Back From the Brink
Even though making the world safer through nuclear arms reduction is more critical than ever the issue receives scant attention today largely because people feel that there is nothing they can do about it. Thankfully this is not true. The Back from the Brink campaign promotes five steps toward nuclear arms reduction that we can urge our representatives to enact. The five goals are:
- Actively pursuing a verifiable agreement among nuclear-armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals
- Renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first
- Ending the sole, unchecked authority of any U.S. President to launch a nuclear attack
- Taking U.S. nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert
- Cancelling the plan to replace the entire U.S. nuclear arsenal with enhanced weapons
Perhaps this is a good time to seriously reflect on the goal of ending the sole, unchecked authority of a President to single-handedly launch a nuclear attack. This is just plain common sense. We have just come through a period of time in which the two main contenders for the office of President both had apparent flaws. This is not a political statement; this is a fact. It is pointless to argue that moral failures or psychological weaknesses are more or less dangerous to decision-making than physical vigor and overall health. Both are impairments that could lead to disastrous consequences in a nuclear standoff. And yet, both candidates were poised to individually have the power to launch a nuclear attack that could destroy civilization. This is simply madness.
We have had presidents who have been impaired by sickness, alcohol, or personality disorders. And, to be perfectly frank, none of us are perfect. All of us even at our best are limited in the scope of our perspective, our knowledge and our grasp of reality. It is essential that the earth-altering decision to launch nuclear weapons requires the approval of more than one, solitary person.
The Rev. Dr. Scott Allan Baker
Member, Physicians for Social Responsibility
