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"A Question Please"
from Sharlene Van Leeuwen, September 21, 2005

Hi - just been reading through your great site and photocopying bits off to pass on to friends. Hope you can clear one point up for me though. In discussing the nuclear free issue (which I am in full agreement with) someone replied two days ago "its just a farce because our hospitals are nuclear powered." I have heard this before - is this correct and if so how. Is there a brief way of replying to this question - your time would be appreciated. Thanks - Sharlene

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Hi Sharlene,

That's a good question and I shall circulate it and my answer to potentially interested people.

Please circulate this to other nuclear-free NZ supporters as this is an on-going debate, and we must deepen public awareness.

Hospitals do a lot of radiation for medical purposes, with which we have always agreed. The New Zealand Nuclear Free Peacemaking Association has always agreed with the peaceful applications of nuclear technology for medical and industrial uses. However hospitals are not nuclear powered, but powered by electricity. There is no nuclear power in NZ.

The whole question of nuclear power usually avoids the more important questions of nuclear weapons coming into NZ if there was no ban, and joining with the US in a war that may become nuclear. That would make NZ a potential nuclear target because we could be classed by a potential enemy as a US ally if we supported a US war that became nuclear, or if we harboured US warships.

National supporters and others will argue that the US has a nuclear weapons ban on surface vessels, and that therefor there is nothing to worry about.

However the US could reverse this so-called ban at any time, without necessarily telling allies and others. In a crisis, declared as such by the US or others. This could possibly be precipitated by US actions, such as the illegal war on Iraq and possibly much predicted illegal US war on Iran.

The US would certainly nuclear rearm their surface vessels under these conditions, as it gives them a tremendous military advantage.

A major reason today to preserve our nuclear free laws, is that the US has declared a new nuclear doctrine allowing them to wage a pre-emptive nuclear war. Such a war means attack without necessarily warning the target nation or anyone else. Obviously they might expect such a war to rapidly escalate. In preparation they would rearm all surface warships with nuclear weapons. For all we know, such weapons may be on board now.

The pre-emptive Nuclear War doctrine against nations you claim might someday attack you, would have to be the most dangerous war doctrine ever developed. It will be something of a miracle if a nuclear war does not occur in the next four years of the Bush Administration, as has been predicted by Dr Helen Caldicott, the famous nuclear expert and campaigner.

The National Party would probably say things like "the US would consult us" or "inform us on any proposed
warship status etc". That is meant to reassure those who are gullible enough to accept it that therefore whatever the US does is okay. Also National would say "We would always support the US in a crisis" even if the US precipitated the crisis - such as implementing their pre-emptive nuclear war doctrine.

What this means is that if National is elected to govern NZ, you can expect them to adopt a nuclear policy that would not be objected to by the US. That would mean that the US could gain access to NZ for nuclear powered warships - which could become nuclear armed at any time. This could happen clandestinely, or with the tacit approval of National, or during a crisis when National would say "we have to help our allies when they need us etc".

Usually National, other nuclear supporters and the media will try and steer discussion away from these key points and try and focus people's attention only on the question of nuclear power - and how safe it is. They have always done this in the past. They hope this will fool people into not thinking about substantive issues, thus supporting a change in the nuclear-free legislation. So far, with media help, they have managed to fool a large number of kiwis who don't think much about these issues.

It sounds as if your questioner is in this category.
It would be interesting to hear about any change in attitude if you confront your questioner with these facts.
I hope others will circulate this email as there is a great deal of ignorance about these vitally important issues.
This is an on-going and perhaps intensifying debate, as the US will never revise it's war and nuclear weapons doctrines - at least not while Bush and his neo-conservative allies are in power.

Larry Ross,