The city I was born in (Richland, Washington) was created by the federal government as part of the effort to synthesize the plutonium used in the Fat Man bomb that destroyed Nagasaki.
As such I feel not responsible for, but somehow tangled up in, the legacy of that development, especially since reading Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse, and visiting Hiroshima a few years back.
Today at Green Lake Park in Seattle was the annual From Hiroshima to Hope commemoration of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima 6 Aug 1945, as well as Nagasaki three days later.
Whether you believe nuclear weapons are a force for good, or you are an outright abolitionist, it is imperative to remember the human cost of the two wartime uses of the weapons, as well as their production and maintenance. My view is that nuclear stockpiles should be reduced to 1/10th or 1/100th their current levels, and protocols put in place (such as a no-first-use declaration by the United States) that reduce the risk of accidental nuclear annihilation, which seems greater than the risk of their deliberate use.
I recorded the procession of attendees delivering their lanterns to the lake, a conversation I had with a pacifist and peace activist, and sounds of the environs back to my car.
The atmosphere was somber, yet enchanting; the sight of the lanterns, the gradients of blue and green on the water; the cool of the night wind.
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