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To the editor:
Today let’s celebrate the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a group of Japanese nuclear bomb survivors (Hibakusha) committed to the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Media attention to nuclear dangers increases as wars involving nuclear-weapon countries escalate. I appreciate the attention to this urgent issue, including by Newsweek. But to suggest that there are safe places in a nuclear war (“Map Shows Safest US States to Live During a Nuclear War” Newsweek, December 4, 2024) is disturbingly absurd. Neither radiation nor escalation can be contained. Fortunately, there were survivors of the 1945 bombings in Japan. But the survival of man or the planet in today’s world of much bigger weapons and nine nuclear weapons states is highly questionable.
Instead of mapping out where we could live in misery a little longer after an attack on American silos, we should devote ourselves to working with Nihon Hidankyo to abolish nuclear weapons.
Ichiro Moritaki, philosopher, Hiroshima survivor and co-founder of Nihon Hidankyo, wisely said, “nuclear and humanity cannot coexist.” Survivor Setsuko Thurlow said at the 2017 Nobel Prize ceremony in recognition of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons: “Let this be the beginning of the end of nuclear weapons.”
That work continues and must be passed on to the next generation in the Hibakusha era. We can all help. Please join the Syracuse Peace Council locally and/or back from the Brink nationally.
Diane swords
Member of the Syracuse Peace Council (peacecouncil.net)
and back from the Brink (preventionnuclearwar.org)
Syracuse
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