Title
Welcoming The Golden Rule peace boat to Philadelphia. The Golden Rule peace boat is a sailing vessel that is touring the US to promote the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Body
WHEREAS, Resolution No. 180322 adopted by the City Council of Philadelphia on April 19, 2018, cautioned against the danger and potential harms of nuclear war and called on the United States Congress to prevent the President’s unilateral power to launch a nuclear first strike without receiving congressional or judicial approval; and
WHEREAS, The City Council of Philadelphia passed Resolution No. 190841 on October 31st, 2019, urging the Government of the United States of America to enter the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons among all United Nations member states, to prevent the threat of nuclear war and devastating humanitarian consequences to Philadelphia and our international neighbors; and
WHEREAS, in February 1958, four Quaker activists sailed the Golden Rule from California towards the Marshall Islands in an attempt to stop nuclear bomb tests in the Pacific and were arrested, prompting worldwide protests - which helped convince President John F. Kennedy to sign the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963; and
WHEREAS, today, 15,000 nuclear warheads remain mostly under the control of Russia and the United States, and the United States has suspended its compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and other nuclear arms limitation treaties and plans to spend nearly $2 Trillion on its nuclear arsenal; and
WHEREAS, the Golden Rule has been restored by Veterans For Peace, an organization started in 1985 in response to the global nuclear arms race. They and their allies, whose collective efforts are to build a culture of peace using their experiences and lifting of their voices to the true causes and costs of war. The Golden Rule peace boat will be in Philadelphia from May 10 to 13, 2023 to support the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, raise awareness about the environmental and human costs of military and nuclear activities, and support efforts to stop the possibility of nuclear war; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby welcome the Golden Rule peace boat to Philadelphia and extend our best wishes for a successful journey.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to The Veterans For Peace, further evidencing the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.
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