Abolish Nukes: 3 Things You Can Do

[Bill Scheurer]

With a new Administration and Congress, 2009 is a watershed year for moving toward a world free of nuclear weapons. It begins with communication -- raising the profile of this lingering threat and a vision to eradicate it.

Here are three great opportunities to add our voices in support of a nuclear weapons free world:


1. Make Nuclear Weapons Abolition A "Top 10" Issue For The Obama Administration

The website Change.org (not to be confused with Change.gov) has generated 250,000 online votes in the first round of a contest to choose the "ten best ideas for change" in America. Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, a friend of Beyond War, entered an idea: "US Leadership to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Globally" and has been churning out votes to get it into the top ten vote-getters. Those ten will be promoted, with fanfare, to the Obama administration and the public.

You can vote for it online: http://www.change.org/ideas/view/us_lea...

"US Leadership to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Globally" calls for President Obama to make a public commitment to a world free of nuclear weapons, to begin bilateral negotiations with Russia for deep reductions, and to start international negotiations for a phased and verifiable treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons.

Voting for the "Top 10" is happening online now and until 5:00 pm Eastern time, January 15th. About 90 ideas made it into the final round, so the competition is stiff!

Click on the "vote" button. If you are new to Change.org, you'll be prompted to enter your name, email and choose a password. After signing up, press the vote button again. It's easy! (Caveat: signing up with Change.org will likely mean you'll be getting occasional emails from them, but you can always unsubsribe. So keep that in mind.)

Then MULTIPLY YOUR VOTE by sending a message to the people in your email address book with a note of encouragement from you. In this competetive process, success depends on mobilizing our own networks. You might also promote this vote through Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace, if you belong to any of these networks.

2. Sign The "Campaign For A Nuclear Free World" Petition

Beyond War is a coalition partner in the Campaign for a Nuclear Free World. This campaign hopes to have one million signatures on the President's desk on Inauguration Day. Join us as we share our vision with President-Elect Obama and his new Administration.

We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time where we can begin the work to eliminate nuclear weapons entirely or where we can allow the status quo where their development will proceed continuing to place life as we know it in peril. The choice is ours. We must make our voices heard.

You can sign this petition at the Campaign for a Nuclear Weapons Free World website: www.nuclearweaponsfree.org

Please pass this important message on to everyone you know.

3. Sign the "Global Zero" International Declaration

In recent months, the threat of proliferation and nuclear terrorism has led to a growing chorus of leaders calling for the elimination of all nuclear weapons. "Global Zero" supports these leaders in this endeavor by combining high-level policy work with global public outreach to achieve a comprehensive agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons worldwide through phased and verified reductions.

Join citizens and leaders around the world who have endorsed the goal of "Global Zero" (see the declaration below), by going to their international website: http://www.globalzero.org/

"We, the undersigned, believe that to protect our children, our grandchildren and our civilization from the threat of nuclear catastrophe, we must eliminate all nuclear weapons globally. We therefore commit to working for a legally binding verifiable agreement, including all nations, to eliminate nuclear weapons by a date certain."

And of course, pass this on to others too! Let's put a nuclear weapons free world on the map in 2009!