The US Empire Is Nuke-Mad

Everything grows old. I’m told one day the stars and planets will turn to dust. So I suppose it’s no surprise that America’s arsenal of nuclear weapons is also showing signs of advancing age, and may have to be replaced.

One would think that the growing decrepitude of our  nukes would be a fine time to dismantle and junk these horrible weapons. President Barack Obama has fulsomely preached for the past seven years on the need to get ride of the nukes. Very nice.

Yet once away from the microphones, Obama  has let the military-industrial-financial complex generate plans to refresh and update the US nuclear arsenal in a massive project estimated to cost  at least $1 trillion.    

Russia has a powerful triad of air, sea and ground-launched nuclear missiles. Some are being modernized. Moscow has made clear that given its sharp reduction in land forces, increasingly reliance will be placed on strategic and tactical nuclear forces. This important new policy should cause Washington to think twice about its current dangerous policy of putting  a military squeeze on Russia in Ukraine, Crimea, the Baltic and Black Seas.

China is also slowly developing its nuclear forces, but they remain  modest for a world power and focused on deterring a foreign nuclear strike. So far, China appears only interested in its own region.

In short, neither Russia nor China has tipped the current nuclear balance of terror. Unfortunately, Washington’s updating its nuclear arsenal will likely cause them to upgrade their strategic nuclear forces.

The next US president will inherit this problem. Everyone says they hate nukes but we can’t seem to break the habit. Candidate Donald Trump rightly asked what the purpose of these weapons is, and was blasted for asking this proper question. The biased media keeps claiming Trump can’t be trusted with the red button. But it was Hillary Clinton that actually threatened to use them against Iran if it dared attack Israel.

Instead of debating transgender toilets, American voters should be demanding: `Mr. President/or Mrs. President, get rid of our nukes!’

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