Bikes Not Bombs Friday night

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVEMBER 7, 2001


BIKES NOT BOMBS
Bicyclists bring anti-war message to Berkeley Critical Mass
Friday, November 9, 5:30 PM, downtown Berkeley BART

In light of the escalating devastation inflicted upon the innocent peoples of Afghanistan, this month's Berkeley Critical Mass will include a large contingent protesting the war.

"Critical Mass rides by their nature cannot have a leader, and cannot have a stated position," said Jason Meggs, co-founder of the ride over eight-and-a-half years ago. "However, the Bikes not Bombs contingent has every right to bring their message to this first-amendment event."

There is a clear connection between the war in Afghanistan and United States oil company interests. The hostilities in the Middle East are primarily aimed at securing and controlling access to oil re-serves. As the land-locked Caspian Sea basin holds the second largest oil reserve in the world, valued at many trillions of dollars, the incentive is very strong to take the region by force. As world petroleum reserves disappear, the value will skyrocket, and the campaigns of warfare for control of that oil will only intensify.

Afghanistan has been designated as the critical land-link for pipelines to bring Caspian Sea petroleum products to western and South Asian markets. U.S. Based corporations such as UNOCAL, which developed plans and invested heavily in implementing a trans-Afghan pipeline, have exerted a sub-stantial influence on U.S. policies in the region. In 1998, it was announced at a Congressional Com-mittee regarding the UNOCAL proposal that "[the oil pipeline is] not going to be built until there is a single Afghan Government. " The United States initially supported the Taliban in hopes of gaining a secure route for the pipeline. The Taliban's failure to fully control the region lead the United States to adopt an anti-Taliban position in its bid to manipulate the regional power balance.

"There's no question, as we watch the failed bombings unfold, that the goal is not to roust terrorists, but to secure the region for oil interests," said Bikes not Bombs member Jonah Peterson. "The United States funded, armed and trained Osama bin Laden and helped create the Taliban regime as part of its effort to secure oil interests. Now, after the failure of those efforts, which have brought devastation to the people of Afghanistan and America, oilman Bush has launched a brazen-face, irresponsible bombing crusade to cover up his family's and industry's sordid tracks."

One of the most immediate things we as a people can do to eliminate the ongoing scourge of oil wars is to individually reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Critical Mass rides demonstrate one wonder-fully simple solution: ride a bicycle!

As a society, which would we truly prefer? Global warming brings deadly pollution, cancerous sun rays, rising oceans, catastrophic storms, and desperation for basic life necessities, leaving us in a concrete wasteland. The wars for oil bring terrorism, the decimation of civil liberties, and the possibil-ity of world war -- a war which Vice President Cheney stated "may not end in our lifetimes." This may be sooner than one thinks, as effective life expectancies are growing significantly shorter the further we dig our grave with oil dependence.

Other related Bay Area efforts in past years have included sending bicycles to Afghani amputees, vic-tims of the many mines still dotting the countryside. Recent "accidental" bombings by the United States destroyed several mine removal sites where efforts to clear the mines were coordinated.

CONTACT: Chuck McNally, Bikes not Bombs, (510) 548-0268