OMNI
UN
INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST NUCLEAR TESTS, AUGUST 29, 2015. NEWSLETTER #4.
Compiled
by Dick Bennett for a Culture of Peace, Justice, and Ecology.
(#1 August 29, 2012; #2 August 29, 2013; #3
August 29, 2014).
OMNI
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL DAYS PROJECT
Embrace a world free of nuclear weapons
IMPORTANT DATES
7-4-45 First
test
12-2-09 UNIDANT
declared
May 2010 IDANT
commenced
6-2 UN Nuclear
Abolition Day
August 29,
UNIDANT
What’s at
stake: “In all wars, suffering is
great. But until the advent of the
atomic bomb, war did not have the capacity to end, for all time, the
continuation of human beings as a species or to threaten the continuity of life
itself.” Pilisuk and Rountree, The Hidden Structure of Violence
Here is the
link to all OMNI newsletters:
http://www.omnicenter.org/newsletter-archive/ For a knowledge-based peace, justice, and
ecology movement and an informed citizenry as the foundation for change. Here is the link to the Index:
http://www.omnicenter.org/omni-newsletter-general-index/
See: Nuclear Free Future Month 8-15, http://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2015/08/nuclear-free-future-month-newsletter.html
OMNI NUCLEAR FREE AND INDEPENDENT PACIFIC DAY
AND MARSHALL ISLANDS NUCLEAR VICTIMS DAY, MARCH 1. NEWSLETTER #1. March 1, 2012.. See also:
UN Nuclear Abolition.Day June 2. US Imperialism, Militarism.
Contents: UN
International Day Against Nuclear Tests August 29, 2015
AGAINST TESTING
Connecting with Nuclear Free Weapons
Month August 2015, Google Search
US Testing in Pacific Violates
Non-Proliferation Treaty NPT
Nuclear Zero Lawsuits vs. Testing
Code Pink, Support the Agreement with
Iran
Against Nuclear Weapons Testing, Google
Search, August 19, 2015
Department of Peace
Connecting with Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Bombings Remembrance August 9, 2015, and Nuclear Free Future Month, August 2015
CONNECTING WITH REMEMBRANCE 2015
Dick’s Report
on Nuclear Weapons Abolition Movement
PBS Films, “The Bomb”: how the
USA developed the atomic bomb and how it changed the world, and “Uranium”: Thank you PBS for the history.
Hiroshima Hibakusha
Stories, Remembering the Bombings
Christian Appy
in The Nation: No Need to Say You’re Sorry, Apologies
from Japan but
None from US
None from US
Abel Tomlinson,
A World Free from Nuclear Fear: OMNI’s Annual Remembrance, the
Abolition Movement, Republic of Marshall Islands Law Suits
Abolition Movement, Republic of Marshall Islands Law Suits
Connecting
with August Nuclear-Free Future Month,
Google Search, 8-19-15, Page One
www.nuclearfreefuture.org/
Since 2006, United for
Peace & Justice has declared August Nuclear-Free Future Month: Time to Phase Out Nuclear Power and Start Negotiations on a
Treaty to ...
|
NUCLEAR-FREE
FUTURE MONTH: TIME TO PHASE OUT ...
|
Date/Time,
Event. 08/04/2015 - 08/31/2015 10:00 am - 8:00 pm ...
|
wilpfus.org/news/updates/august-nuclear-free-future-month
By Carol Urner, DISARM/End
Wars Issue Committee Co-Chair. August Nuclear Free Future Month is here again. We in
WILPF DISARM/Wars Issue Committee ...
www.unitedforpeace.org/2014/08/05/nuclear-free-future-month-is-here/
Aug 5, 2014 - NUCLEAR-FREE FUTURE MONTH: TIME TO PHASE OUT
NUCLEAR POWER AND START NEGOTIATIONS ON A TREATY TO ABOLISH ...
www.unitedforpeace.org/event/nuclear-free-future-month/
Aug 15, 2012 - Nuclear Free Future Month · Back to Calendar.
Add to Calendar. Add to Timely Calendar · Add to Google · Add to Outlook · Add
to Apple ...
https://www.facebook.com/.../1600931996833493/?...
Since 2006, United for
Peace & Justice has declared August Nuclear-Free Future Month: Time to Phase Out Nuclear Power and Start Negotiations on a
Treaty to ...
www.paxchristi.net/.../nuclear-free-future-month...
Pax
Christi International
Nuclear-Free Future Month: Open the Door Campaign.
As a supporter of the UN Open-Ended
Working Group to Take Forward Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament ...
https://eslkevin.wordpress.com/.../august-2015-is-nuclear-free-future-mo...
Jul 31, 2015 - August is Nuclear Free Future Month. Please post your event or action in support of the
abolition of all nuclear weapons on our international ...
www.publicnewsservice.org/2008.../nuclear-free-future-month.../a6037-1
Aug 25, 2008 - Boise, ID – August is
designated as "Nuclear-Free Future" month by the coalition United for Peace and Justice. In Boise,
Idahoans are ...
omnicenter.org/storage/newsletters/2013/2013-08-06b.pdf
Aug 5, 2013 - OMNI Nuclear Free Future Month NEWSLETTER. AUGUST
2013. Compiled by Dick Bennett for Peace,. Justice, and the Environment.
Searches
related to NUCLEAR FREE FUTURE MONTH
NUCLEAR AGE PEACE FOUNDATION NAPF
Dear Dick, 8-19-15
We are pleased to announce that Tony de Brum, Foreign
Minister of the Marshall Islands, will be awarded the 2015 Nuclear
Free Future Award in the category "Solutions." The awards ceremony will
take place in Washington, DC on October 28. For more information on the
Nuclear Free Future Awards, click here.
1. U.S. Schedules Launch of Minuteman III from California to
Marshall Islands
The United States Air Force plans to test-fire a Minuteman III
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California
to the Ronald Reagan Test Site in Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. The test
is scheduled for the early morning hours (Pacific Time) of tomorrow,
August 19.
Regularly testing its nuclear warhead delivery vehicles – in this
case, the Minuteman III ICBM – is an example of U.S. failure to comply with its
obligation under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty to "pursue
negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the
nuclear arms rate at an early date."
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation just sent out a press release
about this U.S. test of its land-based nuclear missile. Click here to read
it, and please feel free to use it in any way you can.
2. U.S. Needs "Extensive Consultation"
In its Motion for a 45-Day Extension to File a Response Brief [to
the RPI suits appeal], the U.S. government cited the need for "extensive
consultation with the State Department and with components within the
Department of Justice." To read the full motion, click here.
3. A Wedge for Nuclear Disarmament
Journalist Robert Koehler has published another article on the Nuclear
Zero Lawsuits in the Huffington Post and numerous other outlets. Click here to read
it.
Thank you so much for your support and for standing together for
Nuclear Zero!
Sincerely,
Rick Wayman
NAPF Director of Programs
NAPF Director of Programs
RPI
Nuclear Zero Lawsuits
NAPF SUPPORT
Dear Dick,
We are pleased to announce that Tony de Brum, Foreign
Minister of the Marshall Islands, will be awarded the 2015 Nuclear
Free Future Award in the category "Solutions." The awards ceremony will
take place in Washington, DC on October 28. For more information on the
Nuclear Free Future Awards, click here.
1. U.S. Schedules Launch of Minuteman
III from California to Marshall Islands
The United States Air Force plans to test-fire a Minuteman III
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California
to the Ronald Reagan Test Site in Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. The test
is scheduled for the early morning hours (Pacific Time) of tomorrow,
August 19.
Regularly testing its nuclear warhead delivery vehicles – in this
case, the Minuteman III ICBM – is an example of U.S. failure to comply with its
obligation under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty to "pursue
negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the
nuclear arms rate at an early date."
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation just sent out a press release
about this U.S. test of its land-based nuclear missile. Click here to read
it, and please feel free to use it in any way you can.
2. U.S. Needs "Extensive Consultation"
In its Motion for a 45-Day Extension to File a Response Brief [to
the RPI suits’ appeal], the U.S. government cited the need for "extensive
consultation with the State Department and with components within the
Department of Justice." To read the full motion, click here.
3. A Wedge for Nuclear Disarmament
Journalist Robert Koehler has published another article on the
Nuclear Zero Lawsuits in the Huffington Post and numerous other outlets. Click here to read
it.
Thank you so much for your support and for standing together for
Nuclear Zero!
Sincerely,
Rick Wayman
NAPF Director of Programs
NAPF Director of Programs
SUPPORT THE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS AGREEMENT WITH IRAN
97 People Could Take Us to War
|
9:27 AM (8 hours ago)
 |
|
|||
|
|||||
 Dear Dick,
This
weekend, across the world we commemorated the 70th anniversary of the
United States becoming the first and only country to use nuclear weapons,
killing over 100,000 people in Hiroshima, and over 60,000 three days later in
Nagasaki. Our brothers and sisters from CODEPINK Japan visited
Nagasaki to pay tribute to those affected by the bomb and protested the
expansion of a US military base in Kyoto. CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin
joined Campaign Nonviolence in a somber march to Los Alamos lab in New
Mexico, where nuclear weapons are designed.
As
we work to rid the world of nuclear weapons, let’s take action now
and tell the American Congress that it’s time to build a safer world by
supporting the Iran nuclear agreement. Follow these steps:
1. Check out these lists of 97 Senators andRepresentatives who
are still on the fence.
2. Call the Congressional switchboard (202-224-3121) and ask to be transferred to one of their offices. 3. Tell the office that you support the Iran deal and the Senator/Representative should too! 4. Hang up and call the switchboard and ask to be connected to the next office on the "undecided" list! 5. REPEAT!
This
historic deal blocks Iran’s pathways to nuclear weapons by implementing
inspections and other preventative measures, and it is the best
deal to avoid putting us on the path to war with Iran. Can you
make some calls today, and invite your friends to as well? Find out
if your elected officials are hosting town hall meetings you can attend
during August recess on MoveOn.org's new useful website,60 Days to Stop A War.
These
undecided votes can make the difference between war and peace. This will be
the most important foreign policy vote since the Iraq war. Your voice
is absolutely critical right now: Call these elected officials and tell them
to support the Iran nuclear deal! Their offices are all keeping a
daily tally of how many people call in to support or oppose the deal.
Want to learn more about the deal? Join CODEPINK's Medea Benjamin for a conference call TODAY, Tuesday, August 11 at 3:00pmEST. The call-in number is(712) 775-7031 and the passcode is 989-386.
In pursuit of a nuclear-free world,
Alli, Chelsea, Janet, Jodie, Lia, Lisa, Medea, Michaela, Michelle, Mike, Nancy and Tighe
PS: Join or organize a Picnic for Peace! We’ve teamed up
with the National Iranian American
Council to host Picnics for Peace across
the US on August 30th. We want YOU to host a
traditional Iranian-style picnic to promote peace and the Iran nuclear
deal! Check out our how-to list and
emailMichaela@codepink.org if you want
to organize a picnic.
|
|||||
|
This email was sent to j.dick.bennett@gmail.com.To stop receiving
emails, click here.Created
with NationBuilder
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
Against Nuclear Weapons
Testing, Google Search, August 19, 2015
www.un.org/en/no-nucleartests/ United Nations
Since nuclear weapons testing began in the
mid-twentieth century, with the first teston 16 July 1945, nearly 2,000 have taken place. There has been
little ...
www.un.org/en/events/againstnucleartestsday/history.shtml United Nations
Jump to The first
hydrogen bomb - On 1 November 1952 the United States became
the first country to test a hydrogen bomb. The Castle Bravo test on 1 ...
Jump to Treaties against
testing - [edit]. There are many proposed anti-nuclearexplosion treaties, such
as the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and the ...
https://www.ctbto... Preparatory Commission for the
Comprehensive Nucl...
Nuclear explosions have been detonated
in all environments: above ground, ... of evaluating the effects of nuclear weapons used against naval vessels.
Later, in ...
https://www.ctbto...
Preparatory
Commission for the Comprehensive Nucl...
Nuclear weapons have been tested in all environments
since 1945: in the atmosphere, underground and underwater. Tests have been carried
out onboard ...
www.icanw.org/.../t...
International
Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
The US government tests its first nuclear weapon, code-named “Trinity”, in
New Mexico. ... large demonstrations in Europe and America against nuclear testing.
www.icanw.org/.../I...
International
Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
Resistance to
nuclear testing and the build-up
of nuclear
arms.
Health impact. 13 ...against nuclear testing, and after a further five years the PCC Executive ...
fas.org/nuke/intro/nuke/test.htm
Federation
of American Scientists
Nuclear weapons effects tests are primarily
carried out in horizontal mine shafts .... remains "second best"
compared to testing against a real nuclear detonation.
nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/
Aug 6, 2001 - The number of actual
nuclear devices (aka "bombs") tested, and nuclear explosions is larger than this,
but harder to establish precisely. Some ...
Searches
related to against nuclear weapons testing
DEPARTMENT OF
PEACEBUILDING Act of 2015, Google Search,
August 21, 2015
www.peacealliance.org/department-of-peacebuilding-campaign-mid-yea...
Jul 30, 2015 - DEPARTMENT OF PEACEBUILDING Act
of 2015 ... and structures
encompasses all 5 of the Peace Alliance's peacebuilding cornerstones.
www.commdiginews.com
› Politics
Apr 15, 2015 - WASHINGTON April 15, 2015 — On Feb. 26, 2015, Rep. Barbara Lee,
D-Calif., introduced H.R.1111 for consideration, entitled “Department of ...
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1111
H.R.1111 - Department of Peacebuilding Act
of 2015114th Congress (2015-2016) ... conducive to
both domestic and international peace and a culture of peace.
CONNECTING WITH THE
AUGUST 9 REMEMBRANCE
DICK’S REPORT IN FREE WEEKLY AUGUST 6, 2015
Peace/Nuclear Weapons Abolition
Organizations,
NEW
PBS FILMS
“The Bomb,” 2
hours, July 28
“Uranium:
Twisting the Dragon’s Tail,” 1 hour, July 28
The
Bomb premiered
Tuesday, July 28, 2015.
THE BOMB
Full Episode
Aired:
2015-07-29 00:00:001:54:39Expires: 07/30/25Rating: TV-PG
Learn how
America developed the atomic bomb and how it changed the world.
Watch The
Bomb
1 / 5 videos
·
1:54:39
1:54:39
THE BOMB
Full Episode
·
0:40
0:40
THE BOMB
Preview
·
5:21
5:21
THE BOMB
Clip | The Cuban Missile Crisis
·
5:37
5:37
THE BOMB
Clip | Secret Cities
·
5:27
5:27
THE BOMB
Clip | Public Dialogue and Atomic Culture
About the Program
It began
innocently enough. In 1938, two German chemists accidentally discovered how to
split the nucleus of the uranium atom: nuclear fission. Einstein’s E=mc2
equation predicted that the amount of energy released from just one atom would
be enormous.
Physicists all over the
world immediately realized that fission might make a bomb of extraordinary
power — and that Nazi Germany might be capable of creating one. The fear of
Adolph Hitler getting a nuclear weapon led to a race to deter him by developing
such a bomb first. Thus began a chain of events that would lead inexorably to
Hiroshima, the nuclear arms race, the hydrogen bomb, the Cuban Missile Crisis
and some of the greatest fear and tension ever in world history.
Read more about the program below.
Read more about the program below.
A
Closer Look at The Bomb
The Baker
Day explosion, part of Crossroads Atomic Testing.
National
Archives
1 / 9
More About
the Program
The Bomb
explores how what started as simple scientific curiosity ultimately resulted in
a weapon capable of ending civilization. The invention, says historian Richard
Rhodes, “Was a millennial change in human history: for the first time, we were
now capable of our own destruction, as a species.”
The program
recounts the bomb’s history, as well as the successes, failures and moral
dilemmas of the personalities who created it. We learn how it was developed and
how it quickly changed everything, from international relations to politics,
culture, even sex.
No less than
the discovery of fire, the bomb marks a dividing line in human history between
all that came before it, and everything that follows. For the first time,
humans acquired the ability to destroy themselves, and we are still struggling
to learn how to live with this awesome power. Decades after it first appeared,
the bomb has receded in the public consciousness — but it continues to shape
our lives.
We hear from
scientists, weapons designers, pilots who dropped nuclear bombs, former
Secretaries of Defense and State who wrestled with the bomb’s impact on
international diplomacy, witnesses to nuclear explosions, historians, and
ordinary men and women who have lived and worked with the Bomb.
The Bomb was produced by Lone Wolf Media.
Related
Links
|
Produced
by:
|
 |
Support for pbs.org
WHEN TO WATCH
The Bomb
Local Station: KETS
The story of
nuclear weapons, from the earliest A-bomb tests to their impact on global
politics. Included: remarks from historians Richard Rhodes, Martin Sherwin,
Robert Norris and Sergei Khrushchev; former secretary of state George Shultz;
and former defense secretary William Perry.
SATURDAYAugust 1511:00 PM CTAETN Plus120 min
Support
your local PBS station
The
Story of Hiroshima: HIBAKUSHA STORIES
First-hand accounts from survivors best convey the bomb’s impact
on Hiroshima’s people. The following "Voice of Hibakusha" eyewitness
accounts of the bombing of Hiroshima are from the program HIROSHIMA WITNESS
produced by the Hiroshima Peace Cultural Center and NHK, the public
broadcasting company of Japan.
Mr. Akihiro Takahashi was
14 years old, when the bomb was dropped. He was standing in line with other
students of his junior high school, waiting for the morning meeting 1.4 km away
from the center. He was under medical treatment for about year and half. And
even today black nail grows at his finger tip, where a piece of glass was
stuck.
The
heat was tremendous . And I felt like my body was burning all over. For my
burning body the cold water of the river was as precious as the treasure. Then
I left the river, and I walked along the railroad tracks in the direction of my
home. On the way, I ran into an another friend of mine, Tokujiro Hatta. I
wondered why the soles of his feet were badly burnt. It was unthinkable to get burned
there. But it was undeniable fact the soles were peeling and red muscle was
exposed. Even I myself was terribly burnt, I could not go home ignoring him. I
made him crawl using his arms and knees. Next, I made him stand on his heels
and I supported him. We walked heading toward my home repeating the two
methods. When we were resting because we were so exhausted, I found my
grandfather's brother and his wife, in other words, great uncle and great aunt,
coming toward us. That was quite coincidence. As you know, we have a proverb
about meeting Buddha in Hell. My encounter with my relatives at that time was
just like that. They seem to be the Buddha to me wandering in the living hell.
Eiko Taoka, then 21, was
one of nearly 100 passengers said to have been on board a streetcar that had
left Hiroshima Station at a little after 8:00 a.m. and was in a Hatchobori
area, 750 m from ground zero, when the bomb fell. Taoka was heading for Funairi
with her one year old son to secure wagon in preparation for her move out of
the building which was to be evacuated. At 8:15, as the streetcar approached
Hatchobori Station, an intense flash and blast engulfed the car, instantly
setting it on fire. Taoka’s son died of radiation sickness on August 28. The
survival of only ten people on the streetcar have been confirmed to date.
When
we were near in Hatchobori and since I had been holding my son in my arms, the
young woman in front of me said, ‘I will be getting off here. Please take this
seat.’ We were just changing places when there was a strange smell and sound.
It suddenly became dark and before I knew it, I had jumped outside.... I held
[my son] firmly and looked down on him. He had been standing by the window and
I think fragments of glass had pierced his head. His face was a mess because of
the blood flowing from his head. But he looked at my face and smiled. His smile
has remained glued in my memory. He did not comprehend what had happened. And
so he looked at me and smiled at my face which was all bloody. I had plenty of milk
which he drank all throughout that day. I think my child sucked the poison
right out of my body. And soon after that he died. Yes, I think that he died
for me.
Ms. Akiko Takakura was 20
years old when the bomb fell. She was in the Bank of Hiroshima, 300 meters away
from the hypocenter. Ms. Takakura miraculously escaped death despite over 100
lacerated wounds on her back. She is one of the few survivors who was within
300 meters of the hypocenter. She now runs a kindergarten and she relates her
experience of the atomic bombing to children.
Many
people on the street were killed almost instantly. The fingertips of those dead
bodies caught fire and the fire gradually spread over their entire bodies from
their fingers. A light gray liquid dripped down their hands, scorching their
fingers. I, I was so shocked to know that fingers and bodies could be burned
and deformed like that. I just couldn't believe it. It was horrible. And
looking at it, it was more than painful for me to think how the fingers were
burned, hands and fingers that would hold babies or turn pages, they just, they
just burned away. For a few years after the A-bomb was dropped, I was terribly
afraid of fire. I wasn't even able to get close to fire because all my senses
remembered how fearful and horrible the fire was, how hot the blaze was, and
how hard it was to breathe the hot air. It was really hard to breathe. Maybe
because the fire burned all the oxygen, I don't know. I could not open my eyes
enough because of the smoke, which was everywhere. Not only me but everyone
felt the same. And my parts were covered with holes.
Page 14 of 15 
CONTENTS
·
Movies
·
Maps
RELATED READING
Hibakusha: Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
by Gaynor Sekimor
by Gaynor Sekimor
The Atomic Bomb: Voices from Hiroshima and Nagasaki
by Kyoko Selden (Editor)
by Kyoko Selden (Editor)
Hiroshima
by John Hersey
by John Hersey
RELATED SITES
COPYRIGHT © 2005 - 2013 AJ SOFTWARE & MULTIMEDIA. ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS PROJECT IS PART OF THE NATIONAL SCIENCE DIGITAL LIBRARY
AND WAS FUNDED BY THE DIVISION OF UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION, NATIONAL SCIENCE
FOUNDATION GRANT 0434253.
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
Toward A World Free From Nuclear Fear
By Abel
Tomlinson | August 20, 2015
On August 9th, 1945, the United States dropped the nuclear bomb
Fat Man on the city of Nagasaki, Japan. Together with the previous nuclear
bombing of Hiroshima, 340,000 civilians were killed, according to Tufts
professor Tadatoshi Akiba.
On August
9th, 1945, the United States dropped the nuclear bomb Fat Man on the city of
Nagasaki, Japan. Together with the previous nuclear bombing of Hiroshima,
340,000 civilians were killed, according to Tufts professor Tadatoshi Akiba.
Half of those died on the first day, many instantly incinerated. Much more died
in following years from radioactive environmental contamination.
We are told
that the ends justified the means. It was acceptable to kill large civilian populations
to save American lives. However, the fact remains that this was intentional
targeting of civilian populations for a political objective.
The
dictionary defines terrorism as: “The use of violence or the threat of
violence, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political goals.”
According to this, the nuclear bombings and napalm bombing of around 100,000
Tokyo civilians are among the greatest singular acts of state terrorism in
history.
These
bombings also happened after Japan indicated they were prepared to surrender,
so why? Some believe it was to intimidate Russia with new weapons, or racism. General Curtis Lemay, who led the fire-bombings,
said, “Killing Japanese didn’t bother me… I suppose if I had lost the war, I
would have been tried as a war criminal…”
World War
II was arguably a just war. However, we must accept that war typically involves
state terrorism. In most wars, especially WWII, all sides become hellish mass
murdering monsters, especially when bombs are involved.
There is rarely
ever a clean, “smart” bomb. Innocent men, women and children almost always die.
Most bombs are dropped in or near cities and villages, and most kill civilians
every time. However, in the case of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, civilians were the
intended target.
To mark the
70th anniversary of these bombings, the OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and
Ecology recently held its annual remembrance at the UA Fulbright Peace
Fountain. OMNI members and musicians were joined by speakers Mayor Lioneld
Jordan, Marine veteran Bill Williams, and Carmen Chong Gum, Consul General for
the Marshall Islands.
According
to the Marshallese Education Inititiative, the Northwest Arkansas region has a
population of 12,000 Marshallese immigrants. This is the largest enclave in the
US, largely due to poultry industry employment. Immigrants can obtain
indefinite work visas here due to a 1986 military compact.
Many left
their homelands to escape more extreme poverty and because the US detonated 67
nuclear bombs in their territory, making some islands uninhabitable. This
included Castle Bravo, the largest bomb ever detonated by the US, which was
1,000 times larger than Hiroshima. The 60 mile blast radius incinerated 3
islands. Before bombing, the US evacuated the people. According to Gum, many
lived in exile for 33 years before they were allowed to return in 1980 after a
partial cleanup of some islands.
Gum also
mentioned the Guardian article about
Runit Dome. It is a massive concrete enclosure containing 111,000 cubic yards
of radioactive waste from the US bombing, which is cracking and leaking. It is
also becoming submerged due to rising sea levels caused by climate change, and
the possibility of a catastrophic spill is high considering increasing storm
intensities.
However,
our government claims it has honored its obligations, and the Marshallese are
now responsible for the toxic dome. Yet, their population is 53,000 with a GDP
of $190 million, mostly from US aid, and has no capacity to deal with the
costly and dangerous radioactive mess we left.
Gum also
spoke about the Nuclear Zero Lawsuits being brought by the Marshallese
government. The lawsuits claim nuclear nations failed to move toward nuclear
disarmament in compliance with the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),
signed by 191 nations.
Article VI
of the NPT states that signatories must “pursue negotiations in good faith on
effective measures (for) nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and
complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.”
Laurie Ashton,
lead attorney for the case in US Federal Court, commented, “This case asks the
question whether the President… is above the law… of the NPT, a legally binding
treaty… (T)he United States has the world focused on nonproliferation measures
across the globe, (but) is in flagrant breach of its obligation to negotiate
complete nuclear disarmament…and is instead actually modernizing its nuclear
arsenal with…a budget of approximately $1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion
dollars).”
Considering
our compounding environmental problems, it would seem wise to eliminate nuclear
weapons immediately. Population continues growing rapidly while the world’s
capacity to sustainably provide food and potable water for everyone is
increasingly strained.
It is our
duty to lead nuclear bomb abolition now while we have relative stability and
remain the most powerful nation. Unfortunately, we have little peace
leadership. Obama mentioned a world free of nuclear bombs early on, but has
since committed to the trillion dollar upgrade. Nobel Peace Prize revoked.
According to Scientific American, a
trillion dollars is beyond the cost of transforming a majority of our nation to
solar energy.
For a more
peaceful world, we must grow grassroots power like Occupy Wall Street and Black
Lives Matter. Some politicians listen to the grass under foot. Strong grass can
reach their faces.
Like the Nuclear Zero Lawsuits, peace pie in the face cannot be
ignored.
Contents #3 UN
International Day Against Nuclear Tests Newsletter
August 29, 2014 http://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2014/08/un-international-day-against-nuclear.html
United Nations
http://www.un.org/en/events/againstnucleartestsday/pressrelease.shtml
Veterans for
Peace
UNIDANT 2014
Google Search
Space Alert!
Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space
Lambert, US
President’s Power and the Danger of Nuclear Weapons, The
War Crimes Times (Summer 2014)
OMNI’s Nuclear
Weapons Abolition Newsletter
OMNI
Hiroshima-Nagasaki 2014
END: UN
INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST NUCLEAR TESTS NEWSLETTER, AUGUST 29, 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment