By Guest Contributor, Lawrence Wittner Two related events—the 75th anniversary of the January 24, 1946 UN General Assembly Resolution 1 (which established a commission to plan for the abolition of nuclear weapons) and the January 22, 2021 entry into force of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (designed to finally implement that goal)—should be a cause for worldwide celebration. In fact, however, they are a cause for shame. The nine nuclear powers have refused to sign the treaty and, instead, today continue to engage in a nuclear arms race and to threaten nuclear war—a war capable of […]
READ MORETag Archives: Nuclear Weapons
Remembering the Atomic Bomb Victims of Nagasaki, Japan
August 9, 2020 On this day 75 years ago, the second nuclear weapon used in warfare was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. At 11:02 am, the bomb detonated at a height of 1,640 feet above the city with an explosive yield equal to 20,000 tons of TNT. The radius of total destruction was about one mile, with fires across the northern part of Nagasaki and two miles to the south. Nearly every structure in Nagasaki was leveled in the blast radius. About 90 percent of all medical staff were either killed or disabled and remaining medical supplies quickly ran out. Most […]
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Remembering the Atomic Bomb Victims of Hiroshima, Japan
August 6, 2020 On this day 75 years ago, the first nuclear weapon used in warfare was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. At 8:16 in the morning, people were going about their usual morning activities when the bomb exploded. They never saw it coming. The bomb detonated at a height of 1,900 feet above the city with an explosive yield equal to 15,000 tons of TNT. The radius of total destruction was about one mile, with resulting fires across 4.4 square miles. Over 90 percent of physicians and nurses in Hiroshima were killed or injured; 42 of 45 hospitals were rendered […]
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Ground Zero Appeals to Navy Personnel in Newspaper PSA
Puget Sound peace activists on 75th Remembrance of Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings appeal to Navy personnel at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor: Refuse illegal orders; Refuse to launch nuclear missiles On August 2nd and August 10th, a full-page ad will be published in the newspaper of record, the Kitsap Sun, speaking to military personnel at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor. The ad is an appeal to Navy personnel to resist orders to launch nuclear weapons. The appeal with supporting signatures is posted at our website. The Appeal to Navy Personnel specifically requests that members of the armed forces– Resist illegal orders. Refuse to kill innocent […]
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I Will Write Peace on Your Wings
by Leonard Eiger “I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world.” These are the words of Sadako Sasaki, who was only 2 years old when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. She survived the bombing and led an outwardly healthy life; she was said to be an energetic child who never missed one day of elementary school. She was also a fast runner. Things changed dramatically for Sadako in 1955 when she was diagnosed with Leukemia (a radiation-induced disease) and was admitted to the hospital. After 1000 paper cranes folded by high school […]
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