This August marks the 80th anniversary of one of the darkest times in human history – the United States initiated the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, followed by another atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki on August 9th.
Photo of the mushroom cloud over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945
In Hiroshima, it’s estimated that 70,000 people were killed immediately upon impact; in Nagasaki, 40,000. But many more were to suffer and die from radiation poisoning and by the end of 1945, over 210,000 lives had been lost to the horrors of nuclear weapons.
Sadly as we commemorate the human cost of nuclear warfare, today the world is no closer to peace. The saber-rattling of the two corporate parties brings us to the edge of a nuclear catastrophe that would threaten all life on our planet.
Said Madelyn Hoffman, co-chair of the Green Party US Peace Action Committee, “Having visited both Hiroshima and Nagasaki 10 years ago, on the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings, I am appalled that the world seems not to have learned anything about the need to avoid nuclear war at all costs. The Hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombings of 1945, spent much of their lives warning that humanity and nuclear weapons are on a collision course and urging all the world’s governments to eliminate their nuclear weapons. Yet, just about a month ago, the U.S. and Israel threatened Iran in such a way that Iran now says they will seek nuclear weapons, after spending about 15 years trying to convince the world that they had no such aspirations. We need to tone down the rhetoric and stop the military action, to bring about a world at peace”.
As the genocide in Gaza continues with mass forced starvation looming over the entire population, Representative Randy Fine recently evoked the hell on earth unleashed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki with a chilling call for Gaza’s nuclear annihilation. He was seen on Fox News saying: “We nuked the Japanese twice in order to get unconditional surrender. That’s what needs to be done (in Gaza).”
Meanwhile, Donald Trump, who had promised to end the Ukrainian proxy war with Russia on his first day of office, just made a dangerous escalation in sending two more nuclear submarines up against the Russian border.
As bad as the AIPAC-funded Republicans are, we can’t forget that the Democrats are in their pocket too. The genocide in Gaza was enabled and funded by Joe Biden while Kamala Harris made clear that there would be no daylight between her and Biden as she promised to preside over “the most lethal fighting force in the world” had she been elected.
Green Party Presidential candidate, Dr. Jill Stein refused to allow the genocide in Gaza to be swept under the rug. She ran on the promise to end the carnage on day one of her Presidency and gave people a choice to vote for a true candidate of peace. In her fierce advocacy for the people of Gaza, she earned the endorsement of Abandon Harris.
The Green Party has always stood against the Military Industrial Complex and the weapons of mass destruction that threaten the planet.
The Green Party of the United State’s platform has a comprehensive peace policy with the goal of abolishing nuclear weapons by taking the following steps:
- Declare a no-first-strike policy.
- Declare a no-pre-emptive strike policy.
- Declare that the U.S. will never threaten or use a nuclear weapon, regardless of size, on a non-nuclear nation.
- Sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Our pledge to end testing will open the way for non-nuclear states to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which has been held up by our refusal to sign the CTBT. Honor the conditions set in the NPT for nuclear nations.
- Reverse our withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and honor its stipulations.
- End the research, testing and stockpiling of all nuclear weapons of any size.
- Dismantle all nuclear warheads from their missiles.
Today, as we reflect upon the terror experienced by the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 80 years ago, we must honor their memories by doubling down on our commitment to give voters the option of peace with the Green Party. Because we don’t take corporate money, we rely on people like you to support us in giving voters all over the nation the opportunity to choose peace at the ballot box.
In Solidarity,
The Green Party of the United States
Dearborn Blog 