May 11, 2003
Nukes and consequences
Printable Version | [eMail this article!] |While the US is planning to restart nuclear weapons production (Bush's nuclear arms plan) the nuclear pressure is on Iran (US fears Iran trigger to nuclear arms race), and Iran is on the neocon hit list (Neoconservatives want regime change in Iran).
HELLO???
What planet are we on and does the "public" have any concerns about this stuff?
It is clear from policy documents of the current regime that nukes are back on the table. Our Congress votes to approve production of "strategic nuclear weapons" while pointing the finger(s) all over the place about nuclear weapons build up. And then there is that nasty "regime change" or the US version of GBF (government by force) with targets in plenty.
We are supposed to believe that our nukes are good nukes and other nation's nukes are bad nukes... that we need to violate the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to protect ourselves and our "friends" (a current and shifting list of friends) from the threat of these "other nations" weapons.
Obviously, therefore, our pushing nukes is preemptive self defense while other nation's nukes (or potential nukes, or hypothetical nukes) are "provacative." We can't help ourselves -- it is cause and effect. It is INSANE!
US violation of this treaty is pushing the beginning of a new nuclear arms race. The regime may say that it won't be blackmailed by North Korea, but NK knows that their (likely) possession of a nulcear missle(s) is probably the only thing that is holding of a US led "coalition of the willing" from coming after them. The message is not lost on the rest of the world either and the race is on.
So this little genie is back out of the bottle and with the bottleneck of "no preemptive attacks" neatly out of the way with our little demonstration in Iraq. Oh... sorry ... we aren't calling it "preemptive" anymore - now it is "preventitive."
Aren't YOU feeling oh so much safer now?
Posted by rowan at May 11, 2003 10:02 AM | Printable Version | [eMail this article!] |I have to say that the administration's plan to build up more nuclear weapons is terrifying, and, yes, INSANE. I think that most people don't understand how dangerous present-day nuclear weapons are even when they're in "good hands".
The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) have been undermined before, but anyone can see that Bush is on a mission. We have to speak up NOW. (I can just see it -- corporations are going to sponsor nuclear testing: "Operation Pepsi Cola", "Operation Nike", etc.)
Historically the U.S. government (the military, the scientists, etc.) has been egregiously irresponsible, if not entirely criminal, in their testing conduct. In the case of the Marshall Islands, they evacuated islanders to uninhabitable terrain, and as if the brink of starvation weren't hard enough on them, they became very ill from the nuclear fallout. The Department Of Energy (DOE) moved them away, but not far enough. Then they moved them back to their previous islands which were contaminated with radioactive decay. This was in the 50's; since then more damage has been revealed. I highly recommend reading the chronology of nuclear testing conducted in the Marshall Islands: http://www.rmiembassyus.org/nuclear/chronology.html
If we don't become informed, technologically literate, and LOUD then we have a lot to lose. I mean "we" as a human race. It's important to think humanistically here, because nuclear war affects everyone. Carl Sagan said it best when he pointed out that "the sky knows no sovereignty", which is to say that nuclear winter affects everyone. We have an ecosystem to think about. I urge everyone to become active in any way possible. Our future depends on it.
Posted by: Erika at May 13, 2003 11:10 AM