Virtual Commemoration Events of 1945 Atomic Bombings

It is an excellent time to learn about the harm done 75 years ago when the U.S. government tested the first plutonium bomb in south-central New Mexico and then dropped a uranium bomb on Hiroshima, Japan and a plutonium bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.  New Mexico activists are presenting in a number of these virtual events.  For those who would like to get involved, CCNS has posted a detailed list of the events, media articles and upcoming public comment opportunities at http://nuclearactive.org/ .  We highlight a few of those events here.

As background of the current nuclear weapons posture, 40 nation-states have signed and ratified the international Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.  Fifty nation-states must sign and ratify the treaty before it goes into effect.  It will apply only to those 50 nation-states.  https://www.icanw.org/

On Sunday, August 2^nd, Veterans for Peace begins their eight-day virtual 2020 Convention.  At noon Mountain Daylight Time, the Opening Plenary will tell the story in “The Nuclear Weapons Industry – Creating Victims – More Than 75 Years and Counting.”  The scheduled speakers are:  the Chief of Council of the Western Shoshone Nation and Spiritual Person, Chief Johnnie Bobb; the social practice artist and educator Yasuyo Tanaka; journalist and author in Kyoto, Japan, Toshiya Morita; and peace activist, Joni Arends, of CCNS.

For more information, visit https://vfp2020.attendease.com/

On Thursday, August 6th, at 6 pm Mountain Daylight Time, a program organized by New Mexico activists, faith leaders, and veterans, the “75^th Anniversary Hiroshima Day One-Hour Online Commemoration” will be available at https://paceebene.org/hiroshimaday2020 .  The scheduled speakers are:  Roshi Joan Halifax, Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, anthropologist, and pioneer in the field of end-of-life care; Dr. Ira Helfand, of the International Steering Committee of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons; Jay Coghlan, executive director of Nuclear Watch New Mexico; and Archbishop of Santa Fe, John Wester.  The host will be the Reverend John Dear, priest, activist, and author of 35 books.  The program is organized by New Mexico 75th Anniversary of Hiroshima/Nagasaki Committee and Pace e Bene.  The event will also be available at https://www.hiroshimanagasaki75.org/

A two-day virtual event commemorating the 75th year since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is scheduled for August 6th and August 9th. The organizers intend the event to be “a creative, intersectional way to shine a spotlight on local events nationwide, to highlight the stories of survivors, to look toward the future of a world free from nuclear threats, and to amplify the voices of activists, experts and others beyond their typical audience.”  To learn more, use #still here or https://www.hiroshimanagasaki75.org/ .

Did You Know?   An events list for Trinity, Hiroshima and Nagasaki 75^th Commemoration Events, print, audio and virtual media, and opportunities to provide public comments about a variety of nuclear issues is available here. CCNS 75th Commemoration Events & Upcoming Deadline 7-30-20

1. Thursday, August 6^th at 6 pm – Nuclear Issues Study Group “We Are Not A Wasteland: Empowering Grassroots Resistance” webinar about Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  https://www.facebook.com/NuclearIssuesStudyGroup/

2. Tuesday, August 11^th at 5 pm. Deadline to submit comments to the NM Environment Department about the DOE’s plans for FOREVER WIPP! http://nuclearactive.org/stop-forever-wipp/  and http://nuclearactive.org/public-comments-needed-to-stop-wipp-expansion/

3. Monday, August 17^th at 5 pm. Comments due to NM Environment Department about the scope of the Triennial Review of New Mexico’s Water Quality Standards.  https://www.env.nm.gov/surface-water-quality/2020-triennial-review/  For more information:  https://www.amigosbravos.org/ and https://gilaresources.info/wp/

4. Tuesday, September 22th. Comments due to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission about the draft environmental impact statement about a proposed Holtec International consolidated interim storage facility for commercial plutonium contaminated waste from nuclear power plants across the country.  The site is located 16 miles north of WIPP.  http://nuclearactive.org/officials-and-ngos-express-deep-concerns-about-holtec/ , http://www.beyondnuclear.org/radioactive-waste/

5. Tuesday, November 3^rd. Comments due to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission about the draft environmental impact statement about a proposed consolidated interim storage facility for Waste Control Specialists/Interim Storage Partners.  The site is located on the Texas/New Mexico border, five miles east of Eunice, NM.  http://www.beyondnuclear.org/centralized-storage/

Tags: #stillhere, Archbishop of Santa Fe John Wester, atomic bombings, CCNS, Chief Johnnie Bob, Dr. Ira Helfand, Hiroshima, Jay Coghlan, Joni Arends, Nagasaki, Pace e Bene, Reverend John Dear, Roshi Joan Halifax, Toshiya Morita, Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, Veterans for Peace, Yasuyo Tanaka