Letters to the Editor by Two Bellingham Members
Do you have a letter you’d like to see in our newsletter and on our website? Just send a copy to us at wwfor@wwfor.org and we will forward it to our newsletter editor for consideration! Below are letters from Bellingham residents Barbara Sardarov and Cindy Cole. Both are concerned about military spending, nuclear weapons, and human needs. Letter ran the week of April 29, 2026 on nuclear weapons: https://www.cascadiadaily.com/2026/apr/28/letters-week-of-april-29-2026-landback-rights-in-comp-plan-jail-management-and-mylar-balloons/ Rant: The U.S. and Russia have 90% of the world’s nuclear weapon inventory: USA 5,044; Russia 5,500.The other seven nuclear-armed countries have 1,731 (UK, France, China, India, Israel, Pakistan, North Korea). Rave: Fifty years ago, the world inventory had over 50,000 nuclear weapons. International cooperation got the tally down to the current…
Letter by Gene Marx about the Non-proliferation Treaty
[Activist Gene Marx of Bellingham wrote to his Representative about this crucial issue] April 21, 2026 Representative Rick Larsen, Your support of the NPT(Non-proliferation Treaty) is more critical now than ever. The latest analysis by Olamide Samuel in Bulletin of Atomic Scientists points to the need for increased diplomacy and less military action before everything spirals out of control. According to Samuel, “The Trump administration’s Iran policy since June teaches a terrible lesson about nuclear proliferation: If Iran-style threshold nuclear latency does not protect against attack, if international safeguards do not shield declared nuclear facilities, and if coercion remains the answer even when diplomacy is attempted, some states may begin to conclude that only actual weaponization, not restraint, is what purchases security. That would be…
It’s Time for Congress to End Presidential Sole Authority to Launch Nuclear Weapons
by John M Repp (what I said to an aide to Rick Larsen at a meeting with her in his Bellingham office along with other anti-nuclear activists on April 21, 2026) Under the current policy in our country, not by law but by customary practice, the sitting president, as commander-in-chief, has sole authority to order the use of a nuclear weapon. Even worse is the policy of first use, which means the president has the power to use nuclear weapons not just in retaliation but any time he feels the interests of the nation are threatened. The current president, Donald Trump has recently threatened Iran, with the words: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”…
WWFOR Spring Assembly 2026: Confronting Militarism at Home and Abroad:
A recording is available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0OJyMKkbQgThis article was written by David Lambert for Pacific Call, edited by Cindy Cole and John M ReppExtra resources: https://wwfor.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ResourcesWWFOR2026SA.pdf The theme of this year’s Spring Assembly was: “Confronting Militarism At Home and Abroad”. The kickoff presenters were: Karl Riecken, DO, MA speaking on “Conscientious Objection at the Intersectionality of Medicine and War”; Oonaugh Foster-Bill who spoke on “Intuitive Activism/ Maintaining Perspective in Chaos”; and James Janko whose talk was entitled “Opposing Militarism by Addressing Climate Change and Honoring the Earth.”Dr. Karl Riecken made a comparison between the Nazi regime and the current U.S. military. He spoke about the physician’s role in the military and the struggles he experienced while in the service as a physician…
Film Review: “Earth’s Greatest Enemy”
[WWFOR Newsletter Editor John M Repp has reviewed this important film and discussed its significance. Below is the opening of the review and a link to the whole review in pdf format follows.] Earth’s Greatest Enemy is a film from Abby Martin showing that the US military-industrial complex is the biggest institutional user of fossil fuels and has been fighting for years to secure cheap oil for the US economy. The film brings together two issues that threaten our very existence: militarism and destruction of our natural environment. Here is the official trailer. Earth’s Greatest Enemy – A New Film by Abby Martin [OFFICIAL TEASER] My wife and I went to a showing in Mt. Vernon, WA. It was well…
The Revolution In America in 1776 Opened An Asylum for Mankind
[On the occasion of the 250th Anniversary of presentation of the Declaration of Independence to the second Continental Congress, WWFOR newsletter editor John M Repp considers our history. Have the ideals expressed in that document ever become policy and reality in the U.S.? Here is the start of the article followed by a link to a pdf version of the full article] The Revolution In America in 1776 Opened An Asylum for Mankind and Started a Movement for Democracy by John M Repp “Every spot of the old world is overrun with oppression. Freedom hath been hunted round the globe…O! receive the fugitive, and prepare in time an asylum for mankind.” Thomas Paine, 1776 This is a quote from Common…
The Illegal War Against Iran
Several weeks into the US attack on Iran Pacific Call editor John M Repp wrote this report. He pointed out that the U.S. attack came while negotiations were ongoing, and the attacks included targeted assassinations and also deadly bombing of civilians. John commented on the effects of this war both within the U.S. and globally. Click here to read the article. [Full URL https://wwfor.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WarAgainstIran.pdf ]
What Happened in Minneapolis?
Read Pacific Call editor John M Repp’s comments about what happened in Minneapolis when thousands of poorly trained government employees showed up in unmarked uniforms and masks, armed with guns and chemical weapons. Thanks to citizen videographers, we know stories quite different from government claims. Sadly 2 peaceful protesters were killed. Click here to read the illustrated article. [Full URL https://wwfor.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WhathappenedinMinn.pdf ]
The National Debt of the United States
Pacific Call editor John M Repp discusses the changes in U.S. national debt over the years. Considering the debt as a proportion of the Gross National Product it is now at a level not seen since the end of World War II. John examines the history of the debt, and what the current high may mean for the future. Click here to read the article. [Full URL https://wwfor.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/SoaringNationalDebt.pdf ]
The Trillion Dollar War Machine:
Pacific Call editor John M Repp wrote “A review of William D. Hartung and Ben Freeman’s ‘The Trillion Dollar War Machine: How Runaway Military Spending Drives America into Foreign Wars and Bankrupts Us At Home’ (2025)” John starts with President Eisenhower’s famous warning about the military-industrial complex and takes us through points from the book bringing the situation to the present. Click here to read John’s article. [Full URL https://wwfor.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/reviewTrillionDollarWarMachine.pdf ]
