Time to Use the Nuclear Option

http://www.washingtontimes.com ^ | 14 September 2001 | Thomas Woodrow

[Chuck N]

The history of Islaam has been a history of violence, subjugation and murder...it is a documented fact...search the many books published telling of the millions killed or forced into slavery just for not confessing the faith of Islaam...no matter what our national policies have been (and I haven't agreed with how we have supported Israel or how we persecuted Serbia for defending itself against Albanian fanatics). It is now evident that no matter what our policy...the Islaamic world will never agree with us. There would always be something they would consider us the enemy for...because we are not of Islaam, we are the enemy...let us therefore Nuke the living hell out of the satanic, infidels that have perpetrated death and destruction upon innocent, peaceloving Americans...I say let us nuke Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, and Iran just for starters...If we don't do it now they will nuke us sooner or later or use biological agents against us...this is the true face of Islaam...history proves it...there is no doubt...arabs ran to Hitler at the beginning of WWII. I rest my case..

[Blood of Tyrants]

You are correct. Eventually someone will use nukes. The question is who will do it first, us or them?

I vote for us. Before they even have them.

[N00dleN0gg1n]

The attack on Pearl Harbor lead to the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Let the world know that that was not a fluke of history. It was a precedent and is now a policy.

[Force12]

Note to Chuck N and the USA -- from The Other Chuck: It's time to dispense with the Mickey Mouse and put some real TEETH behind our threats

While we're at it let's light up that bloody baboon Arafat as well.

-Regards to all our enemies, Chuck

[dirtboy]

Oh, that's brilliant. The mujadeen is a relatively small undercurrent in the Middle East. But let's kill millions of people because we aren't patient enough to hunt the mujadeen and their leadership down, thereby toppling moderated Gulf regimes in the process due to a fundamentalist uprising, which will cut off oil from the Gulf to western economies.

Nukes are a last resort. I can't believe the number of people here at FR who are demanding that they be the first resort.

[jdub]

I have noticed that no one seems to think that these terrorists has thought out this action beyond the move already taken. Being that it is known that Russian nukes are missing I think we need to consider what our next steps will be. If someone really wanted to teach us a lesson, here is one way to do it:

Create a scenario sure to inflame American passions to the point of demanding that some group be wiped from the face of the earth. Of course, the group targeted would not be the same one that is ultimately responsible, but an unknowing dupe that has been double crossed (Taliban). During the months of preparation, a nuke or nukes is brought into America and secreted in a strategic location or locations. America unleashes its wrath on the perpetrators of the original act. The ultimate conspirator (China?)now destroys New York City completely. What is America's next move?

I am hoping for swift action. Hopefully we will remove the Taliban leadership and let the people of that land revert back to a more moderate regime. Remember the people there did not vote for these people. They took over power. Unfortunately in struggles between nations it is the peasant that doesn't really have a dog in the fight who suffers the most.

[Deb]

But, then you're one of the guys who spent all day Monday bashing the INS guy because Arab terrorist websites got raided.

No one is listening to you or Alan Dershowitz or the ACLU.

[Force12]

"I am hoping for swift action. Hopefully we will remove the Taliban leadership and let the people of that land revert back to a more moderate regime."

It's half-measures like these that brought us to what we're facing at the moment, wouldn't you agree?

[dirtboy]

But, then you're one of the guys who spent all day Monday bashing the INS guy because Arab terrorist websites got raided.

Bashing? I was wondering what their probable cause was. Here the INS was going after websites while many of the terrorists had lapsed visas.

No one is listening to you or Alan Dershowitz or the ACLU.

Typical Deb. You can't refute so you make an irrelevant comparison. Do YOU think it's a grand idea to use nukes in this situation? We can't bomb the Afghanis back to the stone age - the Russians already did that. We can't bomb Saddam back to the stone age - WE already did that. I hope the Bush Admin is smarter than you and some of the other posters and are drawing up tactics for the first war of this century, and are not using the failed tactics of the last...

[Sparkboy]

Time to Use the Nuclear Option

I don't think that's a seal we want to breach. On the other hand, if they do...

[dirtboy]

I am hoping for swift action

I hope for effective action. The minds of these terrorists do not bother with trivial things like weeks or months or even years. If we are serious about this war, we must think the same way and devise tactics accordingly. Otherwise, we'll give up if we haven't won after 18 months.

[Force12]

"WE already did that. I hope the Bush Admin is smarter than you and some of the other posters and are drawing up tactics for the first war of this century, and are not using the FAILED TACTICS OF THE LAST..."

Precisely the point of the TACTICAL nuke advocates -- myself included. The old rules don't work. Think it out and measure the feasibility, but I think we need a bigger can of Raid here.

[Bob Burnett]

Using the nuclear option is madness. Stark, raving madness. I simply cannot believe such thinking. One guy behind this and we should nuke him? Unbelievable.

[Force12]

To think it's one guy behind this is naive at best, dangerous at worst. This is a widespread, anti-American, anti-West, Anti-Zionist camp we are dealing with!

[aomagrat]

Find the terrorist camp in this photo.

[dirtboy]

Precisely the point of the TACTICAL nuke advocates -- myself included

What would tactical nukes accomplish, then? The Taliban is a rural movement, highly decentralized, in mountainous terrain that would limit the blast effect of nukes. Saddam is highly mobile and almost impossible to target. And if the U.S. were to use nukes, IMO we could basically kiss the oil of the Middle East goodbye - and we are currently in NO position to withstand that.

This is gonna take years to fix - and a worst-case scenario, IMO, is military action that accompishes nothing but killing civilians while leaving the head of the snake alive, and that action in turns topples moderate states in the Gulf that we are gonna need both for oil and for assistance in penetrating the terrorist regimes. This war calls for unorthodox strategy, and I fail to see how nukes, tactical OR strategic, accomplish anything of use.

[jdub]

The rest of the world is not going to look or think like America. The majority of Islam's followers are not radical hate filled terrorists. The surest way to create more of the fanatics is to kill those that aren't already in their camp. I guess I'm thinking along the lines of the quote "A liberal is just a conservative that hasn't been mugged yet".

Radical Islam is unfortunately growing in the world. They are not getting control by winning elections though. I think no one would disagree that if in hindsight taking out Hitler and his Brownshirts in the early days would have been a good idea. But achieving it by nuking Berlin (had the bomb been available) would not have been an acceptable means to the end.

Those responsible should pay and pay dearly. But exacting revenge upon the innocent does not further America's goals and ideals.

[dirtboy]

Find the terrorist camp in this photo.

Killing terrorists is fine and dandy, but kill a hundred mujadeen and three hundred more will volunteer the next day. The Middle East is full of angry young men just looking for a reason to fight. We have to take out the leadership, and scare the old men who have much to loose.

[Deb]

I "can't refute"? Oh really? Refute what? Your garbage doesn't deserve refuting, I was making a bigger point...that after reading what you pass for rational thought on Monday, nothing you say or think is even worth considering after your display on safe-guarding the country and policing of its enemies.

But, no, I wouldn't nuke 'em...today.