Word: antinuclearism
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There is considerable diversity in the goals and activities of the various antinuclear groups. The Lawyers Alliance for Nuclear Arms Control, for example, was founded a year ago by Alan Sherr, 34, a Boston attorney. "I felt then as I do now that there has got to be a popular initiative on this issue or else no one will really make the difference," says Sherr, who considers himself a political moderate. Since the alliance opened its Boston headquarters, membership has grown from 200 to 700, and there are chapters in three other cities. Sherr has intentionally shied away from endorsing...
...strength of the antinuclear sentiment is especially surprising in the South, considering the region's traditional conservatism and its dependence on the military for its livelihood. In at least six of the region's states, the largest single employer is the Department of Defense. The board of supervisors in Loudoun County, Va., adopted a nuclear-freeze resolution last week, and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young has signed his city's petition. Physicians for Social Responsibility has 16 chapters in the South; last year there were none. Says South Carolina Lieutenant Governor...
P.S.R. may be the most effective group in the antinuclear movement. "Our credibility is as a scientific, single-issue organization," says Director Thomas Halsted. "Our issue is nuclear war and its medical consequences. That's it." In an ongoing series of symposiums across the country, members lecture about the horrific consequences of a 20-megaton bomb explosion, from the moment of impact to the long-term effects of radiation sickness. "As soon as you dwell on the effects of a nuclear bomb," says Halsted, "the coffee cups stop rattling...
...early to assess the domestic political impact of the antinuclear sentiment. Although impressive in size, the movement is still rather amorphous and politically unorganized. Democrats are pinning much of the blame on Reagan for the growing fears of nuclear war, and White House aides admit that indiscreet statements by the President and some of his key aides may have contributed to the anxiety. But Administration officials offer no apologies for their talk of a defense buildup, and do not plan to retreat. Says one White House adviser: "One of the prices you pay for raising the specter of Soviet nuclear...
Both Democrats and Republicans agree that the antinuclear sentiment is growing as a political issue. In Washington, at least, it is not yet seen as a truly pivotal issue, like the state of the economy, for this fall's election. "It is more like the environmental movement of the 1970s than the antiwar movement of the 1960s," says Robert Neuman, director of communications for the Democratic National Committee. "It is confrontational, and will probably not become a Democratic or Republican issue." Says Republican Political Consultant David Keene: "It's like motherhood and apple pie. Who's going...