We Can Make a Difference

Citizens to Stop Nuclear Terrorism cosponsored with the Richmond World Affairs Council a presentation on the threat of nuclear terrorism.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported:

Half a million people would die instantly if terrorists set off a nuclear bomb in a city like Richmond, a nuclear terrorism expert says.

A devastating nuclear terrorist attack somewhere is likely, Harvard University's Graham Allison warned last night.

But governments around the world can stop such an attack before it occurs, he said.

You can read the entire article and watch the presentation by clicking here.

Personal Memories

September 11th brings back many memories for me. At the time of the attack I was living in Arlington, Virginia and working in Washington, DC. As I was leaving the car, to walk to my office from the parking garage, I heard on the radio about something wrong in Manhattan. By the time I made it to my office everyone was gathered around the TV in our conference room. We watched in horror as the second plane hit the World Trade Center building. Then news came on about something happening at the Pentagon. I had just driven close to the Pentagon on my way to work. My thoughts went to my friends who were working there. I had a friend who was in the Navy Annex teaching a class and was one of the first on the scene of the devastation. My son had a friend who worked in the wing of the Pentagon that was hit but had overslept that morning and was just getting off the subway. My best girlfriend's husband was a pilot for United Airlines. He was not on the United planes that were used as weapons. Personally I was very lucky.

They closed our building. As we walked outside, the streets were filled with people wandering around. It was as if we were all in shock.

We have all heard about the video messages that have been recently sent by Osama Bin Laden. ABC news says on their website, "Mike McConnell, the director of National Intelligence, said it is essential that the government handle all of these tapes with caution, and he assures Americans the government remains vigilant. 'We are safer, but not safe,' McConnell said."

We know that terrorists have attempted to obtain nuclear weapons and we also know that the nuclear material around the world is not currently secured. Is there anything that we as citizens can do to make the situation better? The answer is yes.

You can learn what you can do at the Citizens to Stop Nuclear Terrorism website.

Today I am thinking about how much worse it would have been if the devastation had been caused by a nuclear device.

Don't wait for someone else to act. Think about the people you care about. You can make a difference.