Resolved: The Possession and Use of Nuclear Weapons is Immoral

My opponent has given consent to the rules and regulations and it appears that he/she means for me to proceed with my arguments. On that incentive, let us begin...Atal Bihari Vajpayee, an former Indian Prime Minister, once stated that: "Our nuclear weapons are meant purely as a deterrent against nuclear adventure by an adversary." It is with this quote that I stand in opposition to the resolution, that the possession and use of nuclear weapons is immoral. Burden:As the negative, or con/against, in this round, it is my duty to disprove the resolution. I must show you, the voter/judge, that I have upheld my negation of the resolution as well. It is my opponent's onus, then, to prove that the use and the possession of nuclear weapons are both immoral. Definitions:Possession: "the condition of having or owning something" -Merriam-Webster.com [1]Nuclear Weapon(s): "an explosive device whose destruction potential derives form the release of energy that accompanies the splitting or combining of atomic nuclei." -Dictionary.reference.com [2]Immoral: "Contrary to established moral principles." yourdictionary.com [3] Throughout human history, the greatest nations on earth have valued national security above all other things. Having a safe country or state enables the citizens to work and play in peace. The United States should put national security foremost, so the our denizens can live without fear of attack from enemies. It is not immoral to value the lives of citizens by protecting them. Nuclear weapons promote my value in this round, national security, further explained in my first contention. Contention 1: Nuclear Weapons Promote National SecurityNuclear weapons came about as a result of a need for national security. In the fall of 1939, the Einstein-Szilard letter warned US president Franklin D. Roosevelt that Nazi Germany was designing a nuclear weapon with evil intent. In response, FDR formed a committee that would eventually develop the first atomic bomb. The Manhattan Project made it possible to protect the United States from the current world powers, Russia and Germany.I think we can agree that national security is not an immoral goal. In fact, national security should be our top goal. Therefore, to protect our national security we should use the most efficient methods, in this case, nuclear weapons. Contention 2: Thus Far, Use of Nuclear Weapons Has Not Resulted in ImmoralityThe only use of nuclear weapons in wartime were the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, near the end of the Second World War. Though these bombings were tragedies, they actually saved lives. If the US had been forced to continue its invasion of the Japanese home islands, nearly ever major city with military influence would of have to been bombed. This would have been much worse than only use nuclear weapons against two cities. In fact, in the Tokyo fire bombings alone, one-hundred and twenty thousand people perished. This just goes to show that if the USA had not used nuclear weapons, that the death tolls would have been much higher. Therefore, use of nuclear weapons has, thus far, not resulted in absolute immorality. The US saved both American and Japanese lives by bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Contention 3: Not Using Nuclear Weapons Results in ImmoralityAs I said above, the US's use of nuclear weapons resulted in no absolute immorality. But, if the US had not used nuclear weapons, hundreds of thousands of people would have died as a result of an invasion. Without use of nuclear weapons immorality would have occurred in the forms of the deaths of the citizens of Japan. The stockpiling of nuclear weapons around the world has prevent any wars and use of nuclear weapons from breaking out. As long as countries like the USA, India and Russia hold nuclear weapons, they can check terrorist groups, extremists and radicals who may threaten the world with acts of terrorism. Conclusion:As we can see, much of the world today is kept safe by nuclear weapons. Though may opponent may rant on about the threat to the world nuclear weapons, keep in mind that only one use of nuclear weapons in war has been recorded, and it saved lives.[1] http://www.merriam-webster.com...[2] http://dictionary.reference.com...[3] http://www.yourdictionary.com...