Friends,

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists says ”It is Now 5 Minutes to Midnight.”

It should come as no surprise that this respected organization has moved the clock (on January 10th) an inch closer to the witching hour.  It is black magic, indeed, that causes the clock to inch closer to midnight.  As described on their Website:

The Doomsday Clock conveys how close humanity is to catastrophic destruction–the figurative midnight–and monitors the means humankind could use to obliterate itself. First and foremost, these include nuclear weapons, but they also encompass climate-changing technologies and new developments in the life sciences that could inflict irrevocable harm.

Friends,

The front page of today’s Seattle Times is embazoned with the headline:

Have you heard the news??? The U.S. Navy has been working on plans (since 2007) to replace those aging Trident submarines with a new fleet of ballistic missile submarines. The Navy plans to replace the 14 Ohio class submarines currently in service with 12 new subs, each with 16 missile tubes (the current subs have 24), and they will initially deploy the current Trident D-5 missile. Based on construction plans coupled with the new sub’s projected lifespan the last one built will be on duty until 2082!!! Government auditors have estimated the total construction cost at nearly $100 billion!

Friends,

Following is a reflection on the 60 year anniversary of the first atomic bomb test in Nevada that took place January 27, 1951, written by Jim Haber, Coordinator of Nevada Desert Experience. As Jim says in the last line, “This anniversary should serve as a time to work for peace and disarmament.” May it be so.