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INTERNATIONAL SPACE CONFERENCE TO CHALLENGE STRATCOM MISSION OF GLOBAL DOMINANCE
Contact: The Global Network Against
Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space will be holding its 16th annual international
space organizing conference in Omaha, Nebraska on April 11-13. The organization
is made up of over 145 peace groups around the world who are working to oppose
the introduction of weapons and nuclear power into space. The theme for the
2008 meeting will be StratCom: The Most Dangerous Place on the Face of the Earth. Global Network member Nebraskans for Peace http://www.nebraskansforpeace.org/ will serve as the local host for the conference. Activists will be coming to Omaha from as far away as India, Australia, England, Romania, Czech Republic, Sweden, Japan, Philippines, Italy, Germany, Poland, and throughout the U.S. Of particular interest this year will be discussions about the Strategic Command (StratCom) which is headquartered at Offutt AFB in Omaha. Since 9/11, StratCom has seen its perennial mission of maintaining the U.S.'s nuclear deterrent grow to include everything from waging the White House's "War on Terror," to administering the NSA's "warrantless wiretapping" program, to planning a preemptive, first-strike attack on Iran, to developing Star Wars missile bases in Eastern Europe to the outright domination of space. Global Network Coordinator Bruce Gagnon stated, "We are holding our 16th annual international conference at StratCom because this military command now perfectly illustrates the 'offensive' nature of U.S. war fighting today. StratCom is not about defending the U.S. It is a base that is essentially coordinating all 'forward deployed' aggressive operations that serve the interests of empire. Only by shining a light on StratCom can world opinion build against U.S. plans for space-directed endless war that only benefits the corporations that now run our government." According to Nebraskans for Peace Coordinator Tim Rinne, "This conference will be the first real opportunity the rest of the world has had to learn about the enhanced menace StratCom now represents to international security. Like a vigilante, StratCom is now authorized to attack anyplace on the face of the Earth within one hour on the mere perception of a threat to America's national interests. The world community is going to need to push back if StratCom is to be held in check." The Global Network contends that the U.S. government has taken international cooperation off its foreign policy agenda. "Between building Star Wars missile bases on Russia's borders and opposing treaties banning space weapons at the very moment it's shooting down satellites, the White House is starting arms races both on earth and in space," Gagnon said. "Here we are lecturing the rest of the world about the evils of weapons of mass destruction while Congress funds more nukes, space weapons programs, and plans for preemptive attack on Iran. At the same time social progress here at home in the U.S. is fading as the Pentagon absorbs over 50% of every tax dollar," Gagnon said. Full conference details are available at the Global Network's website: www.space4peace.org Global Network Against
Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space PO Box 652 Brunswick, ME 04011 |