August 6, 2025
Good afternoon
Today is the 80th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. Nagasaki was bombed three days later. In all 210,000 people were immediately incinerated. More people died days later, and many people were disabled and died many years later. These were civilians, both adults and children. According to international law, killing civilians is a war crime. No one has been prosecuted for these deaths. The two nuclear bombs dropped ended the war with Japan in 1945.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons or ICAN has been working for decades to ban countries from having nuclear weapons. The number of weapons is down from the height of the Cold War in the 1960s and 70s, but more states have them including Israel, Pakistan, India and North Korea. The group works all the time to find ways to lessen the danger of the use of these kinds of armaments. ICAN won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. This group includes Project Ploughshare, a peace group in Waterloo.
Some of the volunteers are survivors of the actual blasts in August of 1945. They are, of course, all over the age of 80. They are known as ‘ hibakusha. ‘, and they continue to witness to the destruction, and call for the ending of nuclear weapons. Some people say that the system has worked with all nuclear countries saying that they will never shoot first. And no other bombs have been dropped since 1945. But, the billions of dollars spent every year on security, maintenance and soldiers could be used in more constructive ways. Reduce illness, Reduce poverty. Grow more food.
He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
Isaiah 2:4
Isaiah’s prophecy has yet be be realized, we hope today for Gaza, Congo, Sudan and Myanmar. AMEN.
Fred
black and white shadows
crush humanity’s freedom
am I complicit ? MPL 2025
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Ponder Anew 