Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (68866)	1/26/2003 5:36:30 AM
From: unclewest	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

LB, Yes and there is certainly very high risk in sending troops in to handle weapons by hand. Avoiding that risk by exploding enemy ordinance is a long standing practice. Iraq's issuance of Chem and Bio warfare protective suits to his own soldiers is disconcerting too. Prior to the 91 war, there were a number of reports that we had informed Iraq (and others) that nuclear retaliation was planned if he deployed any WMD's against American troops or Israel. I believe we are now making the same point...just more publicly. Perhaps we expect the use of WMDs to be more likely and want the entire world to be on public notice. The stakes are higher for Saddam this time. In 91 our mission was to free Kuwait. In 2003 our mission is to get Saddam. He knows that for himself once started this is a fight to the death. Though that is an unusual predicament for a politician, he can enjoy a hero's demise if he hurts us badly on the way out. uw

To: LindyBill who wrote (68866)	1/26/2003 8:55:07 AM
From: Sig	Respond to of 281500

<<<<This is the other possibility. Suppose we know where he has one or all of the above stored. We can't take a chance on him using it. If we hit it with conventional explosives we might scatter it into the air and release it. The only choice would be to burn it in a Thermonuclear Hellfire. >>> These are the choices that turn modern Presidents hair grey in a hurry And makes me very happy to have as President a family man with experienced parents, with twin daughters, a loyal wife, and the most experienced aides and advisors acceptable to Congress. We knew how rough the Press and opposition is on ANY President when decisions need to be made or budgets produced. Texas is the only State I have found where I could live within my budget, so I was wishing he . he could stay as Governor instead of running for higher office. I am a bit older now, and begin to see that life is risky . ( He knew that from flying jet aircraft) and a man normaly gets only one chance at the office. There are many ex-presidents available and he probably consulted with them in making the decision to run and could pose to them the question " If you had to do it over again, would you have accepted the job or not?" I doubt if any would have said no. And the response may have been " Son, if you can run a State as well as you have there is no reason you cannot handle the job - go for it" To return to your comment on how to handle the situation of hidden WMD's which Iraq probably has. One scientist commented that some were hidden deep under the desert floor. We have equipment that can pinpoint the location even if covered with sand. Satellites with before and after images. With radar that can detect a small elevation of the desert surface in the area. Ground penetrating radar such as used on the Pyramids to to find underground passages. Gravitometers carried by helicopters that can detect anomalies caused underground steel structures, Seismic generators or small explosions such as used by oil companies to look at sub-surface structures. What we need is just one Iraq scientist that can give us a general location in that vast wasteland to start searching and save months of wasted time and expense. Which may be why Saddam promised to kill any that talked. How to destroy the WMD's is fortunately not my decision - to use conventional weapons puts at risk the Iraqi civilians and perhaps others. We prefer the Inspectors locate them and destroy them safely by incineration. So I have no answer as to what should be done, but have tried here to point out that if Saddam is allowed to continue developing weapons of that nature he could have so many it would take the Hellfire next time to safely dispose of them Regards Sig (sorry I strayed a bit from the specific subject but the Left has been piling it on hard lately)

To: LindyBill who wrote (68866)	1/26/2003 7:52:44 PM
From: Maurice Winn	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Re smallpox: <The only choice would be to burn it in a Thermonuclear Hellfire. > Lindy, wouldn't that make a mess in Los Angeles, New York and Washington? It might be better to do some vaccinations, so that the disease can't propagate. I don't believe the USA intelligence services think that Saddam or anyone who matters has got smallpox. If they did, they would have started vaccinations of the USA population a year ago. * Note 1. When planning to attack and kill Saddam, I'm sure they know that he will do a Hitler and take everything possible with him. He has had over a decade to get ready - now 12 years. To prepare, I would pay some suicide carriers to carry my smallpox jars into the USA. They would get aerosol dispensers ready. Then wait. As the American forces approach Baghdad, I would announce my evil plan to persuade the forces to stop. I would demonstrate by perhaps posting a few smallpox sealed in an envelope, from Peoria or Santee to the Centre for Disease Control, so that could agree that yes, somebody does indeed have some feral smallpox in the USA. Then, the President of the USA could decide whether to risk a few million or 10s of millions of American deaths to gain control of some oil fields. Even if they could avoid death [and sickness] the economic impact of quarantined cities, towns, businesses, people, would be stupendous. Thermonuclear Hellfire, while a lot of fun, might not be all that good an idea for handling smallpox. One doesn't use a Howitzer to shoot a sparrow. Nuking smallpox is going over the top too. He might not actually tell you where he is hiding it you know. The bad guys are funny like that. Mqurice * Note 1 .... On the other hand, it was obvious that cockpit doors should be closed to stop people taking over aircraft, but people including Condoleezza Rice were apparently surprised that some terrorists figured that commandeering a dirty great jumbo jet and crashing it into buildings was a good idea. So maybe military intelligence isn't all that it might be and they'll be amazed when Saddam attacks everyone with smallpox. That Johns Hopkins bugs guy seems to think they might well have it. I say shut the cockpit door before the horse bolts again.