Project 3, Polished Draft

  This is my project 3 polish draft. I tried my best to include some strong points on why nuclear weapons are a good tool to have. I also tried my best to come to an agreement with the opposing side and also included some of the bad things about nukes to try to give my readers the option to pick for themselves if they are with or agents' nukes. 

Nuclear Devastation: Bad Idea 

On August 9th, 1944, the U.S. dropped a nuke on Nagasaki soon after Hiroshima was hit. The buildings were turned to dust; People were vaporized like in a cartoon leaving behind a dark silhouette. Some of the survivors had chemical-like burns all around their bodies almost as if they were mutated or melted. But the city itself was just a disaster, if I had to compare the way it looked to something, I would compare it to the zombie apocalypse. After the bombing, Pure terror struck the world leaving everybody scared and in shock seeing the effects of the new U.S. weapon at the time. (Richard) Soon after the opposing countries including the United States went into a nuclear arms race fighting for supremacy. Because of this selfish act between our countries, people live in fear of a nuclear war. No one wants what happened in Japan to happen again. Even though nuclear weapons are dangerous, I believe they are without a doubt one of the best tools that the U.S. military can have, simply because other countries will think twice before starting a fight with us knowing we have nuclear power. We also have nuclear power plants that we created to help create energy.  

Believe it or not, making a nuclear bomb is not hard but the most difficult part of the process is gathering the materials needed. The main materials are fissile elements like uranium and plutonium. Scientists use neutrons to split the nucleus of the uranium by shooting a neutron. (Stuart) These are called fission fragments. Once the neutrons are shot and hit another nucleus after the fragment fission, the bomb is caused to explode. On July sixteen, 1945, the first nuclear bomb was created/tested in New Mexico. A couple of weeks later the United States dropped a nuke called Little Boy on Hiroshima. Then on August ninth, 1945, the United States dropped the second bomb on Nagasaki was called the Fat Boy.  

Both attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed between 100,000 and 200,000. (Tharoor) It is hard the say because the explosion was not the only thing that killed people. Using nuclear bombs comes with a deadly environmental price. The explosion does not just destroy everything it leaves the area radioactive. Because of the radiation survivors suffered from leukemia and cancer-killing people for years. Seeing how the nukes affected the two cities in Japan, the world grew scared and felt the anxiety to know that our enemies also have that power know. We also know that because of the nuclear bombing World War two came to an end saving possibly millions of peoples throughout the war.  

Soon after World War two, the race began to see who would come on top and have the most nuclear power in their country's arsenal. Because of this everyone lived in fear knowing that the governments had the power to obliterate anything they want. Especially knowing that there is a chance that terrorist groups can get a hold of one and then use it as agents to anyone they chose. Let us say we go into a nuclear war because we got Russa mad, and they sent a nuke, so we retaliated with a bigger one and this kept going and other allied countries joined. This can easily end life on earth as we know it. We do not have a lot of experience with the effects of nukes since we agreed to a world tidy where we are not allowed to test them. The nukes would not just kill in the explosion but also leave a dangerous after effect killing more people creating the world's first nuclear holocaust. This is when nuclear deterrence comes into play. Because everyone is scared of the nuclear bomb and what it can do, it makes countries think twice before attacking another country. Preventing unnecessary fights between countries is probably the best use for nuclear weapons.  

The organization NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was created in 1949 by the United States and several western European nations to agree and protect themselves from other enemies like the Soviet Union. (Anderson) One of the main purposes of NATO is arms control meaning they want to rid the world of the use of dangerous weapons like our nuclear weapons or at least lower the numbers of how many we can have. One thing they accomplished that I would say is very smart is that no country can place nuclear missiles in space. The reason behind this is that it would make it easier for the enemy to directly attack anyone they please. As long as nuclear weapons exist then NATO will remain. (Anderson)  

Thanks to the help of American construction company Bechtel, we achieved the goal of ridding the world of some “weapons of mass destruction.” (Big) They plan to have more control and worldwide safety after seeing how dangerous the nukes are in the cold war. They help with dismantling 176 intercontinental ballistic missile silos and 17 launch control centers. (Big) This might not be a substantial change, but something is better than nothing. But in reality, this disarmament is nothing compared to the amount we still have.  

According to our Department of Defense, we are able to attack with nukes from land, sea, and air. On land, there are always about 10,000 people (about the seating capacity of Cameron basketball stadium at Duke University) with four hundred LGM-30G ballistic missiles ready for combat. (America's) LGM-30G is the most commonly used because it is reliable. In the sea, we have some of the stealthiest submarines called the Ohio-class Ballistic Missile Submarines – SSBN. (America's) Because of the way they are designed it makes it impossible to find. Currently, we have Fourteen SSBN but in early 2030 we plan to replace them with The Columbia-class SSBN program. (America's) Each submarine can carry up to twenty ballistic missiles with “independently targeted warheads.” In our air, we have, forty-six nuclear-capable B-52H Stratofortress and twenty B-2A Spirit planes. (America's) The B-52 can also carry nuclear, or precision-guided conventional weapons. (America's) The B-52 is expected to be in service beyond the year 2040. (America's) Then we have our B-2 Spirit which is a multirole combat stealth bomber. These are just some of the 13,000-military combat aircraft in our arsenal. (America's)  

Currently, if we count all the nuclear warheads in the world the number is Routley 13,100. As of the year, 2020 Russa has the lead with a total of 6,375 nuclear warheads followed closely by the United States with just 575 fewer. (Uhler). Now why in the world would a country need 6,000+ nuclear warheads. The simple answer is greed. Everyone was so desperate to have the upper hand in their opponents. But it is safe to say that no one would want to attack a county with that much nuclear power. The advantages that come from owning nuclear power are not just physical but also mental.  

Another way people use nuclear power is in power plants. The way this works is that it boils water to create steam converting it into energy. People who are not informed and just hear the name nuclear power plant will have safety concerns but in reality, they are one of the cleanest and efficient ways to produce electricity. About 10% of the world is now powered by nuclear power with just 440 reactors. In the United States, 20% of the energy comes from reactors. Because the reactors use nuclear power a terrorist group can use this agent us. If they target the reactors, they can cause them to explode killing people and releasing toxins into the air. The same thing with the after-effect from a nuclear bomb explosion people who work in these plants run the risk of getting caser and other side effects.  

Another big problem that nuclear power plants face is that they create nuclear waste and nowhere to dispose of it. All the waste containers are put through a crazy test like being hit with a train, dropped from a helicopter, and doused in jet fuel. They have to make sure that they pass every test in order to make sure it is safe. Most of the nuclear waste bends are put in the ground for thousands of years. That is why it is so important to test the containers just in case of an earthquake. We also have to make sure there are no accidents in the power plans just like Homer Jay Simpson. Any little accident in the power plant can be very deadly. Currently, the state of Arkansas has a nuclear power plant called Nuclear One. If this power plant were to explode it would immediately kill everyone in a ten-mile radius. People in the ten-to-twenty-five-mile radios will be affected by the radios and most likely die of sickness. In the twenty-five to fifty miles, people will just experience light symptoms like vomiting, headaches, and other stuff. (Thompson) 

Back to nuclear weapons, A reason why we should keep our nuclear power is that we have an unforetold future with unexpected dangers. For example, if a big meteor is heading towards earth, we would need something strong/powerful and big to help destroy it or we will be killed just like the dinosaurs. If only they had nukes to protect themselves. Another splendid example is if earth comes to an end which will one day nuclear weapons have the potential to help turn mars into the earth we know. (Lockett) The one and only Elon Musk gave is a scenario where we make the planet Mars habitable by nuking the north and south poles. By doing so the nuclear explosions will melt the ice caps releasing a huge amount of water vapor into the air making CO2. This will cause a greenhouse effect causing the planet to heat up and terraforming the planet into the earth. The next step is to plant some plants, trees anything that helps convert CO2 into the loving oxygen that we need to live. (Lockett) There are just so many things that can happen in the future that we can find a use nuclear weapon for. Also, a great scenario to think about is if one day we are invaded by some unfriendly/unwanted outer space neighbors what do we use if they are millions of years ahead of us with better technology and weapons. Key work nukes. If they bring a mother ship a nuclear missile might be our best option. We can use sci-fi movies as a tool on how to use nukes in case something like an alien invasion or Godzilla rising from the ocean to fight a three-headed hydra dragon happens. Even though some of these scenarios might never happen it does not mean we cannot have a plan. Zombies are not real, but the Pentagon sure does have a plan in case one they manage to appear so why not include nukes to prevent the unforeseen realistic or unrealistic problems we might have. 

Even though we might stand on a different point of view when it comes to getting rid of nuclear power completely, I must strongly disagree. I am willing to compromise and met in the middle and say that we should have a limit and stop the creation of new/ more powerful nuclear warheads since we are not able to test on them. This is because we will not know the ramifications that will come from them. Also, even though nukes are dangerous, the main effect that comes from owning nukes is the nuclear deterrence that has other countries think twice before attacking us. Therefore, nuclear weapons are hands down one of the best tools that the U.S. military can have in its arsenal. Then there is the electrical help from our nuclear power plants. Even though the power plants can be a target for our enemies, that does not take away how beneficial it is to have them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work Cited Pages 

Anderson, Matthew P. "NATO Nuclear Deterrence: The Warsaw Summit and Beyond." Connections: The Quarterly Journal, vol. 15, no. 4, 2016, pp. 5-30. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.uaptc.idm.oclc.org/scholarly-journals/nato-nuclear-deterrence-warsaw-summit-beyond/docview/1872195549/se-2?accountid=39906, doi:http://dx.doi.org.uaptc.idm.oclc.org/10.11610/Connections.15.4.01. Accessed 12 Apr. 2021. 

 

“America's Nuclear Triad.” U.S. Department of Defense, www.defense.gov/Experience/Americas-Nuclear-Triad/. Accessed 12 Apr. 2021. 

 

"Big Nukes Out, Tiny Nukes in: An Illustrated Weekly Review of the Mechanical Press of the World." Popular Mechanics, vol. 181, no. 3, 03, 2004, pp. 24. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.uaptc.idm.oclc.org/magazines/big-nukes-out-tiny/docview/216791372/se-2?accountid=39906. Accessed 12 Apr. 2021. 

 

 

Lockett, Will. “Is Elon Musk Right? Should We Nuke Mars? - Predict.” Medium, 28 Oct. 2020, medium.com/predict/is-elon-musk-right-should-we-nuke-mars-1cec8b6093af. Accessed 12 Apr. 2021. 

 

 

Richard Scheinin KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS. "Learning to Live with the Bomb we Watch Godzilla Movies, `nuke' our Food and Wear Bikinis" Toronto Star, Aug 04, 1995. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.uaptc.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/learning-live-with-bomb-we-watch-godzilla-movies/docview/437296592/se-2?accountid=39906. Accessed 12 Apr. 2021.  

 

 

Stuart, Gary. How do Nuclear Reactors Work. Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Ultimo, 2011. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.uaptc.idm.oclc.org/other-sources/how-do-nuclear-reactors-work/docview/908514424/se-2?accountid=39906. Accessed 12 Apr. 2021. 

 

Tharoor, Ishaan. Hiroshima Bombing was Japan's Fault, Says Chinese State Media: China is Unmoved by President Obama's Visit to the Japanese City. WP Company LLC d/b/a The Washington Post, Washington, 2016. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/blogs-podcasts-websites/hiroshima-bombing-was-japans-fault-says-chinese/docview/1792114809/se-2?accountid=39906. Accessed 12 Apr. 2021. 

 

 

Thompson, Sarah. “What Happens to Arkansas If Nuclear One Melts Down?” Medium, 4 June 2018, medium.com/@sarahtcommunications/what-happens-to-arkansas-if-nuclear-one-melts-down-6efb4d13ea4e. Accessed 12 Apr. 2021. 

 

 

Uhler, Walter C. "U.S. Addicted to Nuclear Weapons since Hiroshima, Nagasaki." CCPA Monitor, vol. 14, no. 9, 03, 2008, pp. 40-42. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.uaptc.idm.oclc.org/magazines/u-s-addicted-nuclear-weapons-since-hiroshima/docview/215635243/se-2?accountid=39906. Accessed 12 Apr. 2021.