May 19, 2017   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

What Trump Should Do about the Russians, according to Physicians for Civil Defense

TUCSON, Ariz., May 19, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In all the recent discussions about Putin and the Russians, Americans need to remember the nature of the real threat from Russia, states Physicians for Civil Defense.

"This threat has been there since the end of World War II: nuclear warheads delivered by air or space," states Jane M. Orient, M.D. "Both the extent of the threat and the state of our defenses are worse."

The Soviet Union had the most formidable nuclear arsenal on earth, she states, and Putin is continuing to modernize it. Now there is a growing threat from China and an imminent one from Iran. North Korea could soon launch a missile capable of delivering a warhead that could shut down the U.S. electric grid with an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). Rogue states could attack population centers with a suitcase bomb.

"America has virtually no capacity to protect its people in the event of the 'unthinkable,'" Dr. Orient states, "not even the most basic knowledge. Instead, people are terrified of tiny doses of radiation."

President Trump could take immediate actions that would signal determination to defend our homeland and could save millions of lives. Physicians for Civil Defense recommends:

    --  Education: Social media and government websites could tell people to
        "drop and cover" if they see a bright flash, and explain how to shelter
        from radioactive fallout.
    --  Harden the electric grid against EMP: The transformers could not be
        replaced, perhaps for decades.
    --  Enable the distribution of expedient safe/not safe radiation monitors:
        Low-cost technology developed by the Dept. of Defense languishes.
        Protecting the manufacturer from threat of liability would enable rapid
        private distribution.
    --  Deploy fallout monitoring stations on important buildings: This is
        possible for less than $10,000. The White House and the Trump building
        in New York would be a good start.
    --  Diplomacy: The U.S. should avoid provocative action that could lead to
        accidental all-out war, as from confrontations with Russian warplanes in
        Syrian airspace. Open communication with world leaders is essential.
    --  Shore up American defenses: Are our air defenses around our capital and
        major cities better than on 9/11? Israel has an Iron Dome. The U.S. has
        no serious strategic missile defense of our homeland.

"While Congress and the press are preoccupied with speculation about how Russians might have tried to interfere in an election, the nation remains completely unprotected against an attack from a number of hostile sources," stated Dr. Orient. "Protecting our country--repairing decades of neglect--should be the President's first priority."

Physicians for Civil Defense distributes information to help to save lives in the event of war or other disaster.

Contact: Jane M. Orient, M.D., (520) 323-3110, janeorientmd@gmail.com

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SOURCE Physicians for Civil Defense