You Want to Escalate, We'll Escalate, and You'll Lose...Big!

31 July 05 | HMV

[Hillary'sMoralVoid]

We hear the chilling news about the possibility of suitcase nukes inside our borders, we hear that 10, maybe even 20 of our cities may be at risk.

The risk we face is nothing compared to what the Islamic World faces if terrorists choose to escalate the war on terror.

We currently have Poseiden Nuclear Submarines on patrol in the Indian Ocean. No terrorist could ever find them, much less destroy them. A single sub can unleash 50 missiles with pinpoint accuracy, each with a warhead bigger than the sum of even 20 suitcase nukes.

If the terrorists want to ensure that there would be no retaliation, they would have to destroy not only our major cities, but also our bombers, our land-based missile systems, our complete command and control network, and our nuclear submarines.

They cannot do this, and escalation brings with it such huge risks of anihilation of the Islamic world that it would seem incomprehensible that they would try to raise the stakes. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

[AppyPappy]

Massacre the innocent. Great idea. < /sarcasm >

[AppyPappy]

Immigration is for 21st century America what civil rights were in the 20th century. Both were intentional with the intent to destroy our Christian way of life and culture.

Civil rights was to destroy our Christian way of life? You are on drugs.

[cyborg]

Mike Mike Mike...you see unless someone's ox is being gored, they don't care. Of course someone such as tquinas can say that because he's never been on the receiving end of segregation-type discrimination. How many churches didn't allow black people to come worship, etc. because that's how 'things were'? Karma can be a bitch though. You hate someone, there's someone hating you more.

[rdb3]

I've always heard the saying 'don't start something you can't finish'.

Where I'm from, that's a sexual reference. Sexual Chocolate! In Petro's case, It's "Sexual Zero Bar!"

[cyborg]

LOL!!! Hey you're right. I should know better than to say unfamiliar things on FR ;-)

[mhking]

Of course someone such as tquinas can say that because he's never been on the receiving end of segregation-type discrimination.

Doesn't mean I'm gonna give him a pass though. Wrong is wrong. Period.

[mhking]

Pay no attention to racist retreats my friend.

Can't ignore when someone takes a dump in the middle of the living room...

[cyborg]

Of course he's wrong.

[Preachin']

"Suitcase nukes are an urban myth."

It may be an urban myth that the Islofacists have them, but I remember that there was discussion during the Clinton years that classified info on them may have been compromised at the Los Alamos science lab.

[darkwing104]

Immigration is for 21st century America what civil rights were in the 20th century. Both were intentional with the intent to destroy our Christian way of life and culture.

To give all men equal rights despite of past injustices was the Christan thing to do. Legal immigration isn't always bad, some of America's greatest contributions to the world were made by immigrants.

[truemiester]

I loved the M-203. First weapon I qualified expert with.

[Bullish]

You forget that the Islamists are stark raving mad, and think that by killing others they pay there way into paradise. So they care nothing about this world and its people. Even their fellow muslims.

They will try a major attack on America, it's only a matter of time. If they have nukes, or bios, or germs, they will use them.

No doubt about it.

[Publius6961]

If the terrorists want to ensure that there would be no retaliation, they would have to destroy not only our major cities, but also our bombers, our land-based missile systems, our complete command and control network, and our nuclear submarines.

Why would otherwise rational people, including our leaders, continue to analyze, talk and act as if we were dealing with rational human beings?

If such were the case we could be reasoning with them. We aren't. We can't.

The implicit underlying assumption is they are just like us, they think like us and reason like us, just wearing pijamas, continues to get hundreds killed week in and week out.
They don't care about how many nukes a Poseidon class nuke submarine can deliver.

What will it take?

[Former Proud Canadian]

OTOH, internment of muslims, expulsion of all non-citizens, and a finding from the attorney general that islam is more a political entity than a religion, and therefore not subject to constitutional protection, might be a better form of retaliation for non-nuclear attacks.

Best policy I've heard. Also, uses all those abandoned downtown ballparks like Tiger Stadium.

[hildy123]

Why?

[Publius6961]

Ok, a suitcase nuke has just vaporized lower Manhatten, whom do you propose to retaliate against?

Why nobody, of course.
The new way of war, devised by 9th century primitives, is guaranteed to be 100% "retaliatory free"

I'm beginning to endorse the concept of counter-asymmetric war, equally "retaliatory free".

Muslim capitals and major cities will begin to disappear, one by one, and nobody, but nobody will have the slightest clue how the nukes were delivered, or by whom.

(Assuming, of course, that the the same stardard of "proof" continues to be demanded.)

[reelfoot]

"They cannot do this, and escalation brings with it such huge risks of anihilation of the Islamic world that it would seem incomprehensible that they would try to raise the stakes."

This assumes that we would have leadership that would be willing to retaliate in kind. After hearing the firestorm that met Tancredo's musings about taking out Mecca if Islamo-terrorists detonated a nuclear device in the U.S. (even by some on this board), I don't know if current U.S. leaders have the guts to strike back.

[Beckwith]

This is the single most important question.

What does the United States do if the islamofascists detonate a nuclear device in an American city?

The answer should be clear and communicated to all interested parties.

[varon]

No one in the US will release the nuclear genie.

Correct. The PC has already been ingrained that we will not 'nuke' anyone if it will p*ss them off.

[Publius6961]

The holocaust, horrific and mechanistic as it was, will be seen as rational compared to the complete elimination of all vestiges of Islam and Arab culture.

This is the only statement in your series I take exception to: The use of the word "rational" here is an abomination. There was nothing whatsoever defensive about the holocaust.
There is a smidget of reasoning behind the concept that pretending that it takes a whole religion to terrorize the entire world is stupid. It takes only a small minority of it to actually do that and the majority pretending it isn't happening, or that they are "powerless" to prevent it.

And, of course, the necessity of the majority of the victims (who have the will and the power to prevent it, and yet not act), to buy into that reasoning.