Day 5 - NPT Rev. Com.

As I write and this entry at the end of my week at the U.N, I do so with amazing juxtaposition of our world and possibility. We have such amazing potential if only we will. I am actually posting this in flight, my first experience of working on line in the air - talk about realtime communication.

This week I have spent time with the victims - the Hibakisha (who were young children at the nuclear bombings) and soldiers of WWII (who were young boys of 18 - 20), The young are truly those most impacted in war. Each group speaks eloquently of the horror of war. Today I had the honor of seeing my wife Joan's Uncle Bob receive the French Medal of Honor at the French Consulate! Uncle Bobby as we refer him is also a U.S. POW Purple Heart recipient having lost his leg to"friendly fire" liberating France in WWII and being captured by the German Army. He has an amazing tale to tell. Both of these remarkable groups of then young can and do attest to the axiom of "Never Again"!

This week has afforded me the opportunity to work with amazing people from all over the planet working to abolish nuclear weapons. I tried steadfastly to let them know that they too were Beyond Warrier's - that it was impossible to eliminate the deadliest weapons in our arsenal and not work to eliminate war itself. For it would only be a matter of time before they would return. This was universally agreed.


The Nuclear Weapons Convention movement got great support yesterday as Jody Williams of the Landmine Convention challenged the international Ambassadors and NGO's to have the courage to do this now and not wait! She spoke of how she faced the same forces when trying to get the Landmine Convention done and how she was told it couldn't happen now.

I finished my week at the UN in session with the NGO's presenting their message to the diplomats.

To quote a message of this week. for these nuclear weapons at the age of 65, it is indeed time for MANDATORY RETIREMENT!

I leave with at once a sense of cautious hope and a sense of urgency. This is indeed the best time in the nuclear age to realize the complete elimination of all the world's nuclear arsenals - the ultimate public health disaster that the planet could face. We need to end our insane addiction to these instruments of immoral crime against humanity. In allowing their continued addiction, it is akin to the smoker who knows that cigarettes will kill him, not just now. Our persistent addiction to nuclear weapons will also kill us, we just don't think it will happen now.

I am reminded of the quote from St. Augustine: "O Lord help me to be pure, but not yet." On the contrary, Now We Can! I implore you to join us.

PS. While I am returning to California, I will continue this blog. I receive daily updates on the NPT Review Conference. This process will obviously go on beyond this month. I hope that those reading will continue to do so and I welcome any thoughts or ideas from individuals who are committed to moving this process forward. Thanks to all who have responded this week via the blog, email and other. Nuclear Abolition Day is Sat. June 5th and communities around the world will hold events coinciding with the end of the NPT Rev. Con. and moving forward from here.

I also want to thank my friend Michael Cervantes from Veterans for Peace who made a button for me the night before I left. I had it read "War Is So 20th Century". It resonated and struck a chord throughout the U.N.

Thanks Bob