STOP CASSINI Newsletter #237 -- December 8th, 1999 (evening edition)

Copyright (c) 1999

STOP CASSINI Newsletters Index
To: Subscribers, government officials, members of the press
From: Russell David Hoffman, worried citizen
Re: Contact Clinton Continuously! -- STOP CASSINI  #237
Date: December 8th, 1999 (evening edition)

This issue's subjects:


(1) World Atomic Safety Holiday call-in set for today and tomorrow!:


EMAIL POSTED ON THE Y2K-NUCLEAR LIST:


Date: Mon, 6 Dec 1999 15:52:26 -0800
To: y2k-nuclear@egroups.com
From: bgwem@igc.org (Barbara George)

Subject: [y2k-nuclear] 12/8-9 INT'L CALL-IN FOR Y2K WORLD ATOMIC SAFETY HOLIDAY

Dear friends-
This week, the Y2K WORLD ATOMIC SAFETY HOLIDAY campaign (Y2K WASH) is
putting maximum pressure on the White House to issue an executive order to
Give the Nukes a Rest for Y2K. This would also set a much-needed example
for other world leaders. WE NEED EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU TO SHOW
PRESIDENT CLINTON THIS WEEK (DEC. 8-9) THAT THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING AND
WANTS IMMEDIATE ACTION!
(Fine to keep calling & faxing after that too but we need a flood on these
two days. Please don't hesitate to forward this message to everyone you
know!)

The Y2K World Atomic Safety Holiday is an international alliance of public
interest groups and others with long experience tracking the nuclear power
and weapons industries (see details in our letter to Pres. Clinton below).
There's lots more info on our website: www.y2kwash.org.

PLEASE MAKE THESE THREE CALLS AT LEAST DURING INTERNATIONAL CALL-IN &
FAX-IN DAYS THIS WED & THURS DEC. 8TH & 9TH:  HERE ARE THE NUMBERS:
         President Bill Clinton: (tel) 202-456-1111, (fax) 202-456-2461
         John Koskinen, President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion: (tel)
202-456-7171, (fax) 202-456-7172
         Sen. Robert Bennett (R-UT) & Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Senate
Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem: (tel) 202-224-5224,
(fax) 202-228-0517
        (snail mail addresses below- emails not considered very effective)

If you can do more, phone your own Representatives and Senators (they are
home in their districts now - numbers are in your phone book), tell them
how you feel and ask them to call the White House too.
          And by all means, be creative, get out in the streets-or go to
Washington!
          Please let Y2K WASH know what you're doing. Email
y2kwash@y2kwash.org. Especially forward copies of your letters & let us
know if you are part of an organization that wants to sign on to the
campaign.

Y2K WASH is getting closer to achieving its goal of temporarily shutting
down nuclear power plants, getting them better backup generators with more
fuel (for their cooling systems in case of blackouts), de-alerting nuclear
weapons, and protecting the community in other ways. The European Union
parliament has voted for all the Y2K WASH recommendations, the U.S. Senate
Y2K Committee is asking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to do more to
ensure public safety, and we hear that Japanese utility executives are
starting to think about shutting down the 52 nukes in Japan...
        With less than one month to go...
        Thank you so much for your action at this critical time!
- Barbara George, Exec. Dir. Women's Energy Matters, for the Y2k World
Atomic Safety Holiday

ADDRESSES:

President William Clinton
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington DC 20500

Senators Robert Bennett, Chair, and Christopher Dodd, Vice-Chair
Senate Special Committee of the Year 2000 Technology Problem
Senate Dirksen Bldg., B-40, Suite 3, Washington DC 20510

Mr. John Koskinen, Chair
President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion
216 Old Executive Office Bldg., Washington DC 20502

(Text of the Y2K WASH letter to Pres. Clinton is below. It begins with a
partial list of endorsing groups)
Endorsers Include:
National:
Nuclear Information & Resource Service, Washington DC
Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy Project, Washington DC
Safe Energy Communication Council, Washington DC
SUN DAY Campaign, Takoma Park MD
Los Alamos Study Group, Santa Fe NM
Global Action Resource Center for the Environment, NY NY
Mothers Alert, NY NY
WAND, Arlington MA
War Resisters League, NY NY
Women's Energy Matters, Berkeley CA
Proposition One Committee, Washington DC
State & Local:
Berkeley City Council, Berkeley CA
Redwood Alliance, Arcata CA
Save Ward Valley, Needles CA
Tri-Valley CARES, Livermore CA
Women for Peace-East Bay, Oakland CA
Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center, Boulder CO
Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone, Mystic CT
Connecticut Green Party, Storrs CT
Earth Challenge, Decatur GA
20/20 Vision, GA
Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, Indianapolis IN
Yggdrasil Insitute (Earth Island), Georgetown, KY
CAN-Citizens Awareness Project, Shelburne Falls MA
Metro-Boston Comm.  De-Alert Nuclear Weapons, Lexington MA

Sound & Hudson Against Atomic Development, Huntington NY
Indian Point Project, NY NY
West Suffolk Greens, Huntington NY
Citizens Protecting Ohio, Bexley OH
Earth Day Coalition, Cleveland OH
Three Mile Island Alert, Harrisburg PA
Pennsylvania Environmental Network, Clearville PA
Serious Texans Against Nuclear Dumping, Amarillo TX
Vermont Public Interest Research Group, Montpelier VT
International:
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Berlin
Friends of the Earth, Sydney Australia
WISE International, Amsterdam The Netherlands
Energie Zukunft Mühlviertel, St. Stefan Austria
ARGE Gemeinsam gegen Atomgefahren, St. Peter Austria
AntiAtom International, Vienna Austria
Women for Peace and Ecology, Brussels Belgium
Bürgerinitiative Umweltschutz, Budweis, Czech Republik
Centrum Energie, Budweis, Czech Republik
Women for Peace, Berlin Germany
Unifem-commission, Berlin Germany
Y2K WASH, Tokyo, Japan
WISE Slovakia, Bratislava Slovakia
Plutonium Free Future, California USA
The Atomic Mirror, California USA
Grandmothers for Peace International, California USA
Women's International League for Peace & Freedom, USA
  President William Jefferson Clinton
December 6, 1999
The White House, Washington DC
Dear President Clinton:
We are an alliance of public interest organizations and citizen groups with
decades of experience in tracking the performance of the nuclear industry
and the NRC, as well as nuclear weapons systems. We include nuclear
engineers, scientists, medical doctors, and Y2K computer experts; nuclear
plant workers and neighbors; and public interest advocates. Information
unearthed and publicized by our organizations has forced the nuclear
industry to function at a higher level. Our vigilance and concrete advice
has helped enable the United States to claim the best nuclear safety record
in the world.
Our initiatives often take years to accomplish, however. In the case of
Y2K, we don't have years. We have less than one month. Since 1998, we have
raised many substantive questions about nuclear plants' readiness, which
have been met with concern, even alarm, in the General Accounting Office,
the Senate Y2K Committee, and many Congressional offices-as well as
international bodies-but Congress' action window has closed.
Now, you alone have the power-and the responsibility-to enact prudent
measures to reduce the risk of nuclear catastrophe in the United States,
and by example, to persuade other world leaders to do the same.
Y2K is an unprecedented situation, in which all 103 nuclear power plants in
the United States and 330 others in the world will be simultaneously
challenged within a 24-hour period-and will continue to be at risk as long
as Y2K disruptions persist. Unresolved computer glitches in the plants
themselves-or in the communications, electrical grid, or other systems on
which they depend-could result in serious nuclear accidents.
Myriad potential Y2K mishaps could cause meltdowns in many countries,
including ours, spreading radioactive contamination far and wide. Surely
you will take no chances that your name would be forever associated with
such calamity.
Therefore, in order to reduce risk and protect global public safety, we
urge you to use your executive power to implement the critical nuclear risk
reduction measures listed at the end of this letter.
The European Union Parliament voted on November 18th to implement these
measures in their countries, and urged countries of the former Soviet Union
and Eastern Europe to adopt them also.
Some of the compelling reasons for our concern are outlined below.
WHEREAS, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the utilities claim
that Y2K problems have been addressed, but the General Accounting Office
(GAO) revealed that, in fact, the NRC:
o set no clear standards for Y2K readiness;
o required no independent validation and verification of Y2K work and does
not know which reactor sites have been independently validated and
verified; and
o in response to questions from the Senate Y2K Committee pursuant to the
GAO report, admitted that they had no record of reviews that were
conducted;
WHEREAS, the GAO substantiated charges by David Lochbaum, nuclear safety
engineer with the Union of Concerned Scientists, that the NRC's
"enforcement discretion" Y2K policy amounts to suspending normal safety
regulations, in order to keep plants running that would otherwise be
required to shut down because their safety systems are disabled;
WHEREAS, government labs predict that a nuclear meltdown in the United
States could cost over 100,000 lives and $300 billion; Chernobyl has  cost
thousands of lives and at least $285 billion;
WHEREAS, in a recent Roper Starch poll, over 50% of Americans named nuclear
power malfunctions as their number one worry regarding Y2K;
WHEREAS, nuclear power plant cooling systems require constant power from
the electrical grid to prevent meltdown, but government reports have
conceded that Y2K may cause electricity and water pumping
failures-especially in rural areas, where many plants are located;
WHEREAS, without cooling, a reactor will begin meltdown in only two hours;
WHEREAS, without cooling, spent (used) fuel pools may melt down within
twenty-four hours;
WHEREAS, most U.S. reactors have diesel generators to provide backup power,
but their reliability record is poor-54% have had problems since
January-and they stock only seven days' fuel;
WHEREAS, shockingly, many spent fuel pools, situated next to reactors, have
NO backup generators and, moreover, the NRC says it does not know which
ones do or don't have them;
WHEREAS, faulty data, human error and lax regulations triggered disasters
at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Tokaimura; and Y2K may cause a
multitude of faulty data and human errors;
WHEREAS, significant Y2K problems have already occurred during Y2K testing;
these were unanticipated, suggesting that other unforeseen problems could
arise:
o A Y2K test in February, 1999 at the Peach Bottom reactor in Pennsylvania
caused a day-long crash of the plant's primary and backup computers; with
blank screens, operators could not view conditions inside the reactor;
o At the Indian Point reactor, 35 miles North of New York City, operators
just discovered that a crucial computer system that monitors/alarms for
reactor core "hot spots" and control rod functioning was erroneously
disabled during a Y2K test in March;
o Owners of the Brunswick reactor, in North Carolina, relied exclusively on
manufacturers' certifications that its software and embedded systems were
compliant; while owners of Salem, in New Jersey, conducted tests on some of
the same systems and they flunked;
WHEREAS, many countries lacked the knowledge or resources to fix Y2K
nuclear problems, but their leaders may take prudent action if they can be
convinced that the problem is truly serious, and if power assistance is
provided for nuclear-dependent countries; the best-and perhaps only- chance
to ensure nuclear safety in those countries is for the United States to
lead by example;
WHEREAS, electricity from nuclear plants will NOT be needed in the United
States at New Year's; nuclear power provides, on average, 19% of U.S.
electricity, but at least a 45% surplus of electricity is expected over New
Year's weekend because January is a low-use electricity month; New Year's
is a long holiday weekend; and many industries are closing down for the
rollover;
WHEREAS, other hazardous and essential industries-including several of the
largest oil pipelines, and chemical refineries owned by Rhone-Poulenc,
Dupont and Hess-are temporarily shutting down for the Y2K rollover, as a
failsafe measure to protect the health and safety of the public;
WHEREAS, Y2K problems in nuclear weapons systems could cause false signals
of missile attacks; false signals have in the past brought us within
minutes of nuclear war; and thousands of U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons
are on hair-trigger alert, while other nations have de-alerted nuclear
weapons;
WHEREAS, Congress has adjourned, and the NRC and the Pentagon report to no
higher authority than the Executive Branch;
FOR ALL THESE REASONS, we respectfully request that you issue an executive
order to:
1) Temporarily shut down all U.S. nuclear reactors in a phased procedure to
be completed by no later than noon, December 30th; and allow a phased
restart after January 1st only when normal functions of electrical
transmission, communications and water systems have been restored and
validated, and nuclear plants have been independently verified Y2K
compliant;
2) Ensure that there are reliable backup generators and sixty days' fuel
supplies for reactor cooling systems and other nuclear facilities that rely
on cooling, particularly for ALL spent fuel pools;
3) Close all other nuclear facilities and suspend nuclear shipments for the
New Year's weekend;
4) Protect communities by practicing emergency drills and distributing
potassium iodide tablets;
5) Provide government subsidies for the cost of backup generators and fuel
and for nuclear workers' lost pay and utilities' lost revenues during the
temporary shutdown;
6) De-alert nuclear weapons systems and implement trust-building measures
among nuclear nations;
7) Renew these measures for February 29, 2000 and December 31, 2000-January
1, 2001; and
8) Encourage other world leaders to undertake these initiatives as a joint
international effort so that the financial status of a nation is not an
impediment to a WORLD ATOMIC SAFETY HOLIDAY.
Since time is of the essence, we request your reply, or a meeting, by no
later than December 13th.
Sincerely,
For the Y2K World Atomic Safety Holiday,

 Mary Olson
Nuclear Information & Resource Service
 Barbara George
Women's Energy Matters
 Mary Beth Brangan & Jim Heddle,
Y2K World Atomic Safety Holiday
 Yumi Kikuchi
Y2K Wash,
Tokyo, Japan
 Jim Riccio
Public Citizen's Critical Mass  Energy Project
  cc: Mr. John Koskinen, Senator Robert Bennett, Senator Christopher Dodd

END OF EMAIL POSTED ON THE Y2K-NUCLEAR LIST



(2) The public has a right to know about near-Armegeddons!:


INCOMING EMAIL FROM CAROL MOORE


Date: Mon, 06 Dec 1999 18:22:05 -0500
From: Carol Moore <CarolMoore@kreative.net>
To: "y2k-nuclear@egroups.com" <y2k-nuclear@egroups.com>,
        Y2K-Nukes List <Y2K-NUKES@envirolink.org>
Subject: Y2K Nuclear Missile False Alerts--Press/Public Right to Know

With just 24 days to go til a possible *plethora* of false data alerts telling
American and Russian nuclear forces that they are under attack, I
think those of us concerned with the de-alerting must focus on demanding that
the press and public immediately know about all and any such alerts.  It
is not likely that the U.S. and Russia will de-alert before January 1.
However, just one false alert--immediately disclosed to the press and public--*after*
that date might lead to such an outcry we could accomplish de-alerting
nuclear weapons.  (Members of the press, don't you want to know if
there are false missile alerts?)  Below are my comments and contact
lists from an October 4th email. (Because I do not represent a group,
I have not had much luck in getting answers but will do a new round
of phone calls tomorrow.)
=========
Public Right to Know about False Nuclear Missile Alerts
Carol Moore

    Does the public have a right to know when the US or Russia experiences a false
nuclear alert? Or when we almost have a nuclear war because of such an alert? As
we know, so far we've only found out about them months and years later.

    As you know, the United State and Russian have set up the Center for

Strategic Stability and Y2K, at the U.S. Space Command headquarters in Colorado
Springs, to deal with such false alerts during the Year 2000 date roll over.
(Such year 2000-related computer problems and false alerts could persist for years.)

    The question is, will the public spokespersons for this Center inform the
public when such alerts occur, in the first days of the year 2000--or from then on
in the future?  I got the phone number for the Center's Public Affairs office from
a Senate Staffer.  He believes there will be briefings but was uncertain on the
details.  I called and left a message, but no one returned my call with that information.
    I think we need to make "The Public Right to Know about False Missile Alerts" a
part of our campaigns to de-alert and abolish nuclear weapons as soon as
possible.  Even if your group is not focusing on the Y2K issue and nuclear
weapons, you must admit any false missile alerts that occur because of it will
help raise public consciousness to the dangers of nuclear war.
    I also think we should organize an activist (and alternative media) contingent
in Colorado Springs in December and January educating the press and protesting and
calling for de-alerting weapons.  They should be ready to protest if we find out
there have been any false alerts. (Feel free to bring up this idea at this
weekend's national meeting of the U.S. Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.)
    Below are several relevant numbers/addresses/emails to contact to find out the
status of briefing the public about false alerts. And, of course, we must demand
that Congress, the President and the Pentagon ensure the public is told whenever
there is a false nuclear alert.

Colorado Springs Center for Strategic Stability Public
Affairs--719-554-5010
Pentagon Public Affairs--703-697-5737
Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem, United States
Senate,
202-224-5224 Year2000@y2k.senate.gov
Council Chair John A. Koskinen, PresidentÆs Council on Year 2000
Conversion,
202-456-7171 456-7171 (Fax)

CarolMoore@kreative.net in D.C.  202-635-3739

END OF INCOMING EMAIL FROM CAROL MOORE



(3) More on disclosure policies for near-Armageddon during Y2K:


INCOMING EMAIL FROM CAROL MOORE:


Date: Wed, 08 Dec 1999 13:32:47 -0500
From: Carol Moore <CarolMoore@kreative.net>

To: "y2k-nuclear@egroups.com" <y2k-nuclear@egroups.com>,
        abolition-caucus <abolition-caucus@egroups.com>,
        Y2K-Nukes List <Y2K-NUKES@envirolink.org>
Subject: Update2:  Disclosure of Y2K False Missle Alerts (Plus Numbers to Call)

I just got a call from AF Major Perry Newis from the U.S.
Space Command Center returning my calls about their
plans to alert media and public about Y2K false missile
alerts.  On the one had he kept assuring me that there
would be 40 representatives of the media there who would
be briefed frequently.  On the other, he kept saying that
they would not necessarily tell the press if there were false
missle alerts.  He confirmed that that decision would be made
by the President.  He also said he was aware of the movement
to De-Alert Nuclear weapons.  He said people should feel
free to call him with more questions.
The number, again, is: 719-554-5010

So write Clinton and tell him we want the public to be
informed about false missile alerts!!

President Bill Clinton  The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20500
Phone: (202) 456-1414  Fax: (202) 456-2461
(Contact your congressional representatives as well.)

END OF INCOMING EMAIL FROM CAROL MOORE



(4) John Hallam on de-alerting (letter to Spanky Kirsch, Pentagon):


INCOMING EMAIL POSTED ON THE Y2K-NUCLEAR LIST BY JOHN HALLAM


Date: Tue, 7 Dec 1999 12:55:18 +1000
To: "Kirsch, Spanky, CTR, OASD/C3I/Y2K" <Spanky.Kirsch@osd.pentagon.mil>
From: FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign <nonukes@foesyd.org.au>
Subject: Y2K and Nuclear Weapons de-Alerting
Cc: robwcpuk@chch.planet.org.nz,
        Senate-Year 2000-Committee <Year2000@y2k.senate.gov>,
        james_dailey@y2k.senate.gov, paul_hunter@y2k.senate.gov,
        john_stephenson@y2k.senate.gov

Dear Mr Kirsch,

Let me make one thing clear at the outset - No-one on our side of the de-
alerting 'debate' (because there should be no debate - de-alerting is
simply commonsense) - has ever stated nor would we ever state, that
missiles can launch themselves.

There are a number of other points you should bear in mind.

De- alerting has been pressed for not merely because of the Y2K problem,
which offers a particularly concentrated 'window' of possible computer
glitches, but because there have been over the years a series of hair-
raising near misses and false alerts, none of them obviously, Y2K- based.

You will recall that there was an incident in 1980, and incidents in Russia
in 1983 and 1995, that could well have resulted in accidental launches of
all or a large part of their arsenal.

Y2K merely presents an opportunity for more of these computer glitches.

Of course, complete system blackout such as I understand occurred when your
system was first tested in 1995, would be, paradoxically, perfectly safe.
Nothing would work.

What is of far more concern is the possibility of corrupted data or false
alerts, possibly leading to what your senate has called 'unintended deadly
consequences'.

BASIC makes it perfectly clear that while much has been done in Y2K
remediation in the US, much less has been done in Russia, and that even in
the US it is in the very nature of the Y2K problem that one cannot be
absolutely sure that everything will work perfectly, and concerns have been
expressed over the possibility of blank screens, communications blackouts,
corrupted data and false alerts.

The creation of the Y2K strategic stability centre in Colorado is certainly
a good, and indeed an essential, move.

The centre should have started well before the late date of 27 Dec, (at
least end of Nov), and should preferably be made permanent. I gather that
there are plans for a centre in Moscow and this is good.

However there is simply no getting around the fact that as long as there
are 3,600Russian warheads and 2000 US warheads in land - based ICBMs ready
for immediate launch, (not counting SLBMs and other warheads), the
possibility exists, however small, for the ultimate catastrophe.

This is so with or without Y2K. Y2K merely provides a specific period when
we can recognize that this possibility is greater than at other times.

And it is for that reason that de - alerting has been called for by the
Canberra Commission of 1996, by the Tokyo Forum, by  two resolutions in the
United Nations General Assembly last year, by the same two resolutions this
year (both passed by massive majorities), by the Australian Senate, (2
resolutions passed unanimously and 'without dissent') by the Markey
Resolution (H.Con.Res 177), and by the European Parliament in a resolution
that was passed unanimously.

It's also for that reason that more that 460 NGOs worldwide have now signed
a letter to the Presidents of Russia and the US and their respective
secretaries/ministers for defence, asking for nuclear weapons to be taken
off alert.

It is worth your noting that the Canberra Commission stated quite clearly
that in the event that one side was willing to de- alert and the other was
not or in the event that it was not possible to negotiate adequate or
timely verification procedures, de- alerting SHOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED
UNILATERALLY.

The Canberra Commission, while it was clear that verification and mutuality
was preferable, still considered a unilateral and non- verified de- alert
to be preferable to not de- alerting.

This in effect is what has been accomplished by the UK's change in the
'notice to fire' for its nuclear weapons from minutes to days.

Others should do as the UK has done.

I would like to point out that your statements re the 'Perimiter' system
are not correct. Analyst Bruce Blair has described the system in some
detail, and there is no doubt as to its existence, though there have been
differing accounts over its precise mode of operation.

The November 1999 BASIC report also describes Perimiter in some detail.

I am sending you in a separate email in case you don't have already a dozen
versions of it, the current BASIC report.

As you will see your paraphrase is not accurate.

I urge you to read the BASIC report carefully, and to ask yourself
honestly, why so many people and so many bodies ranging from Berkeley
Council through the Australian senate to the European Parliament to the
United Nations General Assembly, think that de- alerting in general is a
good idea and that it is an especially good idea over the Y2K rollover.

END OF INCOMING EMAIL POSTED ON THE Y2K-NUCLEAR LIST BY JOHN HALLAM



(5) Norm Stamper resignation/ more info on the "police riot" in Seattle:


We have received numerous additional reports from Seattle in the past few days, and it's now pretty clear what happened there was a "police riot" and little more.  What's not clear to many is why the police rioted.  It was undoubtedly as a show of force prior to Y2K. -- rdh

INCOMING EMAIL ABOUT WTO:


At 12:18 AM 12/8/99 -0800, Robert Cherwink sent this wrote:

Democracy NOW!
http://www.pacifica.org/programs/democracy_now/index.html
 
Tuesday, December 7, 1999
SEATTLE POLICE CHIEF RESIGNS, AS DEPARTMENT IS INVESTIGATED FOR BRUTALITY
  Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper is planning to resign and has said he
takes full responsibility for the police handling of last week's protests
against the World Trade Organization, according to a report today on the
Seattle Post Intelligencer. The paper said that Stamper sent a letter to
Mayor Paul Schell yesterday announcing his decision to step down after six
years as chief, and that Schell accepted his resignation.
  Stamper is reportedly staying at his post until March to help
investigators sort out how police lost control of its handing of the
demonstrations.
  This comes as accusations of police brutality pile up from protesters
attacked on the street, from people who say they were abused after they
were arrested, and from residents of Seattle. Complaints include beatings,
direct spraying of tear gas and pepper spray on people's faces, injuries
from rubber bullets, hog-tying and strip searches. Many of those arrested
said they witnessed police attacks on demonstrators already in custody,
some of whom were placed with the general jail population.
GUESTS:
      * "JANE WTO," Human rights activist based in Washington, DC who was
arrested on Wednesday, taken from her group, placed in an isolation cell,
stripped and handcuffed by several officers.
      * RICHARD MC IVER, African American Seattle City Council member who
was dragged from his car by police and almost handcuffed as he was heading
to an official WTO event last week.
 
USE OF TEAR GAS QUESTIONED IN SEATTLE
  Doctors examining scores of protesters are expressing increasing concern
that some may be suffering from the effects of nerve gas. Physicians say
that while they have no definitive proof that Seattle police used nerve
gas, many protesters are exhibiting symptoms consistent with the inhalation
of some form of what are known as neurotoxic agents.
  The Seattle Post Intelligencer reported that Seattle police ran out of
department-issued tear gas and pepper spray last Tuesday afternoon, on the
day that 50,000 protesters took over the streets of the city. The report
said that a handful of officers "took matters into their own hands, getting
permission to empty the munitions stores of nearby police departments. In
addition, some drove around in a sport-utility vehicle to buy chemical
agents from a local law enforcement supply business." Meanwhile, a police
captain flew to Casper, Wyoming - where Defense Technology, the company
that makes the tear gas is based - to pick up a stock of gas from federal
agents.
  Although manufacturers of tear gas, pepper spray and other chemical
weapons have claimed in the past that their products are harmless and do
not cause permanent bodily damage, there have been lawsuits filed against
some of these manufacturers that claim the opposite. This year, the Ottawa
Carleton Police Services Board in Canada sued Defense Technology
Corporation -suppliers of tear gas and pepper spray to the Seattle Police
based in Casper, Wyoming -because their product does seem to cause
long-term respiratory harm to some people.
  And the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a lawsuit against a U.S.
company, Federal Labs, for supplying tear gas to the Israeli Army, which
was used on Palestinians in the West Bank and resulted in the loss of life.
GUESTS:
     *  DR. KIRK MURPHY, with Physicians for Social Responsibility who
treated protesters in Seattle during the week of protests.
      * RICHARD DEANDREA, Medical Advisor, Physicians Committee for
Responsible Medicine, and the Humane Society. He assisted protesters who
were tear gassed by police last week in Seattle.
      * JULES LOBEL, Professor at University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Filed a lawsuit on behalf of Palestinian victims of tear gas against
Federal Labs, a U.S. based company that supplied the state of Israel with
tear gas.
      * NICK LACOTTA, Council member in Seattle who is pushing for an
investigation into police abuse in Seattle last week at the WTO protests. .
CONTACTS: Physicians for Social Responsibility (LA Chapter): (310) 458 2694

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END OF INCOMING EMAIL FROM ROBERT CHERWINK


MY RESPONSE:


To: Robert Cherwink
From: Russell Hoffman
cc: President Clinton, others
Date: December 7th, 1999
Re: The "police riot" in Seattle, Norm Stamper's "resignation"

Dear Robert, Mr. President, others

Regarding the "resignation" of Norm Stamper (see article sent to me by Robert Cherwink, [shown above], March is not soon enough.  Besides, I heard on one of the TV stations that he was set to retire "early next year" anyway.  Talk about pure publicity moves!  This is crap!

It's sort of a nice to see them act like something went maybe a little wrong, but hey, there are still protesters in the jails up there!  He's talking about what he's going to do in March of 2000 -- the question is, what is he going to do today to undo what he did last week, and what he's doing right now to those who are still in jail or facing charges?  Thousands of specially-trained cops rioted --  more than one person should be "taking the fall".

But what we really need most right now, is a full amnesty for the panic-stricken demonstrators who were used for target practice by a rioting police force.

Norm Stamper (a former undercover hippie from San Diego) is a name that will live in infamy among those who seek to live in a peaceful democracy in America.  A retirement/resignation next March is not enough.  His desk should be cleared by Friday; his trial should begin on Monday.

-- Russell D. Hoffman
Carlsbad California
Another person ashamed to have not been in Seattle last week...

END OF MY RESPONSE


(6) Tell Clinton how you feel -- Official government contact points:


To contact the top government officials:

President Bill Clinton
White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20500
Phone -- (202) 456-1111  Fax -- (202) 456-2461
e-mail -- president@whitehouse.gov

Vice President Albert Gore (same address)
Phone -- (202) 456-1414  Fax -- (202) 456-2461
e-mail -- vicepresident@whitehouse.gov

Secretary William Cohen
1000 Defense
The Pentagon
Washington D.C. 20301
Phone -- (703) 695-6352  Fax -- (703) 695-1149

Secretary Bill Richardson
Department of Energy (DoE)
1000 Independence Avenue SW
Washington D.C. 20585
Phone -- (202) 586-6210  Fax -- (202) 586-4403

To learn about the absurd excuses NASA used to launch Cassini and its 72.3 pounds of plutonium in 1997, ask them for the 1995 Environmental Impact Statement for the Cassini mission, and all subsequent documentation.  At the same time, be sure to ask them for ANY and ALL documentation available on future uses of plutonium in space, including MILITARY, CIVILIAN, or "OTHER" (just in case they make a new category somehow!).  To get this information, contact:

Cassini Public Information
     Jet Propulsion Laboratory
     4800 Oak Grove Drive
     Pasadena CA 91109
     (818) 354-5011 or  (818) 354-6478
 
Here's NASA's "comments" email address:  comments@www.hq.nasa.gov

Daniel Goldin  is the head of NASA.  Here's his email address:
daniel.goldin@hq.nasa.gov
 or
dgoldin@mail.hq.nasa.gov

Here's the NASA URL to find additional addresses to submit written questions to:

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/facts/HTML/FS-002-HQ.html

YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT NASA IS DOING TO YOUR HEALTH. 

NASA should never have been allowed to launch monstrosities like Cassini and Galileo, but the next breed -- such as Europa Orbiter and Pluto-Kuiper Express are not much better and the policy is being set for greatly increased rates of missions!  The danger continues!  To complain to NASA about their future nuclear space probes, here are two addresses you can use:

For Europa Orbiter:
"Europa Orbiter comments" osseuropa@hq.nasa.gov

For Pluto-Kuiper Express:
"Pluto-Kuiper Express comments" osspluto@hq.nasa.gov

Be sure to "cc" the president and VP and your senators and congresspeople, too.

Always include your full name and postal address in all correspondence to any Government official of any country, because otherwise they will throw it out unread, or hand it directly to their police force to try to identify the author.  (Thus, nothing good will come of it.)  Also, ALWAYS include a personal message of some sort, indicating YOUR OWN VIEWS, even if you include a lot of material written by other people (me, for instance).


(7) Newsletter subscription information:

Thanks for reading!  Welcome new subscribers!

To subscribe, simply email the editor at
rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com and state:
SUBSCRIBE STOP CASSINI NEWSLETTER
Please include a personal message of any
length and subject matter.  Thank you!

To unsubscribe email me and say
UNSUBSCRIBE STOP CASSINI NEWSLETTER

Published by Russell D. Hoffman electronically.
This newsletter is free and is not distributed for profit.
The opinions expressed are those of the individual authors.
Please distribute these newsletters EVERYWHERE!
Written in the United States of America.

(8) Newsletter Authorship notes and additional URLs:

Russell D. Hoffman, Carlsbad, California, Peace Activist, Environmentalist, High Tech Guru:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/whoisrdh.htm

Hoffman's Y2K Preparedness Information:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/environm/no_nukes/y2k/index.htm

Learn about The Effects of Nuclear War here:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/environm/no_nukes/tenw/nuke_war.htm

************************************************************
** THE ANIMATED SOFTWARE COMPANY
** Russell D. Hoffman, Owner and Chief Programmer
** Carlsbad CA
** Visit the world's most eclectic web site:
** http://www.animatedsoftware.com
************************************************************

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This article has been presented on the World Wide Web by:

The Animated Software Company
http://www.animatedsoftware.com
Mail to: rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com
First placed online December 8th, 1999.
Last modified December 29th, 1999.
Webwiz: Russell D. Hoffman
 Copyright (c) Russell D. Hoffman