Science: Nuclear Weapons

What is it?

While nuclear weapons render America with extraordinary power (enough to blow up the world several times over), the testing involved and the power struggle over them is very high-risk. The uranium used in nuclear weapons is highly dangerous, and being radioactive, the after affects of the bomb may include civilian casualties from radiation exposure. In fact, many people have died from bombs in the past, including those in Hiroshima and Nagasaki who were often mutated, sterile, diseased, cancerous, or killed from radiation poisoning. Radiation Poisoning is caused by the decaying alpha, beta, and gamma particles released by the bomb destroying white blood cells and organic tissue.


What do I think?


I think nuclear weapons create a special kind of respect—and not a good kind. They create respect out of fear, and while opposing countries might bow to their threat right now, it’s not something we should hang over their heads. It’s going to cause a grudge that will come back to haunt us. While totally eliminating nuclear weapons right now might not be the best idea, there are easier ways of negotiating deals than keeping the threat of, “We can blow you up if you don’t agree,” over their heads. Not to mention there are scarier things out there, like biological warfare which could leave a country either dead of dying painfully in its wake. After Nagasaki and Hiroshima, we should have seen enough to dispose of the rest of the nuclear weapons.

What do they think?

McCain says “It is naïve to think we will never use nuclear weapons.” He believe they will be necessary in keeping rouge nations like Iran and North Korea which also have nuclear weapons and can attack us with them. He points out that without them, we are defenseless and it puts our troops over seas in greater danger.

Obama believes that we should try to eliminate all nuclear weapons to get rid of the possibility of a nuclear war. Not only should we get other threatening countries like Russia, Iran, and North Korea to do the same, but we should eliminate our own “stockpiles”, which reduces our threat, encourages others to follow, and lowers the amount of tax dollars used to maintain and update this expensive project.