Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace

P.O. Box 363 Geneseo, NY 14454

Tel: 585-244-0465 or 585-346-2530 Fax: 585-243-4002

Web Site: <www.gvcp.org>

"HUMAN RACE NOT ARMS RACE"

April 20, 2002

NEXT GVCP MEETING: SUNDAY, MAY 12^th, 1:00 PM, 2290 ANDERSON RD, LINWOOD. [Anderson Rd. runs west off Route 36. It is one road south of Route 20. 2290 is 1.7 miles west of Route 36. Mailbox on right, house on left.]

SAVE THE DATES: Saturday, April 27^th, 8:00 PM, Salem UCC, 60 Bittner St., Roch. Si Kahn in Concert. Si Kahn is a noted singer-songwriter of progressive music. This concert commemorates "our sisters and brothers lost on 9/11 and all the other days that workers went to work and never came home." Tickets $15.00. Proceeds to benefit low-wage workers and their survivors affected by 9/11. Sponsored by Monroe Co, Federation of Social Workers IUE/CWA 381. For more information call 585-328-7170. If you missed the great Pat Humphries GVCP 30^th birthday concert, you can find solace by not missing this second great concert!

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, November 22,23,24. Nicaragua Network National Leadership Meeting to be held in Rochester! The yearly National Leadership Meeting of the Nicaragua Network is the highest decision-making body of the organization. After weeks of tense backroom negotiations, Ciudad Hermana of Rochester was able to win enough support to bring this meeting here. (Well, actually, I was the only Executive Committee member who volunteered.) Anyway, even if Nicaragua is not your primary area of interest or expertise, this meeting will be worth attending. Invited speakers from Nicaragua will bring news and insights about the struggle against the U.S. government’s policy of turning Nicaragua into just another banana republic. More information later.

THIS MONTH’S LETTER: NO NUKES IS GOOD NUKES! The Pentagon, the Bush administration, and the corporations who stand to benefit, are planning to develop a new generation of nuclear weapons that they say will be "more usable" in combat situations. The Pentagon’s "Nuclear Posture Review," contains shocking long-term plans for the development and deployment of nuclear weapons. Most appalling are the inclusion of non-nuclear states as potential targets for US nuclear strikes, and the plan to develop a new class of "usable" nuclear weapons, called the "Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator."

The decision to broaden the potential use of nuclear weapons would violate all previous US commitments never to use nuclear weapons against any non-nuclear state. The plan to produce a low-yield nuclear warhead for use against underground installations and hardened bunkers is equally frightening. Any nuclear detonation of this sort would likely result in civilian casualties from the blast and from lingering effects of radiation exposure.

Many of us thought the nuclear genie was slowly being pushed back into the bottle. Unfortunately, the events of September 11^th have given nuclear weapons proponents a new and powerful excuse to bring the world back into an era of constant nuclear terror. WRITE to the chair and ranking member of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees. Tell them to oppose any and all funding for tactical nuclear weapons. Tell them to oppose any extension of possible targets for US nuclear strikes. The actions suggested in the "Nuclear Posture Review" will surely make our world a more dangerous place for everyone. [Sen. Carl Levin and Sen. John Warner, US Senate, Washington, DC, 20510. Reps. Bob Stump and Ike Skelton, US House of Representatives, Washington DC 20515. Send copies to Senators Schumer and Clinton, and your Representative.] (This information adapted from 20/20 Vision 1828 Jefferson Place NW, Washington DC 20036. <www.2020vision.org>)

Renew your GVCP membership: $20.00/year. [We do not expect dues from sister groups, or from any groups with which we exchange newsletters.] PLEASE PAY NOW!

Peace,