Volume 6 Issue 20…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…May 23, 2003

Nuclear Non-Proliferation

"A single atomic bomb, the first weapon of its type ever used against a target, exploded over the city of Hiroshima at 0815 on the morning of 6 August 1945. Most of the industrial workers had already reported to work, but many workers were en route and nearly all of the school children and some industrial employees were at work in the open on the program of building removal. The explosion came as an almost complete surprise, and the people had not taken shelter. Many were caught in the open, and most of the rest in flimsily constructed homes or commercial establishments. The bomb exploded slightly northwest of the center of the city. Because of this accuracy and the flat terrain and circular shape of the city, Hiroshima was uniformly and extensively devastated. Practically the entire densely or moderately built-up portion of the city was leveled by the blast and swept by fire...The surprise, the collapse of many buildings, and the conflagration contributed to an unprecedented casualty rate. Seventy to eighty thousand people were killed, or missing and presumed dead, and an equal number were injured." (Sources: Report, United Nations Strategic Bombing Survey, National Archives and US History: A Survey)

On August 9, 1945, after the death and destruction of the atomic blast on Hiroshima, the US Air Force dropped a second nuclear bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. Unleashing these weapons of mass destruction punctuated the end of World War II. However, using them created new challenges, greater uncertainties and fears for the future of mankind.

To prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, the United States, Great Britain and Canada proposed the establishment of a United Nations Atomic Energy Commission to eliminate the use of atomic energy for destructive purposes. The US plan submitted by Bernard Baruch in January 1946 proposed placing all nuclear resources under international ownership and control. The Baruch plan failed to gain acceptance, and by the early 1960s, the Soviet Union (1949), Great Britain (1952), France (1960) and China (1964) had developed nuclear weapons. These nations, along with the USA, are the five permanent members of the UN Security Council that exercise veto power.

Diplomatic efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons culminated with the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT). It opened for signatures on July 1, 1968. More than sixty countries signed the treaty on that date. It went into force with ratification by the US Senate in March 1970. The last country to sign the treaty was Brazil in 1998, bringing the total signatories to 187 countries. Cuba, India, Israel and Pakistan have not signed the treaty. India, Israel and Pakistan are known to possess nuclear weapons.

Designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, provide safeguards under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) against the diversion of peaceful uses of nuclear energy to the production of weapons and to achieve further progress in comprehensive arms control and nuclear disarmament, the treaty is today the most comprehensive international effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. (See the full treaty at www.thedish.ws, click on Non-Proliferation Treaty) History Homepage

The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro is enjoying the final days of school and looking forward to summer vacation. He received a field day ribbon and is slated to receive an award for his academic performance. When asked for his comments, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro replied, "I am glad the battle is over!" Back to the Bat Cave

By John Burl Smith

El Hajj Malik El Shabazz (Malcolm X) presented his philosophy of black nationalism in 1964. He articulated aspects of it in a speech entitled, The Ballot or the Bullet. Against a highly charged backdrop of confusion, envy and competition, civil rights/nonviolent leaders clashed with advocates of black nationalism over the direction of the 1960's revolution. Totally rejecting gradualism and integration, Malcolm sounded a defiant note of independence based on "whatever means necessary."

Illuminating the black man's dilemma in America, The Ballot or the Bullet centers on the denial of socioeconomic and political rights of slaves and their descendants. Malcolm X concluded Democrats and Republicans take blacks for granted, neither represent them but both take advantage of their voting power. Most often, black votes decided elections in Democrats' favor. Democrats always sell them out by supporting white supremacy. Malcolm made it clear, there is only one political party in America, the white people's party with Republican and Democratic wings.

Malcolm pointed out that the 3/5 Compromise of Article 1 Section 2 of the US Constitution is not a relic. It is Southerners key to controlling government. Malcolm theorized, segregation was government sponsored racism designed to deny blacks political and economic rights. It is not bad white people, who hate blacks that keep racial terrorism and lynching alive in America, it is government policies. Both Democrats and Republicans supported policies that reinforce white supremacy and deny freedom, justice and equality to blacks. For Malcolm, the ballot was whites last chance to avoid the bloody confrontations during the "black power" era.

As cogent today as it was in 1964, Malcolm's The Ballot or the Bullet is a haunting refrain from beyond the grave. Just as in 1964, the hip-hop generation is beating at the door demanding access to America's bounty. They are here to take back their freedom. They will not be denied the dividends earned on their fore parents' investment of slave labor and their parents' second class 3/5 Compromise wages.

Hip-hoppers know the story. They have read history and watched documentaries about blacks struggling to "overcome" discrimination, racism and segregation. They see clearly the connection between Malcolm's black nationalism and hip-hop artists fighting for open access to markets and other opportunities.

Election 2000 showed the world that the ballot can be nullified by the Supreme Court. Even though, American troops just finished killing Iraqis to bring them democracy, blacks in America are still covered by the 3/5 Compromise. If, George Bush and the Republicans refuse to count black votes in 2004, Malcolm's proposition becomes a prophecy for a free people.

Presently, hip-hop icons are vying to determine the direction of hip-hop. As in 1964, some are desperately trying to continue the "tits, butts, drugs and gangsterism" image of the past, while a new breed of conscious hip-hop artists have set a course toward dignity and positive productive endeavors. Conscious hip-hoppers see Malcolm X's philosophy of black nationalism as a means of taking back what is rightfully ours. For them, this is a replay of how R&B artists were ripped off in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. Blacks helped whites take control of our heritage. Do hip-hop icons identify with Malcolm X? If so, will they take up the challenge and answer the question, The Ballot or the Bullet? Other Essays by John Burl Smith

Disgruntled says: Real war heroes rush in when others shun the thick of battle. For obviously different reasons, conscious objectors and cowards seek ways to escape armed conflict. While a conscious objector refuses battlefield duty and a soldier's dress, a coward will don a uniform when no battles are left and plunge his virgin dagger into the dead enemy's heart for the press.

Disgruntled feels: Deception! White House spokesman Ari Fleischer announced his resignation effective in July. Those who followed his career know he would not leave voluntarily. Talented at brown-nosing, the claim that he wanted to spend more time with his family was just more Ari deception.

Disgruntled wants to know: In late February, the US government hit its $6.4 trillion debt ceiling. The Bush administration has asked Congress to increase the debt limit by nearly a trillion dollars. Should Congress pass another tax cut, increase defense spending to prosecute an ever-expanding war on terrorism and rebuild Iraq, will another trillion dollars suffice? More important, how will the domestic economy fare? More Disgruntled Moments

Stop Bunker Busters and Mini-Nukes

While the world is heavily vested in curtailing the spread of nuclear weapons, the Bush administration plans to develop a new generation of nuclear-tipped bunker busters and miniature atomic bombs. The United States used bunker busters to rout the Taliban from caves in Afghanistan, and it used them in destroying the presumed location of Saddam Hussein in a targeted assassination. Apparently, the proposed new generation of nuclear weapons will entail retooling existing warheads to make them capable of penetrating more deeply buried bunkers and the development of miniature nuclear bombs capable of destroying stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons.

The House and Senate Armed Services Committees have voted to lift the ban on developing new atomic weapons. Concerned citizens are urged to ask their congressional representatives to cut funding for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator ("Bunker-Buster") and uphold the 1994 Spratt-Furse prohibition on low-yield nuclear weapons ("Mini-Nukes").

The Alliance for Nuclear Accountability at www.ananuclear.org and Tri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment at www.trivalleycares.org have provided talking points that members of Congress should consider before funding the development of a new generation of nuclear weapons. The talking points include the human and environmental devastation even a low-yield atomic bomb will cause. Scientists are not convinced it is possible to create a bunker buster capable of penetrating the earth deep enough to prevent fallout. If used on a chemical and/or biological stockpile, these agents could spread to surrounding areas, in addition to the radioactive fallout.

A taboo since the 1945 atomic explosions over Japan, developing a new generation of such weapons will blur the line between conventional and nuclear warfare. Increasing the likelihood of their use in the future, it sends the wrong message to other nations and jeopardizes the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Nuclear signatories to NPT, including the US, promised to disarm in return for other nations not seeking to acquire such weapons. Repeal of the prohibition against the development of new nuclear weapons could lead to the resumption of underground nuclear testing and a deadly arms race the world can ill afford. News You Use Homepage

O Captain! My Captain!

by Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

O Captain! my Captain!

Our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weather'd every rack,

the prize we sought is won,

The port is near, the bells I hear,

the people all exulting,

While follow eyes the steady keel,

the vessel grim and daring;

But O heart! heart! heart!

O the bleeding drops of red,

Where on the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain!

Rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up- for you the flag is flung-

for you the bugle trills,

For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths-

for you the shores a-crowding,

For you they call,

the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

Here Captain! dear father!

This arm beneath your head!

It is some dream that on the deck,

You've fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer,

his lips are pale and still,

My father does not feel my arm,

he has no pulse nor will,

The ship is anchor'd safe and sound,

its voyage closed and done,

From fearful trip

the victor ship comes in with object won;

Exult O shores, and ring O bells!

But I with mournful tread,

Walk the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

About Me: Walt Whitman was a poet, teacher and journalist. He founded the weekly Long-Islander, and later edited a number of Brooklyn and New York papers. In 1848, he became editor of the New Orleans Crescent. It was in New Orleans that he experienced firsthand the viciousness of slavery. On his return to Brooklyn in the fall of 1848, he founded a "free soil" newspaper, the Brooklyn Freeman. Venue for an Artist Homepage

On Mass Deception!

by Dot

When George W. Bush originally announced his administration's decision to attack Iraq, he was very much aboveboard about wanting to effect regime change in that nation. Identified as a member of the axis of evil, Iraq, he claimed, posed an imminent threat to the US and "our way of life." Invoking his controversial doctrine of preemptive strike, Bush's proposed attack on Iraq was to be viewed as another step in the ongoing US war against terrorism. Oil played no role in his decision.

Unable to carry that justification to the United Nations and secure a resolution authorizing military action to overthrow Saddam Hussein, Bush changed his stated aim to disarmament and a demand that Iraq destroy its weapons of mass destruction in accordance with UN resolutions passed after the 1991 Gulf War. Once the Security Council passed Resolution 1441, which did not specifically authorize the use of force, Bush returned to speaking of ridding the world of an evil regime with vast oil reserves that could threaten the security of not only the US, but Iraq's neighbors. Under 1441, weapons inspectors found nothing that threatened the US or the Middle East region.

Displeased with the inspectors' reports, including the IAEA, and without the benefit of a specific use of force resolution, the US and a coalition of the coerced attacked Iraq. With ease, an Iraq weakened by a decade of sanctions and continuous bombardment under the auspices of preserving the northern and southern no-fly zones fell within weeks. Staged for maximum affect on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, Bush declared the military operation an unqualified success. No weapon of mass destruction has been found and none was used against coalition troops.

According to recent reports, the Bush administration is more adept, even than the spinmeisters of the Clinton administration, at staging events for maximum favorable exposure at taxpayers' expense. Bush's tailhook arrival aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln is only the most recent obvious bit of spinning. Thanks to reports from the BBC, we know US Central Command (Centcom) staged the Private Jessica Lynch rescue operation. More important, more Americans are finally awakening to the realization that the reason advanced for going to war against Iraq, i.e., the Iraqi regime had weapons of mass destruction that posed an imminent threat to the US and Iraq's neighbors, was a colossal mass deception. Daily, oil appears the prime objective. DISHing It Up Hot! Homepage

Email www.corvusworld.com/kucinich.htm KUCINICH: "As President, I'll issue an executive order which will say that anyone who gets a federal contract will have to provide that when 50% of the workers sign up for a union, there's an automatic union. As President, I'll set aside those provisions of Taft-Harley which attack the right to organize. As President (with a 100% AFSCME voting record, I might add), one of my first acts in office -- recognizing how trade has devastated so many towns around Iowa and the nation -- will be to cancel NAFTA and the WTO."

Email http://jaspar.blogspot.com Elite power brokers' secret talks from the BBC Online: The Bilderberg meeting will be held in Versailles just before the start of the Group of Seven (G7) meeting of finance ministers in nearby Paris. The meetings are cloaked in secrecy and participants rarely reveal their attendance....There are no members as such - instead, an invitation list is comprised each year by an unknown steering committee....What the group actually does is no clearer either....At *this* meeting, the participants are very likely discussing THE NEW MUNICH. Eh? Henry Liu, the chairman of Liu Investment Group, explains: "What if the new US task of enforcing a new world order comes up against a power with nuclear deterrent or other forms of weapons of mass destruction? "In this respect, the failure of other great nuclear powers to intervene in the US invasion of Iraq, to preserve the existing world order of nation states, can be viewed as a new Munich that will lead to another global conflict." There can now be no excuse for *another* Munich.

Email ImpeachSonOfaBush@yahoogroups.com There were exactly 704 stories in the campaign about this flap of Gore inventing the Internet. There were only 13 stories about Bush's failure to show up for his National Guard duty for more than a year. There were well over 1,000 stories -- Nexus stopped at 1,000 -- about Gore and the Buddhist temple. Only twelve stories about Bush being accused of insider trading as a Harken Energy executive. There were 347 stories about Al Gore wearing earth tones, but only 10 about the fact that Dick Cheney did business with Iran, Iraq and Libya. More Mailbox

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