Activists reveal naked truth about nuclear catastrophes.

http://www.examiner.com/991004/1004naked.html

Monday Oct 04, 1999

Activists reveal naked truth about nuclear catastrophes

50 people march nude on Van Ness to draw attention to Y2K dangers

By Ray Delgado OF THE EXAMINER STAFF

Some activists get arrested to draw attention to their cause. Others scream and rant in hopes that people will listen.

Some nuclear activists, on the other hand  well, they get naked.

About 50 people who gathered Sunday night near City Hall for a conference on the potential dangers of Y2K-induced nuclear catastrophes ended the session with a mass nude demonstration along a block of Van Ness Avenue. Desperate for press attention for their cause, they opted to get covered by uncovering.

The nude march was led by Patch Adams, an activist and doctor who inspired the movie based on his lifetime of unconventional approaches to adversity.

"Non-violent people like us really have so few tools to face a capitalist system," Adams told the crowd as they uncomfortably disrobed outside Herbst Theater in the War Memorial Building. "All we really have are ourselves and our ideas. Our ideas have not done the job."

With those words, the crowd whooped and hollered their way out of the building and onto Van Ness for a quick stroll down the street, chanting, "Disrobe for disarmament," and, "News, not nukes."

Along Van Ness Avenue, some cars slowed to gawk and others honked at the protesters, who cheered in response.

The night air was chilly enough to have a noticeable effect on some participants, but there was no shortage of enthusiasm among the participants.

"I'm glad to be a part of a community that is as passionate as I am," said Palo Alto resident Carol Brouillet, a 42-year-old mother of three who has written books on nuclear issues. "I'm glad my husband's not here. He wouldn't do this, but we have different world views."

The conference, titled Creating a Culture of Peace for the 21st Century, was well-attended by interested participants but generated little media interest until Adams and prominent activist Dr. Helen Caldicott called for the nude demonstration. Although many ideas were discussed at the forum, the main thrust of the meeting was the dangers of nuclear accidents occuring on Jan. 1, 2000, if computer systems in countries around the world crash because they are not prepared to handle the date change.

Caldicott warned that some countries are unprepared for the Y2K problem, and she said too little attention is being paid to the dangers and consequences of nuclear fallout. Shedding her own clothes was not easy, she said, but was worth it to call attention to the problem.

"To be scared of doing something like this, which is a little thing compared to what's facing us, is just silly," Caldicott said. "It just shows that people are desperate for this cause and will do whatever it takes."

http://www.examiner.com/991004/1004naked.html

-- cpr (buytexas@swbell.net), September 10, 2000

Answers

And that 50 was more than YoreSureToast-ED&fried pulled to hs "Senate Testimony".

-- cpr (buytexas@swbell.net), September 10, 2000.

It was cold too!

-- (nemesis@awol.com), September 10, 2000.

Where are the pictures, you prick?!

-- KoFE (your@town.USA), September 10, 2000.

I've gotta wonder at the logic of nude protestors. Folks took off all their clothes to protest the Republican Convention, the meetings in D.C., and even the Democratic Convention, I suppose. So the police come along and tell them to get going, and they lay down on the asphalt and refuse to move until they're dragged. Whether one lays down face-up or face-down, I can't believe one would go home saying "Wasn't that a great demonstration?" as one applies ointment to the body parts that received those asphalt burns.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), September 10, 2000.

I've gotta wonder at the logic of nude protestors.

Someone wanted picture's? Add 45 years to the Alleve walker and you got the "protestors aka: "Wrinkles&FatRthem".

Especially knowing that the Y2k nuke protestors were the remnants from the 1968 types and showed every bit of the age. They got the "press" they wanted but not in the way they wanted it. After that, they were never heard from again re: Y2k. Since one of them was an "Icon", (H.C.) I was stunned to see her in a PBS show on Ronald Reagan where she launched a diatribe typical of 1968 Fossils against him right in front of RR's rebel daughter.

-- cpr (buytexas@swbell.net), September 10, 2000.