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Dear Sust-Mar people, I sent off a message to this list, encouraging people to support Bill Graham's "courageous" stand for disarmament. I also sent that message to some other lists and one person, Matthew Behrens, of Homes Not Bombs, replied with some comments I agree with completely, so I am including them as well. all the best, Jan PS I will gladly send out, on request, additional comments sent in by the former leader of Canada's Green Party, Joan Russow. ************************************************** Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 11:33:48 -0500 (EST) From: TASC <tasc@pop.web.ca> Subject: Re: NW:letters to Graham re: nuclear/bio weapon disarmament!! Friends Sorry to be the cynical voice of this list, but before we rush off to put bouquets in Graham's corner, let us reflect on the fact that Graham's statements are all well and good, but they in no way reflect Canadian policy nor Canada's "contribution" to the nuclear arms game. Canada continues to be the world's leading uranium exporter-the core of the arms race-and plows ahead quite mindlessly in the game of space warfare, including the research into the placement of nuclear powerr stations in space (work done at DREO in Ottawa) to power the new star wars lasers. Graham would strengthen his case, I believe, if he worked to get Canadian troops out of Afghanistan, where depleted-uranium coated munitions continue to be used, creating a nuclear nightmare for the people of Afghanistan and, in a few years, for Canadian troops as well who will return with Gul War Syndrome II--Afghanistan Syndrome. Graham has also said he is not backing away from bombing Iraq--he just needs to be shown the right reasons. Please, folks, let's not praise people as courageous without knowing full well the consequences of what these characters are up to. Graham needs to be held to a higher standard than being the object of praise for mouthing the same thing Canadians have been saying on the world stage the past fifty years, all the while making a huge profit off the nuclear arms race. Like his predecessor Axworthy, Graham says a lot of nice stuff, but his policies are in marked contradiction. (Nowhere in his comments have I seen his call for Canada to stop mining, processing and exporting uranium--perhaps when he takes action on suich a measure we can begin to use words like courage). Thanks Matthew Behrens ******************************************************* Note from Jan: For contact info on MPs, call the info Canada # at the beginning of the the blue pages. Here is a David Suzuki quote you might want to cite: "I've always maintained that we should keep our Department of National Defence but it should be National Department of Environmental Defence. Our soldiers should be battling pollution and fires and replanting trees, restoring the Earth. Right now they are at war with the planet." From a letter written in 2000 (or 1999) ---------------------------------------- From: "macha mackay" <macha60@hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 12:36:32 +0000 Subject: [VOWBoard] Fwd: Peace.ca-- NN: Graham pushes nuclear cutbacks / Ottawa appeals Nanoose <snip> It is so exciting that Mr. Graham has taken this stand. Lets all support him as much as possible. I will write a letter personally for the sake of time constraints. Please write as much as you can re: this imp. issue...Macha >===== A message from the 'nanoosenet' discussion list ===== >Graham pushes nuclear cutbacks >By Jeff Sallot, Globe and Mail >Wednesday, March 20, 2002 - Print Edition, Page A17 > >OTTAWA -- Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham chided the world's nuclear >powers yesterday for the pace of their progress on treaty obligations to >eliminate all nuclear weapons from their arsenals. > >In a speech to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament in Geneva >yesterday, Mr. Graham resurrected much of the arms-control agenda of Lloyd >Axworthy, one of his predecessors. > >Mr. Graham called for a global treaty banning nuclear testing and a >protocol >for enforcing a 30-year-old pact that outlaws biological weapons. > <snip> >*************************** >From: Delong <delong@nucleus.com> >To: cnanw@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca; abolition@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca >Subject: URGENT Plea for a Letter Writing Campaign >Date: Friday, March 22, 2002 2:56 PM > >Dear friends, >PLEASE HELP WITH A SPEEDY LETTER! >I am advised that the speech by Minister Graham of March 19 to the >Conference on Disarmament will be considered quite radical in Canadian >government and Parliamentary circles and is very likely to cause >hostility against Graham . One expert advises this is "a penetrating >and courageous speech, the like of which we have not seen in a long >while. Bill Graham is clearly signaling that he is not going to be >intimidated by U.S. recalcitrance....... This is a speech of real >leadership." > >It is now critical that we assure Mr. Graham that he has our strong >support on this. > >Can you please do a one or two paragraph letter to Mr. Graham to ensure >he remains strong? > >We need 100 letters in over the next week. PLEASE TAKE 5 MINUTES TO >HELP! >The particulars: >The speech is at: >http://webapps.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/minpub/Publication.asp?FileSpec=/Min_Pub_Do >cs/105012.htm > >Bill Graham is at: >The Hon. / L'hon. Bill Graham, M.P. / député >Minister of Foreign Affairs >Ministre des Affaires étrangères >Room / Bureau 259, West Block / édifice de l'Ouest >Telephone / Téléphone : (613) 992-5234 >Fax / Télécopieur : (613) 996-9607 >Lester B. Pearson Building, A-10 Édifice Lester B. Pearson, A-10 >125 Sussex Drive 125, promenade Sussex >Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa, K1A 0G2 >Telephone / Téléphone : (613) 995-1851 >Fax / Télécopieur : (613) 996-3443 E-Mail / Courriel : >Graham.B@parl.gc.ca > >Thanks so much! What a pleasure to write supporting someone's courage >and their intelligence in understanding both the risks of nuclear >weapons and the roadblocks in the world of nuclear disarmament! >Bev >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: "Davies, Libby - Assistant 2" <DavieL9@parl.gc.ca> >To: "'enviro@spec.bc.ca'" <enviro@spec.bc.ca> >Subject: Hansard >Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 > >Excerpts from Hansard, 18th March 2002: > > Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the federal >court recently struck down the expropriation of Nanoose Bay by the federal >government. Now we have learned that the government is not only seeking a >stay of judgment, but is going forward with an appeal amid speculation that >it is a stalling tactic while negotiating a sweetheart deal with Gordon >Campbell. > Will the Minister of Public Works and Government Services assure >the House that the terms of a new lease will include an assurance that no >nuclear powered vessels or weapons will be allowed at Nanoose and that >there >is a commitment to clean up the horrible mess that is already there? Will >he >give that assurance? > Hon. Don Boudria (Minister of Public Works and Government >Services, >Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that Canada has appealed the decision by >the federal court and has filed an application for a stay of the order >pending a hearing of the case. Given that the issue is now back before the >court, obviously it would be inappropriate to discuss anything else about >the case. >***************************************************** >SPEC >Society Promoting Environmental Conservation >2150 Maple Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 3T3 >phone (604) 736-SPEC, FAX (604) 736-7115 >e-mail, enviro@spec.bc.ca >web, www.spec.bc.ca >***************************************************** > _________________________________ > Norm Abbey <nabbey@island.net> > (250)756-7623 > _________________________________ >! NANOOSE CONVERSION CAMPAIGN, 2150 Maple Street, Vancouver, BC V6J 3T3 >! www.user.dccnet.com/welcomewoods/Nuclear_Free_Georgia_Strait/nanoose.html >! >! For info on the use of this list, send email containing INFO NANOOSENET >to: >! 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