In 1981 we were scared s**tless about a nuclear war between us and the Soviets. President Reagan and Mikial Gorbachev, president of the Soviet Union, met, respected each other, and agreed to avoid nuclear war. Ordinary people began to travel back and forth between our two countries. Our leaders promised to respect each other’s boundaries …
A hero of the Nuclear weapons abolition movement came to mind today. I read President Joe Biden’s plan to move away from endless war to a foreign policy based on diplomacy. Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have explained that they expect to use modern tools to combat terrorism. Today, Biden said that the …
People: We just don’t realize the lasting damage of nuclear weapons. This coming Monday night, I will host Dorothy Van Soest in a virtual book talk about her new mystery, Nuclear Option. Her protagonists unpack the truth of the radiation contamination of thousands of atomic veterans. She does not address in detail the fall out …
Friends in isolation across the world, I wish you a Happy Easter. May we find a re-ordering from the disorder, which is what the Christian resurrection is all about. Finding a life-giving way forward after the death of our current way of life. Surely this pandemic is the death of things the way they have …
We just jumped to danger. 2020 Doomsday Clock Announcement Washington, D.C. • January 23, 2020 Humanity continues to face two simultaneous existential dangers—nuclear war and climate change—that are compounded by a threat multiplier, cyber-enabled information warfare, that undercuts society’s ability to respond. The international security situation is dire, not just because these threats exist, but …
A friend just gave me a calendar with sweet pussy-cats on the cover. On the inside, every day commemorates a Peace and Justice event. January is Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Together, lets remember January 1st, 1947, Atomic Energy Comm is created; 1863, President Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation. January 2nd, 1992: UN establishes …
People don’t want to talk about the threat of nuclear war. In late September I did two book talks, one in Bellingham at Village Books and one in the local public library of Cashmere, WA. Both were poorly attended in spite of extensive phone calls, postcards, and media to folks who paid attention to this …
Dear WANW Coalition, Last week the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act. $733 Billion dollars for military spending. This reveals a culture that normalizes violence and war and a country that will use militarism to protect its interests abroad. However within this bill, there are many victories to claim, where Congress moved in the …
This weekend marked an important day for the anti-war movement. One year ago, on July 7th, 2017 the UN adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Well over a hundred countries voted in favor of the Treaty; the countries abstaining all have nuclear weapons. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) recognize China, France, …
Dear friends, I recently received an email from the author and writing teacher who launched me on this writing path, Natalie Goldberg. On Wednesday, February 7th, I went to Upaya Zen Center [Natalie lives in Santa Fe] and listened to Kaz Tanahashi’s dharma talk. He talked about war. He lived through WWII in Japan. He …