 |
Shundahai
Network |
|
Over
a Decade of Resistance - Dedicated to Breaking the Nuclear Chain
Shundahai is a Newe (Western Shoshone) word meaning "Peace and Harmony with all Creation" |
___________________________________________________________________ |
|
Shundahai Network E –
News Contents Include: Shundahai Network in transition; Corbin Harney - an update and appeal; Bombplex 2030 – The U.S. plan for new nuclear weapons; Yucca Mountain – new developments and actions; Updates on Divine Strake, Nuclear Power, Nuclear Waste, Indigenous peoples news; Upcoming events; an invitation to be a part of the Shundahai Network website collective; and a message from the new editor and internet coordinator _______________________________________________________ Shundahai Network in transition Shundahai Network is unique in our continuing ability to evolve and adapt to changing circumstances. We are in a new evolutionary period. After a three year run, the Salt Lake City office has closed due to funding and related time and personnel constraints. Most of the equipment has been put into storage, and Pete Litster is continuing his efforts as Executive Director from his apartment while working overtime at an outdoor gear warehouse to pay the bills. This past year Pete and Eileen McCabe Olsen have struggled through a difficult period to continue organizing and developing strategies with national alliances. We thank Eileen for her tireless work maintaining organizational focus and support. She continues to be engaged at the national and local level on these and other important issues. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the past staff, current board members and, of course, all of you for supporting our work. We have been involved in over a decade of creative nonviolent resistance to the U.S.’s nuclear weapons, power and waste policies while helping to sustain indigenous communities fighting these issues and participating in national and international movements. We could not have accomplished all that we have done with out you! Shundahai Network's Board of Directors is considering the future long-term direction for the organization. Your continued support is needed to help in this process. There are some exciting proposals being looked at. In the meantime we will continue to provide news and analysis of nuclear and indigenous issues through our ever evolving website. If you have not visited our website in the past several months, please take the opportunity to do so now and let us know how we are doing. We plan on expanding our web presence and becoming a stronger resource for indigenous and minority communities regarding nuclear and environmental justice issues. We are forming a collective of volunteers to continue this work. If you are interested in participating please see our proposal below. _______________________________________________________ Corbin Harney - an update and appeal Many of you know Corbin or know of his life’s work over the past couple of decades. He has had a profound impact on almost everyone he has met. This past summer, Corbin was diagnosed by western doctors with prostate cancer which has reportedly spread to his bones. After spending the early summer at Nanish Shontie, Corbin is back at Poo Ha Bah where he is receiving constant care and is close to the healing hot springs. Due to the healing ceremonies, prayers and help of many people, his health has been improving but he still needs our prayers and any good energy that you could send him. We send our heart felt gratitude to those who have been already doing this. We do believe that this has been helping him in his healing. Corbin is in good spirits and has said that he is feeling better. We are asking that if anyone would like to help in the expense of Corbin’s medical treatments, exams, herbs, transportation costs, and other related expenses, please send checks to Corbin Harney, P.O. Box 187, Tecopa, CA. 92389 We are collecting messages to send to Corbin towards the end of December in a care package. If you know Corbin, please consider writing a short statement that we can include. Visit his web page to learn about his life and leave a message of love for him. _______________________________________________________ Bombplex 2030 - The U.S. plan for new nuclear weapons The Department of Energy (DOE) has released a Notice of Intent to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) for a massive reorganization and refurbishment of the nuclear weapons complex. This giant shift in operations is being offered as a supplemental environmental impact statement to the 1996 Stockpile Stewardship and Management PEIS in an attempt to mask the scale of the proposed changes. Bombplex 2030 essentially seeks to replace old nukes with new and more usable nukes. They are proposing to consolidate and renovate nuclear weapons facilities that are located all around our country. The plans will lessen the number of nukes currently on hand, however, it will give the U.S. the power to build new nukes at an astonishing rate. Is this your vision of the world in 2030? The National Environmental Policy Act says DOE HAS TO LOOK AT ALL ALTERNATIVES. DOE is required by law to listen and respond to your concerns. Take action and add your voice. Public comments are due by January 17, 2007. Please visit our Bombplex 2030 page for more information and to take action
_______________________________________________________ Yucca Mountain – new developments and actions The U.S. Department of Energy has issued a new call for public comments on Yucca Mountain. Add your voice and demand responsibility and accountability from the U.S. government to protect the environment and honor the human rights of the Western Shoshone Nation. The deadline for public comments is December 12, 2006 The DOE invites comments on the scope of the Supplemental YM Repository Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to ensure that all relevant environmental issues are addressed. Since publication of the Yucca Mountain Final EIS, DOE has continued to develop the repository design and associated plans. As now planned, the proposed surface and subsurface facilities would allow DOE to operate the repository following an approach in which most commercial spent nuclear fuel would be packaged at the commercial sites in multipurpose transport, aging and disposal canisters (TADs), and all DOE materials would be packaged in disposable canisters at the DOE sites. Waste packages would be arrayed in the repository underground to achieve what is referred to as a higher-thermal operating mode, and most spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste would arrive at the repository by rail. Read more >>> The DOE also invites comments on the scope of the Supplemental Yucca Mountain Rail Corridor and Rail Alignment EIS to ensure that all relevant environmental issues and reasonable alternatives are addressed. Scoping will help define the expanded scope of the Rail Alignment EIS to supplement the rail corridor analysis of the Yucca Mountain Final EIS, and analyze the Mina corridor. This Supplemental Yucca Mountain Rail Corridor and Rail Alignment EIS will also consider, in detail, alignments for the construction and operation of a rail line within the Caliente and Mina rail corridors. Read more >>> _______________________________________________________ The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) had scheduled a weapons test, code named "Divine Strake" originally for June 2, 2006 at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The test was postponed due to lawsuits and public outrage including a protest at NTS that we helped organize. Other sites were considered for the massive explosion including sites in Indiana and New Mexico, but after local activists mobilized in those states it has now been moved back to NTS and U.S. hopes to conduct it in 2007. Stay tuned for more updates as the Stop Divine Strake coalition prepares new strategies to cancel this test once and for all. Please visit our Divine Strake page for more information and updates. _______________________________________________________ Nuclear Power Efforts are being pursued in at least Georgia and Idaho to build or develop new nuclear power reactors and modify current ones to produce more electricity, but also more deadly waste. Please visit our Nuclear power page for more information and updates. _______________________________________________________ Nuclear Waste Energy Solutions, a Utah based nuclear waste company has proposed new nuclear waste reprocessing plants and has sparked local fury when a Salt Lake City Arena was renamed the Energy Solutions Arena. Please visit our Nuclear waste page for more information and updates. _______________________________________________________ Highlighted story
- Native American fights corporations ______________________________________________________ From the Western Shoshone Defense Project - 2nd Annual Women’s Gathering, December 15 – 17th, 2006, Poo-Ha-Bah Native Healing Center (Tecopa, California). Discuss Traditional Roles of the Female and Women in the Nature Way of Life. Sweat Lodge Leader: Darlene Graham. Spiritual and Environmental talks. Basic food and shared rooms provided. Donations of food or funds welcome. Limited spaces available, please reserve yours now – 775-468-0230 or 760-852-4288. _______________________________________________________ An invitation to be a part of the Shundahai Network website collective We are looking for five activists to be a part of a dynamic collective of volunteers who would commit to 3 – 5 hours a week on helping to design the website, do research and post information on our issue pages, and do outreach to prospective participating organizations. This could be an exciting possibility to be part of a creative team of dedicated activists addressing important concerns affecting indigenous and minority communities regarding nuclear and environmental justice issues. The initial vision is to create a series of web sites (including current one) or web presences that would truly be a network of engaged activists and groups highlighting mostly small local indigenous, minority or otherwise disenfranchised community organizations who would otherwise not have a chance to have a web presence. This would be interactive with elements such as blog's, myspace.com and a site where other organizations could post announcements and action alerts. Participating organizations would be asked to adhere to a set of principles centered on nonviolence and an advisory board of environmental justice leaders would be set up to give guidance. If you are interested in being a part of this collective, please send us your resume and a writing sample. We will begin forming the collective in January. Web design experience is desirable, but not necessary. We can train the right people and there are ways you could help without having web designing programs, by doing internet research and creating text which you could send to us to include on our issue pages. For more information visit our website collective page _______________________________________________________ Message from the new editor and internet coordinator I am Reinard Knutsen. Some of you may know me from my past work with Shundahai Network. I have always remained involved at some level and am pleased to continue my service as an internet coordinator and editor for the E-news. I have not personally sent out an email newsletter since 2002 and I admit to being rusty in my editorial skills. Please forgive any mistakes you might find in this first attempt. I am excited to be a part of Shundahai Network’s current story and look forward to reformatting our web presence to be a stronger resource for creative resistance and movement building and working on developing the new collective which will hopefully energize our internet efforts. I look am eager to rekindle working relationships with many of you. I am glad to hear from anyone regarding the newsletter, website, or to just share stories and ideas. Please email me. The email is only checked several times a week so please be patient while I respond. In Peace, Respect, Solidarity and Love,
Reinard |
___________________________________________________________________