Dear Editor:

Six months ago, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists advanced the Doomsday Clock because of the Ukraine war. The clock attempts to quantify the risk of nuclear war and the “End of the World.” It was advanced to 90 seconds to midnight, the closest to nuclear war it has ever been. 

Since then, the West has been pouring arms into the conflict with more and more advanced and lethal weapons. Jet fighters, anti-aircraft, anti-tank, drones, cluster bombs and other weapons have now spread the conflict, first into the Baltic Sea, and now, attacks inside of Russia, even to Moscow. We are helping Ukraine both defensively and offensively with the use of our satellites.

Putin is threatening to use nuclear weapons. Not content with one war, we are now engaging China with authorizations of arm shipments to Taiwan and are driving Russia and China together. Now, as allies, they are matching the West's escalation. Our leaders are stumbling and bumbling the world towards a vastly escalated conflict.

We may have the most inept and corrupt government in our history. We are spending huge resources (time, personnel and money) into political investigations and Soviet-style “show trials” while the unthinkable is happening. We are watching our leaders sleepwalking towards the next world war.

It is time for “We the People '' to tell Washington to wake up, pay attention, do their job, and de-escalate this latest unwinnable war before we start World War III.

Joe Grant

Wiscasset