Petitions

Petition:  Urge President Trump experience a nuclear war drill to see the folly of nuclear weapons

Here it is on the petition site Change.org

Background:

The movie "A House of Dynamite" is a scenario of a nuclear attack on the U.S. and the U.S. response.  It is believed to be very accurate in details about the inner working of Stratcom (United States Strategic Command). It shows the terrible decisions the president would have to make in the face of a supposed nuclear attack.

According to retired Lieutenant general Dan Karbler, who was a consultant on the film, no president since Ronald Reagan has taken part in the national security drills involving nuclear war.  Annie Jacobsen makes the same point in her 2024 book "Nuclear War: A Scenario".  She quotes President Reagan's memoirs, "Six minutes to decide how to respond to a blip on a radar scope and decide wither to release Armageddon! How could anyone apply reason at a time like that?" 

Right.  A president thrown into this situation, totally underinformed about nuclear weapons, early warning systems and the long record of accidents and technical problems with nuclear weapons would probably just go along with whatever top military officials recommend.  For this reason alone, President Trump should repeatedly take part in nuclear weapons and nuclear war drills.

Back in the early 1980's President Reagan was a "hawk" on nuclear weapons and was super-aggressive in terms of the Soviet Union which he labeled the "evil empire."  However, after massive demonstrations, the rise of the Nuclear Freeze movement and especially after he viewed the films "The Day After" and "War Games" he changed his mind.  His administration negotiated major nuclear weapons agreements that led to the dismantlement of tens of thousands of nuclear bombs and warheads.

In taking part in a drill in which he would have to decide which cities and countries to obliterate with blast, fire and radiation President Trump could get a sudden education.  In realizing that nuclear war would lead to the deaths of billions and risk the extinction of our species hopefully the president would realize that the best course for humanity is to get rid of nuclear weapons through verifiable agreements.  He could adopt measures like abandoning "launch on warning" doctrine, taking weapons of "hair-trigger" alert, stop "modernizing" nuclear weapons and renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first.