NEIS was honored to march with the national Veterans for Peace as part of their national conference in Chicago, Aug. 13th. The VFP theme was: “Education! NOT Militarization!” as VFP decried in insidious infiltration of all grade levels of U.S. schools by military recruiters and ROTC programs, while funding for basic education goes unmet.

NEIS Director Dave Kraft was asked to address the VFP crowd at the site of Chicago Vietnam Memorial.  He spoke on the connections between nuclear weapons and nuclear power, both historic and present, and called for the end of the Nuclear Age, a call which was enthusiastically received by the VFP marchers.  In a parting shot to the pro-nuclear Trump Administration (Trump Tower Chicago is right across the Chicago River from the Vietnam Memorial), Kraft energized the crowd by invoking the legendary fictional TV announcer Howard Beale, getting the crowd to its feet and shout towards Trump Tower, “We’re as mad as hell, and we’re not gonna take this anymore!”

 

NEIS Board President Speaks at Chicago Hiroshima Observance

On Sunday August 6, over 60 people gathered at the Henry Moore Sculpture to Atomic Energy on the Hyde Park campus of the University of Chicago – the place where the first human controlled chain reaction experiment occurred on Dec. 2, 1942 – to observe the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in 1945.

Estimates vary, but over 200,000 people were killed by the two bombs dropped on these cities, ushering in the age of nuclear warfare.

Many speakers gave moving speeches including one second generation atom bombing survivor.  Overall, the messages were messages of peace, and of resistance to the continued threat of nuclear weapons.

And, nuclear power.  NEIS President Gail Snyder and Secretary Linda Lewison gave moving presentations to conclude the event

The Annual event was put together by long-time peace activist Brad Lyttle, Zen teacher Taigan Dan Leighton, and moderated by peace activist and NEIS supporter Roberta Siegel.