Frederick approves nuclear disarmament resolution
Aug. 19—Frederick has joined 60 other municipalities, including Baltimore and Washington, D.C., in approving a resolution asking the federal government to move toward nuclear disarmament.
The city's aldermen unanimous approved the resolution at their meeting Thursday night.
Frederick joins city, county, and state governments around the country in asking the federal government to renounce the use of nuclear weapons as a first-strike option.
The resolution also opposes the sole authority of any president to launch a nuclear attack.
It calls for the federal government to take U.S. nuclear weapons off "hair trigger" alert, cancel a plan to replace the country's nuclear arsenal with enhanced weapons, and actively pursue a verifiable agreement among nuclear-armed countries to eliminate their nuclear arsenals.
August marks the 77th anniversary of the United States' use of nuclear weapons in Japan during World War II, and is the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, according to a report prepared by the city's staff.
Frederick's proximity to Washington, D.C., and the fact that it's the home of Fort Detrick give it an interest in the resolution's cause, Mayor Michael O'Connor said.
Adopting the resolution doesn't have any obvious impact on the federal government's actions, but it makes a statement, he said.
Follow Ryan Marshall on Twitter: @RMarshallFNP
