WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO INSURE NO NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST

"No one makes a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only little." Edmund Burke

President Reagan relishes his role as number one salesman for nuclear power and for the U.S. high-tech weapons industry. The U.S. Congress backs him in that role, but not unanimously. Public write-ins and call-ins to the U.S. Congress were nine-to-one AGAINST FUNDING the MX missile in l985, but Congress voted to fund the MX anyway!

In another case, write-ins and call-ins have been more than 200-to-one against a weapons program, but Congress voted to fund it anyway! So we have some clear evidence that democracy doesn't work at all when it comes to funding big weapons programs.

Many believe that we need to "keep up with the Russians" or pro- tect ourselves from the "Red Menace" or some such. Who is kidding whom? We appear to have near-equality with the USSR in numbers of deliverable nuclear warheads at about l2,000 to 25,000 apiece! When you realize that IT TAKES "ONLY" 250 TO 500 NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS NEAR THE EARTH'S SURFACE TO INSURE A WORLDWIDE NUCLEAR WINTER OF SEVERAL MONTHS DURATION, you wonder: WHY DO WE NEED TO KEEP FUNDING MORE BIG NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAMS??? In addition, our technologies are much more advanced and much more sophisticated than those employed by the USSR.

Well, the U.S. weapons industry has become one of the biggest (if not the biggest) industry the world has ever known. That gives them unbelievable power to influence politicians and how they vote when the weapons funding bills come to a vote in Congress. We all know that "money talks."

About 80% of the U.S. population believes that a nuclear holocaust is coming (by accident or on purpose), and that there is nothing that the people of the U.S. can do against such great economic and political power. But that is not how democracy works!

If we are going to avoid a nuclear holocaust "...and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity...," the people of the United States must DO SOMETHING! It is no longer enough to provide minimum funding and verbal support and "let George do it!" THE PEOPLE MUST ACT OR A HOLOCAUST IS INEVITABLE.

"They" said that Three Mile Island couldn't happen. "They" said that Chernobyl couldn't happen either! Remember: "No one makes a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only little." Edmund Burke

Well, there are two basic categories of commitment and risk for anti-holocaust activists: (a) minimum commitment and risk-free activities; and (b) greater commitment and higher-risk activities (you can do none, one, two... or all of these activities):

Minimum Commitment and Risk-Free Activities (l) Refuse to buy or use products made by corporations or bank with banks associated with weapons production or use. You find out who they are. Call the Department of Commerce, the Securities and Exchange Commission, your local chapter of S.A.N.E., or other peace groups. Write the Center for Defense Information, l500 Massachusetts Ave. NW, DC, or call them at (202) 862-0700.

(2) Don't spend any money for one day, two days, or three days a week. That means travel by foot, bicycle, or wind power only! That means don't use any electricity (no T.V., no air conditioner, no radio, no tapes or records played, no stereo). That means don't buy anything! Spend your time reading or thinking.

(3) Refuse to bank.

(4) Fast to end war and weapons production, and make your fast public. Make your fast as long or as short as you want. Everything helps.

(5) Contribute l0% or more of your income to an active anti-holocaust or anti-weapons production effort; but wouldn't you rather keep that money for your own work and you spend l0% or more of your time doing something to stop the holocaust?

(6) Write each of your congressmen and senators in Washington, D.C. once a week and explain your position to them.

(7) Call the following numbers in Washington, D.C. as often as you will and tell them anything you want:

(202) 545-6700 The Pentagon (202) 456-7639 The White House (The following U.S. Government numbers are toll-free:) (800) 424-5l97 Inspector General's Hotline (800) 552-9768 The IRS (800) 638-2772 ) ) Consumer Product Safety Division (800) 638-8270 ) (800) 368-5779 Health and Human Services (800) 424-5409 Department of Labor (800) 523-2929 Department of Energy Hotline (home of nukes) (8) You think of a risk-free way to work against the holocaust, let us know, and do it.

Greater Commitment and Higher Risk Activities Remember: You cannot sell peace with violence! (I) Refuse to pay 50% (the weapons share) of your U.S. taxes. (II) Refuse to pay any taxes. (III) Refuse to work for pay. (IV) Refuse to join the military. (V) Don't spend any money during 4, 5, 6 or 7 days a week. (VI) Contribute 50% or more of your income to anti-holocaust activists. (VII) Join us, Dr. Helen Caldicott, and many others in Lafayette Park in front of the White House and in the Mall in front of the Capitol and help us clog up Washington, DC with millions of nonviolent demonstrators from September, l986. Plan to stay until the U.S. government negotiates with us and gets out of its holocaust-generating policies and funding schemes. Stay a day, a week, a month, three months, or longer. We need you. Fast with us. (VIII) You think of a risky nonviolent way to preempt a nuclear holocaust, let us know, and DO IT.

Oh, yes, there are ways to bring about the end of war in the world without unilateral disarmament. Total disarmament of offensive weapons, and let the USA, USSR, Europe, India, Japan, China and others present the proposal, to end war as an option in international rela- tions, to the world. Any refusers would be passively blockaded.

So there is a way to make it all work. If you can think of a better way, let us know. Bring your idea to the signs in Lafayette Park in Washington, DC.

We can do it if we do it together and speak with one voice: END WAR AND PREVENT A WORLDWIDE HOLOCAUST! Charles Hyder, Ph.D. Lafayette Park P.O.Box 272l7, DC 20038