Mike M: Morally speaking, who can deny the justice
of the statement of a young Iranian interviewed a
view months back on BBC who said, "If others are
allowed to have nuclear weapons, why not us?"
I can deny that! It's like saying, "If Serial
Killer X can eat babies, why can't I?" Nuclear
weapons are a problem, not an asset. They were a
problem from the moment they were first developed,
a curse. It extends the human capacity to destroy
so greatly that the only hope for our species is
to draw down our stockpiles of nuclear weapons.
And how can we draw down our weapons when every
theocratic shambles of a state or backwater
dictatorship claims an equal right to them?
The young Iranian should have asked, "If other
nations have freedom of assembly and speech, why
not us?" That would have been a meaningful
statement. Hi question, on the other hand, is
simply a thinly-veiled kvetch about not having
major military clout.
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