NUCLEAR

WEAPONS AND
NUCLEAR
POWER
NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND NUCLEAR POWER

Laurie Dobson’s Responses………………………………...……….3

Herb Hoffman’s Responses………………………………………….6

Tom Ledue’s Responses………………………………………….….7

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1. Do you support the research and/or development of new U.S.

nuclear weapons? No, I think research should go into the
development of energy which does not enhance nuclear weapons
production. That said, I do think there is a future for safe methods of
non-weapon style production of energy, such as pebble-bed
nuclear technology. I do not think we should eliminate research for
this type of scientific endeavor but we should strongly support the
research which will contribute to the advancement of energy
projects worldwide. This signals our peaceful intent--that we will
share energy-production research endeavors and the conclusions
generated by such study. There can be specific encouragement of
renewable energy development but we must look at the long term
consequences of such study and their environmental impacts.

2. Do you support the elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide? Yes.

I emphatically do support the elimination of nuclear weapons.
We must provide deterrents. Look at the current treaties and
pacts emerging in the developing countries: Russia, India,
China, and Japan. We must work to actively participate in the
development, by peaceful means, of the countries of the
world and work to advance their sovereignty, not work to
suppress them. Nuclear weaponry against any nation is
abhorrent, and considering its use against smaller countries we
vastly overpower is unacceptable, ineffective and inhumane. I
disagree with the massive retaliation proposal modeled by
Clinton and believe there is a better way as I have articulated
above.

3. Would you vote to enforce the agreements of the Nuclear Non-

Proliferation Treaty, specifically in light of the U.S.-India Nuclear
Deal? Yes. India is now joining with Iran in contracts for oil, and
so is Switzerland. These are emblematic of our failed policies.
We are not making the world safer by helping countries to
advance their nuclear weapons program. There must be
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another, better way and I believe it is through a program of

mutual advancement--sovereign countries working to
advance the interests of others. Such is true friendship, as it
truly models peaceful intent, and is the way the world is now
turning. This we must recognize and participate with, for it is
the world's hope for peace with which we must align ourselves

4. Would you vote to renew the funding for the Reliable Replacement
Warhead (RRW) program? No I am against expansion of our
nuclear arsenal and believe we must work to draw down our
nuclear weapon base. I think our country's hope is to build on
our diplomacy at all levels and to be a better world neighbor
by creating and producing the kinds of goods needed by
other developing countries-- to partner with them to help them
to develop, not to keep them underdeveloped. Threats are
ineffective methods of suppressing terrorism—they don’t
address the root cause, which I believe is the world's answer to
our attempts to control the progress of other nations.

5. Would you vote to enable the implementation of the Bush

Administration’s Complex Transformation plan? In this way lies
destruction. I believe as I stated above that we must find an
entirely different way of working in the world. The declining
dollar is a symptom of our failure to provide true world
leadership. I believe it shows our lack of understanding of how
to address the challenge we face in responding to the world
post-9/ll.

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6. Do you support the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Depository? No.

I believe we must not store our nuclear waste in one area,
which makes that site a concentration of dangerous materials.
I think we must find a better method for storage of material
and work to end the source of the problem. This requires that
we do not enable inappropriate methods of control which will
encourage future development of this method of self-defense.

7. Do you believe that nuclear power is a safe and viable energy

alternative to fossil fuels? Currently no, not sufficiently. There is
the potential with pebble-bed technology, however, and
research should continue. We must ensure the safety of any
energy policy which we plan to develop as a widespread
response to our energy requirements.

However, we face a true emergency in the ability to provide

the means for our own energy needs and it takes a long time
to develop nuclear power so I think we must continue to
actively explore the safe potential for this and other energy
sources. Research is vital. Conservation is key.

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1. Do you support the research and/or development of new U.S.

nuclear weapons? No.

2. Do you support the elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide? Yes.

3. Would you vote to enforce the agreements of the Nuclear Non-

Proliferation Treaty, specifically in light of the U.S.-India Nuclear
Deal? Yes.

4. Would you vote to renew the funding for the Reliable Replacement
Warhead (RRW) program? No.

5. Would you vote to enable the implementation of the Bush

Administration’s Complex Transformation plan? No. I am for the
elimination of all nuclear weapons and a prohibition on the
development of more weapons.

6. Do you support the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Depository? No,

but the problem of nuclear waste disposal for existing nuclear
facilities must be solved.

7. Do you believe that nuclear power is a safe and viable energy

alternative to fossil fuels? No.

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1. Do you support the research and/or development of new U.S.

nuclear weapons? No. We must work to send a message of
peace to all nations with our actions. How can we ask Iran not
to build a bomb if we keep making them?

2. Do you support the elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide? Yes.

We must set this ideal and work towards it.

3. Would you vote to enforce the agreements of the Nuclear Non-

Proliferation Treaty, specifically in light of the U.S.-India Nuclear
Deal? Yes. We need a world with fewer nuclear weapons, not
more. If we want to improve our own security, we must strive
for non-proliferation.

4. Would you vote to renew the funding for the Reliable Replacement
Warhead (RRW) program? No. We must work toward a world
that has fewer and fewer nuclear weapons. This program
sends the wrong message to the world. How can we ask other
countries not to develop nuclear weapons if we continue to
improve or develop more of our own?

5. Would you vote to enable the implementation of the Bush

Administration’s Complex Transformation plan? No. It deepens our
commitment to nuclear weapons and costs, by some
estimates, $150 Billion Dollars that will not be invested into the
great non-military needs of our country. It also sends the wrong
message to the rest of the world.

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6. Do you support the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Depository?

Yes. Yucca Mountain has some role in storing at least some of
our nuclear waste if it is deemed safe to do so. We must be
wary of the risks of transporting nuclear waste around the
nation and the long-term risks of storing nuclear waste
anywhere.

7. Do you believe that nuclear power is a safe and viable energy

alternative to fossil fuels? No. Beyond the inherent safety and
nuclear proliferation issues, nuclear power cannot provide our
communities with the long-term energy and economic security
that they need. We must invest in solar, wind, geothermal, and
sea-based hydro-power. If these industries had received the
same support as the nuclear industry, we would be well on the
way to developing a green energy grid in this country and we
could be leading the world in that same direction to the
betterment of all.