Nuclear Weapons
Beyond Nuclear advocates for the elimination of all nuclear weapons and argues that removing them can only make us safer, not more vulnerable. The expansion of commercial nuclear power across the globe only increases the chance that more nuclear weapons will be built and is counterproductive to disarmament. We also cover nuclear weapons issues on our international site, Beyond Nuclear International.
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Entries from November 1, 2017 - November 30, 2017
Trump Is Trying to Make Dropping Nukes a 'Mainstream' Approach to War
Our president is a madman in charge of the nuclear arsenal. We should be taking to the streets in protest now.
See the full article, by Michael Klare of TomDispatch, posted at Alternet.
John Oliver Is Worried Trump’s Kim Jong Un Tweet May Cause ‘a Nuclear Apocalypse’
As reported by The Daily Beast:
“Now, as for the president,” Oliver continued, “he’s been overseas all week, which should have been relaxing for the rest of us—until this happened last night.”
Oliver then threw to a tweet from @realDonaldTrump, the online alias of the biggest troll in Twitterville: the 45th president of the United States.
Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me "old," when I would NEVER call him "short and fat?" Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!
Yes, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un calling President Trump “old” apparently got under his spray-tanned skin. After all, he once told Dr. Oz, “I feel the same age as [Tom Brady],” adding that he sees a 35-year-old when he looks in the mirror (Brady is an in-shape 40, Trump is 71 and fluctuates between three and four chins).
“This would be the stupidest possible reason for all of us to die,” Oliver remarked of the Lil’ Kim tweet. “I’m serious: If the entire country simultaneously tripped while putting on its underwear and fell face-forward into the toilet, got stuck, and drowned, it would be considerably less stupid than if that tweet caused a nuclear apocalypse.”
Later on in the program, Oliver sped through a recap of Trump’s chaotic first year in the White House, concluding: “Trump’s presidency is like one of his handshakes: It pulls you in whether you like it or not.”
Take Action: Tuesday Hearing on Presidential Nuclear Authority
Our friend, colleagues, and Alliance for Nuclear Accountability coalition partners, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, has issued the following alert:
Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will hold an historic hearing this Tuesday, November 14, on the President’s authority to unilaterally choose to use nuclear weapons. According to Sen. Corker, this will be the first time since 1976 that the committee has examined the authority and process for using nuclear weapons.
You read that right: neither the Senate Foreign Relations Committee nor the House Foreign Affairs Committee have considered this vital issue in 41 years!
You are receiving this message because you have a Senator on the Foreign Relations Committee. It is vital that you contact your Senator immediately and ask her/him to attend Tuesday’s hearing and ask important questions.
You can reach your Senator’s office by calling the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
You can also click here to send your Senator a message electronically.
Here are some points that we encourage you to make while contacting your Senator:
- The use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances would be unacceptable. 159 nations have signed on to a declaration that “it is in the interest of the very survival of humanity that nuclear weapons are never used again, under any circumstances.”
- Pope Francis just declared that even the possession of nuclear weapons “is to be firmly condemned.” You can read the full statement by Pope Francis here.
- The International Committee of the Red Cross has stated that there are no effective means of assisting survivors in the aftermath of a nuclear detonation.
- Congress currently has no say in whether a President can use nuclear weapons. The U.S. President can decide to launch nuclear weapons at any time, for any reason, without consulting Congress. Senate Bill 200, currently pending in the Foreign Relations Committee, would change that.
Please take a couple of minutes today to contact your Senator. We simply cannot miss this opportunity to have these issues raised in the U.S. Senate.
