Good News!

Compiled by Polly Mann

Catholic Bishops Urge Reduction in Military Spending

On March 23, 2000, at a Washington, D.C., news conference, 34 U.S. Catholic bishops called for reductions in the U.S. military budget. Arguing for redirecting the funds to health care, education, and tax relief for the nation's poorest citizens, they launched "Bread Not Stones: A National Catholic Campaign to Redirect Military Spending." The bishops urged the nation's 64 million Catholics to take an active part in the campaign.

Genetic Engineering Protesters Shut Down Cargill's International Headquarters

On March 21, 2000, members of the Upper Midwest Resistance Against Genetic Engineering and Rally for Rural America shut down Cargill's international headquarters, protesting genetic engineering of plant life, and corporate agribusiness. Cargill, one of the world's largest producers and distributors of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, controls 45 percent of the global grain market. Farmers worldwide maintain they are being put out of business because agribusiness conglomerates like Cargill control the markets for agricultural inputs and products.

Arab Knesset Member Makes Public Israel's Nuclear Weapons

After Issam Makhul introduced the topic, the Israeli parliament held the first public discussion of the country's long-secret nuclear arms program. Some consider the revelation as a victory for Mordechai Vanunu, who first revealed the existence of Israeli nuclear arms and has been imprisoned in Israel for the past twelve years.

Russian Duma Passes Nuclear Arms Treaty

On April 15, 2000, Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, ratified the START II nuclear arms treaty which would reduce the number of missile warheads of each country from 6,000 to 3,500 by 2007. It would also ban multiple warheads of land-based missiles. The U.S. Senate has yet to approve this amendment to the treaty. Also, Washington wants to amend the treaty to allow a limited missile defense system against possible attacks from "rogue states" such as North Korea and Iraq. The Russian legislature also called upon Russia to cancel START II if the U.S. places nuclear weapons on the territory of new NATO members. So far, these include the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary, all former Soviet satellites.