MELISSA DiPANE, WATE NEWS, KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, AUGUST 5, 2006
OAK RIDGE (WATE) — Peace activists assembled Saturday in Bissell Park in Oak Ridge to demonstrate against the continued production of atomic weapons.
This weekend marks the 51st anniversary of the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Much of the work that went into producing the bomb was conducted in Oak Ridge.
In addition to protesting, the spent time reflecting on our past and present conflicts with other countries.
“We are still producing nuclear weapon materials today the kind of stuff we tell Iran and North Korea can’t do we are doing here this is where proliferation happens. We are calling attention to the double standard,” says Ralph Hutchison with the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance.
Hutchison’s group and many others came to spread their message of non-violence at the event.
Nancy Rickenbach came with the group SCOPE out of Sevierville.
She says the government spends too much money on weapons and could find a better way to spend it.
“I think it’s overkill and misuse of our resources that we could be using to help people to make american life better,” says Rickenbach.
Hutchison believes if the U.S. only took a non-violence stance, the rest of the world would follow.
“We led the arms race made the first bomb and our poloicy was to stay ahead of anyone else. The reality is the us also can be a leader in non proliferation and abolition of nuclear weapons

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