Let Your Voice Be Heard!

"Some argue that the spread of these weapons cannot be checked -- that we are destined to live in a world where more nations and more people possess the ultimate tools of destruction," stated President Obama. "This fatalism is a deadly adversary. For if we believe that the spread of nuclear weapons is inevitable, then we are admitting to ourselves that the use of nuclear weapons is inevitable" (Mark Smith, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, April 5).

 

 

President Barack Obama further elaborated, “As the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the United States has a moral responsibility to act. We cannot succeed in this endeavor alone, but we can lead it, we can start it ... I state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons."

 

 

With more than 20,000 nuclear weapons in the world today -- and the US and Russia accounting for about 95 percent of those weapons – the pursuit of a new agreement by the two countries shows a reaffirmation of the importance of arms control measures that help make the world safer from nuclear weapons. Large stockpiles today only increase the risk of accidental launches or theft. Therefore, United States must be the international leader in working toward nuclear abolition for the safety of our citizens and the world’s.

 

 

The joint statement by Obama and Medvedev also contained commitments to work on other positive steps to strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation regime. These steps include: negotiations for a verifiable treaty to end the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons, preventing nuclear terrorism, and US ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

 

 

Oregon PSR applauds President Obama’s frankness about the dangers of nuclear weapons and the need to take immediate action to avoid a nuclear holocaust. These have been the most significant remarks on nuclear disarmament within the last half century. We are hopeful that President Obama follows through, with the support of Congress, to reverse the Bush administration policy that made nuclear weapons a central tenet of American national security. Those policies would not only have preserved the thousands of nuclear warheads still in existence, but would have built a new generation of nuclear weapons.

 

 

Locally, in 2008 alone, Multnomah County's nuclear weapons financial contribution in tax payer funds was estimated as $124,855,229.96.* In the wake of a troubled economy that has forced thousands out of work, cut back programs for disadvantage individuals, and left many fearing for their jobs, shouldn’t we more closely examine what services are needed within Multnomah County and demand that this money stay here?

 

 

Oregon PSR encourages President Obama's administration to produce a plan that enables the United States and Russia to achieve zero nuclear weapons, starting by taking all nuclear weapons off "hair-trigger" alert. Having nuclear weapons is not a deterrent to individuals who want to cause innocent people harm for their political gains. If the United States continues to hold or decided to use nuclear weapons, we are not only risking the health, safety, and welfare millions of Americans but also wasting potentially billions of dollars on weapons that do not keep us safe. We encourage the Obama administration to follow through on their recent remarkable commitment to nuclear disarmament and ask citizens to join us to push our leaders to stop wasting our tax money on these destructive, useless weapons. Our work for this financial and cultural change will not only benefit US citizens, but all people on our small planet.

 

 

*References:

1. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - Stephen I. Schwartz, Deepti Choubey (1/09)

2. Center for Strategic Budget Analysis – Steven Kosiak, Vice President of Budget Studies - www.csba.org

3. U.S. Census Bureau estimate (7/1/08)

4. Population #’s and Income estimates from U.S. Census Bureau

(’07 estimates) - unless otherwise stated

For more information or to calculate your communities nuclear costs visit www.c-p-r.net Nuclear Weapons Community Cost Project.

Thanks in part to Campaign for a Nuclear Free World and Global Security Newswire- 4-6-09.