One of the most important political topics our generation will have to face is nuclear weapons. During history class a vivid picture of the aftermath of a nuclear war was painted including total death and destruction. After hearing about fallout radiation and nuclear winter, even the strongest supporters of nuclear weapons must admit that it is almost impossible to win a nuclear war.

Though these weapons have the potential to devastate, I feel that they are not a sin, but a blessing. Before the invention of nuclear weapons, there had never been a single tool which had the possibility of stopping an entire war. It is not by mistake that there has been no major war in 45 years, for no country wants to face the possibility of destroying an entire planet. And if that country had defeated their opponent, there would be little left of a planet for its citizens.

I agree with General Bernard Roger's view in Newsweek who says, "Our mission is to deter war, not to fight one. The Soviets may doubt we'll resort to the first use of nuclear weapons, but they can't be sure, and uncertainty is essential in our equation." Rogers concludes, "What has kept the peace is the nuclear weapon. You've got to have those tools to make deterrence credible." (U.S. News & World Report, 6/22/87 p.22)

This is not to say that nuclear weapons are without problems. There is always the potential for an accident. I feel a bigger danger is the possibility of a religiously fanatical third-world nation or group acquiring nuclear capability. We must concentrate our energy to prevent this from happening. Since some of these people feel that killing their enemies is a direct route to heaven, they would be the type of people to use these weapons. A prime target for some of these nations would be the United States.

I maintain that the nuclear weapon can be used as peace-making tool if it is kept in responsible hands. To accomplish this, we need to work closely with both our allies and the Soviet Union to keep these weapons among rational and responsible countries. n