2004: UU's Adopt Missile Silo O11 near Pawnee Buttes

Protesting New Era of Nuclear Arms

Unitarian Universalists have promoted peace and global nuclear disarmament in dozens of resolutions and many actions since 1961. Join us as UUs again bear witness against the ongoing threat posed by the US nuclear arsenal, and against costly and destabilizing actions of the US government to increase our reliance on strategies of First-Use of nuclear weapons. See New Age of Nuclear Arms, below, for more on the issues.

For the second year, UUs are adopting a missile silo as part of the event sponsored by the Colorado Communities for Justice and Peace For great background information on the day of protest and the many peace groups participating, and maps of where the silos are, see: Adopt-A-Silo.

Last year's event was a great success. See the story, with pictures, of Unitarian Universalists at site O11 on July 26 2003.

Who: UU "Citizen Weapons Inspectors" from UU congregations around the region. This means YOU. We know of participants from the UU Church of Boulder, UU Fellowship of Boulder, UU Church of Greeley and Jefferson Unitarian Church so far.
UU Inspection Team coordinator is Kathy Partridge, 303-594-6434

What: Adopt a Silo, Non-violent legal protest at the Weapons of Mass Destruction right here in our own backyard. UUs will symbolically inspect one of 49 Minuteman missile silos.

When: Oct 2 2004, 11 am We'll gather for a Chalice Lighting, and a Water Communion, then use the water to symbolically cleanse our missle. Songs welcomed!
Later on we'll caravan to rally with the Teams "inspecting" the other 48 silos. People with time constraints could go to other closer silos. Songs welcomed!
See maps and images at http://uucboulder.org/sj/adoptasilo/nukesites.html
It would be fun to camp out the night before, enjoy great dark skies, and hike out to nearby Pawnee Buttes in the morning. See Thomas Henry's page for more info on Pawnee National Grasslands.

Where: United States Missile Silo 011 (see aerial image, right), which is nicknamed Malevolence by activists.. 12 miles northeast of Grover,which is about 45 miles northeast of Fort Collins. See map of the silos at http://tinyurl.com/hmid, and geographical data for more info and maps.

Camping overnight, stargazing, hiking Pawnee Buttes: Contact Neal McBurett (303-494-6493) if interested.

Directions: (bring a good, detailed Colorado road map)

I-25 (or Highway 85) to Highway 14 east toward Sterling. At Briggsdale, go north to County Road 120, then east to Grover (where there is a store). From Grover, go east 8 miles on County Rd. 122, then turn left to go 3.8 miles north on County Rd. 105. Our missle is on the right.

Bring: Water -- for the water communion. UU banners and flags -- bright and large, to be visible from the air (there will be aerial photography). A cooler with ice, water, and sports drinks. Food. Umbrellas and shade. Sunscreen and bug repellent. Light cover-up clothes and closed toed shoes. Rain gear (in the unlikely event).

Fill up with gas early, and use the restroom. Cell phones mostly won't work.

Why: Here's some reasons, and surely there are many more:

Because delegates at UUA General Assemblies have confirmed our denomination's commitment to peace, international law, and nuclear disarmament (see below).

Because the current administration is pushing a first-use strategy, resumption of testing, and development of new weapons. In short - towards a new era of nuclear arms!

Because weapons of mass destruction are indeed a big threat to world security. And we have found some, here, right in our own backyard!

Because we want a world of peace, justice, and inherent dignity of all people, not the lingering threat of nuclear war.

Because there are international laws and institutions that we support.

New Age of Nuclear Arms

"In its 2001 Nuclear Posture Review the Defense Department envisaged nuclear options for a wider range of circumstances than ever before, and called for the development of new nuclear weapon types and heightened readiness of the Nevada test site. In the arms reductions negotiations between Presidents Bush and Putin, the administration insisted on maintaining nuclear forces of Cold War dimensions, with thousands of the strategic nuclear weapons withdrawn from the deployed forces held in a ready reserve force." [1]

The administration is supportiing a Nuclear Bunker Buster, low-yield nuclear weapons & the resumption of nuclear testing.

Here are the reactions of a number of commentators:

3 Nobel Laureates Criticize Bush Nuclear Posture Review
"The Nuclear Posture Review signals an unfortunate reversal of longstanding policy, ending the taboo against nuclear weapons by including them in the full range of weapons to be used against countries with which the U.S. has major disagreements. "
They continued: "The Bush administration may be embracing what every previous President has rejected and could provoke a dangerous escalation of the nuclear arms race at a time when nuclear weapons should be eliminated."
President Bush's Nuclear Weapons Policy: Illogical, Ineffective,
"The administration's policies regarding America's own nuclear weapons have systematically undercut the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which has for 33 years defined the only internationally accepted barrier to nuclear proliferation."
According to Briefing Book on Building A New Generation of American Nuclear Weapons:
- The Administration is requesting that Congress repeal a law passed in 1993 barring research and development on low-yield (less than five kiloton) nuclear weapons.
- The Administration is requesting $15 million for research on a nuclear bunker buster, called the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, plus $6 million for advanced concept initiatives.
- The Administration is seeking $25 million to reduce the amount of time it takes to carry out a technically significant nuclear test explosion from the current 24 - 36 months to 18 months.
"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

"We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together."
President, General Dwight David Eisenhower: 1961

UU References

The General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association has resolved to seek an end to the nuclear arms race on no less than thirty (30) occasions since its first assembly in 1961. Here are some of the statements.

National Missile Defense System (AIW 2000)
Mutual Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban - 1985 General Resolution
Condemnation of Knapsack Nuclear Weapons - 1985 General Resolution
Nuclear Free Zone October - 1985 General Resolution
Stop Space Weapons: Resume Space Cooperation - 1984 General Resolution
No First Use of Nuclear Weapons - 1984 General Resolution
Nuclear Freeze - 1983 General Resolution

Our action will celebrate the diversity of UU opinions and feelings, allowing all to speak from our hearts and intellects on this urgent issue.

Please join us! Please spread the word!

If you can't make it all the way to O11, or if you want to visit a closer site at another time, see Adopt a Missile Silo - Maps and Images

On the web at: http://uucboulder.org/sj/nukes.html

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