Resolutions

A RESOLUTION WAS PASSED BY CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE.  Read text by clicking on "Download the PDF."

​

​

 A SIMILAR RESOLUTION was passed by the Prince George's County Council to address what can be done to move back from the brink of a policy that makes nuclear war more likely.

​

WHEREAS the global nuclear arsenals contain some 15,000 nuclear weapons; and

WHEREAS the use of even a tiny fraction of these weapons pose an intolerable risk to human survival with the potential to cause worldwide climate disruption and global famine; and

WHEREAS a large scale nuclear war would kill hundreds of millions of people directly and cause unimaginable environmental damage, producing conditions wherein the vast majority of the human race would starve and mankind might possibly become extinct as a species; and

WHEREAS deterrence is the principle argument to maintain these arsenals, there have been many occasions when nuclear-armed states have prepared to use these weapons, and war has been averted at the last minute. Nuclear weapons do not possess some magical quality that prevents their being used. As former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara said, speaking about the Cuban Missile Crisis, "In the end, we lucked out — it was luck that prevented nuclear war." Our current nuclear policy is essentially the hope that our good luck lasts; and

WHEREAS the danger of nuclear war is growing as climate change puts increased stress on communities around the world increasing the likelihood of conflict; and

WHEREAS the planned expenditure of more than $1.2 trillion to enhance our nuclear arsenal will exacerbate these dangers by fueling a global arms race and will divert crucial resources needed to assure the well-being of the American people; and

WHEREAS there is an alternative to this march to nuclear war. In July of 2017, 122 nations called for the elimination of all nuclear weapons by adopting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The United States and the residents of Ojai, California should

embrace this call for nuclear disarmament as the centerpiece of our national security policy,

 

BE IT RESOLVED THAT WE 

the County Council, on behalf of the residents of Prince George's County call on the United States and our elected officials to lead a global effort to prevent nuclear war via the following actions:

• Renounce the option of using nuclear weapons first.

• End the president's sole, unchecked authority to launch a nuclear attack.

• Take U.S. nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert.

• Cancel the plan to replace the entire U.S. arsenal with enhanced weapons.

• Actively pursue a verifiable agreement among nuclear armed states to eliminate

their nuclear arsenals.

• Will bring this resolution to our 115 th Congressional Delegation.

​