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Breaking News from America's Progressive Community... 1999
Releases
The press releases posted here have been provided to NewsCenter by the one of the many progressive organizations we have selected to participate. If you would like more information about this press release, you should contact the organization directly. |
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| FEBRUARY
18, 1999 3:03 PM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Physicians for Social Responsibility Sharon Pickett 301-365-9307 Robert Tiller 202-898-0150 ext. 220 |
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| Physicians for Social Responsibility Urges Senate to Reject Ballistic Missile Defense | ||||
| WASHINGTON
- February 18 - The U.S. Senate
is expected to vote the week of February 22nd on the National Missile Defense
Act of 1999. Sponsored by Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Sen. Daniel Inonye
(D-HI), this legislation would make it U.S. policy to deploy a ballistic missile
defense system as soon as "technologically possible." According to
Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), the bill is misguided and sets the
U.S. on a course that is both ineffective and dangerous.
"This proposal does not address the serious threats to the United States which cannot be prevented by ballistic missile defense," says Dr. Robert Musil, Executive Director of PSR. "Even if we could build a working Star Wars system, it would not protect the U.S. from attack by nuclear weapons delivered by cruise missiles, nor would it stop terrorists from smuggling nuclear weapons via plane, truck, train, ship, or backpack. Even if we could build a ballistic missile defense system, an enemy could simply launch a first wave of 'dummy' missiles without warheads, and we would expend our resources to shoot them down, leaving the U.S. with no defense against a second wave of missiles that do have warheads. The whole idea is ludicrous and a colossal waste of money." According to a new analysis by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, the U.S. has spent more than $100 billion on ballistic missile defense over the last 40 years. Despite this -investment, there is still no defense system that actually works reliably. PSR questions the wisdom of policymakers who would continue to pour money into a program that has cost taxpayers a fortune without any tangible results. But money is only part of the cost. According to Robert W. Tiller, Director of PSR's Security Programs, "Ballistic missile defense will violate the ABM treaty and strain relations with Russia. It will encourage other countries to pursue their own missile defense programs. Instead of pumping more money into a shaky ballistic missile defense, we should pursue measures that would reduce the U.S. and Russian arsenals and lower the alert status of the thousands of nuclear weapons poised on hair trigger alert." ### |
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