Donald Trump and the Atomic Bomb: How Scary Is This?
CODEPINK
(July 23, 2020) — The same methods that were used to drive us to war in Iraq are right now being used to drive a narrative that paints China as the mortal enemy of the United States. In a dangerous escalation, the US has just asked China to close its consulate in Houston, TX — a violation of international law. It is also the US that refuses to commit to a “No First Use” of nuclear weapons policy, making us the real threat to peace around the world. We can’t let the media or politicians push us towards the brink of another cold war!
This is why it’s important for you to join us in asking Presidential Candidate Joe Biden to commit to the No First Use of Nuclear Weapons Policy.
The Trump administration has repeatedly provoked China, including attacking the Chinese owned social media platform Tik Tok this week. US aggression towards China is driving us closer to war instead of towards a path of peace and cooperation. These actions are coming at a time when COVID and climate change have made it abundantly clear that we ALL live in a connected world. We need the world’s leaders to come together and collectively redirect our resources from war to prioritize urgent human needs laid bare by the pandemic and climate change.
While the Trump administration and even the Democrats, including Biden, are driving hate, let us push towards a NO nuclear policy — one with a return to a vision for peace.
ACTION: Join us in asking Presidential Candidate Joe Biden to commit to the No First Use of Nuclear Weapons Policy. Sign this letter to Biden telling him to act like a president for peace and let’s pull the US away from the brink of another Cold/Hot War.
THE LETTER
Dear Presidential Candidate Joe Biden:
While we greatly admire many dimensions of your campaign and emerging platform, we are deeply distressed at the absence of an advocate for nuclear disarmament and the reining in of the enormous budgets proposed for nuclear weapons upgrades. President Trump’s pulling out of the Iran treaty and the Intermediate Nuclear Weapons treaty has increased the danger of accidental or intentional nuclear exchanges. The investment in upgrading nuclear weapons is provocative and destabilizing, and a terrible misuse of national resources during this Covid-19 crisis.
We ask you to return to the vision of peace and serious nuclear disarmament that former President Kennedy articulated in his courageous 1963 speech at American University and that former President Obama put forward in his 2009 Prague speech, and reject the escalation represented by, for example, the contracts just awarded for the Long-Range Standoff Missile. A natural step would be to add strong nuclear disarmament planks to your platform:
• No First Use of Nuclear Weapons;
• Promote the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty — no new nuclear weapons testing;
• Cancel the provocative, destabilizing and enormously expensive $2.0 trillion nuclear weapons modernization program;
• Lead with diplomacy in resolving international conflicts.
• Designate national and international nuclear disarmament a central goal.
One of the reasons that the richest country on earth faces the Covid-19 epidemic without adequate tests, masks, protective equipment and treatments is the diversion of the nation’s tax dollars into ever more expensive and dangerous nuclear weapons, such as those proposed in the nuclear weapons modernization. Cutting the funding of these unnecessary programs will free up funds desperately needed for healthcare, education, infrastructure and climate programs.
The American people need passage of No First Strike Legislation, the reduction of work on nuclear weapons upgrades, and an aggressive pursuit of New Start and other treaty initiatives. Our common security depends on ridding the world of nuclear weapons, an international effort, which requires US leadership.
We urge that you include in your campaign one or more proponents of nuclear disarmament — such as former Secretary of Defense William Perry or former missile launch officer and co-founder of Global Zero, Bruce Blair or General Lee Butler, the former head of Strategic Nuclear Command — who can keep the dire nuclear peril in front of your eyes and who can help you to incorporate a compelling commitment to nuclear disarmament into your platform.
Respectfully,
Further Action: To get ahead of the curveballs and falsehoods the mainstream media are peddling about China, and to be a peacemaker, check out these offerings on why China is not our enemy. [See below — EAW]
Onwards to love, equality, and a local peace economy,
Jodie, Angela, Ariel, Ann, Asia, Carley, Caty, Cody, Emily, Kelsey, Leila, Leonardo, Mary, Maxine, Medea, Michelle, Nancy, Paki, Teri, and Yousef
China Is Not Our Enemy
CODEPINK
It is obvious that the same methods that were used to drive us to war in Iraq are being employed to drive a narrative that we should fear China. In a short few months, China has been written about in mainstream media outlets as if they are the mortal enemy of the United States.
The Trump administration has been provoking China with extreme measures and gestures which are not very neighborly. US aggression towards China is driving us to war instead of peace and cooperation.
These actions are coming at a time when COVID and Climate chaos have made it abundantly clear that we are ALL connected and ALL in this together. Instead of provocations, we need all leadership around the world to come together to solve the problems of the planet to save life for humanity on earth.
Join us in spreading the word that China is not our enemy. Instead of driving hatred with China we need to turn our energies into cultivating peace with China and across the world. We need to cultivate peace and cooperation so we can all work together to confront the problems arising from ongoing Climate catastrophes, global inequality and growing fascism– which is much more frightening than China will ever be.
For safe measure, we need a “no first use” commitment from the US Government, or they are the real enemy of the planet and all people on it.
Take Action
While they are driving hate, let us push towards a sane nuclear policy- one with a return to a vision of peace.
ACTION: Add your signature to this letter and let’s pull the nation away from the brink of a nuclear war.
Learn More
Check out the offerings below to learn more about China, to get ahead of the curveballs the mainstream media are throwing, and to be a peacemaker.
• News on China: DongFengCollective.org – The interest on China is growing everywhere. Yet most of the available news and analysis outside China is produced by mainstream media from the Global North. To provide access to Chinese perspectives, the Dong Feng Collective — formed by researchers from various countries — is preparing a weekly digest of news from China.
• China has transformed 34.33 million hectares of farmland into forest or grassland
• Closing China’s urban-rural health care gap & reducing illness-induced poverty
• Pivot to Peace with China webinar- A new international peace movement, Pivot to Peace, opposes the current US military doctrine that is preparing this country for “major power conflict” with China. In this webinar, speakers highlight why we should return to a vision of peace. Speakers include Julie M. Tang, Ding Bong Lee, Jill Stein, MD., Col. Ann Wright, Eugene Puryear, as well as many others.
• China warns against bid to politicize COVID-19 for electoral gain
• COVID-19: US Blames China to Cover Up Its Own Failures
• At World Health Assembly, US bid to scapegoat China fails
• China is Not the Enemy– China’s united response to COVID-19 is often painted as a reflection of authoritarian “Asian values.” But the collective mobilization relied on real public support — a temporary social truce that today threatens to fracture.
