No more arms races

I would like to respond to the letters of Joseph Harari (Feb. 13) and Hal Dixon (Feb. 14) regarding Bruce Amundsen’s Feb. 8 op-ed concerning the state of America’s nuclear deterrent.

As a member of the Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), I proudly support our goal of a nuclear arms-free world. That does not mean that we are proposing unilateral disarmament, but we do not support going through another nuclear arms race. And that is what Amundsen is simply pointing out.

Do we really want to invest $1 trillion over the next 30 years to “upgrade” our nuclear deterrent? Burying that kind of money in silos we know will never be used unless the world as we know it chooses to self-destruct. Imagine this money being directed toward peaceful purposes. Might these not pay much higher dividends?

A half-century ago, President Eisenhower warned us of the threat of the “military-industrial complex.” America promptly went into a swoon, and guess what? Now, we awaken to find that they are alive and well, firmly in control. And this latest proposal just solidifies their position. I dream of an America that is greater than that.

Wayne Attwood, M.D.

Spokane