Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Dr. Helen Caldicott, Gordon Pollard, Janine Bandcroft Nov. 18, 2013

This Week on GR

by C. L. Cook - Gorilla-Radio.com

For all of my life, and the entirety of the lives of most of the World's population, we have lived with the fear of nuclear annihilation. Swinging over our collective heads since August 6th, 1945 is a real, and seemingly inevitable, fiery atomic destruction. In an address to the United Nations in 1961, then president of the United States, John F. Kennedy summed up the global nuclear stand-off, saying; 

"Today, every inhabitant of this planet must contemplate the day when this planet may no longer be habitable. Every man, woman, and child lives under a nuclear sword of Damocles, hanging by the slenderest of threads, capable of being cut at any moment by accident or miscalculation or by madness." 

Listen. Hear.

But today, in 2013, we're beginning to realize the "madness" is not in the use of these horrific weapons of total destruction alone, but in the very existence of nuclear programmes, regardless of their stated purpose or beneficial application.

Dr. Helen Caldicott is a physician, author, and lecturer, who has for more than thirty years studied, written, and campaigned against the proliferation of nuclear weapons and their derivatives, delivering impassioned speeches and making imprecations to both the suited and unsuitable politicians and power-brokers overseeing the precarious atomic tinderbox reality of our modern lives. Dr. Caldicott's book titles include: 'If You Love This Planet,' 'Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer,'The New Nuclear Danger,' 'Depleted Uranium: Metal of Dishonour,' and 'If You Love This Planet: A Plan to Heal the Earth.'

Caldicott was in California recently to attend the premier of Lawrence Johnston's new documentary film, 'Fallout,' on the making of the Hollywood film based on Neville Shute's seminal book, 'On the Beach,' a tale nuclear apocalypse and humanity's last surviving in her hometown of Melbourne, Australia.

Helen Caldicott live from Melbourne in the first half.

And; this week marks the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of JFK. The November issue of the Victoria Street Newz is marking that milestone with the first installment of an extensive, three part article written by long-time student of the Kennedy's killing and its aftermath, Gordon Pollard. Pollard is a former journalist and teacher who holds a Masters degree in History from Columbia University in New York City and Bachelors in History and English from the University of Victoria.

Gordon Pollard and the day that really changed everything in the second half.

And; Victoria Street Newz publisher and CFUV Radio broadcaster, Janine Bandcroft will join us at the bottom of the hour to bring us up to speed with some of what's good to do in and around our city. But first, Dr. Helen Caldicott and a nuclear peril undiminished.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Monday, 5-6pm Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca.  He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/

G-Radio is dedicated to social justice, the environment, community, and providing a forum for people and issues not covered in the corporate media.