Guidance for a New Nuclear Policy

You already know that nuclear war is bad for you and the world’s health. Now we have new data that requires a fundamental rethinking of our nuclear weapons policy. Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) and the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) just released a report titled ‘Nuclear Famine: A billion people at risk.’ The authors explore a scenario based on a war between India and Pakistan where 100 Hiroshima sized bombs are exploded, causing the sun to be ‘blotted out.’ They estimate that one billion people, one sixth of the human race, could starve over the following decade. The study illustrates that smaller nuclear powers, not just the US and Russia, pose a threat to the entire planet.

 

In another recent report issued by Global Zero, Gen. James E. Cartwright, the retired vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a former commander of all US nuclear forces, calls for large cuts in our nuclear arsenal, to 900 warheads, with only half of them deployed at any one time. The report concludes with, “an urgent and transformational change in U.S. nuclear force structure, strategy and posture is needed to squarely address the security threats facing the nation in the 21st century.”

 

President Obama has pronounced a goal of eliminating nuclear weapons, but the specific steps and timetable remain aspirational. We need to make sure the findings of these reports have a direct impact on our nation’s policy. Together we can declare our commitment to a world without nuclear weapons and demand urgent action to preserve life on this precious planet.

 

Tell President Obama it is time for him to turn his stated goal into action. Ask him to see that these two recent reports, ‘Nuclear Famine: A billion people at risk,’ and ‘Modernizing U.S. Nuclear Strategy, Force Structure and Posture,’ guide our nation’s nuclear policy toward nuclear abolition.  If you have time, please send a similar message to your Senators and Representative.

 

President Barack Obama

Web: www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Tel: 202 456-1111 (9:00 am to 5:00 pm)

Fax: 202 456-2461

Mail:

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

 

 

Write, Call, Email? What's Most Effective?

Policymakers tell us that personal hand written letters, printed letters, phone messages, and emails, in that order, get their attention. You may want to fax your letter so it arrives more quickly: regular mail can take weeks due to anthrax inspections.

Petitions and 'cookie cutter' emails that are exactly the same don't carry as much weight. Make your message as personal as possible. Say why the issue is important to you and make your request clear. Say that you want to be informed about what action they take on this issue. If true, you can add that the action they take on this issue will influence how you will vote.

Photo credit: Tim Barber, tim-barber.com

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