Thomas Charles: Nagasaki Speech
This was a speech given on August 2025 in Spokane: Nuclear War in Real Time
Tom Charles, Veterans For Peace, Pax Christi
Contact: Thomas Charles — charfam@hotmail.com
Introduction
"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." — Albert Einstein
This quote explains why we are here today. The greatest evil in our world today is the existence of nuclear weapons. If we do not take action and remain silent, we join forces with that terrible industry.
Citizens United and Corporate Influence
When the Supreme Court passed the Citizens United ruling in 2010, it allowed for unrestricted contributions from corporations into the campaign funds of politicians. In doing so, the Court ensured that those corporations would always have a huge influence on our elections and our democracy.
If one candidate receives hundreds of thousands of dollars from a corporation, we all know that he or she will have a huge advantage in the election and feel a large obligation to their contributors. Political analysts have said the Citizens United ruling did more to damage our democracy than any decision in U.S. history.
For 99 percent of us, our only direct contact with democracy is through elections. Now, as a result of this ruling, the defense industry and nuclear weapons industry receive billions of dollars in contracts due to the millions they contribute to elected officials — all at the expense of desperately needed social services.
Impact of the "Big Beautiful Bill"
Former President Donald Trump's "big beautiful bill," in addition to giving large tax cuts to the wealthy, will increase defense spending by 13 percent to more than $1 trillion in 2026. The government will pay for this by cutting or eliminating spending on:
Millions of Americans will lose their health insurance. In a country where:
- Two-thirds of bankruptcies are caused by medical bills
- 1 in 7 children (over 15 million) go to bed hungry nightly
- Over 60,000 Americans die prematurely each year because they cannot afford medical care (Harvard Medical School study)
Those who say nuclear weapons have kept us "safe and unharmed" should ask these families how safe and unharmed they feel.
Our Battle
We must appeal to:
- Corporations — some have already stopped involvement with nuclear weapons production due to public pressure.
- Political leaders — to prioritize the American people over financing an industry that places the world in the crosshairs of extinction.
Corporations do not have a conscience. Their concern is profit, not right or wrong. Political leaders, however, do have a conscience — and we must hope they will act in the interest of citizens.
Call to Action
With that hope, I am distributing my handout explaining:
- How to contact government officials
- Specific steps to rid our country and the world of nuclear weapons
"Hope is the ability to see the light, despite all the darkness." — Desmond Tutu
Brothers and sisters, we must be that light.
19th Amendment
- Women’s Rights, the 19th Amendment, and the ERA
- Ratification of the 19th Amendment (1920)
On **August 18, 1920**, after 75 years of struggle, the **19th Amendment** to the United States Constitution was ratified. It declared:
> “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.”
This marked a **watershed moment** in U.S. history, the culmination of decades of organizing, sacrifice, and persistence across generations of suffragists.
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- Continuing Struggles for Equality
Although the 19th Amendment secured voting rights for women, **full constitutional equality** has not yet been realized.
- The **Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)** was first introduced in **1923**.
- It has been ratified by the required three-fourths of U.S. states.
- However, it has not been **formally codified** in the Constitution as the **28th Amendment**, leaving women vulnerable to potential rollbacks of hard-won rights.
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- Corporate Rights vs. Human Rights
Advocates argue that while women’s rights remain incomplete, **corporations** have gained sweeping constitutional rights.
- Corporations are recognized as having the rights of “persons” under U.S. law.
- This allows them to:
* Spend unlimited amounts of money in elections. * Operate with limited accountability for environmental and social harms. * Influence democracy to prioritize profits over people.
The contrast is often highlighted as:
- Women fought **75 years** for the right to vote.
- Over **100 years** have been spent struggling for constitutional equality.
- Meanwhile, corporations have amassed greater rights than individual citizens.
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- The “We the People” Amendment (HJR54)
The **Move to Amend coalition** supports the *We the People Amendment* (House Joint Resolution 54).
- Purpose: To affirm that **only human beings** have constitutional rights.
- Provision: To establish that **money is not free speech**.
- Goal: To create a genuine democracy free from corporate rule.
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- Historical Inspiration: The 1975 Icelandic Women’s Strike
An important model for collective action is the **Icelandic Women’s Strike** of 1975.
- **90% of women** stopped working, cooking, and caregiving for one day.
- Factories shut down and schools closed.
- The strike reshaped Iceland’s politics and led to the election of the country’s first woman president five years later.
This event is frequently cited as proof that when women stop, the world stops.
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- Contemporary Movement Building
In the U.S., activists draw inspiration from both the suffragist movement and the Icelandic strike.
- The **Labor Day Rap Session** (organized by Move to Amend) is designed to:
* Connect historical and present-day struggles. * Share updates on organizing efforts. * Build momentum toward a **coordinated “Day Off”** modeled on Iceland’s example.
The call to action emphasizes solidarity across movements, including labor organizations and the **Strike for Our Rights Coalition**.
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- Related Developments
- The **ERA Coalition** and **Ogilvy** have launched **WOMAN Corp**, a campaign highlighting the legal contradiction that corporations currently have more rights than women.
- The initiative uses satire to emphasize the need for constitutional recognition of women’s rights.
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- See Also
- \[Nuclear War in Real Time]
