by Ed Kociela
 Nearly 62 years ago, the United States unleashed its nuclear muscle,
dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It was a nightmarish display of might.
Since then, cooler heads have prevailed, even through the Cold War and the
fine line walked during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
That is until now as the specter of a nuclear strike looms large over a
very unstable world.
The Times of London broke a story this week about Israeli plans to drop
tactical nukes on Iran's uranium enrichment facilities
at sites in
Natanz, Isfahan and Arak. Israeli pilots have apparently been conducting
training exercises based in Gibraltar to prepare for such an attack.
The New York Times reports that the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Council is moving
forward to build the nation's first new nuclear warhead in nearly 20 years called the Reliable Replacement Warhead.
Initially, the new nuke would be used to re-tip submarine missiles and
ensure, according to sources, that the nuclear arsenal remains robust.
A spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration said the
government would not proceed with the design and manufacture of the weapon
if testing is required. However, White House officials disagree. Robert
Joseph, under secretary of state for arms control and international
security, said the administration should make no comment on testing.
Meanwhile, representatives from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency
recently completed a tour of Las Vegas, St. George, Utah and Salt Lake
City, Utah, touting the safety and benefits of the Divine Strake test at
the Nevada Test Site, an explosion of 700 tons of ammonium nitrate and
fuel oil.
This test is widely believed to be a precursor to renewed nuclear testing
at the NTS, a place where today's nuclear arsenal was developed and
tested; a place littered with radioactive materials that have sat dormant
in the desert since 1992.
On the other hand, the United States is pulling out all the stops to bring
an end to nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran.
Explain that one, please.
You want a country to stop producing nuclear weapons. You sit down at the
table to discuss this and everybody knows that one of the cards on the
table is the death card - the one that holds the key to using your nukes
to take out theirs.
Why is it OK for the United States to hold that card?
Why is it not OK for Iran or North Korea to hold that card?
Don't you see, we all perceive the other guy, whoever he may be, as a
threat while we are the epitome of reason and calm.
It's arrogance at its highest level. It's intolerance at its lowest level.
It's trouble for all of us who happen to walk the Earth right now.
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