Editor’s Note: The following article, written by historian Lawrence Wittner, presents an important perspective at a time when, it could be argued, our nation is continuing its descent into racism. One of the ten steps any would-be dictator must take to destroy constitutional freedoms – the suspension of the rule of law – has begun, with Trump sending armed Federal police to cities (such as Portland) where they are beating and detaining people with no due process. They are already here in Seattle, and likely on their way to other major cities (to allegedly protect Federal property). May we hear Lawrence […]
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“Remember your humanity, and forget the rest.”
Sixty-five years ago, on July 9, 1955, early in the nuclear age, Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell and nine other distinguished Nobel Laureates introduced a resolution known as the Russell-Einstein Manifesto. The Manifesto is as relevant now as then. Today we stand at an even deeper precipice; nuclear weapons still threaten all of humanity, and we ignore that reality at humanity’s peril. And yet, nuclear weapons do not stand alone. We also face other existential threats – global pandemics and the effects of global warming. Other factors threaten to destabilize nations and international relations even further. Racism, greed and colonialism have […]
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Making America Feared Again: The Trump Administration Considers Resuming Nuclear Weapons Testing
There is no military necessity for nuclear test resumption. by Lawrence Wittner Originally published by Common Dreams on Friday, July 17, 2020 Americans who grew up with nightmares of nuclear weapons explosions should get ready for some terrifying flashbacks, for the Trump administration appears to be preparing to resume U.S. nuclear weapons tests. The U.S. government stopped its atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons in 1962, shortly before signing the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963. And it halted its underground nuclear tests in 1992, signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996. Overall, it conducted 1,030 nuclear weapons test […]
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We Keep Building Nukes For All the Wrong Reasons (by Bruce Blair)
Editor’s Note: The community of people working to abolish nuclear weapons and the associated risk of nuclear annihilation is relatively small, and each person brings a unique experience and important perspective. All are important when considering the magnitude of the task, and what is at stake. Our colleague, Dr. Bruce G. Blair, a former minuteman ICBM launch control officer and nuclear security expert, died yesterday, Sunday, July 19th. He brought much to the movement! We share the following article that Dr. Blair wrote in 2003. At a time when the US is ramping up nuclear weapons production and increasing the […]
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Reflections on Injustice, Racism, and the Bomb
By Vincent Intondi* The moment in August 2005 is seared into my memory. The train pulled up to the Hiroshima station from Kyoto. I stepped out with my mind full of images from 60 years ago, when the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on this pristine city of 340,000 people. (Hiroshima had been one of the few cities that escaped the fire-bombing campaign of Japan’s major cities led by U.S. Air Force General Curtis LeMay.) Initially, I was taken aback by what I saw: a modern city, filled with restaurants, hotels, shops, and lots of people, much like […]
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