At a presentation on the prevention of nuclear war, a message of hope rang out over the pews.
“If not now, tell me when,” the crowd sang, joining in with singer Carrie Newcomer and guitarist Robert Meitus as they sang Newcomer's song “If Not Now.”
The crowd of about 75 gathered Wednesday at First United Church to hear from 2017 Nobel Peace Prize winner Ira Helfand, a prominent advocate for nuclear disarmament and a founding member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
The Bloomington Peace Action Coalition, a local group that strives to educate the community about global peace, U.S. foreign policy and demilitarization, sponsored Helfand’s visit to Bloomington.
Helfand emphasized three main points to audience members: nuclear war is not an issue of the past, but a real and present threat; if a nuclear war does occur, it will be much worse than we can possibly imagine; and nuclear war is not inevitable.
“That’s the most important message of all,” he said during his talk. “We have to understand that if we act, we can prevent all of that.”
By discussing the possibility of nuclear war, Helfand hopes to prevent a tragedy that he described as many times worse than the past use of nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II, which killed over 200,000 people.
In the case of a full-on nuclear war between Russia and the U.S.?
“15 to 18 million people dead in half an hour,” he said.
Though soft-spoken, Helfand was firm in his convictions. He described tensions between India and Pakistan, South and North Korea and Russia and the United States as conflicts that could erupt into nuclear war. Helfand believes current U.S. policy of having nuclear weapons does not adequately meet this chilling threat of devastation.
“We’re here today because, as Robert McNamara said of the Cuban Missile Crisis, ‘We lucked out,’” Helfand said. “And we have to understand that the nuclear policy in the United States at this time is a hope for continued, perpetual, perfect good luck.”
Helfand encouraged his listeners to put pressure on local, state and federal governments to express support for nuclear disarmament. He hopes attendees will lobby the City of Bloomington to endorse the national organization Back from the Brink, which seeks to advocate for a world free of nuclear weapons. Helfand serves on the Steering Committee.
“Every one of us wants something good, wants something from our life to matter, and those of us listening today have been given the opportunity to eventually save the world,” he said.
During the Q&A portion, one attendee stood up to encourage the crowd to spread awareness about nuclear disarmament. “We need signs in front of every one of your houses,” he said to the crowd. “Because that will make a difference.”
Attendee Debora Frazier said Helfand’s talk resonated with her as a child of the 1950s.
“We have so many nuclear weapons, so many opportunities for annihilation,” she said. “We need to stand up and pay attention.”
