The following three resolutions are not Division resolutions in consideration for vote.

#5 is to be completed as a Commendatory Proclamation.

#9 and #10 are submitted from outside our division. Our division has had no objections to either.

5.  Nuclear Free World - Nuclear Energy Non-Proliferation- Inland Empire and San Fernando Valley Chapters - This resolutions to be completed as a commendatory proclamation for presentation and distribution in the Convention.

Note:  Inland Empire Chapter (former Citrus Belt Chapter) and San Fernando Valley Chapter, have withdrawn this submission from consideration as a policy resolution.  The text of the Methodist affiliate has not, and will not, be altered in any way, but our introduction  presentation of it will be re-formulated  as acknowledgement response to the United Nations Association Council of Organizations affilliate’s request
for broad informational circulation in its “hopeful affirmation” quest. We will post the completed text on the web, promptly, and request volunteers for circulation in convention.

Original submitting chapters: Citrus-Belt and San Fernando Valley, chapters of Southern California Division, UNA-USA

WELCOMING the nuclear research of UNA Council of Organizations member United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society regional division, California-Pacific Conference.

COMMENDING the California-Pacific Conference report/resolution as scientific foundation for the USA goal: Nuclear Free World, and for UNA-USA San Fernando Valley Chapter Public Awareness Appeal rejection of nuclear energy/armaments proliferation promotion,

RECOGNIZING this policy resolution as a pioneering in UNA advocacy participation, both as an affiliate organization and a people of faith action, also

APPRECIATING Citrus-Belt Chapter several--decades leaders of UNA and of ecumenical peace process, Harry and June Hood, for their presentation of this resolution as “friendly submission,” through Citrus Chapter, response to California-Pacific Conference request for nationwide “hopeful affirmation.”

THEREFORE USA-UNA delegates, in National Convention 2009, do hereby declare approval and active advocacy for the “hopeful affirmation,” of this resolution’s advocacy and action requests.

Whereas the Bible is clear that we are not to pollute our neighborhoods, the planet, and the poor, but are to be good stewards of all (Genesis 2:15, Isaiah 24, Jeremiah 4:2&7,Micah 6:6-8 & Matthew 22:36-40), and

Whereas the building of nuclear power plants, the generation of nuclear power and the plant's radiation byproducts have been proven to be very unhealthy to life, and

Whereas, every step in the nuclear process is fossil-fuel intensive, including mining, milling, fuel fabrication, building the power plants, and even operating them -- let alone the fossil fuel and other resources which will be needed to care for the used reactor cores after they have been irradiated inside the reactor, and

Whereas, the only safe nuclear power plant is one that does not exist, since no human structure (e.g. underground storage facilities, kick and roll burial of "low level" radioactive materials) can withstand the forces of nature, and

Whereas, every step in the nuclear process is not only fossil-fuel intensive, but terribly polluting in its own right, starting with leakages of radioactive radon gas from the mine tailings, to the radioactive "shine" which emanates from the spent fuel casks, despite several feet of concrete and several inches of steel, and

2 Nuclear Free World resolution

Whereas, our children are 100 to 1000 times more susceptible to radiation poison damage than adults, and

Whereas, thousands of diseases which are caused or enhanced or exacerbated by radiation are so much worse for children who have no voice or vote, and

Whereas, there is a very sound scientific reason why nearly $100 billion dollars in research funding so far has produced nothing in the way of safe containments for nuclear waste (the scientific reason being that radioactive decay is far stronger than any chemical bond in nature -- known or postulated), and

Whereas, money spent on nuclear power will buy, at most, half the number of jobs that money spent in developing and building cleaner energy sources, such as wind power, would buy, and the new energy would be delivered as much as ten years sooner, and

Whereas, the nuclear industry is incapable of purchasing insurance on the open market, because the size of a catastrophe would bankrupt any and all insurance agencies, and

Whereas, the Government does not provide adequate insurance (the Price-Anderson Act is a hollow shell which would hardly compensate any one after an accident); those few who would receive anything, would get fractions of a penny on the dollar, and

Whereas, every operating nuclear power plant produces isotopes of plutonium and hydrogen and other elements which are the raw materials of nuclear bombs, and

Whereas, every operating nuclear power plant has a list of security and safety violations, which if fully known and understood by the public, would create such an outcry that all current nuclear power plants would likely be shut down, and

Therefore, be it resolved that the California Pacific Conference Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church insist that the United States Federal Government provide that no government money be invested in any nuclear power technology, except as maybe necessary to pay for shutting down the current nuclear power plants as quickly as possible and caring for their waste in as safe as possible a manner, and

Therefore, be it further resolved that we oppose the building of any new nuclear power plants, their funding, or their approval and that the currently operating plants be closed as soon as feasible, and

Therefore, be it further resolved that people who have already been harmed by nuclear power be both identified and compensated as best as possible, and

Therefore, be it further resolved that cleaner energy alternatives such as solar, wind, geo-thermal (atmospheric vortex engines, ocean thermal energy conversion, low flow rate undersea turbines) and other workable and sustainable clean energy solutions be invested in by our Federal Government, instead of Nuclear Power Plants, and

Therefore, be it finally resolved that this resolution be presented to members of the US Congress, other government bodies, public policy organizations, religious bodies and congregations of faith across the United States and World, for their information and hopeful affirmation of it.”

9. Educate UNA about the Threat US Strategic Command
Poses to the Peacemaking Goals of the United Nations

Request to support Nebraska Resolution:

Carol Urner of Whittier Chapter, & Government Relations Advocacy Team of SoCalDiv asks our chapters to consider discussion and support, by board or membership, for the Nebraska resolution.  There will be time in April or May to agendize this and our chapters’ resolutions to prepare for support on the convention floor.  Division Executive Committee has sent support for the Kansas resolution. 
 
Carol Urner Comment:
“The U.S. space dominance program is the next big boondoggle – it includes missile defense, but also there are plans to weaponize space, and already many of our weapons from guns to  Predators to ICBMs and “missile defense” systems are guided by satellite.  We have a huge spy satellite network that spans the globe and is reportedly used for commercial espionage as well as military intelligence.  Some people think of it as defensive, but it is actually being used primarily for offense. Many in the military industrial complex are in love with this system and therefore the U.S. is effectively the only nation in the world that has consistently blocked otherwise unanimous calls for negotiation of new treaties banning weapons in space and Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS).  Israel, and sometimes the Marshall Islands abstain in the votes, but all other countries are calling for PAROS.
 
Nebraska UNA, of course, is in the home state of Strat Com which manages both our nuclear weapons and space militarization programs.”

Nebraska Appeal to UNA-USA Chapters and Cover Letter (pdf)

Nebraska Resolution:

WHEREAS, the UN General Assembly annually reaffirms its desire to preserve space for peaceful purposes by a near-unanimous vote for the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) resolution, and

WHEREAS, as a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the US has legally obligated itself to disarm its nuclear weapons stockpiles and to forego developing and producing new generations of these weapons of mass destruction, and

WHEREAS, except under the most constrained conditions (where the danger must be imminent and the response not exceed the scale of the threat), the Charter of the United Nations prohibits preemptive attacks without Security Council authorization, and

WHEREAS, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the executive branch of United States government commissioned US Strategic Command (StratCom) with securing the military domination of outer space, and

WHEREAS, under the auspices of StratCom, the US is not only maintaining an arsenal of thousands of nuclear warheads and seeking to develop more, but has now adopted a strategic posture for the offensive use of nuclear weapons, and

WHEREAS, StratCom is now charged with preemptively attacking (with either conventional or nuclear weapons) any place on earth within one hour that the executive branch unilaterally deems a threat to the US or its interests, and

WHEREAS, UNA-USA chapters and divisions—through their networks—can educate the world about the newly enhanced military threat StratCom now represents to the peacemaking goals of the United Nations:

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the UNA-USA commit to educating its member chapters, divisions and international affiliates about how StratCom’s expanded role in the execution of US military policy constitutes an increased threat to peacemaking goals of the UN; and

That the UNA-USA Board develop a statement addressing this destabilizing new threat, submit it to the United Nations, and distribute it to local UNA chapters, divisions and international affiliates; and

That the UNA-USA urge the incoming US Administration to seek ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and meet all of its obligations as a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty; and

That the UNA-USA urge the US Administration to abandon the October 2006 National Space Policy objective of the domination of outer space; and

That the US Administration finally support the annual UN resolution for the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) and promptly undertake negotiations—under the auspices of the United Nations—to negotiate a new treaty respecting the peaceful uses of outer space.

Jointly submitted by the UNA-USA Nebraska Division, Montana Chapter, Monterey Bay CA Chapter, Albuquerque NM Chapter, Pike’s Peak CO Chapter, Northern Colorado Chapter and Seattle WA Chapter.

Request to support Santa Cruz Resolution: The following resolution is submitted by June Gorman of Santa Cruz Chapter  June is her chapter rep. to Northern California Division, where she serves as chair of N.Calif/Mid-Pacific and Hawaii Region.  June would welcome our support for this resolution.  It was presented by President Carl to our Division Executive Committee, and there was no opposition to it...only favorable comments. June's phone is 831 462 3465 

Whereas a central mission of the United Nations Association of the USA is “dedicated to educating, inspiring and mobilizing Americans to support the principles and vital work of the United Nations” and education, beginning with our children, is paramount; and

Whereas the current state of US education related to international education at all levels of K-12 schooling is dramatically deficient in meeting the needs of an increasingly interdependent globalizing world; and

Whereas the deficiency of US Education is dramatically reducing the ability of our students to successfully participate in understanding their world and becoming viable participants and problem-solving actors in that world, as well as successfully negotiating global and environmental conflicts and economic competitiveness in that world;

The United Nations Association of the United States resolves to actively promote and encourage the development of federal legislation in Congress that directly addresses the need for serious development of international education at all levels of American schooling and includes the following:

To raise achievement in international education in elementary and secondary schools, through grants to improve teacher competency and to support operations and programs in international education that support core curricula in such schools and for other purposes.

To call upon the Secretary of Education to establish an Office of International Education within the office of Elementary and Secondary Education of the Department of Education.   We further call on the Secretary of Education to appoint a Director of International Education to administer the Office of International Education and to administer funds of $200,000,000 per year in forms of grants to:  national non-profit organizations or consortiums of nonprofit educational organizations, stated educational agencies, local educational agencies and other non-profit organizations to improve the international educational competency of prospective elementary school and secondary school teachers and to support the following: 

-Research-based training in international education and related disciplines for prospective elementary school and secondary school teachers as a means of broadening student knowledge of the world and

-Dissemination of information on effective practices and research findings concerning the teaching of international education

-Development of assessment instruments and strategies to document student understanding of international Education

-Implementation of best practices and model programs to promote international education

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED THAT:
The United Nations Association-USA, consistent with its Mission, calls upon the Congress to pass any current or pending or prospective legislation that would provide for increased international education in all US Public Schools and provides the necessary monies to do so; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT:
UNA-USA, inclusive of its chapters and divisions, shall encourage, support and advocate for the passage of any such legislation at federal and local levels and assist in any way feasible to develop models and curricular support for better international education in all our schools, at all levels of the educational system.