U.S. Strategic Command’s mission of militarizing and dominating space will be the focus of the 2007 Annual Peace Conference Saturday, October 5. In a back-to-back, ‘double-feature’ presentation, Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the “Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space,” and Emeritus Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, formerly of the Detroit Catholic Diocese, will jointly deliver the conference keynote address entitled, “StratCom’s Role in the Militarization of Space: An Update and Christian Response.”

Sponsored by the University of Nebraska-Omaha School of Social Work and Nebraskans for Peace, this year’s conference continues a decade-long tradition of cooperation between these two institutions on this educational event. The all-day program will be held at First United Methodist Church, 70th and Cass Streets in Omaha, from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Advance registration, which includes breakfast and lunch, is $25 and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for Social Workers and Licensed Mental Health Practitioners. Registration materials will be available early this month, or can accessed either by contacting the NFP State Office or at the NFP website.

Between Bruce Gagnon and Bishop Gumbleton, a more qualified pair of presenters could not be found to address both the political and ethical implications of the new role StratCom has assumed in the wake of 9/11. A Vietnam-era veteran, Bruce Gagnon has spent more than 20 years organizing against the U.S. government’s effort to militarize and nuclearize space. Thanks to Gagnon’s particular interest in the transformation that has occurred at Strategic Command, the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space has chosen to hold its annual international conference in Omaha in April 2008 specifically to alert the international community of the enhanced military threat StratCom now poses.

Bishop Gumbleton, of course, is one of the most well-known disarmament advocates in the world, who throughout his storied career has consistently warned of the dangers of nuclear weapons. In recognition of his lifelong commitment to the disarmament cause (including an arrest for civil disobedience at StratCom), Nebraskans for Peace honored him back in 1999 as a “Peacemaker of the Year” when he was the featured speaker at the Annual Peace Conference. At that time, however—two years before the 9/11 terrorist attacks—StratCom was still performing its solitary, theoretically ‘defensive’ role as the headquarters for America’s nuclear deterrent. Today, as the nerve center for offensively waging the Bush/Cheney Administration’s “War on Terror” (with both conventional and nuclear weapons) and with its commission to establish space dominance, StratCom is an even greater danger to international law and world peace. As the theme of the 2008 Global Network conference so bluntly states, StratCom today is “the most dangerous place on the face of the earth.”

In addition to the morning keynote address, the conference agenda will again feature an array of “Peacemaking Workshops” treating a variety of Peace & Justice concerns. There will be presentations on ending the Iraq occupation, renewable energy, immigration, Palestinian statehood, domestic violence, Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender civil rights, school anti-bullying efforts, Whiteclay, the death penalty and Nebraska political prisoner Ed Poindexter’s bid of exoneration.

Mark you calendars today for a full day of Peace & Justice activism on Saturday, October 6 in Omaha. This year’s program promises to be every bit as satisfying as previous years. Both Nebraskans for Peace and the UNO School of Social Work hope to see you there.