Move away from Doomsday

I was disappointed to see no coverage in The Spokesman-Review of the advancement of the famous “Doomsday Clock,” which reflects the dangers to humanity posed by nuclear weapons and climate change. This year, scientists moved the clock to two-and-a-half minutes to midnight, the closest it’s been to “Doomsday” since 1953.

As a retired physician, I know when curative medicine can be successful, and when it can’t. I believe that there is no cure for the devastation that all would incur from a nuclear war. Regarding nuclear weapons, the only reasonable, and healthy, approach is preventative medicine, which requires their restriction and eventual elimination.

The U.S. still has nearly 7,000 nuclear weapons, 1,740 of which are deployed. Furthermore, projections show the U.S. spending a trillion dollars rebuilding its nuclear arsenal over the next 30 years. From a medical view, this is madness.

Here in Spokane, we can make a difference by calling on Rep. McMorris Rodgers and Sens. Murray and Cantwell to support common sense legislation to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons, like the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act. There’s still time for our elected officials to help us move the minute hand away from midnight.

Donald Storey, MD

Spokane