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Letter
of the Summer-02 Issue
Reserve the World:
Nuclear
Danger, Tick and Reserve America
Bircan
ÜNVER
The
Nuclear Proliferation Treaty - Prep 2005 meeting was held
from April 9 to 18, 2002 at the United Nations in New
York City.
I
was able to attend the first panel on April 9th,
in which international government representatives presented
their statements and signed the NPT. Six countries have not signed it yet but
186 countries signed on who are also members of NATO.
Despite
very carefully written official or diplomatic language
and formal presentations, the participants ranging from
Canada, Japan, Brazil, Germany, France to Malaysia and
Indonesia, each demonstrated that their country was aware
of the danger from different perspectives and through
their different status, and they all underlined the need
for non-proliferation and control of the production and
usage of nuclear weapons.
Still, mostly they framed their statements from
their government's perspective and a national security
angle. Out
of the 163 countries Canada, Japan and Brazil proposed
general public education and had much more humanitarian
approaches than the others.
Non-governmental
organizations as national and international leaders presented
their statements from various social and cultural perspectives,
and continued their warnings against increasing production
and the possibility of the usage of nuclear weapons. Non-profit
organizations' standing points were based on humanitarian
and environmental issues rather than "national security."
One of the striking graphic pieces of information
that was given out was the fact that one-trillion dollars
was spent on weaponry in 2001 but only a quarter of that
would have been sufficient to solve all the major social
and humanitarian problems in the World today!
During
the NPT Prep-Conference for 2005, the panels under the
title of "Peace
Women" gathered and presented national and international
Women Organizations' perspectives and outlined woman's
essential role in stopping the production of nuclear weapons
and ultimately abolishing them. From the usage of daily
chemicals, the problems of radioactive waste, how to recycle
them, defining AIDS as mass destruction, highlighting
"Human Security" instead of "Natural Security",
an urgent call for "Disarmament", a discussion
of an "International Court" and its mission,
how to educate children and families, how to organize
a powerful advocacy against the usage of nuclear weapons
as well as how to plant and harvest peace; these type
of issues were powerfully presented only under the "Peace
Women" panel series which enormously increased
my hope about the future, and convinced me that planting
and harvesting a peace culture will only be possible by
women, and emerging women organizations' joint statements
and efforts. These efforts by "Peace" and "Women's"
organizations working together have been leading the way,
and is a powerful tool to change this world from the war
and destruction arena to a much more livable, caring and
respectful one, not only on a national but on an international
level.
The
"Nuclear Weapons and Human Security" panel was
one of the most powerful panels in terms of looking at
the "National Security" issue under a different
light where we can see how it ignores human rights and
neglects "Human Security" in the service of
"National Security." There was a common strong
statement for switching governments' general policies
from "national security" to "human security".
Another
striking and hopeful panel was led by SANITY (Students
Against Nuclear Insanity and for Tomorrow's Youth), which
featured presentations by high-school students.
On
the subject of an "International Court", one
shocking example came from Guatemala's representative
about Guatemala's urgent need for five million dollars
in order to save sixty-thousand kids from hunger and death
but they can't get any food aid for children. All that is available is a hundred-million dollars for military
aid.
There
was a high level of awareness and discussion of the current
direction of our World, which highly criticized President
Bush's 369.4 billion dollar military budget in the year
2003.
The
NPT Prep-Conference also convinced me that all these great
ideas, knowledge, reports, and presentations represent
the other side of the big coin of governments, corporations
and mainstream media. In one of the panels, the chairwoman
critiqued in particular mainstream media, stating that
corporations, media and government are in so much control
and have so much power that they do not let out our words
to transit and to be heard by the public in the mainstream
media. She also said that corporations and the military
are in the same bed, which is fascism.
"The
New Nuclear Danger: George W. Bush's Military-Industrial
Complex" is a new book on the subject written by
Dr. Helen Caldicott, who gave a presentation on her book
at the New School University on April 18th.
This event made me much more aware of the closeness of
nuclear war and the desire to use nuclear weapons.
Dr. Caldicott reminds us of Einstein's warning
in 1949 that we were just fifteen minutes away from nuclear
danger, but now, it seems, we are only two minutes away
from pushing that red-button.
You
do not read or hear these kinds of statements in the mainstream
media. Despite this, this event was not the gathering
of just a few intellectuals, but an international conference,
with strong diplomatic, multi-issue, feminist as well
as youth organizations coming together to powerfully represent
the other side of the coin, and indicates an emerging
movement countering the interests of governments, corporations and the
military.
Overall,
during the conference, my reactions have grown against
the mainstream media's approach and made me wonder why
these statements do not reach the general public on a
national and international level. This compelled me to
present this issue on the Light Millennium global platform,
although it is very modest, a symbolic seed of an on-line
platform.
When
some speakers talked about different types of missiles
and the categorizing of nuclear or biological weapons,
I sort of felt that some technical definitions or details
of the content of the missiles or their layers were above
my knowledge or comprehension. Despite this, as Frida
Berrigan underlined during one of the panels, "You
do not have to be a nuclear engineer or scientist to oppose
this increasing danger, everyone on the street should
be against it and go out on to the street and demonstrate
their ideas." With Frida's remarks, I found where
I stand. Not based on my knowledge of nuclear weapons
or any other types of weaponry, overall "I'm against
all types of weapons production, its usage and its marketing,
who ever might have produced or bought them these must
be abolished by all" -of course, the sooner the better--
in order to protect humanity and our unique Earth.
Thus,
the NPT - Prep Conference for 2005, and its series of
panels and meetings, has opened many doors to knowledge
and further exploration of the subject, and other emerging
powers and organizations working in the same direction,
as well as given me a chance to fill my abstract ideas
with some facts and inspired my writing a poem on the
subject titled, "Please,
Wake Up!!!"
* *
* *
*
One
of my dear friends who greatly supports me in writing,
wrote me that in one of our correspondences based on one
of my diaries, "Life is full of miracles, not only
the beauty of an orchid, but also a blade of grass or
any living creature and life sign is a miracle. Each of
these miracles has enough power to change our lives whether
we recognize it or not." This approach gave me great
strength. I was amazed by the way my friend perceives
the life surrounding him. The day I received his note,
I also read the "Arms
Trade Resource Center's" updates and newsletter.
Then my mind completely divided into two parts: On the
one hand, I was feeling and thinking as my friend thinks,
and agreeing with his ideas. On the other hand, thinking
that we are so powerless, we are not able to make any
changes, or to stop any bit of this crazy spending and
investment in different types of weaponry, which basically
aims at mass killing and the destruction of our nature
and culture.
I
was also realizing more and more that without political
and business opposition to any war, the weaponry productions,
nuclear weapons and war games will go on. The consciousness of these problems will
never be able to gain momentum in the general public,
even though they should be everyone's main concerns.
In
particular, I was reading about the ever increasing military
budget, and US military aid to countries such as the Philippines,
Guatemala, Israil, Turkey etc. and the setting up of a
new war with Iraq, all this while children are dying in
Guatemala, Africa, people are losing their jobs, losing
their living standards, most of the families can not afford
to raise their kids in a healthy environment and are not
able to offer them a good education. When the object is
military or war, or creating an enemy for a war, then
throwing billions and billions of dollars in investing,
producing, buying and marketing any type of weapons without
considering humanity, nature, culture and our future,
is like a piece of cake. But when the issue is social,
humanitarian, education, health, science, water, hospital,
etc. unfortunately there are no funds available, no budget
or resources to elevate the World's living condition to
all humanity. Instead
we make eight billion humans and all the Earth's resources
serve a couple of multi-national corporations' interests
and we continue with government policies which mainly
have practiced military and non-humanitarian approaches.
I
am among those who believe that based on Mevlana's philosophy
that a single grain of sand has all of the universe's
values and power, and can bring about major changes in
the world. Sr. Anne Montgomery, who received the 40th
Annual "Peace Award" by the War
Resister League on behalf of CPT, during her acceptance
remarks, quoted from Carl
Sagan that when one butterfly flies in Africa it can
cause a major change in San Francisco. But still, why
have only the corporations, military or the government's
power and policies been shaping today's world and which
direction our World is to go.
I am willing to activate all my possible power
to change this direction towards humanitarian issues rather
than whatever will yield a profit, or increase our power
over killing and people. Whether my own energy has a power
level such as what a blade of grass or a grain of sand
might accomplish, whatever it is, I must --WE MUST-- activate
it and merge with the others who belong to the other side
of this big coin.
My
mind has been stuck on these questions for more than two
months: Why do our ideas not count? Why are scientists,
non-governmental organizations or the general public's
basic needs and expectations not valued on the national
and international political arena by policy makers in
most countries? What will convince them to switch their
direction, even if it seems like going backward to move
forward, for a better future for all?
If
for one reason or another, a nuclear war is conducted,
what is their "real" plan? Will they be able
to survive after all? If not, then why is the whole World driven insistently to this
fatal direction?
The
last week of June, we went to Sebago Beach for camping
with our little son.
It
was the first time I stayed in a cabin and was camping
in the forest and by the lake without any buildings, houses,
industrial destruction without it being a typical pop-vacation.
On the brochure, all these types of camping opportunities
have been defined as "Reserve
America." I loved the environment, and was amazed by its beauty and can
attest that the motto is perfect. Mostly, I spent time
by the beauty of Sebogo lake which is in a circle surrounded
with all types of trees in all nuances of the color green.
The place is actually not far from where we live.
It is only one-hour. I kept thinking "peace" and
"heaven" is not that far during our stay there
and after coming home.
I
re-gained my energy, sitting long hours by the lake or
taking sunbaths on the beach, listening to the wonderfully
composed birds, their natural orchestral music, and two
nights I also listened to the rain. Overall, I was freshened
and energized at the end of the week.
When
we returned home on Sunday, we found a tick under the
left arm of my little son while giving him a shower.
Then
we were in panic. I read about what a tick can cause if
it is able to stay in a body 36-48 hours --what is called
"lyme" disease. It was the first time I saw
a tick, its size, color and shape. It is very hard to
see at first hand and very small. But when I read our
book on health about "lyme" disease, I realized
how much harm a little-tiny tick could cause to a life
or lives. We took our son to his doctor and he is on antibiotics
now. However, according to the book, 10,000 people are
affected by ticks or "lyme disease" in America
every year. This information reminded me my friend's perspective.
Yes, we all have some sort of power to affect our environment
and to make some changes. Whether they are positive or
negative changes depends on each of us.
We
have to learn from a tick about its power and what a tick
can cause which is very negative but on the other hand,
as far as we know, on our planet and in our galaxy, we
are the only creatures who can think, evaluate, compare,
dream, produce not only physically but also intellectually,
and create, and thus we have a capacity to change this
planet for a better tomorrow. With the increasing danger
on the Earth, we must unite our energy, knowledge, positive
dreams for better tomorrows and activate all our capacity
in order to change our misguided direction to humanitarian,
education, science and space matters.
In
conclusion, I fell in love with the concept, "Reserve
America," and the appreciation of the natural
beauty of our surroundings contained within its motto.
But this also made me question why do we not work towards
expanding this motto and concept to "Reserve the
World!!!"
_ . _
News from The Light Millennium since February 25, 2002
We
have aimed to highlight two major concepts in our Summer
- 2002 issue as dedication:
Based on "Islam: A Short History" and
"A History of God" books to Karen Armstrong
and World Policy Institue's Arms Trade Resource Center
project for its great mission.
Light
Millennium global platform was presented at the NYU, Students
Activities Center with the support of ITSS
on March 8, 2002.
Isik
Binyili - Turkish version was published last week of March
2002.
We
celebrated our Second Anniversary on April 6, 2002 with
the support of Cigdem Acar. On April 6th, The
Light Millennium was visited by 55 thousand readers in
86 countries. As of July 8th 2002, our global
platform has been visited by 82 thousands readers in 91
countries.
We
organized "To Many Millennia Dear Nazim" poetry
reading event with the support of the Federation of Turkish
American Associations at the Turkish House in New York
on May 2nd 2002. Selected fifty poems of Nazim
Hikmet were read by thirty participants of the program
and one-hundred-sixty attended the event.
After
several months working on the tax-exempt forms with our
attorneys, we submitted our #1023 Tax-Exempt forms by
May 20, 2002, and received an acknowledgement letter by
the IRS on May 30, 2002.
First
week of June, we were finally able to publish the new
issue of the Turkish & Greek Synergy with its new
design.
We
have signed up with the VolunteerMatch in order to expand
our "volunteer staff". Thus, with this issue;
Sabrina L. Lappa, Jennifer Libbin, Helen Davis, Swati
Jain, Tamre have joined us. Thank you to VolunteerMatch
and Welcome to our new volunteer staff.
We
weren't able to publish a Spring-02 issue because we focused
on finalizing our tax-exempt forms and on publishing the
Turkish & Greek Synergy new issue. We hope to get
over our limitations in terms of an actual production
team when our tax-exempt status is granted.
Isik
Binyili (in Turkish) Summer - Issue will be published
in August. Until the Fall issue, updates will be published
and presented from the TODAY & BUGUN pages monthly.
Thank
you for being part of the Light Millennium.
Be
in peace, light and love...
©
Bircan Unver, July 2002, New York
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