Remembering Daniel Ellsberg, with Scott Yundt of Tri-Valley CAREs

The world will always owe a huge debt to late activist and whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg for, among other things, the continued (though sometimes tenuous) existence of transparency in the U.S. Government, and the awareness of the scourge of nuclear weapons around the world – but especially here in the U.S. Earlier in his career, Ellsberg helped create some of the nuclear war plans that the U.S. still uses today while working for RAND Corporation. He left the world with a warning about the dangers of nuclear weapons, and above all intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which are the nuclear missiles we house in underground silos spread across states in the middle of the country.
One year after Ellsberg’s passing last June 16 at the age of 92, a number of peace groups are commemorating Daniel Ellsberg Week from June 10-16. Peace Action of San Mateo County will help kick this off as we host Scott Yundt, the Executive Director of Tri-Valley CAREs, on Sunday June 9.
Daniel Ellsberg was a perennial presence at the annual Hiroshima Day action outside of Livermore Laboratory (a major U.S. nuclear weapons design lab), speaking for the end of nuclear weapons and then getting arrested at the lab’s gate.
Ellsberg’s advocacy went far beyond his Hiroshima Day appearances, and Scott will elaborate – while also giving us an update on the nuclear weapons situation in our country and the world. This will include the latest news on the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability’s DC Days, a national lobbying effort which took place May 19-22. Scott will also address the Lawrence Livermore Lab itself, most notably its environmental impacts on the Bay Area. And he will offer next steps on how activists can oppose nuclear weapons.
Scott Yundt’s career with Tri-Valley CAREs goes back to 2003, when he signed on as a legal intern. He became the Staff Attorney in 2009, managing the group’s community “right to know” program that included litigation on Freedom of Information Act activities. His work includes efforts to stop new nuclear weapons proposed at the lab as well as new bomb plants proposed by the federal agencies that build them. Scott is in charge of a program to monitor and expose both the nuclear weapons activities and environmental cleanup at the lab, and he facilitates a support group – including getting benefit claims – for Department of Energy nuclear weapons workers made ill by on-the-job exposures.
We look forward to seeing you on June 9, when we honor Daniel Ellsberg – and hear about how we can carry on his legacy.