Out of Left Field: Give Long Island peace quests a chance

Michael Dinnocenzo

Long Islanders, across the age spectrum (from 19 to 90) are gathering at 7:30 on Wednesday, Aug. 2 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Shelter Rock (48 Shelter Rock Road, Manhasset). The program is free and open to the public.

You are most cordially invited to join dedicated peace advocates to consider what citizens and governments can do to prevent war and to foster better societies locally and globally.

No one underestimates the enormity of such challenges.

Long Island folk singer Harry Chapin, who worked with our groups for decades, advised:

“To know is to care,

To care is to act,

And to act is to have a chance to make a difference.”

Democracy can be effective when citizens seek reliable data so they are in a position to make informed judgments.

When citizens also deliberate together on issues facing society, they have a chance to reach informed, “public” judgments.

Then, such informed and active citizens have a chance to shape policies and values.

Persistent peacemakers have been coming together for decades (mostly on North Shore Long island) to take stock of the perils of war, especially of nuclear dangers.

Jonathan Schell’s aptly titled book “The Fate of the Earth” depicts what is at stake.

Such a phrase might seem unduly ominous, but a few months ago the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved its “Doomsday Clock” to two and a half minutes to midnight – one of the most dangerous settings ever.

Our peril has been intensified, the scientists say, by a doubling of dangers: increasing environmental threats along with nuclear nation hostilities and the continuing risks from proliferation of such weapons.

It is no accident that this major meeting is held at or near the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – the only time such weapons of mass destruction have ever been used.

Over past decades the calls for control and elimination of nuclear weapons have come from an array of distinguished and patriotic Americans that will impress you – and they come from both major political parties.

On Aug. 2 you can hear about these people and issues of war and peace.  You can chat with Long Islanders of all ages and explore ways you might work together, or propose alternative ways forward. [Complimentary refreshments are served after the program].

You are welcome to attend if you mostly want to listen and gather perspectives for your own reflections.

Co-sponsors for the program are The Social Justice Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock, Great Neck Sane/Peace Action, and The Long Island Alliance for Peaceful alternatives.

Members of these groups, past and present, deserve to be in a Citizens’ Hall of Fame as recognition for their extended civic work.

The persistent peacemakers of 2017 continue to be inspired by Long Islanders who over past years dedicated their lives to improving the lives of others.

After death, they continue to be role models, including former Assemblywoman and Supervisor May Newburger, Don & Doris Shaffer, and Oscar Brand of Great Neck; Bobbie and Stan Isaacs and Harry and Lucy Wachtel of Roslyn Hts.; Frank and Betty Phillips of New Hyde Park, Cecile Shore of Sands Point, and Megan O’Handley, Rudy and Mildred Joseph, and folk singer Pete Seeger.

Still actively fulfilling the spirit of Dr. King’s “Drum Majors” for Peace and Justice are North Shore leaders Shirley and Stan Romaine, Andrea Libresco, and many partners from Hofstra’s Institute for Peace Studies, and from the Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives, Marty and Margaret Melkonian, Linda Longmire, Tim Smith, Greg Maney, Elaine Calos and Richard Berkenfeld.

Now, these “elders” are joined by a remarkable group of young Hofstra Peace Fellows; two of them will be speakers on Aug. 2.

President Eisenhower rejected use of nuclear weapons, and warned of the rising “military-industrial-complex,” which he described as a “theft” of funds that could bolster life-enhancing programs.

Consider how much danger has increased since the 1945 atomic bombings, and whether political leaders are addressing real security.

The U.S. is still, by far, the dominant military power in the world.

How many Americans know that we have 14 Trident two nuclear subs?

Each can carry up to 24 missiles, and each missile transports 10 nuclear bombs that can hit different targets.

One U.S. sub can hit 240 different targets; each of its bombs is more powerful than three Hiroshima bombs.  A single sub contains the power of “720 Hiroshimas.”

If just one of our subs launched its missiles, that “would be a destructive event beyond history,” warns Ploughshares Fund President Joseph Cirincione.

How can our nation, world leader in so many respects throughout history, be the pace-setter for peaceful initiatives?

[A discussion of ways to limit lifetime judges and to improve U.S. judiciary has been postponed until my next column because of the timeliness of the Aug. 2 program]

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