This article from the Nukewatch Quarterly Summer newsletter, 2022, written by Alfred Meyer .... former chair of the WNPJ Board. What are the consequences of using nuclear power to address climate change? Is nuclear power clean energy? Can it deliver reduction in greenhouse gases soon enough to help minimize climate chaos, with ‘soon enough’ defined as 10 years or less by the 2022 International Panel on Climate Change? Lastly, what part does the nuclear power industry play in enabling our nuclear navy and nuclear weapons? The consequences of operating nuclear reactors include: • Carbon dioxide (CO2), radioactive [1] and toxic emissions at each step in the nuclear fuel chain, the vast industrial infrastructure, parts of which are in almost every state in the U.S.; • Regular, planned releases of radioactivity into the air and water; • Thermal pollution of the surface water which provides the vast amounts of water needed to cool waste fuel and fissioning uranium fuel rods in the core; • Accidents, leaks and unplanned, unregulated releases of radioactive gases, liquids and solids into the biosphere; • Many forms of radioactive wastes, some of which remain toxic for millions of years, all while we don’t know how to safely store them for the next 100 years, much less for millions of years; and • Providing the academic, industrial and governmental infrastructures which are, according to former Energy Secretary Ernest J. Moniz, fundamental enablers of our nuclear navy and nuclear weapons [2], contributing some $42.4 billion per year for these purposes.[3] This is a formidable list of significant consequences. Given these impacts, nuclear power is clearly not a clean source of electricity, even though fissioning uranium, in and of itself, does not emit large amounts of CO2. The CO2 which nuclear power does put into the environment is hazardously radioactive. Nuclear reactors produce many other toxic and deadly emissions, as well as nuclear waste. We don’t know the full effects of ionizing radiation on living things and our planetary ecology, but what we do know is that in humans it can cause cancer and diseases of the pulmonary, cardiac and immune systems. In one sense, the worldwide nuclear enterprise has put all of us into a non-consensual, unplanned, unmanaged and out-of-control human experiment which involves irradiating our biosphere. Due in part to research about the radioactive strontium-90 from atmospheric nuclear weapons tests found in kids’ teeth around 1960, President John F. Kennedy signed the Partial Test Ban Treaty in 1963 in an effort to reduce our exposure to radioactivity. According to the National Academy of Sciences, all exposure to ionizing radiation increases health risks, which are cumulative over our lifetimes.[4] While one could argue based on these consequences alone that nuclear power should be stopped rather than promoted, let us consider if nuclear power can really be a part of the solution to climate change. Climate change, like nuclear weapons, poses existential threats to life on earth, so if nuclear power can play an essential part in mitigating climate change, then maybe accepting the above known and unknown detriments of nuclear power is just part of the price of survival. A steep price for sure, in environmental, health, financing, and nuclear weapons dangers, but no price is too high if it is the only path to survival, right? Do we have to accept nuclear power’s clearly evident risks to avert climate chaos? To avert climate chaos we have 10 years or less to significantly reduce CO2. While some of the 93 operating reactors in the U.S. are eligible for $6 billion of taxpayer subsidies to help them survive economically, the aging facilities are becoming increasingly dangerous and expensive to operate. Most of the cheerleading for new nuclear power, encouraged by $2.5 billion of new government funding, focuses on small modular reactors (SMRs), sodium-cooled reactors, generation IV reactors, and even micro reactors. In theory, this is an impressive lineup of technology’s cutting edge. In fact, it is largely new packages for old ideas, existing on paper only. It will take decades of research & development, prototype testing, creation of industrial capacity, and the unit-by-unit construction before new nuclear reactors can be operational. But, we don’t have that much time; we need truly clean energy that we can install now at a reasonable price with minimal harmful environmental effects to be on-line in less than 10 years! New nuclear can’t meet the time line. If nuclear is as bad as all that, why do we have it? If nuclear power is so fundamentally dirty, dangerous and expensive — with a growing waste problem that we haven’t yet solved — and new nuclear cannot deliver in time, if at all, why is nuclear power such a prevalent hope for so many, including some anti-nuclear weapons activists who think we need it to address climate change? Remembering that the public is saddled with the risks of these endeavors — environmental, medical, and financial — while private corporations take the profit, why does anyone believe that nuclear power is worth so many of our dollars? The short answer is “Atoms for Peace,” the U.S. government’s program announced at the UN by President Eisenhower in 1953. He introduced the peaceful uranium-235 atom, as an antidote to that war-making U-235 that incinerated Hiroshima and horrified the world. Atoms for Peace put a smiley face on the nuclear enterprise, drawing attention away from military weapons and their massive destruction, and instead directing attention to the promises of unlimited benefits. This program proliferated nuclear technology to over 40 nations around the world, including Iran, and was based on the aspirational atom that we would “tame” to “serve” us, with electricity “too cheap to meter” — along with atomic cars, boats, ships and rockets — truly a phantasmagorical and mythical cultural promise, which does not exist in reality. Certainly nuclear weapons are the most potent instruments of destruction in the world. As illustrated by the Manhattan Project begun in 1942, nuclear weapons depend upon an extensive scientific/industrial/academic/ infrastructure. Ernest Moniz, mentioned above, has clearly illustrated how much our nuclear military depends on the civilian nuclear power infrastructure, calling it “an essential enabler of national security.” The Atlantic Council in Washington, DC also mentioned above, calculates the value of this contribution to be $42.4 billion per year. In other words, if you support nuclear power, you are enabling nuclear weapons. Is nuclear power really the answer? — Alfred Meyer is a member of Physicians for Social Responsibility and has worked with communities affected by both the Chernobyl and Fukushima catastrophes. - Alfred welcomes comments and questions: send to alfred.c.meyer@gmail.com ***************************************** Endnotes: [1] Radioactivity is ionizing energy that is damaging to human health and other living things; see page 4, “New Study: Cancer Epidemic.” [2] The reference is to MIT physicist, ex-Secretary of Energy, and Co-Chair and CEO of Nuclear Threat Initiative (nti.org), Ernest J. Moniz. See: Energy Futures Initiative, “The U.S. Nuclear Energy Enterprise: A Key National Security Enabler,” August 2017. [3] “What is the value of the U.S. nuclear power complex to U.S. national security,” an Issue Brief by The Atlantic Council, a prominent Washington, DC think tank, Oct. 21, 2019. [4] National Academy of Sciences, “Health Risks from Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation BEIR VII, Phase 2” (2006).

The nearly 2,000 Wisconsinites who are eligible for parole were all sentenced more than 22 years ago by judges who assumed they would have a chance to earn their release by now. Those who were released in the past four years have worked hard at needed jobs and have supported their families and communities. And none of them has been found to have committed a new violent crime. Some politicians and their wealthy friends have spent a fortune trying to spread a false message about parole. We know that when we are told the truth, Wisconsinites are fair and reasonable people. Tell your elected officials that you support a functioning parole system, so that people can get the second chance that was promised to them long ago. The parole-eligible people have done their part, we need our elected officials to do theirs. Click here to find your elected officials along with their contact information. In Solidarity, David Liners Executive Director, WISDOM wisdomactionnetwork@gmail.com

Press release October 17,2022: Over 220 Organizations Aross the world sign Letter Demanding an End to the United States F35 Fighter Jet Program We found at least 10 of our Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice member groups signing onto this list - How many can you find from Wisconsin? Ben Cohen, Roger Waters join organizations from Europe to South America in calling for President Biden and the U.S. Congress to cancel the manufacturing and training of the F-35 fighter jet. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: In a time of economic uncertainty, climate crisis, and the necessity for peace and stability for people and planet, over 220 organizations join together in an international campaign to end the United State’s F-35 program. Citing “harm caused abroad, cost of the program to the taxpayer, inefficiencies and failures, the environmental impact of F-35s, and the effects training has on local communities” the large coalition of organizations are joined by Ben Cohen, Roger Waters, Noam Chomsky and others in signing a joint letter addressed to President Joe Biden and members of the United States congress. "I joined over 200 organizations from around the world in calling on the U.S. government to end the disastrous F-35 fighter jet program because as a global community we need to drastically change our priorities." Roger Waters, co-founder of Pink Floyd continued, "To the people in the countries the F-35 is sold to and produced in, it's time we demand a reinvestment into life, not war." The organizations signed on to the demand represent human interest groups from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Paraguay, Germany, Spain, Kenya, and Switzerland. With the intention of the US to sell the F-35s to countries around the world, citizens from those countries push back on the program and those sales. “This is of deep concern to many of us in the country." explaines Ruth Rohde, board member at the Arms Information Centre in Germany. "Germany is looking to buy the F-35 to carry American nuclear weapons stationed here. Not only is this going to be a large, unnecessary financial burden but also sustains the disastrous, indefensible threat of nuclear war on and from German soil.” The coalition points out in the letter that not only is the F-35 program an extension of dangerous militarism but the jets themselves have proven to be a money-draining and faulty piece of machinery. Even The Chair of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith called the F-35 a “rathole.” "The global community is fed-up with overpriced, underperforming weapon systems like the F-35. It's a complete waste of tax-payer dollars that causes harm abroad and here at home in Vermont." Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's ice cream and Vermont local continued, "The only people this project benefits are the executives at Lockheed Martin. Real security is knowing you can see a doctor when you're sick, not a boondoggle fighter jet that can't fly near thunderstorms." Cohen, along with many Vermont-based organizations represent the working-class families who unwillingly are subjected to the physically and mentally detrimental F-35 training program that terrorizes their neighborhoods. The noise caused by the F-35 hits 115 decibels which especially hurts and injures infants and children, the elderly, and the disabled. The F-35 has 300 to 600 takeoffs and landings a month. Madison, Wisconsin residents are the next on the list to be subjected to this violation of personal privacy. The campaign to end the F-35 program is being spearheaded by CODEPINK: Women for Peace as part of their overall goal to end the war economy and create a stable and sustainable planet for all, not just a few. "The F-35 program is a microcosm of the military industrial complex. Each year the U.S. government funnels massive amounts of money into the program while letting places in the U.S. go without clean water for months or years. Sustaining this program for any longer will have detrimental effects on human life and the earth." Danaka Katovich, national co-director of CODEPINK. The letter is being emailed to the White House and Congressional staffers this week as well as being hand delivered directly to select members of Congress. The letter itself is just the beginning of the campaign. An international day of action is being planned for 2023 with thousands of people from four continents taking to the streets to stop President Biden from including the F-35 program in his defense budget proposal to be submitted to Congress for FY2024. Between now and the 2023 action, the 200+ organizations will be petitioning their elected officials and educating the public on the real life dangers and consequences of continuing the F-35 program. For more information regarding the campaign, please contact Danaka Katovich at danaka@codepink.org.

Former WNPJ Board member and treasurer, Charles Uphoff, is part of the Cap Times story about 'Madison's co-op living: from the Fellowship Farm to the Future' - by Seeger Gray - Oct. 13th, 2022. Photo credit: Charlie Uphoff holds a framed photo of his parents, Walter and Mary Jo, in front of Fellowship Farm’s old barn. - SEEGER GRAY

Late yesterday, 9/7/22, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its decision on DACA, a moment for which immigrant youth, loved ones, and allies have been waiting and holding our collective breath. The ruling was troubling but expected. The Fifth Circuit largely upheld a lower court ruling finding the 2012 memo that established DACA unlawful. It will allow for DACA renewals to continue temporarily and has sent the case back to the lower court to consider the Biden administration's new DACA regulation, which is set to go into effect on October 31. But the writing is on the legal wall. This ruling does not change who can currently apply for or renew DACA for now. That being said, it is another stark and serious reminder of the urgency for Congress to act swiftly to deliver a permanent legislative solution. Immigrant youth cannot be expected to continue to live with the constant uncertainty wrought by politicized attacks on DACA, and thus, their lives. DACA is a successful and commonsense policy that has transformed lives, improved our economy, and strengthened our nation. It is legally and morally right, but it was always meant to be temporary. Immigrant youth need the permanency and stability of a pathway to citizenship. The public widely supports this solution, and it’s past time for Congress to follow through. There is only one path forward now and it depends on Congressional courage and President Biden’s leadership. Call on Congress to swiftly pass a pathway to citizenship for immigrant youth in the aftermath of this court ruling >>> *************************** This National Immigration Law Center Action Alert was forwarded to WNPJ by member group WI Faith Voices for Justice of the Dane Sanctuary Coalition: See https://danesanctuarycoalition.org/ or contact rabbibonnie@charter.net

Yesterday - thanks to people like you who called and Tweeted our US Senators - we achieved a major win in the fight for climate justice! But, as we wrote yesterday (below) - there's no time to rest! Here's a NEW Action Alert today. Write your letter before Oct 3rd!: My name is Julia DePalma. I co-lead 350 Wisconsin's Community Climate Solutions Team. I am reaching out to ask you to help us expand renewable energy infrastructure in Wisconsin. HOW YOU CAN HELP: Let the Public Service Commission know you support renewable energy development in Wisconsin and are in support of the High Noon Solar Energy Center proposed in Columbia County, WI. You can click on this link below for some sample comment ideas. Sample Comments.... MORE ON THE PROJECT: High Noon Solar Energy will create enough energy to power all of Columbia County. High Noon Solar Energy will generate $1.2 million in annual tax payments. $700,000 of that revenue will go to Columbia County and will replace 40% of the revenue lost by the closure of the Columbia Energy Center. The remaining $500,000 will go to surrounding townships. The project will use just 1% of the agricultural land in that area. The project will have 300 MW of solar capacity, but also 165 MW/660MWh of battery energy storage—the same size as the Koshkonong project. Energy conservation and efficiency is a proven strategy for reducing electricity consumption and demand for new generation. But, by itself it does not change a utility’s resource mix. It will take intentional generational turnover in favor of renewables to achieve dramatic reductions in air emissions. This is the kind of project that must replace coal power. Reduced emissions equivalent to taking 52,000 cars off the road. Learn more here. The last day to submit comments is October 3rd, so we need to act quickly! If you submit a letter, please reply to this message - julia@350wisconsin.org - to let us know that you lent your support. Thank you for continually advocating for increased sustainability and clean energy practices in our communities. With your help, we can all work together in making exciting and necessary strides towards these goals. Submit a Comment to the PSC! Your voice counts! Julia DePalma CCST Co Lead julia@350wisconsin.org And "thanks" from 9/27: This afternoon, Senator Joe Manchin "asked Majority Leader Schumer to remove the permitting language from the Continuing Resolution we will vote on this evening." This means that Senator Manchin got the message loud and clear: he did not have the votes to push his fossil fuel permitting side deal through today. He did not have the votes to hold the government hostage to fossil fuel interests. How did he get that message? Because YOU spoke out. YOU showed up when it mattered. YOU held the Senate accountable for climate justice, and YOU called for our elected officials to protect the communities being sacrificed for fossil fuels. So... thank you. But we can't let this victory lull us into complacency. Senator Manchin WILL try to get his pipeline permitting deal pushed through at a later date - a permitting deal that will fast-track the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and potentially make it easier for similar pipelines to pass through Wisconsin. We've delayed the permitting bill, but we can be assured that we'll see it again. That's why it's still crucial that we continue to push for climate accountability from elected officials, and that we continue to push for climate champions at every level of government. We have to continue to speak out for climate justice, because we can be sure that many people in power will continue to sacrifice frontline communities. I hope that today's victory shows you the power of individual voices coming together for a common cause. I hope it inspires you to continue to do the work. I invite you to join 350 Wisconsin Action as we work to keep climate justice at the center of political discourse. There are so many ways for everyone to be involved! 350madison.org/ 350Madison@350Madison.org Once again, thank you for helping us achieve this major win for climate justice, frontline communities, and the future of our planet. I'm looking forward to future victories with all of you! In solidarity, Emily Park 350 Wisconsin Action

Hello Point Beach intervenors and partners, We just wanted to share and keep you in the loop about some recent news regarding safety at Point Beach. No action is specifically needed. We have just issued a press release regarding Physicians for Social Responsibility Wisconsin's follow-up response to the official NRC response to our original letter with Nukewatch about safety concerns at Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant. More in-depth responses from PSR WI are available here > Thank you for your time and my cell phone number is 319-327-1020 if any of you have any questions or wold like a copy of the press release. Sincerely, Hannah Mortensen PSR WI Executive Director -- PSR Wisconsin info@psrwisconsin.org www.psr-wisconsin.org 720 Hill Street, Suite 200 Madison, WI 53705 608.232.9945

We need 20-24 people to staff our booth at Lambeau Field on October 16. We have a great opportunity here to earn extra money for the Coalition to Save the Menominee River. Please join in the fun in Green Bay! Time is running short to complete the required trainings for this event and we need to honor our commitment with Lambeau; so don't delay! Please call or text Natalie at 906.290.0247 for more information and details of the required training.

As a small, grassroots, member-based organization, WNPJ relies on the skills, energy, and commitment of our volunteers! Below is a list of our regular staffing needs. Most are constant, while others are just a few times a year. After initial training via video chat, these tasks can be done from anywhere with an internet connection and a phone! If you'd like to help support WNPJ member groups around the state, please email office@wnpj.org, or leave us a message at 715-600-2766. Events calendar – Be part of the team that helps keep the WNPJS website calendar up to date. Website – Post updates on key issues and highlight WNPJ members in the news and success stories. Action Alerts – Using MailChimp, help prepare weekly event and action emails alerting our membership to all the peace, justice, and sustainability events happening statewide. Social Media Posts – Using Facebook, help share and post news and events alerting our followers to all the peace, justice, and sustainability events happening statewide. Newsletters and other mailings – Help prepare mailings sent to our members, including our newsletter, event invitations, and special appeals. Outreach – Help WNPJ share information and make new contacts across the state, by tabling at events, attending meetings or conferences, and making calls. Fundraising – Help WNPJ stay strong and active, by assisting with fundraising events, special appeals and membership renewal reminders.Would you like to assist with grant-writing? Let us know! WNPJ events – Each year, WNPJ holds a spring steering committee meeting and fall member assembly and awards reception, in different locations around the state or virtually. Help us plan, do outreach around and staff these fun and informative gatherings. Education and advocacy on peace, justice, and sustainability issues – WNPJ work groups are always looking for more members. Read more about each work group's focus on our website and contact us to get involved! Thank you!

WNPJ has new signs! Contact yardsigns@wnpj.org to learn how to get yours. Suggested $10 donation for our two-sided sign. War is Not the Answer + The Answer Rises Every Morning. THANKS to the WNPJ member group, PC Foundation, for their grant to purchase the signs. To learn more about the history of WNPJ and our many yard sign projects, check out Bonnie Block's review written in 2010, pp.19-22!

Harvest is one of the most joyful times of the year. Yes, it’s taken a bit of work to get here but if the garden was well planned and Nature cooperated even a little there are delicacies to be had. Today’s walk through the squash was very exciting. The biggest Blue Hubbard’s I’ve ever seen and bright red curry are starting to reveal themselves through receding greenery. Our heirloom orchard is having a grand year. From slugs and bees to deer and human, everyone is taking a bite of the sweetness of the season. With each day, as another tree’s apples are ready to be picked, another has all but lost its fruit. That is the sad tale of harvest. The trees are like friends. You get to know the order in which they will ripen, you know the years they will rest and you wait eagerly for their return. One doesn’t need a large garden or an orchard to appreciate harvest. A single tomato plant will do. There is some undeniable kinship we have with the earth and the sustenance that comes from her. And there is an undeniable fulfillment in co-creating with the soil and dancing with the seasons. Gratitude and celebration come easily at this time. Even when the onion crop is a bit on the weak side, there are friends and neighbors whose onions did well and we can share, barter or buy. We were made for this simplicity however challenging. The exuberance is not only in the gathering. If all goes well we’ll delight in the abundance of harvest throughout the winter months and it will ready us for spring. Pickles, kraut, apple butter, cider and jellies galore will dress the table. And this, my friend, is the cycle of thankfulness. Today's "Let Kindness Win" BLOG post by Dena Eakles of Echo Valley Hope - Sept 15 - 2022 Let Kindness Win - is a periodic blog, created by Dena Eakles of Echo Valley Hope https://www.wnpj.org/echo-valley-hope

Racism and economic injustice are brutal in a multitude of ways. Deja Garner, Director of Equity and Outreach at WAVE Educational Fund, knows that deadly gun violence in her Milwaukee community is one such way. Sadly, she has lost more people to gun violence than she can count on her fingers and toes. Despite young Black men statistically being the most disproportionately impacted by gun violence and coming from a community that has experienced traumatic oppression for generations, they are rarely looked to for insight to more deeply understand what’s going on and where we need to go from here. “It’s not intuitive to consider the youth voice’ says Garner. She explains it could be as simple as asking ‘Why do you think gun violence is such a big issue?’ ‘What do you think is needed?’. Children as young as 2nd and 3rd grade can have something to share. And yet, it’s not enough to engage young people. The way we engage and interact with young people matters. Garner explains that young people need the space and opportunity to be themselves, to talk through their experiences in an unfiltered way without adults offering advice or judgment. One of the last things young people need are people in power coming in from the outside believing they have all of the solutions. Garner believes we must genuinely listen to what young people have to say. Jaylin Stueber, Mentoring Connections Match Specialist at Just Dane, also believes the way we engage and interact with young people matters. Much of her work involves training adults in mentorship roles. One such program is called Drive to Succeed, a partnership with an organization called Operation Fresh Start. The Drive to Succeed program offers mentoring and drivers license attainment for young people ages 17 ½ - 21, who have not completed high school, do not currently have a license, and are involved in the legal system. Just Dane’s onboarding for prospective mentors involves an acknowledgement of the pervasiveness of systemic racism. Stueber explains it is important for mentors to be open to continuously learning how systemic racism impacts life all around us. And how critical it is for us all to move forward from a place of cultural humility. During the mentorship training process, Just Dane shares an educational video about cultural humility. The three main tenets are as follows: Lifelong learning and critical self reflection Mitigating the power imbalances Working to make institutions reflect these principles WNPJ thanks Jaylin and Deja for their continued leadership. To learn more about their organizations visit waveedfund.org and justdane.org