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May 26, 2016
Source:San Francisco Chronicle - Letter to the editor by Janis Turner

President Obama will visit Hiroshima on Friday, the first U.S. President to do so while in office. White House spokespeople have emphasized that Obama will “offer a forward looking vision” about nuclear disarmament, but have remained vague about its content.

Let me help you, Mr. President. This is not the time for soaring rhetoric that lacks an implementation plan. Instead, you must announce concrete actions in Hiroshima. Cancel the new nuclear-tipped cruise missile. Scale back the trillion-dollar buying binge at the Pentagon and the National Nuclear Security Administration. Announce that you will lower the risk of accidental nuclear war by taking US nuclear warheads off high alert, often referred to as “hair trigger”.

Tangible actions like these will honor both the living and the dead by seizing this moment in history to move us further from the brink of a future nuclear conflict. Mr. President, show the courage of your convictions in Hiroshima.