Sir, - The distribution of iodine tablets to every household in the country is a useful exercise in one respect: it should remind us all of the real threat of a nuclear holocaust and that, every day, the time is drawing nearer when life will perish from the earth and no child laugh or cry and no birds sing.
This is not scaremongering. It is flying in the face of the facts of history to deny that, when we have weapons of mass destruction, it is only a matter of time before we use them. When this "unthinkable" becomes a reality, past, present and future will fuse in an instant before time itself is obliterated. In the meantime, we either "keep taking the tablets" or banish nuclear weapons and the reasons for using them from the earth.
The assumption, of course, is that this is an impossible aspiration. But unless we do achieve it, continued life will be impossible. The Government may have the best of prophylactic intentions in distributing the iodine tablets. It is, however, a bit like distributing sun block in anticipation of the sun hurtling towards the earth or the earth hurtling towards the sun. In that apocalyptic event, we would at least have the Job's comfort of knowing we were not to blame, that it was unavoidable. The apocalypse for which we are being equipped with iodine tablets is avoidable and we will all share the blame for it if it is not avoided. If we do not do all we can to avoid it, we forfeit the right to profess any love for life.
What can we do? We should return the iodine tablets to our Government. We might say thank you, but we should emphatically state: "This will not do." We should then insist, and keep insisting at every opportunity, that our Government insist, and keep insisting at every opportunity, that the whole question of the avoidable causes and unavoidable consequences of nuclear armament be put to the top of every national and international agenda until it is resolved.
Sounds far-fetched? No more far-fetched than the silly notion that our species, or any other species, can survive anywhere unless there is nuclear disarmament everywhere. - Yours, etc.,
BRIAN McGRATH,
Silver Pines,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.