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NUCLEAR

WEAPONS ANDNUCLEAR

POWER

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Laurie Dobson’s Responses………………………………...……….3

Herb Hoffman’s Responses………………………………………….6

Tom Ledue’s Responses………………………………………….….7

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1.  Do you support the research and/or development of new U.S.

nuclear weapons? No, I think research should go into thedevelopment of energy which does not enhance nuclear weaponsproduction. That said, I do think there is a future for safe methods of

non-weapon style production of energy, such as pebble-bednuclear technology. I do not think we should eliminate research for 

this type of scientific endeavor but we should strongly support the

research which will contribute to the advancement of energyprojects worldwide. This signals our peaceful intent--that we will

share energy-production research endeavors and the conclusionsgenerated by such study. There can be specific encouragement of

renewable energy development but we must look at the long term

consequences of such study and their environmental impacts. 2.  Do you support the elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide? Yes.

I emphatically do support the elimination of nuclear weapons.We must provide deterrents. Look at the current treaties and

pacts emerging in the developing countries: Russia, India,China, and Japan. We must work to actively participate in the

development, by peaceful means, of the countries of the

world and work to advance their sovereignty, not work tosuppress them. Nuclear weaponry against any nation isabhorrent, and considering its use against smaller countries we

vastly overpower is unacceptable, ineffective and inhumane. Idisagree with the massive retaliation proposal modeled by

Clinton and believe there is a better way as I have articulatedabove. 

3.  Would you vote to enforce the agreements of the Nuclear Non-

Proliferation Treaty, specifically in light of the U.S.-India Nuclear

Deal? Yes. India is now joining with Iran in contracts for oil, andso is Switzerland. These are emblematic of our failed policies.

We are not making the world safer by helping countries toadvance their nuclear weapons program. There must be

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another, better way and I believe it is through a program ofmutual advancement--sovereign countries working to

advance the interests of others. Such is true friendship, as ittruly models peaceful intent, and is the way the world is now

turning. This we must recognize and participate with, for it isthe world's hope for peace with which we must align ourselves 

4.  Would you vote to renew the funding for the Reliable ReplacementWarhead (RRW) program? No I am against expansion of our 

nuclear arsenal and believe we must work to draw down our nuclear weapon base. I think our country's hope is to build on

our diplomacy at all levels and to be a better world neighbor by creating and producing the kinds of goods needed by

other developing countries-- to partner with them to help themto develop, not to keep them underdeveloped. Threats areineffective methods of suppressing terrorism—they don’t

address the root cause, which I believe is the world's answer to

our attempts to control the progress of other nations. 

5.  Would you vote to enable the implementation of the Bush

Administration’s Complex Transformation plan? In this way liesdestruction. I believe as I stated above that we must find an

entirely different way of working in the world. The decliningdollar is a symptom of our failure to provide true worldleadership. I believe it shows our lack of understanding of how

to address the challenge we face in responding to the world

post-9/ll. 

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6.  Do you support the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Depository? No.

I believe we must not store our nuclear waste in one area,

which makes that site a concentration of dangerous materials.I think we must find a better method for storage of materialand work to end the source of the problem. This requires that

we do not enable inappropriate methods of control which willencourage future development of this method of self-defense. 

7.  Do you believe that nuclear power is a safe and viable energy

alternative to fossil fuels? Currently no, not sufficiently. There isthe potential with pebble-bed technology, however, and

research should continue. We must ensure the safety of any

energy policy which we plan to develop as a widespreadresponse to our energy requirements.

However, we face a true emergency in the ability to providethe means for our own energy needs and it takes a long time

to develop nuclear power so I think we must continue toactively explore the safe potential for this and other energy

sources. Research is vital. Conservation is key. 

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1.  Do you support the research and/or development of new U.S.

nuclear weapons? No. 2.  Do you support the elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide? Yes. 

3.  Would you vote to enforce the agreements of the Nuclear Non-

Proliferation Treaty, specifically in light of the U.S.-India Nuclear

Deal? Yes. 

4.  Would you vote to renew the funding for the Reliable Replacement

Warhead (RRW) program? No. 

5.  Would you vote to enable the implementation of the Bush

Administration’s Complex Transformation plan? No. I am for the

elimination of all nuclear weapons and a prohibition on thedevelopment of more weapons. 

6.  Do you support the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Depository? No,

but the problem of nuclear waste disposal for existing nuclear facilities must be solved. 

7.  Do you believe that nuclear power is a safe and viable energy

alternative to fossil fuels? No.

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1.  Do you support the research and/or development of new U.S.

nuclear weapons? No. We must work to send a message of

peace to all nations with our actions. How can we ask Iran notto build a bomb if we keep making them? 

2.  Do you support the elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide? Yes.

We must set this ideal and work towards it. 

3.  Would you vote to enforce the agreements of the Nuclear Non-

Proliferation Treaty, specifically in light of the U.S.-India Nuclear

Deal? Yes. We need a world with fewer nuclear weapons, not

more. If we want to improve our own security, we must strivefor non-proliferation. 

4.  Would you vote to renew the funding for the Reliable Replacement

Warhead (RRW) program? No. We must work toward a world

that has fewer and fewer nuclear weapons. This program

sends the wrong message to the world. How can we ask other countries not to develop nuclear weapons if we continue to

improve or develop more of our own? 

5.  Would you vote to enable the implementation of the Bush

Administration’s Complex Transformation plan? No. It deepens our 

commitment to nuclear weapons and costs, by someestimates, $150 Billion Dollars that will not be invested into the

great non-military needs of our country. It also sends the wrong

message to the rest of the world. 

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6.  Do you support the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Depository?

Yes. Yucca Mountain has some role in storing at least some of

our nuclear waste if it is deemed safe to do so. We must bewary of the risks of transporting nuclear waste around thenation and the long-term risks of storing nuclear waste

anywhere. 

7.  Do you believe that nuclear power is a safe and viable energyalternative to fossil fuels? No. Beyond the inherent safety and

nuclear proliferation issues, nuclear power cannot provide our communities with the long-term energy and economic security

that they need. We must invest in solar, wind, geothermal, andsea-based hydro-power. If these industries had received thesame support as the nuclear industry, we would be well on the

way to developing a green energy grid in this country and we

could be leading the world in that same direction to thebetterment of all.