The Atomic Bomb was born during World War II, first tested in July, 1945, and then dropped on two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 & 9, quickly leading to the end of the war.

Nuclear weapons are preeminently genocidal by intent and design and are primarily weapons of terror as their use in war has been avoided since then. Their seductive power was once again revealed when President Barack Obama authorized the next generation of nuclear weapons before leaving office after pledging in Prague in 2013 to rid us of them. The logic of their deterrent power comes from the happy fact that they haven’t been used since 1945, but the nations who believe that they are acceptable and necessary have large storehouses of them and do not want “to take them off the table” when conflicts develop. These atomic arsenals represent a tremendous investment in what could otherwise go to humane use of our resources. They are the ultimate example of the immorality of war and should be condemned and rejected because of that.

I believe that as the only country to use these weapons against other people we have an obligation as a country to lead on this issue. Our position should be one of unilateral, incremental disarmament and rejection of first use. We should lead by signing all the international protocols for non-proliferation and any money spent on them should be for their reduction and elimination. That is the perfect place to begin the United States’s 25 % cut in military spending, monies that are much better directed to the real social and economic needs of our nation and world.

Further information on the impact of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings can be found  here.

A video of the events surrounding the bombing and a discussion with William Perry as to whether any one person should be given the power to deploy these weapons can be found here.