Nuclear Testing
Demonstration
To Be Held
By Brent Merrill
Salem, Oregon - Native Americans from all over the
United States will be joining delegates representing 118
countries to demonstrate nuclear testing at the Nevada
Test Site on January 5th, 1990. The demonstration will
culminate on Friday, January 14th, 1991 with a one-day
unconventional conference at the Sahara Hotel in Las
Vegas, Nevada. Anti-nuclear testing activists from
around the world will be present to share experiences
and plan strategies to establish a formal nuclear testing
ban. Presentations will be minimized and emphasis will
be placed on direct planning and the development of
networking plans for activist to further share informa
tion. Environmental degradation, health impacts and
direct action theories will be the topics of discussion
groups throughout the day and time and space will be
made available for viewing anti nuclear videos and
literature.
On Saturday, January Sth, activists will participate in a
planned, non-violent protest demonstration at the
entrance to the Nevada Test Site. According to infor
mation provided by Oregon Peaceworks, the demonstra
tion "will be held to bear witness to the destructiveness
of nuclear weapons testing." Organizers of the action -insist
that the protest was established for the purpose of
bringing more attention to "the collective reflection of
the notion that killing tools are needed to keep the
peace."
The Nevada Test Site is located on land that is recog
nized as belonging to the Western Shoshone Nation.
The Greenpeace organization, co-sponsors of the action
along with the American Peace Test, has stated that they
believe the United States Government illegally seized
the land for the testing site from the Shoshone Nation.
Greenpeace does not recognize United States admini
stration and therefore only seeks permission to gather
on the site from the Shoshone people. The test site is
located in Nye County where the local government
allows gatherings outside the fence but arrests anyone
crossing the fence line and charges them with illegal
trespassing on government property. In the past, the
local government has dropped all charges against those
arrested because of the cost of processing the demon- .
strators.
Since its formation in 1970, Greenpeace has worked
with organizations like American Peace Test and various
anti nuclear activists from all over the world to get a
comprehensive test ban treaty in place. It seems that
President Bush and the United States Government are
the only deterring factors to the establishment of the
treaty ban. According to the American Peace Test, a .
treaty conference will be held in New York that could
ban nuclear testing, but that treaty is expected to be
vetoed by Bush. During January 7th through the 18th,
delegates from 118 countries will gather in New York
City at the United Nations building in an effort to
persuade the President and the government to work with
other nations using nuclear power to establish a compre
hensive test ban treaty. The actions planned are for the
purpose of putting a maximum amount of pressure on
the Bush administration just prior to the treaty confer
ence. According to the United States Comprehensive Test
Ban Coalition, there are over 50,000 nuclear weapons in
the world today, and 1,000 underground tests have been
conducted since 1965. Also, over 75 of United States
citizens support a ban on underground nuclear testing.
Congressman Tom Downey said recently, "We have
awakened to the fact that planet Earth is a delicate place
to live... One fantastic symbol of that recognition would '
be to stop putting nuclear weapons in the Earth and
detonating them." '
Smoke Signals
January 1991
7
Retructure of B.LA. Draws Cool Response from Leaders
By Peter West ' '
Washington - Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan
Jr.'s plan to restructure the Bureau of Indian Affairs to
improve educational services for Native Americans is
meeting with a guarded response from Tribal leaders
and others who question not only the move's potential
effectiveness, but also the Secretary's motives in making
the proposal.
Mr. Lujan proposed this fall that the B.IA. be split into
three parts: a Bureau of Indian Education, and Office
of American Indian Trust, and a smaller B.IA., which
has been dubbed "the balance of the bureau," or B.O.B.
The Secretary argues that his proposal which he
estimates would cost an additional $200 million a year
would streamline administration and improve the quality
of the BiA.'s teaching staff.
But Tribal leaders fear that the restructuring might do
little good, and possibly even some harm, to the services
provided to some 30,000 Indian students nationwide.
Such powerful organizations as the National Indian
Education Association and the National Congress of
American Indians have officially asked Mr. Lujan to
delay any action until the Tribes have had an opportu
nity to study the proposal further.
In a letter to the N.CA.I.'s executive committee, N.
Gay Kingman, the organization's executive director,
noted that "there seems to be a groundswell from Tribes
to halt the reorganization until they can analyze the
consequences of such a major change."
Mr. Lujan currently is meeting with leaders of the
various Tribes to explain his proposal.
The reorganization is expected to be included under
the department's submissions during the budget process
for fiscal year 1992.
: . A 'Comedy Routine'?
At least some of the Indian leaders' discontent stems
from the manner in which they learned of the
Secretary's intentions. The Secretary made his proposal
public in September without consulting Tribal leaders,
who were not mollified when Mr. Lujan briefed them on
it during the annual meeting of the N.CA.I. in Al
buquerque later that month.
B.IA. spokesmen later acknowledged that they had
failed to notify the Tribes of the proposal before the
briefing.
At the briefing, Mr. Lujan argued that one advantage
of his proposal is "that you'd have a group of B.IA.
employees focusing on education."
"We'd make education a priority," he added. "We'd
fund centers for B.IA. teachers, providing better
training."
But critics have attacked the change as a pointless, and
probably ineffective, bureaucratic reshuffling.
The Arizona Republic, in an editorial, lampooned the
concept by poking fun at the new designations that
would accompany the changes.
"B.O.B. and E.D. sound like a comedy routine or a
couple of guys doing TV commercials for a wine
cooler," the editorial said.
The quip has been gaining currency among opponents
of the restructuring.
But Mr. Lujan's proposal has come under fire from
quarters other than the Indian community.
The National Federation of Federal Employees has
also questioned the change, arguing that the proposed
reorganization would result in the closing of several
B.IA. Held offices.
"We believe that the bureau is in the process, the
federal regulations governing such reorganizations, and
the desires of the Indian Tribes themselves," wrote
James M. Pierce, the N.F.F.E.'s president, in a letter to
Congressional leaders.
Observers also have questioned whether the proposal
is Mr. Lujan's effort to pre-empt a more sweeping
reorganization of the agency that was proposed by a
special investigative panel of the Senate Select Commit
tee on Indian Affairs. (See Education Week, Nov. 29,
1989).
The panel recommended abolishing B.IA. and making
payments of federal funds directly to Tribes.
One member of the panel, Senator Dennis DeConcini,
democrat of Arizona, has said that Mr. Lujan's proposal
would not effectively change the B.IA.'s operations
because the bureau itself would continue to exist.
Community Colleges "Open
Door" Not So Open
In a December 90 article carried in the Salem States
man Journal, the newspaper reported that many of ,
Oregon's community colleges will face financial con
straints due to passage of Measure 5. State support for
community colleges has been on the decline during the
last 10 years. During this same time period, more "
people have tried to take advantage of community
college programs. People used to be able to show up at
the first meeting of their class and register. Now if
people try to attend and register they find that generally
classes have been filled for a week or so. "The open
door philosophy for community colleges really isn't
open-door any more unless you register early." The
bottom line is, if you plan on taking a class or attending
school during winter or spring terms 1991, plan on
registering early!
With this in mind, be forewarned, the deadline for
spring term enrollment is February 15, 1990. If you are
interested in getting into school during spring, you will
need to have your application submitted into this office
by established deadline. Register Early!
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P.O. Box 751 f
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