Nuclear war is neither.
We have been extraordinarily lucky the past 80 years. Many wise people have constructed a framework of international law and treaties that have stabilized the nuclear situation. Even so, there have been 10-15 near-misses- some political, like the Cuban missile crisis, some due to technological glitches, some accidental.
Now the treaties are breaking down, greatly heightening the chance of all-out nuclear war. By ignoring the looming START deadline, we may be committing mass suicide.
Is this not worthy of news coverage? Why is there no public outcry demanding extension of the START treaty?
It may seem too difficult and painful to reverse the damage we have done to our beautiful earth. To some, a definitive nuclear war might seem preferable to the misery we are facing as climate disasters mount. There are those that subscribe to doomsday interpretations of scriptural prophecies, believing that they will be "raptured".
Most of us choose life, no matter how unpleasant. As we work for democracy, peace, and ecological sanity, we must not ignore the ever increasing threat of nuclear war.
The only way to prevent global suicide is to get rid of nuclear weapons altogether.
A new treaty, the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), became international law 5 years ago. Seventy-four nations have ratified it. Most of them are in the Southern Hemisphere; none of them have nuclear weapons.
There is a resolution in the US House of Representatives, HR 77, which supports the tenets of the TPNW. It currently has 44 cosponsors. Is your Representative one of them?
It will take a concerted effort to get rid of nuclear weapons. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons- .icanw.org/ has many tools for individuals and groups to use. A good start would be to write to periodicals and demand that they run articles about the looming demise of the START treaty.
Abolishing nuclear weapons begins with paying attention.
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