Friday's Links

Here come your friday links:

Check out the text of President Obama’s speech at the New Economic School in Moscow. In it he states that:

"The notion that prestige comes from holding [nuclear] weapons, or that we can protect ourselves by picking and choosing which nations can have these weapons, is an illusion."

The NYTimes ran a fantastic obit on Robert McNamara. It was interesting to read about his stance on nuclear weapons:

"Nuclear weapons serve no military purposes whatsoever. They are totally useless — except only to deter one’s opponent from using them."

As far as McNamara's claim that nukes are useful for deterring a nuclear attack, I recall this Times op-ed arguing that McNamara's line of  reasoning " bears a disturbing resemblance to the argument used by a Brooklynite who, when asked why he called a purple powder that he sprinkled around his house ''elephant repellent,'' replied, ''Well, you don't see any elephants around here, do you?''

Also, be sure to check out Disarmament Hub's website for info on the Students for a Nuclear Weapons-free World Campaign Contest! We're only accepting submissions through July, so you have to move fast!