Prohibiting the First Use of Nuclear Weapons
Start: 2021-05-15 12:30:00 UTC Eastern Daylight Time (US & Canada) (GMT-04:00)
This is a virtual event
A nuclear exchange between the US and Russia would incinerate hundreds
of millions of people immediately, and lead to a Nuclear Winter which
would slaughter an estimated 7 billion of the Earth’s 7.7 billion
people, mostly through starvation. Building back civilization would
require over 1,000 years [Daniel Ellsberg talk, 12/13/2020]. A U.S.
nuclear first-strike against China would result in a similar
catastrophe.
These are the stakes. As a step toward reducing
the danger of Nuclear War, a coalition of groups has called upon
Congress to legislate – and the President to declare – that the United
States will neither initiate nor threaten to initiate the first use of
Nuclear Weapons.
Declaring and legislating a No First Use policy would be a major step to help avoid:
A US nuclear attack that escalates Russia or China attacking the US due to a false alarm
Violating the US Constitution by a first strike act of war US
threats of a nuclear attack which amount to bullying and blackmailing
other countries, and which carry unacceptable risk of starting a general
nuclear war. With the support of a growing number of members of
Congress, and President Biden’s 2019 statement that he has supported “No
First Use” for twenty years, we have a real chance to take an important
step toward reducing the risks of nuclear war in the next year by
getting a No First Use policy declared and legislated into law!
Join
us on May 15 at a conference to discuss and implement “Prohibiting the
First Use of Nuclear Weapons.” Registration opens April 5.
Confirmed
Speakers include: William Perry, Tom Collina, Kennette Benedict,
Elaine Scarry, Ira Helfand, Zia Mian, Joe Cirincione, Joseph Gerson.
Special greeting from Sen. Ed Markey
Cosponsors: Campaign for
Peace, Disarmament and Common Security (CPDCS); Massachusetts Peace
Action; Council for a Livable World; CodePINK; Chicago Area Peace
Action; NY Peace Action; Maine Peace Action; Nuclear Age Peace
Foundation; Greater Boston Physicians