Originally posted by Lokrian
Conventional weapons tend to leave unexploded ordinance around... Is there some reason you feel so strongly that collateral damage from nukes, or their long term pollution problems, are somehow uniquely morally repugnant?
Land mines are probably the best known of conventional weapons leaving stuff around, since they're designed to sit around until touched. And, personally, I think that mining large areas of ground not in pure military use (eg cities) is just as reprehensible as dropping a nuclear bomb there. Of course, war is always devastating... so, there is some aspect of "war is ugly, what's the difference between this war and that one"; but even in war time, it IS possible to consider what it'll mean after you finish fighting. If nothing else, think what your occupation troops are going to have to deal with.