United Church of Christ - JPANet: START Towards a Nuclear Weapon Free World!

JPANet: START Towards a Nuclear Weapon Free World!

Missle Silo Over the next few weeks, world leaders will convene at the U.N. to review the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT), the central and only binding multilateral commitment that furthers the goal of nuclear disarmament. This event provides an excellent opportunity for the world to continue to progress toward the vision of a nuclear weapon free world. It also furthers the momentum created when U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) on April 8th.

This treaty between the two countries that hold 95% of all nuclear weapons is the most comprehensive arms control agreement in decades and includes nuclear reduction, limits, and verification elements that provide a significant step forward toward a world without nuclear weapons. As the world’s leaders gather in New York to review the NPT, your voice is needed to support nuclear non-proliferation here in the U.S. by urging the Senate to ratify the New START Treaty.

The New START Treaty is a continuation of the original START Treaty which was signed in 1991, limiting the number of nuclear warheads and vehicles each country could deploy. The New START imposes a 30% reduction of deployed warheads below the current ceiling and also includes new verification requirements. For some the treaty does not go far enough toward the elimination of all nuclear weapons. For others, such a reduction in U.S. nuclear weapons is seen as a weakening of U.S. security. For the United Church of Christ, a Just Peace Church that has a history of calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons and their testing, this treaty is viewed as an important and incremental step toward the goal of a safer world without nuclear weapons.

The New START has been signed, but now must be ratified by both the Russian Duma and U.S. Senate. In the Senate this will require 67 votes, an amount that will not be easy given the need for bipartisan support. Your voice is needed to call on your Senator to ask him/her to publically support the New START to build momentum toward its ratification. It is important for the Senate to begin treaty consideration immediately with the goal of completing the treaty this spring.

Send a message to your Senator today and let them know that you support the New START.

More Info:

President Obama’s speech in Prague one year ago that outlined his vision of a safer world without nuclear weapons.
Official information on New Start Treaty is available here and here.
The Friends Committee on National Legislation has compiled background information and a list of political leaders in support of the treaty. View these pages here: Background on START & Political support

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Dear [Decision Maker],

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U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recently signed the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty on April 8th in Prague. I urge your public support of the treaty in the months ahead.

The New START treaty makes modest reductions in the number of deployed nuclear weapons, setting the limit at 1,550 warheads - a 30% reduction from the previous Moscow Treaty signed in 2002.  Additionally, the treaty will ensure transparency and verification between the U.S. and Russia and give a timeline of seven years to implement the new reductions and measures.

I believe this treaty is an important step forward not just for these two presidents, but for anyone interested in increasing the security of the United States.  Strong and swift bipartisan ratification of the New START treaty is needed to continue the progress made by the START agreements over the past two decades toward nuclear disarmament and building a safer world.  Strong bipartisan ratification will send a message to the rest of the world that the U.S. is serious about leading the way toward a more peaceful and secure world.  I urge you to publicly declare that you will support speedy action in the Senate to ratify the START treaty this year.

Sincerely,

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[Your Email]