I just sent this letter off to the City Council, and I wanted to share it with you too!

From:

Robert F W Whitlock
[address redacted]

To:

Olympia City Council Members,
City of Olympia Staff,
Residents of the City of Olympia

Saturday, September 6th, 2008

Dear Members of the Olympia City Council, City Staff and Residents of Olympia:

What the City of Olympia Nuclear Free Zone Act Means to Me:

The Nuclear Free Zone Act of Olympia, Washington means a lot to me. It is an important act of resistance, and a perfect embodiment of the principle to "think globally and act locally." The ordinance is not only a serious legislative effort toward the abolition of nuclear weapons, it is also an important symbol of the City of Olympia's stature as a member of the global community.

I am proud to be a resident of Olympia. The 2005 Nuclear Free Zone Act (NFZA) sets Olympia apart. It is a statement of Olympia's serious commitment to participating in the creation of a better world. The NFZA embodies the vision of local response to global crisis. The NFZA means that I can be proud of my City in its stance as a serious member of the global community.

The NFZA is important to me for a number of reasons. One of the most important reasons is the current national and international political climate. The public officials at the highest level of the American government are not doing their jobs. They are not upholding the public interest. Their policy on nuclear weapons is a case in point. Our nationally elected public officials are supposed to be advancing the cause of nonproliferation and disarmament. But instead, they are posturing, and using nuclear weapons to threaten their adversaries. They have an explicitly stated policy of global dominance. They seek privatization and the destruction of public goods and services. Our national public officials are not doing their job in terms of creating a peaceful world.

In the absence of a representative government at the national level, to what or whom are the people of America to turn? The answer is local government. We need elected public officials at the local level to pick up the slack where our national officials are found to be lacking. Yes, of course it is the rightful duty of national officials to work toward disarmament. But that doesn't remove responsibility from local governments, and public officials, from doing the same. In light of national public officials' failure to take responsibility for the high-minded pursuit of public interest, in ridding the world of the scourge of nuclear weaponry, it is of critical importance that local governments fill the void.

Some of the other reasons that I support the NFZA and oppose the motion to repeal are:

1) My feeling is that it is unethical to reap financial profit from the nuclear weapons industry. The ordinance effectively admonishes business for their participation in, and upkeep of, the industry that exists around weapons of mass destruction.

2) The nonviolent and altruistic basis of the ordinance.

3) The gradual and gentle slope of the ordinance, i.e. the ability for it to grow and gain strength given appropriate time, practice, and patience.

4) Overwhelming public support has been entered into the public record in regard to the NFZA.

5) According to City Staff, the ordinance does not pose a burden, or a liability.

Finally, please take steps to make sure that this letter is entered into the public record in regard to the motion, and subsequent action, to repeal the NFZA.

Sincerely,

Bert
[telephone redacted]