Good News!
by Polly Mann and Mary Shepard, WAMM
WAMM Turns 20
Women Against Military Madness is celebrating its 20th year of work for peace and justice. Watch for celebrations of the anniversary throughout the year, beginning with the annual meeting on March 23, 2002. In the meanwhile, on with peace and justice activism, which we hope will put us out of business.
Student Antiwar Movement Growing
In early December, the student body at Hampshire College (MA) voted in favor of a statement of disagreement with the U.S. policy that resulted in the bombing of Afghanistan. Oberlin College students are preparing for a similar vote. Meanwile, the "National Student and Youth Peace Coalition" has been formed to support students and youth who are working for nonviolent solutions to world problems.
Japanese Dock Workers Strike Against War
Some 200 dock workers at Sasebo port in Nagasaki Prefecture have been refusing to load armaments and military supplies onto Japanese navy ships headed to assist the U.S.-led war on Afghanistan. The Sasebo dock workers are also engaging in a one-hour strike every morning against Japan's participation in the war on Afghanistan and the enactment of domestic "anti-terrorism" laws.
McKinney Introduces Legislation Against DU Weapons
U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney (Dem., GA) has introduced the Depleted Uranium Munitions Suspension and Study Act which would a) suspend the U.S. military's use of DU munitions, pending a certification from the Secretary of Health and Human Services that DU munitions would not produce serious health hazards; b) suspend the foreign sale and export of DU munitions; c) initiate a Georgia investigation of the contamination of DU munitions by plutonium; and d) initiate a study of the health effects of DU munitions on current and former U.S. military personnel who may have been exposed, as well as medical personnel who treated affected personnel (Nukewatch Pathfinder, Winter 2001-2002).
Worldwide Demonstrators Oppose WTO
When the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization convened in Doha, Qatar last November, protests were sparked worldwide. In India, 75,000 protested, joining 150,000 in Italy, 20,000 in Korea, 10,000 in Geneva, and 150,000 in Rome.
British Department Store Will Not Buy from Occupied Territories
The Guardian Weekly of London reports that "Selfridges has become the first large department store to withdraw from sale goods that are produced in the occupied territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip but are marked as Israeli goods" (January 3-9, 2002).
Pacifica Survives Corporate Raid
The four lawsuits defending Pacifica News Network against an unfriendly and illegal takeover have all won and a voting formula for a new board of directors has given the defenders of Pacifica a majority vote. The stations benefited from skillful legal work (much of it pro bono), a fair-minded judge, and a state attorney general with integrity. The battle for Pacifica's survival was costly and the temporary usurpation of power by the raiders has left Pacifica a formidable task in repairing the damage. To restore fired staff, reopen the five stations, and pay legal debts will require continued help from supporters. Procedures for assuring listener-supporters a voice in the running of the stations will have to be reinvented so that their rights cannot be ignored again. Perhaps out of this effort will come a whole new way of ensuring fair use of public airwaves. This is a great victory for free speech.