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Page 12 October 17, 2018 O PINION Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. Don’t Arm This President with These Nukes Learning from the lessons of the past o livia a lperstein Last month the global community celebrated Interna- tional Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, a day designated by the United Nations to draw attention to one of its oldest goals: achieving global nuclear disarmament. By unhappy coincidence, Sept. 26 was also the day President Donald Trump ad- dressed the UN Security Council, and to- tal nuclear disarmament wasn’t exactly high on his agenda. As expected, he wants North Korea to fully abandon its arsenal (and Iran, though it doesn’t have one) — without the United States reducing its own in return. Trump’s aggressive, bullying rheto- ric was on full display throughout his re- marks when he addressed the UN General Assembly the previous day. (He did dial it back a bit from last year’s UN address, when he said the United States would “to- tally destroy” North Korea and referred to Kim Jong Un as “Rocket Man,” but maybe that’s a low bar.) Trump has made it abundantly clear that he’s not committed to nuclear disarma- ment. Like other presidents before him, he has the power to unilaterally order a first nuclear strike. Rather unlike others, he’s previously asked, if we have nuclear weap- by ons, why can’t we use them? But Congress has the power to act to avert a nuclear catastrophe. In fact, a few champions in Congress have recently tak- en critical steps to prevent the outbreak of nuclear war. On Sept. 18, Representatives Ted Lieu, war and increase the risk that they may ac- tually be used. “There’s no such thing as a low-yield nuclear war,” said Lieu in the joint press re- lease announcing the bill. “Use of any nu- clear weapon, regardless of its killing pow- er, could be catastrophically destabilizing. war. If Petrov hadn’t made that judgment, we might not even be here to advocate for a world free of nuclear weapons. Let’s take the lessons we’ve learned from the past and use them to create a healthier, safer future for young people and Trump has made it abundantly clear that he’s not committed to nuclear disarmament. Like other presidents before him, he has the power to unilaterally order a first nuclear strike. Rather unlike others, he’s previously asked, if we have nuclear weapons, why can’t we use them? Adam Smith, John Garamendi, Earl Blu- menauer, and Sen. Ed Markey introduced a bill called the “Hold the LYNE Act,” which stands for Low-Yield Nuclear Explosive. It would “prohibit the research, development, production, and deployment of low-yield nuclear warheads for submarine-launched ballistic missiles.” So-called “low-yield” nuclear weapons actually lower the threshold for nuclear It opens the door for severe miscalculation and could drag the U.S. and our allies into a devastating nuclear conflict.” We’ve come very close to nuclear war in the past. On Sept. 26, 1983, Soviet military officer Stanislav Petrov made a split-sec- ond decision and deemed a supposed mis- sile attack from the United States to be an error, refusing to carry out an order to counterattack and thus averting a nuclear future generations, so they won’t have to worry about the looming threat of nuclear war. The president of the United States may not have marked the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. The rest of us still can. Olivia Alperstein is the media relations manager for Physicians for Social Respon- sibility. Distributed by OtherWords.org. Setting the Example for Children to Emulate We cannot depend on anyone else M arian W right e DelMan As parents and grandparents once again struggle to de- termine how to ex- plain to their children current headlines of moral indecency at the highest levels, adults everywhere are reminded that we must all continue to strive to be the examples of what we want our children to emulate. We cannot depend on anyone else. I believe the Old Testament prophets, the Gospels, the Ko- ran—indeed all great faiths—his- tory, moral decency and common sense beckon us anew to examine as individuals and as a people what we are to live by and teach our children by precept and example. I urge adults in America of all races, by faiths and political persuasions to make a difference by teaching our children to love themselves and others as God loves us. We must teach our children at every age how we expect them to treat them- selves and others respectfully and fairly and then struggle to model that behavior daily no matter what people in power, public figures or role models are doing or how often we fail to meet our own standards, get up and try again. To our children, I hope they will make a difference as they grow by being courageous, aiming high, and holding on to ideals of mutual respect; by caring and serving; by being honest and telling the truth; by persevering and not giving up no matter how difficult the chal- lenge; by being determined and resourceful; by being grateful for the gift and wonders of life; by working together with others; by being compassionate and kind; by being nonviolent and working for Lord, You told us, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” The world says, “Blessed are those high on spirits.” You said, “Blessed are those who mourn.” The world says, “Blessed are those who maim and torture.” You said, “Blessed are the meek.” The world says, “Blessed are the arrogant and the strong.” You said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” The world says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for fleeting power and fame.” You said, “Blessed are the merciful.” The world says, “Blessed are the mercenary and punitive.” You said, “Blessed are the pure in heart.” The world says, “Blessed are the hard of heart.” You said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” The world says, “Blessed are the weaponmakers.” You said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” The world says, “Blessed are those who persecute for the sake of riches and race.” You said, “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil about you falsely on my account.” The world says, “Blessed are you when people applaud and praise you for your own sake.” Help us, Lord, to find our way to you. justice and peace in their commu- nities, nation, and world; and by being faithful and struggling for what they believe. It is so important for adults not to let ourselves off the hook or to become apathetic or cynical by telling ourselves that nothing we do can make a difference. Every day, light your small candle. It just might be the one that sparks the movement to save our children’s and our nation’s future. And help our Congress, citi- zens and all our leaders across every political ideology heed your call for a more decent and just America for our precious girls and women as well as our boys and men who are all sacred in your sight. Marian Wright Edelman is president of the Children’s De- fense Fund.
