Issue #268 – November 2019
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Perspectives
- 2019 Distinguished Peace Leadership Award Acceptance Speech by David Krieger
- Honoring David Krieger by Daniel Ellsberg
- We Don’t Need to Raise Taxes to Have “Medicare for All” by Lindsay Koshgarian
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
- Court Finds Nonviolent Nuclear Weapons Protestors Guilty
- Imminent Threat of Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon
- Trump Confirms Open Secret of U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Turkey
Nuclear Waste
- Uranium Still Prevalent in Navajo Women and Children
Nuclear Disarmament
- Dominica Ratifies Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
- UN General Assembly’s First Committee Adopts Resolution in Favor of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
- Vatican Representative Calls for Action to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons
Nuclear Threat
- Gorbachev: World Is in “Colossal Danger”
Resources
- Don’t Bank on the Bomb
- Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor
- A Survivor’s Story: From the Atomic Bomb to the Nobel Peace Prize
Foundation Activities
- Evening for Peace Honors David Krieger
- Peace Literacy and the Youth Nuclear Peace Summit
- The Nexus Between Climate Change and International Security
Quotes
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2019 Distinguished Peace Leadership Award Acceptance Speech
by David Krieger
I have been very fortunate in my life to have a loving wife and family, and to have been able to do the work that mattered most to me – the work of trying to assure a human future.
When we founded the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, the world was adrift in nuclear dangers. We began with no resources, only a belief in the necessity of awakening people everywhere to the dangers of the Nuclear Age – a time in which our technological prowess exceeds our ethical development.
We took a chance in 1982, and here we are nearly four decades later. The Foundation has been a steady, consistent and creative voice for Peace and a world free of nuclear weapons.
To read more, click here.
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Honoring David Krieger
by Daniel Ellsberg
There is no more important work in the world today than abolishing the ever-imminent danger of near-extinction of humanity posed by the existence of nuclear weapons.
Yes, obviously, beginning belatedly and urgently to avert the global danger of catastrophic climate change is comparably of the highest level of importance. Yet it is misleading to describe that overwhelming problem, as is too-often done lately, as the only “existential” threat to human survival. As everyone here today recognizes, there are at least two existential challenges, for one of which—the need to abolish nuclear weapons—David Krieger has been perhaps the most consistent, most eloquent prophetic voices of the last half century.
To read more, click here.
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We Don’t Need to Raise Taxes to Have “Medicare for All”
by Lindsay Koshgarian
As Democratic presidential candidates debate the merits of Medicare for All, a Green New Deal or free college, a chorus of scolds from across the political spectrum will chime in to tell you we can’t afford it.
Over 18 years, the United States has spent $4.9 trillion on wars, with only more intractable violence in the Middle East and beyond to show for it.
A total nuclear weapons ban would mean new treaties and would take years to negotiate. But if we could get there, we could save roughly $43 billion each year on weapons, delivery systems and upgrades
To read the full op-ed in The New York Times, click here.
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U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
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Court Finds Nonviolent Nuclear Weapons Protestors Guilty
In Brunswick, Georgia, a group of seven anti-nuclear peace activists, known as the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 (KBP7), face over 20 years in prison for breaking into the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base.
As part of a Christian pacifist movement called Plowshares, the KBP7 engaged in nonviolent direct action at the naval base on April 4th, 2018. April 4 is the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination. The activists cut through fences to gain access to the base, thought to contain one of the greatest concentrations of nuclear weapons in the world. They used bottles of their own blood to create messages opposing nuclear weapons and in favor of peace.
In a collective trial, the KBP7 was been found guilty of conspiracy, trespassing, destruction of government property, and depredation of government property. Although they have been charged with several felonies, they argue that their actions were necessary to challenge the far greater crime of weapons of mass destruction.
Gloria Tatum, “Kings Bay Plowshares 7 Found Guilty on All Charges,” Streets of Atlanta, October 25, 2019.
For more information on the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 and how you can support them, click here.
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Imminent Threat of Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon
U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) has proposed a bill to protect the Grand Canyon from uranium mining. Although a 20-year ban was implemented in 2012 to protect the Grand Canyon from mining, Grijalva fears the ban is no longer enough to keep out mining groups.
In 2017, President Trump declared uranium to be a key component for national security. Grijalva expects the White House’s Nuclear Fuel Working Group to recommend mining uranium near the Grand Canyon. Grijalva has thus deemed legislation necessary to protect the national park from exploitation. While many Republicans support uranium mining — a core element for the production of nuclear weapons — many Democrats are in opposition due to its destructive effects on the environment.
Miranda Green and Rebecca Beitsch, “Democrats Aim to Protect Grand Canyon from ‘Imminent’ Drilling Threat,” The Hill, October 29, 2019.
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Trump Confirms Open Secret of U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Turkey
While most experts agree that the U.S. deploys approximately 50 B61 nuclear gravity bombs at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, the U.S. government has never officially confirmed this. On October 16, President Trump was asked whether he was concerned about the safety of these nuclear weapons in Turkey.
Trump replied, “We’re confident, and we have a great — a great air base there, a very powerful air base. That air base alone can take anyplace. It’s a large, powerful air base.”
Zachary Cohen, “Trump Appears to Confirm Open Secret About U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Turkey,” CNN, October 16, 2019.
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Uranium Still Prevalent in Navajo Women and Children
A study by the University of New Mexico on the long-term effects of uranium exposure on Navajo women and infants revealed that a quarter of the participants still have high amounts of uranium in their systems. Up until the 1980s in New Mexico, millions of tons of uranium were mined on Native American reservations for the development of nuclear weapons. The impacts from exposure to radiation on the Navajo community still persist, as many today suffer from serious health effects such as cancer and lung problems.
Some U.S. legislators are pressing for the U.S. government to compensate those affected by radiation and are calling out the need to clean up Uranium mines in New Mexico. The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a five-year plan to clean up abandoned uranium mines. However, the Navajo community feels as if this proposal is not urgent enough considering the serious health issues many have developed over the decades.
Mary Hudetz, “U.S. Official: Research Finds Uranium in Navajo Women, Babies,” Associated Press, October 7, 2019.
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Dominica Ratifies Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
On October 18, Dominica became the 33rd nation to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The treaty will enter into force 90 days after the 50th nation submits its ratification.
For an up-to-date list of countries that have signed and ratified the treaty, click here.
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UN General Assembly’s First Committee Adopts Resolution in Favor of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
The First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in favor of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by a vote of 119-41, with 15 abstentions. The resolution “calls upon all States that have not yet done so to sign, ratify, accept, approve or accede to the Treaty at the earliest possible date.”
The resolution will be considered by the full UN General Assembly later this month. To read a copy of the full resolution, click here.
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Vatican Representative Calls for Action to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons
The Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations has called on global leaders to work to rid the world of nuclear weapons. In a series of addresses to two U.N. committees, Archbishop Bernardito Auza said nations must step up to prevent a new nuclear arms race from emerging and work to reduce growing threats to peace.
“To realize the full promise of these [international treaties], we must work tirelessly to restore dialogue and to fight the trust-deficits, which unfortunately characterize the current situation of disarmament, as well as in the building of our common and collective security,” the Archbishop said.
“Vatican’s UN Rep Pushes for World Action to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons,” Catholic News Service, October 28, 2019.
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Gorbachev: World Is in “Colossal Danger”
The former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has warned that current tension between Russia and the West is putting the world in “colossal danger” due to the threat from nuclear weapons.
Gorbachev said, “As long as weapons of mass destruction exist, primarily nuclear weapons, the danger is colossal. All nations should declare that nuclear weapons must be destroyed. This is to save ourselves and our planet.”
“Mikhail Gorbachev: World in ‘Colossal Danger’,” BBC, November 4, 2019.
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Don’t Bank on the Bomb
More and more banks, pension funds, insurers and other financial institutions are excluding nuclear weapon producers from their investments, and helping to build the worldwide stigma against these terrible weapons.
A new report by PAX and ICAN profiles 77 banks, pension funds, insurers and other financial institutions that have a policy to not invest in nuclear weapons. The report shows how a new standard has been firmly established in the financial industry. Excluding companies involved in the production nuclear weapons is the new normal.
To download a free copy of the report, click here.
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Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor
Norwegian People’s Aid has published the 2019 Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor. The report measures progress towards a world free of nuclear weapons, by using the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) as a yardstick. The report also evaluates the extent to which the policies and practices of all states comply with the prohibitions in the TPNW, regardless of whether they have joined the Treaty yet.
To download a copy of the Ban Monitor, click here.
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A Survivor’s Story: From the Atomic Bomb to the Nobel Peace Prize
Setsuko Thurlow, a survivor of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima and a member of the NAPF Advisory Council, recently spoke at Harvard University about her experiences. “I speak because I feel it is my responsibility as someone who has intimate knowledge of what these horrific things can do to human beings,” Thurlow said. “I consider it my moral responsibility.”
To read more about Thurlow’s visit to Harvard and to watch a video of her speech, click here.
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Evening for Peace Honors David Krieger
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation honored David Krieger at its 2019 Evening for Peace, which took place on October 20, 2019.
David co-founded the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in 1982 and has led the organization as its President for nearly four decades. He has dedicated his life’s work to ending the nuclear age and has been a mentor, a respected colleague, and an inspiration to countless people across the globe.
To see event photos, transcripts, and more, click here.
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Peace Literacy and the Youth Nuclear Peace Summit
With 90 high school students and 23 educators in attendance from across Canada and the U.S., NAPF Peace Literacy Director Paul K. Chappell gave a keynote and presented a workshop at the Youth Nuclear Peace Summit in Winnipeg, Canada, October 9-11. The Summit was held at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights (CMHR).
The Youth Nuclear Peace Summit discussed the human, environmental, economic, political, and legal costs of the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Its goal was to inspire the younger generation to become leaders on the impact of nuclear weapons on society, and empower them as they establish a global network of informed citizens.
To read more about this event, click here.
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The Nexus Between Climate Change and International Security
On September 23, Christian N. Ciobanu, NAPF’s New York and Youth Representative, organized an event together with the New York University United Nations Initiative to discuss the many connections between climate change and international security. Peace Boat US, Peace Action New York State, and NYU International Relations Society co-sponsored the event.
Speakers at the event discussed many different issues, including rising sea levels in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the effects of uranium mining on the people of the Navajo Nation, the radioactive contamination that will likely be exposed due to melting ice in Greenland, and the positive obligations in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
To read more about this event, click here.
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“I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.”
— Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th U.S. President. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available to purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.
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“If the munitions on those Trident submarines are ever used, that’s the end of life on Earth. That’s the end of life on Earth. I have to say no to that. We don’t have that right to destroy God’s creation.”
— Liz McAlister, one of the Kings Bay Plowshares Seven, explaining her motivation for engaging in nonviolent direct action at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Georgia.
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“I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into hell of thermonuclear destruction. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant.”
— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech.
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David Krieger
Carley Weiler
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