[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 14 (Wednesday, February 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E106]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO THE BULLETIN OF THE ATOMIC SCIENTISTS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 8, 2006

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, as we face a world troubled by nuclear 
proliferation, weapons of mass destruction, potential pandemics, 
terrorism, space-based weaponry, and our own concern about our nation's 
ability to maintain its competitiveness in a changing world, it is 
important that we consider this resolution commending the Bulletin of 
the Atomic Scientists on the 60th year of its publication, whose 
mission to educate citizens and raise awareness on global security news 
and analysis as well as the appropriate roles of nuclear technology. 
That is why today I am introducing along with the Gentlemen from 
Massachusetts, Representative Edward Markey, a resolution commending 
the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists for its 60 years of service to 
our nation and to the world.
  Sixty years ago, a group of Manhattan Project scientists, who worked 
to create the first nuclear bombs on the mesas of Los Alamos, New 
Mexico, published the first issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic 
Scientists, to translate the realities made possible by the atomic 
bomb. Members of this early group include Hans Bethe, Albert Einstein, 
and J. Robert Oppenheimer, and the Bulletin continues to bring together 
some of the best minds in science and global security to provide 
unbiased, non-technical yet scientifically sound information critical 
to our survival today.
  The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists additionally created a visual 
representation of the humanity's potential for global destruction. It 
is the Doomsday Clock, ticking towards midnight, with midnight 
representing doomsday. The movement of the clock's hand is determined 
by the Bulletin's Board of Directors and Sponsors, a group of 
individuals who have worked on this issue for decades and include Nobel 
Prize winners, analysts, and others who have served in policy making 
decisions in both Democratic and Republican administrations.
  The Doomsday Clock has moved forward and back 17 times in its 58 
years of existence. Its last move was on February 27, 2002, and the 
clock now resides at 7 minutes to midnight, which is where the clock 
debuted in 1947.
  The ``Keepers of the Clock'' stated on this last move, ``Moving the 
clock's hands at this time reflects our growing concern that the 
international community has hit the ``snooze'' button rather than 
respond to the alarm.''
  It is now time to start waking up, and we take the lead in making the 
world safer, cleaner, and sustainable for our children, our 
grandchildren, and the generations to follow. This is the legacy that 
we must strive for in each action that we take.

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