A couple of things bother me. One goes something like this. I have a fondness for cows. When I say something like, "it seems like a shame to kill them and eat them," somebody usually says, "No, that's what they're for." As much as I love hamburger/steak, something seems wrong in that statement. Before the Civil War, if somebody said, "it seems like a shame to have slaves" doesn't the answer, "no, that's what they're for" seem wrong? How do we really know what anything is for?
The other thing is the total nonchalance people seem to have concerning nuclear weapons. Not only are we saber-rattling about Iran and leaving all options on the table, but we continue to develop new nuclear weapons. It was bad enough, in my mind, to be using spent radioactive materials in munitions in Iraq, let alone developing new varieties. Israel, India, Pakistan all have nukes and surround Iran. Does it seem unreasonable for Iran to want a nuke too?
Unfortunately, the toys involved in this game contain the state of the art of destruction. They are the culmination of centuries of hatred and negativity festered toward our fellow men. I read somewhere "when God allowed man to discover the secret of the atom, He started a clock ticking." This makes perfect sense to me. It is saying, "Time is running out. You must decide which way you want to go. You can live harmoniously together, or you can choose to annihilate yourselves, with hatred."
The only sane stance, in my mind, is for a nuclear-free Middle East, and a nuclear-free world for that matter. The time has come for mankind to make a quantum leap in decision making, leaving history and instinct behind. As difficult as it to make myself defenseless and vulnerable, it could be time to say, as the old hymn goes, "lay down my sword and shield ... I ain't gonna study war no more."
With the ability of total destruction that atomic weapons give us, it is time to say, "I will destroy my nuclear weapons. It was a mistake to build them, and I will refuse to use them. If you are so barbaric you feel you must attack me, go ahead. Kill and destroy. Enjoy the deformed, mutated world you leave. In the aftermath, I shall watch with pity from above, next to Jesus' throne."
Fred Dawson
Munday
