Nuclear Power

Back on December 2, 1942, in Chicago, man first initiated a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction, and controlled it.

July 16, 1945, the first (manmade) nuclear explosion in history took place in New Mexico, at the Alamogordo Test Range, on the Jornada del Muerto (Journey of Death) desert -in the test named “Trinity.”

On August 6 and 9, 1945, the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed by the United States, with the first atomic bombs ever used in warfare.

Since then, many countries have developed nuclear power for both weapons and for more positive purposes, such as to produce electricity. Thankfully, nuclear weapons are not being used –due to their devastating powers. Such weapons do exist in great numbers, however.

The fear that someone may once again use nuclear weapons is as great now as it has ever been. With countries such as North Korea and more recently, Iran, now having achieved the technology, the more developed countries who already possess this power, are still trying to keep the others from obtaining it.

How can the USA or any country, tell another country that it cannot have something that it (the USA) has had for more than 60 years? How can this be controlled, and who are we to decide this?

Perhaps the plan-of-action needs to start with the assumption that other countries will have nuclear technology. Maybe prevention is not possible, without starting more wars. Can we, after acknowledging that all will soon have nuclear capability, try to find diplomatic ways to keep it from ever being deployed?

While you might not like the idea that someone else has such a devastating weapon, perhaps you can’t prevent it from eventually happening.

Now… assuming that we can’t pick and choose which countries will or will not have nuclear power, we, as a nation, and as a world community, should decide how best to proceed.