Livermore, CA; Los Alamos, NM. By Will Parrish, August 2006. One of the running jokes among participants in the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation "Nuclear Abolition Immersion" trip emerged on our first day in New Mexico, when we set a deadline for abolishing nuclear weapons: August 11, 2006. "Only two days 'til we've rid the world of nukes, folks," we asserted on August 9. "Okay, only 24 hours to go 'til a nuclear weapons-free world!" we noted the following day. On the day of the deadline, we bandied about statements such as "By my watch, only 3 hours, 23 minutes to go, everyone!" and "Wow, what a relief – I feel safer already!"

Every joke contains a kernel of truth. While just as many nuclear weapons exist now as when our valiant team of seven "UC Weapons Inspectors" embarked on this trip to New Mexico, our activities actually were a concrete step toward nuclear disarmament – however small.

At a critical time in the history of the Nuclear Age, we ventured into the heart of the US nuclear weapons complex, injected a sense of creativity and life into the communities where resistance to the US' suicidal plans to develop new generation of nuclear weapons is arguably most critical, and departed with a strongly renewed sense of conviction and inspiration within ourselves as well.

Read more at http://www.wagingpeace.org/youth/posts/immersion-06-report.html