such as being a Just Peace Church.

On the occasion of this important anniversary, local churches are encouraged to offer prayers and times of reflection on the significance of the past sixty years, and to pray and offer witness for peace in the world and the elimination of all stockpiles of nuclear weapons. Another world is possible. It must be possible. A world void of nuclear weapons with their devastating and long lasting affects on the peoples of this world, and on the earth.

http://www.ucc.org/justice/remember.htm

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5. ON THE NEWS: Military Draft and War Resistance News

LEAVE MY CHILD ALONE COALITION URGES DEFENSE SECRETARY DONALD RUMSFELD TO ESTABLISH NATIONAL "DO NOT CALL" LIST FOR MILITARY RECRUITING

For more information, go to www.leavemychildalone.org Press contact Felicity Crush at 415-868-9576 or 415-686-6532 Press contact Julie Pezzino at 212-245-0510

http://www.pointofclarity.org/news/story.cfm?nID=82

Military Recruiters Find the War a Difficult Sell: Youths shy away from future in Iraq

By Sarah Schweitzer and Peter Canellos, Boston Globe
July 5, 2005

http://www.pointofclarity.org/news/story.cfm?nID=84

  Jamming the US military machine

Over the past year, the Pentagon has dramatically stepped up its recruitment efforts as Bush’s debacle in Iraq drags on. In response, there has been a small explosion of counter-military recruitment campaigns in high schools and colleges across the country. TY MOORE of Socialist Alternative (CWI – US) reports.

http://www.socialismtoday.org/92/usarmy.html

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6. Update from National WAND

Considering the death and devastation caused by the U.S. dropping nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, what's your guess for the largest single item in the Pentagon budget:

• Locking down nuclear materials to keep them out of the hands of terrorists?
• Monitoring weapons of mass destruction all over the world?
• A complex, high-tech, untested system intended to defend against attack by long-range ballistic missiles?

Yep, it's the last one. Under the Bush administration, missile defenses have received $7 billion to $9 billion annually; the FY06 budget request is nearly $9 billion.

This is an extraordinary emphasis on missile defense -- at a time when real dangers to the security of the U.S. (and Europe) are growing daily.

The administration's top priority should be combating the threat of nuclear terrorism by increasing its programs to keep nuclear warheads and materials out of the hands of terrorists. Instead, this problem is getting a fraction of the attention and funding being given to missile defense. The missile defense system being rushed into deployment is not relevant to the war on terrorism.

Senators Levin (D-MI) and Reed (D-RI) have introduced an amendment cutting $50 million from missile defense, with funds going to non-proliferation programs.  Write today to urge your legislator to support the amendment to the defense authorization to transfer funds from missile defense and toward nuclear nonproliferation.

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7. Announcements/Internships