She doesn't appear to understand how deterrence works; the point is

not the satisfaction of killing the people who've just killed you, it's to make them think it's not worth killing you in the first place.
Unfortunately the world contains many people who would wipe us off the map without a moment's hesitation. Fortunately the people who get to rule states with nuclear weapons are pragmatists, so they realise initiating nuclear war is pointless. Obviously it is essential to keep such weapons out of the hands of those who regard the next world as more important than this & who might therefore contemplate such a course of action.
The situation is actually even worse, because once your opponent knows you cannot retaliate he can proceed to extract anything he wants from you by sheer threat - perhaps providing a little demonstration, a la Hiroshima.

We are physical beings in a physical world. Until we evolve into something else the threat of physical destruction reigns supreme.

Posted By: dennis moore, Jul 19, 23:23:50