Saturday April 14, 2012; 10 am - 4 pm
Berkeley Friends Meeting Social Hall
2151 Vine St. (east corner of Walnut)
Fri. April 13: Wine & Cheese Preview 7-9 pm

Donate old jewelry, shop for something new, and support Western States Legal Foundation! From costume jewelry to the good stuff; odd pieces welcome. If you have jewelry to donate, please contact Phyllis Olin: (510) 526-7217; olins(at)pacbell.net

Click here for Baubles to Bling Benefit Jewelry Sale Flyer (pdf).

WSLF senior research analyst Andrew LIchterman will be chairing a panel at the Left Forum at Pace University in New York City, Military industrial complexes, nuclear complexes, and the emerging movements for democracy and economic justice.

The panel will take place Sunday, March 18, Room E308 03:00pm - 04:40pm. If you are planning to attend the Left Forum, we hope you will join us.

The panelists will be Ray Acheson, director of Reaching Critical Will, a project of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Michael Menser, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Brooklyn College, and a member of the doctoral faculty in Earth and Environmental Science and Environmental Psychology at the CUNY Graduate Center, and Andrew Lichterman, a lawyer and policy analyst for the Oakland, California-based Western States Legal Foundation. Additional information about the panel and the presenters is available by clicking on the title link above.

For more information about the Left Forum go to http://www.leftforum.org

As we approach the 9th anniversary of "Shock and Awe," we are once again seeing U.S. politicians and elected officials targeting an oil-rich nation in the Persian Gulf, claiming that it might soon build nuclear weapons, a claim based on sketchy evidence provided by sources we never see. This time the target is Iran, and the U.S. is once more trying to drag its allies with it on a path that could lead to war.

Yet while the U.S. government lectures and threatens Iran and North Korea about the evils of nuclear weapons, it routinely test fires its own long-range nuclear missiles from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the central coast of California, sending a clearly implied nuclear threat to the world. The next test launch of the U.S. "arsenal of hypocrisy" is scheduled for February 25, 2012.

A nonviolent protest is planned at Vandenberg at five minutes to midnight, Friday February 24.

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has chartered a Green Tortoise bus that will leave for Vandenberg from Oakland at 5 pm, Feb. 24, returning by 7 am the next day, picking up people along the way.

Plan to get on the bus! $40 requested; no one turned away! Contact MacGregor Eddy: macgregoreddy@gmail.com; 831 206 5043

If you live in Southern California, please join a protest from 12 noon – 1 pm on Feb. 24 at the Los Angeles Air Force Space and Missile Center, 262 N. Douglas Street.

Wherever you live, please sign the petition calling on President Obama to cancel the test and start negotiations for the elimination of nuclear weapons. click here to see the petition.

For more about Vandenberg Air Force Base, see the Spring 2012 Western States Legal Foundation Information Brief, Vandenberg Air Force Base: Where the Present and Future of U.S. Warmaking Come Together

Demonstrating against the Mega-Violent and Mega-Toxic Nuclear Industry on the 66th Anniversaries of the U.S. Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011, 6-9 PM
Rally at the Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab

Gather at William Payne Park, Vasco. Road & Patterson Pass Road, Livermore. Expect fantastic vegetarian food, music, renowned speakers, activities and a live video Conversation with a nuclear bomb survivor in Japan.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2011, 8 AM
Ceremony and Nonviolent Direct Action at the Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab

Gather at the Livermore Lab West Gate on Vasco Road between Patterson Pass Road & East Avenue.

Initial sponsors: Livermore Conversion Project, Western States Legal Foundation, Tri-Valley CAREs, American Friends Service Committee, Peace Action West, Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center

Download PDF front of flier here. Download PDF back of flier (The Two-Headed Monster of Poison Fire) here.

For more information, contact Western States Legal Foundation at 510-839-5877

As the nuclear disaster continues to unfold in Japan, we are approaching the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl. Please join us for two very special events featuring three courageous women activists from Russia, who will tell us what happened at Chernobyl. SPEAKERS:

· Natalia Manzurova: lead cleanup en-gineer at Chernobyl for five years; inter-national advocate for radiation victims
· Natalia Mironova: world renowned anti-nuclear organizer, won Supreme Court case against the Russian government
· Tatiana Mukhamedyarova: outspoken voice on radiation exposure with the Movement for Nuclear Safety

Two Special Events

Tuesday evening April 12, please join Western States Legal Foundation at the home of Phyllis and Bill Olin, 544 Wildcat Canyon Road, Berkeley

from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm (presentation at 7:00 pm)

Light refreshments will be served

Russian Speakers PLUS: special guest/photo exhibit by James Lerager, documentary photographer who has photographed extensively on nuclear issues, including Chernobyl and Three Mile Island (www.webphotoessay.com)

Suggested Donation: $25 – no one turned away for lack of funds. Proceeds benefit Western States Legal Foundation and the Center for Safe Energy. RSVP requested: (510) 526-7217 or olins@pacbell.net

Sunday afternoon, April 10, 4 pm at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists

1924 Cedar St (at Bonita), Berkeley

Moderated by Joanna Macy

Russian Speakers Plus: US Premiere of “Chernobyl 4Ever,” a film featuring young people living near Chernobyl

Co-sponsors: the Center for Safe Energy, Tri-Valley CAREs, Plutonium-Free Future, the Social Justice Committee of BFUU and KPFA. Wheelchair accessible. $15 - $5 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds. RSVP: cse@igc.org or (510) 644 - 1519

PDF FLYER FOR BOTH EVENTS: Click here

Rhetoric vs. Reality: Nuclear Dangers in a Time of Growing Global Economic and Environmental Crisis, by Jacqueline Cabasso, Western States Legal Foundation Information Bulletin, Spring 2012.

New report on nuclear weapons modernization world wide

The Reaching Critical Will project of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom has released a new report on nuclear weapons modernization. The report, titled Assuring Destruction Forever: Nuclear Weapon Modernization Around the World, can be downloaded for free and hard copies are available for $8 from the Reaching Critical Will website (click here).

The report explores in-depth the nuclear weapon modernization programs in China, France, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and analyzes the costs of nuclear weapons in the context of the economic crisis, austerity measures, and rising challenges in meeting human and environmental needs. It features three pieces by WSLF authors. Andrew Lichterman, senior research analyst for Western States Legal Foundation, wrote the chapter on the United States and a chapter on the role of civil society and social movements in creating the requisite political will for disarmament, and John Burroughs, Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee on Nuclear Policy and a WSLF Board member, wrote a chapter on international law and nuclear weapons.

There will be a launch event for the report in Vienna, Austria on Thursday May 3, one of a number of NGO events scheduled alongside the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty preparatory committee meeting the first two weeks of May. The launch event will be in Room M2 of the Vienna International Center, May 3, 1:15–2:45p.m.

Vandenberg Air Force Base: Where the Present and Future of U.S. Warmaking Come Together, by Andrew Lichterman, Western States Legal Foundation Information Brief, Spring 2012

Nuclear Connections: Weapons and Power in the Age of Corporate Globalization, by Andrew Lichterman, Western States Legal Foundation Information Brief, Fall 2011

Nuclear Weapons at What Cost?, by Jacqueline Cabasso, Western States Legal Foundation Information Brief, Spring 2011

START: One Small Step for Arms Control, One Giant Leap Backward for Disarmament? by Jacqueline Cabasso, WSLF Commentary, Winter 2011

"Nuclear Disarmament, Civil Society, and Democracy," by Andrew Lichterman, Disarmament Forum, 2010 No.4

The START Treaty and Disarmament: a Dilemma in Search of a Debate, by Andrew Lichterman, Western States Legal Foundation Commentary, December 2010.

NPT 2010: Rhetoric vs. Reality, by Jacqueline Cabasso Western States Legal Foundation Information Bulletin, May 2010

Workshop presentation, Superficial politics, fundamental causes: some reflections on the relationship between the movements to abolish nuclear weapons and to stop global warming, by Andrew Lichterman, International Conference For a Nuclear Free, Peaceful, Just and Sustainable World, Riverside Church, New York, May 1 2010.

Civil Society, Disarmament and the Need for New Beginnings
By Andrew Lichterman, Disarmament Times, Spring 2010
Western States Legal Foundation Reprint version

Beyond arms control: challenges and choices for nuclear disarmament (Paperback - May 2010)

A collaborative work of non-governmental researchers and activists who critically examine the mainstream discourse of nuclear weapons. With contributions by Western States Legal Foundation executive director, Jacqueline Cabasso, Board members Andrew Lichterman and John Burroughs, and Counsel Michael Veiluva, the book explores some of the most important challenges that governments and civil society face at the 2010 NPT Review Conference and beyond, highlighting the prospects and pitfalls for nuclear disarmament in the current world order. Throughout, the authors demonstrate that nuclear disarmament must be pursued in the context of a broader movement for social and economic justice and equality. Edited by Ray Acheson Published by Reaching Critical Will, a project of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Read on line or order paperback: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/resources/books/beyondarmscontrol.html

NPT 2010: Rhetoric vs. Reality
Address by Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director, Western Stats Legal Foundation Public Hearing, Challenges to Peace and National Sovereignty--The NPT Review, Brasilia, Brazil, April 7, 2010

NPT 2010: Putting President Obama's Disarmament Rhetoric to the Test
Nagasaki Global Citizens' Assembly for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons February 6--8 , 2010 Address by Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director, Western States Legal Foundation
Nagasaki Appeal 2010

NPT 2010: Putting President Obama's Disarmament Rhetoric to the Test
By Jacqueline Cabasso, Expert Advisor to the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation Peace Culture Newsletter No. 64 (English), April 2010 (contributed January 2010)

Burdens of Proof: Iran, the United States, and Nuclear Weapons A Global View
by Michael Veiluva, Western States Legal Foundation Counsel (Paperback - July, 2009)

Burdens of Proof, by Michael Veiluva, offers a rare and unique set of insights into the ongoing and complex political and legal implications surrounding the United States and Iranian political negotiations over Iran's growing nuclear program. Grabbed right from today's political headlines, author Veiluva adds valuable information that will inform and enlighten anyone concerned with today's international political situation. Veiluva's Burdens of Proof examines several fundamental themes critical to understanding the current state of U.S./Iranian relations: the "cold war" that has existed between the two countries since 1979, Iran's nuclear program, the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency, American nuclear weapons developments, and the international legal implications of the U.S.'s doctrine of preventative war. Written as a one-stop guide for anyone interested in the current crisis with Iran, Burdens of Proof brings a new voice to the complex debate over Iran's perceived ambitions and the rule of international law. Order from Amazon: click here

Rhetoric vs. Reality: Translating Feel-Good Proclamations into Attainable Security Realities
Address by Jacqueline Cabasso, November 14, 2009 North Suburban Peace Initiative, Evanston. Illinois

Fusion Energy and the Illusions of Power, Andrew Lichterman, Western States Legal Foundation Commentary, Summer 2009 pdf

Rhetoric vs. Reality: Elite Disarmament Proposals and Real Disarmament Prospects, Jacqueline Cabasso, Western States Legal Foundation Information Brief, Spring 2009 pdf

Deterrence, Torture, Power, Andrew Lichterman, Western States Legal Foundation Commentary, Spring 2009 pdf

Nuclear Weapons Forever: The U.S. Plan to Modernize its Nuclear Weapons Complex, Andrew Lichterman, Western States Legal Foundation Information Brief, Spring 2008 pdf

StratCom in Context: The Hidden Architecture of U.S. Militarism, Presentation by Jacqueline Cabasso at the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space annual meeting, Omaha, Nebraska April 12, 2008 pdf files text slides

The Divine Strake Nuclear Weapons Simulation: A Bad Signal at a Bad Time, Andrew Lichterman, Western States Legal Foundation Information Brief, Spring 2006 pdf

Vandenberg Air Force Base: Where the Present and Future of U.S. Warmaking Come Together Andrew Lichterman, Western States Legal Foundation Information Brief, Spring 2006 pdf

Questions and Answers About Weapons of Mass Destruction, Western States Legal Foundation Information Brief, Spring 2006 pdf

What's Next for the Nuclear Disarmament Movement?
By Lawrence Wittner Yes! Magazine (Blog) June 14, 2010

Other Voices TV No Nukes?
Jackie Cabasso discusses her experiences as an NGO representative at the recent UN conference on nuclear weapons. (58 mins) Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, June 1, 2010

U.N. Nuke Meet Ends with Good Intentions and Empty Promises By Thalif Deen, Inter Press Service, May 29, 2010

International News Net World Report New START pact between Russia and the USA Round Table discussion with Jacqueline Cabasso and William Hartung May 26, 2010

Some Activists Losing Faith in Obama Nuclear Weapons Agenda Friday, May 7, 2010 By Elaine M. Grossman Global Security Newswire

If You Love This Planet: A Weekly Radio Program with Dr. Helen Caldicott Jacqueline Cabasso with the latest on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation efforts Blog post and audio download Recorded May 6, 2010; posted May 24, 2010

U.S. plans major increase in nuclear budget By Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer Chugoku Shimbun, Hiroshima March 8, 2010 (posted online March 12, 2010) WSLF Executive Director Jacqueline Cabasso, quoted here, provided the background for this story during an interview conducted at the 4th Global Citizens Assembly for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons in February, in Nagasaki, Japan.

WSLF board member Andrew Lichterman on KPFA Radio's Against the Grain, February 3, noon.

A segment on the KPFA show Against the Grain featured WSLF's Andrew Lichterman talking about nuclear weapons issues in the context of the global economic crisis. The show is archived on the KPFA web site and can be accessed there. The segment was a portion of a a longer talk delivered at the Alameda Public Affairs Forum, the full talk can be accessed as an mp3 file. Links to both are below.

Against the Grain, February 3, 2010

Andrew Lichterman, talk at the Alameda Public Affairs Forum, September 12, 2009

See Disarmamentactivist.org