1

DELAWARE COUNTYPLEDGE OF RESISTANCE

P.O. Box 309 ~ Swarthmore, PA 19081 ~ phone & fax: 610-543-8427 Winter 2005

PledgeStrategySession ‘05by Brad Bradlee

“May you live in interesting times.” Amalediction to your average citizen,Pledgers take this ancient Chinese oathas a call to action. “Interesting times”are what motivate us, and so we metthis January ready to address the chal-lenges of 2005. The highlights of theannual Pledge strategy session:

It has been one year since JeanBertrand Aristide was deposed as presi-dent of Haiti. Ron Coburn brought usup to date on the deteriorating condi-tions on the island, including the pre-vailing economic chaos, ecological dev-astation, and state violence against thepoor. An emboldened army is demand-ing new power and back pay. PromisedU.S. aid has not been delivered. And, typi-cally, our government favors the wrongelements of civil and official society.

Most people are unaware of theU.S. role in Haiti’s problems. We think aforum featuring expert speakers is a firststep towards education. We are alsointerested in joining with others to senddelegations to Haiti—our members re-call their own fact-finding travel to Haitiand Central America and know the im-portance of first-hand experience.

Organized resistance to unfair eco-nomic policy has been gaining groundthrough much of Latin America. But asLynn Biddle pointed out, Guatemala stillsuffers from a war against labor. Human

rights are under constant attack, andU.S.-backed trade agreements, likeCAFTA, are a big part of the problem.This year, Pledge wants to look at what’sgoing on inside Guatemala and discoverwhat we can do to help in the struggle.

We opposed the Iraq war; now howdo we address the occupation? To helpus meet this challenge, Pledge is fortu-nate to have the inside perspective ofButhaina Neveln. Buthaina reviewed theconduct of the war against Iraq and thecurrent administration of the country.She describes both as inept and coun-terproductive. Elections are viewed withskepticism because real power residesin Washington. The occupation hasprovoked ethnic divisions, and disor-der is everywhere, with “every organi-zation working against the other.”

As Pledge looks for ways to influ-ence U.S. policy in Iraq, Buthaina sug-gests we as activists communicate withthe Iraqi people through private Arabmedia sources. She told us Iraqis knowlittle of American opposition to Bushpolicies. With four more years of this

president and neo-con influence, Pledgeintends to keep Iraq on its agenda.

Though Pledge understands thestructural nature of politics, we also holdtop officials responsible when they di-rect crimes against humanity. Such isthe case with George Bush. Around theworld, various groups are pursuing le-gal action against the president. Pledgewill consider joining these initiatives.

Looking for some entertainment? Abreak to rest up from the duties of citi-zenship? Pledge suggests a night at themovies. Bob Small will produce “Resis-tance Cinema,” featuring films both sub-versive and entertaining. We’ll bescreening at Media Providence FriendsSchool—dates will be announced. (Seepage 5, Film Series.)

Soon Pledge will unveil its new webpage. We’ll be posting articles, solicit-ing your written contributions, and of-fering a forum for your ideas and obser-vations. You’ll want to check out all thenew features, so keep an eye on thenewsletter for an announcement of ouraddress!

Participants at the Pledge strategy meeting include (L-R), Will Scull,Buthaina Neveln, Bob Neveln, Paula Bronstein, Lynn Biddle, RonCoburn. Not pictured: Brad Bradlee, Bob Small.

2

by Paula Bronstein

In the Philadelphia municipal electionof Nov. ‘03, voters overwhelminglysupported a referendum for universalhealth care. The referendum mandatedthat the Philadelphia Department ofHealth develop a plan to provide ad-equate health care for all Philadelphiansand to present this plan to PhiladelphiaCity Council in one year. The plan waspresented to the health commissioneron Jan. 31, 2005. Next, the commissionerwill present the plan to the mayor andCity Council.

The plan has been developed by apartnership of the city health departmentand a Princeton graduate research classwith input from concerned parties fromaround the city. Five U.S. cities havealready adopted programs to deal withthe uninsured—Tampa, San Diego, Bos-ton, Detroit, and Milwaukee. The planbeing presented to the City Council rec-ommends the creation of a CreativeHealth Care Leadership Partnership. Thepartnership functions are:

• Clinical care management—tocoordinate services and infor-

by Paula Bronstein

DELCO Pledge is a member of the PeaceCenter of Delaware County, located inthe Springfield Friends Meeting at 1001Old Sproul Rd. Pledge pays an annualfee, currently $175. Members share ac-cess to common space to hold meet-ings and events as well as sharing re-sources, such as a bulk mail permit anda nicely furnished basement with a cof-fee counter, TV, VCR, and sofas andchairs.

The Peace Center is under the aus-

A Place for Peace to Grow

Prospects for Universal HealthCare in Philadelphia

This plan expressly recognizes thatthe “single payer” system is the bestsystem but concludes that single payercannot be implemented at the local level.The above briefly described plan is onlyin draft phase and will probably bechanged as it seeks approval of the ma-jor players in the city health system andthe city government. Copies of the fullplan will be available when the final draftis completed. More information on uni-versal and single payer health care andorganizing around these issues can beobtained at 267-253-5074 orwww.phillyhealth.org.

mation for the uninsured.• Finance—to find ways to fi-

nance these programs. Severalsuggestions were presented.

• Research—to examine allissues concerning the un-insured.

• Advocacy—to lobby to builda better health care system us-ing the research results.

pices of Chester Quarter and is a projectof Springfield Friends Meeting. A steer-ing committee made up of representa-tives from Chester Quarter, SpringfieldFriends Meeting, member groups, andat-large invitees serves as the govern-ing body. DELCO Pledge in the past hasbeen ably represented by Will Scull. Willhas recently stepped down; thanks forall the sweat and tears you have put in!Paula Bronstein now represents Pledgeon the committee. Currently, RobinLasersohn and Terry Rumsey are thePeace Center coordinators.

The Peace Center is the location formany peace-related activities for thearea. In late January, the center held itsannual Peace meal. This event is a get-together to celebrate the local Peacecommunity. A Middle Eastern dinner wasserved, and local activist, Carol Seeley,was honored for her work.

On Saturday, May 14, from noon to5:00 pm, the annual Peace Festival ofDelaware County will be held on thegrounds of the Peace Center. This year’sfestival will celebrate the UndergroundRailroad and will feature Kim and ReggieHarris with songs of the UndergroundRailroad. Also, there will be a Makin’Music children’s concert and lots ofother activities and food. For more in-formation, contact the center at 610-328-2424 or www.delcopeacecenter.org.

3

by Bob Smith

There’s never been a time over the past29 years—the entire history of theBrandywine Peace Community—thatBill Whistler wasn’t here or, more oftenthan not, there. “There” being GeneralElectric, or the Pentagon, or LockheedMartin. But now he has left us to jointhe cloud of witnesses that carry thenames of Berrigan, Day, Merton, BobSimpson, Lynn Currey, Tom O’Rouke,and Paul Washington.

Bill was there right at the beginningof the Brandywine Peace Communityand the movement for peace that wehave shared with Jonah House and theAtlantic Life Community (still going),Mobilization for Survival (long gone),the Peace Center of Delaware County,and so many others that have come andgone and a few, like Brandywine, thatkeep going in no small measure due tothe likes of Bill.

William Whistler was born 78 yearsago on November 10,1926. He died onNovember 8, 2004. In between, he liveda life of his and our times. In the 1940s,he served in the U.S. Navy and upondischarge became an electrical engineerat General Electric in Syracuse, N.Y. TheCold War was underway in earnest—H-bomb testing, the space race, and mis-sile race ran rampant, and Bill was there.He actually witnessed an H-bomb test,and it seared his mind with the fullweight of the nuclear age and end-of-the-world threatening nuclear weapons.

During the later 60s and early 70s,still at General Electric and living in Syra-cuse, Bill was active in protests againstthe Vietnam War. Working during theday at GE on weapons of war, he spenthours after work protesting the war inVietnam.

In the early 70s, he was transferredto the GE Space Center in Valley Forgebelieving that he would be doing non-military work in the space program.

More and more, nuclear weap-ons systems moved in, and Billwas being pulled by conscienceto something else. Bill came toearly nuclear weapons protests,organized by the fledglingBrandywine Peace Community,just after the end of the VietnamWar. While studying nuclearweapons development and thepost-Vietnam “first-strike”nuclear posture, we learned ofthe Mark 12A, the initial “first-strike” multiple warhead forMinuteman III missiles. Welearned that its producer wasGeneral Electric. Not really know-ing what Bill actually did at GE,we asked Bill. The wall betweenwhat he professed for peace andthe nature and knowledge of thework he was doing came down. Billopened up, telling us where the GE weap-ons plants could be found in the areaand what was happening there. This setus on a nonviolent campaign saga thatwould for nearly 20 years take us repeat-edly to GE plants—pouring blood andashes, blocking entranceways, climbingatop test facilities, conducting weekly vig-ils, public outreach, walks, fasts.

Bill was there throughout it all hav-ing (after 27 years of employment) ten-dered his resignation from GE in thewake of the first actions at GE. He quitjust before the Plowshares 8, eightfriends with hammers (and, lets just say,Bill’s knowledge and Brandywine’s or-ganizing support) entered a GE plant inKing of Prussia and actually “disarmed”Mark 12A warhead casings.

Bill would be arrested repeatedlyand go to jail. He actually met his sec-ond wife, Scotty Stuart, at a demonstra-tion at GE. Direct action would lead tothe GE boycott, and GE would eventu-ally sell its aerospace division thatwould lead to Lockheed Martin. Thoseof us who go back to the early days of

the GE resistance know that it all startedwith civil disobedience at the GE plantlocated at 32nd & Chestnut Street inPhiladelphia, where the Mark 12A wasdeveloped. We remember Bill standingat GE in Philadelphia, King of Prussia,and Moorestown, N.J. and speakingabout his passion for disarmament anda nuclear-free future for our children.The GE sites in Valley Forge/King ofPrussia and in Moorestown are now partof Lockheed Martin, the world’s largestweapons corporation.

Our truest memorial to Bill Stuart-Whistler is to continue our campaign ofnonviolent resistance to Lockheed Mar-tin. On the ground where Bill onceworked for war, and then resigned in or-der to speak and act with such passionfor peace, we will continue to resistLockheed Martin and its weapons for“endless war.”

Scotty Stuart-Whistler, Bill’s be-loved wife, tells us that, waking from along sleep and before slipping intodeath, Bill spoke his last words: “In atown far away, a crowd of holy peoplewait for me.”

In Memoriam:Bill Stuart-Whistler,1926 - 2004

Bill Stuart-Whistler picketing with othermembers of Delco Pledge at the FederalBuilding in Philadelphia against the U.S.policies aimed against Haitians, 1992.

4

Excerpted from MediaChannel.org,January 8, 2005

After days of indecision, the G7, theworld’s leading industrialized nations,announced today that all Tsunami af-flicted countries would be eligible tohave their debt repayments halted.Thank goodness. How obscene itwould have been to witness the aidthat is now flowing into Sri Lanka, In-donesia, and Thailand flow immedi-ately out again to the coffers of thesame donors.

How unjust it would have been ifthese countries were thwarted fromregaining their footing, tending theircasualties, and burying their dead,because their scarce resources werebeing diverted into rich countriesbank accounts.

Such a development would beshocking but not surprising. Becausefor most of the world’s poorest coun-

tries, that is the situation they findthemselves in each and every day.While 155,000 people died in thetragic events of Christmas Day, over15,000 children die every single dayin sub-Saharan Africa from povertyrelated diseases. Their governmentsare unable to do anything meaningfulto treat them because they are pay-ing out $30 million dollars each andevery day to the World Bank, the IMF,and rich world creditor nations. Forevery one dollar that is given to thatregion in aid, one and a half dollarsgoes out to cover debt repayments.

WHAT’S GOOD FORTHAILAND MUST BEGOOD FOR TANZANIA

An African death must be weightedas highly as an Asian one. The prin-ciple that countries in need should not

have to service their debts must be ap-plied evenly.

And this is the moment to add thiscall to the debt moratorium now beingapplied in Asia. With the G7’s financeministers meeting in early February, anddebt relief on their agenda, this is thetime to demand a principled and moreuniversal approach to the issue. Anapproach that recognizes explicitly thatcountries must not have to prioritizedebt service repayments over their abil-ity to meet their citizens most basic needs.No country in need, wherever it is.

MORE DEBT RELIEFNEEDED FOR POORCOUNTRIES

But let’s not stop there. Let’s seizethis moment when debt cancellation ison the global political agenda and callfor more: for the cancellation of debts,not only when a country cannot affordto repay them, but also when itshouldn’t have to. Again, a situationwhere we have a recent precedent tofall back on.

The United States led the call forthe cancellation of Iraq’s debts lastmonth, basically because the loans theIraqi people were having to service hadbeen racked up by a tyrannical and cor-rupt dictator. But we don’t have to lookhard to find despots with similar pro-files: Marcos of the Philippines,Abacha of Nigeria, Mobutu of Zaire,the military junta of Argentina, and theapartheid regime of South Africa wereall lent tens of billions of dollars whichgenerations in the countries they onceruled over have to pay for now.

If the Iraqi people no longer haveto pay for the knives that Saddam usedto slaughter them, then neither shouldthe Congolese, the Nigerians, theArgentineans, the Filipinos, nor theSouth Africans have to pay for moniesborrowed by their former dictators.

DECOUPLING DEBTAnd let’s also take this rare mo-

ment when the world is united in grief

The Debt Threat ComplicatesTsunami Disaster

Continued next page: Debt

5

by Bob Small

Delco Pledge of Resistance will re-sume our Cinema Resistance Series onSaturday, March 5, at 7:30 pm. Thevenue will be Media-Providence FriendsSchool, 125 West Third St., Media, lo-cated behind Media Court House. Incelebration of Women’s History Month,the feature film will be the Irish film,Some Mother’s Son (1996), starringHelen Mirren. There will be a short in-troduction prior to the film and a dis-cussion and refreshments afterwards.

Director Terry George is currentlybeing lauded for his latest feature Ho-tel Runda. Some Mother’s Son was hisdirectorial debut, and he also wrote thescreenplay for In the Name of the Fa-ther (1993), which he also produced. Hehas also directed A Bright Shining Lieand has written numerous screenplays.

For further information, contactRobert Small at 610-543-8427.

and mourning to call for a decouplingof debt relief from harmful economicconditions.

Currently, even if a country is eli-gible to get some of its debts cancelled,this won’t actually take effect unlessthey agree to follow the World Bankand IMFs strict rules. Rules such asdemands to slash public expenditure.This means that when a country is poor,in practice, fewer children can be sentto school, less families have access tohealth care, women have to trudge 10miles to collect water because no mon-ies are spent on water delivery, andwhere no monies are invested in sani-tation, girls have to pee in the bushesat night, in the process taking theirchances that they will not be attackedor raped.

If debt relief is to become truly amechanism for alleviating the lots of themost vulnerable and poor, such eco-

nomic conditions cannot be the priceattached to it.

Out of the devastation wrought bythe tsumani we can clear a path to abetter world. Not only for those pum-

Debt

The Kaolin Workers Unionachieved a major victory when,this June, they won their unionelection, again, nearly 10 yearsafter their first election. Prior tonegotiating a second contractwith the union, the company at-tempted to decertify the union.The Pennsylvania Labor Rela-tions Board granted the companya new election without proof orcause for a new one. The work-ers remained united and over-whelmingly won their election,210 to 145.

A second contract wassigned with the company on Septem-ber 1, 2004, which included betterhealth benefits and holiday and va-cation leave policies.

For more information, contactCATA, Farmworker Support Committee,at 856-881-2507 or visit www.cata-farmworkers.org.

Pledge ResumesFilm Series

Kaolin Workers Score Success

More than 100 workers gathered tospeak with the press about Kaolin'scampaign to decertify the union.

meled by forces of nature, though, butalso for those who have suffered be-cause of the wrong decisions of otherpeople. There must be a relationshipbetween charity and change.

Delaware County Pledge of ResistancePO Box 309Swarthmore, PA 19081dcpledge@craftech.com

Address correction requested

6

Currently, there is no formal represen-tation for health care and public healthin any U.S. trade negotiations. It is nosurprise, therefore, that a number of pro-visions in the Central American FreeTrade Agreement (CAFTA) would lockin threats to public health and healthcare. Certain provisions could reduceaffordable access to vital human ser-vices including health care, water sup-ply, education, and energy as well aspreempt the authority of public officialsto protect health standards, environ-mental and occupational health, alco-hol and tobacco protections, privacyrules, and patients’ rights.

In other trade agreements similarto CAFTA, measures that protecthealth have been successfully chal-lenged under something called the in-vestors’ rights provisions. For example,the US Metalclad Company success-fully sued Mexico for $16 million un-der the North American Free TradeAgreement (NAFTA), when Mexicorefused to reopen a toxic waste dumpthat would contaminate people andthe environment.

CAFTA rules also preempt the au-thority of public officials to protect

health standards. Under NAFTA, forinstance, a private Canadian corpora-tion is challenging an executive orderby the State of California to remove theadditive MTBE from gasoline. MTBE isknown to leak into ground water andact as a carcinogen. In a similar manner,under CAFTA’s investment provisions,tobacco companies would be grantedthe ability to directly challenge nationaland state tobacco control laws.

Additionally, CAFTA can reduceaccess to vital services. By coveringhealth care and other services undertrade rules, CAFTA would facilitateprivatization of these services, makingthem less affordable, especially for vul-nerable populations.

CAFTA and similar trade agree-ments grant multinational corporationsthe intellectual property rights to plantsand seeds that the majority of theworld’s poor depend on, underminingsustainable, biologically diverse agricul-ture. CAFTA also has provisions thatcover intellectual property as it relatesto medicines and could reduce accessto affordable medicines.

Under CAFTA, government ac-tions to favor local companies or ser-

vice suppliers, or to impose technicalspecifications, could also be chal-lenged as barriers to trade. Currently,local, state, and national governmentscan specify that contractors meet stan-dards for a variety of important issuesincluding: medical and financial pri-vacy, quality and performance, localsustainable economic development,environmental protection, public healthand safety, gender and racial equity,labor practices, and human rights. ButCAFTA could make such protectionsillegal.

Many of these areas are alreadymatters of controversy within theWorld Trade Organization (WTO).These provisions should not be ap-proved in CAFTA and should notstand as precedents for future tradeagreements. Furthermore, public healthmust have a voice in trade negotiations,which increasingly affect health andhealth care.

For more information, contact:CPATH, Ellen R. Shaffer and Joe Brenner,Directors, 98 Seal Rock Drive, San Fran-cisco, CA 94121 Tel: 415-933-6204. Fax:415-831-4091. Email: cpath@cpath.org.http://www.cpath.org/.

CAFTA's Threat to Health