Historical record shows that USA’s Republicans cut nuclear arms
GOP takes lead in nuclear arms cuts, Times Union .com Associated Press, February 18, 2012 WASHINGTON — The Obama administration’s consideration of severe cuts in nuclear weapons generated a flurry of GOP criticism — “reckless lunacy” in the words of Arizona Rep. Trent Franks. But the historical record shows that in the two decades since the Cold War ended, Republicans have been the boldest cutters of the nuclear arsenal.
“Republican presidents seem to have a thing for 50 percent nuclear reductions,” says Hans Kristensen, a nuclear arms specialist with the Federation of American Scientists, a think tank founded by many of the scientists who built the first atomic bombs.
On President George H.W. Bush‘s watch, the number of deployed weapons as well as those held in reserve was nearly cut in half, from 22,217 to 13,708 warheads, according to official government figures. President George W. Bush went further, cutting the total stockpile by 50 percent, from 10,526 to 5,273 warheads.
Democratic President Bill Clinton trimmed just a little more than 2,000 warheads from the stockpile…… Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/GOP-takes-lead-in-nuclear-arms-cuts-3341848.php#ixzz1mxcZGzul
Spain wants USA to clean up plutonium pollution B-52 bomber accident
two of the bombs that hit the ground detonated, spreading seven pounds of plutonium over a 200 hectares (490 acres).
US and Spain discuss cleanup of nuclear radiation, PhysOrg.com, February 5, 2012 The United States is offering technical assistance to Spain to clean up land contaminated by radiation from undetonated nuclear bombs that accidentally fell on the area in 1966, Continue reading
Nuclear bombing of Hiroshima immoral and unnecessary
the Americans and British had long crossed the moral frontier about terror-bombing civilians…
The Americans didn’t want the Japanese to surrender before they had a chance to drop the bomb.
Weapon of choice, Review By Hamish Mcdonald,December 17, 2011 “……. Now Paul Ham, already established as the best of Australia’s popular war historians, has painted more detail on a wider canvas. Through individual stories, he doesn’t spare us the horrifying reality on the
ground. Almost as excruciatingly, he takes us through the practical and moral decisions about using the bomb……..
Many of the scientists who had urged the development of the atomic bomb to pre-empt Hitler became opposed to its use against Japan. Some petitioned for a demonstration explosion instead. ….. Continue reading
American complicity in Japan’s secret nuclear weapons plans
Kishi uttered the famous statement that “nuclear weapons are not expressly prohibited” under the postwar Constitution’s Article 9 prohibiting war-making powers. His words were repeated two years ago by his grandson, then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Secret Weapons Program Inside Fukushima Nuclear Plant? Global Research, 12/4/11 by Yoichi Shimatsu“…….During the Japanese militarist occupation of northeast China in the 1930s, the puppet state of Manchukuo was carved out as a fully modern economic powerhouse to support overpopulated Japan and its military machine……
After clawing his way into the good graces of Cold Warrior John Foster Dulles, Eisenhower’s secretary of state, Kishi was elected prime minister in 1957. His protégé Yasuhiro Nakasone, the former naval officer and future prime minister, spearheaded Japan’s campaign to become a nuclear power under the cover of the Atomic Energy Basic Law.
American Complicity Kishi secretly negotiated a deal with the White House to permit the U.S. military to store atomic bombs in Okinawa and Atsugi naval air station outside Tokyo. Continue reading
Background to India’s Koodankulam anti nuclear campaign
Heat rises beyond the smog in India AMANDA HODGE, SOUTH ASIA CORRESPONDENT : The Australian November 26, 2011 “ “…..The nucleus of the campaign to stop Koodankulam can be found near India’s southern-most tip in the Tamil Nadu fishing village of Idinthakarai, and the man driving it is SP Udayakumar. The articulate idealist with a doctorate in political science says that opposition to the project dates back to the late 1980s, when it was conceived as a symbol of the India-Soviet relationship. Continue reading
Iran’s history – how the West promoted the tragedy of Iran
Iran a tragedy of the West’s own making. SMH, November 14, 2011 “…..The tragedy of this now oppressive theocratic state is that it was once the sole exemplary democracy in the Middle East. Its secular democracy was destroyed in 1953 by the US and Britain in a self-interested move to prevent Iran falling under the influence of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
The imposition by the West of the Shah saw the establishment of a murderous and corrupt regime protected by the West to ensure the survival of Britain’s oil interests.
When the excesses of this regime became an embarrassment the West stood back as the Islamic revolution swept to power. Again the democratic forces were violently repressed by the new government…..
the West later supported the Saddam Hussein government in its war on Iran. Small wonder then that Iranians feel they have strong reasons to distrust and fear the West and its protege, Israel.
And given that the current oppressive Iranian regime has largely destroyed the remnant democratic forces in Iran, any chance of a democratic revolution is remote. The constant threat of military intervention and the sanctions imposed play into the hands of the present Iranian government… http://www.smh.com.au/national/letters/iran-a-tragedy-of-the-wests-own-making-20111113-1ndx3.html#ixzz1djIAWf2u
How corporate America, the CIA and Walt Disney talked Japan into nuclear technology
The plan had the advantage of making allies dependent on technology from corporate giants General Electric Co. and Westinghouse,
Tepco ‘Deal With Devil’ Signals End to Japan’s Postwar Era Bloomberg, October 21, 2011,“……….Hiroshima Bombing Japan’s development into the world’s third-biggest user of nuclear energy dates from the last days of the war. Yasuhiro Nakasone, who would later become Prime Minister and a powerful advocate of atomic energy, was serving as a naval officer in Japan when Hiroshima was bombed. After the war, he began the work of persuading the U.S. to sell Japan nuclear technology…..
Japan’s interest coincided with U.S. concern about what to do with its own surplus of weapons-grade plutonium, and the suspicion that created in the Soviet Union, Laura E. Hein wrote in “Fueling Growth — The Energy Revolution and Economic Policy in Postwar Japan.”
U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower’s solution was the “Atoms for Peace” program to use U.S. plutonium to provide nuclear fuel for its allies. Continue reading
South Korea’s history of seeking nuclear weapons
CIA documents shed light on S Korea’s nuke ambition in 1970s, The Korea Herald/Asia News Network, Sep 26, 2011 As the international community continues to grapple with how best to thwart North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, a Seoul-based publication has revealed declassified US Central Intelligence Agency documents shedding light on South Korea’s own efforts to acquire nuclear weapons four decades ago.
Global Asia, a publication of the East Asia Foundation in Seoul, said the previously secret US documents show that South Korea continued to develop nuclear weapons at least two years after Washington thought it had ceased during the 1970s……..
Park’s efforts to acquire nuclear weapons may have influenced North Korea’s own threat perception at the time, and fuelled the North’s desire to acquire its own nuclear weapons ? a fact that continues to be relevant today……
these historical documents illustrate that engaging North Korea from a position of political, economic and military strength ? not extended nuclear deterrence ? remains the best policy option…http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20110926-301465.htmlNuclear energy got huge startup subsidies, renewable energy gets pittance
Early subsidies to nuclear dwarf all others
Energy subsidy showdown: Fossil fuels, nuclear, biofuels vs. renewables, Smart PlanetBy Kirsten Korosec | September 23, 2011 Renewable energy has snagged just a fraction of the federal subsidies that fossil fuels and nuclear received when they were emerging technologies, according to a new report from venture capital firm DBL Investors. Continue reading
Radiation effects of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on WW2’s American soldiers
When the servicemen returned to the United States, many of them suffered from strange rashes and sores. Years later some were afflicted with disease (such as thyroid problems and leukemia) or cancer associated with radiation exposure. Little could be proven beyond a doubt, and all of their disability and compensation claims were denied,
The Last Great Untold Story of World War II—and the Lingering Effects Today, THE NATION, Greg Mitchell, August 19, 2011 ”……..Most of the [U.S.]troops in Hiroshima were based in camps on the edge of the city, but a larger number did set up camps inside Nagasaki. Because of the alleged absence of residual radiation, no one was urged to take precautions. Some bunked down in buildings close to ground zero, even slept on the earth and engaged in cleanup operations, including disposing bodies, without protective gear. Few if any wore radiation detection badges.
“We walked into Nagasaki unprepared…. Really, we were ignorant about what the hell the bomb was,” one soldier would recall. Another vet said: “Hell, we drank the water, we breathed the air, and we lived in the rubble. We did our duty.” Continue reading
The lies that produced the atomic bombing of hiroshima
Truman referred in his diary to “the telegram from Jap Emperor asking for peace.”………The United States Strategic Bombing Survey concluded that, “… certainly prior to 31 December, 1945, and in all probability prior to 1 November, 1945, Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped
Truman Lied, Hundreds of Thousands Died, The Real News. David Swanson, 6 Aug 11, On August 6, 1945, President Harry S Truman announced: “Sixteen hours ago an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima, an important Japanese Army base. That bomb had more power than 20,000 tons of T.N.T. It had more than two thousand times the blast power of the British ‘Grand Slam’ which is the largest bomb ever yet used in the history of warfare.”
When Truman lied to America that Hiroshima was a military base rather than a city full of civilians, people no doubt wanted to believe him. Continue reading
Atomic bombing did not cause Japan to surrender in 1945
compelling evidence that it was the Soviet entry into the Pacific conflict, not Hiroshima and Nagasaki, that forced Japan’s surrender….
If killing large numbers of civilians does not have a military impact, then what, Wilson asks, is the purpose of keeping nuclear weapons? We know they are dangerous. If they turn out not to be strategically effective, then nuclear weapons are not trump cards, but time bombs beneath our feet..
Why did Japan surrender? Sixty-six years ago, we dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. Now, some historians say that’s not what ended the war.What ended World War II?, Boston Globe, By Gareth Cook, August 7, 2011 For nearly seven decades, the American public has accepted one version of the events that led to Japan’s surrender. Continue reading
USA’s secret efforts to prevent Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal
How USA conned Japan into developing nuclear energy
U.S. used atomic power cooperation to remedy Japan’s ‘ignorance’, Mainichi Daily News, Japan) July 24, 2011, TOKYO (Kyodo) — The United States used atomic power cooperation with Japan in the 1950s to ease the Japanese public’s aversion to nuclear weapons and remedy their “ignorance” about nuclear power, declassified U.S. papers showed Saturday. Continue reading
The fallacy of nuclear fallout shelters’ supposed safety
Citizen Cold Warriors in the United States were expected to be able to reconcile these two diametrically opposed thoughts: A nuclear war can destroy all life on earth. You will survive if you build a family fallout shelter….. Fallout can drift in unpredictable directions for thousands of miles over a period of years.
How The US Was Supposed to Survive a Nuclear Holocaust With 9 Inches of Concrete Gizmodo, 9 June 11, Susan Roy — The American people have a well-documented history of panicking during crises. Is it any wonder then that, when faced with possible nuclear annihilation, the US government would use any ploy available to maintain public order? Bomboozled by Susan Roy explains.
In George Orwell’s 1984, citizens of the totalitarian state of Oceania were required to accomplish the impossible task of holding two contradictory ideas in their minds and accepting both of them: War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. Orwell called this “Doublethink.” Continue reading
1 This Month
Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes – A good documentary on Chernobyl on SBS available On Demand for the next 3 weeks– https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-program/chernobyl-the-lost-tapes/2352741955560
of the week–London Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Tell the Ukrainian Government to Drop Prosecution of Peace Activist Yurii Sheliazhenko
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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