[Vision2020] The Genie Is Out Of The Bottle

[Donovan Arnold]

Mr. Moffett,

I am not really worried about the nuclear bombs that can be launched at the 
US. I am under the impression that we would be able to knock those out of 
the sky on the way over here unless launched from Cuba or Canada, or Mexico. 
Which I think is unlikely. Although Russia does have subs it could launch 
from off the coast, I am not worried about this either. We can not only fire 
anti-missile missiles and projectiles at  missiles flying to the US, but we 
can also fry the the transistors of the missiles as they pass over the ocean 
not allowing them to detonate.

Where my concern is, is someone coming in with a backpack or a suitcase and 
detonating it in a big city. How easy it is for a rouge nation to do this? 
Would we even know what nation or group did it unless they told us? And what 
could we do to those that did it. Could we really get back at a group of 200 
nutjob terrorists that set off an A-bomb in a major US city? We are sitting 
ducks. There is nowhere to send our military or target to retaliate.

I realize that Pakistan is more worried about India then the United States. 
However, nuclear weapons are a psychological weapon more than anything. 
India does not know how many nuclear weapons Pakistan has so it would not 
know if it gave one to Osama Bin Laudin. Second, could not the billionaire 
Bin Laudin not afford to finance his own development of a nuclear weapon 
using the resources of a friendly Pakistani government that has that 
technology? Further, if Bin Laudin is in fact dying, would he not being 
willing to give up a significant percentage of his wealth to complete such a 
task?

Is it not also possible that Afghanistan could get more nuclear weapons from 
nations it gave the technology to, such as Iran or North Korea, as part of 
the payment?

I think an unstable Pakistan is a frightening thing considering their 
dislike of the US, friends with UBL, and willingness to work with and sell 
technology to nations that dislike the US and wish us harm.

Terrorism is about psychological warfare mostly. If UBL is to attack again, 
they are going to hit us a lot bigger then before. They will not do 
something like setting off firecrackers at a gas stations, we would lose our 
fear of them if it was the best they could do. Detonation of  a nuclear bomb 
anywhere inside the US, and fear would be immeasurable, and the US, even 
with the largest and most technologically sophisticated military in the 
world could not retaliate against an invisible or elusive enemy.

What many people fail to realize is that the United States and Western 
Europe has had to fight and deal with terrorism before. And we did win. 
During the 1880s and the early part of the 1900s terrorists attacked and 
killed many people with bombs, they even assassinated a US President, 
William McKinley. There called themselves Anarchists but the rest the world 
considered them terrorists, because they set off bombs around world leaders 
and innocent people.

Teddy Roosevelt dealt with them in two ways. First, he tried to address 
their concerns, like eliminating horrible working conditions and ending 
establishing government control over private enterprise. But he also went 
after the anarchists for their murderous tactics. He undermined their 
support by addressing their causes, but also was merciless in his pursuit of 
them.

I think we should do this as well. Address the injustices the US does 
against other nations, while going after those like Osama Bin Laudin that 
finance the murder of thousands.

Take Care,

Donovan J Arnold

>From: Tbertruss at aol.com
>To: donovanarnold at hotmail.com, vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: [Vision2020] The Genie Is Out Of The Bottle
>Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 22:12:13 EST
>
>
>Donovan et. al.
>
>Donovan wrote:
>
>"Am I just being paranoid thinking that pro-UBL Pakistanis would give 
>nuclear
>
>weapons to UBL to use against the US and/or that Bush has everything under
>control?"
>
>Maybe paranoid, but a world with nuclear weapons is by definition a 
>paranoid
>world.  Anyone who isn't paranoid with large numbers of nuclear weapons 
>that
>can be launched and delivered to their targets in an hour or two needs to
>become paranoid.  The strategy of MAD (mutually assured destruction) is 
>just that,
>MAD, yet it is the theoretical foundation of US nuclear policy between 
>Russia
>and the USA.  People forget that the cold war nuclear standoff that was
>between the Soviet Union and the USA is now between Russia and the USA.  We 
>are
>still only hours away from a massive nuclear war.  Tensions are reduced 
>between
>the USA and Russia, but massive nuclear attack systems are still in place 
>and
>ready to go with fingers on the buttons ... the unthinkable is still a
>possibility.
>
>Musharaff's hold on power in Pakistan has been tenuous for years.  Their 
>was
>an assassination attempt on his life since 9/11 that failed.  If Pakistan 
>had
>a takeover by more extreme anti-US elements, Pakistan's nuclear weapons 
>would
>become a major risk (as if they are not now already!), but I do not think
>Pakistan can deliver nuclear weapons to the USA with its current missile
>technology.  Nor do I think they would be inclined to give a nuclear weapon 
>away given
>the small number of nuclear weapons they possess, when they need them as a
>deterrent against India's nuclear arsenal.  Pakistan is more worried about
>Hindu's than they are about us.  Pakistan is no doubt a sponsor of 
>terrorism inside
>India, and harbors elements who are very anti-US, but the USA does not 
>worry
>about that too much as long as Pakistan plays our game.
>
>It is amazing that the obvious fact that the USA has not pursued Osama Bin
>Laden with the full resources possible continues to fly under the radar of
>public opinion in the USA.  Some think the USA wants Bin Laden still at 
>large,
>though marginalized, to continue the scare tactics against the citizens of 
>the USA
>with the War on Terror using Bin Laden as a bogey man.
>
>Anyway, the people of the USA are distracted, so why beat our heads against
>"The Wall" trying to inform them?  "The bleeding hearts and artists make 
>their
>stand..." goes the song lyrics.
>
>I am more concerned with weapons grade nuclear material that has been 
>"lost"
>in the breakdown of the Soviet Union, weapons material that could be used 
>to
>build a nuclear weapon.  Or the rumored "suitcase" nuclear weapons that may
>have "disappeared" from the former Soviet Union.
>
>It is only a matter of time before some nation or group uses a nuclear 
>weapon
>somewhere.
>
>The genie is out of the bottle!
>
>Ted Moffett
>
>
>_____________________________________________________
>  List services made available by First Step Internet,
>  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>                http://www.fsr.net
>           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯