Dear Editor,
As a resident of Watertown, I am hopeful that Congresswoman Clark will join Senators Markey and Warren and Congressmen Jim McGovern, Stephen Lynch and Richie Neal in cosponsoring an important resolution to the U.S. Congress that addresses the incredibly dangerous situation in the world right now: the threat of nuclear war.
H. Res 317 calls upon the United States government to enter into negotiations with the other nuclear-armed states for a verifiable, enforceable agreement to eliminate their nuclear arsenals. It also urges our government to implement safeguards to reduce the danger of nuclear war while these negotiations take place. The resolution does not call for unilateral disarmament.
The threat of nuclear war is hiding in plain sight, but the threat is real and growing. Former top defense officials and atomic scientists rate the danger of nuclear war today to be greater than ever. Former Defense Secretary William Perry wrote that “Nuclear weapons no longer provide for our security — they now endanger it … Our chief peril is that the poised nuclear doom … is too far out of the public consciousness.” The best science we have projects that a war between the U.S. and Russia would kill nearly every resident of the state, and even a much more limited war, between India and Pakistan would lead to climate disruption and a global famine that could kill 130 million Americans, including 3-5 million people in Massachusetts.
President Trump has also been discussing the reinstitution of nuclear testing. The time to act is clearly now.
As the House Minority Whip, the Congresswoman is understandably highly selective about which pieces of legislation she endorses. H. Res. 317 deserves her support. The highest responsibility of the government is the protection of its citizens. Nothing is more important.
I am proud to live in Watertown where so many people care about making our world a better place and where people feel empowered to take action for the sake of peace! I would like to end my letter with this quote from Buddhist peacebuilder Daisaku Ikeda:
“The human spirit is endowed with the ability to transform even the most difficult circumstances, creating value and ever richer meaning. When each person brings this limitless spiritual capacity to full flower, and when ordinary citizens unite in a commitment to positive change, a culture of peace ― a century of life ― will come into being.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
With gratitude,
Lillian Koizumi
Watertown Resident