Helen Caldicott came to New Zealand in 1983 with her husband and started from the bottom of the South Island, travelling from town to town and into cities, giving talks to New Zealanders on the horror of nuclear war.
By the time they arrived in Auckland, huge crowds were coming to see her, and they fully understood her stark yet powerful message.
This set the scene for setting up Nuclear Free Zones all around New Zealand culminating in 72% of the country sanctioning Nuclear Free Zones, giving the Government of the day the mandate to make New Zealand a Nuclear Free Country. This is democracy in action - and how it needs to be implemented globally. People setting the agenda for the government to enact it into law.
Today in 2016, she notices the Peace Movement is very quiescent here in NZ, hardly existing at all. The average citizen does not know what is going on - the media is not teaching people what is really happening.
Such as what the Pacific Pivot means, not informing them what this large display of naval ships in Auckland harbour represents - that the huge arms bazaar and military expo, just over a kilometre from the Mayoral chambers is being orchestrated and sponsored by Lockheed Martin, the largest weapons maker in the world, who she states: “Are killers”!
Not only this, but we in New Zealand are participators in an American military build up that she has never seen before.
She says that ex Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev and many others say we are closer than any time, to nuclear war - even at the height of the cold war, when NZ made it’s courageous anti-nuclear stand. And in truth, by not being the bearer of deep insightful news - “the media is determining the fate of our “planet.”
As president Thomas Jefferson said “ an informed democracy will behave in a responsible fashion.”
She then lays it all out:
The need for war is partly that of the ‘backroom boys’ who behind closed doors are embedded in the military industrial complex, because they need wars and the ability to steal the American people’s, tax dollars - that 60% of every tax dollar goes into killing - they call it defence - it’s not - it’s killing!
What America is doing in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and Syria is absolutely obscene. But to them - isn’t it all really good!
Even the stocks in the US military machine went up enormously when Donald Trump was elected.
Now Trump is a totally unknown force - no one yet knows what he will do. However his one good thing is that he seems to like Vladimir Putin, and that’s a major benefit as she says that Putin has every single town and city in NZ, Australia, Canada, US Japan, Europe UK targeted with at least 1 hydrogen bomb. Note that Russia now has the capabilities of sending a missile up over the North pole totally around the planet passing over Antarctica then up to the South Island onward to the North Island, of NZ.
So it is in our interests to work towards finding ways to befriend Russia and not pose them as an enemy. Which the Neo-cons & US the State Department along with Hillary Clinton have been constantly doing.
Malcolm Fraser ex Australian conservative Prime Minister, before he died in 2015 stated.
That the then Soviet Leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, when negotiating with James Baker, on behalf of US President Ronald Reagan that when he brought down the Wall, freed up Eastern Europe and dissolved the Soviet Union that in doing so NATO should not move one foot East, or closer to Russia as this was an area of traditional Russian influence. But President Clinton pushed to expand the Nato alliance to the very borders of Russia. There was talk of the Ukraine and Georgia being included. The US BROKE THIS AGREEMENT - and then installed missiles in Poland frightening the Russians to rearm - and yet it is the Russians that are to blame for rearming! This in Helen’s words, is absolutely right.
NATO & Russia Today
She said “ NATO is America” - let’s be frank. The enlargement of NATO since the Berlin War came down, was orchestrated by Norman Augustine who was the chairman of Lockheed Martin and he went to the newly liberated countries from the Soviet Union and asked them if they wanted to be a democracy?
Even though in Helen’s words, America is an autocracy, Dictionary meaning. absolutism, absolute power, totalitarianism, dictatorship, despotism, tyranny, monocracy, autarchy; dystopia
They apparently agreed but to become part of NATO they had to re-arm to the tune of 3 billion dollars - so that the US Military Industrial apparatus, could then sell more weapons to them and by enlarging NATO creep all the way up to the border of Russia.
So, in Helen’s words, they could then provoke Russia and moreover tell the world that Russia is very aggressive. When is it is not.
If you read Putin’s speeches they are very moderate and conciliatory and he is really worried. Thus America has the absolute gall that now these ‘Neo cons’ in the State Department are talking about regime change in Russia.
She says can you imagine - the Russians lost 27 million people in the Second World War - boy did they suffer. The Second World war was fought and one on the Russian front. The Russians are a proud people, Putin is popular and having been to Russia herself Helen, sees that the Neocons that are driving all this talk of war is not of paranoia, but in her terms is evil. Because by provoking Putin & provoking Russia we could destroy life on earth and the whole earth is wired up like a time bomb every minute, every day.
Helen then goes on to call on New Zealanders being a brave, courageous people with their feet on the ground and not involve ourselves in the US military’s Pacific pivot and not allow any of their ships into NZ, even if they have no nuclear weapons and to not participate in war games. Especially, not allow Lockheed Martin and the 200 employees it has in 6 bases in NZ who has as their objective - unmitigated killing.
NZ has to stand up again as it did 30 years ago when it received the respect and admiration of the whole world.
Time for NZ to step back into that time again.
Then there are our Australian cousins that in Darwin in Northern Australia they are basing 2,000 US marines. Helen claims that Australian PM Julia Gillard had no guts and allowed it to happen. The last PM later in his life Malcolm Fraser wrote a wonderful book called Dangerous Allies where he said that Australian’s are just sycophants to the US and that they must get out of this alliance. With 34 US bases in Australia including Pine Gap which orchestrates the drone killings and would orchestrate nuclear war and are an integral part of the US killing system.
The last person who took the Americans on was ex Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and he was going to name the people and the CIA operatives who were working at Pine Gap the next day in Parliament. But he was dismissed and ousted, in a coup, led by the CIA, she states is a matter of fact. See movie ‘The Falcon & the Snowman’ She says since then Australian politicians have been a bit scared to take on the Yanks, but she says - they must!
Australia has lost its autonomy and lost its independence, and she sees that Australia is now really pathetic. Whereas compared to New Zealanders we are not pathetic at all and we can really stand up to the Americans and also provide a blueprint for what the Australians must then do.
We citizens of the world have to say NO to the Americans - she says they are addicted and we are enabling them to be addicted to killing.
With military bases in nearly every country of on earth - they have ringed China with anti missile basis and the same for Russia she wants them to get the hell out of these basis and leave us all alone and not be the world’s policeman
And she quotes “we should not be under their military umbrella”
We want to be safe and have no thoughts whatsoever of nuclear annihilation.
We bring our children into the world we do our best for them an every level we find possible. But why do this if they have no future?
The challenges around bought and sold politicians owned by the corporations comes up, (not so much as in America) and though we are living in a democracy - our representatives, have run away with their own agendas.
What we need to do
Helen says that we have to become educated with the challenges before us, and really know what we are saying, when we speak about these subjects.
One way is to book appointments at local politicians electorate offices and go and voice our concerns to our elected servants. That we teach them, because they in many cases have no real deep understanding of the many issues, they do not understand science on the whole, or medicine so educate them. Best go as a delegation of 3 to 5 people and get their attention and tell them that you vote every election. But doing it every week, with different people fronting each time.
Call to Action
Many adolescents have dropped out because at a deeper level of being, they know what we are doing is so out of alignment. That what we as a human species is doing is basically destroying life - that there is no future for them, the heritage that we have to bequeath them is terrifying to them - hence the suicides and drugs and alcoholism. Many of them have given up.
Parents can not abrogate their responsibilities. If we bring a child into the world - it’s imperative to care for them in every way possible - not leave them to the unpredictability of market forces and environmental depletion.
It has to be done through the media - articles through the newspapers - local news, letters to the editor get on talk back by giving a fictitious name, especially if you get cut off as they are apt to do in NZ - disguise your voice - be innovative and know you subject inside out and back to front.
As she said earlier, the media are determining the fate of the earth and this is how we educate people.
Be innovative and Creative
We need to get ourselves on TV, do many little ‘youtube’ clips, for both Facebook and other social media. Use social media to the max to expand the envelope of our horizons.
When she went to the USA in 1978 the Americans said to her “better to be dead than Red.” and she realised that that nation is psychotic (what is it today?) But she managed to change the nation’s mind by orchestrating 23,000 doctors to teach the US people by having workshops and by carefully explaining the dangers and horror of all things nuclear. That after five years 80% of the US opposed the concept of nuclear war.
That the daughter of President Ronald Reagan came up to her at one speaking engagement and said “I want you to speak to my Father.” Soon she was in the White house and what she thought was for a short moment spent and hour with him and the result was an agreement with both him and Mikhail Gorbachev to drop the wall across Berlin and free up all the Warsaw pact Eastern European countries and dismantle the Soviet Union - and it happened. Reagan actually stated that he would like the elimination of all nuclear weapons. (But his minders interrupted and said that this could not yet be done.)
She said that at one meeting Patch Adam’s (Hunter Doherty “Patch” Adams is an American physician, comedian, social activist, clown, and author) stood up and said that to get people’s attention we have to take our clothes off and walk across America - everyone thought that it was a great idea, that all took their clothes off then and their - hundreds of them male female, young, old, fat and skinny and down the street the walked yelling “Nudes NOT nukes” and were on the New York Times because the media loves sensational news - and Helen was naked with them.
Fukushima & the Crisis of Japan
Fukushima in Japan she calls a ‘crisis without end.’ She said that the media hides everything and now the radiation, four hundred tonnes of it per day is leaking out of Fukushima into the Pacific ocean. Her book - Crisis Without End - (order from Amazon.)
Fish being caught and sold on US Market with no labelling.
The radiation is now absorbed in the lowest levels of the ocean floor - food chain and much of the radiation is accumulative and it has now moved to the top of the food chain, where the cetaceans. It may take from a few years to 80 years for cancers and over diseases to appear, and it is very difficult to track how different cancers manifest from.
That the fish of the North Pacific are being caught and quietly/secretly being sold on the North American market as well as on the London market in the UK. It is a total disgrace that there is huge dishonesty. That the Japanese government has passed a law penalising any journalist who reports the truth about radiation poisoning within Japan.
I asked her about conforming that the health authorities have colluded in Japan, the US and Europe, by changing the danger risk for radiation from 1 milli-serviet as the maximum to 20 milli-serviets. She said she knew all about it and that that she covers this in her book Crisis Without End.
New Zealanders need to wake out of their complacency. This radiation is in the very ocean that laps our shores. It’s on it’s way and there had better be a national dialogue on it ASAP.. Don’t expect leadership from the top levels of Government. It all has to be done from the grassroots but we all have to educate ourselves in the process.
This is a riveting interview - Helen does not hold back and comes out swinging - I even cop it :)
Kate Dewes
Ph.D. O.N.Z.M (Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit) directed the South Island Regional Office of the Aotearoa/New Zealand Peace Foundation, among a huge number of other official positions.
Kate wraps it up by covering the last 15 minutes telling of the positive movement globally towards peace and disarmament. That progress is being made on many levels, even if we do not get reports from the media. She is very hopeful that most countries around the world are realising that we must act in unison if we are to save the future for our children and grandchildren.
Using the UN and the World Court there is much diligent work been done by many people, behinds the scenes and NZ is there too. Peace groups globally are cooperating far more and using the above institutions whenever possible. We are speaking out at the UN which we do on many levels that our UN Reps do their best to be independent, when we get a lot of pressure put on us by larger countries.
Back here in NZ the fact that Kiwisaver was ‘exposed’ for investing in armament corporations. We are exposing cluster munitions too, NZ has had a leadership role of taking other states to the World Court in the last 30 years.
We have now in essence a Southern Hemisphere Nuclear Free Zone that needs a little more work around ratification - progress is being made.
NZ is also taking a lead on stopping production of landmines.
Kate has witnessed huge changes - NZ has taken a leadership role especially in the United Nations.
Co sponsored a Nuclear Weapons ban treaty at the UN - we have been active there for many many years and will continue.
Progress has been slow but we as a planet have cut the number of nuclear weapons down from over 30,000 to 15,000 - What we now have to do is get countries to de-activate nuclear missiles from hair trigger alert.
It is seen that NZ must become much more independent and keep out of ANZUS, though we are being leaned on all the time to cozy up to the American military in most instances.
Kate is very hopeful of the future and sees NZ as continuing to be a strong moral force for good, especially in the UN.
We have tried to stay out of international wars, though we have had a lot of a pressure put on us, by our ‘friends’.
There are many thing happening at quieter levels, like recently the US had to admit that it was actually in Syria and that it was using DU or depleted uranium in this conflict, when it is being ‘marketed’ by mass media as a civil war.
We have ex National Party Prime Minister Jim Bolger and US ambassador, whose party was originally against NZ becoming Nuclear Free now travelling the world talking up Nuclear Free Zones. He and Jeffrey Palmer ex Labour PM are part of the ASIA PACIFIC NETWORK and are active in promoting a Nuclear Free world.
http://a-pln.org/activities/activities_view/On_nuclear_first_strike,_White_is_wrong?ckattempt=1
Kate Dewes
http://www.disarmsecure.org/people.php
