Nuclear Winter

The ice caps were going to melt, they were going to be gone by now, but now they’re setting records. – POTUS, January 28, 2018

The person granted power to launch nuclear missiles does not have the right to ignore science, nor create an alternate reality. During his presidential campaign, what Trump said to entertain his base was easy to dismiss. All changed when Trump got the launch codes for nuclear weapons.

Courage, transparency, and respect, create trust. Personal integrity, honesty, experience, and intelligence are required character traits for our Commander-in-Chief. In this new role, the military rules of engagement give Trump unconditional command over the nuclear arsenal. Launching warheads would take around 15 minutes once Trump’s order is verified as authentic; once launched, missiles can’t be recalled.

Nuclear Winter

The January Hawaii nuclear event showed that people live in denial about the possibility of nuclear war and panic when an alarm signals an imminent attack. US Rep. Tulsi Gabbard responded quickly and took control while Trump finished a round of golf and dismissed the event hours later. A nuclear missile from North Korea would strike 30 minutes after launch; this was a grave event.

Trump famously asked, “why can’t we use nuclear weapons?” He proposed a return to the Cold War, a tenfold increase in warheads. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called him a moron. Trump wants non-strategic nuclear weapons he can use.

Nuclear winter is the opposite of global warming. Out of control fires from one or more nuclear explosions (many countries have warheads) would cause worldwide fires and soot emissions preventing sunlight from warming the Earth. Soot is carbon in powder form, the black stuff in your muffler.

Nuclear warheads must always be ready to launch but never used. On September 1980, near Damascus, Ark., a maintenance airman dropped a wrench socket on a Titan II missile. It fell 80 feet before piercing the skin on the rocket fuel tank, causing it to leak and explode. Luckily, the warhead was found intact. Incidents are common.

Peace and Prosperity

Trump’s message of “Peace and Prosperity” to the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland, last week was a false claim. Trump is not a peacemaker. Trump wants $25 billion to build an unnecessary wall, placing national security bets on punitive enforcement.

In addition to the Border Patrol, Enforcement and Removal Operations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other Department of Homeland Security agencies, this alphabet soup is a thriving new industry. ICE has operations overseas; most countries in Europe and Latin America do not appreciate foreign security operations.

A nation spending $700 billion on military operations in 2018, an untouchable line item in the Appropriations Bill, cutting back on healthcare, education, and science, is hardly a peaceful nation. Curious words are used to hide the horror of wars and the killing of children. Medical services for disabled warriors are excluded from the Military budget!

Economic inequality

Trump takes claim for a fictional prosperous economy he does not understand. Economic thinking has changed in light of limited resources, overpopulation, and climate anomalies. Immigration is driven by climate refugees and military conflicts.

The U.S. stock market is up because there are more buyers than sellers. Foreign investors and the top 10 percent of Americans benefit when the market is up, and sell their shares before it goes down. The strength of the dollar compared to other currencies, monetary policies set by the Federal Reserve Bank, and the mood of investors, drives the market.

The Gross National Product goes up the more we spend. GNP ignores the $20 trillion national debt. U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy said GNP “does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play – it measures everything except what makes life worthwhile.” Trump’s $25 billion wall, the $700 billion military budget and anything else we spend, will increase GNP.

Trump is the world’s greatest threat, an impotent man sleepless in the White House, dreaming of world domination and absolute power. He should not have the power to trigger a nuclear winter.

Dr. Luis Contreras