June 2002

Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC.

One Small Victory for Humanity

Carol Bragg, veteran peace activist and active in the Fellowship of Reconciliation, is Peace Mission Coordinator

Many Rhode Island activists had not worked on nuclear weapons issues since the end of the Cold War. David Culp, a lobbyist with the Friends Committee on National Legislation, changed all that with a phone call in January contending that the future of nuclear weapons policy was in the hands of Rhode Island's two Senators. When Senator Jeffords of Vermont tipped the balance of power in the Senate to the Democrats by changing parties, Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) became chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee Strategic Subcommittee. He writes the portion of the Defense Authorization Bill which includes nuclear weapons. Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), a moderate Republican, votes with the Democrats more often than not, and can be the pivotal vote on close issues.

Included in the Bush Administration FY 2003 budget request was $15.5 million in Department of Energy (DOE) funds for research on the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, a relatively small nuclear weapon popularly known as the
"bunker buster." Even as Presidents Bush and Putin are stealing the headlines with ostensible major reductions in high-yield nuclear weapons, the Administration is quietly advocating research and development of a small "usable" nuclear weapon. If research funds are approved, the bunker buster will almost certainly be developed and deployed, necessitating the resumption of testing, undermining the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and triggering a new nuclear arms race.

Culp's appeal came at a fortuitous time for the peace community in Rhode Island. In the wake of September 11, we had decided to revive the Rhode Island Peace Mission, a coalition of religious and peace groups that had successfully lobbied the RI Congressional delegation from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. At its February meeting, the Peace Mission decided to accept FCNL's challenge to convince Senator Reed to eliminate funds for the bunker buster when his Subcommittee "marked up" the bill on May 8.

The strategy was simple and straightforward: 1) meet with Senator Reed; 2) place opinion pieces in local newspapers; 3) compose a letter for religious and civic leaders to sign; 4) produce an action alert and background piece for use by Peace Mission groups; and 5) generate large numbers of letters and phone calls.

From our first meeting with the Senator to the actual vote, Reed would not state his position on funding research. He would only cite the problems associated with production and deployment, assuring us that he was weighing the facts.

During a 7-week period, the Peace Mission (now 19 organizations strong) mounted a vigorous campaign. Twenty-five religious and community leaders signed a letter to Reed and Chafee, stating that "conducting research on a 'usable' nuclear warhead takes this country and the world in the wrong direction." Signers included the Episcopal bishop, the head of the RI State Council of Churches, denominational executives, community agency directors, union leaders, and physicians.

A Peace Mission action alert distributed at AFSC's No More Victims conference generated a flood of phone calls and faxes to Reed's Washington office over a 10-day period. One of Reed's aides reported that she had 200 messages on her voice mail. A single church collected 86 signatures. Inner city youth slipped away from the Urban Debate League Regional Championship, held in Providence, to contact Reed's office. Media work and Peace Mission visits locally and in Washington rounded out the effort.

All the hard work eventually bore fruit. On May 9, with Senator Jack Reed providing the leadership, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to reject funds for the bunker buster. The full Senate will vote in early June, with Senator Chafee pledged to oppose any amendments to restore the funds. The
Republican-controlled House rejected Rep. Ed Markey's (D-MA) amendment to cut funds on a 234-172 vote. Differences between the House and Senate versions of the Defense Authorization Bill will need to be worked out. Hence, the fate of the bunker buster is still uncertain.

Its work on the bunker buster completed, the RI Peace Mission is savoring this first test of its capacity to unite groups with diverse priorities in strategic action that can translate sentiment in the peace community into public policy. This small victory, with potentially enormous consequences, is a clear example that we can accomplish in coalition what no organization can do alone.

For more information about the RI Peace Mission, write us c/o RI Conference UCC, 56 Walcott Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860.

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