President Obama: There's still time to act on nuclear weapons

There are still more than 15,000 nuclear weapons on the planet — and around 1,800 US and Russian nuclear weapons are still on hair-trigger alert — ready to launch in a matter of minutes. This absurd policy increases the risk of an accidental nuclear missile launch or a deliberate launch in response to a false warning — it's a nuclear catastrophe waiting to happen and could spell disaster for the entire planet.

Unfortunately, the president is also proposing that we spend more than a $1 trillion over the next 30 years on a new generation of nuclear bombs, missiles, submarines and more — and spurring a brand new global nuclear arms race.

There's still time for the president to take bold steps on US nuclear policy. Recently at the United Nations, President Obama reiterated the US goal of seeking the "peace and security of a world free of nuclear weapons." Let's tell him that words matter, but actions speak louder. And that there's still time to act — starting with taking our nuclear weapons off of hair-trigger alert and cancelling or scaling back the proposed nuclear spending spree.
Dear President Obama,

You recently addressed the United Nations and spoke again about your vision for a world free of nuclear weapons. When you visited Hiroshima, the site of the first US atomic bombing, you said we must have the courage to "escape the logic of fear" of nuclear weapons and that "persistent effort can roll back the possibility of catastrophe."

I am writing to urge you to back up those true and moving words with real actions before you leave office. There's still time to act, Mr. President, if you have the courage to do so. Start by ordering our nuclear missiles off of hair-trigger alert and get rid of Cold War-era procedures for launching nuclear weapons, so the next president will have more time to make what would be the most important decision in all of human history. I also urge you to seriously scale back your administration's plan to rebuild our nation's entire nuclear arsenal at a cost of more than $1 trillion over the next 30 years. It is difficult to see how building a whole new generation of nuclear weapons will get us closer to the vision you have repeatedly stated.

[your comment here]

Mr. President, words matter but actions speak louder. Please do all you can before leaving office to reduce the still real risks posed by the world's 15,000+ nuclear weapons and to prevent a new dangerous, costly nuclear arms race. There's still time to act.

Sincerely,

[your name]
Sign Petition
Sign Petition
You have JavaScript disabled. Without it, our site might not function properly.

Privacy Policy

By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.

Having problems signing this? Let us know.