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Oppose New Nuclear Weapons Today

Target: U.S. Senate
Sponsored by: Union Of Concerned Scientists
The Bush administration has asked for $8.5 million in the 2006 budget for research on a "Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator" (RNEP). This new nuclear weapon, also known as the nuclear "bunker buster," is being promoted as a useful tool in attacking deeply buried command centers or underground stores of chemical and biological weapons. But numerous scientific critiques, including one by the National Academy of Science, find that in many cases such a weapon would be ineffective. In addition, the nuclear blast and radioactive fall-out could kill millions of innocent people in surrounding areas. A single "bunker buster" would be nearly 100 times more powerful than the nuclear bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.

In the coming weeks, the Senate will consider funding for this new nuclear weapon. Please tell your Senators to reject all funding for the dangerous nuclear "bunker buster."
deadline: 7-11-2005
goal: 10,000
 

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Dear Senator,

I am greatly opposed to the Administration's proposal to seek funding for research on a Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP). This nuclear weapon is not needed, sets the United States on a new course of developing nuclear war fighting weapons, and sends a counterproductive message to the international community at a time when we are trying to discourage other nations from developing nuclear weapons. I hope that you will support Senator Feinstein's amendment to eliminate funding for the RNEP program.

As you know, RNEP is intended to destroy deeply buried bunkers and/or underground stores of chemical or biological weapons. However, a recent National Academy of Sciences study (http://books.nap.edu/catalog/11282.html?onpi_newsdoc04272005) concludes that the weapon would have limited utility against such targets, and that its use could kill millions of people downwind from the explosion. Moreover, the United States already has precision conventional weapons that could collapse all entrances and exits to underground bunkers.

To illustrate the technical realities of the RNEP weapon, the Union of Concerned Scientists has produced a two-minute flash video that shows both the weapon's technical shortcomings and the consequences of its use. I strongly recommend that you and your staff consider and use this important resource--it can be found at: http://www.ucsusa.org/global_security/nuclear_weapons/page.cfm?pageID=1781

Finally, I believe that Congress needs to match their words with their actions when addressing the cause of nuclear proliferation. If we are calling on other nations to refrain from building nuclear weapons, we should refrain as well.

I look forward to hearing your position on this important issue and hope that you will support Senator Feinstein’s amendment to deny all funding for the RNEP program.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
We signed the “Oppose New Nuclear Weapons Today” petition!
# 10,772:
12:17 pm PDT, Jul 1, Donna Pinkerton, Oregon
# 10,771:
12:15 pm PDT, Jul 1, Jefferson Fietek, Minnesota
There is simply no need for something so distructive!
# 10,770:
12:14 pm PDT, Jul 1, Diane Knowles, California
# 10,769:
12:13 pm PDT, Jul 1, Kenneth Bowman, Florida
# 10,768:
12:05 pm PDT, Jul 1, Katharine S. Cullinan, Massachusetts
How dare we tell other nations not to produce nuclear weapons when we remain after 60 years the only nation to have ever used one. We should lead the way in nuclear disarmament ourselves, and dismantle our own, not add to them.
# 10,767:
12:04 pm PDT, Jul 1, Jeanette Grandstaff, Michigan
Debbie and Carl, please oppose any nuclear weapons. I believe the Americans need a paper or primer of some kind which would inform them of the danger of any kind of nuke. It is not just another weapon. TEN nuclear weapons can waste the planet. It is not a "win" situation for anyone because survivors will have to live in an aftermath of the nuclear pollution. Winds will carry the nuclear poison throughout the world. Bombs dropped by us on an enemy, can trigger a fall-out which will cover the earth's atomosphere. I am 80. I offer some first-hand accounts of nuclear war. After the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombs were dropped,those who were not vaporized or dismembered, suffered the radiation sickness.I met and worked with the Hibakusha (atom bomb victims who saw and experienced the "pika-don"). Some survivors today in Hiroshima work at the Peace Center there. When possible, they travel in teams of 5 or 6 to various countries throughout the world. Their message is not one of blame. Their message is the same that one can see in the Hiroshima Peace Park: "This shall not happen again." It is very necessary that we believe them. They are our only witnesses to the hideous aftermath of the atom bomb. We should keep in mind that our next weapons are hydrogen bombs.There is a film, taken right after the bombing by a US photographer. It should be required viewing for all governments who even think of using a nuclear weapon. JRG.
# 10,766:
12:03 pm PDT, Jul 1, Jackie T, New York
When will it ever end???????? When we blow up the planet?
# 10,765:
12:01 pm PDT, Jul 1, Name not displayed, Georgia
# 10,764:
11:59 am PDT, Jul 1, Amalia Hicks, Colorado
# 10,763:
11:59 am PDT, Jul 1, Melissa p Chase, Colorado
This president is a mad man who is not happy destroying the USA environment, he is out to destroy the world environment.
# 10,762:
11:58 am PDT, Jul 1, Jason Platt, California
# 10,761:
11:49 am PDT, Jul 1, Jenny Badua, California
# 10,760:
11:48 am PDT, Jul 1, Chris Wilds, Ohio
# 10,759:
11:47 am PDT, Jul 1, Deborah Morley, Missouri
# 10,758:
11:46 am PDT, Jul 1, Jamie Baccaro, Texas
# 10,757:
11:46 am PDT, Jul 1, Bob Day, Missouri
# 10,756:
11:45 am PDT, Jul 1, Edwina Jansson, Texas
# 10,755:
11:44 am PDT, Jul 1, Theo Hofmann, Canada
# 10,754:
11:43 am PDT, Jul 1, David Hind, California
It is an issue of leadership by example. We cannot tell other countries that developing nuclear weapons is bad (even going as far as invading a sovereign nation because of the claim that they were developing nuclear weapons), and then turn around and develop a new class of nuclear weapons ourselves.
# 10,753:
11:43 am PDT, Jul 1, Karen Sands, Florida
# 10,752:
11:41 am PDT, Jul 1, KAYE MILLER, Mississippi
THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT MATTERS THAT CONCERN THIS NATION . WE HAVE POVERTY, WE HAVE THE VETERANS WHO ARE RETURNING HOME ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THEIR BENEFITS ARE AT A BILLION DOLLAR SHORT FALL.OH, LET'S NOT FORGET THOSE WHO HAVE FOUGHT IN PREVIOUS WARS. WE CAN MENTION EDUCATION WHICH HAS NOT BEEN PROPERLY FUNDED, THE ENVIRONMENT, GLOBAL WARMING-WHICH THE REPUBLICANS SEEM TO DENY EXISTS. WE COULD GO ON AND ON. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MORE IMPORTANT? TAKE A LOOK AT OUR OWN STATE, AND SEE WHAT WE NEED!
# 10,751:
11:41 am PDT, Jul 1, Lisa Rice-Williams, Florida
# 10,750:
11:40 am PDT, Jul 1, Name not displayed, Texas
# 10,749:
11:38 am PDT, Jul 1, Name not displayed, Utah
# 10,748:
11:37 am PDT, Jul 1, Name not displayed, Pennsylvania
I want to live. I want my children to live. I want the world to be a decent place to live. For those who want to increase THEIR OWN radiation levels, hop the next flight into the sun, but leave me and mine with the earth as a liveable and breathable habitat. The very existence of nuclear weapons is a threat to everyone on the planet, not just those on somebody's list.
# 10,747:
11:33 am PDT, Jul 1, Neil Friedman, Oregon
# 10,746:
11:33 am PDT, Jul 1, Ana Antunes, Florida
I just don't understand the issue. We want to disarm everyone else in the World, but we keep on getting bigger and more dangerous weapons? Does this make any sense? We should be getting rid of our nuclear weapons, not make bigger ones. I do not want my tax money to go to this insanity. Spend our money in housing for the homeless and Health Care for everyone not in Was toys.
# 10,745:
11:28 am PDT, Jul 1, David L Rerko, Ohio
# 10,744:
11:24 am PDT, Jul 1, Name not displayed, Colorado
this sounds just like something George Bush would say, "We need bigger bombs," I mean why? sure you can kill more people with just one, but hey, think about it that's kind of cheating at war... its like a little kid about to lose and saying "No Fair" and throwing the board on the ground, George Bush.
# 10,743:
11:24 am PDT, Jul 1, Kristine Cheatum, Missouri
# 10,742:
11:22 am PDT, Jul 1, Kalyan V. Meola, Hawaii
Do we really need any more weapons?
# 10,741:
11:19 am PDT, Jul 1, Bob Sheak, Ohio
The United States should be a leader in ridding the world of nuclear weapons of any kind. And yet we the leading reactionary force in maintaining that we not only have a right to keep on our own nuclear weapons but to develop new types of nuclear weapons, including nukes that are designed to be used in combat operations. The US sets a terrible, ultimately counter-productive, example for the world and fosters the conditions for the proliferation of such weapons and weapon material.
# 10,740:
11:18 am PDT, Jul 1, John Leu, Massachusetts
# 10,739:
11:16 am PDT, Jul 1, Austin Van Zant, Texas
Developing new nuclear weapons is not only unethical but hypocritical. Who would take out our leader and revamp our federal government if this funding proposal goes through? The NPT says to dismantle weapons, not to maintain a stockpile/build new ones.
# 10,738:
11:13 am PDT, Jul 1, Denise Hammer, New Mexico
# 10,737:
11:08 am PDT, Jul 1, William Sheckler III, Pennsylvania
The pure madness of this proposal is something that the voters will not forget.
# 10,736:
11:02 am PDT, Jul 1, Susan Brandt, Maryland
My father was a scientist attending the testing at the Bikini Atoll. Years later he succumbed to cancer and motor neuron disease. Many of our servicemen likewise were exposed. But how much smaller our suffering compared to the horrors experienced at Hiroshima. And how disappointed was I to review the unclassified war memos and find that Japan's only reason not to surrender was that it wanted to maintain sovereignty, which we agreed to anyway. We didn't need to drop the bomb. Perhaps 300,000 deaths all tolled, and generations affected. Should we trust our government to choose a good time to drop a bomb again? There is no good time. Not only is there no good time, but simply having nuclear capability provokes the other nations to build. How can we be so hypocritical as to attack Iraq over their supposed nuclear program, when we are building ourselves? Would any of the nations feel compelled to have nuclear weapons if we didn't? No. This is most likely a jobs program, but we must assume that if a weapon is built, it may be used. Even when it was apparent that Japan would surrender, we went ahead. Even after dropping it on Hiroshima, we went ahead and bombed another city. To make a weapon is to use it. Susan Brandt
# 10,735:
11:02 am PDT, Jul 1, M Carlisle, Maryland
These employ dangerous nuclear matter (is it depleted uranium or even worse?) that will affect our own soldiers as well as damaging our environment semi-permanently. That's without mentioning the way we kill civilians these days!
# 10,734:
11:01 am PDT, Jul 1, Pamela Myers, Arizona
# 10,733:
10:57 am PDT, Jul 1, John Kevin Laffey, California
# 10,732:
10:55 am PDT, Jul 1, April Emmy Bode, Croatia
Wasting money on weapons? The money used for the development of politicians' dangerous toys could be used for much more worthwile causes. Aren't humans a civilised species? Then why do we need bombs?
# 10,731:
10:51 am PDT, Jul 1, Nick Thibeault, California
Obviously, governments don't care about future generations and the health of the world in general; just money in their pockets.
# 10,730:
10:51 am PDT, Jul 1, Debra Robertson, Texas
Is this what we are going to give our future generations= a bomb? That is some "gift". Our world needs to work on "PEACE" not "WAR". Having bombs is to much temptation to use them for most people=a easy way to "solve " problems. Lets not give into temptation but deliver us from evil.
# 10,729:
10:51 am PDT, Jul 1, Ruth Danielson, Connecticut
# 10,728:
10:50 am PDT, Jul 1, Susan Miranda, New Mexico
Because the Republicans' strident opposition to Iran's & Korea's nuclear development looks SO bad in the face of our own alarming (& illegal?) plans, it's the grossest emabarrassment for thinking Americans.
# 10,727:
10:49 am PDT, Jul 1, Julio Contreras, New Jersey
I oppose to waste our tax dollars in useless nuclear weapons that won't defend this country but will enrich the wallets of the corporations involved in the making of that garbage.
# 10,726:
10:45 am PDT, Jul 1, Dawn Powell, Florida
# 10,725:
10:43 am PDT, Jul 1, Alfredo L. Torres, Connecticut
I urge you to oppose funding for weapons of mass destruction such as the "bunker buster." Such a weapon would be antagonistic to the ideals of international peace and stability and would continue to underscore the role of the United States as an agressor in the world at large.
# 10,724:
10:41 am PDT, Jul 1, Phyllis M. Gallagher, California
# 10,723:
10:38 am PDT, Jul 1, Vicky Tremper, New York
# 10,722:
10:37 am PDT, Jul 1, Betty Eisenhauer, Arizona
This is the most insane thing I have heard from this administration. It needs to be stopped! Put the money where it will do the most GOOD not EVIL. All this is - is- anti-Christ.
# 10,721:
10:36 am PDT, Jul 1, Nancie Wolfe, Pennsylvania
I have been to Hiroshima. It's awesome and horrific. I would hope it is NEVER repeated.
# 10,720:
10:36 am PDT, Jul 1, Shelly Ohman, Oregon
# 10,719:
10:35 am PDT, Jul 1, Julienne LeMaster, California
# 10,718:
10:34 am PDT, Jul 1, Anna M Whitehead, Maryland
# 10,717:
10:33 am PDT, Jul 1, Name not displayed, Pennsylvania
# 10,716:
10:32 am PDT, Jul 1, Bee Berwing, Germany
# 10,715:
10:31 am PDT, Jul 1, Matthew Eager, New York
# 10,714:
10:31 am PDT, Jul 1, Eric Koch, Wisconsin
# 10,713:
10:31 am PDT, Jul 1, Deborah Crowchild, Vermont
# 10,712:
10:31 am PDT, Jul 1, Name not displayed, New York
# 10,711:
10:29 am PDT, Jul 1, Paul Burdine, California
# 10,710:
10:27 am PDT, Jul 1, Anita Sutter, Missouri
# 10,709:
10:24 am PDT, Jul 1, Tim Birch, Michigan
# 10,708:
10:22 am PDT, Jul 1, Joan Mallory, New York
I vehemently oppose funding for Nuclear Buncker Bombs!!PLease, Please do not support this insanity.
# 10,707:
10:22 am PDT, Jul 1, Millie Barnet, California
Why in the name of earth and heaven should anyone have to explain why they are opposed to the funding of nuclear weapons? For the same reason that I do not want to have my children and grandchildren blown to bits or burned alive, I also to not want your children and granchildlren to have that experience. "YOUR" meaning the world. It's pretty simple.
# 10,706:
10:21 am PDT, Jul 1, Valerie Sanderson, Arizona
# 10,705:
10:19 am PDT, Jul 1, Name not displayed, North Carolina
# 10,704:
10:17 am PDT, Jul 1, Name not displayed, Kentucky
To all politicians in the United States: The United States should be in a global leadership role illustrating the values of life. This is done through support of efforts that promote life, such as food for the hungry, peace-keeping efforts, disaster relief, disease control, housing initiatives, and so forth. If the United States directed its resources in lines that built humanitaran bridges between our people and those of other countries, then the need for military could be greatly reduced. But, then the military, post-industrial complex and the corporate fatcats do not want that . . . do they? It is time that the people of the United States have a representation in government that begins envisioning and working toward the long-term ideologies and policies of global peace and cooperation rather than short-term corporate profit, destined to fail hegemony, and bellicose chauvinism. I, quite frankly, grow increasingly sad and concerned for the future of my children. Again, it is time for our representation in government to do their job and stand up for the interests of their constituencies and for justice. I challenge ANY politician to contact me and I will defend my position and will then be happy to discuss my ideas for a more humane and sustainable future. Peace, James Camp
# 10,703:
10:17 am PDT, Jul 1, Melissa Notwaisha, Pennsylvania
The money that is being spent on ways to destroy could be better spent to cure the woes of the Earth and her children. Please use your inherent wisdom.
# 10,702:
10:16 am PDT, Jul 1, Debra Teplin, New York
# 10,701:
10:11 am PDT, Jul 1, Name not displayed, New York
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