Political satirist Ira Shorr will visit the University for the first time Sunday evening to discuss nuclear weapons and national security in light of the hurricane disasters that struck the United States this year.
Shorr, the national field director of Physicians for Social Responsibility, will come from Washington, D.C., to speak and conduct workshops in varied Oregon locations this week. His talk, at 7 p.m. in Columbia 150, will be “entertaining, informative, engaging and exciting,” he said.
University Health Center doctor Paul Kaplan said three physicians in the health center are active members of PSR, along with more than 100 members in Lane County and the surrounding areas. He’s seen Shorr speak in the past and he’s “really funny,” he said.
Shorr said in a telephone interview that he plans to explore lessons that can be learned from the two major hurricanes the United States experienced in the last year and what the ensuing tragedies mean to national security.
He will focus on three security areas: the danger of terrorists acquiring nuclear weapons and potentially using them against the United States or another country; U.S. nuclear weapons policy and how it might be contributing to the proliferation of nuclear weapons; and, finally, the situation in Iraq and how it impacts security.
He said he will also discuss how global warming affects national security.
“There are many who are saying that (the hurricanes) are just a sign of what kind of things may be in our future,” Shorr said. “I think that students have concerns about the direction of our country and I’d like to have a dialogue with them at the University and see what they think about the policies our political leaders are supporting.”
Shorr said this is a critical time for him to visit Oregon because there is a possibility for a vote this month in the Senate on funding for a new nuclear bunker buster weapon, and Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., has supported it in the past.
PSR has been successful in cutting nuclear funding in the past, but it’s hard to see an impact right now because President Bush’s administration is pro-nuclear weapons and it’s hard to turn an entire administration around, he said.
He said community education from groups like his helps to erode support for nuclear weapons. PSR has been working for more than 20 years to educate people on the dangers of nuclear weapons and war, he said. Over the last couple of years PSR has managed to eliminate some nuclear weapons programs funding.
Its international affiliate won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985 for work that PSR was also involved with, Shorr said.
Shorr said PSR is also involved in lawsuits attempting to tighten regulations on pollutants released from energy use.
He said he also plans to talk about how citizens can work together to ensure more competent politicians and political leaders are in power.
Shorr obtained his bachelor’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey and has since been a professional peace and anti-nuclear weapons activist. He has performed as an actor and political satirist. He has also written several screen plays and hosted a radio talk show in Florida.
He will be visiting Portland, Corvallis, Albany and Bend during his Oregon tour.
PSR’s Oregon chapter Director Angela Crowley-Koch said PSR members in Portland are currently educating health care providers about environmental health issues. Her office worked with Beyond War in Eugene to bring Shorr to the University.

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