Activist News

Generals Call for Nuclear Abolition
Calling nuclear weapons "inherently dangerous, hugely expensive, militarily inefficient and morally indefensible," former U.S. strategic arsenal head Gen. Lee Butler led an international group of retired military officers urging the dismantling of the world’s nuclear arsenals late last fall.
In a Dec. 4 speech before the National Press Club in Washington, DC, Butler took to task the "handful of self-appointed nations [who] both arrogate to themselves the privilege of owning nuclear weapons, and extol the ultimate security assurances they assert such weapons convey." Their stance, he said, only encourages nuclear proliferation.

In all, 60 high-ranking generals and admirals signed an unprecedented statement declaring that "the continuing existence of nuclear weapons in the armories of nuclear powers, and the ever present threat of acquisition of these weapons by others, constitutes a peril to global peace and security. ..."
They called for substantial cuts in existing nuclear arsenals leading to their eventual abolition.

Not quite pacifists, the generals did not rule out the further development of conventional military means as an aid to convincing the nuclear nations and wannabees that abolition is feasible.

The Clinton administration replied that the generals’ ideas "had merit," but that the administration intends to retain nuclear weapons as a cornerstone of U.S. security policy for the foreseeable future.

--John M. Miller

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Israeli CO Sentenced
Conscientious objector Eran Avikhazar was sentenced Nov. 5 by a Jaffa military tribunal to 45 days in prison and 45 more days of "conditional imprisonment." He had then served almost a month in military prison and was expected to be released Nov. 19, but will still face further call-ups. If he again refuses to serve, he will be tried again, and his 45 days of "conditional imprisonment" will probably be added to the next sentence.

Avikhazar, an 18-year-old recruit, had announced his intention to seek exemption as a conscientious objector. But he was misled by the army and spent two weeks in an induction center, then went absent without leave and was arrested and brought to trial.

The military tribunal denied Attorney Linda Brayer the right to represent Avikhazar. An appeal has been made to the Israeli High Court of Justice.

Protests can be sent to: Yitzhak Mordechai, Minister of Defence, Hakira, Tel-Aviv, Israel; fax, +972-3-6916940; and Tzahi Tanegbi, Minister of Justice, 29 Saleh E-Din Street, East Jerusalem, Israel; fax, +972-2-6285438.

Info: Conscientious Objectors in Israel, c/o Society of St Ives; +972-2-6286729; fax, +972-2-6286339; e-mail, styves@netvision.net.il; or War Resisters’ International, 5 Caledonian Rd., London N1 9DX, England; +44-171-278-4040; fax, +44-171-278-0444; e-mail: warresisters@gn.apc.org.

--War Resisters’ International

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Howard-Hastings’ Sentenced
Donna and Tom Howard-Hastings were sentenced Dec. 3 in Wisconsin’s Ashland County Circuit Court for their pole-cutting disarmament action last Earth Day, April 22, against the U.S. Navy’s Project ELF first-strike one-way command transmitter (NVA, May-June 1996).

Tom was sentenced to one year of county jail time (of which he had served already served 114 days), followed by three years of probation with the "Intensive Sanctions Unit." Intensive Sanctions generally mean home detention that comes with an electronic monitor, work stipulations, payment schedules and community service hours if those are required.

Donna was sentenced to 114 days (time served), with the rest of the sentence "withheld" pending completion of three years of probation with the Intensive Sanctions Unit. One of the stipulations of Donna’s probation was that she not be arrested at ELF.
After the sentencing Donna made her first visit to her new probation officer. She signed the required papers, then immediately proceeded with a group of 50 protesters to Project ELF, where she crossed the line in defiance of the "no trespassing" signs. She was taken to jail, on a probation hold, where she will remain until a "revocation" hearing takes place.

As to restitution, Tom and Donna are expected to pay the U.S. Navy’s bill for $7,500. They have said that they will not pay any money to the Navy, but are willing to do community service, or give $7,500 to organizations serving the needy or working for peace and justice. A hearing was scheduled for Jan. 27 in Ashland County Circuit Court to settle the restitution issue.

Four other nuclear weapons abolitionists were arrested at the ELF site along with Donna. Their arraignment for trespassing was scheduled for Dec. 17; they face a fine of $264.50 or, upon failure to pay, a suspension of their Wisconsin driving privileges for up to five years.

--Nukewatch

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CO History Query
WRL member Juanita Nelson is seeking information about the Doty family of Bruno, MN, two generations of whom were conscientious objectors. She asks that anyone who knows,or knows about,William Doty, who served a prison term as a WW I CO, and his four sons, Joel, Orin, Paul and Sid, who refused to register during WW II, to please communicate with: Juanita Nelson, The Bean Patch, 91 Keets Rd., Deerfield, MA 01342.

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