Reader spotlight: In the hope for a better and more peaceful world

In the hope for a better and more peaceful world

I would venture to say that most residents of the city of Spokane are not aware that our city has an ordinance that not only bans nuclear weapons from our city but also prevents Spokane from doing business with the nuclear weapons industry. Approximately five years ago Spokane adopted a resolution to this effect, and after three years of effort, an actual ordinance was passed in Fall 2022.

The ordinance passed City Council by a vote of 5 to 2 and was strongly supported by two groups, Veterans For Peace and Pax Christi of Spokane. Members of these two groups requested to meet directly and in person with all seven members of City Council and six of those members agreed to meet with us. Group members also sought the support of regional bishops for the Catholic, Lutheran and Episcopal churches. The Episcopal bishop did support this effort.

Copies of our city’s ordinance have been sent to more than 200 groups throughout the U.S. and overseas in an effort to encourage other cities to pass similar legislation banning nuclear weapons and interaction with that industry. As a result, the organization World Beyond War fashioned Spokane’s ordinance into a generic form so that any city or municipal group could readily apply it and send a message to our governments that we demand an end to their policies of continuous preparation for nuclear war at the expense of our country’s desperate need for social services.

We live in a country where 1 in 7 of our children (over 15 million) go to bed hungry every night. Where over half a million of our fellow Americans live in tents, under bridges and on the street. Where two-thirds of all bankruptcies (over 550,000 each year) are caused by an inability to pay for health care. Where according to the Center for Disease Control approximately 68,000 Americans die a premature death each year, also because of their inability to pay for medical care. Where, according to multiple surveys, 62% of Americans say they cannot afford a higher education for themselves or their children. And yet, our Congress is in the process of sending over $840 billion to our military industry.

America has already spent over $11 trillion on nuclear weapons alone, when we could have solved or greatly ameliorated all of these enormous social problems. We live in a world that is at risk of nuclear destruction as a result of one computer glitch, one human error or one deliberate malevolent act.

The members of Pax Christi and Veterans for Peace believe that all of us can make this world a better and safer place for all our children. Our groups believe we can take pride in our city’s accomplishments in promoting peace and we hope to continue this effort.

Tom Charles,

member of Spokane Veterans for Peace and Pax Christi

Spokane