The world is set for a new arms race as America pushes ahead with its plans for the 'Son of Star Wars'. If this all sounds familiar then hark back to the 80's when Thatch and Raygun ruled the world and nuclear war was a rizla paper away. The Star Wars programme was originally started by Ronny Reagan in the 1980's and is a sophisticated defence system designed to destroy incoming missiles in space using radar, lasers and rockets. The US claims that it needs this level of protection from attacks by so-called 'rogue states' such as North Korea, Iran, Iraq and Florida, (we made the last one up-honest) all of which are well known for developing nuclear missile technology!
A key element of this mad scheme is the siting of new radar facilities at RAF Fylingdales in North Yorkshire. These new facilities will need planning permission for a programme of works which includes building a concrete block up to 14 storeys high in part of a national park, without this permission the programme's dead! Unfortunately after searching his soul Tony Blair is flying out to Camp David this week to meet with George W. Bush and a Downing Street source told SchNEWS that "Tony" is likely to give the go ahead for this insane plan. Bruce Gagnon of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space commented "If the US is allowed to move the arms race into space, there will be no return. We have this one chance, this one moment in history, to stop the weaponisation of space from happening."
All this talk of the 80's is getting us all nostalgic and carries echoes of the deployment of U.S. Cruise missiles at Greenham Common. Demonstarations are already taking place at US bases and RAF Fylindales where one protester was recently arrested for using the US flag with STOP STAR WARS written on it. She's been charged with 'insulting and disorderly conduct which was 'racially motivated.'
* 27th Feb, Vigil against Star Wars 2-6pm Parliament Square. Contact London CND 020 7607 2302 email carol@caro50.freeserve.co.uk
* 4th May, Nukes in Space. Conference on space militarisation and National Missile Defence. Contact: Yorkshire CND, 22 Edmond Street, Bradford 01274 730795 email cndyorks@gn.apc.org
* Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases, 8 Park Row, Otley, West Yorkshire, LS21 1HQ, England, U.K Tel 01943 466405 www.gn.apc.org/cndyorks/caab