Editor,
I've been reading articles in New Mexico and out-of-state newspapers concerning the insistence of this administration that Iran, North Korea and other Third World countries not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons programs. They say it would threaten our security.
Other countries that presently have their own nuclear weapons programs are supporting them. I thought we were on the right track back in 1992 when the United States and Russia had agreed to reduce their nuclear weapons arsenal, which was being done under the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Unfortunately, a new administration came into office that unilaterally decided that this was not in the best interest of this country.
According to the New Mexico Nuclear Watch newsletter, the Department of Energy, prodded by the military and corporate warmongers, has been making every effort to convince Congress to allow the department to improve our nuclear weapons under the guise of building smaller nuclear bombs.
Their rationale is that the bunker-busting mini-nukes would detonate below ground and reduce the amount of external damage. This is definitely not acceptable, since we would still be left with the long-term nuclear radiation after-effects.
With this kind of thinking by our administration, how can we in good conscience demand that all Third World countries desist from trying to develop their own programs? What about the security of the Third World countries? Don't they have a right to do the same thing we are doing? It's all right for the big boys or bullies to have them so they can keep all Third World countries subservient to their whims, but isn't it all right for the Third World countries or weaklings to have them to defend themselves? Just where is the justice and equity in this type of behavior? Whatever happened to leading by example?
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Personally, I think the United Nations should take a stronger stance in the matter of all forms of nuclear weapons. The United Nations should insist that all countries rid themselves of all nuclear weapons. And, since we seemed to be so concerned about other countries developing nuclear weapons programs, we should support such an endeavor and start leading by example by systematically getting rid of our nuclear arsenal. We must keep in mind that in case of a nuclear war, nobody wins - the damage to our world would be unfathomable.
We have plenty of other devastating non-nuclear weaponry that we can use, should we choose to do so. For my part, I would very much like to see my children and grandchildren grow up and live in a nuclear-weapons-free world. I just hope someone is listening.
Nahum Castillo
Daily Lobo reader
