Hi sram,
just remind your auditorium of WWII and the bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They were relatively low on comparable TNT power (Hiroshima 5kt and Nagasaki 10kt), but they were devastating.
I saw pictures of Hiroshima where the shades of persons were burnt into a house wall.
Other than stated, not only pigs and other animals were used on nuklear test sites, but also military personnel (most of the soldiers died slowly having been exposed to nuclear radiation (Bikini Islands)).
I further guess everybody in the auditorium knows enough about nuklear power to understand that it is the ultimate power of destruction mankind has developed yet. (Many details in "Manhattan project")
I understand the policy of using nuclear weapons during war. They just expedite the processs to break the will to continue war for the opponent (enemy), but I will never understand why many civilian people must be killed to achieve that goal!
There is a lot of international lamento going on about the German Colonel who orderd close air support on two stolen fuel trucks in Afghanistan (each 40.000l). A fuel tanker is worthless as a bomb if it is full with gasoline, so the Taliban invited civilians to drag fuel out of the trucks to make them ready for use. The pilots could see who is friend or foe and just dropped their deadly load, killing about 40 or 50 civilians. (So what? They stole enemy goods!)
"Bomber Harris", well known from WWII ordered a team of specialists to develop fire bombs being able to penetrate a house from roof to the cellar and then ignite the deadly load (where the civilians looked for shelter).
Those bombs were unloaded over Cologne, Hamburg and Dresden almost eliminating all civilian lifes! Nobody gave a sh*t. It's almost parallel with the nukes over Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Ported to a young boy's abilities to defend himself, calling his big brother for help, those weapons were made "big brother"!
I was soldier during the so called "cold war", and I have experienced it pretty hot. No civilians were ever involved in my actions, precise and deadly!
War is always a dirty business following the dirty business of politics!
See the pictures of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Boncuk