On Sunday, August 10,  1:30 pm coupled with a commemoration of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, people will gather outside the Livermore nuclear weapons lab to protest the latest obscenity: plans to build a "Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator,” at the Lab.

Speakers and music will precede the march to the Lab at 3:00 p.m. when "Stop the War Makers: Hands Around the Lab" march will begin .

The nation's primary nuclear weapons labs, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Los Alamos, New Mexico are both managed by the University of California and together have designed every nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal.

Recently, the Senate voted to overturn the U.S. ban on designing "more usable" mini-nuclear weapons. Research to design and develop these is already underway at Livermore Lab. Scientists there and at Los Alamos received $15 million to develop the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, a new nuclear weapon.

The Bush Administration's work to overturn the ban on mini-nukes further enables nuclear weapons to move from their historic role as a deterrent and places them on the shelf next to conventional weapons to be used on the battlefield.

In addition to designing new nuclear weapons, as part of the its new role in the Dept. of Homeland Security, the Lab will construct and operate a biowarfare agent facility. LLNL will be permitted to aerosolize and genetically modify live strains of anthrax and plague. This has been authorized without on Environmental Impact Statement! A petition against this is at www.trivalleycares.org.

Twenty years ago, thousands of people joined hands to encircle Livermore nuclear weapons lab with peace. Today, when the threat of nuclear war looms, we must continue the legacy of nonviolent resistance to stop the war makers and say NO to the testing, design, development and use of all nuclear weapons. It is time for a new vision: ABOLITION.

 Join us Sunday August 10 at Robert Payne Park, 5800 Patterson Pass Rd., at Vasco, Livermore, 1:30 p.m., or at the Lab at 3 p.m.

ACTION: For more information, contact: Tri-Valley CAREs, (925) 443 7148; www.trivalleycares.org, or Livermore Conversion Project, (510) 663 8065, or Western States Legal Foundation, (510) 839 5877, www.wslfweb.org

Pancake Breakfast XXIX

By INDIRA CLARK

Wow, what a turn out! Of volunteers to work.

The 29th Annual Pancake Breakfast, Sunday, June 8, probably had the most people show up to work ever, and people lingered in conversation around the tables long after their peacecakes had finally arrived and been enjoyed. Discussing war and peace, no doubt.

Deborah Robert's delights of the year were banana nut with glazed bananas, citrus cakes with lemon maple butter, and corncakes with chipolte cream, along with the traditional buttermilk, blueberry, and scotch oaties with fresh strawberry, apricot, and sour cherry syrup Fast food, not us.

Running the risk of leaving someone out, here's a ‘Thank you’ try: Deborah, Stacie, Kathy, Noel, Nancy, Phoebe, Lana, Sandy Ann, Nancy, Suzanne, Kathryn, Chyril, Shelly, Doug, Lynn, Carol, Mike, Elizabeth, Ricardo, Charlie, Manon and friends, Brie, Sharlyn, Lily, Whitney, Nancy, Audrey, Ron, Yolanda, Sierra, Sally, Daniel, Jim, Julie, Sonya, Rachel, Josh, Suzi, Joe, Dorothy, David, Time, Jim, John, Doug, Ricky and friend, and me plus those staffing the Peace/Life Center table.

Links: News and information websites regarding war and the Middle East 

Invest in peace

Mel Duncan, Executive Director of the Nonviolent Peaceforce, explains, "We have set the price low, to make it possible for many people to invest in our hopes for a peaceful future. We hope all our supporters agree that these bonds not only represent a sound investment but also make perfect gifts!"

Understanding Islam in Iran: Global Exchange tour, September 14-27, 2003

Travel to Iran as Global Exchange explores the religion and the people of this misunderstood and demonized country.

Muslims around the world and in the US have long been subject to negative stereotyping where they are presented as terrorists, as uncivilized, barbaric, exotic, peoples who are oppressive to women. The tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001 rapidly intensified hatred against Muslim and have fueled violence, discrimination and government repression towards Muslims living here in the U.S. In an effort to build greater understanding and tolerance of Islam, Global Exchange has organized a tour to Iran focusing specifically on faith.

For many Muslims, Iran is viewed as home to some of the most dynamic scholars on Islamic thought. This tour will explore the ideas of Islamic scholars, the expression of religion in ordinary life, and the impressions that Iranians have toward Americans and how their religion is viewed abroad.

As the world's only Muslim theocracy, Iran has a unique political and religious historical experience, one which is controversial both inside and outside Iran. While participants will learn about the role of government and religion, the focus of the tour will be on how Islam is practiced by the people of Iran.

Cost: $1950 from Tehran ($210 supplement for single-room accommodations) Partial scholarships and fundraising assistance available.

Spotlight Iraq tactics: Some good ways to reach out to your neighbors:

— From Voices in the Wilderness

• Cultivating relationships, initiating dialogue, and building supportive communities so that our peacemaking can grow.

• Practicing and refining persuasive arguments and nonviolent communication.

• Canvassing door-to-door and doing neighborhood leafleting.

• Urging local referenda and resolutions regarding war, civil liberties and weapons proliferation.

• Challenging elected representatives publicly.

• Doing poster campaigns, guerrilla art, and creative resistance.

• Confronting the very institutions of war and terror in our cities, states, towns and nation.

• Organizing vigils, civil resistance, phone-ins, petitions, letter-writing campaigns, public meetings, rallies, demonstrations, lobbying.

• Pressing for divestment from war profiteers by universities and schools.

Who is this god?

Tell me powerful warmongers of the holy deserts, crowns of sleeping snakes
piled a top your soiled minds, who is this god you serve?

Who is this god who seeks bloody vengeance, slaughters innocent souls,
delivers misguided men to fiery graves in steel bellies of flying beasts?

Who is this god who shrouds and shames mothers and daughters, stockpiles
nerve gas and chemical bombs in education houses where children play, ready
to disperse on a whim? What god would rape humanity of security, freedom and
dignity?

Tell me powerful warmonger of my own land and soil, army of wakeful snakes
writhing in your swollen bowels, who is this god that values black gold above
red blood, fosters a legacy of self serving vengeance, praises unbridled
egotism?

Who is this god that euphorically delivers young men and women to early
graves on lethal backs of corporate money beasts, who looks the other way
while gorilla soldiers terrorize peasants, driving them from lifelong
homelands, so you can rape the sacred rain forests for a pipeline of profit
straight to your pocket.

I have seen this god you serve. This god is pain, hate, prejudice, madness
and endless suffering.

This god goes by many names, blind bigotry, deadly tyranny, angry
destruction, greed, insane obsession, lust, power and gluttony.

Two mortals, one god and a throne bathed in blood and death? Has there not
been enough blood and death?

Tell me, who is this god you serve?

- J. S. Barker