Yes, the debate in the senate over pulling the filibuster is serious business (if you don't know that it's being called the 'nuclear option' go find another blog), but that's not what I'm talking about at the moment.
I got a few ruffled feathers over last Friday's Funny. I still think it's hilarious, but I understand why jokes, or cartoons, about global nuclear winter are not funny.
(If you missed it, go here:)
http://screamingme.blogspot.com/
My point was, if I can't manage to laugh at something that was obviously made tongue-in-cheek with an intended sense of humor, I would quickly descend into rage filled, screaming, ranting, apoplectic madness.
So, in the attempt to bring light to a VERY serious topic, one deserving of more attention, and certainly one deserving of our voices raised, our letters written, our prayers said... here are a few notes on the real nuclear options of today.
From Truthout, First:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/050905L.shtml
"Representatives of nearly 190 countries are currently meeting in New York to discuss ways of strengthening the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. It's a shame that neither President Bush nor Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice can find time to attend."
No shit. A damn shame. Bush is on a field trip... Condi couldn't go????
My first "political action" was writing a letter at the age of about 14, I believe to the first President Bush, urging him to attend the global environmental conference. What made me think of that was the importance of our leadership, as a nation, in matters such as this.
If Jr.'s going to stand up in Georgia, in Russia, around the world and here at home and blather about spreading freedom and democracy around the world under our great flag, then I believe that there are a few more issues that we should be leading the world on.
NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION IS ONE OF THEM.
Or as the NYT, via TruthOut puts it:
"Nuclear proliferation is the pre-eminent national security issue of our times."
Rather than being a leader, we are tearing up the treaty, thumbing our noses at the international community, and threatening Iran and North Korea if they try to follow our footsteps. We are the bad children in the sandbox who refuse to play by the rules, but demand that everyone else does.
"Washington needs to lead the way in shoring up the basic bargain that underlies the treaty. The major nuclear weapons states committed themselves to reduce their own stockpiles significantly in exchange for nonnuclear states' renouncing the ambition of joining their ranks.
Demonstrating good faith on that score will not be so easy for an administration that has torn up the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, frozen ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and talks darkly about designing new and improved nuclear bombs. But it is absolutely essential if nonnuclear countries are to stay committed to their side of the bargain. And whatever hope remains of walking back the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs is not helped by American talk of developing more usable nuclear weapons."
I urge you to write your representatives, your congress men and women, your senators, your newspapers, all newspapers, any and everyone you feel like writing today and beg for some attention for this matter. Ask why we are not leading the world in non-proliferation, but rather upping the ante and challenging the world to meet us on the other side of a nuclear stand off.
Please check in for more
http://screamingme.blogspot.com/