Attendance: 20
Tom Nash, standing in for President Bill, called the meeting to order at 12:18pm.
Patti provided a Thought from Mark Twain.
Greeter John Thomas reported no visiting guests or Rotarians.
Birthdays: Rich Lalley – March 30. In honor of his birthday, Rich made a $100 donation to Shelter Box and encouraged others to do so, supporting cyclone victims in India. Those present entered into a not-too-awful rendition of Happy Birthday.
Anyone who would like to contribute may do so here: https://tinyurl.com/wnr-shelterbox Gerry Keenan – March 31.
Anniversary: John Thomas – March 28 – 6 years.
Announcements:
-Speaker next week will be Tish Rudnick, Executive Director at the North Shore Senior Center. Plan to attend and bring guests!
-Tom announced that our club received a citation from RI recognizing our contributions to End Polio Now.
Happy Bucks:
-Robert had two – one as an apology for being late to the meeting, and a second as an explanation that he was caught up in the excitement of Opening Day.
-Marie confessed that due to her “epic midlife crisis” she has recently purchased a “ridiculous, unnecessary” truck.
-Heidi offered a Happy Spring buck and an advance on her birthday next month, contributing $60 to Shelter Box.
Speaker:
David introduced Ward Wilson, a senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists. He offered “A Realist’s Case Against Nuclear Weapons”. His persuasive and sobering argument for eliminating nuclear weapons began with an explanation from his mother at age 6 as to why bad men were trying to blow them up = the Cuban Missile Crisis. This experience gave him a respect for reality, and a recognition that this could still happen today.
His theory that humans are fallible->humans are responsible for nuclear weapon deterrence ->nuclear deterrence is fallible.
Are nuclear weapons really necessary? He believes they are not. His focus on the pros and cons of the two positions centered on the Realists (in favor of) and Idealists (against).
Historically, the only times that nuclear weapons have been used have been devastating. Are they effective weapons? Perhaps not as they are too large, too clumsy, and would result in the death of too many of your own soldiers.
The argument that “everyone wants to have them” is not valid – many countries have had them and no longer do. In 2017, 122 countries voted at the UN to ban them.
In order to ensure our complete safety, nuclear deterrence has to be perfect. However, humans are not perfect, they are fallible so there is inherent risk. We as nations need to establish consensus that nuclear weapons are not necessary.
Q&A followed. Patti won the raffle draw and pulled the 2 of diamonds.
