Doctor Recommended

U.S. Back in Nuclear Bomb-Making Business

A friend of mine pointed out that the Los Alamos National Laboratory created a plutonium trigger (pit) for the American military, the first time any agency has done this in the past 14 years. It is designed for the W-88 warhead, one used in submarine launched missiles. To date, approximately $350 million has been spent on development and the initial project is estimated at costing about $1.5 billion.

Does this strike anyone else as a double-standard? On one hand various politicians and pundits decry the manufacturing and development of such devices by Iraq and North Korea, but they themselves approve funding for the same projects.

Additionally, it should be noted that the only military to detonate an atomic bomb on an enemy is the American military. And incidentally, the targets: Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not strategic military targets. Throughout the war in the Pacific the American military purposely isolated several islands and cities from attack – they did not drop any munitions on Hiroshima and Nagasaki prior to August of 1945 so they could see the 'full effect' of a nuclear bomb. Because of this, many Japanese believed some sort of divine intervention protected these unscathed (virgin) areas. As a result, many women, children and elderly moved to the cities, to seek refuge from the carpet bombing of other regions.

On August 6th, that atomic bomb dubbed Little Boy, was dropped on Hiroshima killing an estimated 200,000 civilians, soldiers and Korean POWs. Three days later, Fat Man was dropped on Nagasaki, killing approximately 100,000 (Kyoto was the original target but Secretary of War, Henry Stimson replaced one city for the other).

If you believe this was necessary then you certainly have some explaining to do regarding other States threatening to do the same - using a nuclear bomb. I would also like to see information regarding the Iraqi military plans to attack the North American continent. To the best of my knowledge their camel brigades are unequipped with proper flotation devices which allow them to traverse the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans - nor could they launch an aerial attack on an American city.

In summation, the nuclear weapons programs created and maintained by State’s across the globe are unjustifiable. The costs associated with creating, developing and deploying the bombs require billions of dollars, all of which is obtained through force or the threat of force. And yes, the targets (such as “terrorists”) might be destroyed; however in the process the same weapons incinerate thousands of innocent civilians.

Posted by Tim at April 24, 2003 04:44 PM | TrackBack