I recently saw a rerun of an episode of Madam Secretary. The plot involved a near nuclear disaster. Believing Russia had launched hundreds of missiles at the U.S., the president had only minutes to decide on a response. He gave the order to launch the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The order was aborted with only a second from no return when it was disclosed that the Russians had not fired their missiles.
I know that this TV episode is fictional, but embedded in the story is information about the precariousness of a possible real nuclear war: statistics of numbers of nuclear weapons possessed by the United States and other countries and what would happen to people and the Earth’s environment if they were launched.
The drama illustrates how both aggressor and defender would be equally complicit in the destruction of the environment and the deaths of millions of people. This episode deplores the insanity of contemplating the use of nuclear weapons or even believing that possession of such weapons is a deterrence to war. It pleads for an end to the possession of these weapons.
The episode also has prompted me to consider some questions to ask House of Representatives candidates vying for our votes in November. The questions involve issues of peace with justice and the responsible use of power by the most powerful nation in the world. Some of these issues are nuclear weapons, militarism, racism and the U.S. involvement in Palestine/Israel.
1. In what ways would you as a legislator respond to the Union of Concerned Scientists’ call on the United States to lead a global effort to prevent nuclear war? It seeks actions “renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first; ending the sole, unchecked authority of any president to launch a nuclear attack; taking U.S. nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert; canceling the plan to replace its entire arsenal with enhanced weapons; and actively pursuing a verifiable agreement among nuclear armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals.”
2. The U.S. military has been involved in continuing conflicts for more than 50 years. In March of this year there were U.S. Special Operation Forces deployed in 102 countries around the globe. What are candidates’ positions on the U.S. military being used as a primary tool for diplomacy? During World War II, military personnel were called “our boys in uniform.” Now we call them, “warriors,” which glorifies participation in war and conflict. Today, joining the military is a job and a career choice. “We support our troops” expresses greater respect for the military over other equally dangerous jobs contributing to our country’s well-being. How would you work to modify this militaristic posture of America? A large military force and continuing conflicts require the support of a civilian infrastructure in every state involving manufacturers, corporations and the stock market. In New Hampshire alone in the last seven years nearly 1,700 defense contractors have received 54,000 defense contracts worth $21 billion. How does the military industrial complex feeding a war economy influence your decisions about creating and maintaining jobs and strengthening the economy? And what is your position on our federal government releasing military-grade weapons and equipment to local police forces?
3. What are your plans to combat racism and Islamophobia embedded in granting visas, immigration enforcement, policing, incarceration decisions, housing, schools, jobs, and in radio, TV and social media? What is America’s fair share of the millions of asylum seekers and what policies would you advocate to implement hospitality for these people? What is your response to the administration’s recent move to revoke citizenship of some naturalized citizens seeking passports?
4. How do you respond to the Trump administration ending the U.S. funding of $300 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, as well as $200 million to International NGO programs and $25 million to East Jerusalem hospitals? (UNRWA supports 170 schools, 150 health facilities and dozens of women’s centers for 5.4 million refugees in West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.) What is your position on the Betty McCollum bill, to be reintroduced in 2019, to prevent U.S. tax dollars from paying for human rights violations against Palestinian children by the Israeli military? Would you advocate and support U.S. ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child? It has been ratified by 194 countries, including Israel. What is your position on the Trump administration closing the de facto Palestinian Embassy in Washington, D.C.? What is your response to various national and state proposed bills to criminalize Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions concerning Israeli products produced in illegal settlements in the West Bank? Many say BDS is a nonviolent free speech tool to advocate for justice and peace in Israel and Palestine.
Asking these questions may be a beginning to making America the first to use great power and influence to lead nations away from a dependence upon nuclear weapons, dependency on militarism, and the ways of hegemony and racism.
And America may be first to embrace a moral imperative to share its great resources with the peoples of the world to heal, for disaster relief and to build supportive trusting relationships with all nations.
A most important way to make America first is to ask the questions, listen to the answers and vote in November. It will make a difference.
(The Rev. John Buttrick, United Church of Christ, lives in Concord.)