Issue #266 – September 2019
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Perspectives
- Lessons from Einstein for Scientists Today by David Krieger
- The False Promise of Nuclear Power by Robert Jay Lifton and Naomi Oreskes
- With Nukes Back as a Global Danger, Time to Remember Hiroshima by Nassrine Azimi
- The World Can’t Ignore Kashmir. We Are All in Danger by Imran Khan
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
- U.S. Tests Intermediate-Range Missile in “Post-INF Treaty World”
Nuclear Waste
- Native American Tribe Says Nuclear Waste Can’t Be Stored on its Land
Nuclear Insanity
- France Is Still Cleaning Up Marie Curie’s Nuclear Waste
- Trump Suggested Dropping Nuclear Weapons on Hurricanes
- Beer Company Refuses to Change Product Name After Marshall Islands Outrage
Nuclear Disarmament
- Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Over Halfway to Entry Into Force
Peace
- Frances Crowe, Peace Activist and War Resister, Dies at 100
Nuclear Threat
- Russian Radioactivity Monitors Went Silent After Missile Explosion
Resources
- Youth Champions for Securing Our Common Future
Foundation Activities
- Evening for Peace to Honor David Krieger
- Peace Literacy Workshop in Oregon a Success
- Sadako Peace Day Remembers Victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Cities Must Save Themselves from the Nuclear Weapons Threat
Quotes
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Lessons from Einstein for Scientists Today
by David Krieger
Albert Einstein is widely recognized as the greatest scientist of his time. In 2005, physics societies throughout the world celebrated the 100th anniversary year of Einstein’s “miracle year,” in which he produced five papers that would change humanity’s view of the universe. The year 2005 also marked the 50th anniversary of Einstein’s death and of the issuing of his last public appeal, the Russell-Einstein Manifesto. It is an appropriate time to consider what lessons we might draw from Einstein’s life that would benefit those engaged in scientific activities today.
To read more, click here.
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The False Promise of Nuclear Power
by Robert Jay Lifton and Naomi Oreskes
Commentators from Greenpeace to the World Bank agree that climate change is an emergency, threatening civilization and life on our planet. Any solution must involve the control of greenhouse gas emissions by phasing out fossil fuels and switching to alternative technologies that do not impair the human habitat while providing the energy we require to function as a species.
Gas and nuclear will play a transitional role, but it is not pragmatic to bet the planet on a technology that has consistently underperformed and poses profound threats to our bodies and our minds. We must question the misleading vision of “Atoms for Peace,” a vision that has always accompanied the normalization of nuclear weapons. We must free ourselves from the false hope that a technology designed for ultimate destruction could be transmogrified into ultimate life-enhancement.
To read the full op-ed by NAPF Adviser Robert Jay Lifton and Harvard professor Naomi Oreskes, click here.
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With Nukes Back as a Global Danger, Time to Remember Hiroshima
by Nassrine Azimi
The sheer number and power of nuclear weapons today can make the bombs that plunged Hiroshima and Nagasaki into nuclear hell 74 years ago seem almost benign. But as the Governor said even here we glimpse merely the outward expressions of grief—we will never know the reality of nuclear horror and the suffering behind the dignified exteriors of survivors.
My friend the Hiroshima architect Akio Nishikiori often describes his childhood memories of the pre-WWII Hiroshima, something of a small Venice with its many rivers and taxi-gondolas. On summer nights his family would eat at cafés along the river and stroll the bustling streets of Nakajima district, then the central shopping and entertainment center. All that vanished with the bomb when Akio was eight. His sister Hisako, who was 14, was killed and Hiroshima almost disappeared into the dark side. The erudite and humanist Akio has dedicated his life to rebuilding his city, and now almost 82, continues to fight for peace every day. But Akio and other citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki alone cannot save us from nuclear annihilation. We must step up, all of us, now—this is by far our most urgent mission.
To read more, click here.
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The World Can’t Ignore Kashmir. We Are All in Danger
by Imran Khan
If the world does nothing to stop the Indian assault on Kashmir and its people, there will be consequences for the whole world as two nuclear-armed states get ever closer to a direct military confrontation. India’s defense minister has issued a not-so-veiled nuclear threat to Pakistan by saying that the future of India’s “no first use” policy on nuclear weapons will “depend on circumstances.” Similar statements have been made by Indian leaders periodically. Pakistan has long viewed India’s “no first use” claims with skepticism.
With the nuclear shadow hovering over South Asia, we realize that Pakistan and India have to move out of a zero-sum mind-set to begin dialogue on Kashmir, various strategic matters and trade. On Kashmir, the dialogue must include all stakeholders, especially the Kashmiris.
To read the full op-ed by the Pakistani Prime Minister in The New York Times, click here.
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U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
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U.S. Tests Intermediate-Range Missile in “Post-INF Treaty World”
On August 18, the United States conducted a test of an intermediate-range missile from San Nicolas Island off the coast of California. This missile test would have been banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which the Trump administration terminated just over two weeks prior.
Rick Wayman, Deputy Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, said, “Testing and deploying such missiles is dangerous and unnecessary, and raises the risk of armed conflict. There was good reason why these weapons were banned for 32 years, and should have remained banned forever.”
Sandy Jones, “Defense Department Conducts Cruise Missile Test at San Nicolas Island,” Noozhawk, August 20, 2019.
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Native American Tribe Says Nuclear Waste Can’t Be Stored on its Land
The Nevada Test Site (now called the Nevada National Security Site) and Yucca Mountain both sit on land that is still claimed by the Western Shoshone Nation. The U.S. government tested hundreds of nuclear weapons at the Nevada Test Site, and radioactive contamination at the vast site is still prevalent. While no nuclear waste is being stored at Yucca Mountain, there are some voices in the U.S. government that insist on keeping the project alive.
The Western Shoshone Nation disputes that the land in question belongs to the U.S. government to begin with. They say that the tribe never ceded land claims to the federal government in the Treaty of Ruby Valley, signed in 1863.
John Sadler, “Native American Tribe Claims Nuclear Waste Can’t Be Stored on its Land,” Las Vegas Sun, August 15, 2019.
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France Is Still Cleaning Up Marie Curie’s Nuclear Waste
Nearly a century after Marie Curie opened a research lab in Arceuil, a suburb of Paris, it remains off limits because of high levels of radioactivity. Radium has a half-life of 1,600 years, and there are traces of a uranium isotope at the site that has a half-life of 4.5 billion years.
“We’re proof that France has a serious nuclear waste problem,” said Arcueil Mayor Christian Métairie. “Our situation raises questions about whether the country is really equipped to handle it.”
Tara Patel, “France Is Still Cleaning Up Marie Curie’s Nuclear Waste,” Bloomberg Businessweek, August 27, 2019.
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Trump Suggested Dropping Nuclear Weapons on Hurricanes
U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested multiple times to senior officials that the U.S. use nuclear weapons to stop hurricanes from hitting the United States. The sources for this story are people who heard Trump’s remarks and people who were briefed on a National Security Council memorandum that recorded those comments.
According to one unnamed source, Trump said, “I got it. I got it. Why don’t we nuke them? They start forming off the coast of Africa, as they’re moving across the Atlantic, we drop a bomb inside the eye of the hurricane and it disrupts it. Why can’t we do that?”
Jonathan Swan and Margaret Talev, “Scoop: Trump Suggested Nuking Hurricanes to Stop Them from Hitting U.S.,” Axios, August 25, 2019.
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Beer Company Refuses to Change Product Name After Marshall Islands Outrage
A Texas-based beer company has thus far refused to change the name of one of its products even after widespread outrage expressed by people in the Marshall Islands. The beer in question is named “Bikini Atoll.”
Jack Niedenthal, Marshall Islands Health and Human Services Secretary, said, “The bottom line is that your product makes fun of a horrific situation here in the Marshall Islands, a situation that I promise you is still ongoing—to make money for your company.”
The United States conducted 67 nuclear weapon tests in the Marshall Islands from 1946-58, with an equivalent explosive yield of 1.7 Hiroshima-sized bombs every day for 12 years. Bikini Atoll was the site of some of the biggest tests, including the Castle Bravo test in 1954, which had an explosive yield 1,000 times larger than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.
Kyle Mizokami, “Don’t Name Your Beer for Nuking Somebody’s Home,” Jalopnik, August 29, 2019.
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Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Over Halfway to Entry Into Force
The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has been ratified by 26 nations. It will enter into force after 50 countries ratify it. Kazakhstan ratified the treaty on August 29, the International Day Against Nuclear Tests. The Soviet Union conducted over 450 nuclear tests in Kazakhstan, with widespread humanitarian consequences.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines ratified the treaty on July 31, and Bolivia ratified on August 6 — the 74th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
A signature and ratification ceremony will take place at the United Nations in New York on September 26, where additional countries are expected to sign or ratify the treaty.
For an update on which countries have signed and ratified, click here.
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Frances Crowe, Peace Activist and War Resister, Dies at 100
Frances Crowe was 26 years old when the United States dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, instantly killing tens of thousands of civilians. From the moment Crowe heard about it, she dedicated her life to peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons.
“I supported World War II,” she said. “It was Hiroshima and the bombing of Dresden that helped me reach the decision that war was not the answer.”
Katharine Q. Seelye, “Frances Crowe, Peace Activist and War Resister, Dies at 100,” The New York Times, August 28, 2019.
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Russian Radioactivity Monitors Went Silent After Missile Explosion
At least four Russian radioactivity monitors went offline following the August 8 explosion of an experimental missile, which killed at least five scientists. The missile is thought to be nuclear-powered.
The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization has 80 radionuclide stations around the globe which “measure the atmosphere for radioactive particles,” it says, adding that “only these measurements can give a clear indication as to whether an explosion detected by the other methods was actually nuclear or not.”
Barbara Starr and Ryan Browne, “Nuclear Monitoring Stations Went Mysteriously Quiet After Russian Missile Facility Explosion,” CNN, August 20, 2019.
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Youth Champions for Securing Our Common Future
Peace Boat and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) invite young people to join them for a special event, coinciding with the UN General Assembly – First Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security. Approximately 75 young people aged 18–30 will participate in activities promoting peace and disarmament in relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Applications are due by September 15. For more information, click here.
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Evening for Peace to Honor David Krieger
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 36th Annual Evening for Peace will honor NAPF President and Co-Founder David Krieger. The event will take place on Sunday, October 20, in Santa Barbara, California.
David 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. He will retire at the end of 2019 after leading the Foundation for nearly four decades.
This year’s award will be presented by Daniel Ellsberg, NAPF Distinguished Fellow.
For sponsorship information and tickets, click here.
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Peace Literacy Workshop in Oregon a Success
This year’s Peace Literacy summer workshop took place in Corvallis, Oregon from August 22-25. Participants included college professors and administrators, community leaders including Rotarians from Florida, California, Oregon, and Washington, and students from Oregon State University.
Click here to read more about the workshop, including comments from many of the attendees.
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Sadako Peace Day Remembers Hiroshima and Nagasaki Victims
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s annual Sadako Peace Day ceremony took place on August 6 at Westmont College in Montecito, California. The event featured music, poetry, and reflection on the victims of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and all innocent victims of war.
For photos and audio of this year’s event, click here.
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Cities Must Save Themselves from the Nuclear Weapons Threat
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation partnered with Soka Gakkai International, the Utah Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons to organize a side event at the 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference, which took place in Salt Lake City on August 28.
The theme of the UN conference revolves around Sustainable Development Goal 11: making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
In our side event, we talked about two ways that cities have begun speaking out about the nuclear weapons threat: the Back from the Brink Campaign, and the ICAN Cities Appeal. We also featured speakers from Salt Lake City, who described the process that their city went through to pass its resolution against nuclear weapons in April 2019.
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“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr. 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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Q: “President Trump has said repeatedly the U.S. could win the war in Afghanistan at the cost of millions of Afghan lives. Does the [U.S.] retain the right to use nuclear weapons against the Taliban?”
Esper: “(chuckle) Ahh.., we reserve the right to keep all options on the table.”
— Mark Esper, U.S. Secretary of Defense, in a recent press conference.
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“We took these actions to say the violence stops here, the perpetual war stops here – at Kings Bay, and all the despair it represents.”
— Clare Grady, one of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 activists who will go on trial October 21 for their 2018 non-violent direct action at the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.
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“New scientific studies have shown that the old paradigm of mutually assured destruction, or MAD, has morphed into SAD, self assured destruction, inviting global famine from catastrophic climate changes after a small regional nuclear war.”
— Robert Dodge, former NAPF Board member, in a letter to the editor published by The New York Times.
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David Krieger
Carol Warner
Rick Wayman
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