Nagasaki remembers atomic bomb, urges US to ban nuclear weapons

TOKYO : The mayor of Nagasaki urged the United States to help rid the world of nuclear weapons, 59 years to the day after a US plane dropped an atomic bomb over the Japanese city, effectively ending World War II.
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Standing at the foot of the Peace Statue -- a bronze figure of a man pointing to the patch of sky from which the atomic bomb fell -- Ito criticised Washington for continuing to possess 10,000 nuclear weapons.

He also criticised the United States for conducting subcritical nuclear tests, which contain the ingredients of a nuclear warhead but have no thermonuclear blast and in theory create no radioactive emissions.

"In addition, the so-called mini-nuclear weapons that are the subject of new development efforts are intended to deliver truly horrific levels of force," he noted, saying the radioactivity they would release would be no different to that from the bomb dropped on Nagasaki.
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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/99909/1/.html


Livermore Protest Calls for Books, Not Bombs
Rally Marks ‘Year of Awakening,’ Aims to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

LIVERMORE—Hundreds of protesters crowded the gates of UC-managed Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Sunday to send California and national legislators a clear message: stop nuclear weapons research and send federal funds to public education.
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The protest was one of hundreds of events across the country held to memorialize the infamous bombings that killed more than 200,000 civilians.

The event kicked off a “year of awakening,” a nationwide effort to abolish nuclear weapons.

Participants said in a time when public schools are being forced to close their doors in the name of budget cuts—including two schools in Livermore—it is not the time to increase federal funding for nuclear weapons research.
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http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=15780


Ralliers oppose Los Alamos bid
Public forum in connection with bombings' anniversaries leads to security questions
By C. Daniel G

Operating the Los Alamos National Laboratory will not benefit the UT System and could come with a high price tag, said attendees at a public forum Sunday about the System's possible bid to manage the weapons research facility.
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Van Zant said any fines incurred by Los Alamos, such as a $385,000 fine UC had to pay in April 2003 for security violations, would come out of the University's pocket.

Julie Enszer, executive director of the Nuclear Policy Research Institute, said the current geo-political landscape could result in a reemphasis on building the nuclear arsenal.
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The forum was held in conjunction with a remembrance ceremony at Zilker Park to observe the anniversaries of the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, respectively.
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http://www.dailytexanonline.com/news/2004/08/09/TopStories/Ralliers.Oppose.Los.Alamos.Bid-701775.shtml

I've had repub friends respond to news of diplomatic setbacks in the middle east (beheadings etc) with the typical: "We oughta nuke 'em".

I ask them if they really believe that the world at large will tolerate deployment of nuclear arms by ANY nation.

Do they, indeed, believe the U.S. would shrug our shoulders if India and Pakistan began lobbing nuclear missiles across their border?

Global intervention and disarmament would be in store for ANY country that attempts a "first strike", INCLUDING us.
Even my jingoistic repub friends know that the entire world vs the U.S. is a hopeless scenario.

Therefore I think nuclear bombs have attained a status of "threat defense" and have no applicable purpose in the 21st century.

As an aside, I note the recent development of "tactical nukes", engineered in the hopes that a "small blast" will attract less international attention.

Nagasaki Peace Declaration, today's statement from Mayor Itoh. Check out the homepage for more info.

From UCS, Toward True Security: A US Nuclear Posture for 2010.

:nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

What would Emperor Bunnypants* say about this turn of events?

"They look like purty fire flowers."

ban nuclear weapons?