Autonemesis

I agree. The US attack on Iraq supports this statement in spades. I doubt Bush and his fundy administration would have had the nerve to brush aside our secular allies if we did not possess nukes. The conventional attack on Iraq would never have happened as a result.

Good call.

Blixy Sticks

I concur....impossible odds.

John Lennon and The Beetles come to mind.

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

Ahhh....the friends!!

Autonemesis

We simply cannot risk having New York or Washington DC hit by an asteroid strike. Do you understand what would happen to this planet? To humanity if that happened? The world would be thrown into chaos. Millions would die. This "life" we have going here on planet earth -- all that would change.

Do you also realize that your chances of dying in a continent-smashing asteroid strike are larger than your chances of dying in an airliner crash. This is because an asteroid will kill so many relative to an airline crash, that even though it is a much more rare event, your chances of dying from it are greater. But we know for certain that one day, a rock in space will be discovered that has our planet's name on it. We may discover it years in advance, or we may discover it when it lights up from friction in the atmosphere seconds before striking the surface of the planet.

Risk assessment is a tricky business. Intuition does not serve you well in this area. By your logic, we should be spending much more money on asteroid strike prevention than on anything else. But in fact more people are employed at your average McDonald's restaurant than are engaged worldwide in hunting Earth-crossing asteroids.

We take plenty of chances every day, and undertake risks more dire than that of a nuke smuggled into the country, and we don't even think about it.

In other words: Calm down. Get a little perspective.

Loren Pechtel

Originally posted by Genghis Pwn
A. There are plenty fanatical muslims willing to die nuking us. They die every day in Isreal just bomb bagel shops.

But how are they going to get their hands on a nuke? No nuclear power is going to willingly give them one. What if it's intercepted before detonation? We catch a nutcase with a nuke that says "Made in Tehran" and the Iranian government is going to be in big trouble.

B. What part of the Taliban war did you miss? If staying in power was their #1 goal, all Mullah Omar had to do was turn bin Laden over to to a thrid-party country. He didn't do it, and was routed, driven from power, and government humiliated. He was a religious zealot, and religion comes first for Islmamic whackos.

If he tried to hand over Bin Laden, the Taliban government was in serious trouble. Bin Laden controlled a substantial minority of the power in Afghanistan.

Loren Pechtel

Note: Bush rejected *DISCUSSING* it. In other words, he rejected delaying tactics.

Had they simply put Bin Laden on a plane to Washington it would have been a very different result.

Loren Pechtel

1) An attempt at compliance (it's unlikely he *COULD* have handed Bin Laden over) would probably cost him his power. Likely his life.

2) Pre 9/11 we were quite a paper tiger. Inflict a few casualties and we would run home with our tail between our legs. Mullah Omar probably expected to "defeat" us that way.

Loren Pechtel

Note: "Proof of Bin Laden's involvement" = give up much of our intelligence resources in the area.

When a cop points his gun at you and says "Drop it!" do you discuss the terms under which you will drop your gun?

Sauron

Except when it comes to following through with campaign promises. Check out the recent backpedals on the environment.

Quote:

He has now told Iran clearly: You militant muslim nutcases will not be allowed to produce nuclear weapons that could threaten the United States. If they fail to listen, Bush will lay the smack down. Irran, do not test W!

However, Korean nutcases are exempt, even if they:
a. already have a bomb;
b. are headed by a megalomaniac;
c. are starving their populations;
d. border two nuclear superpowers;
e. are 50 miles away from 200K American soldiers; and
f. could start a war that drags 3 major trading partners into the mix

Is there any doubt why the international community sees Bush as dangerous and narrow-minded?

Sauron

:notworthy :notworthy :notworthy :notworthy

Spot on, Mr. Garrett.

Sauron

I think you mean "against Israel", right, Loren? That is your real concern.

If Iran were going to engage in terrorism against the US, they would have started by now.