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Australian Radioactive Waste Agency a “zombie measure”- no funding left by Morrison government

Why a staggering $5BILLION will need to be found to keep the vital MyGov app running, store Australia’s radioactive waste and even monitor high-risk terrorists: ‘Australians were tricked’

By BRITTANY CHAIN, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA, 8 May 2023

…………….. According to Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, these funding shortfalls or ‘booby traps’ were left by ex-PM Scott Morrison in the hope they would blow up on the incoming Albanese Government……….

‘For example, there was no money in the budget for the agency responsible for safely storing and disposing of Australia’s radioactive waste,………………………..


Australian Radioactive Waste Agency

The agency is one of the ‘zombie measures’ in which funding was not taken into account beyond this year, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said.

Senator Gallagher said there was actually no money at all in the budget for the agency, despite its responsibility to safely store and dispose of Australia’s radioactive waste…………………………….  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12032345/Budget-2023-Underfunding-MyGov-app-public-dental-mental-health-revealed-Federal-Budget.html?fbclid=IwAR2I1-FswPxwSyqGUbBetcBPCOtUHyuAqAv_TNk-oBlhGy7b0KW0z7vdZv8 

May 9, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Pentagon: U.S. deploys warplanes, warships, interceptor missiles to Europe, troops to Mexican border — Anti-bellum

U.S. Department of DefenseMay 5, 2023 NATO Partners Prepare to Kick Off ‘Formidable Shield’ Exercise Exercise Formidable Shield, which kicks off Monday, is expected to showcase the strength of the NATO alliance and its commitment to the defense of Europe, the deputy Pentagon press secretary said. “The U.S. 6th Fleet and Naval Striking and Support […]

Pentagon: U.S. deploys warplanes, warships, interceptor missiles to Europe, troops to Mexican border — Anti-bellum

May 9, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Christopher Nolan’s New ‘Oppenheimer’ Trailer Sees U.S. On the Brink of Nuclear War

Cillian Murphy stars as the father of the atomic bomb in the film, hitting theaters in July.

Stacey Ritzen, May 8, 2023   https://www.mensjournal.com/news/oppenheimer-trailer-christopher-nolan

“This is a national emergency,” says Cillian Murphy in the latest trailer for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic Oppenheimer, which dropped today. “We’re in a race against the Nazis. And I know what it means if the Nazis have a bomb.”

Murphy stars as the titular J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist credited with the invention of the atomic bomb during World War II. Although the real Oppenheimer would later go on to regret his role and spent the rest of his life advocating against his creation, the film is set during the Manhattan Project, the research and development program that was ultimately responsible for producing the first nuclear weapons.

In addition to Murphy, the star-studded cast features Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, Michael Angarano, Josh Hartnett, and Kenneth Branagh.

“Are we saying there’s a chance that when we push that button, we destroy the world?” Damon’s skeptical Lieutenant General Leslie Groves, the director of the Manhattan Project, asks Murphy’s Oppenheimer midway through the trailer. “Near zero,” the physicist guesses, to which Damon’s character responds: “Zero would be nice.”

In other words, not exactly your typical breezy summer movie fare, as Oppenheimer hits theaters on July 21, 2023. The film, which clocks in at two hours and 30 minutes, has been named one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year. It remains to be seen how its box office returns will fare against the upcoming Barbie movie from director Greta Gerwig, which opens on the same day.

May 9, 2023 Posted by | media | Leave a comment

Whitewashing history. Estonia to issue fines for celebrating WW2 victory over Nazis

Rt.com 8 May 23

The Estonian police have warned citizens against displaying any Russian or Soviet flags or symbols, or playing “aggressive music”

Carrying a Soviet flag or sporting any other symbol deemed offensive by the authorities could cost Estonians dearly on Victory Day, the local police have warned. Any gatherings that could be interpreted as “supportive of aggression,” which Tallinn says Russia is waging against Ukraine, are also outlawed.

Speaking to the media outlet Postimees on Thursday, Elena Miroshnichenko, a lieutenant colonel of the Police and Border Protection Department in the Pyhja prefecture, said that while people are allowed to lay flowers at graves and WWII memorials on May 9, they should not have on them “any symbols and shouldn’t listen to aggressive music on their cellphones.”

The official reminded the public that any rallies featuring Russian or Soviet flags, or those of Russia’s Donbass republics, are strictly prohibited. Also off limits are any flags or placards emblazoned with the Latin letters Z and V, which have come to symbolize Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine.

Miroshnichenko stressed that the police are not going to “engage in any dialogue with anyone” found in breach of the rules. Violators can expect to be fined to the tune of up to €1,200 euros ($1,345) or even face prison time………………….

Late last month, authorities in another former Soviet republic, Moldova, warned the public against displaying St. George’s ribbons, which have become a symbol of May 9 celebrations in Russia over the past two decades.

Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean emphasized that individuals running afoul of the ban will face fines.

The country’s parliament outlawed the ribbon along with the letters ‘Z’ and ‘V’ last year as promoting “Russian aggression.”

Earlier last month, Moldova’s Constitutional Court issued a ruling that some opposition politicians construed as a lifting of the ban. The judges, however, were quick to clarify that this was not the case.

According to the Moldovan media, more than 300 people were fined for wearing the ribbon last year.  https://www.rt.com/news/575916-eu-nation-police-fine-victory-day/

May 9, 2023 Posted by | EUROPE, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Russia orders evacuation of civilians around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia power plant amid warnings of ‘severe nuclear accident’

Anxiety about the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is growing after the Moscow-installed governor of the Ukrainian region where it is located ordered civilian evacuations.

Key points:

  • Russian forces are ordering civilians to leave towns around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant 
  • The evacuation zone includes Enerhodar, which is home to most of the plant’s staff
  • IAEA head Rafael Mariano Grossi says the situation is “increasingly unpredictable”

Russian soldiers are evacuating people from Zaporizhzhia and 18 nearby towns, ahead of an anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Grossi has called on both Russia and Ukraine to ensure that there will be no fighting near the Zaporizhzhia plant to prevent what he calls “the threat of a severe nuclear accident and its associated consequences”.

The towns and villages being evacuated include Enerhodar, which is home to most of the plant’s staff.

The Russia-backed governor of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia province, Yevgeny Balitsky, said more than 1,600 people, including more than 600 children had been evacuated as of Sunday.

The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the evacuation of Enerhodar was underway.

…………………………… Although none of the plant’s six reactors are operating because of the war, the station needs a reliable power supply for essential cooling systems. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-08/russia-orders-evacuations-around-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant/102316184

May 9, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

THE NUCLEAR CLUB

JONATHAN HUNT MAY 8, 2023 PODCASTS – HORNS OF A DILEMMA https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/the-nuclear-club/

On this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Jonathan Hunt talks about his book, The Nuclear Club: How America and the World Policed the Atom from Hiroshima to Vietnam. Hunt starts out with an anecdote about the origins of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty under U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and his Special Assistant for National Security Affairs Walt Whitman Rostow. He then outlines the core argument of his book: that parallel to the nuclear revolution was a “counter-revolution” to prevent the universalization of nuclear weapons, therefore maintaining the dominance of the “nuclear club” of nuclear-armed states. He then discusses the sequence of events that led to the implementation of nuclear laws, including the Limited Test Ban Treaty and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Finally, he touches on the lessons of this narrative and how the politics of nuclear diplomacy during the Cold War led to the rise of a “paternal” U.S. presidency. This was recorded at the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin.

May 9, 2023 Posted by | media | Leave a comment

Ukrainian soldiers train to deal with radiation as worries over nuclear plant grow

The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog expressed growing anxiety about the safety of a Russian-occupied nuclear power plant near the front lines of fighting in Ukraine after the Moscow-installed governor of the area ordered the evacuation of the city where most plant staff live. “The risk of a chemical or nuclear attack by the enemy is always there,” said one Ukrainian soldier in training.“The risk of a chemical or nuclear attack by the enemy is always there.”

May 9, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Bristol solar farm connects directly to the grid.

A solar farm near Bristol has become the UK’s first to connect directly to
the national grid, opening a way to unblocking bottlenecks in renewable
energy schemes.

To date, the hundreds of solar farms and 1.2 million homes
with rooftop solar panels have been connected to the electricity grid’s
equivalent of A-roads, called distribution networks. However, the 50MW
Larks Green solar farm, capable of powering 17,000 homes, has instead been
connected to the transmission network, the motorways of the electricity
system.

Solar power is the cheapest electricity technology in many
countries and the fastest-growing electricity source globally. Solar
industry figures said that years-long delays were normal to enable projects
to start producing clean electricity. Some developers are routinely being
told they will have to wait until the 2030s, and in one case a company was
told it would have to wait until 2037. Ministers recently promised to
introduce reforms to speed up connections, but are yet to provide details.

On Thursday a cross-party group of MPs wrote to the government telling it
to work with energy networks, including National Grid ESO, to “unblock
the pipeline of delays”. “There is potential for solar energy to have a
bright future in the UK, but a dark cloud of delays for the industry
hinders the ability to meet its full potential,” said Philip Dunne,
chairman of the environmental audit committee.

Times 4th May 2023

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/first-solar-farm-connects-directly-to-national-grid-6nx7qjx5s

May 9, 2023 Posted by | renewable, UK | Leave a comment

Protest against investment in Sizewell C nuclear power station.

Campaigners unfurled banners reading ‘Aviva, back renewables not Sizewell
C’ outside Norwich City’s Carrow Road football ground on Thursday.
Protestors from Stop Sizewell C gathered outside an insurer’s Annual
General Meeting (AGM) to vent concerns the firm was planning to invest in
the new Sizewell C nuclear power station.

East Anglian Daily Times 5th May 2023

https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/23501909.suffolk-sizewell-c-protestors-gather-norwich-city-fc/

May 9, 2023 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, UK | Leave a comment

Opposition to Sizewell C nuclear was a factor in Green Party success in East Suffolk

The conservatives in East Suffolk were swept out of power in a Green wave
as the Green Party gained 11 seats in the local elections. In total, the
Tories lost 24 seats as their number declined from 39 to just 15 seats,
leaving the council with no overall majority.

Meanwhile the Greens moved on to 16 seats, while there were also gains for Labour, who moved on to 12 seats, an increase of five, while the Liberal Democrats also saw a rise of
eight seats to leave them with 11. Southwold councillor David Beavan, who
represents the Liberal Democrats, said meetings would be held between the
Greens, Liberal Democrats and Labour next week to discuss forming a
coalition to run the council.

He believed voters had rejected the Tories
over issues such as Sizewell C and plans to route electricity cables from
offshore wind farms through the Suffolk and Essex countryside instead of
the Thames Estuary. A number of high profile Conservative candidates lost
their seats, including former district council leader Ray Herring, who led
for 20 years, but lost his Rendlesham and Orford seat to the Greens’ Tim
Wilson.

East Anglian Daily Times 5th May 2023

https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/23504329.tories-very-disappointed-greens-sweep-east-suffolk/

May 9, 2023 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Nuclear weapons may not be in Seoul’s best interest

Going nuclear would likely hurt rather than enhance South Korea’s global prestige

On May 2, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed that a U.S. Ohio-class nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine will, for the first time since the 1980s, make a visit to South Korea.

The visit is part of the bolstered extended deterrence consequent to the Washington Declaration signed by American President Joe Biden and South Korean leader Yoon Suk-yeol on April 26 — the 70th anniversary of their two countries’ bilateral alliance.

The agreement stipulates the U.S. will “make its deterrence more visible through the regular deployment of strategic assets” to South Korea and the establishment of a new Nuclear Consultative Group to facilitate greater South Korean input into how Washington prepares for threat contingencies on the Korean Peninsula. This was the price demanded by and paid to South Korea for staying inside the global nuclear nonproliferation regime………. (subscribers only)  https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2023/05/05/commentary/world-commentary/south-korea-nuclear-weapons/

May 9, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

This week in nuclear news

Some bits of good news. I’ve been ignoring energy sources other than nuclear. But that’s hard to do this week. I’ve come to at least 3 very positive stories: Germany produces 40GW of solar, and much of it exported to other countries. Great Lakes wind power could give Ontario to 100% renewable energy.   Bristol solar farm connects directly to the grid

Climate. Record low Antarctic sea ice is another alarming sign the ocean’s role as climate regulator is changing

Christina Notes. Time for a laugh – in this sorry world.

Nuclear. Sorry – it’s no different from last week – war-mongering rhetoric. But James W. Pfister offers a timely reminder of President John F. Kennedy and Chairman Nikita Khrushchev’s joint “withdrawal from the brink” in 1962. “Both sides settled for less than a win.”

AUSTRALIA. Australian prime minister feigns concern for Assange but defends “national security” secrecy.

Labor’s serial betrayal of Australia. JOHN PILGER: Danger of war exists if we don’t speak up now. Location for nuclear submarine’s base ‘close to a decade’ away. Port Kembla May Day march rejects AUKUS nuclear submarine base plan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgL307PMWMY Unions, communities tell Labor: ‘Port Kembla is no place for a nuclear base’. Unions to march against nuclear subs, citing health risks over jobs. Port Kembla rally to demand NSW site be ruled out as Aukus nuclear submarine base. AUKUS high-level nuclear waste dump must be subject to Indigenous veto.

CLIMATE. Former Nuclear Leaders: Say ‘No’ to New Reactors,

CIVIL LIBERTIES. Julian Assange makes ‘Kingly Proposal’ to Charles III.

ECONOMICS. Newbuild: How Much of Vogtle Nuclear Plant’s Capital Costs Can Southern Recover?   Canada and Ontario are turning to nuclear energy as a green solution –Here’s the problem with that. 

  Marketing. Blaine Higgs, Premier of New Brunswick, Canada, heads to Europe to promote non-existent small nuclear reactors. The Philippines to be the South East Asian guinea pig for NuScam’s small nuclear reactors? US Sells Taiwan 400 Harpoon Anti-Ship Missiles – Profits and Provocations, Not Protection 

HEALTH. DEPLETED URANIUM: COURTS ACCEPT CANCER RISK DENIED BY ARMY. Radiation. Ukrainian soldiers train to deal with radiation as worries over nuclear plant grow.

MEDIA. Multiple US Officials Confronted About US Assange Hypocrisy On World Press Freedom Day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8osNmcVkoY Hypocritical Commemorations: World Press Freedom Day. The Antidote to Oliver Stone is Philippe Carillo’s Film “Fukushima Disaster: The Hidden Side of the Story” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBqk0OtlE8k . A nuclear Bacchanalia .

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. The danger of artificial intelligence controlling nuclear codes. A mess of different Small Nuclear Reactor Designs in UK.

OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR. Abolish Nukes, Kishida, G7!

PERSONAL STORIES. A life uprooted and stolen — Japanese victims speak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzaE_9l5mSw&t=83s. A Tribute to Daniel Ellsberg .

POLITICS.   

Fukushima: Only 1% of people return home despite lifting of evacuation order

UK.  

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. James W. Pfister: Cumulative risk and nuclear war.          Biden’s leadership on nuclear disarmament to be tested in Hiroshima,

PROTESTS. Protest against investment in Sizewell C nuclear power station.

SAFETY. 

 More Than 1,600 Evacuated From Areas Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant.          IAEA head calls situation near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant ‘unpredictable and potentially dangerous‘. Record high water levels threaten dam near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Evacuations spur UN watchdog concern over Ukraine nuclear plant. Disaster Fears After Explosives Found Inside Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant. 

 France’s government postpones its nuclear safety reform indefinitely. Backup generator at Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant fails, triggering special federal review. ‘Lessons not being learned’ as nuclear safety lapses rocket by a third in a year. West Hartford Preps For Hypothetical Nuclear Nightmare.

SECRETS and LIES. Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, and the ‘made men’ of the Biden administration. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken embroiled in alleged attempt to influence US officials on allegedly corrupt company Burisma.

Former CIA Officer Says Decision to Drone Attack Kremlin Was Made by the United States. Meet the Ukrainian children killed by US/NATO funding and weapons.

WASTES. What happens to the UK’s nuclear waste?    Germany’s Asse nuclear waste interim storage facility continues to cause controversy.

WAR and CONFLICT. Russia ‘very unlikely’ to use nuclear weapons, US intel chief. WWIII on the Instalment Plan. The dangers of nuclear escalation have not receded. US ‘Dangerously Close’ To Another Nuclear Missile Crisis; After Russia, China Could Respond To Deployment Of Nuke Subs To S.Korea.   As US-China Tensions Mount, We Must Resist the Push Toward Interimperialist War.   

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. The Twenty-First Century of (Profitable) War– Not Your Grandfather’s Military-Industrial Complex. Nuclear weapons may not be in Seoul’s best interest. Impending NATO inductee Finland welcomes “significant military infrastructure” from Pentagon .  

May 8, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | 1 Comment

Cumulative risk and nuclear war

The precedent for nuclear confrontation is the Cuban Missile Crisis. Both sides settled for less than a win.

We will need a strong president to adjust to the current world reality, which will require us to back away from the forward containment strategy. Neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump seem to be that type of president. 

Lenconnect.com, James W. Pfister 7 May 23

A substantial nuclear strike against the United States would destroy cities and would result in untold deaths and misery. Yet, the United States’ foreign policy interferes with nuclear powers such as Russia in Ukraine and China in Taiwan. We don’t talk much about nuclear war, as if rational beings would never do such a thing. But who expects pure rationality into the unknown future? Humans will experience irrationality, mistakes and even pure evil, as we saw in 9/11.  

My thesis is that even though there is a low probability of nuclear war at any given moment, a series of interactions in enmity with nuclear states leads to a cumulative risk over time, just as a dangerous driver will probably eventually experience a crash. We are on China’s and Russia’s borders, based on the old Cold War dynamics of containment. This is dangerous. We will need a strong president to adjust to the current world reality, which will require us to back away from the forward containment strategy. Neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump seem to be that type of president. 

………………………………… Arms control, which was a hope in the past to control nuclear weapons, seems to be weakened. Russia said it will not permit the inspections of the START Treaty. Any meaningful arms-control regime would require an agreement among China, Russia and the United States. Such agreement does not seem likely today.  

What about a mistake, or cyber used by terrorists? There could be “faulty judgment, false warnings of attack, or other miscalculation … cyber attacks to disrupt the command and control of nuclear weapons and early warning systems … leaving governments only minutes to decide………………………..

There is no defense to a major nuclear attack. Recently, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yoel met with President Biden to assure that the United States will, in fact, use nuclear weapons against North Korea, even though the latter will have nuclear weapons that can reach the United States. Biden, in effect, said yes, we will risk an attack on Los Angeles, for instance. South Korea and Japan, which have begun to talk, should have their own nuclear deterrents. 

The precedent for nuclear confrontation is the Cuban Missile Crisis. Both sides settled for less than a win. Instead of invading Cuba, as some advisers urged, President John F. Kennedy chose the more restrained blockade (“quarantine”). Chairman Nikita Khrushchev, realizing his gamble had failed, withdrew his missiles. Kennedy promised not to invade Cuba and to remove our offensive and provocative weapons from Turkey. Both leaders withdrew from the brink.  

“Their prudence holds lessons for today, when so many commentators in Russia and in the West are calling for resolute victory of one side or the other in Ukraine.” (Sergey Radchenko and Vladislav Zubok, “Blundering on the Brink,” Foreign Affairs, April 3, 2023). Many around Putin say, “…Moscow should prefer nuclear Armageddon to defeat.” (Ibid.). Kennedy concluded: “…while defending our own vital interests, nuclear powers must avert those confrontations which bring an adversary to a choice of either a humiliating retreat or nuclear war.” 

With the United States assertively involved in enmity with Russia and China, with NATO expansion, doing “saber-rattling” shows of force in Asia in military exercises, the chance of nuclear war increases with cumulative risk. …………

We need spheres of Influence among the three great nuclear powers, and prudence. The United States cannot aggressively be on their doorsteps without risking nuclear war. The United States must climb down from its unipolar role. 

James W. Pfister, J.D. University of Toledo, Ph.D. University of Michigan (political science), retired after 46 years in the Political Science Department at Eastern Michigan University. He lives at Devils Lake and can be reached at jpfister@emich.edu.   https://www.lenconnect.com/story/opinion/columns/2023/05/07/james-w-pfister-cumulative-risk-and-nuclear-war/70191242007/

May 8, 2023 Posted by | politics international, USA | 1 Comment

Murder by Proxy

Meet the Ukrainian children killed by US/NATO funding and weapons

Deborah L. Armstrong 6 May 23  https://medium.com/@deborahlarmstrong/murder-by-proxy-291ceb5754b

ince 2014, 130 children have been killed in Eastern Ukraine by what was once their own government, which is now and has been funded by the United States since the US-backed Maidan coup tore the country in two. But that is only the most recent “official” number released by the Russian Federation. By now, the death toll is certainly higher, as the current conflict rages on and children continue to be killed by NATO weapons supplied to Ukraine.

These children, who grew up in Ukraine, come from Russian-speaking families and identify as Russian. The followers of Stepan Bandera, a Ukrainian Nazi collaborator and mass murderer who is now a “Hero of Ukraine,” believe that Russians, often referred to with the ethnic slur, “Moskals,” are sub-humans who need to be “sent to purgatory.” If you are unfamiliar with the history of the region, and Ukraine’s role in World War II, you can read all about it here and here.

These children, who grew up in Ukraine, come from Russian-speaking families and identify as Russian. The followers of Stepan Bandera, a Ukrainian Nazi collaborator and mass murderer who is now a “Hero of Ukraine,” believe that Russians, often referred to with the ethnic slur, “Moskals,” are sub-humans who need to be “sent to purgatory.” If you are unfamiliar with the history of the region, and Ukraine’s role in World War II, you can read all about it here and here.

Since Maidan, the neo-Nazis have been continuously bombarding the Donbass, where the majority of Russian-speakers (referred to as “Russian separatists” in Western press) live. Civilian infrastructure, such as markets, hospitals and schools, are routinely targeted as are the civilians themselves. It was these attacks on the Russian-speaking population, and plans for a major Ukrainian offensive against the Donbass, which prompted Putin to announce Russia’s Special Military Operation (SMO) in February, 2022.

A good friend of mine, who goes by the name Volje Voljevich, has been compiling an album of children killed in the Donbass. He painstakingly wrote up short summaries about 40 of the children, and the circumstances of their deaths. Many of them are memorialized at the Alley of Angels in Donetsk, where grieving family members bring flowers and stuffed toys. Here are just a few of their faces and their stories, thanks to Volje. [on original]………………….

About the author:
Deborah Armstrong currently writes about geopolitics with an emphasis on Russia. She previously worked in local TV news in the United States where she won two regional Emmy Awards. In the early 1990’s, Deborah lived in the Soviet Union during its final days and worked as a television consultant at Leningrad Television. You can support Deborah’s writing at Paypal or Patreon, or donate via Substack.

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May 8, 2023 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, Ukraine | Leave a comment

A Tribute to Daniel Ellsberg — limitless life

By Haig Hovaness, World BEYOND War, May 7, 2023 https://worldbeyondwar.org/a-tribute-to-daniel-ellsberg/ Presented during the May 4, 2023, Vietnam to Ukraine: Lessons for the US Peace Movement Remembering Kent State and Jackson State! Webinar hosted by the Green Party Peace Action Committee; Peoples Network for Planet, Justice & Peace; and Green Party of Ohio. 

A Tribute to Daniel Ellsberg — limitless life

Presented during the May 4, 2023, Vietnam to Ukraine: Lessons for the US Peace Movement Remembering Kent State and Jackson State! Webinar hosted by the Green Party Peace Action Committee; Peoples Network for Planet, Justice & Peace; and Green Party of Ohio 

Today I will pay tribute to Daniel Ellsberg, a man who has been called one of the most significant whistleblowers in American history. He sacrificed his career and risked his freedom to bring to light the truth about the Vietnam War and spent subsequent years working for peace. In March Dan posted online a letter announcing that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and is likely to die this year. This is a fitting time to appreciate his life’s work.

………………………………………………. In 1969, Ellsberg made the decision to leak the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret study of the Vietnam War that had been commissioned by the Department of Defense. The study showed that the government had lied to the American people about the progress of the war, and it revealed that the government had been involved in secret operations in Laos and Cambodia.

After fruitless attempts to interest members of Congress in the report, he provided the documents to the New York Times, which published excerpts in 1971. The revelations in the papers were significant and damaging to the US government, as they revealed that successive administrations had systematically lied to the American people about the progress and objectives of the war.

The Pentagon Papers showed that the US government had secretly escalated its military involvement in Vietnam without a clear strategy for victory. The papers also revealed that government officials had deliberately misled the public about the nature of the conflict, the extent of US military involvement, and the prospects for success.

The publication of the Pentagon Papers was a turning point in American history. It revealed the government’s lies about the war and shook the American people’s faith in their leaders. It also led to a Supreme Court ruling that upheld the right of the press to publish classified information.

Ellsberg’s actions had serious consequences. He was charged with theft and espionage, and he faced the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison. But in a stunning turn of events, the charges against him were dismissed when it was revealed that the government had engaged in illegal wiretapping and other forms of surveillance against him. The dropping of charges against Ellsberg was a significant victory for whistleblowers and the freedom of the press, and it underscored the importance of government transparency and accountability……………………

The release of the Pentagon Papers overshadowed Ellsberg’s parallel efforts to expose the dangerous consequences of America’s nuclear weapons planning. In the 1970s, his attempts to release classified materials on the danger of nuclear war were frustrated by the accidental loss of a trove of classified documents related to the nuclear threat. Eventually he was able to reassemble this information and publish it in 2017 in the book, “The Doomsday Machine.”

“The Doomsday Machine,” is a detailed exposé of the US government’s nuclear war policy during the Cold War. Ellsberg reveals that the US had a policy of using nuclear weapons preemptively, including against non-nuclear countries, and that this policy remained in effect even after the end of the Cold War. He also revealed that the U.S. had regularly threatened adversaries with use of nuclear weapons. Ellsberg exposed a dangerous culture of secrecy and lack of accountability surrounding US nuclear policy, He revealed that the US had developed plans for a “first strike” nuclear attack on the Soviet Union, even in the absence of a Soviet attack, which he argues would have led to the deaths of millions of people. Ellsberg further revealed that the US government had delegated authority to use nuclear weapons far more widely than was known to the public, greatly increasing the danger of accidental nuclear war. He argued that the poorly managed nuclear arsenal of the United States constituted a “doomsday machine” that represented an existential threat to humanity. The book provides a stark warning about the dangers of nuclear weapons and the need for greater transparency and accountability in nuclear policy to prevent a catastrophic global disaster……………………

Today, the U.S. government continues to prosecute whistleblowers aggressively. Many have been jailed and some, like Edward Snowden, have fled to avoid rigged trials. Julian Assange continues to languish in prison awaiting extradition and possible lifetime imprisonment. But, in the words of Assange, courage is contagious, and leaks will continue as government misdeeds are exposed by principled people. The voluminous information Ellsberg photocopied over many hours can be copied today in minutes and distributed worldwide immediately over the Internet. We have already seen such leaks in the form of classified U.S. information on the war in Ukraine contradicting optimistic U.S. public claims. The exemplary actions of Dan Ellsberg will inspire countless future acts of courage in the cause of peace……………………

more https://limitlesslife.wordpress.com/2023/05/07/a-tribute-to-daniel-ellsberg/
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May 8, 2023 Posted by | PERSONAL STORIES, USA | Leave a comment