OT-y2k and accidental thermonuclear war

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Some thoughts on y2k and nuck from a nucleaphobic....Just finished reading General Lee Butler (former head of SAC-now Stratcom)'s report (Sept.1999) on the likelihood of accidental nuclear war. Both the US and Russia have,combined, over 7000 thermonuclear bombs on hair trigger alert. Each side is paranoid about the intentions of the other side. Chances of an accidental launch seem pretty high. That's the ONLY reason I can imagine the US letting observers from the Russian Rocket forces into our monitoring center for y2k......... As for turning off the warning systems in Europe, this makes little sense. It seems that they are more afraid of false information than no information.....There have been numerous "close calls" in the past ten years, caused by misperception and a very limited decision to launch time.Here's my questions to all of you concerned with the possibility of thermonuclear war..1) how can we even consider annihilating millions of people for....what, part of Korea? Or Kosovo? .2) If N-war comes, when do you think most likely? 3)We and the Russians have a defense system that will destroy the defenders themselves.... 4)is missile defense a possibility?

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-- Royale (duckncover@nuked.com), November 21, 1999

Answers

Accidental thermonuclear war? Amerikanski should be vorried about intentional thermonuclear war! My droogies in Moskva will nuke you if you respond to Chechnya like you did to Kosovo. Also, big decision is coming...to nuke before Y2K gives you guys the advantage. December is last chance!

-- Slobby Don (slobbydon@hotmail.com), November 21, 1999.

My own guess is that when nuclear war comes it won't be the USA versus Russia though China might be sucked into it. I think it will be Pakistan attacking India, such a war would kill millions of innocent Chinese, and China will lose its cool at Pakistan or India or both.

I don't think China would sit there and allow those two actions that kill itself without feeling a pressing need to try and quick-end-the war through its own lethal force. Revenge at them both would also be a temptation.

Wouldn't you? If Mexico became nuclearized, and it and Canada decided to go at each other, thus killing millions of Americans in this which- way-the-wind-blows process, wouldn't you feel a pressing need to quick- end-the-war? Wouldn't the human characteristic feelings of revenge for the death of those Americans be a part of that decision?

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), November 21, 1999.


Worry about the things you CAN control. Not the ones you can't.

-- just (my@little.opinion), November 21, 1999.

Psychic numbing/Denial-WWIII is not inevitable-

-- Dr. Michele L (Torontolady@ice.com), November 21, 1999.

What if Russia or China only launch a couple EMP bombs at the US? I doubt the American reponse would be to start a general nuclear war with the attacking country (especially if they claimed it was an accident). If one or both of the other superpowers are headed for a Y2K computer meltdown; frying all the computer chips in the US would certainly level the playing field.

-- Ocotillo (peeling@out.===), November 22, 1999.


Ocotillo, Is there such a thing as a clean EMP bomb? I know that the electromagnetic pulse can spread over 1000 miles, but what about the area in the immediate vicinity of the strike. It's toast in every way...right?

-- Slobby Don (slobbydon@hotmail.com), November 22, 1999.

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