Warfare 101 (was Fear of Nanotech)

Brian D Williams (talon57@well.com)
Thu, 9 Sep 1999 11:56:55 -0700 (PDT)

From: mark@unicorn.com

>You're seriously suggesting dropping a 20MT bomb on Baghdad?
>Really? I'm not misinterpreting you here? Are you insane?

You're not only misinterpreting, you're doing so deliberately.

In the event of a military conflict where B/C weapons are involved I would advocate a nuclear response, since Baghdad is the military center, it would be a prime target. I would probably provide 48 hours notice, (evacuate) then it would be crater city.

>>Nice of you to put such little value on U.S. soldiers.

>When they're acting as hired mercenaries, sent out to put Western
>puppet leaders back in place in the name of 'freedom' and
>'democracy', why should anyone value them higher than the hundreds
>of thousands or millions of Iraqi civilians who you would happily
>kill with your hydrogen bomb?

Clearly you do not understand what a mercenary is, or more likely yet another deliberate misinterpretation.

I value one U.S. soldier more than Baghdad. I would not "happily" kill anyone.

>>yes I believe in the law of talion, use a weapon of mass
>>destruction, get one used on you.....

>So when Arabs decided to use nukes or bio/chemical weapons on DC
>and a few other US cities in retaliation for the US nuclear strike
>on Baghdad you'll just nod your head and say 'Well, that just
>serves us right for using nuclear weapons'?

Strawman again, the nuclear response would be just that, a response. If anyone would launch a new attack after that, they too would receive an overwhelming response......

>I mean, seriously, forget for a moment that you're American.
>Imagine yourself as a foreigner reading this discussion, realising
>that ordinary Americans believe that they should be able to attack
>any other country which annoys them, for any reason, and if that
>other country decides to defend itself with the only effective
>weapons it has, those Americans believe that they are perfectly
>justified in vaporizing foreign cities containing millions of
>civilians in retaliation.

I have no intension of forgetting for an instant that I'm an American, and yet again your at it with another Strawman. No one I know of says we can go around attacking people who annoy us, and as I've made clear only an attack with B/C weapons would earn a nuclear response.

We did not start the war with Iraq, Iraq did by attacking Kuwait, the continued hostilities are because of Iraq's noncompliance with the terms of surrender.

>Try that for a second. Try to imagine how this kind of American
>militaristic arrogance looks to non-Americans (and if that fails,
>go rent 'Starship Troopers'; the best satire on American
>militarism I've ever seen). You may suddenly realise just why so
>many non-Americans fear and hate you.

Satire????? I must have missed that, as I recall we we're attacked in that movie, and not just America, as I recall Buenos Aires (beautiful city!) was attacked without provocation. Besides I own Starship troopers (the book was better).

I was going to suggest moving this to private mail for the benefit of the list, but I see by another message that your leaving anyway...

Brian

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