US investigating whether nukes in country

Washington Times ^ | 12/20/01 | RICHARD SALE

[JustPiper]

Federal law enforcement officials are investigating to determine whether sleeper cells or freelance agents of Saudi terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden may have smuggled small, portable nuclear weapons or radiological bombs into the United States.

The deepest concern centers on the chance that bin Laden has acquired and will use a finished nuclear weapon. Rep. Chris Shays, R-Conn., chairman of the House subcommittee on national security, told United Press International: "It's possible, and it's very scary."

[Nita Nupress]

Indeed, it was meant for someone else; someone who purports to know more about this; I'd be very interested in reading their debate, since I believe Poohbah knows what he's talking about. If he doesn't, he's certainly done his homework to the extent of being able to discuss.

And I'm not trying to drag you into anything.

Maybe not purposely, but again, if you have something to say to "someone else," just say it directly to them and stop saying it to me!  

Now, all you have to do to answer this message is to say, "Okay" or "Whatever" or "Sit on a tack, Nita."   That's all.  Anything beyond that and you're showing wimp qualities by talking to someone else through me.

Betcha can't do it. :-)

[Nita Nupress]

Give me a while and I'll get back with you on Sam Cohen. Right now I have a little girl who wants to play Barbie and Hands Down. First things first. ;-)

[Poohbah]

Yup, sounds like a plan. Besides, we'll need FReepadone, anyway...

Will we still be logged in? :o)

[katze]

Get off it, Nita. You're playing a silly game, and I'll not be part of it. There are several here who had a hand in discussing (at least to the extent of posting articles), so let them come forward if they want to discuss. I haven't been shy in the past, and won't be now either. If you're wanting me to taunt OKCSubmariner, forget it; I said what I had to say to him, and that is the end of it, so long as we understand it is an opinion. You're not much of an instigator, since you're waaay too transparent;l you might want to practice that before you work on your "project"..

[rdavis84]

One little detail that I've brought out, and had overwhelmed with technobabble as only poohbah and a couple of others are prone to do, is that a "simple" nuke is just that--simple. The tech that took it from a fission device to a fission-fusion-fission H-Bomb was later incorporated in more potent basic nukes to get more yield.

I'm not a "nu-key-ear" engineer and I doubt that Any body else posting diversionary, lenghty replies are either. But this crap about a nuke having to be meticulously maintained/tended/refreshed is bogus from the bogus spewers.

A good example is the billions o' bucks we gave the Soviets to dismantle some of their nukes, why not just let them die on their own of "untendeditis"?

[Poohbah]

One little detail that I've brought out, and had overwhelmed with technobabble as only poohbah and a couple of others are prone to do, is that a "simple" nuke is just that--simple.

It's also very BIG.

The tech that took it from a fission device to a fission-fusion-fission H-Bomb was later incorporated in more potent basic nukes to get more yield.

Actually, boosting was introduced to increase the yield per pound of warhead weight. It made "fractional crit" devices possible because it created many more neutrons to initiate a reaction with. The development of hydrogen weapons was related, but proceeded on a parallel track instead. Suggested reading: Chuck Hansen's U.S. Nuclear Weapons: The Secret History (out of print, but available at any decent library), or Swords of Armageddon (an incredibly detailed archive of US nuclear weapons documents, available on CD-ROM from Chuck Hansen's website).

I'm not a "nu-key-ear" engineer and I doubt that Any body else posting diversionary, lenghty replies are either. But this crap about a nuke having to be meticulously maintained/tended/refreshed is bogus from the bogus spewers.

The great Holy Grail of nuclear weapons design is known as a "wooden bomb." Basically, it is a nuclear weapon that you can throw onto the shelf and leave there. It never happened. A nuclear warhead contains uranium or plutonium, which emits heat, gamma rays, and neutrons. That energy all has to go SOMEWHERE, and the path to that "somewhere" goes through explosive components (heat will cause the explosives to break down or evaporate away volatiles) or electronics (even "radiation hardened" electronics will degrade over time when exposed to neutrons). A "fractional crit" nuclear bomb that can fit in a suitcase also contains tritium, which has a half-life of 12.3 years. Trititum's decay product is ³He, which has a ravenous appetite for neutrons. Since the purpose of the tritium is to provide a high neutron flux through D-T fusion, even small amounts of helium will cause the device to not generate a significant nuclear yield. (Many of the Castle series tests "fizzled" because of helium contamination issues.)

A good example is the billions o' bucks we gave the Soviets to dismantle some of their nukes, why not just let them die on their own of "untendeditis"?

What, that program Bubba the Hutt sponsored, that sent a gazillion dollars into various Russian notables' Swiss bank accounts? The one that didn't result in a single nuke being verifiably disarmed? The one that Bubba insisted be kept going despite the evidence it didn't do a damn thing for us? The one that some eager beavers at DIA found out was actually paying for maintenance on the warheads in question, PREVENTING them from dying of untendeditis? THAT program? A weak reed to base your argument on, good sir.

[rdavis84]

FYI :-)

[JustPiper]

when it actually Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia who have been the closest and most ardent supporters of Al Qaeda.

What about our so called ally Pakistan?

[rdavis84]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/598192/posts

[rdavis84]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/598192/posts

[rdavis84]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/598192/posts

[rdavis84]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/598192/posts

[OKCSubmariner]

Thanks for the article on Russia and GW BUsh plan to fund(?) clean up of Russia nukes and rad wastes.

I wonder what safeguards are in place to make sure that the money ends up doing what it is intended for? I would imagine the really good stuff like suitcase nukes has already gone to the highest bidder or been stolen.

Does GW Bush have a similar plan for disposal of anthrax and small pox and biologicals and chemicals for Russia too?

If we help pay for these cleanups what do we get from Russia in return besides a hope for a safer environment? Russia should pay us back in vaccines or natural resources, oil, coal, minerals etc.

[rdavis84]

"Does GW Bush have a similar plan for disposal of anthrax and small pox and biologicals and chemicals for Russia too?"

Since the Russian nuclear waste is already being shipped here (I'm near certain that's a done deal, Arizona isn't it?) I guess we'll also get the Bio and Chem waste to dispose of. There's a big expansion planned for Pine Bluff.

[rdavis84]

Flag! BumP! Alert! Notice! Hey!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/598192/posts<;-)

[Uncle Bill]

Hello my friend. Everything is ok. Actually, think how bad it really is.

U.S. Encourages Immigration From Terror-Sponsor States

Human Events
By Joseph A. D'Agostino
The Week of October 1, 2001

The U.S. State Department runs a quota system designed to encourage immigration from all seven countries on the department’s own terrorist watch list.

The "Diversity Immigrant Visa Program" has the goal of issuing highly prized permanent residence visas to 50,000 foreign nationals from countries that send relatively few immigrants to the United States. These visas are specifically designed to increase the diversity of the U.S. immigrant pool and are in addition to the employment- and family-based permanent visas that are granted each year.

All seven of the nations listed by the State Department as "state sponsors of international terrorism"—Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Cuba, North Korea and Sudan—are included in the program. "This was a program created by Congress," said a State Department official, and "1995 was the first year we had it."

Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which requires the State Department to run the program, was sponsored by Sen. Teddy Kennedy (D.-Mass.) in 1990 and signed into law by President George Bush.

Countries that have sent 50,000 or more immigrants to the United States in the last five years, such as Britain, Canada, mainland China, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Pakistan, and the Philippines, are excluded from the program.

Applicants to the diversity program "still have to meet the same requirements as other applicants for permanent residence visas," a State Department official said. "Those requirements include copies of police records, interviews."

The application requirements, the official said, enable State to screen out dangerous people such as terrorists. "No one country may have more than 7% of the visas, but there is no minimum," she said. "No country is guaranteed to be able to have applicants approved under this program." Applicants enter a lottery each year, she said. Requirements include a high school diploma or a history of skilled work experience.

Thirteen million people filed applications for the 50,000 slots available next year. Of these, three million applications were ruled invalid. Of the ten million remaining, 1,703 people from Iran were awarded visas, 117 from Iraq, 67 from Syria, 26 from Libya, 757 from Cuba, none from North Korea, and 1,820 from Sudan.

Rep. Tom Tancredo (R.-Colo.), chairman of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, had already introduced legislation to abolish the program before the September 11 attacks. Now he says he will include its abolition in the immigration reform package he plans to introduce after the House has passed the President’s anti-terrorism package. He said he expects that it will be difficult to get this reform package to the House floor.

Jack Martin, special projects director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), said he doubts that terrorists use the diversity immigrant visa program because obtaining permanent residence visas is such a long process that includes a more thorough background check than that involved in getting a temporary visa (for business, tourism, or study).

© Human Events, 2001

7,000 Men Recently Entered from Al Qaeda 'Watch' Countries - Between late October and December 1, the State Department granted nonimmigrant U.S. visas to at least 7,000 men from countries in which al Qaeda is active.

Let's repeat that. After the World Trade Center attack. "Between late October and December 1, the State Department granted nonimmigrant U.S. visas to at least 7,000 men from countries in which al Qaeda is active."

The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) says it has no plans to round up the 250,000 to 300,000 illegal aliens that it admits are still in the country even though they have already been ordered deported by federal judges - October 22, 2001

We know what George thinks. But......

Seems to me we are begging the terrorists to light a big one off. Then what happens?