September 26, 2002   The trigger for my decision to persuade Berkeley to be the first city in the world to pass a resolution banning the weaponization of space was a chance meeting at a conference last May.   Dr. Carol Rosin is the President of the Institute for Cooperation in Space (ICIS), a non-profit foundation which educates about banning space-based weapons and transforming the war industry into a new Space Age economy and security.  She was distributing videos of Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) who has sponsored space-for-peace legislation.

Already lower orbital space is full of space trash such as a fork, tools, and thousands of pieces of junk which are a hazard to astronauts, spacecraft, and the space station.  Recently I discovered that lower orbital space is also contaminated with uranium and its decay products from burned up nuclear batteries, nuclear power reactors from spacecraft as well as atmospheric testing.  As an Environmental Commissioner for the City of Berkeley and independent scientist working on radiation issues [http://www.radiation.org], I was concerned about  further radioactive contamination of space which could further contaminate the world we live in.  There is no way to remove the space trash already there and creating more is just adding to the problem.

At the time I didnt know just how profoundly important it really was.  Nor did I know that countries around the world are already in agreement that space should be preserved for peaceful uses, and are united in their opposition to the weaponization of space.  In the United Nations General Assembly all the countries of the world have twice voted to ban the weaponization of space, with the exception of the US and an ally, who have twice abstained.

Finding someone to help me write the resolution was difficult, mainly because I didnt know what should be in it or how to write a resolution.  Luckily I have a wonderful City Councilmember, Dona Spring, who is thoughtful, smart, and willing to take courageous stands that support world peace.  After I told her about the Space Preservation Resolution, she agreed to sponsor it and help me with writing it.

The pressure was on when I learned that  Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) was coming to Berkeley to speak on September 14.  He proposed legislation creating a Department of Peace and sponsored the Space Preservation Act and companion Space Preservation Treaty (HR 3616) in the U.S. Congress.  This bill calls for a permanent ban on the weaponization of space and an international treaty ratified by all countries in the global community.  His Berkeley visit seemed like a wonderful opportunity to present him onstage with the first resolution passed by a city supporting his legislation.  

With the help of some friends the Space Preservation Resolution was written.  We were able to find a Councilmember, Kris Worthington, who would co-sponsor it.  The item was put on the September 10, 2002, City Council Meeting Agenda, the first meeting after the summer break.  I asked friends and community members to come to the City Council Meeting and support the Space Preservation Resolution.  I also called Commissioners I knew and asked them to call the City Councilmembers who had appointed them, and urge them to pass the resolution.

Since the University of California manages the two nuclear weapons labs at Livermore and Los Alamos, the Berkeley community is very aware of nuclear and exotic weapons design programs like Star Wars' and Brilliant Pebbles'.  After all, Berkeleyites' have been demonstrating against the weapons labs for over 40 years.

After years of resistance, Berkeley passed a model resolution declaring itself a nuclear free zone.  This forced the relocation of the nuclear weapons program at UC Berkeley to the Livermore Lab.  Boulder, Arcata, Davis and many other communities around the world have declared themselves nuclear free zones.   

Livermore is one of the main labs in the US designing space weapons.  The huge space based lasers which were designed at Livermore as part of space weaponization will not work if space is full of space trash.  I began to realize that a lot of hype was involved in promoting these programs.  But Congressman Kucinich assured me that the people making these plans are very serious about weaponizing space.  Their ultimate goal is to establish total control and domination of the planet, populations, and individuals from space.

On the day before the City Council Meeting I realized that we needed some letters of support and in a panic contacted Dr. Carol Rosin, the woman I had met a few months before.  Much to my surprise, in just two hours she was able to provide her own endorsement letter and letters from other distinguished supporters:

Dr. Edgar Mitchell, Appollo-14 Astronaut, who spent 33 hours on the moon.

Dr. Alan Hale, Director, Southwest Institute for Space Research and discoverer of the Comet Hale-Bopp.  He even sent us a photo of Hale-Bopp with his letter.

Dr. Charles Mercieca, President, International Association of Educators for World Peace, NGO-United Nations.

Dr. Carol Rosin, President of the Institute for Cooperation in Space, and official consultant to the Peoples Republic of China on missiles and missile defense.  Rosin is regarded to be the original political architect of the move to stop the SDI and ASATs.'

Gar Smith, former Editor of Earth Island Journal, and now Earth Island Roving Editor of THE EDGE.

At last, on the eve of the anniversary of  9/11, I sat nervously in the City Council Chambers with Alfred Webre and other friends, all of us hoping that the resolution would pass.  It was anticlimatic when two Councilmembers abstained (one remarking that it was over her head in more ways than one'), and the Mayor declined to endorse the international treaty.  And then it passed on the Consent Calendar without discussion.  I was relieved and a little bewildered that just a few people could accomplish this working together. 

It was hard to believe that in two short weeks we had written and passed the very first Space Preservation Resolution in the world!  It was on the front page of the Berkeley Daily Planet, our local free newspaper, the next day.

To counter the criticism I knew Berzerkeley' would get for another spaced out idea, I called the Oakland office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee who co-sponsored the Space Preservation Act and companion Space Preservation Treaty in Congress.   She was delighted that the first time such a resolution passed was in her district, and sent a letter of congratulations to the Berkeley City Council, thanking them for their support. 

The resolution went by email to countries around the world and to Ms. Satomi Oba, a special friend and peace activist in Hiroshima, Japan.  Two hours later she emailed back and said she was sending it to the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki requesting that they pass it in their cities.  These very special Mayors have also created an international organization called MAYORS FOR PEACE:

[http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/mayors/]. 

Perhaps your city can join too, like Berkeley and many other cities around the world.  Satomi-san told me she would also send it to every Mayor in Hiroshima Prefecture, and that it would be a major theme during the October 4 Japan-wide demonstrations against the weaponization of space.  I was surprised and very pleased by her interest and enthusiasm.

Before a hushed crowd on the very special evening of September 14, Councilmember Dona Spring read the Berkeley Space Preservation Resolution for the first time, and presented Congressman Dennis Kucinich with a copy of Berkeley Resolution 61744.  Already we had been contacted by members of communities in Canada, France, England, and the U.S. who wanted to pass the Berkeley Resolution in their cities.  Dennis Kucinich was very happy knowing that communities were already working around the world for peace in space.

The purpose of passing resolutions is to inform and educate local community members about issues. Here's how you can pass a resolution in your town from the Berkeley Resolution model. Send the resolution to your Mayor and City Council. Find some friends in your community, school, church, club or organization that you belong to and ask them to call or write your City Councilmembers to support the resolution. On this site, you can find the:

and the letters of support from various people. You can also contact:

Please let us know when cities pass their own resolutions banning the weaponization of space. We will post them on this website as we learn about them. The overwhelming support of the global community is critical to passing the Kucinich Space Preservation Act when it is reintroduced in the 2003 Congressional Session. Canada has already expressed an interest a treaty signing conference. We can make this happen with pressure and support from our villages, towns, cities, and even county wide resolutions.

HELP US JOIN HANDS IN COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD, LINKING PEACE AND LIFE IN SPACE!