Bleeding Edge

The Doomsday Clock — the theoretical timepiece that measures humanity’s march toward nuclear annihilation — continues to tick forward, currently marking 90 seconds before nuclear Armageddon is unleashed.

Since that will spell out the end of Humanity and all its clockworks … the Atomic scientists have a simple recipe for positioning the dials of the clock so close to midnight.

The Federation of Atomic Scientists is a global policy think tank founded in 1946 by nuclear scientists, including some of those who developed America’s first atomic bomb. Notably, Albert Einstein and Oppenheimer were founding members, who chose to create this think tank and related action committee, in order to use their mighty scientific and technological minds in unison, and in order to create Policy and Political innovations that would benefit humanity, through its aim to reduce the amount of nuclear weapons in use, or in preparation of use. And the union of Nuclear & Atomic Scientists set to inform and educate the public, about the true state of Nuclear Annihilation, and thus they created and maintain the illustrated Nuclear Doomsday Clock.

It’s just a symbol, but as symbols go — it is also a grave reminder of the precipice upon which we all stand pushing ourselves closer and closer to the edge.

The Atomic Scientists created this illustrative Doomsday Clock, in order to help focus the Public Mind & hopefully to also alleviate the public anxiety, and place our Collective Energies in Service of Humanity’s interest, by informing all of us in concrete terms around a measurable data driven inflection point, and thus bring forth actionable intelligence, of how much longer we have to dither … or to get off the pot, and do something about it.

When the hands of the Doomsday Clock first moved toward midnight, it was 1949, and the reason centered entirely on expected nuclear war, between the United States and the Soviet Union that had just tested its first atomic bombs, many years ahead of when the United States government observers, the President and the Joint Chiefs of Staff had predicted.

Nowadays, the Atomic Scientists Bulletin’s Science and Security Board, considers not just nuclear weapons but a range of other existential risks — climate change most prominently, but also all related threats arising from a host of emerging disruptive technologies — when they decide, how close the world is to catastrophe and move the dial accordingly.

In addition to the ever present expansion of the Nuclear Club with New Members, other non-state Nuclear Threats have arisen, alongside the increasingly commonplace practice of renewal, expansion and increased sophistication of all the existing Nuclear Weapons arsenals. We look for example, at the vast modernization efforts of China’s military nuclear war arsenal, which has expanded and accelerated its development on New Weapons systems, in recent years. Today, the authoritative Journal “Nuclear Notebook” estimates that China now possesses over 600 nuclear warheads, with more in production, looking to arm all her present & future delivery systems, both Hypersonic and Subsonic. China is believed to have the fastest-growing nuclear arsenal among the top three nuclear-armed states that are members of the Nuclear War Club of industrialized countries.

No wonder the clock approaches to striking midnight for Good & Evil alike… 

Notably, each year, after the Clock is set, the Atomic Scientists are asked some version of the same question:

What can we do to turn back the hands of the Clock away from Midnight ?

Consequently, this post is devoted to providing at least some answers to that question.

Naturally my emphasis is on organized action that Nuclear Atomic Scientists can take in concert, to help reduce the threat of Nuclear War annihilation. I make an effort to avoid merely symbolic gestures and focus on how our secular political leaders, tyrants, hegemony, or autocrats, dictators and supreme leaders alike — can be nudged towards dealing responsibly with the Nuclear dangers that could become the very source of our banishment from this planet.

Self destructive behavior is at the center of most tragedies and this is no different. Whether we accumulate weapons that dictate our power and vice versa or threaten to use these weapons in a feat of bluster — we are equally damaged when these weapons are actually put to use.

And because today, for the 24th year of the New Millennium, all of the eleven major nuclear powers — the United States, Russia, China, North Korea, Israel, Iran, France, Pakistan, India, the United Kingdom, and an unnamed yet well known member of the Nuclear club — have all declined to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons — it is high time to start taking New Approaches.

The first binding agreement under international law, that seeks to comprehensively prohibit — and ultimately eliminate — most all nuclear weapons, was introduced for signatures at the United Nations in New York City in September 2017 and was entered into force, on January 22nd of 2021, without any member of the “Nuclear Club” choosing to become a Signatory to that Operational Agreement for Humanity.

In the past, we did have the START treaty to look up, as an example of Sanity in GeoPolitical Public Policy, until almost yesterday when we trashed it in our pell mell exuberance to play proxy-war with Russia. Indeed, START was a great treaty that unfortunately was shunted asunder, due to our awful miscalculations in being engaged in the destructive war in Russia’s border territories of Eastern Ukraine.

Yet, maybe there is still some sanity left inside of us, and thus I would like to ask you the following question:

What course of action do we need to follow that might finally move the opinions of the nations that haven’t signed the treaty so far, to do so ?

And what, if anything, could convince them, to engage in this act of self interest ?

What would guide benevolent leadership today towards the right course of action ?

And what if anything, could motivate global Nuclear State heads’ to ask for this, especially in a global environment that currently tallies — according to Switzerland’s Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights — at least 110 armed conflicts throughout the Globe?

Indeed, a nuclear-armed state is unlikely to sign the Nuclear Ban Treaty today, until it either decides to unilaterally eliminate its nuclear arsenal — or the international situation changes so much, that the nuclear-armed states jointly decide to move toward elimination of all nuclear weapons.

But as things stand today — I can’t imagine anyone of them giving up its nuclear weapons arsenals, if other nuclear-armed states continue to have them targeted at its Citizens, Infrastructures, and territories.

Naturally we all ask that all the nuclear-armed states must do much more to reduce the very obvious nuclear risks emanating out of our own nuclear weapons arsenals that ostensibly guarantee our Safety and yet are the most important enemies of Humanity.

We ought to save ourselves from ourselves.

Five of the Nuclear State members of the Club are obligated through their signature to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to pursue reductions that will end the constantly evolving arms race, and have also signed that they will eventually eliminate all nuclear weapons.

The fact that nearly half of the non-nuclear weapon states, who have signed the NPT are so frustrated about lack of progress toward that goal, should serve as a warning to the other members of the Club of nuclear-armed states, not to undermine support for the NPT.

The Arms Control Association’s 2023 Estimated Global Nuclear Warhead Inventories, reports that the world’s nuclear-armed states possess a combined total of over 12,500 nuclear warheads; nearly 90% belonging to Russia and the United States. Approximately 9,600 warheads are in military service, with the rest awaiting dismantlement.

Naturally many voices are heard in opposition to that infamy of public resources used to bring death, terror, and mass murder to the World.

Most recently on August of 2020, the pontiff Pope Francis, unequivocally condemned both the use and the possession of nuclear weapons. He spelled out this, in a message to the organizers of a ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bomb detonation, by saying that “The use of atomic energy for purposes of war is immoral, just as the possessing of nuclear weapons is immoral.”

He reinforced that position in a June 2022 message read at the First Meeting of State Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, declaring, “Nuclear weapons are a costly and dangerous liability.”

Pope Francis further warned that the idea of mutually assured destruction [Nuclear Arms Detente] “inevitably ends up poisoning relationships between peoples and obstructing any possible form of real dialogue.”

While Pope Francis has affirmed the importance of the right to self-defense, he has simultaneously suggested a reassessment of how the concept of “just war” is used in favor of constructive dialogue to resolve conflicts.

The Catholic Church has an extensive history of teachings regarding war and nuclear weapons, including St. John XXIII’s 1963 papal encyclical, “Pacem in Terris” at the Second Vatican Council’s 1965 Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, (“Gaudium et Spes”); the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 1983 pastoral letter “The Challenge of Peace: God’s Promise and Our Response”; and dozens of other official pronouncements.

More recently, Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, wrote a 2022 pastoral letter “Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament.” With Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle, Archbishop Wester made a summer 2023 “Pilgrimage of Peace” to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, the respective sites of the two atomic bomb detonations during the waning days of World War II.

I wholeheartedly agree with the statement released from the Conference: “We’re in a second nuclear arms race that’s arguably more dangerous than the first — because we have hypersonic delivery systems, artificial intelligence and things of that nature. The urgency is clear; we really have to do something. The very existence of nuclear weapons is just far too dangerous.”

That danger is increased by policies that speak of disarmament while actively updating nuclear stockpiles.

“The official United States policy is to disarm — to have verifiable, multilateral disarmament; to work toward that,” Archbishop Wester said.

“And so we’re not following our own law; our own policy. We’ve just pushed it aside — and we’re ignoring it as we modernize the weapons we do have. We’re right back in the middle of a nuclear arms race.”

Archbishop Wester explained: “People have, become complacent about living side-by-side with nuclear weapons.”

“The problem is, the nuclear weapons are sitting in their silos, quietly, as they have been ever since they’ve been created and manufactured. And so, we’ve kind of forgotten about them. People, then, need to continuously make their voices heard.”

Speaking to the converted…

To convince these nations — the nine or better 11 nations that already have nuclear weapons — means that we have to have the political will and the Power of Persuasion to bring them onboard one at a time until a tipping point ensues.

And our careerist politicians, of course, look at the votes, so we’ve got to have all people of Intelligent people, of Moral Conscience and Moral Fiber, who understand the nature of Nuclear War, of the Nuclear Winter that follows, and the urgency of acting ahead of it — and the total devastation that would result if we ever get cocksure enough to ever use the vast arsenal that we possess fully knowing that our friends and foes will unleash Armageddon at precisely the same time with our weapons systems synchronizing on a few second delay at best.

And that brings this issue up, as a pro-intelligence, a pro-human, a pro-homo sapiens, a pro-life issue; because Nuclear weapons by definition, are today, the most important enemy of humanity and not something that simply endangers human life — but something that ends life.

And as a matter of fact, something that ends all of life.

So we have a simple yet stark choice to make…

But before we choose — let us think of a better Question herewith:

How do we proceed with a transformation from yesterday’s creation of a mass murder weapon born in an age of understanding that out of a very small mass of atomic particles an incredible release of energy can produce a very capable weapon that we are enthralled with while living in an Age of Thinking of fear, anger and enmity, that produced these incredibly powerful weapons that unleash unimaginable energy fields ?

We have to think hard, meditate, and pray, to be delivered from this dangerous mindset that we can control our Evil Creations now that they have taken a life of their own, and have legions of armies at their service ?

How do we proceed now that we’ve created a veritable nightmare for ourselves ?

And indeed how do we deal with a nightmare of our own creation that is now, so out of control, that it seems impossible to defeat any more since A.I. seems to be controlling the automated responses of two thirds of the Nuclear Arsenals of all Nuclear Club member countries?

We really ought to meditate upon that subject.

And if our meditations lead us to understand and comprehend the power that we have over all these human created technological innovations — then we need to consider how can we perform the necessary transformation of our thinking in time — before we fade into black, when the clock strikes Midnight ?

Because 90 seconds before midnight, does not herald the start of the nuclear exchange that will usher the Global Nuclear winter, that none of us will survive — but the end of our chances to survive as a Species going forward towards another year.

At least now, we know that we shall bequeath the planet to the roaches and other radiation hardened shell insects, mollusks, and fungi.

Nothing wrong with that.

Many other species before us, have driven themselves into extinction…

Yet, methinks that an Ethicist like Aristotle in his Nicomachean Dialogues might glean an answer for us …

Because a core fundamental moral principle that must be considered when asking about the timing of disarmament, is that which everyone who has ever participated on a military mission of a Nuclear deterrence patrol has invariably asked of themselves.

People I met who have traveled for long distance and time aboard a nuclear weapons submarine, or were flying inside a nuclear weapons airplane, or were sailing in a nuclear weapons frigate, all carrying multiple ICBMs, or bombs with nuclear weapon-heads, have all contemplated the ultimate moment of having to push the button to unleash Armageddon upon unsuspecting Civilians whose faces they have never seen, and whose language they never spoke since their “non Enemies” live in a country that they have never visited.

This is a tough one, for people to understand.

It is even tougher, because it is an ancient teaching that goes right back to the early Greek philosophers, Socrates, Plato, & Aristotle, who asked this questions first: “Does might make Right?”

Yet, it is also pretty clear in all the Scriptures, and it is always included in the catechisms, of any faith.

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto You.”

But of course, it is a very difficult dictum to live by … because that is ultimately the concept of “better to suffer evil than to practice evil.”

Or putting it another way: “You cannot do evil, expecting that some good will come of it.”

Therefore it is important that we are reminded of this all too Human “Raison D’ Etre” and of this “Memento Mori” of the ancient Humanist Stoic philosophers; yet also of the biblical and moral truth — no doubt taught to all of us.

Anticipating your objections, I’d like to state that at first it seems natural that the sentiment that Mutually Assured Destruction AKA “Detente” has kept the peace, and thus still keeps us from having total war. Yet in reality, this is exactly what it promotes…

And I hear this thing all the time from the military brass and all of our Political Leaders and lackeys of the major political parties…

First of all, I wonder if that is true. But still, we have to unpack its truthfulness — and thus I ask this of you:

At what cost?

Because there is a heavy burden to be paid.

And the burden’s price, is not only seasonal, emotional or monetary — it’s a perverse price of total human destruction.

The complete destruction of our Civilization and of everything else that we hold sacred.

The apocalyptic resurfacing of any and all human Survivors to a sickening Cancer ridden dark landscape bereft of any vegetation, or growing season, trying to find any survivors living in the midst of a Dystopian Stone Age.

Suffering the Stockholm syndrome, for any unlucky survivors … is the least of their issues…

Yet, today, and although we know all of it — we still demand from all of our civilian leaders, military officers and enlisted personnel, complete Obedience to our rules, that they will be willing to drop the bomb when the order arrives.

We even demand that they will be happy to push the button, and we subject them to psychological tests and training to ensure their Compliance.

We ask that they willingly and unemotionally maintain, transport, arm & trigger release, and immediately deploy, the nuclear weapons of mass destruction under their control.

We ask that they will do this in good order and in good cheer, fully knowing that they will undoubtedly murder, slaughter, & maim, hundreds of thousands if not millions — of innocent people, children, babies, women and kids.

That is what we ask all of our Men in Uniform, to do on our behalf, on our behest, and on our command with failing, without flagging and without surrendering to the Human instinct of Brotherhood of Man.

We already say this to all of our people: “You must take an oath of duty, that means that you have taken this unconditional decision on our behalf, and for our Security — and all you’re waiting for is an order to do so.”

And therefore, we’ve created a massive injustice, a massive structure of sin, and the requisite karma backdraft that this Crazy idea of winning a Nuclear war is somehow achievable.

And as a sworn man, woman, leader — you are supposed to be doing it, by intentionally choosing to be a mass murderer (in our name), at a moment’s notice.

It goes without saying that all those in favor of maintaining their very visible and riseable nuclear arsenals operating under the false premise of a winnable Nuclear War, would of course object to the New Realism of the idea of unilateral & complete if not total nuclear disarmament.

Just because we or anybody else is fearful that evil may come from renouncing the threat and use of nuclear weapons doesn’t mean we shouldn’t quit doing evil — and it should be clear to people by now.

There is, however, a fallback position.

If the U.S. decided to begin dismantling its nuclear arsenal — we have a time lag between our intent to get rid of them and the actual time it would take us to do so.

In the mean time we could deploy our protective shield of antinuclear protections that are coming online and are proven to be a far better defense than anything we already have today including the much vaunted “Detente” of the last 80 years.

The long peace has served us well. Yet now need to go further. And, as our important innovations in the field of Nuclear Physics have progressed, to the point of managing our expectations — we ought to use our vast intelligence and the deep understanding of our Destiny to be a true Homo Sapiens, through extending the relatively long Peace interval we’ve enjoyed, to also cover the next generations of Humans as well.

And we could be working with many other nations as we built both our nuclear protections, our nuclear energy arrestors, and our denuclearization processes, in order to bring the rest of the world’s nations along as well. Because we owe them that service for the sake of our shared Humanity, since by protecting them through our own “Nuclear Lightning Arrestors” and our advanced Physics anti-nuclear weapons, that can protect our own population centers and our masses of Citizens relying on Cities for Safety and Security — we also gain positive lifelong allies in the process.

Because now that we have in our arsenal of Democracy & Peace, the necessary anti-nuclear-weapon-defenses, that will allow us to have the Nuclear Energy Arrestors located, installed and distributed in all of our major cities and Metropolises, for the simple goal of creating a Nuclear Weapons umbrella — we ought to protect Human Civilization all around the World, by saving our human brethren from the Nuclear Armageddon that might turn all of us into Sodoma & Gomorrah.

Even though our new Nuclear Energy Arrestors are not a panache — this Technology is the ultimate protective umbrella, that gives us a moment of hope, a breath of fresh air, and a meditative respite, during which we shall be working feverishly towards the next goal of De-Nuclearization without Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.

And this is the only thing that we should be doing, if we are committed to be doing the right thing.

Doing the moral thing.

Doing the just thing.

And doing the intelligent thing for the self preservation of You, and Your family.

Yours,

Dr Churchill

PS:

It is time now, at 90 seconds to midnight, time to ask what remains to be done.

As for me — I have convened a small Conference of Intellects, in order to discuss our Options and that is just the Start because right now we have the Technology to protect ourselves and we must deploy that soonest.