Washington Office: Say ‘No’ to a new nuclear bomb plant
By Craig M. Kibler, Staff Writer, March 30, 2007
The Washington Office of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is urging Presbyterians across the country to “say ‘No’ to a new nuclear bomb plant.”
Among issues such as the federal budget and programs like Head Start and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program included in its “Witness in Washington” e-mail message, the Washington Office charges that “the Bush administration wants to develop and build new nuclear weapons and to return our nation’s production capacity of nuclear weapons to Cold War levels.”
“At the same time that the administration is condemning nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea,” the Washington Office says, “it is proposing its own plan that could reignite a dangerous nuclear arms race by rebuilding the U.S.’s own nuclear weapons arsenal.”
The e-mail says in the first step, called “Complex 2030” for the date this plan would be completed, “the administration has proposed building a new, multibillion-dollar bomb plant. The plant would produce a new nuclear weapon called the ‘Reliable Replacement Warhead,’ the first new warhead to be developed by the U.S. in over two decades.”
‘Cost of billions’
“Instead of working to reduce its stockpile of nuclear bombs, as the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty calls for,” the Washington Office says, “the U.S. is developing new nuclear weapons at the cost of billions of taxpayer dollars.”
In urging Presbyterians to oppose this plan, the Washington Office says that “blocking this new plant is the first step in blocking the larger plan of reviving the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal.”
As is often the case in it “Witness in Washington” e-mail, the Washington Office provides a sample message for Presbyterians to send to their representatives in Congress. It reads:
“Please oppose the administration’s plans to build new nuclear weapons and to return our nation’s production capacity of nuclear weapons to Cold War levels. The ‘Complex 2030’ proposal, which includes building a new bomb plant and developing a ‘Reliable Replacement Warhead,’ is a huge step in the wrong direction.
“At the same time that we are condemning nuclear programs in other countries such as Iran and North Korea, we are proposing to reignite a dangerous nuclear arms race by rebuilding our own nuclear weapons arsenal.
“This program poses a great threat to my family, my community and our planet. I hope you will oppose all plans to build the next generation of new nuclear weapons.”
Federal budget
In a “Witness in Washington” item on the federal budget, the Washington Office tells Presbyterians that “we are called to advocate for a fair federal budget that reflects our priorities and serves the common good. Call your legislators and help convince Congress that it must provide enough funding so that more people get the health care, housing, education, nutrition and other services they need.”
In a sample message, the Washington Office asks Presbyterians to call their representatives in Congress and say: “I am calling to ask the senator/representative to work to pass a budget resolution that includes a significant spending increase for programs that serve the most vulnerable – the poor, the elderly, people with disabilities, and children. [Mention examples in your community such as housing, child care, services for senior citizens, education, Head Start, Food Stamps, children’s health coverage, child support collections …]. Our nation needs to make investments in programs that create security and safety at home for people who are left behind.”
‘Deceptive practices’
In another “Witness in Washington” item, this one on elections in this country, the Washington Office says recent elections “have been held in the balance waiting for scrutiny of paper ballots and bad voting machines.” This, the e-mail charges, are “serious deceptions in our electoral process.”
In supporting a measure in Congress called the Voter Intimidation Prevention Act, the Washington Office says it “has been introduced in an attempt to address these concerns before we go through another major election. The constitutional rights of all citizens must be protected in this fundamental privilege of citizenship as an unimpeded practice of democracy.”
The bill’s sponsors, the Washington Office states, say that, “historically, certain citizens, especially racial minorities, were prevented from voting because of significant barriers such as literacy tests, poll taxes and property requirements. Some of these barriers were removed by the 15th, 19th and 24th Amendments to the Constitution. Despite the elimination of some of these barriers to the polls, the integrity of today’s elections is threatened by newer tactics aimed at suppressing voter turnout. These tactics include ‘deceptive practices,’ which involve the dissemination of false information intended to prevent voters from casting their ballots, intimidate the electorate and undermine the integrity of the electoral process. Denials of the right to vote, and deceptive practices designed to prevent members of racial minorities from exercising that right, are an outgrowth of discriminatory history, including slavery.”
Craig M. Kibler is the Director of Publications for the Presbyterian Lay Committee and Executive Editor of The Layman and The Layman Online. He can be reached at cmkibler@www.layman.org.