Cancel Cassini events

Cancel Cassini events
September 1997

In order to give a sense of the amount of activity going on around the Cassini protest, what follows is a Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice summary of developments in the worldwide struggle to stop the launch:

The Miami Herald ran a big, front page story in last Sunday's edition [8/24/97]. A great story with great quotes from Alan Kohn, Michio Kaku and John Pike which ran all over the country on the wire.

The TV show "Strange Universe" just ran a good story, and one on "Hard Copy" airs in early Sept. CNN is now working on the story as is CBS evening news. 60 Minutes will probably air a segment on Sept 14 or 21. Watch them to be sure.

Demonstrations are now being planned in Sept for New York City, Seattle and San Francisco. Germany will do one with us on Oct 4.

We now have organizers in Kenya and South Africa. [Cassini's launch path will take it directly over Africa before it reaches our outer atmosphere. If something happens after launch, Africa will be in the path of the nuclear particle fall-out.]

Peace folks on Marthas Vineyard, where Clinton is vacationing, are doing a campaign to make sure that he hears about Cassini. One of their folks just "handed" Hillary a Cancel Cassini message at a social affair.

A current NASA engineer went before the Titusville City Council (town right next to Kennedy Space Center) asking them to pass a resolution against Cassini. We are hearing more and more reports of worker discontent about having to launch nuclear power.

During our Cancel Cassini Camp at the end of July we put 10,000 Cancel Cassini door-hangers on doors throughout Brevard County (space coast). We were informed that these door-hangers are being reproduced and passed around the county.

A Brevard County night-club puts out a publication called the Bluez News. This month they are printing 20,000 copies and putting 12 pictures of last January's Delta rocket explosion with the headline "Cassini blows up, Brevard evacuated" on the front page. They plan to put them in every 7-11 store in the county.

As a result of the publication of Karl Grossman's book, "The Wrong Stuff", radio stations all over the U.S., including Scotland, are calling him for interviews. (This book is now available at the Civic Media Center.)

Rep. Lynn Woolsley (D-Ca) is the first Congressperson to send Clinton a letter asking him to Cancel Cassini. Our friends in Marin County made this happen.

The National Sierra Club is asking their local grassroots organizers to join in on the Cassini campaign.

Our friends in Palm Beach County are organizing a 13-mile swim for Safe Space Exploration.

The 1-800-No-Cassini phone number to Clinton is working and delivering calls to him, Hillary and Chelsea.

At the recent Bread & Puppet Circus in Vermont, 30,000 people in attendance, the Cassini issue was given prominent display by the puppeteers. We were sent 1,300 petition signatures as well.

Mendacino County, Ca. Board of Supervisors just voted 5-0 in favor of a Cancel Cassini resolution.

Rep. Ron Dellums (D-Ca) is sending a letter to Clinton asking for a launch cancellation and the solar alternative to be developed

On August 7th, 50 people in Washington DC attending the Faith & Resistance retreat organized by Jonah House (Phillip Berrigan) and Dorothy Day Catholic Worker occupied NASA headquarters. Carrying anti-Cassini banners and signs they gathered inside the lobby and near the elevators. Eight were arrested. They plan to return again before October 4.

At our Sept 8 National Press Club press conference in Washington DC we plan on making a dramatic announcement in regard to our Cancel Cassini campaign. Stay tuned!

Classic 89/Nature Coast 90 (89.1 FM) will air a talk by journalist Karl Grossman which was given at the Civic Media Center over the summer. Listen for it on Monday, Sept. 29th at 12:15pm.

Free Radio Gainesville will be airing an episode of Making Contact, a 1/2-hour progressive news magazine, focusing on the anti-Cassini organizing. Listen for it on 94.7 FM on Sunday, September 14th at 6pm.