From the late 1940’s into the early 1980’s, immense quantities of copper were mined in Montana, copper that ended up as a key element in the most ferocious weapons system ever created. Throughout the upper Midwest, thousands of missiles with nuclear warheads were built, inserted into silos, and aimed at our presumed enemies around the world. Thousands of miles of cable connected these missiles to U.S. military command, ready 24/7 to press a button and send us to nuclear Armageddon.

     Remember the ubiquitous suitcase carried by a Military Aide wherever the President of the U.S. happens to be? They call it “the nuclear football.” The suitcase contains the button the President would push if he determined that the Russians, the Chinese, the Cubans, or the Martians were about to attack. That button is the signal to shoot our nuclear arsenal into the skies - to kill our presumed enemies before they can kill us. That suitcase still travels with President Obama wherever he goes.

     Since the late 1980s, the U.S. has entered into a number of nuclear disarmament treaties, first with the Soviet Union, then with its successor, Russia. President Obama has been quite active on the disarmament issue, even being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his effort. The U.S. and Russia have indeed disarmed thousands of nuclear weapons in the last 30 years, but we still have a long way to go to reach a nuclear weapon-free world.