January, 30 2015, 12:45pm EDT
SATURDAY 1PM: Global Zero Protests $1 Trillion Nuclear Spending Outside White House
Demonstration kicks off weeks of nationwide events, to be joined by Valerie Plame, Farshad Farahat, Joe Hill
WASHINGTON
The Global Zero movement will launch its "No $1 Trillion Nuclear Arsenal" nationwide tour Saturday, January 31, with a rally on the Ellipse featuring a life-size, four-story inflated nuclear missile and 3-D street art by internationally renowned artist Joe Hill. The inflated missile will be paired with interactive artwork to illustrate the growing nuclear threat and the humanitarian devastation if detonated in a city.
Activists around the country are calling on President Obama to abandon plans for a major overhaul and upgrade of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, which the Congressional Budget Office projects will cost $1 trillion over the next 30 years. Kicking off this weekend in Washington, D.C. and Raleigh, additional campaign stops are planned for Jacksonville, Atlanta, Nashville and San Francisco. More cities will be announced in the weeks ahead.
WHAT: "No $1 Trillion Nuclear Arsenal" tour launch
WHEN:Saturday, January 31st, from 1:00-3:30 p.m. ET*
WHERE: Southwest quadrant of the Ellipse (just south of the White House)
RSVP:https://www.globalzero.org/tour-stop-dc
"Nuclear weapons present a grave humanitarian threat," said Hill. "When I was growing up in the '80s, these weapons were at the forefront of everyone's mind and fiercely debated. But though the danger has grown, the scrutiny has faded. We seem to have accepted these barbaric weapons as a fact of life, a necessary evil. I feel this is a subject that urgently needs to be discussed anew. I hope this piece will inspire people to re-engage in that debate."
"We spend more on nuclear weapons today than we did at the height of the Cold War. At the same time, we're spending less on programs that secure nuclear material and prevent it from falling into the hands of terrorists. This is a disturbing trend," said former CIA counterproliferation operative Valerie Plame. "President Obama should live up to his promise and get us back on the path to a world without nuclear weapons."
"Six year ago, President Obama said he would seek 'the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons,' but now he is doubling down on them," said Global Zero co-founder Matt Brown. "This massive $1 trillion upgrade will lock us into a nuclear weapons future for generations. With two years left in office, President Obama needs to get back on track -- setting the course to zero nuclear weapons worldwide needs to be a top priority."
* In event of rain, Global Zero's demonstration will be held in the lobby of The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs building located at 1957 E Street NW in Washington, D.C.
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