By Leonard Eiger July 16th marks the day 78 years ago when the United States let the nuclear genie out of the lamp. On July 16, 1945, at 5:29:45 AM at the Alamogordo Test Range, on the Jornada del Muerto (Journey of Death) desert, in the test named Trinity, Manhattan Project scientists detonated the experimental device known as the “Gadget,” creating a light “brighter than a thousand suns.” A mere 6 kilogram (13.2 pound) sphere of plutonium, compressed to supercriticality by the surrounding high explosives, created an explosion equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT (20 Kilotons). Was this, as thought […]
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Nuclear Remembrance Day: A day to say Abolish Nuclear Weapons NOW!
By Leonard Eiger March 1, 2023 March 1st is Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Day (‘Bikini’ Day) which marks the anniversary of the infamous US ‘Bravo’ nuclear bomb detonation at Bikini Atoll in 1954. On that fateful day the United States tested the first deliverable hydrogen bomb, code named “Bravo”, at Bikini Atoll, in the Marshall Islands. Bravo was the largest U.S. nuclear test ever exploded, with a yield of 15 megatons, 1000 times larger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima (and well beyond the predicted yield of 6 megatons… OOOPS!). It blasted a crater 1.2 miles in diameter into […]
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Ground Zero calls on Congressional Progressive Caucus to stand by its Ukraine diplomacy letter
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a news release sent on October 25, 2022 Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action is shocked and saddened by today’s news that the Congressional Progressive Caucus has withdrawn its letter, signed by 30 House members and sent to the White House on yesterday, urging President Biden to negotiate directly with Russia to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. According to the Washington Post, the letter “triggered fierce pushback from many Democrats, as well as from Ukrainian officials, who argued that it was unrealistic to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin,” and “could create more pressure on […]
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Former Nuclear Submarine Commander Speaks Out About Nukes!
Text of Tom Rogers address to the September 24th Seattle Rally for Nuclear Abolition Thank you. It’s an honor to be here. I had a 32 year career in the navy as a submarine officer. When I commanded a nuclear submarine, I was directly responsible for nuclear weapons. I understand that nuclear weapons are an existential threat to humanity. If I fail to oppose a national security strategy based on the threat of nuclear annihilation, then I am complicit. So, I’ve been a member of Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action for about 20 years. I’m often surprised that local […]
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Ukraine Would Be Even Less Safe With Nuclear Weapons
Nuclear deterrence is supposed to provide stability. Instead, it threatens just the opposite. By David P. Barash Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at the Daily Beast on March 2, 2022. Republished here with the author’s permission. The Ukraine crisis has led many nuclear weapons enthusiasts to say “We told you so.” They claim that when Ukraine agreed to give up its Soviet-era nukes (to Russia, of all countries) the newly independent country foolishly deprived itself of a valuable deterrent. Had the leadership in Kyiv been more hard-headed and far-sighted, the argument goes, Ukraine would now be much safer. […]
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