Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Never Again
by Dan O’Neal for the PDA National Team
Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Never Again
81 years ago, August 6th, 1945, marked one of the darkest days in human history. The United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, instantly destroying most of the city and killing some 140,000 people. Three days later, on August 9th, Nagasaki was bombed, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 70,000 Japanese civilians.
This week, the devastations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are remembered in Japan and globally through peace vigils, moments of silence, and memorial gatherings. PDA joins with those honoring the victims and amplifying the voices of survivors and peace activists around the world calling for nuclear disarmament and the abolition of all weapons of mass destruction.
Today the world is in turmoil: Russia’s war with Ukraine, the U.S. attack on Iran, and the Israeli genocidal war on the Palestinians. Yes, global tensions are at a near-boiling point, and we should all be extremely concerned.
The New START Treaty, the major nuclear arms control and disarmament treaty between the U.S. and Russia, expired back in February without any serious attempt to replace it. This failure should also make us extremely concerned, as these two aggressive powers control 86 percent of the world’s 12,300 nuclear weapons.
Until world leaders agree to destroy all nuclear weapons, what can we do?
We urge our representatives in Washington, D.C., to enact policies that can help bring the world “back from the brink.” Peace organizations are calling on the government to take the lead toward global nuclear disarmament. It’s time to begin the elimination of nuclear arsenals, renounce the first strike option, and enter into serious talks with other nuclear powers.
These policy solutions are outlined in congressional resolutions that PDA strongly supports.
Rep. Jim McGovern, H. Res. 317
Senator Ed Markey, S. Res. 323
Please call your US House Rep. and Senators today to support these important resolutions.
For peace,
Dan O’Neal for the PDA National Team
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