Xref: utzoo talk.politics.misc:63172 talk.politics.mideast:33350 trial.talk.politics.peace:10
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!maytag!looking!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!ncar!neit.cgd.ucar.edu!gary
From: gary@neit.cgd.ucar.edu (Gary Strand)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,talk.politics.mideast,trial.talk.politics.peace
Subject: Re: The Nuclear Option
Keywords: mass destruction, anyone?
Message-ID: <10210@ncar.ucar.edu>
Date: 7 Feb 91 08:39:35 GMT
References: <1991Feb7.025838.13793@panix.uucp>
Sender: news@ncar.ucar.edu
Organization: Climate and Global Dynamics Division/NCAR, Boulder, CO
Lines: 26


  ['alt' groups dropped]

> Gordon Fitch

> Note that in recent days the Butch, Danforth, and more than one of
> America's hochkommandatura have quite openly mused on the thought of using
> nuclear weapons -- especially if things go badly.  And so far, they have
> not gone very well, outside of the media.

  Not surprising. Jym Dyer just recently posted an article in sci.env from
  Greenpeace detailing the whole nuclear-weapons issue vis-a-vis the war.
  In brief, there would be little military utility in the use of nuclear
  weapons, especially when one considers the political (and other) costs.
  I personally don't think that one (or more) will be used, because of the
  above, as well as the very small chance that the war will go so badly that
  use is even contemplated.

> This is called a "trial baloon."

  In some part, yes, but mostly as a psycho-political guessing game, kind of
  like a bluff in poker.
--
Gary Strand                           There is only one success -- to be able
Internet: strandwg@ncar.ucar.edu      to spend your life in your own way.
Voicenet: (303) 497-1336                                 - Christopher Morley