Thursday
Oct192017
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 October 1, 2017 - October 31, 2017
October 19, 2017Thursday
Oct192017
U.S. carrier patrols off Korean peninsula in warning to Pyongyang
The article does not mention, however, that the U.S.S. Reagan nuclear powered aircraft carrier is the same one severely radioactively contaminated in March 2011, during relief response activities near the scene of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, after the earthquake/tsunami natural disasters.
Scores of Reagan sailors later fell ill, and some have died, due to their radioactive exposures downwind and downstream of the nuclear catastrophe, a class action alwsuit they have filed alleges. Although the ship underwent some level of decontamination, it is highly likely that significant radioactive contamination remains, including in the sea water desalination/drinking water system, putting the Reagan's current 5,000-person crew at health risk.
Thursday
Oct122017
UCS: We must prevent nuclear war at all costs
Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has published the following action alert:
This month marks the 55th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis—a tense military and political standoff between the United States and the then Soviet Union in October 1962. That 13-day period is often considered the closest our country ever came to nuclear war. Unfortunately, current events make it feel like, once again, we are edging closer to catastrophe—this time with North Korea. In fact, beyond the dangerous words and saber rattling between President Trump and North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, the Trump administration is pushing for more “usable” nuclear weapons as part of a hugely expensive plan to re-build the entire US nuclear arsenal. Just this week it was reported that President Trump told military commanders he wanted a tenfold increase in the size of the nuclear arsenal. In addition, the administration is threatening to tear up successful arms control agreements that have made us safer while taking other steps that will take our nuclear policy back decades. We need to work together to step back from the nuclear brink, reduce the risks these weapons pose, and build a more secure future—without the fear of global nuclear catastrophe.
Science in Action
Preventing Nuclear War: Congress Must Play a Role
The North Korea crisis is just one aspect of an even bigger problem: the Trump administration and nuclear hawks inside and outside of Congress are reportedly pulling together plans to build more “usable” nuclear weapons and spend more than $1 trillion to re-build the entire nuclear arsenal. Meanwhile, the administration is threatening to walk away from critical US-Russian nuclear arms control agreements that make the world a safer place. Write to your members of Congress and demand that they take real leadership on nuclear weapons issues.
