Fifty years ago today, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament began using the peace symbol.ÂÂ This was about the time I became active in the peace movement, goading my parents to spend a couple of weeks that summer in Cheyenne, Wyoming protesting the construction of a missile base.ÂÂ I was 10.ÂÂ The first peace witness I attended without my parents was two years later.
It can be very discouraging to look at where we've come in that time.ÂÂ There have been a number of hot wars since then, some of which the United States has been very prominent in, including two hot wars currently going on which the U.S. started.ÂÂ More nations have developed nuclear weapons, and the U.S. continues to have an enormous stockpile.ÂÂ The U.S. continues to have a bloated military budget, larger than that of all other nations combined, and hundreds of major military bases in 140 countries around the world.ÂÂ All three leading Presidential candidates advocate an even larger military budget.
But we should not be discouraged.ÂÂ There is much more going on to advocate peace than there was then.ÂÂ Humans have been warring for thousands of years, and it would be naive to expect that to be fully turned around in just 50 years.ÂÂ We must continue working for peace in the hope that our efforts do make a difference.
Bill Samuel
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