Editor’s Introduction: This reflection, written by Stephen Kobasa, was written shortly after September 11, 2001. In his response to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centers in New York, Stephen imagined ground zero, “for all its horror,” as a “miniature of destruction, a fragment of the apocalypse” that would be caused by “the use of a single 475 kiloton [thermonuclear] warhead.” He spoke clearly, powerfully and directly to the true essence of “terror” in which we all exist, living at the end of time; the sheer madness of Trident is laid bare. There is so much to unpack […]
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Beyond the Peace Prize: Hear the Voices of the Hibakusha!
October 11, 2024 was a historic day as the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo “for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.” Nihon Hidankyo is a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, also known as Hibakusha. The Hibakusha have worked tirelessly to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons, and have demonstrated through their personal testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again. We did not need the Norwegian Nobel Committee […]
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Prison Letter from Susan Crane: “War has no use except to kill people…”
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following essay was written by Susan Crane who began serving a 229 day prison sentence in June 2024 for nonviolent actions at Buchel air base in Germany, where U.S. nuclear weapons are stored. Among her many acts of resistance over the years, Susan participated in the Disarm Now Plowshares action at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor on November 2, 2009. When not acting up and doing time, Susan lives and works at the Redwood City Catholic Worker. Thanks to The Nuclear Resister for supporting Susan while behind bars, and for sharing this essay. October 11, 2024 While I’m in […]
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Trident nuclear weapons update at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor
Prepared by Glen Milner, Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, June 10, 2024; based upon Federation of American Scientists United States Nuclear Weapons, 2024. See https://thebulletin.org/premium/2024-05/united-states-nuclear-weapons-2024. “…that pool of eight ballistic missile submarines that operates out of Bangor, that is the most powerful military force on the planet.” – Hans Kristensen, Federation of American Scientists1 Each Trident submarine (SSBN) carries 20 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM, also specifically known as the D5LE).2 Each D5LE (Trident II D5 “life extended”) missile has a range of 12,000 km—equal to 7,460 miles or 6,482 nautical miles.3 Estimated number of warheads per submarine: 90 warheads […]
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Golden Rule protests USS Nimitz, Indian Island Weapons Depot, and Trident Nuclear Sub Base
NEWS FLASH FROM THE GOLDEN RULE Veterans For Peace’s Golden Rule peace boat joined an on-the-water protest outside the Indian Island Weapons Depot near Port Townsend, Washington on Thursday, September 5. As it happened, the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier was being loaded up with weapons at the time. Will it be headed back for the Middle East? This was part of with the Week of Action for Solidarity with the Palestinian People – coordinated protests by Veterans For Peace chapters in over 25 US cities. One day earlier, on Wednesday, Sept. 4, the Golden Rule protested outside the Bangor Trident […]
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