] The Senate agreed Tuesday to lift a 10-year-old ban on
] the research and development of low-yield nuclear
] weapons. The vote was a boost to the Bush
] administration's goal of expanding the U.S. nuclear
] arsenal.
]
] The Senate voted 51-43 to table and thus kill
] an amendment to keep the ban in place.
]
] The ban prohibits the research and development of nuclear
] weapons with an explosive force of 5 kilotons of less.
] That is one-third the power of the nuclear bomb used at
] Hiroshima in August 1945.
]
] "Don't think low-yield, think small apocalypse," said
] Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. "There is no military need today.
] What we do here will be emulated by other countries. That
] is the nature of world leadership."
]
] But Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., said the ban means
] scientists cannot even start developing new weapons.
]
] "With many of the new and emerging threats in the world,
] we cannot afford to be ill-prepared," he said.

Why? Why why WHY?? Why are we trying to develop more nuclear weapons? "low yield" weapons are not needed - the recently developed MOAB is as powerful as a low yield nuke, and doesn't have the fallout associated with it - either nuclear OR political fallout. If we use a tactical nuke in battle, thats a "green light" for every rogue nation to use them, and then all hell breaks loose. We need to keep the nuclear genie in the bottle where it belongs.

Laughing Boy

Senate OKs ending ban on nuclear research