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A little perspective on this whole nuclear weapons thing.

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TheWraith Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 04:47 PM
Original message
A little perspective on this whole nuclear weapons thing.
Yes, loading an aircraft with nuclear weapons, then forgetting to take them off when you were supposed to sounds really bad. And in terms of responsibility, it is. But as for some of the tin-foil stuff that's going around, here's a little perspective. According to the military and other estimates, the US has somewhere between 11 and 14 nuclear weapons which we have lost and never recovered. The Russians are believed to have lost as many as 44 warheads at sea. And that's just the cases where they never got the weapon back. So it's not like mishandling of nuclear bombs is unheard of, and it shouldn't be viewed as some nefarious scheme.
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SteppingRazor Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 04:48 PM
Response to Original message
1. .
:thumbsup:
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HiFructosePronSyrup Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 04:50 PM
Response to Original message
2. Yeah, good luck with that.
I'm sure you'll convince a lot of people.

:thumbsup:
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Toots Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 04:54 PM
Response to Original message
3. Well that is certainly a reassuring post.
Did you forget about the hundreds that Russia lost track of when the Soviet Union came apart? Or how about the thousands of drums of radioactive contaminants that have just been dumped in the Oceans by most Nuclear countries to rust and break apart over the years...It was the way most countries got rid of their nuclear waste for years and years...
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TheWraith Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 05:26 PM
Response to Reply #3
10. Well, the issue of lost Russian nukes is somewhat overstated.
Despite many years, and the idea becoming a staple of popular fiction, there's never been a confirmed case of a lost or stolen Russian warhead being acquired by another country or sold. I would think that the supposed Russian insecurity with their nukes is greatly exaggerated by popular mythology.
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Bluebear Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 04:55 PM
Response to Original message
4. 'it's not like mishandling of nuclear bombs is unheard of' - shouldn't it be?
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TheWraith Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-06-07 12:18 AM
Response to Reply #4
16. Yes, but there are a lot of things which should be unheard of an aren't.
Personally, I'm much more worried about the influnce big business has on government than about nukes which caught the wrong connecting flight.
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valerief Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 05:06 PM
Response to Original message
5. Glad you can sleep at night. nt
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cali Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 05:08 PM
Response to Original message
6. Nah, not interesting enough.
People will prefer to see this as evidence of the attack on Iran.
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onenote Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 05:12 PM
Response to Reply #6
8. right, because if that was our plan and someone ran a story about it
the first thing the military would do is admit it.

Not.

So much tinfoil, so little time.
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leftchick Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 05:11 PM
Response to Original message
7. yes, it isn't like we have a nuke crazy war mongering VP in charge
or anything. :eyes:
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lonestarnot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 05:18 PM
Response to Reply #7
9. What leftchick said!
:eyes:
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Greyhound Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 05:30 PM
Response to Original message
11. No, nothing to see here, don't worry, everything will be just fine, the adults are in control. n/t
:eyes:
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Stinky The Clown Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 05:34 PM
Response to Original message
12. Killjoy!
You hadda do that, didn't you? You hadda rain all over those tin foil chapeaus parading about, huh?

Mind your own business next time some really good conspiracy theory fodder pops up, okay???

Sheeeesh.

:sarcasm: <--- shouldn't be necessary, but one never knows.
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HysteryDiagnosis Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 06:17 PM
Response to Original message
13. Why, just the other day, I was snorkeling off the WPB coast and I
saw a warhead gently floating by with the gulf stream currents.... it was so magnificent seeing it outlined against a backdrop of barracuda and sea snakes. I was inclined to take a picture but my cellphone quit when I jumped in the drink.
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Bjorn Against Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 06:32 PM
Response to Original message
14. Oh, that makes me feel so much more comfortable.
Don't worry about it because there are a bunch of other nuclear weapons missing as well.

That is supposed to make me feel better? Are you serious?
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uppityperson Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 06:35 PM
Response to Original message
15. Yup, happens all the time. Nothing to be concerned about.
:rofl: good post
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Mind_your_head Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-06-07 12:20 AM
Response to Original message
17. Yep, it's "shrinkage"
:eyes:
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Richard Steele Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-06-07 02:16 AM
Response to Original message
18. Your total mischaracterization of the actual incident really detracts from your premise. nm
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krispos42 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-06-07 03:26 AM
Response to Original message
19. There's one off the coast of Georgia, if I recall.
Yayyyyy...
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blogslut Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-06-07 04:14 AM
Response to Original message
20. It's the incompetance that kills me
Nuclear weapons are decommissioned the same way they are built - in parts and in different locations Those warheads were supposed to go to my part of the country- absent housings and accoutrement. This crap is just inexcusable. I have to wonder if this colossal boner isn't just another example of a military overwhelmed and falling apart due to a money-sucking war.
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