Friends,
First, there was an op-ed in The Baltimore Sun, and then The Sun printed my
letter. This was followed by an editorial in The Johns Hopkins Newsletter
condemning nuclear weapons contracts. Also inside that same newsletter
was a very long article in which students and members of the faculty were
questioned about the weapons contracts at the Applied Physics Laboratory.
All of this is remarkable, considering that the APL, the elephant in the room,
has managed over the decades to escape media attention. Let us keep the
pressure on as we pursue the quest for a nuclear-free world.
Kagiso,
Max
Hopkins’ weapons research an explosive topic worth
discussing
BALTIMORE SUN |
NOV 22, 2019 | 3:50 PM
Protesters
stand on 33rd St and Charles Street during the annual remembrance of the 1945
atomic bombings of Hiroshima (Aug. 6) and Nagasaki (Aug. 9), held near Johns
Hopkins University in 2015. File. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun)
I cannot thank
Alicia Sanders-Zakre enough for writing the commentary, “Johns Hopkins University among
schools furthering nuclear weapons” (Nov. 21). As a
long-time protester of the Applied Physics Laboratory, I was thrilled that
someone from a Nobel Peace Prize–winning organization raised the issue that
universities are working on weapons of mass destruction which threaten the
existence of Mother Earth.
I am not sure
if the author knows that there have been protests of the weapons contracts at
the APL for decades. For example, in 1994, I was arrested at the APL for
handing out leaflets and in 1995 after being convicted, I served a 30-day
sentence in the Howard County Detention Center.
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Today, the
protests continue. The Baltimore Nonviolence Center hosts a demonstration
outside Johns Hopkins University at 33rd and North Charles streets on Tuesdays
from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. to condemn the school’s weapons contracts.
When I get a
chance to speak to students at Johns Hopkins, I warn them to be careful about
working on weapons research, as that is classified. Should moral qualms cause a
person to reconsider doing weapons research, he or she cannot divulge on a
resume what the classified research might be. And doing classified research at
a university is antithetical to the general idea that the purpose of college is
to engage in an open and transparent learning experience.
I am hoping
that this op-ed might generate some discussion on campus among students,
professors and administrators. Why is a renowned institution which includes a
world-class hospital dedicated to saving lives involved in military research
designed to take lives and cause mass destruction? Those sea-launched cruise
missiles which were used in the 2003 invasion of Iraq were designed by the APL.
Living in
Baltimore, I am well aware of the poverty and the destitution in many parts of
the city. Imagine if the funding of the noxious military research being done at
the APL was ended, and the tax dollars were instead used to rebuild the
infrastructure in Baltimore. Let us start a conversation.
Max
Obuszewski, Baltimore
Add your
voice: Respond to this piece or other Sun content by submitting your own letter.
Copyright © 2019, Baltimore Sun
Published by the Students
of Johns Hopkins since 1896
December
1, 2019 | 40° F in Baltimore
·
Hopkins must take a stand against its nuclear weapons production
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | November 21,
2019
After
years of protests from students, the University continues to invest in fossil
fuel companies. It has an exclusivity contract with PepsiCo, a company
that uses suppliers who violate child labor laws, going against ethical and
sustainable business practices. Most recently, the University was slow to end
contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the
government agency that is responsible for separating families at the
U.S.-Mexico border.
The
University’s involvement in these contracts has been well publicized and
heavily criticized by students and professors alike. Adding to this list of
questionable practices is a partnership that is less well-known, but just as
problematic: a contract with the U.S. government to take part in nuclear
weapons research.
On
Nov. 13, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) published
a report stating that 49 U.S.
universities are complicit in the production of nuclear weapons. The group
calls on students and faculty to “demand their universities stop helping to
build weapons of mass destruction.”
The
report is scathing. It repeatedly mentions Hopkins, highlighting its
involvement in creating nuclear weapons for the U.S. ICAN notes that Hopkins
receives twice as much funding as any other university from the Department of
Defense (DOD) [sic] largely because of the work of its renowned Applied Physics
Laboratory (APL). Created in 1942 for weapons development
in World War II, the APL has since served as a technical resource for the U.S.
government, developing numerous technologies for air and missile defense, naval
warfare, computer security and space science.
In
2017, the APL received a seven year contract with the DOD [sic] for $93
million to continue the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center’s strategic
partnership. This contributes to the multi-year contract with the agency that
is now worth more than $7 billion.
The
research involved in this deal is largely classified. On the surface, this
seems to contradict the University’s policy against classified research. However, the
APL is exempt from this policy, as it is the only part of the University listed
as a “non-academic division.”
The
University continues to brand itself as an ethical research institution.
However, its direct involvement with the development of weapons of mass
destruction is contradictory to these actions.
We
believe that Hopkins should remove itself from all contracts associated with
nuclear weapons. Instead, the APL should focus on research that does not have
the same devastating and inhumane implications that nuclear weapons do.
Those
who support the University’s work with nuclear weapons may argue that Hopkins
receives a high monetary benefit from their partnership with the Department of
Defense [sic]. They may also claim that Hopkins, which is just one of nearly 50
universities conducting research, can’t make any difference on its own. Even if
Hopkins ends the contracts, why would other schools do the same?
These
arguments are valid, and we understand the concerns that are associated with
terminating the contracts. It is true that Hopkins receives a hefty sum for its
involvement with the DOD [sic]. According to ICAN, “the funding ceiling
for its ongoing contract was extended beyond $7 billion” in 2019.
There
is also a turning tide against nuclear weapons development across the
world. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,
introduced to the United Nations in 2017, bans the development and use of
nuclear weapons by signatories. So far, 122 countries have signed on, though
the U.S. and most western countries have not. If Hopkins and other reputable
institutions take a stand against nuclear weapons development, it will send a
sign to the world at large that we want to move on from using these weapons of
mass destruction.
Large
scale change starts small, and it starts with us. We encourage students to take
a stand for what they believe in. As with any other issue, there are multiple
ways to tell Hopkins that it’s time for a change. On their website, ICAN outlines three
ways that students can speak out. They recommend publicizing the issue,
demanding transparency from universities and calling on them to end their work
with nuclear weapons.
We
know that there’s no guarantee that Hopkins will end its contracts and stop
working on nuclear weapons development. But by speaking out, we can initiate
the change. Activists who are part of sustainability and pro-peace groups can
protest against nuclear weapons production. Students who are majoring in STEM
fields can take a stand against working at the associated departments at the
APL, and should be aware of the larger implications of any research they are
involved in. All students can tell Hopkins that we demand an explanation and
that we take issue with the greater mission behind the research.
The
University’s mission statement, in part, mentions that its goal is “To educate
its students and cultivate their capacity for lifelong learning, to foster
independent and original research, and to bring the benefits of discovery to
the world.” We hope that the University will refocus its attention on these
goals. If Hopkins turns away from nuclear weapons research, other institutions
may follow in our path. Making the world a safer place is the best way to bring
the benefits of our discovery to everyone.
© Copyright 2019 The Johns Hopkins News-Letter
Donations can be sent
to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD
21218. Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class
has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles.
The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject
class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives."
Eugene Victor Debs
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