Sunflower Newsletter: August 2012
SGY02023
You have promised to forwarding to sgi-...@googlegroups.com any time you got mailings from our friend Dr. David Krieger, but you stopped. Why? Nuclear Age Peace Foundation mails and The Earth Charter are both core of our Makiguchi Millennium Citizen Voices, and Nuclear Free Treaty Organization - Google Group that the Moderator changed the <Title> and subject header you see now! The Earth Charter offices are also very much lazy, too. Do you two need more music donation???? An Organization is self-organized on purpose for its own existence but it's harmful for the coalition of goodness toward NFTO against NATO, of course!
-- Original Message --------
Subject: Sunflower Newsletter: August 2012
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2012 11:31:30 -0700
From: David Krieger <dkri...@napf.org>
To: <wagin...@napf.org>
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Issue #181 - August 2012 |
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The Sunflower is a monthly e-newsletter providing educational information on nuclear weapons abolition and other issues relating to global security. Help us spread the word and forward this to a friend. Please donate to help sustain this valuable resource. Subscribe to the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's Sunflower newsletter and Action Alert Network. |
PerspectivesWhy Waltz Is Wrongby David Krieger
The lead article in the July/August 2012 issue of Foreign Affairs is titled "Why Iran Should Get the Bomb." The author, Kenneth Waltz, a former president of the American Political Science Association, argues that the world should stop worrying about Iran getting the bomb. He sums up his basic argument this way: "If Iran goes nuclear, Israel and Iran will deter each other, as nuclear powers always have. There has never been a full-scale war between two nuclear-armed states. Once Iran crosses the nuclear threshold, deterrence will apply, even if the Iranian arsenal is relatively small." In essence, Waltz puts his faith in nuclear deterrence and justifies this in historical terms. But the history is short and there have been many close calls. During the 67-year period since the dawn of the Nuclear Age there have been numerous accidents, miscalculations and threats to use nuclear weapons. To read more, click here. NATO and U.S. Missile Defense in Europe Are a Serious Political Concernby Steven Starr
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists recently published an article by Pavel Podvig, "Point of Distraction," which categorizes the ongoing US/NATO deployment of an integrated missile defense system in Western, Eastern and Southeastern Europe as an "overblown distraction" to U.S.-Russian relations. Given that Podvig's first reference is to recent public threats made by Russia's most senior military commander to launch military attacks against US/NATO missile defense bases, and that these threats have also been publicly made by Russian President Medvedev, Podvig's assertions seem very abstracted from current political realities. What is striking about Podvig's analysis is that he omits any reference to the fact that US missile defense is being deployed in Europe via NATO. In fact, the word NATO does not appear anywhere in the article, and thus the entire issue of NATO is avoided. This is unfortunate and misleading, because Russia has always viewed the NATO military alliance, which was set up to "keep the Russians out," as a real threat to Russian security. Ballistic Missile Defense and its deployment by NATO are inseparable issues from any realistic political point of view. To read more, click here. Were the Atomic Bombings Necessary?by David Krieger
On August 14, 1945, Japan surrendered and World War II was over. American policy makers have argued that the atomic bombs were the precipitating cause of the surrender. Historical studies of the Japanese decision, however, reveal that what the Japanese were most concerned with was the Soviet Union’s entry into the war. Japan surrendered with the understanding that the emperor system would be retained. The US agreed to do what Truman had been advised to do before the bombings: it signaled to the Japanese that they would be allowed to retain the emperor. This has left historians to speculate that the war could have ended without either the use of the two atomic weapons on Japanese cities or an Allied invasion of Japan. To read more, click here. US Nuclear Weapons PolicyCost to Refurbish U.S. Nuclear Bombs Doubles
The B61 Life Extension Program is now estimated to cost between $8 and $10 billion, more than double the federal government's estimate two years ago, according to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who chairs the Senate committee overseeing the nuclear weapons budget. The B61 nuclear bomb, originally designed in the 1960s, continues to be deployed in five European countries as part of the NATO nuclear sharing agreement. The ballooning costs for this program are just the latest in a long series of U.S. nuclear weapon projects that are significantly over budget and behind schedule. "Sen.: Nuke Cost To Double," Albuquerque Journal, July 27, 2012. Influential Senator Refuses Nuclear Weapon Budget Cuts
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), the Senate Minority Whip, said that he is unwilling to consider cuts to U.S. nuclear weapons spending in order to comply with the Budget Control Act. Under the Act, passed by Congress last year, automatic across-the-board cuts ("sequestration") will take place in the federal budget unless, in the coming months, Congress can identify ways to cut $1.2 trillion from the deficit over the next ten years. Under sequestration, approximately $500 billion would be cut from the military budget and nuclear weapons programs over the next ten years, according to a report by the House Armed Services Committee. Sen. Kyl has said that the budget cuts should come from other parts of the federal budget, not the military and nuclear weapons. Guarino, Douglas, "Kyl Unwilling to Cut Nuclear Weapons Spending to Avoid Sequestration," Global Security Newswire, July 26, 2012. Nuclear ProliferationLaser Uranium Enrichment Moves Forward
In July, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed a series of hearings to license laser uranium enrichment technology known as SILEX (separation of isotopes by laser excitation.) SILEX is being developed by the company Global Laser Enrichment (GLE). The technology allows highly enriched uranium – the key ingredient of nuclear weapons – to be made on a commercial scale. According to GLE, a SILEX plant would be 75% smaller than a centrifuge enrichment facility and require less energy. Moreover, SILEX doesn’t produce any chemical or thermal emissions that would reveal a plant’s location, making it an appealing choice for clandestine nuclear operations. So far, the NRC has refused to provide an assessment of the risk of higher proliferation rates with SILEX, despite its legal obligation to do so. Unless Congress intervenes in the next few weeks, the first commercial SILEX facility will be issued a license to operate. The spread of this technology to other countries could facilitate the development of clandestine nuclear weapons programs. Kemp, R. Scott, "Silex and Proliferation," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, July 30, 2012. No Progress in Iran Negotiations
Progress between Iran and the P5+1 (United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany) continues to be stalled after senior EU envoy Helga Schmid and Iran’s deputy nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri attempted to renew nuclear negotiations on July 24 in Vienna, Austria. The last round of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 that took place in Moscow June 18-19 also failed to jumpstart progress. The P5+1 wants Iran to cease enriching uranium to higher levels, fearing that they are attempting to enrich to levels high enough to be used for nuclear weapons. Iran, however, maintains that its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes and insists that the country has a right to enrich under international law. With armed conflict and Israeli military attacks a possible alternative to the talks, negotiations will continue to be attempted, diplomats from both sides have reported. "Diplomats: Meeting Between Senior EU and Iranian Officials Fails to Solve Nuclear Deadlock," Associated Press, July 27, 2012. Nuclear InsanityWill Japan Build a Bomb?
As Japan debates the question of whether to continue producing electricity from nuclear power plants, a related debate has re-emerged about whether Japan should have the capability to produce nuclear weapons on short notice. Former Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said, "Having nuclear plants shows to other nations that Japan can make nuclear weapons." A recent amendment to Japan's atomic energy law added "national security" as an important component of its nuclear energy program. Japan already has 45 tons of separated plutonium, enough for thousands of nuclear weapons. Kageyama, Yuri, "Japan's Muted Pro-Bomb Voices Become Louder as Nation Debates Phasing Out Nuclear Power," The Washington Post, July 30, 2012. Peace Activists Breach High-Security Nuclear Facility
A group calling themselves "Transform Now Plowshares" gained access to a high-security location inside the Y-12 nuclear weapons complex in Tennessee as part of a protest against the continued production and deployment of nuclear weapons by the United States. The three protestors - Greg Boertje-Obed, 57, of Minnesota; Michael Walli, 63, of Washington, DC; and Sister Megan Rice, 82, of Nevada - spray painted messages on a building and reportedly spread blood on a building. In a statement, the activists said, "We come to the Y-12 facility because our very humanity rejects the designs of nuclearism, empire and war." The security breach came just days after WSI-Oak Ridge, the government's security contractor at the facility, announced plans to cut up to 51 security positions at the facility. The Department of Energy claims that security at the plant is robust enough to protect against a dozen heavily-armed terrorists. However, the three unarmed activists were not noticed on the facility's property for at least two hours. Munger, Frank, "Unprecedented Security Breach at Y-12," Knoxville News Sentinel, July 28, 2012. War and PeaceNorth Korea Proposes Treaty to Officially End Korean War
North Korea has called on the United States to formally accept a peace treaty that would replace the armistice agreement that ended hostilities in the 1950-53 Korean War. North Korea frequently demands a peace treaty with the United States and justifies its nuclear weapons program on the grounds that it is technically still at war with the U.S. A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said that North Korea "will never abandon nuclear deterrent first as long as the U.S., the biggest nuclear weapons site in the world, remains hostile toward the former." "North Korea Calls for Unconditional Peace Treaty with U.S.," Global Security Newswire, July 26, 2012. ResourcesCalendar of Hiroshima Day Events
The Campaign for a Nuclear Weapons Free World has created a calendar listing actions and events marking the 67th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Events include: a hunger strike and non-violent civil disobedience in Los Alamos, New Mexico; an international fast in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris; the Sadako Peace Day ceremony in Santa Barbara, California (see "Foundation Activities" below); and many more. To view the calendar, click here. If you know of an event in your area that is not on the calendar, you can add it here. Mapping Nuclear Disarmament
The Simons Foundation has launched a set of interactive maps on their website that explore their primary areas of focus, including nuclear disarmament. The Nuclear Disarmament map contains information on what they deem to be the legal, political and practical steps that need to be taken in order to achieve the goal of complete nuclear disarmament - zero nuclear weapons. John Burroughs, Fellow at The Simons Foundation and Executive Director of Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Disarmament, was responsible for the development of the information for the nuclear disarmament map. To view the map, click here. Foundation ActivitiesSadako Peace Day
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's 18th Annual Sadako Peace Day commemoration will take place on August 6, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. at La Casa de Maria in Montecito, California. The featured speaker at this year's event is Kikuko Otake, a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing. She is the author of Masako's Story: Surviving the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima, and will be signing copies of the book immediately following the event. There will also be poetry, music and reflection at the event. The event marks the 67th anniversaries of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by commemorating the life of Sadako Sasaki. Sadako was two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and developed leukemia ten years later due to radiation from the bomb. Sadako attempted to bring about her wish for world peace by folding 1,000 paper cranes. The paper crane has become a global symbol of peace, and a statue of Sadako now stands in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call (805) 965-3443 or click here. First Peace Leadership Workshop Concludes
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's first week-long Peace Leadership Workshop took place in Santa Barbara on July 22-29. Twenty-three individuals from around the United States gathered for an intensive training with NAPF Peace Leadership Program Director Paul K. Chappell. Many workshop participants have already begun implementing projects in their local communities inspired by what they experienced and learned in the workshop. To read more about the 2012 Peace Leadership Workshop, including photos, click here. NAPF Blog: Waging Peace Today
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's blog, Waging Peace Today, has a number of interesting articles on a wide variety of nuclear weapons issues. Recent posts include: "International Law, the NPT and the Nuclear Black Market;" "Is Islam Compatible with Nuclear Weapons?;" and "Government Propaganda: Five Men Under a Nuclear Explosion." You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates about NAPF activities and up-to-the-minute nuclear news. Quotes
"The Cold War is over, and we are in a position today where we must reduce the size of our nuclear weapons force." -- Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA), arguing in the U.S. House of Representatives for reducing the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
"This is overkill and unnecessary so long after the Cold War has ended. We think that both countries should ease off the alert status for strategic forces." -- The Washington Post editorial board, in an editorial calling on the U.S. and Russia to take their nuclear weapons off high-alert status.
"The Department of Energy has repeatedly claimed that security at the site, which houses 300 to 400 metric tons of bomb-grade uranium, is robust enough to defend against more than a dozen heavily-armed terrorists with inside knowledge of security procedures. In fact, it didn't stop an 82-year-old nun." -- Peter Stockton, Nuclear Security Expert at the Project on Government Oversight, commenting on the recent protest at the Y-12 nuclear weapons complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (see "Nuclear Insanity" above).
"Nuclear weapons remain the main guarantee of Russia’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity, it plays a key role in maintaining global and regional stability and balance." -- Russian President Vladimir Putin. Editorial Team
Tonya Currey |
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Letter from Einstein to Freud To Sigmund Freud A private letter written around 1931 or the beginning of 1932. Dear Professor Freud: ... (skipped) The political leaders or governments owe their position partly to force and partly to popular election. They can not be regarded as representative of the best elements, morally or intellectually, in their respective nations. (Einstein must mean "political leaders" by national leaders.) The intellectual elite have no direct influence on the history of nations in these days; their lack of cohesion prevents them taking a direct part in the solution of contemporary problems. Don't you think that a change might be brought about in this respect by a free association of people whose previous achievements and actions constitute a guarantee of their ability and purity of aim? This association of an intellectual nature, whose members would need to keep in touch with each other by a constant interchange of opinions, might, by defining its attitude by the Press -- responsibility always resting with the signatories on any given occasion -- acquire a considerable and salutary moral inf luence over the settlement of political questions. (...skipped) But should not an effort in this direction be risked in spite of this? I look upon such an attempt as nothing less than an IMPERATIVE DUTY. If an intellectual association of standing, such as I have described, could be formed, it would also have to make a consistent effort to mobilize the religious organizations for the fight against war. It would give countenance to many whose good intentions are paralyzed totally by a melancholy resignation. Finally, I believe that an association formed of persons such as I have described, each highly esteemed in his own line, would be well suited to give valuable moral support to those elements in the League of Nations which are really working toward the great objective for which that institution exists. I had rather put these proposals to you than to anyone else in the world, because you, least of all men, are the dupe of your desires and because your critical judgment is supported by a most grave sense of responsibility. Ideas and Opinions by Albert Einstein, p. 104. 1954. ISBN 0-517-55601-4 http://www.ErgoD.org/ Re/habilitation - Holistic Approach Oriented by * Functionics - Site URL changed - SGY02023, Owner/Moderator Tamaki Hosoe, Physiotherapist, born in Wasa servant of harmony (^o_) Japan 1248-2 Wasa Gero-shi Gifu, 509-2133 Japan