Scientists and Faith Leaders Speak Out Against Nukes

Faith and science leaders against nukes - “Nuclear weapons remain a real and urgent threat to humanity and our planet… As President Obama said in his historic April 2009 Prague speech, the United States has a moral responsibility to lead the world in a life-affirming effort to reduce the risks posed by nuclear weapons and pursue the peace and security of a world free of them,” write Leith Anderson, Bishop Oscar Cantú, Kenneth Kimmell, and Gabriel Salguero in a joint statement published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

--“We are deeply concerned about the administration's proposal to spend more than $1 trillion building a new generation of nuclear warheads, missiles, bombers and submarines. These new programs are inconsistent with the vision the president outlined in the Prague speech, and likely will lead to a dangerous and costly nuclear arms race. Spending money we don't have on weapons we don't need won't make us safer.” Full statement here. http://bit.ly/1TuC4xk

Tweet - @WomensAction: Urge @POTUS to Make History By Visiting the #Hiroshima Memorial: http://petitions.moveon.org/s/_Em6xO

Eliminating weapons in Washington state - What do proposals to reduce the nuclear weapons arsenal have to do with Washington? “If Washington state were a sovereign nation, it would be the third largest nuclear-weapon state in the world. Naval Base Kitsap is home to more than half of the U.S. Navy’s ballistic-missile submarine force. There are some 1,350 nuclear weapons based there. Each one is six to 30 times more powerful than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima,” write Ploughshares Fund President Joe Cirincione and Gael Tarleton for the Seattle Times.

--“We could consider modestly reducing the sea-based force to eight submarines (half or more based at Kitsap)... Kitsap would continue to have a mission and the thousands of jobs that come with it. If Washington’s political and business leaders support responsible reductions in the nuclear force and developing other vital defense missions for the base, they could provide a model for the rest of the nation on how to adjust a Cold War legacy to the security needs of the 21st century.” Full article here. http://bit.ly/1NjzbTn

All eyes on North Korea - “In the four months leading up to the North Korean Workers’ Party Congress convening on May 6, the country’s young dictator, Kim Jong Un, has ordered up a dazzling display of the country’s putative prowess in nuclear weaponry... The testing also demonstrates that North Korea’s achievements fall far short of its claims and that political goals rather than technological imperatives are driving weapons development programs,” by Greg Thielmann and Elizabeth Philipp for Arms Control Now.

--“If the [North Korean] leadership cadre becomes disenchanted as a result of tightened sanctions and deepening isolation, Kim may adopt a different tack... And if he believes North Korea has already achieved a ‘virtual’ nuclear deterrent... he may be amenable to accepting a freeze on nuclear and long-range missile tests. If so, it will be the daunting challenge of a new U.S. administration to sustain domestic and international support for formulating a realistic approach.” Full story here. http://bit.ly/1Nkk9Nh

See also - “North Korea's nuclear program: What do we know?” by Euan McKirdy for CNN. http://cnn.it/1VLbW7B

Tweet - @ArmsControlNow: #ArmsControlToday News Brief on #Runawayblimp by @KingstonAReif: Hill Blocks JLENS Funding→ http://bit.ly/23aEjeg

Two roads to nuclear reductions - “The arguments to proceed unilaterally with deeper cuts are straightforward. The Obama Administration has determined that the United States can drop below New START limits without harming US national security, so why not save money now, rather than later? … Unilateral reductions could also affirm Washington’s commitment to reduce the salience of nuclear weapons in U.S. defense posture, while reinforcing the Non-Proliferation Treaty’s grand bargain,” writes Michael Krepon for Arms Control Wonk.

--“US funding streams for a new bomber, a new ICBM (or an upgrade to the Minuteman), and a lesser-than-full replacement for the Trident boats are sufficient to hold Mr. Putin’s attention… The next administration’s challenge will be to incentivize the Kremlin to accept deeper cuts without mortgaging the Pentagon’s budget on weapon systems that haven’t been used in combat since 1945 — and ought never to be used again.” Full story here. http://bit.ly/1ZcpfvA

Let’s be honest about the new cruise missile - “In March, Frank Kendall, the Pentagon’s Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, submitted a flawed report to Congress on the proposed new nuclear-armed cruise missile known as the Long Range Stand-Off Weapon, or LRSO. The report includes a telling error, claiming that the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review calls for maintaining a nuclear-armed cruise missile, when it does no such thing,” writes Stephen Young for the Union of Concerned Scientists. Full piece here. http://bit.ly/21zYO4O

Nuclear weapons a threat to world health - “We have a professional ethical obligation to prevent what we cannot treat or cure. All of our organizations, over the years, have spoken out about the unacceptable dangers posed by nuclear weapons and have said that the only sure way to prevent nuclear war is to eliminate these weapons completely. That's not only possible, it's essential and long overdue,” write Tilman Ruff, Ira Helfand, Sir Michael Marmot, Michael Moore and Frances Hughes for Kyodo News.

--“The dangers posed by nuclear weapons today remain so great and have become so imminent… that our four organizations -- the leading global federations representing doctors, nurses and public health professionals worldwide -- have come together for the first time to speak to the incontrovertible evidence of the catastrophic humanitarian impact of any use of nuclear weapons, and to jointly demand urgent action to prohibit and eliminate them.” Full statement here. http://bit.ly/1Odf4Bo

Thwarting a Nazi bomb - “By the early 1940s, the Germans were well ahead of the allies in their efforts, having procured all of the ingredients necessary for the bomb save one: the heavy water, which was only available in Norway in one particular plant: Vemork. More than any other reason, this was the impetus for the 1940 Nazi invasion of Norway, forcing the Norsk Hydro scientists to accelerate production of this mysterious substance which — it was joked — was only good for improved ice rinks,” writes Ethan Siegel for Forbes.

--“Yet the Nazis never completed their bomb, thanks to the combined efforts of the Norwegian resistance and the allied help of the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) to sabotage the heavy water production at Vemork. Led by Leif Tronstad, the Norwegian scientist who figured the Nazi plan out and escaped his occupied country to warn the allies, the journey involved everything from contaminating the heavy water with cod liver oil to trekking over 500 pounds of equipment through the frozen Norwegian winter, only to fall through the ice and fight with a dead battery. Full story here. http://onforb.es/1q1TPfv

Quick Hits:

--“Will Congress Reject the Administration’s New Plan to Dispose of Excess Plutonium?” by Stephen Young for the Union of Concerned Scientists. http://bit.ly/1WbnfGA

--“Science, Religion, and Obama’s Mixed Legacy on Nuclear Weapons,” by David Wright for the Union of Concerned Scientists. http://bit.ly/1Ofv2e5

--“Nuclear Waste Leaking at ‘American Fukushima’ in Northwest,” by Alexander Nazaryan in Newsweek. http://bit.ly/1TtHfxF

--“Michael Douglas promotes peace and disarmament through art,” by the AP. http://wapo.st/24tJFY3

--“Nuclear battles in South Asia,” by Pervez Hoodbhoy and Zia Mian for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists http://bit.ly/1TuzTK0

--“The Taxi Drivers Turned Black-Market Nuke Smugglers,” by Anna Nemtsova for The Daily Beast. http://thebea.st/1WKV8fW

--“Here’s how the U.N. is working to stop terrorists from getting weapons of mass destruction,” by Bryan Early and Mark Nance for The Washington Post. http://wapo.st/1VIhob7

--“NATO Ratchets Up Missile Defense Despite Russian Criticism,” by Steven Erlanger for The New York Times. http://nyti.ms/1NkEW3q

Events:

--“Dealing With — and Dissuading — Russia: Missile Defense and Arms Control in NATO and Eastern Europe,” with Rebeccah Heinrichs, Hudson Institute and Marshall Institute, and Steve Pifer, Brookings Institution. Part of the Huessy Congressional Breakfast Seminar Series. May 10 from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. at the Capitol Hill Club, 300 First St. SE, Washington. Register online. http://conta.cc/25ULZFH

--“The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty at 20: Prospects for Ratification and the Enduring Risks of Nuclear Testing,” with Daryl Kimball, Arms Control Association; Scott Kemp, MIT; Gary Samore, Harvard University. Sponsored by the Arms Control Association and American Academy of Arts and Sciences. May 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 136 Irving St., Cambridge, MA. RSVP here. http://bit.ly/21zQan7

--“The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty at 20: Prospects for Ratification and the Enduring Risks of Nuclear Testing,” with Rose Gottemoeller, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security; Siegfried Hecker, Stanford University; Arun Rath, WGBH and NPR; Robert Rosner University of Chicago; and Lassina Zerbo, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization. May 19 at 6:00 p.m. Livestream at James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, 1400 K St. NW, Suite 1225, Washington. RSVP by May 5 online. http://bit.ly/1UBws9q

--“Budget Futures: Some Assessment of the Nuclear Enterprise and Missile Defense,” with Todd Harrison, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Evan Montgomery, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment. Part of the Huessy Congressional Breakfast Series. May 26 at 8:00 a.m. at the Capitol Hill Club, 300 First St. SE, Washington. RSVP online. http://conta.cc/25ULZFH

--“Global Nuclear Challenges and Solutions for the Next U.S. President,” with Benjamin Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor to the President, and Setsuko Thurlow, Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor, and seven other speakers. June 6 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Carnegie Endowment, Root Room, 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington. RSVP online. http://bit.ly/23rIEK8