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Nevada Desert Experience

October 21, 2023

Nevada Desert Experience is a name for the movement to stop U.S. nuclear weapons testing that came into use in the middle 1980s. It is also the name of an anti-nuclear organization which continues to create public events to question the morality and intelligence of the U.S. nuclear weapons program, with a main focus on the United States Department of Energy's (DOE) Nevada National Security Site (formerly called the Nevada Test Site or the Nevada Proving Ground).

Members of Nevada Desert Experience hold a prayer vigil during the Easter period of 1982 at the entrance to the Nevada Test Site.
November 1951 nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

History Edit

In the spring of 1982, activists working for social justice, environmental preservation, and international peace organized a six-week peace vigil at the entrance to the Nevada Test Site, about 60 miles (100 km) from Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1983, they repeated the vigil, calling it the Lenten Desert Experience.[1][2] This anarchist group of Christian organizers decided that the program had been successful enough to start an organization, which has been a conscientiously interfaith aspect of the nuclear weapons abolition movement. They named it Nevada Desert Experience, or NDE, because of the work within the prayer-actions for peace that included learning to appreciate the Mojave and the Great Basin Deserts of North America. Organizers (primarily ethnically non-Indigenous) believed that appreciation of the beauty and power of the natural environment, coupled with a universal code of ethics (the Golden Rule) organically leads humans to make a stand for peace and environmental justice.[3] In 1989, NDE organizers founded Pace e Bene [4] to amplify the movement for peacemaking beyond the aspect of a global existential threat of nuclear weapons. The first ten years of NDE were the most synergistic and spiritually revolutionary[5] for North American Peace Activists. In the early 21st century, the annual events of NevadaDesertExperience.org leaned more on "desert spirituality" (less Christocentric as in the 20th century) and expanded to resist robotic (weaponized drones) warfare.

Aims Edit

The movement's immediate goal of ending nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site was met in 1992, when President George H. W. Bush signed a moratorium on underground nuclear weapons tests.[6] The abolition movement, led by NDE and the Western Shoshone-based Shundahai Network were sparked back into action with the renewal of non-nuclear (yet still radioactive) explosions at the Nevada Test Site in 1997. These "subcritical" bombs use fissile materials which do not reach the self-sustaining chain reaction of a typical nuclear bomb. The bombs are designed by Los Alamos National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, whereby the data collected can be fed to computers to simulate full-scale nuclear explosions for the US National Security Agency (NSA)[citation needed] and DOE. Their explosive yield is low, and small amounts of radiation may be released. Because each sub-critical experiment costs roughly US$20 million and much time from the humans working within the nuclear weapons management industry, the tests indicate a strong continued U.S. Government interest in favor of nuclear weapons. As a spiritually active movement, NDE seeks peace and nonviolence. The founders of NDE sought to use the activist tactics[7] of Jesus Christ and quickly expanded ecumenically and inter-faithfully. Therefore, NDE continues to work for deep ecological sensitivities and social peacemaking, with one goal being to clean up and contain the contamination created by nearly 80 years of nuclear testing in Nevada and Western Shoshone country.

Protests in Nye County Edit

From 1986 through 1994, two years after the United States put a hold on full-scale nuclear weapons testing, 536 demonstrations were held at the Nevada Test Site involving 37,488 participants and 15,740 arrests, according to government records.[8] In the fall of 1986, the Peace Caucus of the American Public Health Association (APHA) organized a protest at the site with over 500 APHA members participating. Over 100 APHA members, along with Carl Sagan, Victor R. Sidel and H. Jack Geiger, were arrested.[9] In January, 1987, the actor Martin Sheen and 71 other anti-nuclear protesters were arrested at the Nevada Test Site in a demonstration marking the 36th anniversary of the first nuclear test there.[10] On February 5, 1987, more than 400 people were arrested, when they tried to enter the nation's nuclear proving grounds after nearly 2,000 demonstrators held a rally to protest nuclear weapons testing. Those arrested included the astronomer Carl Sagan, privacy advocate Phil Zimmermann,[11] and the actors Kris Kristofferson, Martin Sheen, and Robert Blake. Five Democratic members of Congress attended the rally: Thomas J. Downey, Mike Lowry, Jim Bates, Leon E. Panetta and Barbara Boxer.[12][13] In April 2007 Martin Sheen among others was arrested.[14]

Protests in Clark County against weaponized drones at Creech Air Force Base Edit

In protest over UAV attacks in Pakistan and the perceived extremely high danger of harming civilians,[15][16][17] in an event sponsored by Nevada Desert Experience, Friar Louis Vitale, Kathy Kelly, Stephen Kelly SJ, John Dear, and others were arrested outside Creech Air Force Base (adjacent to the Nevada National Security Site) on Wednesday April 9, 2009.[18] Subsequent monthly protests have been ongoing and conducted by a number of organizations including Code Pink.[19]

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ "Nevada Desert Experience :: History". from the original on 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  2. ^ Wittner, Lawrence S. (2009-05-12). Confronting the bomb : a short history of the world nuclear disarmament movement. Stanford, Calif. ISBN 9780804771245. OCLC 469186910.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ Butigan, Ken. (1999). From violence to wholeness. Bruno, Patricia. Las Vegas, Nev. ISBN 0966978307. OCLC 43326283.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ a Franciscan Service in Nonviolence
  5. ^ Hollyday, Joyce (1991). "Tested In The Desert". Yorck Project. ISBN 3936122202. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  6. ^ "The Status of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty: Signatories and Ratifiers". Arms Control Association. March 2014. from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  7. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-12.
  8. ^ Western Shoshone spiritual leader dies[permanent dead link] July 18, 2007. Elynews.com
  9. ^ "War and Public Health: Centralizing the Issue at APHA | SF Bay PSR". sfbaypsr.org. from the original on 2018-01-31. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
  10. ^ Actor and Other Protesters Arrested at Nuclear Test Site
  11. ^ Ranger, Steve (June 23, 2015). "Defending the last missing pixels: Phil Zimmermann speaks out on encryption, privacy, and avoiding a surveillance state". TechRepublic. from the original on September 13, 2019.
  12. ^ Robert Lindsey. 438 Protesters are Arrested at Nevada Nuclear Test Site New York Times, February 6, 1987.
  13. ^ "Biggest Demonstration Yet at Test Site". from the original on 2016-05-10. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  14. ^ Effron, Lauren (17 March 2012). "US Celebrities arrested crusading for causes". ABC News. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  15. ^ "Nevada Desert Experience : Predators & Reapers - Unmanned Aerial Vehicles". from the original on 2010-03-26. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  16. ^ Combat Drones: Losing the Fight Against Terrorism 2010-11-18 at the Wayback Machine Peace Policy.nd. October 1, 2009
  17. ^ "Obama Steps Up Drone Bombings Despite Civilian Deaths". from the original on 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  18. ^ VCNV 2011-04-07 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ CODEPINK : Peace activists to rally Monday outside Creech Air Force Base: Will call for end to U.S. drone attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan 2013-05-23 at the Wayback Machine codepink4peace.org

Pilgrimage Through a Burning World, by Ken Butigan, Chronicles and discusses the political and religious aspects of the nonviolent protest against nuclear testing called the Nevada Desert Experience. 2003, 256 pp., paper.

External links Edit

  • Official website
  • Western States Legal Foundation Non-profit, public interest organization which monitors and analyzes U.S. nuclear weapons programs
  • Poison Fire USA Animated map of nuclear activities in the United States

October 21, 2023
nevada, desert, experience, name, movement, stop, nuclear, weapons, testing, that, came, into, middle, 1980s, also, name, anti, nuclear, organization, which, continues, create, public, events, question, morality, intelligence, nuclear, weapons, program, with, . Nevada Desert Experience is a name for the movement to stop U S nuclear weapons testing that came into use in the middle 1980s It is also the name of an anti nuclear organization which continues to create public events to question the morality and intelligence of the U S nuclear weapons program with a main focus on the United States Department of Energy s DOE Nevada National Security Site formerly called the Nevada Test Site or the Nevada Proving Ground Members of Nevada Desert Experience hold a prayer vigil during the Easter period of 1982 at the entrance to the Nevada Test Site November 1951 nuclear test at Nevada Test Site Contents 1 History 2 Aims 2 1 Protests in Nye County 2 1 1 Protests in Clark County against weaponized drones at Creech Air Force Base 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory EditIn the spring of 1982 activists working for social justice environmental preservation and international peace organized a six week peace vigil at the entrance to the Nevada Test Site about 60 miles 100 km from Las Vegas Nevada In 1983 they repeated the vigil calling it the Lenten Desert Experience 1 2 This anarchist group of Christian organizers decided that the program had been successful enough to start an organization which has been a conscientiously interfaith aspect of the nuclear weapons abolition movement They named it Nevada Desert Experience or NDE because of the work within the prayer actions for peace that included learning to appreciate the Mojave and the Great Basin Deserts of North America Organizers primarily ethnically non Indigenous believed that appreciation of the beauty and power of the natural environment coupled with a universal code of ethics the Golden Rule organically leads humans to make a stand for peace and environmental justice 3 In 1989 NDE organizers founded Pace e Bene 4 to amplify the movement for peacemaking beyond the aspect of a global existential threat of nuclear weapons The first ten years of NDE were the most synergistic and spiritually revolutionary 5 for North American Peace Activists In the early 21st century the annual events of NevadaDesertExperience org leaned more on desert spirituality less Christocentric as in the 20th century and expanded to resist robotic weaponized drones warfare Aims EditThe movement s immediate goal of ending nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site was met in 1992 when President George H W Bush signed a moratorium on underground nuclear weapons tests 6 The abolition movement led by NDE and the Western Shoshone based Shundahai Network were sparked back into action with the renewal of non nuclear yet still radioactive explosions at the Nevada Test Site in 1997 These subcritical bombs use fissile materials which do not reach the self sustaining chain reaction of a typical nuclear bomb The bombs are designed by Los Alamos National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore Laboratory whereby the data collected can be fed to computers to simulate full scale nuclear explosions for the US National Security Agency NSA citation needed and DOE Their explosive yield is low and small amounts of radiation may be released Because each sub critical experiment costs roughly US 20 million and much time from the humans working within the nuclear weapons management industry the tests indicate a strong continued U S Government interest in favor of nuclear weapons As a spiritually active movement NDE seeks peace and nonviolence The founders of NDE sought to use the activist tactics 7 of Jesus Christ and quickly expanded ecumenically and inter faithfully Therefore NDE continues to work for deep ecological sensitivities and social peacemaking with one goal being to clean up and contain the contamination created by nearly 80 years of nuclear testing in Nevada and Western Shoshone country Protests in Nye County Edit From 1986 through 1994 two years after the United States put a hold on full scale nuclear weapons testing 536 demonstrations were held at the Nevada Test Site involving 37 488 participants and 15 740 arrests according to government records 8 In the fall of 1986 the Peace Caucus of the American Public Health Association APHA organized a protest at the site with over 500 APHA members participating Over 100 APHA members along with Carl Sagan Victor R Sidel and H Jack Geiger were arrested 9 In January 1987 the actor Martin Sheen and 71 other anti nuclear protesters were arrested at the Nevada Test Site in a demonstration marking the 36th anniversary of the first nuclear test there 10 On February 5 1987 more than 400 people were arrested when they tried to enter the nation s nuclear proving grounds after nearly 2 000 demonstrators held a rally to protest nuclear weapons testing Those arrested included the astronomer Carl Sagan privacy advocate Phil Zimmermann 11 and the actors Kris Kristofferson Martin Sheen and Robert Blake Five Democratic members of Congress attended the rally Thomas J Downey Mike Lowry Jim Bates Leon E Panetta and Barbara Boxer 12 13 In April 2007 Martin Sheen among others was arrested 14 Protests in Clark County against weaponized drones at Creech Air Force Base Edit In protest over UAV attacks in Pakistan and the perceived extremely high danger of harming civilians 15 16 17 in an event sponsored by Nevada Desert Experience Friar Louis Vitale Kathy Kelly Stephen Kelly SJ John Dear and others were arrested outside Creech Air Force Base adjacent to the Nevada National Security Site on Wednesday April 9 2009 18 Subsequent monthly protests have been ongoing and conducted by a number of organizations including Code Pink 19 See also EditMegan Rice former employee of NDE Louie Vitale cofounder former NDE council member advisory group member Thomas Gumbleton former NDE council member Rosemary Lynch cofounder Martin Sheen former NDE council member Alan Senauke former NDE council member Corbin Harney Hibakusha List of nuclear tests International Day against Nuclear Tests The Ribbon International Nevada Semipalatinsk led by Olzhas Suleimenov in Kazakhstan References Edit Nevada Desert Experience History Archived from the original on 2019 03 30 Retrieved 2019 10 22 Wittner Lawrence S 2009 05 12 Confronting the bomb a short history of the world nuclear disarmament movement Stanford Calif ISBN 9780804771245 OCLC 469186910 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Butigan Ken 1999 From violence to wholeness Bruno Patricia Las Vegas Nev ISBN 0966978307 OCLC 43326283 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link a Franciscan Service in Nonviolence Hollyday Joyce 1991 Tested In The Desert Yorck Project ISBN 3936122202 a href Template Cite magazine html title Template Cite magazine cite magazine a Cite magazine requires magazine help The Status of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Signatories and Ratifiers Arms Control Association March 2014 Archived from the original on July 6 2014 Retrieved June 29 2014 Activism of Jesus Christ based on Fr John Dear s Book PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2018 08 12 Western Shoshone spiritual leader dies permanent dead link July 18 2007 Elynews com War and Public Health Centralizing the Issue at APHA SF Bay PSR sfbaypsr org Archived from the original on 2018 01 31 Retrieved 2018 01 30 Actor and Other Protesters Arrested at Nuclear Test Site Ranger Steve June 23 2015 Defending the last missing pixels Phil Zimmermann speaks out on encryption privacy and avoiding a surveillance state TechRepublic Archived from the original on September 13 2019 Robert Lindsey 438 Protesters are Arrested at Nevada Nuclear Test Site New York Times February 6 1987 Biggest Demonstration Yet at Test Site Archived from the original on 2016 05 10 Retrieved 2019 10 22 Effron Lauren 17 March 2012 US Celebrities arrested crusading for causes ABC News Retrieved 28 October 2019 Nevada Desert Experience Predators amp Reapers Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Archived from the original on 2010 03 26 Retrieved 2010 09 29 Combat Drones Losing the Fight Against Terrorism Archived 2010 11 18 at the Wayback Machine Peace Policy nd October 1 2009 Obama Steps Up Drone Bombings Despite Civilian Deaths Archived from the original on 2010 01 06 Retrieved 2010 09 29 VCNV Archived 2011 04 07 at the Wayback Machine CODEPINK Peace activists to rally Monday outside Creech Air Force Base Will call for end to U S drone attacks in Afghanistan Pakistan Archived 2013 05 23 at the Wayback Machine codepink4peace org Pilgrimage Through a Burning World by Ken Butigan Chronicles and discusses the political and religious aspects of the nonviolent protest against nuclear testing called the Nevada Desert Experience 2003 256 pp paper External links EditOfficial website Western States Legal Foundation Non profit public interest organization which monitors and analyzes U S nuclear weapons programs Poison Fire USA Animated map of nuclear activities in the United States Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Nevada Desert Experience amp oldid 1180927273, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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