Resolve

Those who call for nuclear holocaust generally seem to be those who have the most at stake in terms of material and economic possessions. Why is it then, that they claim to want nuclear capabilities which will only lead to their own self destruction? Tell me Mr. Nuclear Weapons Scientist, who will be around to tell of your "great achievements" when all life has been extinguished on earth and only amoebas and micro-organisms are around to breathe the toxic air? The contradictions inherent in the rabid capitalist accumulation of our nation and its push for all-out nuclear war seem to underline the irrationality of the United States military and economic policies, as it roots for amassing the most power and surplus it can to feed our unsustainable war machine, while at the same time ensuring an unstable, bullying and offensive presence in the world that wil surely lead to another world war, likely with those nuclear weapons we claim to be necessary to US Homeland Secuirty.

These realizations only further my resolve to starve, starve, starve until the people begin to realize the insanity of their government's policies. Although I am very hungry, tired, and frustrated at the ignorance of the masses, I am fully conifdent we can persuade a large majority of people to rise up with us and demand a legitimate policy that encompasses ideas of direct democracy, diplomacy, peace, and mutual support.

I hope everyone everywhere who is involved in the action is doing well and know that I am sending my love and support to you all. Don't forget the power we have, let alone the historical instances when people have changed the course of the world. We are doing it as we speak.

Let us continue to stand up for life and help remind people that if they care about any of our lives, then they should ask themselves why they might not care about every human's life. Life is precious, and that preciousness is never taken away, even if you are a different color, nationality, political leaning, religious believer, or a peace activist. GO LIFE!

Love and peace,
Carleigh O'Donnell, UCSB striker

Here are some pictures from UCSB's May 9th kickoff of the hunger strike.





























Cricket Clarke addresses the rally under UCSB's Storke Tower.






























Hunger strike supporter Andrew Culp hands paper cranes to the UCSB administrators who were waiting for us at Cheadle Hall.






























Hunger strike supporter Darwin BondGraham reads the strikers' demand to the administration and supporters.





























Hunger striker Kay Cuajunco signs the demand.






























Hunger striker Ellen McClure signs the demand.

After all the strikers signed, the demand was handed over the the UCSB administration. Several days prior in a meeting between the strikers and the administration, UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang promised to personally hand the demand over to the UC Regents.

You guys are all awesome

Hey all you hungry people,

I just wanted to spread the love and remind everone of you guys how awesome you are and the things you are doing. I am fasting here at Cal and have only had the chance to meet Will, but I know the rest of you are all as great as he is. I have a feeling the next couple of days are going to be hard for all of us, but just remember how super all of you guys are and know that you have more than enough strength to handle this trial.

Peace and Love,
Jason

Press Roundup II

Here's a roundup of the latest articles and media about the hunger strike:

Students Go On Hunger Strike (UCSB Daily Nexus)
Hunger Strike Against Weapons (SF Chronicle)
Can Hunger Stop Nukes (City on a Hill Press - UCSC)
UCSB Students Threaten Hunger Strike (KSBY)

Sample Letter to The Regents

[To all those reading: Please send a letter such as this to the UC Regents encouraging them to vote on a resolution to sever their nuclear ties on May 17th!]


To whom it may concern,

I am writing to urge you, as a member of the University of California Board of Regents, to help introduce a resolution at your May 17th meeting calling for full and immediate severance from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), on the grounds that the Reliable Replacement Warhead program and LANL’s ongoing preparations to conduct plutonium pit manufacturing both clearly violate Article VI of the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

As you likely already know, as many as 30 UC students, alumni, and faculty are currently on a long-term fast to call attention to this timely issue. Some have pledged to go without solid food until you meet their demand. I fully support them in taking this drastic approach, which is entirely appropriate given the scale of the problem of university weapons lab management.

Far from supporting “national security” through its management of LANL and LLNL, the UC is helping to foster extremely dangerous programs that threaten not only the security of people living in the United States, but that of all other life on earth. By designing the new Reliable Replacement Warhead hydrogen bomb, as per the order of the US Nuclear Weapons Council, LLNL is involved in sending a clear message to the international community that the United States intends to maintain a vast nuclear weapons arsenal for the indefinite future, despite its legal obligation to disarm. By preparing to manufacture plutonium pits, LANL is responsible for the most pivotal step in the process of manufacturing new nuclear warheads, one which stands to pollute the natural environment of New Mexico.

There has never been a more critical time for the UC Regents to take a principled stand against the US’ nuclear weapons programs. You are in a very powerful position to do so: You can withdraw management of the keystone institutions in the US nuclear weapons complex. In doing so, you can cast the UC's enormous political and intellectual weight on the side of international law and morality, and make a clear statement of opposition to these dangerous programs. To do otherwise is to continue to provide a veneer of academic legitimacy to the creation and maintenance of weapons that poison communities and endanger the entire world.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was designed to eliminate nuclear weapons. This treaty is now incarnate in the Constitution of the United States. The University of California’s unfortunate affiliation with nuclear weapons laboratories engaged in illegal and unconstitutional activity is a blot on the university and represents precisely the opposite of the UC’s stated motto, “Let There Be Light.”

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. Again, I strongly urge you to help introduce a resolution to vote on severance from the laboratories at your upcoming meeting.

Sincerely,
[your name]
[your affiliation]


Regents Contact Information

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF THE REGENTS
1111 Franklin St., 12th floor
Oakland, CA 94607
tel (510) 987-9220
fax (510) 987-9224 (for petitions, letters)

Regents Office/Secretary Email (she shares our correspondence with the
Regents at the meeting): regentsoffice@ucop.edu

OR The addresses of the individuals in the DOE Oversight committee are below:

Norman Pattiz
Westwood One
8965 Lindglade Street
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 840-4201

Peter Preuss
The Preuss Foundation, Inc.
2223 Avenida de la Playa #220
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 454-0200

John J. Moores
JMI Services, Inc.
12680 High Bluff Dr., Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92130
(858) 259-2500

George Marcus
The Marcus & Millichap Company
777 California St.
Palo Alto, CA 94304
(650) 494-1400

Stephen Schreiner
Alumni Regent
(Vice President of the Alumni
Associations of UC)
Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith LLP
401 B Street, Suite 120
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 231-0303

Bruce D. Varner
3750 University Avenue
Suite 610
Riverside, CA 92501
(951) 274-7777

Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor of California
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 445-2841

Robert C. Dynes
President of the University
1111 Franklin St., 12th Floor
Oakland, CA 94607-5200
(510) 987-9074

Richard C. Blum
Office of the Secretary
1111 Franklin Street, 12th floor
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 987-9220

Gerald L. Parsky
Aurora Capital Partners
10877 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 2100
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 551-0101

Advisory member:
John B. Oakley
Chair, Academic Senate
University of California
1111 Franklin St., 12th Floor
Oakland, CA 94607-5200
(510) 987-9303

AND the Student, Faculty, and Alumni Regents

María Ledesma
2005A Moore Hall
Box 951521
Los Angeles, CA 90095
(310) 206-4416
mledesma@conet.ucla.edu

Jefferson Coombs
Alumni Regent
(President of the Alumni Associations of UC)
340 Main Street, 3rd floor
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 907-17401

John B. Oakley
Chair, Academic Senate
University of California
1111 Franklin St., 12th Floor
Oakland, CA 94607-5200
(510) 987-9303

Michael Brown
Vice Chair , Academic Senate University of California
1111 Franklin St., 12th Floor
Oakland, CA 94607-5200
(510) 987-0711

Encampment

Tuesday night, with mist creeping through Isla Vista and an incomplete essay open before me, I began to doubt my all juice diet. With my back already aching, I wondered how long I could last drinking only water.

Today, none of that seemed to matter. Students, faculty, and the community assembled above Storke Plaza. Some of the strongest, most compassionate individuals I have ever met spoke their minds to the cheering crowd through a sky-raised megaphone. A statement of solidarity was read. I cried, and I saw others crying, and we took comfort in one another.

Then we marched, chanting, and delivered our demand. We set up our encampment, our community, on the grass outside Cheadle Hall, by the bushes with the wild bunnies.

We've moved in and we're serious and we're hungry. Our provisions will last us well through next week. We aren't moving. My back is still aching but it doesn't worry me. The outpour of support will sustain us; the hunger strike is already a victory. Our message is spreading over everyone, like the mist last night in IV.

Our Demand

Today, students and alumni at UCSB issued the following demand to The Regents, by way of UCSB administrators (Chancellor Henry T. Yang has promised to deliver our demand personally on our behalf this coming Monday):

Demand issued by the UC “No More Nukes In Our Name” Hunger Strikers

We call on the University of California Board of Regents to withdraw fully and immediately from their contracts to manage the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on the grounds that the Reliable Replacement Warhead program and LANL’s ongoing preparations to conduct plutonium pit manufacturing both clearly violate Article VI of the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.