Jo Vallentine's Speech to the Palm Sunday March

You're here today because you care, not only about the sad state of our nation, but the gloabal situation too.

It's important that we're here in solidarity with each other, and in solidarity with oppressed people wherever they are, and whatever their particular circumstances. So, I honour our shared concerns.

I also want to honour the first people of Australia, and to remember that we are on Aboriginal land, sustained in a non-exploitative way for about 60,000 years before the first BOAT PEOPLE arrived.

Sixty thousand years is a long time, but less than a quarter as long as the effects of radiation ..... some nuclear materials have a half-life of 250,000 years. It's that extended legacy of contamination, of poisoning of the planet, which sets the nuclear issue in a class of its own - its negative impacts having consequences almost beyond our understanding.

It's sixty years since the beginning of the nuclear industry - the grand-daddy of globalization through exploitation and domination. Of course we know that globalisation itself is not all negative - there are many examples which benifit the global community, but a quick look at the nuclear industry reveals all the hallmarks of the negative side of globalization, including many accidents and lies to cover its tracks.

The Manhatten Project in 1942 set out to unleash the power of the split atom in a new kind of weapon, but the benign front that was used to cover this aim was the nuclear power industry, offering to the world "energy too cheap to meter." Unfotunately the project was successful and as the tests in the deserts of New Mexico revealed how awesome this power was, many of the scientists who'd used their brainpower to develop these new weapons, wrote to the U.S. President begging that they should not be used.

The scientits included Albert Einstein who said later that it would have been better for the world had he been a carpenter, and Robert Oppenheimer who likened himself to an angel of death ushering in a new age of destruction.

But the weapons WERE used, as you all know, with devastating effect, in Japan in 1945, not once, but twice, by the only country in the world to use nuclear weapons, the United States.

In choosing a path of domination of the world through exploitation of the planet and its people, the United States Government has set itself, and all of us, on a dreadful pathway, which we see being played out on a daily basis. Whether it's the "war against terrorism" being waged by the world's worst terrorist nation, or its refusal to sign the Kyoto protocols to limit global warming by the greedist energy-guzzling nation on the face of the earth, or its plans to develop new, easier to use nuclear weapons, by the country which has more nuclear weapons and more sphisticated delivery systems than any other nation on earth, the U.S. Government sets iself apart from the global community. It shows contempt for the United Nations (imperfect as that organisation may be, it's an ATTEMPT at global co-operation), and acts in contravention of numerous international treaties, some of which it has reluctantly signed, others which it has actively undermined, because U.S. interests are not served by being monitored by any other state.

All the while, the U.S. Government presents itself as the "good guys" versus the "evil" of others - it's amazing spin doctoring, which gradually is being seen for what it is - the dominators at work, exploiting every possible avenue to maintain its superior status - you get the picture: the country which already has the most of everything, wants MORE!!

A couple of examples:

Firstly, STAR WARS - the elaborate, very costly and unworkable so-called shield of defence against inc oming nuclear weapons, to protect the U.S. from its enemies, and involving other countries (like Australia, through the spy base at Pine Gap) in its functioning. Just as the Manhattan Project used the provision of nuclear energy as a cover for the nuclear weapons programme, so Star Wars, or Ballistic Missile Defence, or National Missile Defence - take your pick - all sounding "defensive" rather than "offensive", is a cover for the U.S. government's real plans: domination of space by military superiority. As if we don't have enough wars on earth already! So, we say, KEEP SPACE FOR PEACE ! Our government should be saying to the U.S. that Pine Gap must not be used for Star Wars.

There are three bases outside the U.S. crucial for this crazed plan to even begin to sound credible - in the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Australia ...... all it needs is for those three countires to tell the U.S. strongly, clearly, unequivocally, that there will be no co-operation, and the facade of the so-called "defence" shield would fall over.

Second example: the Nuclear Posture Review document of the U.S. government, released by the Los Angeles Times on March 9th. Post September 11th hysteria may have influenced these latest U.S. plans for producing new, smaller, easier to use nuclear weapons. It is a chilling document.

It lists seven nation as nuclear targets: Russia (although Russia is not officially an enemy of the U.S. any longer - cold comfort if they're still nuclear targets), China (despite the U.S. exploiting trade opportunities to the full), Iran, Iraq and North Korea (already identified by George Bush as the Evil Axis), Syria (thrown in for good measure) and Libya (probably because Colonel Gadaffi, formerly prime target, continues to thumb his nose at the U.S.)

Now this is first strike talk. The United States Government is preared to use nukes as battlefield weapons - even referred to as "boutique" weapons, in three situations:

i) against targets able to withstand nuclear attack;

ii) in retaliation for attack with nuclear, chemical or biological weapons;

iii) in the event of surprising military developments.

Use of nukes under ANY circumstances is crazy to contemplate - this document clearly shows that deterrence as a posture has gone (not that those of us arguing for the elimination of nuclear weapons ever thought it was credible) - no, there is no longer even the PRETENCE at deterrence.

This document is about the USE of nuclear weapons. The third point: in the event of suprising miliatry developments (what's that supposed to mean?) gives George Bush the green light to nuke anybody, anywhere, anytime.

Just like the war on terrorism has given him personal permission, unlike any other U.S. President, unprecedented powers to wage war anywhere, anytime for as long as he likes.

Unfortunately, Afghanistan, one of the poorest nations on earth, is probably just the first to cop it in this round - and with the full, unquestioning, sycophantic support of the Australian Government.

Violence will produce more violence. War will prduce more refugees, and more terrorists, determined not to be subjugated the the U.S. military machine, and of course, war produces untold environmental destruction.

Again, we must urge our Government to extricate Australian Defence Forces from the tentacles of the United States military machine, refuse to deploy more ships to the Gulf to support the henious sanctions against Iraq which are clearly causing civilian suffering on a huge scale. Let the ADF do something useful, as it's demonstrated it's capable of doing, as peacekeepers, or better still as peacebuilders.

There are extrraordinary ironies abounding in this new Nuclear Posture Review. Some of the new weapons are described as "bunker busters" presumably to smash the bunkers which the CIA has engineered, as in the caves and tunnels in Afghanistan - thus being prepared to use nuclear weapons to destroy their own handiwork!

Mention must also be made of quantities of fissionable materials mysteriously MISSING which could be in the hand of terrorists as dirty bombs (is there such a thing as a clean bomb?), or suitcase weapons, easy to conceal and smuggle across borders.

These two examples of U.S. plans to dominate the world - Star Wars, and the Nuclear Posture Review, both involve Australia very directly through the U.S. base at Pine Gap near Alice Springs. Without Pine Gap, U.S. strategies for waging nuclear war, or conventional war, would be severely depleted. For years it's acted as a huge vacuum cleaner, sucking up information for the U.S. military - it's about time Australia cut those ties, by closing off the exclusive American use of Pine Gap which is of critical importance to their war-fighting plans.

Back in 1975, on November 11th, Gough Whitlam had a speech ready to be given in the House of Representatives questioning the role of Pine Gap. He was sacked that morning. The speech was never delivered. He was the first (and possibly only) Prime Minister to attempt public consideration of Pine Gap's activities. Earlier, Prime Minister John Gorton had said "I don't know what goes on at Pine gap, and I don't care." Trust the Americans was the name of the game. It's too deadly a game to continue.

And we have a right to know what is happening in the heart of Australia.

But the verification role of Pine Gap could be useful for the world: to monitor international treaties which the U.S. is busily undermining e.g. the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty upon which most other disarmament treaties are based and which the U.S. is ready to chuck out in its pursuit of Star Wars; and the Comprehenisve Test Ban Treaty (which successive Australian Governments have supported, to their credit) but which the U.S. rejects. It has no intention of standing by its commitment to the April 2000 Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty Review to unequivocally get rid of its nuclear weapons.

I'm reminded of George Orwell's scenario in 1984 - three states engaged in constant warfare. To hold on too power, and to keep citizens under the thumb, the state organised two states against one at all times, changing enemies at whim. Does that begin to sound familiar?

I've been focussing on the United States government (as distinct from U.S citizens, most of whom seem to fall under the spell of their spin doctors, but at any given time, there are probably about 20 million Americans in anguish and grief at what their government is doing in their name, but mainstream media doesn't report their vigils, their protests, their lobbying efforts to bring some sanity to their government; however, we need to remember that there are peaceful people there!) , so now a shift of focus to our own government.

A reminder that on the subjects of war-fighting, whether conventional or nuclear, and support for Star Wars, Pine Gap is in our sights. There's a big protest being planned there from October 5 - 7th. It will be peaceful, and lively - please find out about it and lend your support even if you can't get there yourself.

But that's not all!

Unfortunately, we make other significant contributions to the nuclear industry, which has been globalized in the worst senses of exploitation and domination since its inception - an international cartel of the worst order, in various ways.

i) continued uranium mining: this Government has not said NO to uranium being mined at Jabiluka as Australians have clearly demanded. We want to listen to the wisdom of the Mirrar people and support their struggle to leave uranium in the ground. This government has also opened a new in-site leach mining operation at Beverley in South Australia, with another planned at Honeymoon. Of course, Ranger & Roxby continue with their leaks and fires, despite having what they claim to be best uranium mining technology in the world. Over and over again, Aboriginal people talk in various ways about Gumungurra - punishment country - where uranium depopsits are located. When will we ever learn?

ii) Lucas Heights: from around the country we support Sydneysiders saying no to a replacement reactor. Again we see the nuclear industry hiding behind a benign facade: nuclear medicine. Well, we know that 98% of radio-isotopes used in nuclear medicine can be produced by cyclotron and spellation technology. The respected body, Medical Association for the Prevention of War, part of the Nobel Peace-prize winning International Physicains for Prevention of War, has joined forces with hundreds of other groups saying that this new reacator is NOT necessary for nuclear medicine, and is a bad idea for a host of other reasons.

iii) Nuclear Waste: our own waste - what to do with it? Where to store it safely? How to ensure that enerations thousands of years froom now understand the danger if radioactivity leaks out? There are many unanswered questions. It is heartening that one of the first acts of the newly elected South Australian Labor Government was to let the federal government know that it would not be a waste dump for the entire country. The stupidest thing we could do, in the face of the many unsolved problems with such contaminated material is too keep producing more of it, but that's exactly what our government is doing!

There's also the spectre of international waste being dumped in Australia's outback, with the juicy carrot of trillions of dollars to be made by relieving nuclear companies of their waste burden. Pangea may have changed tack for the moment, but their proposal will undoubtedly be back, and we must remain constantly vigilant. Such a waste dump would provide a license for the nuclear industgry to continue to produce more radioactive contamination for future generations to deal with - we must say NO WAY!

All this adds up to a huge contribution by successive Australian Governments to the global nuclear nightmare. So, we've got to continue to be active, to be organised, via groups like People for Nuclear Disarmament, Friends of the Earth, the Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition to name a few of the groups active here in Sydney.

In many ways, the world is at a crossroads: overwhelmingly, I think the citizens of planet earth know that big changes are necessary: we can choose COMPASSION AND JUSTICE, CARE OF OUR ENVIRONMENT WITH RIGHT SHARING OF THE WORLD'S RESOURCES

OR

WE CAN CONTINUE TO POLLUTE, TO SQUANDER, TO EXLUDE, AND FACE THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES.

Australians are (mostly) very privileged on the world stage. We have choices not available to everyone, everywhere.

My hope is that we will choose to be open-hearted and genereous.

Part of that, for me, is a realization that a huge abberation in the human story was the 20th century nuclear industry - an experiment too expensive for the earth. I totally abhor it. I want to see it ended in my lifetime. I see it as a responsibility of citizens in the 21st century to end this insidious nuclear industry, to shut it down completely, that is apart from monitoring its dirty leftovers for a very long time. I see this as part of a paradigm shift away from an exploitative culture to a culture of inclusion, generosity and nonviolence.

'Let's respect each other, and the Earth!