Nuclear arms control is back in style. We’re told that the fewer nuclear arms there are in the world, the safer we will be. This assertion makes no reference whatsoever to the fact of in WHOSE possession those nuclear arms are. To suggest that it’s the total quantity of nuclear arms on earth that matters more than in WHOSE possession those weapons are is ludicrous. This is like saying that if the police force disarmed tomorrow, while criminals still kept and used weapons illegally, we’d still be better off–because by disarming the police, there will be fewer weapons in existence. Or, if the police signed an agreement with the criminals, who promised to destroy their weapons too, then all would be well. If the state and local police just held a gigantic bonfire, and destroyed all their weapons, we’d be safer because fewer weapons is better, regardless of who has them. Now, nobody anywhere will make this argument because it’s patently insane. Yet the most powerful man on earth right now, and all his associates, have decided that if a mostly peaceful government–the United States–destroys many or most of its nuclear weapons, then we can all sleep better at night, because there are at least fewer nuclear weapons on earth. If you believe this, then you deserve what you get, whenever the lie becomes exposed that others will destroy their weapons too. At least I’ll know I said something. If you agree with me–that is to say, if you’re remotely able and willing to think rationally–then you should say something, too. And sleep well.