California Governor Jerry Brown has just authored a review of one of our recommended titles in the latest issue of The New York Review of Books: the recently published My Journey at the Nuclear Brink by former Secretary of Defense William Perry (SEE Blog Bibliography Post below: Reading the Bomb, June 13, 2016)
The Nuclear Weapons threat continues to garner headlines and attention. But what is needed is Citizen Involvement. Perry's book gives us the back story, the dangerous scope of the problem and cause for hope.
Gov. Brown accurately describes the former Secretary of Defense, who had worked in the Nuclear Weapons industry from the age of 26, as an "insider", "a keeper of secrets", "a man of unquestioned experience and intelligence." In this BLOG he has been quoted several times. Here is another:
"Even a single detonation...could destroy our way of life." (Italics ours)
Brown notes that:
"Perry is on an urgent mission to alert us to the dangerous nuclear road we are traveling." Perry was one of the first "insiders" to conclude that there could be and is no defense in a full scale Nuclear War. He's been joined over the years by former Nuclear Weapons stalwarts Kissinger, Shultz, Nunn, Drell, Lugar. (as noted in earlier posts here)
After the Cold War he was very involved in securing the many "loose Nukes" in the former Soviet Republics such as Ukraine and Belarus.
In his review of the book, Brown discusses our "new age of nuclear danger" and that, unfortunately, since publication of the book "the dangers have only intensified" - spurred by the Nuclear Weapons spending spree called euphemistically by its proponents "Modernization".
Brown informs us that includes "the complete update of our nuclear triad, including new (nuclear) cruise missiles, nuclear submarines, ICBMs and bombers."(See previous and up-coming Blog Posts on our "Triad") As Sen. John McCain has stated: "Very, very, very expensive."
Brown writes of Bill Perry: "Few have his wisdom and integrity and expertise and experience. So why isn't anyone paying attention to him?"
The book reveals that Perry's great fear is that "the poised nuclear doom" is out of sight and out of mind. As this Blog has posted before, there are no more spectacularly deadly explosive atmospheric tests of these weapons, no fretting about clouds of poisonous radiation circling the globe, no "civil defense duck and cover drills."
Perry believes that most of us are in Denial. Deeply afraid of "thinking the unthinkable." Nuclear Weapons Amnesia.
But think of it, remember it, we must. That is a crucial first step on the road to Abolition In Our Time. Perry warns of the "great urgency" here. He is hopeful that the movement for abolition is beginning, but advises that it must grow - quickly! The former Defense Secretary is fearful that "governments are not getting sufficient pressure from their constituents to act." That is where we MUST come in. All of Us!
We have noted here the Central Park Rally for the Nuclear Freeze in the 80's and its eventual effectiveness. We need a like movement Now - before this inane, insane "modernization program" gets off the ground!
Perry, at the end, addresses the "millennial generation". He believes that they have the power to abolish these Armageddon Weapons in their lifetimes.
"I have dedicated my own efforts to increasing the awareness of our younger generation - the millennial generation, now in their teens and twenties. The problem will ultimately need to be solved by today's youth." BUT he adds a dire caveat:
"I BELIEVE THAT TIME IS NOT ON OUR SIDE."
Governor Brown concludes his review by referring to the leaders and citizens of Europe who were "sleepwalking" their way into the catastrophe of World War I.
"Fortunately, Bill Perry is not sleepwalking and he is telling us to wake up before it is too late. Anyone can begin by reading this book." Indeed!
READ. WRITE. TWEET. POST. USE SOCIAL MEDIA. SIGN PETITIONS - THERE ARE MANY ON LINE. CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS- THEY DO LISTEN. THEY DO RESPOND.
FIND THE TIME. MAKE THE TIME. Because all of us, our kids, grand kids and all future generations ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME. ACT NOW!
The review appears in the latest issue of the New York Review of Books: CLICK HERE
William Perry's Website CLICK HERE