Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 19. maj 2004 / Time Line May 19, 2004
Version 3.005/19/2004
URGE CONGRESS TO ELIMINATE FUNDING FOR NEW NUCLEAR
WEAPONS
Continuing its drive to develop new, more usable nuclear weapons,
the Bush Administration has requested increased funding for the
Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP) and the Advanced Concepts
Initiative for new nuclear weapons. Last year, Congress cut half of
the requested funds for the RNEP. This year--with your help--all
funds for both the RNEP and the Advanced Concepts Initiative can be
eliminated. Congress should not allow the Administration to develop
a new generation of nuclear weapons.
ACTION: The House will vote later this evening (Wednesday, May 19)
or early tomorrow to cut funds for new nuclear weapons. Contact
your representative and ask him/her to vote for the Tauscher-Markey
amendment to cut funding for the nuclear "bunker buster" in the
defense authorization bill (H.R. 4200).
A similar amendment will be offered by Sens. Kennedy and Feinstein
today or tomorrow in the Senate’s version of the defense
authorization bill (S. 2400). Contact your members of Congress and
tell them to support these amendments.
These votes are likely to be very close. Please forward this action
alert to five or more of your friends. Every fax and phone call is
important.
FAXING YOUR REPRESENTATIVE IS EASY: Start with the sample letter
posted in our Legislative Action Center, personalize the language,
then fax your message directly from our site. To view the sample
letter, click on the link below, then enter your zip code and click
"Go" in the "Take Action Now" box.
Here is the link:
http://capwiz.com/fconl/issues/alert/?alertid=5841011&type=CO.
BACKGROUND: Since the end of the Cold War, some civilian military
planners and nuclear scientists have promoted the creation of a new
class of earth-penetrating nuclear weapons. These weapons are
sometimes referred to as "bunker-busters" because they would be
designed to burrow into the ground to destroy underground military
facilities that are protected by 100 to 300 feet of reinforced
concrete or rock. The Energy Department’s budget includes
$27.6 million for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP). The
RNEP would use an existing nuclear weapon, redesigned for use
against underground bunkers. It would have explosive power up to 70
times that of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.
RNEP proponents claim that, because the weapon penetrates the earth
before detonating, it would be a "clean" nuclear weapon. In
reality, this would be an extremely deadly weapon. If detonated in
an urban setting, tens of thousands of people could receive a fatal
dose of radiation within the first 24 hours. More would be killed
or injured by the extreme pressures of the blast and thermal
injuries arising from the heat of the explosion. Still more
casualties would result from the resulting fires and the collapse
of buildings from the seismic shock that the explosion would
produce. According to Sen. Jack Reed (RI), Robust Nuclear Earth
Penetrators, "are really city breakers, not bunker busters."
The Bush Administration has repeatedly claimed that the RNEP
program is a study and nothing more. However, the
Administration’s intentions regarding RNEP go well beyond
their initial claims. Energy Department budget documents show
funding demands for RNEP increasing dramatically after this year,
despite congressional restrictions on further development of this
program. The initial three-year study was to cost $45 million, but
the Administration’s proposed spending in the next five years
would total nearly $500 million and move RNEP into early
development and engineering stages.
The Bush Administration is leading the world down the wrong path.
Instead of adhering to our obligations under the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by reducing reliance on the most
horrific weapons ever created and working for global disarmament,
the Administration is seeking new uses for nuclear weapons.
Adopting such a nuclear posture is a step backward and a virtual
invitation for other nations to opt out of their NPT obligations as
well.
David Culp, Legislative Representative
Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quakers)
245 Second Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002-5795
Tel.: (202) 547-6000, ext. 146
Toll-free: (800) 630-1330, ext. 146
Fax: (202) 547-6019
E-mail: david@fcnl.org
05/19/2004
Udenrigsministeriet refererer Folketingets 2. behandling af forslag
om Danmarks ratifikation af Tillægsprotokollen til FN's
Torturkonvention.
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