Atomic Nightmare
A Column by Marilyn Aligata
Well well, my hardnosed censors, Henry Grenier and Alan Stein are back. The August column with the headline that read, “Ned Lamont Where Are You?, provoked them to write letters to the editor. That column laid out why I think it would have been better if Ned Lamont was elected to the senate and not Joe Lieberman. I feel Lieberman has become a war-monger and that Ned Lamont would not be calling for military action in Iran. Henry and Alan were very critical of me and my “drivel“ as Henry called it, and Alan said I have my head in the sand because I fail to see that using military aggression to deal with the world is okay. If only they would read my words and stop making up what they want to see. Henry and Alan, like so many other Americans, see only what they want to see when reading the news. “It‘s not what they say. It is the context in which you misinterpret it“ – Wiley, Political Science 101.
I also want to point out that it takes more than prayer to bring peace to the world, we must work for it! It takes courage to look for ways to end war. We will have to admit we are wrong, that we make unpardonable mistakes too, and that and our leaders allow corporations and the rich to run our government‘s foreign policy. We need to use honesty, justice and respect in our diplomacy and ask how we can make amends for our old ways of doing business.
Power and greed seem to be the motivating factors in this country‘s foreign policy. Why won‘t Americans accept the fact that our government is not perfect? Our government has done evil in the name of America too. What is worse, we the people have allowed it by not being educated by non- partisan information and speaking out when needed. Again, study our history. What is in “our“ best interest is not necessarily true. It is often in the best interest of the big lobbyist and corporations like the health care industry, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, oil companies and defense contractors to name a few. They have the power and we pay dearly one way or the other. Our government officials want us to believe it is for us, they use a well thought out line of propaganda and unfortunately, most Americans believe it. The average American really has no idea what is going on.
Scientist are already hoping to establish a massive library of human civilization on the moon to protect against wholesale loss of human achievement should a cataclysmic event wipe out humankind on earth, “A space-age Noah‘s Ark“ said Jim Burke a retired NASA expert now working at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. We are in danger from our own nuclear weapons. A B-52 bomber was mistakenly armed with six nuclear warheads and flown for more than three hours from North Dakota to Louisiana recently prompting an Air Force investigation and the firing of one commander. Rep. Ike Skelton, D -Missouri, and Chair of the House Armed Services Committee, called the mishandling of weapons deeply disturbing. It could have been a nuclear catastrophe, as Air Force bombers carrying nuclear warheads crashed in 1966 and 1968 but the nuclear weapons did not explode. We were just lucky there was not an accident and one or more of the weapons did not explode, it could have meant the mass destruction of a cities or towns in America. If we think, 9/11 was bad, wait until we experience a nuclear bomb, I pray we never do. Talk to the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they can tell you the horror of over a hundred thousand people dying in fiery atomic blasts.
The United States must have the courage to take the lead and ask other countries not to make nuclear weapons as we are going to abolish our own nuclear weapons arsenal because we realize the danger to all life on earth. The Defense Contractors will not like this, they make billions of dollars on weapons manufacturing; they employ lots of American too. President Dwight D. Eisenhower once coined it the military industrial complex. Our country must find a way other than war to make a living. We must take the lead toward a peaceful world by taking the first step and call a World Peace Summit to talk about this dangerous world issue – invite the United Nations and all people that represent a call to disarm and abolishment of nuclear weapons, countries who oppose nuclear weapons and those that have nuclear weapons. Let‘s talk about the danger, let‘s educate, and let‘s communicate! We can‘t give up hope, we must tell our legislators we want what is in the best interest of our children, grandchildren and all children of the world.
There are many issues of concern for the American people and I will list the priorities as I see them, but not necessarily in the order of importance. We must educate ourselves to these issues, but none more important than our freedom and survival. We need conferences and workshop with experts to begin to educate us so we can understand the laws and dangers.
The Constitution is first. The Honorable Jack Brooks, Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives in the Forward to a 1992 copy of the Constitution of the United States of America said……..
The genius of the Founding Fathers is reflected in the intricate set of checks and balances the Constitution builds into our system of government. By preventing any one of the three branches from acquiring dominance over the others, these structural and procedural safe guards have preserved a fundamental separation of powers. The Constitution has served us well for over 200 years, but it will continue as a strong, vibrant, and vital foundation for freedom as long as the American people remain dedicated to the basic principles on which it rests.
At the Conclusion of the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked. What have you wrought? He answered…….. A Republic if you can keep it.
1. The Constitutional crisis – the abuse of power by President Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney. They have kept secrets, lied, and made decisions that directly affect the safety of the American people without informing Congress. This is not in keeping with our Constitution. It is said that Impeachment is the cure for Constitutional crisis, if this is not going to happen the Administration must at least be sanctioned for their abuse of power. We cannot pass this power on to the next president…..power corrupts!
2. The Patriot‘s Act is a violation of the 4th Amendment. The right of people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated, and no warrants shall be issued, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. In addition, the right not to allow the government to tap telephones of whomever they want, whenever they want…..They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety , Benjamin Franklin
3. The war in Iraq and its consequences on the stability of the Middle East and the world, the tragic loss and injury of our military men and women and the civilian population in Iraq. The loss of trust by Americans for our government and a loss of trust and respect for America by other countries of the world because of this war.
4. Understanding the threat of nuclear explosions: Atomic bombs have already been used before by the United States. What makes us think we or another country will not use nuclear weapons against one another? The nuclear warhead is an up-grade of the atomic bomb – how terrifying. I have written the past few weeks about people in our history who have/or are cautioning us in preserving freedom, and the threat of a nuclear war.