[This post is from Peace Movement Aotearoa, New Zealand, and was originally published in 2009]

Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Day (’Bikini’ Day), 1 March, marks the anniversary of the US ‘Bravo’ nuclear bomb detonation at Bikini Atoll [*] in 1954. The explosion gouged out a crater more than 200 feet deep and a mile across, melting huge quantities of coral which were sucked up into the atmosphere together with vast volumes of seawater. The resulting fallout caused widespread contamination in the Pacific.

by Jim Haber, Coordinator, Nevada Desert Experience

The United States Air Force test-launched a first-strike, nuclear-capable Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) early in the morning on February 25 despite the largest anti-test demonstrations in almost 30 years. The launch took place in the dark fog of night at 2:46 a.m. from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) on the central California coast to the other end of the Ronald Reagan Missile Range in the Marshall Islands over 4000 miles away.

Today, the Obama administration released their budget request for 2013. Here’s a look at the multi-billion dollar early Valentine’s Day gift to the nuclear weapons complex squirreled away within the Department of Energy’s budget.

The President is requesting $7.6 billion for nuclear weapons activities, which is a lot of money. But let’s start with the good news: It turns out nuclear weapons are not completely safe from the deficit-cutting budget axe.

Good: The Total is Less Than We Expected

“We need more nuclear weapons programs like Lady Gaga needs another outfit.”

That’s what Rep. Markey (D-MA) said yesterday, as he introduced a bill that would put a huge dent in the billions that are wasted on nuclear weapons every year, and halt plans to build new nuclear bomb factories.

The bill has 35 cosponsors already. Click here to tell your representative to cosponsor H.R. 3974, the Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures (SANE) Act.

The SANE Act would:

• Cap the number of actively deployed nuclear weapons at 1,000
• Reduce the fleet of nuclear-armed submarines and cancel plans for new nuclear bombers and new nuclear missile systems

We have an urgent opportunity to move closer to a nuclear weapons free world.

Every president gets one chance to revise and update US nuclear weapons strategy. That chance is coming in just a few weeks, when President Obama will make critical decisions about the role and size of the US nuclear arsenal. [1]

The president supports the vision of a nuclear weapons free world, and this could be his last opportunity as president to codify that vision, and put it in writing.

That’s why we need you to sign our petition to President Obama today, to tell him that he shouldn’t let this chance slip away.