29. Nuclear Arms Reduction: It is estimated that United States contains 10,000 nuclear warheads. The release of radioactive material should be prohibited in every country in the world. Treaties that unilaterally reduce nuclear arms should be put forward. Currently the United States has a written agreement to reduce our stockpiles of nuclear weapons to 6,000 by 2012, this policy must be followed.
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“On May 23rd 2002 Presidents Bush and Putin signed the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty between the US and the Russia. Hailed by the Americans as marking a 'new-era' in relations between the two countries, it commits them both to reduce their current arsenals of strategic nuclear warheads from around 6000 each down to between 1700 and 2200 each by 2012 (US Dept of State, 2002).” (Parkinson, 2003) Regardless of which party follows and which party does not, the United States must follow this mandate and reduce the numbers of nuclear warheads. United States of America should be the one that sets the example or leads by example, rather than point to the other side and pout; they didn’t do it so we don’t have to either. This argument doesn’t work in the school yard and shouldn’t work for our government either.
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The total number of US nuclear warheads is unknown to me. If you search the web, you will find all kinds of numbers. It is up to the government to disclose the extent of our nuclear stockpiles, but with these days of shredding government integrity, doubt will always remain with any number they would cite. I do not feel assured that our government knows how many warheads we have or that we know were each of them is located. After all, we have accidently shipped a few to Vietnam during Bush Jr. Administration.
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Nuclear disarmament treaties should not be based on numbers of warheads but yield of warheads. A megaton nuclear warhead is like hitting a nail with a mountain.
Comments (7)
I mean this is a nice concept. But in practice it is rediculous. How to make it happen? Who enforces it? Who administers punitive... for not complying? Only God and he aint talking much.
Nuclear arms reduction only requires one side to say, hey we will lead by example. We will disclose the extent of our nuclear arms and we will disarm them. Every time an atmospheric detonation takes place, everyone in the world looses. In nuclear war, everyone looses, just those who are not directly hit takes longer to die. Radiation is the unseen death, as those people who live on Iraq and Afghanistan are finding out. We have used thousands of tons of Depleted Uranium munitions on them, and they are experiencing high rates of birth defects and cancer, now and for years to come.
Very Kumbaya! So we lead the way in disarmament without a system to ensure the other guys involved also disarm. We will find out within 5 minutes of the press conference announcing our final disarmament how effective a leader we WERE. I say WERE because within 30 minutes, this country would be a nuclear wasteland.
You need a serious dose of reality kdtroxel!
I await a president or congressman who stands up and says “We are safe, we have nothing to fear, and we don’t need stockpiles of armaments to feel safe. Public funds should be spent on public needs and not for imperialistic ambitions.” Do you think this can happen in our lifetime?
This idea really isn't that different from gun ownership rights.
kdtroxel wants us to "lead by example"... except that no one will follow. Our country (that everyone seems to hate because we were successful with self-government and capitalism) will be like those places that ban concealed-carry...
"We're unarmed here!"
Yeah... I'd sure feel safer! /sarc
Fear is the preachers pride and main staple. Nuclear weapons are civilization destroyers. Gun ownership is constitutionally protected right, a right I will defend with my life. I have many friends from dysfunctional families whose only means of making ends meet is deer hunting. In Iowa, here the deer grow large and during rutting season become very dangerous on the roads. There should be no place on this earth were nuclear weapons should exist for they will always that temptation to use one, that shortness of logic and reason that pushes the mind to accept the unacceptable.
"An armed society is a polite society."
Just because I give up my weapon doesn't mean that my neighbor will give up his.
Ignorance of basic human nature is the pride of liberals.