On a recent walk I was struck by the gorgeous fall colours this year.

World leaders are aflutter now that North Korea has apparently tested a nuclear device for the first time.

Condemnation of the secretive state appears unanimous. Sanctions have been proposed.

Many people are searching for someone to blame for the failure to stop North Korea’s drive for nuclear weapons. Ever the bumbler, George Bush seems like the perfect patsy.

It’s true there’s much to fault him for, which I won’t go into here (summary: Bush’s ‘diplomacy’ is as effective as his military ‘interventions’), but it’s not all his fault.

He shares the blame with all of the other world leaders who chose, irresponsibly and unforgivably, to keep us living under the threat of imminent destruction instead of working towards eliminating nuclear weapons.

In 1968, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and 59 other countries signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, which was designed to halt the production and spread of nuclear weapons. Today, 188 countries have signed the treaty.

Five of those 188 countries – the US, the UK, France, Russia and China – openly possess nuclear weapons. Article VI of the treaty they signed says they must disarm:

Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.

None have.

So the blame for a world brimming with nukes rest squarely on the shoulders of all those who did not give up nuclear weapons – who did not “live up to their international obligations”, to use Bush-speak.

Blame all of them except for Pierre Trudeau. In 1971 he declared that Canada would be free of nuclear weapons; in 1984, the last of the nuclear warheads we possessed as part of our NATO membership were removed.

[tags]north korea, nuclear weapons, wmd, nukes, politics[/tags]

It was about time this site got a facelift. I hope you like the new look.

Luc – aka ldad – created the layout and colours and I turned them into functional reality. (If you like it and you want something for yourself, we can hook you up – just drop me an email). Thanks a ton Luc, I think it looks sweet!

Please let me know what you think and give me a head’s up if you notice anything that doesn’t work or look right (you may notice issues particularly if you use the unreliable and insecure Internet Explorer instead of the magnificent Firefox).

Enjoy.

Raise the Hammer is back with a new issue, and it’s a doozy.

Ben Bull gives a hilarious account of how he foolishly agreed to help a Liberal friend with his poll duties for the Lib’s Super Weekend. Ryan McGreal worries about US democracy and the lack of real competition in Hamilton’s mayoral race.

Mark Fenton returns with another whimsical, evocative, thoughtful essay, once again displaying his remarkable knack for finding connections between Southern Ontario’s dreary urban landscapes and art.

I have my first major contribution to the magazine in some time, on the payday loan industry. And of course, there’s lots more.

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Canucks.

[tags]hamilton, ontario[/tags]

Robert Love, who occasionally comments here, has launched a website along with his friend Hamoon Fruzesh-Far. The website is called The Noble Lie. Check it out!