What does your future hold?

When I daze out and think about the future, I normally drift to places that have flying cars, environmentally sustainable ideas and most definitely the ability to transport from one location to another. You know, no more long plane flights, just a quick zap, pop and “Aloha Maui!” While I love this image, a recent BBC article about the future of our nuclear arsenal has me a bit worried.

According to the article, the U.S. Air Force is trying to decide what to do with the nuclear weapons cache for the next fifty years. With the U.S. having a triad approach to defense (land, air and sea), as well as enough nukes to have more than third strike capability (the ability to nuke even if some of our weapons are targeted), the idea of where to set up our missile defense is becoming a concern. The current strategy is nearly a decade old, and the Air Force is apparently taking suggestions of where to place these missiles.

Currently our missiles are spread across three bases, one of which being in North Dakota, that are nearly the size of states. Two of the most prominent ideas for our new defense scheme is mobile nukes. One idea would be to create a single-track subway system with only one car loaded with missiles. It would move at random through the system, and be capable of firing from any point. This would keep our missiles safe and allow us to “defend” our country. The other idea is to have the missiles above ground on regular vehicles that are constantly in motion. The catch (besides a plethora of other catches) would be that these vehicles would most likely travel onto public road or land.

As a ranting, raving liberal, there are about a million issues this article brings up for me. As a lifestyle writer, what this article really invokes for the average citizen is the necessity of knowledge about our government’s actions. Be it wanting to make your vote count, or not fully trusting those in the oval office, the truth is that knowledge is power. We live in a country where information (hopefully truthful information) is readily available and education is a freedom. This is one instance where we must not take our freedom for granted. Don’t be left in the dark about actions our government takes in the name of freedom. 

Photo courtesy of Machos MAG