by Norman Halls, contributor
In August 1945 the United States bombed Japan; Hiroshima on Aug. 6th and Nagasaki on Aug. 9th. We did not see or hear about the devastation for weeks after. “For decades, the acute and long-term effects of whole-body radiation exposure on the men, women and children beneath the mushroom clouds are little known and seldom mentioned.” Wrote Susan Southard, in article What U.S. citizens weren’t told about the atomic bombing of Japan. Shane Connor wrote in July 23, 2014 KI4U; “When An ill Wind Blows From Afar!’ deals specifically with radioactive fallout that originated from afar, like a Chernobyl in the past, Fukushima today, or an Iran or North Korea in the future that’s had its nuclear facilities bombed, releasing radioactive contamination into the atmosphere, or a nuclear bomb detonation anywhere anytime.” I recall when the Chernobyl blow-up occurred, a mast of radiation came across the globe. The prevailing winds at the time of the accident were from the south and east, so much of the radiation plume traveled northwest towards Belarus. Nonetheless, Soviet authorities were slow to release information about the severity of the disaster to the outside world. But when radiation alarms began to go off at a nuclear plant in Sweden, authorities were forced to reveal the full extent of the crisis. ‘It will be some time before the North Korea can threaten the United States. But our allies surrounding them are quite worried. If our nuclear umbrella reacts as designed, to an attack on South Korea or Japan from the DPRK, there will be more than just a few atomic and nuclear detonations that would follow as the political, industrial and military centers of the North Korea were obliterated. I’ve been getting a lot of questions about what would happen after that. Even though the immediate destruction dwarfs any subsequent effects, most people’s minds go directly to the images from science fiction they’ve read or seen – that those areas would be uninhabitable for thousands of years, dead zones from radioactive fallout.” Wrote James Conca, Forbes Magazine.
In 1945, President Donald Trump was 2 years old. He wouldn’t remember the devastation from the bombs in Japan. Nor would he have any understanding of the effects on countries and the population. Radioactive fallout is the particulate matter (dust) produced by a nuclear explosion and carried high up into the air by the mushroom cloud. It drifts on the wind for thousands of miles and most of it settles back to earth downwind of the explosion. “The most important recent evidence, however, has been the persistence of an increased risk of solid cancer from radiation. People exposed 66 years ago are still developing tumors that can be tied to the bombs. Most of the A-bomb survivors under 20 in 1945 are still alive. As they grow older and pass away, much should become settled about persistence,” H. Mabuchi said from the National Science Foundation. At the time the United States was the only nation able to use such a weapon. Today many countries have the capably to bomb other countries.
For an example of devastation, look at what the fires have caused in California. Fire consumed over 2,000 homes, businesses and other buildings, even a fire station, and 120,000 acres. Looking at what is happening in Napa and Sonoma counties in Northern California is minuscule to what a nuclear bomb would do. They are reporting that 20 people are dead and 190 missing. The bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki took the lives of 225,000 people. Should a nuclear incident happen it wouldn’t just involve North Korea and the United States, it could involve many countries.
“Trump’s loose talk on nuclear weapons suddenly becomes very real. This is hardly the first time Trump has talked flippantly and/or unrealistically about nuclear weapons. But it does reinforce that his attitude toward them, which leaders clearly regard as amateurish and foolhardy, is seeping into official White House business. While Trump’s loose chatter about nukes might have been dismissed as campaign bluster and posturing before, it seems much more real now.” reports Aaron Blake of the New York Times. This is very upsetting, having to live with the unknown. The President can order strike. A military officer carries the “football” with codes next to the President at all times. Should the President make a decision to make a launch for some reason? There are a few safe guards; he must talk to two top military officers; deputy director of operations and the commander of US Strategic Command. The officers could try to convince the president not to launch an attack or refuse to take the command, resign their post in protest. But, Cabinet members could enact the 25th Amendment. See, Westfield News, page 4 Tuesday, August 22, 2017.
It is very important, today, that real leadership takes action in Washington. Since the Senators are a “do-nothing” group of Republicans, who can we look for to make sure the President does not start any kind of weapons campaign. Trump has no leadership, compassion, governmental experience, and he maybe out of control. We have never had a president like Trump. He has disregard for the established rules, disrupt the status quo, and has caused uncertainty throughout the world with his treats to North Korea. Trump’s diplomatic staffs are basically unfamiliar with the political process. They have a very important job in the world.
“There’s one more national security dilemma stirred up by putting preemptive protections on the president. If Congress does jump in, it’s worth asking why they are doing it for THIS president. Could it be because they don’t trust him, personally? At least 61 percent of Americans say they are “uneasy” about Trump’s ability to handle North Korea, according to a new CBS poll. And Trump mentioned in a debate in September that he wouldn’t take a preemptive nuclear strike off the table.” Wrote Nicholas Kammni, Washington Post. Can and will Congress constrain the President from talking without the specifics and going to war?
