I do not like roller coasters. For me -- the anticipated terror proceeding the drop along with the stomach-churning loss of gravity is not thrilling fun; it is just TERROR!

Nevertheless, the roller coaster is a summer-fun staple for many of us. Another stomach-churning staple for fewer Americans is the memory of the United States Air Force dropping two atomic bombs on Japanese cities at the end of World War II. In fact, for many Americans, this was a good thing as it brought the war to an end faster -- despite ending the lives of over 200,000 Japanese civilians. Of course, few of us remember August 6th and 8th or are aware of the present-day dangers of nuclear annihilation.

Is it possible that the fun of the roller coaster is based on a firm belief that it is safe - even though this is not entirely true. See "Swedish government investigators launch probe of deadly roller coaster accident."

For over 80 years, my country has spent $Billions on modernizing and strengthening a world-ending atomic arsenal. There have been accidents -- but we are still here.

This year I went to several anti nuclear proliferation activities on the anniversaries of the U.S. attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki -- at the Intrepid Air and Space Museum, at Times Square, and at the Japanese Consulate. This BCR program begins at the Intrepid on August 6th; the WWII aircraft carrier was celebrating its birthday

Alan Winson

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