Atomic Bombs

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta recently announced that whereas Iran does not yet have a nuclear bomb, it is working on one, and this is unacceptable. Meanwhile, an Iranian is arrested in America and charged with planning to murder a Saudi Arabian diplomat, an American is sentenced to death in Iran for spying, and the Iranian government threatens to stop the flow of oil to Europe and America in retaliation for economic sanctions.

It appears that the Iranian government, whoever they really are, are quite belligerent. And we all know, or should know, that the United States was founded violently, grew and became great violently, and today behaves...violently.

Both countries have a long history of belligerency. Iran, after all, used to be the Persian Empire. Now it seems the two countries are spoiling for war with each other.

With regard to atomic bombs, we must remember that the United States invented the bomb, is the only nation to ever use the bomb, and has more bombs than all other countries combined.

It is difficult for Americans to look at their country the way the rest of the world does. What we consider to be our own virtuous behavior the rest of the world often sees as aggressive, imperialistic, and barbaric.

For the world to be sustainably peaceful, all nuclear bombs will have to be eliminated, not just Iran's.