Warren Buffett: Nuke Attack in USA 'Virtual Certainty'

[Ziroc]

Very scary folks:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020506/ap_on_re_u s/buffett_nuclear_attack_1&printer=1

(if that link looks broken, click below
Full News Story Here

After 9/11, I knew this would happen soon as well. It's VERY scary to think--in 10 years, Washington, DC or New York will be radioactive deadlands. I Hope to God it doesn't, but the chances are WAY too great now. over 27,0000 nukes in the world, it only takes *1* to go missing.

Hell, not just in the USA. ANYWHERE. Israel? Paris? London?

Damn the Scientists that developed the Atomic Bomb.

[ 05-06-2002, 01:49 AM: Message edited by: Ziroc ]

[Noble Wolf]

And the problem is the world's nuclear stockpile doesn't act as a deterrent to those folk who are most likely going to be the next to use such weapons in anger.*reference to your other thread regarding terror in Europe* [img]graemlins/fighting.gif[/img]

[ 05-06-2002, 02:01 AM: Message edited by: Noble Wolf ]

[Ziroc]

Originally posted by Noble Wolf: And the problem is the world's nuclear stokepile does act as a deterrent to those folk who are most likely going to be the next to such weapons in anger.*reference to your other thread regarding terror in Europe* [img]graemlins/fighting.gif[/img]

What I worry about is this scenario:

Russian's are needing cash, and they have the stockpiles of nukes just 'sitting around'. A bidder comes forward from say.. Iraq or Al-Qaeda and the say "We will give you 20 million in cash for a nuke--a conspiracy happens, and they GET the nuke. Russians find out it's missing WAY to late, and cover up their mistake.

Months or YEARS later, someone travels to a large City, and detonates the nuke.

Say it was New York. How would we respond? Could we simply launch off a nuke to who we THINK did this? no. We would have to figure out where this nuke came from, and even WHEN we found out, would we nuke Afghanistan? or Iraq? (or other Country this group came from?)

It's hard to say 'yes'. I mean.. it was a 'group' of people that did this, not the 'whole' of ANY Country. And we couldn't launch one off at Russia, it would be over for all of us on the Planet.

So how WOULD be react? That is a question that BURNS in the minds of the NSA and CIA these days I bet.. It's SO VERY real a threat. Do we kill millions of innocents to equal their wrath?

Comments?

Very hard to see a 'GOOD' outcome. I think we would probably gear up a MASSIVE force. The Draft would be activated... oh boy.. I hope someone is looking over us--a higher power.

[Grand-Ranger]

Why is it such a big threat now? I mean sure Sept 11 and all, but there have been terroist attacks before, I guess not to that same extent of course.

Regarding your scenario Dan, hopefully russians would be smarter then that. All thoug there is no real reason for them not to do that. Tons of americans lifes or 20 million dollars. Probley not that hard of a decion for most russians...I am not helping am I? [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Noble Wolf]

I understand what you mean. Look at the current situation, Bin Laden and most of the people who took part in Sept/11 came from Saudi Arabia. A country that is "allied" to western philosophy. In retalliation 'who' would you retaliate against in such a scenario.

[Ziroc]

Originally posted by Grand-Ranger: Why is it such a big threat now? I mean sure Sept 11 and all, but there have been terroist attacks before, I guess not to that same extent of course. Regarding your scenario Dan, hopefully russians would be smarter then that. All thoug there is no real reason for them not to do that. Tons of americans lifes or 20 million dollars. Probley not that hard of a decion for most russians...I am not helping am I? [img]smile.gif[/img]

Not 'most' Russians. a select few that miss the Joseph Stalin era...

[Grand-Ranger]

Yeah I should have problabley thougth that out a little more. Dont mean to disrespct any Russians here, I actually like Russa, it has a cool history. Just a bit cooky in there decions sometimes

Who would be another possiablaity? Iraq?

[Scholarcs]

hmmmm well I know for a fact that at least 60 nukes have gone missing and not been recovered in Russia over the past 30-odd years. No amount of searching has turned these up. They are still lose in the world. The possibilities are endless. Just recently they caught two men trying to smuggle some nuclear material over the southern russian mountains, which they had nicked from a power plant.

No one is safe. Americans most of all.

Makes me even more glad i am not an american. the double danger of nukes and mcdonalds [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Noble Wolf]

I don't want to get too off track here! But, I often wonder if people are truley aware of the current state of nuclear weapons.

By my understanding (and I'm not a nuclear weapons expert) the bombs that were dropped during the second world war were 1/2 kilo-tonne weapons ei. they were equivalent to 1/2 a thousand tonnes of TNT, or 500 tonnes of TNT stacked in one place and then deternated. (note end result).

Modern nuclear weapons are around 20 mega-tonne, or the equivalent of 20 million tonnes of TNT, or about 40,000 time more destructive as their WW2 forebares.

And 1 x trident sub carries @24 MRV missiles each carrying, 3 or 4?? such weapons????

[dragonwolf]

i have no intintion of spending my days ,as long or short as they may be, worring about some stupid thing that may or may not come

the truth of the matter is simply this if we do spend all our time worring about an attack that may or may not come then the terrorest have won and taken away our most valuable gift the freedom and securety of of our lives