Nevada bomb test halted

If you read the most recent issue of YES! magazine, you may have seen our story about efforts to stop a major weapons test in Nevada, called Divine Strake.

Today, Lilja Otto, author of the story, received an update from Tony Guzman of Nevada Citizen Alert, announcing that the test has been halted -- at least for now:

"The test had originally been postponed until the 23rd of June, and on Friday they postponed it indefinitely. Although it is not over yet, we feel this is a major victory. When you look at what has transpired over the last two months, you see a massive grassroots mobilization exerting incredible pressure on congressional representatives and the departments of defense and energy. I think it just goes to show where the power truly lies.

"The [protest] on Sunday went exceptionally well; here's an article covering the event. And there are some pictures on our website."

Congratulations to the grassroots organizers, the Western Shoshone people, and all those who put the brakes on a test many believe is aimed at developing a low-level nuclear weapon.

Respect our Mother

Inspired by the Julia Ward Howe Mother's Day Proclamation of 1870 and Cindy Sheehan's example of courageous motherhood, I joined the vigil outside the Trident nuclear submarine base at Bangor yesterday on Mother's Day.

The Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action has for years held non-violent protests here.

The scale of the danger is staggering. There are nine submarines based at Bangor, according to Ground Zero. Each can carry 24 D-5 missiles, and each missile can carry eight 455 kiloton warheads. Each of those warheads carries 30 times the explosive power of the bomb dropped at Hiroshima.

See Alice Slater's insightful piece on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and what it means for the U.S., by far the largest military power on Earth.

This morning, at 4:30 a.m., activists joined in a circle at the Ground Zero headquarters and then walked to the gate of the submarine base. There they stood as morning rush hour brought workers past them and on to the base. Police were on all sides, county sheriff deputies, federal base police, waiting for the moment when the blockade would begin.

The chanting and drumming of the Buddhist monks echoed off the nearby highway overpass. Then a group of people entered the road, stopping traffic for an instant until police moved in, led them off the roadway and handcuffed them.

While they were being led off to waiting patrol cars, others began walking, one at a time, across a line painted on the pavement to designate federal base property. One at a time, federal officers took their candles, and led them off to a waiting van.

Among those arrested on base property was one of the monks of the Nipponzan Myohoji Seattle Dojo, whose photo you can see on page 13 in the Winter 2006 issue of YES! on a spiritual uprising. I point it out because Gilberto Perez, the monk who is laughing out loud in the photo, just returned from a trip to Japan, visiting sites of nuclear devastation and talking to those who are trying to prevent Japan's return to a militaristic state (a return being encouraged by the US government.)

As a mother, I was proud to be with these courageous folks, and I loved their banner: "The Earth is our Mother. Treat her with respect."

You nailed the health care issue

In our latest e-newsletter, we asked readers for your thoughts on our health care system. We are planning our fall 2006 issue on how to fix this broken system.

Our readers had lots to say. You can read the responses yourself, but here's what I found especially striking. We asked this question: "Please tell us what changes would contribute to your own health and well being." But almost every single response included a variation on this theme: It's not about me. It's about we.

Health care is not something that can be solved by individuals each struggling to get some sort of coverage, each trying to get the most for themselves out of a system that is focused on making money. We need a system that excludes no one; it has to be universal health care.

There was a lot of other wisdom, also, about prevention, holistic medicine, cleaning up our environment and so on.

I'm excited about what we're finding already in the way of solutions (here's one -- just for fun). I think the system we have now is so dysfunctional that there may actually be the political will to fix it.

But we'll have to make sure the health care system that unifies a system divided into health care-haves and have-nots. And we'll have to address the ideology that insists on supporting a bloated bureaucracy of corporate insurance, drug companies, and HMOs, although the evidence shows this system is far more expensive and leads to worse health outcomes.

If you have ideas for stories and authors we should know about, please write us at editors (AT) yesmagazine.org. Include the word "health" in the subject line.

And while you're at it, sign up for our e-mail newsletter. It comes out about once a month, and it's a great way to keep up with what's happening at YES!

P.S. If you're a YES! subscriber, you'll soon be getting the summer 2006 issue in the mail. The title: 5000 Years of Empire: Are you ready for a change? If you're not a subscriber, you can sign up now at our special on-line rate, and receive the summer issue as the first of your new subscription.