Ban Nuclear Weapons

World War II (when there was one nuclear armed nation) and the Cold War (when there were two nations armed with nuclear weapons and pledged to mutual assured destruction, "MAD") are now history. Here is the current status of nuclear weapons: 4,400 active nuclear warheads owned by 8 nations. Five of these (France, China, United Kingdom, Russia and United States) are signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in which they pledged to work toward the elimination of these weapons. Three nuclear-armed nations are not covered by the NPT (Israel, India and Pakistan). Other nations are suspected to be acquiring nuclear weapons (North Korea, Iran). Also, there are terrorists who might like to have a nuclear weapon in their arsenel. It is time to forever ban (not just limit the number) the possession of nuclear weapons. Use of tactical (tiny) nuclear weapons or strategic (big) nuclear weapons in a regional conflict have unimaginable consequences...and yet military strategists in each of the nuclear nations have scenarios for just such use. President Obama has stated his desire to eliminate nuclear weapons and he has just been given another 4 years to govern. Let's support him in convening a treaty-writing conference to eliminate all nuclear weapons with ENFORCEABLE inspection and verification by a strengthened United Nations body.