Nuclear ‘upgrade’ totally ignored

Reasoned, caring and concerned citizens worldwide are jaw agape and horrified by the spectacle and depravity of what only the charitably and mercifully inclined refer to as the Republican and Democratic presidential caucuses. The Republicans merit special recognition for ushering in and subjecting the world and perhaps civilization’s future to a trio of stooges who score their highest marks denigrating their opponent’s wife or segueing into their love of torture as a strategic and accepted U.S. practice. There is one issue that virtually all candidates have ignored and failed to mention — President Obama’s trillion dollar plan to modernize the United States nuclear arsenal over the next 30 years.

This issue — perhaps even more than climate change and the ensuing environmental catastrophe that many scientists tell us is all but inevitable — is the critical issue facing all humankind. And it is not like this issue is discussed and debated and set aside. It is not even reviewed or brought up as an issue. Perhaps part of this is due to the word “modernize” — which may lull the senses and remove from the consciousness the full impact and meaning of this “modernization” plan. Simply said this plan involves building more and better and more lethal nuclear weapons that may be introduced into conventional wars and deemed as viable alternatives. And the vision of this grand “modernization plan” is not missed by those who may be on the receiving end of these apocalyptic weapons. They in turn will build and are building modernized nuclear weapons to offset what they understandably view as a threat to their survival. The stark and inescapable truth is that Obama’s 30-year nuclear arsenal “modernization” plan is a threat to all of us. While it may not merit the coverage of Donald Trump’s latest caustic insults directed at women or Ted Cruz’s frontal assault on reason it is indeed an issue worth review and headlining-that is if the welfare and hopes for future generations merit any concern at all.

Jim Sawyer

Edmonds

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