Olympia Nuclear Free Zone Ordinance

Update: Here's an article published by the Olympian today, August 11, 2005.

Here is a pdf of the actual city ordinance that is going to be considered next week, and put to vote the week after (as I understand the timeline.)

Yesterday, on the ninth, the City Council of Olympia Washington held a hearing and public comment forum on a proposed ordinance to make Olympia a Nuclear Free Zone. About forty citizens of Olympia made comments, lasting nearly two hours. The citizens who chose to give oral testimony regarding the proposed ordinance were unanimous in support of adopting the Nuclear Free Zone ordinance. Way to go Olympia!

Currently, there are over 4,000 established Nuclear Free Zones world wide.

The seven person council appeared to favor adoption of the ordinance, with two exceptions. One was the mayor, Mark Foutch.

The language specific to, and legal basis of the ordinance revolves around three main points

1. Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons: Prohibition of nuclear
   facilities including development, production, transportation,
   storage, processing and disposal.
   
2. Investments of City Funds: Requests the City Manager to
   submit a proposal to the City Council to consider a socially
   responsible investment policy and implementation plan for
   investments of city funds in industries that are knowingly and
   intentionally engaged in the development, testing, evaluation,
   production, maintenance, storage, transportation and or disposal
   of nuclear weapons or their components.
   
3. Eligibility of City Contracts: Requires that the City of
   Olympia grant no awards or contracts for any purpose to any
   person, firm, corporation or entity which is knowingly or
   intentionally engaged in the development, research, production,
   maintenance, storage, transportation and/or disposal of nuclear
   weapons or their components.
   

Rumor has it that the Motorola corporation is strongly opposed to this ordinance. Nextel, which holds contracts with the city is a subsidiary of Motorola. Nextel provides communication technology, devices and services to everything from the police and fire departments to city maintenance. Motorola is known to be involved in the nuclear weapons industry.

Maybe it's time to divest from Motorola. Believe it or not, Motorola has lent technology to the Chinese to make their ICBM's able to "penetrate enemy defenses."

In September 1998, the CIA testified before the Senate National Security Committee that the Motorola technology is being modified by China to double the number of nuclear warheads on the CSS strategic missile. The Motorola transfer also allowed China to upgrade their DF-15 (DONG FENG - Maoist slogan "East Wind") missile with maneuvering warheads that can avoid American anti-missile defenses such as Patriot and Standard. Motorola transfers significantly upgraded the nuclear firepower and accuracy of Chinese weapons. Motorola technology transfers mean that Chinese warheads can now "penetrate enemy defenses."

Here's US senate testimony regarding Motorola, China and nuclear weapons technology:

Motorola is only the most recent example of American assistance. During the Clinton Administration, the Commerce Department allowed Huawei to buy high-performance computers worth $685,700 from Digital Equipment Corporation, worth $300,000 from IBM, worth $71,000 from Hewlett Packard and worth $38,200 from Sun Microsystems. In addition, Huawei got $500,000 worth of telecommunication equipment from Qualcomm.

We the people can divest and revoke our consumership of goods and services from businesses and corporations, which are involved and complicit in the nuclear weapons industry. We need to withdraw economic consent. When cities make the move to do this, it's all the better.

War Debases Human Dignity.