- After-publication correction: this article says we possess nuclear bunker busters but perhaps we
only possess conventional ones.  It is difficult to obtain confirmation, so please assume 'conventional.'


It’s Not Too Late To Stop Nuclear Use

Americans who lived through the Cold War know that our main concern in those days was nuclear war. All sorts of planning was subjected to the overriding goal of avoiding the mushroom cloud. Even the East Europeans in the 1970s and ‘80s felt justified in protesting the Soviet plans to use n-weapons.

So when did this change? When did nuclear fallout stop being a problem? Did someone invent a weapon that uses uranium without causing health problems? Without causing genetic damage to offspring? In short, when did it become safe to release radioactive fallout into Earth’s atmosphere?

The answer is “Never.” We should still fear the mushroom cloud. We should wisely acknowledge that any open use of uranium is hazardous to human health. Believe me, the science of physics hasn’t come up with a new interpretation of radioactivity.

Yet, the United States has dramatically changed its nuclear policy. The media failed to encourage public debate about this, possibly because the Defense Dept obscured the announcement by spreading it over three gradual steps.

First, in January 2002, while people were still in shock over 9-11, the White House issued its Nuclear Posture Review. It included the doctrine of the Preemptive Strike. This was the first time since the UN Charter of 1945 that one nation declared that it has a right to use force on another.

At this point, Congress should have stepped in. Under the Constitution only Congress has the power to declare war, so only Congress should be the author of such a dramatic new doctrine (the right to make preemptive strikes).

Then, in April 2003, the Pentagon produced CONPLAN 8022, which authorizes commanders in the field to opt for nuclear weapons if the situation calls for it. Such battlefield decisions would never allow time for Congress’s approval. Ah, you say, generals can’t be chasing around for Congress’s say-so – a general must be given his head. No, our generals cannot be given their head with nuclear weapons. As I said, the laws of physics and radioactivity have not changed since the Cold War.

The third step involves ‘bunker busters’. It allows our military to attack the enemy’s deeply buried facilities. The new technology known as bunker busting involves nuclear explosions underground. Many people see this as just another updating of weaponry. Historically, every weapon inventor has made use of whatever technology is available to achieve results. But again, this excludes any role for Congress or the public to participate. I believe bunker busters should not have been added to the arsenal without serious reflection and debate.

Now, in August 2006, the opportunity for calm discussion has passed. We find ourselves close to starting a nuclear war in the Middle East. The reported plan is for us to attack Iran, which could provoke Russia to join in, in support of Iran.

The House of Representatives is in recess and the Senate is about to break up for the season. I believe the Senate should grab a hold of this issue urgently today. It is outrageous for our politicians to abandon one of the most solemn responsibilities laid upon them by the Founding Fathers.

As a last resort, the responsibility must devolve to the public. Everyone who has worries about nuclear weapons can at least articulate that to his neighbors, his doctor, his shopkeeper, anyone who will listen. For some reason, the churches have not been very vocal this time, but any member of the faithful could encourage an individual priest or rabbi to call a meeting.

There is not sufficient time for the sending around of petitions or the organizing of rallies. Let each citizen lodge her objections in a loud, personal way. At this point, even the most selfish self-protection is appropriate.

I myself do not have children, but I am happy to advocate for those too young to speak and for those not yet born. I cry out and say, “Stop, you idiots! Stop, you cruel adults! Who are you to play God with my future? Who are you to condemn me to cancer and deformities? Why would you want to devastate the land, as at Chernobyl, so that no food can grow on this soil forever? Why are you doing this to me? Have you even given it a thought?”

There is still time to act.