Letters: Pathway for elimination of nuclear weapons; A telling omission

Pathway for elimination of nuclear weapons

Not everyone can visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki to commemorate those who died 78 years ago (as I did in 1985). But almost everyone can go see “Oppenheimer,” great filmmaking about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist tapped to lead the effort to build the first nuclear weapon. The movie delves into the depths of our human conscience, challenging us to confront profound moral dilemmas.

The threat of a nuclear war is as significant right now as at any time since the Cuban missile crisis, as we have shifted from a postwar period into a prewar one. The choices we make hold the potential for chain reactions, but if someone takes a stand to halt destructive paths, the chain reaction can cease.

Nuclear weapons procurement and policy decisions are driven almost wholly by a small number of interested actors forming the military-industrial complex. These processes need to be democratized, with decisions reflecting broader constituencies and definitions of national security. Those pushing for such changes need to be given stronger platforms, not sidelined as Oppenheimer was in 1954.

We have a tool for eliminating all nuclear weapons once and for all, safely, fairly and securely. The game-changing U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons sets out a pathway for the verifiable and irreversible elimination of all nuclear weapons from all countries. Urge your Congressperson to co-sponsor the Nuclear Abolition and (Climate) Conversion bill, H.R. 2775, which calls on the USA to sign this treaty.

Douglas M. Mason, Port Matilda

A telling omission

With little curiosity by most of the media, the Hunter Biden case continues its slow walk through our once-trusted justice system, thankfully now encountering a judge who wouldn’t be fooled by a bogus plea agreement, and raising even more questions about President Biden’s involvement and potential culpability.

But with the President repeatedly expounding about how much he loves his six grandchildren, and waiting until this week (July 27) before yielding to the political need to finally acknowledge the existence of his seventh grandchild — a 4-year-old granddaughter from Hunter’s affair, I don’t need to wait for the outcome of any more investigations. I know all I need to know about Joe Biden.

Jim Sorensen, Boalsburg

An opportunity for Trump?

One would think that former president Donald Trump and his multi-millions of supporters would be pleased. Finally, he has every opportunity to prove his innocence about mishandling classified government documents. Finally, he has every opportunity to prove his long-held claims that he won the presidential election back in 2020. Finally, he has every opportunity to prove that he disclosed fully and accurately his businesses financial activities. Finally, he has the opportunity to prove that he did not attempt to get certain states to overturn election results. What more could he want? And given the financial assistance he is receiving from the Republican Party and his multi-millions of supporters he can afford to hire the best legal minds in the country to represent him. Yet in spite of all of this, he claims that he is being unfairly charged. Time will tell. Time will tell.

Ken Manno, Boalsburg