April 2000 Good News!

Compiled by Polly Mann

Down with Capital Punishment!

The City Council of Philadelphia has adopted a resolution urging the Pennsylvania legislature to enact a moratorium on executions of prisoners. Besides Philadelphia, death penalty moratoriums are under consideration by legislatures in Maryland, Alabama, New Jersey, Washington state, and Oklahoma.

Down with Iraq Sanctions!

The head of the UN World Food Programme in Iraq, Jutta Burghardt of Germany, quit her post saying she could not continue in her job because she believed that the sanctions were a failure and caused suffering. Her move came 24 hours after the UN accepted the resignation of the humanitarian coordinator, Hans von Sponeck, who protested the impact of the sanctions on the civilian population.

Austrian Party Head Resigns as Result of Public Pressure

In arguing for the use of violence to solve international disputes, people tend to disregard the power of public pressure. An example of its power has recently been demonstrated in Austria. As a result of national demonstrations and the downgrading of relations with Austria by the fifteen members of the European Union, Joerg Haider, resigned February 28, 2000 as head of the Austrian Freedom Party. Haider has been criticized for his anti-foreigner statements and praise of some Nazi-era policies.

People Power Overcomes Japan's Atomic Power

In February, one of Japan,s biggest utilities was forced to scrap 37-year-old plans for a power plant with two 1,300 megawatt nuclear reactors to be located in central Japan. The region,s governor, Masayasu Kitagawa became the first major politician to cancel a nuclear plant. Governors have tended to side against citizens and with the utilities. However, public opinion has grown more hostile after a series of nuclear accidents and cover-ups. Four years ago the community of Maki in northern Japan rejected plans for a nuclear plant in a referendum. Mr. Kitagawa expressed concern about safety following an accident at a uranium processing plant in Tokaimura last September. Another factor was the fabrication of safety data on shipments of recycled fuel sent to Japan by workers at British Nuclear Fuels. Japan, which relies on atomic power for 30 percent of its electricity, wants to build 20 new plants by 2010. But even before Mr. Kitagawa,s decision, bureaucrats were debating about lowering this number because of increasing hostility to nuclear power.