LANCASTER COUNTY DEMOCRAT

September 2003

SOS 2003: Nebraska's Role in the International Peace Movement

"How many people do you expect to show up at Speak Out at StratCom?" asked Robin Tysver of the Omaha World Herald on July 29, 2003. This simple question cut deep into the organizers' most heartfelt passions and deepest fears. Would all of the work that had been put into SOS be worth it? With SOS showing up on the first 40 hits of an online Google search, was this national network going to turn out enough people? "At least 1,000 people will show up for SOS," is how I answered Tysver's question.

We called ourselves "Citizens Against Weapons of Mass Destruction (CAWMD)" and the dynamics of the group were as complicated as the coalition's name. Our meetings were every Sunday from April to August alternating between Lincoln and Omaha locations. Many of us were als o part of the Nebraska Coalition for Peace in Lincoln and the Act 2 Stop War Coalition in Omaha, so in reality we were all going to more than just one meeting a week about SOS. Motivated by a sense of obligation to draw attention to our government's plans to develop new nuclear war fighting strategies right here in Nebraska, we were undaunted by the amount of time SOS was going to take to plan. When there were disagreements, we simply focused on the larger picture of Nebraska's role in the international peace movement.

Our vision was to invite the international community to an unprecedented weekend of education, entertainment, and demonstration highlighting the opposition to the top-level Pentagon meeting about the new nuclear war fighting strategies that was held at U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska during the first week in August.

The meeting was just one of three different justifications for our ambitious weekend of events. Another aim of SOS was to expose that this meeting was scheduled during the same week that the U.S. dropped nuclear bombs on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki over 50 years ago. The final reason for SOS was that StratCom houses the military's satellite missile guidance system for our current nuclear arsenal and other weapons that utilize the Global Positioning System. In short, elements of the recent war with Iraq were orchestrated from U.S. Strategic Command right here in our own backyard.

For those of you that could not attend SOS 2003, the following is an account of the historic event. For those of you that were able to make it to some or all of the events, the following is intended to start conversation and critical self-reflection about the events themselves and perhaps even your individual role in the planning and production of SOS.

The Political Forum:

Originally intended to draw many different presidential candidates, the political forum did end up catching the attention of Dennis Kucinich, Rep. from Ohio and Democratic presidential hopeful. Local Democratic leaders Steve Achapole and Frank LeMere also spoke at the forum. The Kiewit Center was standing room only for the forum with more than 350 in attendance. Given the proximity of Omaha to western Iowa, the Iowa caucus was on the minds of the Kucinich campaign.

Kucinich warned the audience of the Bush administration's push for new "mini-nuclear" weapons, and also observed that: "We are at a defining moment. This is the time. And you are the ones we have been waiting for." Feeling that this opening event was a success, the compliment from Kucinich to the audience was welcome to the ears of us weary organizers and set a motivational tone for the rest of the weekend. (For more information on the forum, please go to http://www.journalstar.com/local.php?story_id=68589.)

The Commemoration:

For 30 years, Nebraskans for Peace has been hosting a commemoration ceremony for the victims and survivors of the 1945 nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the first week of August. Since SOS was being planned for the weekend prior to the traditional commemoration dates, it made sense that NFP's Omaha chapter would spearhead this Friday evening event at Gene Leahy Mall. With estimates ranging from 400-500 in attendance, this year's commemoration ceremony was the largest in the event's history. Among a candlelight lantern float, children's songs, and artistic creativity, the stories of Hiroshima survivors Koji Ueda, Masakazu Saito, Ryuma Miyanaga, and Koji Ueda provided a first-hand human perspective of the devastation that nuclear weapons can wreak on our world.

"It was a moving and wonderful experience. Exponentially more people showed up this year, and the survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks caused many in the audience to have a personal and emotional connection with the devastating impact that can be caused by a nuclear attack. They felt the pain that was very real to the survivors," explained Cary Vignari, NFP Omaha's Coordinator. For many, this was a very intimate spiritual event. It also warranted a front-page article in the Lincoln Journal Star on Saturday, August 2nd, 2003.

The Teach-in:

With presenters from all over the U.S., the Saturday morning teach-in was designed to educate the over 300 attendees about StratCom's role in the U.S. military, the future of the nuclear arsenal, Nebraska's role in the international peace and justice movement and other related issues. Presenters came to Nebraska from both coasts and other midwestern locations.

Some presenter highlights included: Andrew Lichterman, Program Director, Western States Legal Foundation; Greg Mello, Director and Co-founder, Los Alamos Study Group; Arjun Makhijani, Ph.D., President of the Institute of Environmental and Energy Research; John Ferrell, Office Manager, Voices in the Wilderness; Kevin Kamps, Nuclear Waste Specialist, Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS); Dr. Maureen McCue, Physicians for Social Responsibility; Beth Fitzgerald, National Organizing Director, Peace Action; Marv Davidov, Midwest Institute for Social Transformation; and Fr. Frank Cordaro (a complete list is available at www.sos2003.com). "The footwork of the organizers at different conferences across the country, coupled with NFP's name and history made it possible to put together such a phenomenal program," said Jo Peterson, an SOS organizer.

Saturday in the Park:

Predicted by many of the SOS organizers to attract the largest number of people, Saturday's zealous 12 p.m.-10 p.m. schedule of speakers, musicians and artists represented the biggest expenditure of resources. As the morning fog lifted from Memorial Park (which had not been home to a peace rally since the Vietnam War era) the anticipation of SOS's big day replaced its ominous presence. I will admit that as we put together tents, built the stage, delegated the volunteers, and directed the porta-poties and vendors, that the vision of a critical mass reaching numbers larger than 1,000 people from across the country was certainly on my mind. With temperatures in the 90's for the ten-hour event, and a sparsely attended 12-1 p.m. concert by Paul Micich, questions about the accuracy of our Saturday vision began to rise. But, the show must go on and it did.

Some of the most powerful words of the day, in my opinion, came from Andrew Lichterman and Arjun Makhjani. Both cited the importance of a sustained resistance against, not only these new mini-nuclear weapons being touted by the Bush administration, but also nuclear weapons in general, wherever they may be. Lichterman explained: "Nuclear war, the foremost nightmare of several generations, seemed to disappear for a decade. But the weapons never went away, and the enormously powerful military and technological institutions that were the most lasting creations of the nuclear age now are resurgent, their allies and representatives now dominant in U.S. politics." The theme of Lichterman's quotation was clearly that we have a lot of work to do in order for total nuclear disarm to become a reality.

Greg Mello called the aim to curb the development of mini-nuclear weapons "baby steps" in the larger agenda of nuclear disarmament. Makhijani was able to emphasize these major themes with his late afternoon speech about the history of nuclear weapons and their implications on today's society. Also sprinkled throughout the presentation were observations about the importance of local resistance to meetings like the one that was held at StratCom. For many of the tired organizers disappointed in the afternoon's attendance, this message was refreshing.

The Concert:

At 6 p.m. the concert began. Slated to perform was Stephan Smith (of New York), Mayday (of Nebraska), and Michelle Shocked (of California). Stephan Smith's performance held nothing back. With lyrics like: "Come tie my hands behind my back and throw me in some cell, for there is not a law in heaven to drag us down to hell for stopping all the wheels of time in the name of equality," there was no question about what his motivations were. Pete Seeger has likened Smith's style to Bob Dylan, and I agree with this analysis after watching his set. Talking with Smith backstage during the concert, he explained to me how he thought "playing in front of this small crowd (which had grown to nearly 500 after sunset-a number that Nebraskans would call a large crowd) is more important than the big crowds on the coasts because there is an element of community building and networking."

The next act to take the stage was Mayday. Malcom Miles, one of main organizers of the concert, explains their sound as: "An exploration of American music. Their sound is rooted in folk and country traditions but filtered through the quieter side of indie rock." Mayday played most of the songs from their recent Bar None release "I Know Your Troubles Been Long."

The final act to take the stage was Michelle Shocked. Originally requiring $10,000 performance fee, the high-profile folk rocker agreed to come play an acoustic set for the price of her airfare and a comfortable couch to sleep on. In an early conversation with her over the phone, she pointed out that "I was an activist long before I became a popular musician."For Miles, her inclusion in the line-up was exactly the kind of headliner that they were looking for.

Shocked played a brilliant, intimate solo set. She interacted frequently with the audience. Between songs selected from the entire range of her recording career, she discussed the importance of working toward peace starting at an individual level by developing trust and love in all our relationships and communities. Shocked also encouraged everyone to be active participants in life stating, "Music and politics are too important to be left to professionals." Near the end of the evening she sang a rendition of Amazing Grace. At one point she had the audience humming the tune while she told the story of the author of the song, a one time slave trader who saw the immorality of what he was doing so he refused to participate any more.

The concert provided a positive note for Saturday's events to end on. Each musician had the opportunity to share the message of nuclear disarmament and social justice with a new group of faces that had not necessarily been at the morning teach-in and afternoon speakers.

Speak Out at StratCom:

On the morning of Sunday, August 3rd, 2003, the most confrontational and, arguably, the most symbolic leg of SOS was set to begin. Organizers were on a heightened state of alert because of the numerous threats that this protest had generated. "Peace Marshalls" had gone through a special training that morning on how to insure that the rally was safe and legal. Permits were in place, and the attendees' spirits were as highly charged as the batteries in the bullhorns that they carried.

Sunday's activities began with an interfaith prayer service at Bellevue's Everett Park. Following the service, approximately 350 protesters lined up for the march to Offutt's Kinney Gate. Upon arriving at the gate, protestors were greeted by military guards in full uniform with a video camera and dozens of reporters. The first item on the agenda was the presentation of a "Statement of Intent" for the citizen's weapons inspection as drafted by Andrew Lichterman. Joining Lichterman was Greg Mello and Becca Kaiser of CAWMD. Originally, due to the potentially volatile nature of the "inspection," Kaiser had decided not to join the entourage that was to request the inspection; however, on that Sunday morning, Lichterman handed her a "Citizen Weapons Inspector" t-shirt and charged her to be a recognizable face for Nebraska's continuing resistance to StratCom. The three presented the statement of intent, requested to inspect the facility for weapons of mass destruction (which was denied and the number for the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Department of Defense was given instead) and then turned to denounce the Bush administration's plans for developing new weapons of mass destruction. Arjun Makhijani and the Hiroshima survivors also spoke at this event.

According to Kaiser, "Sunday's events were the grand finale for the weekend, and they gave people who came there the chance to put StratCom into perspective. Here we were standing face-to-face with a major artery of the military-industrial complex. We have our opinion, and they have theirs, but hopefully now more people are aware of what happens beyond Kinney Gate."

The Fallout:

Immediately following Sunday's events, rumors of a New York Times article about mini-nuclear weapons, including the mention of SOS were confirmed when organizers opened the Sunday Times and discovered the full page feature about the meeting in Nebraska and Bush's nuclear policy ambitions. In addition to the Omaha World Herald and Lincoln Journal Star coverage of the issue, the numerous radio and television stories generated by SOS, and the visits by international journalists from The Guardian (UK journal) and Liberacion (French daily newspaper), it was definitely good to know that on Monday morning the New York Times article was laid on desk of the Bush administration. It is hard to tell what impact this will have, but one thing is for sure, at least the issue has been raised close to an election year.

Blood, sweat and tears were put into the planning of SOS and I would like to take this moment to thank all of you that put your lives on hold both physically and financially to help put together this historic event. Please email me at josh@bugeaters.net with your conversations and conclusions about SOS and what it means for the larger peace movement in Nebraska, the Midwest, the nation and the world. You can also go to www.sos2003.com for an online archive of the event.