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Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!decvax!duke!ucf-cs!giles
From: giles@ucf-cs.UUCP (Bruce Giles)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re:re:ABMs
Message-ID: <1093@ucf-cs.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 26-Nov-83 14:28:24 EST
Article-I.D.: ucf-cs.1093
Posted: Sat Nov 26 14:28:24 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 27-Nov-83 04:05:19 EST
References: <163@ihu1e.UUCP>
Organization: University of Central Florida
Lines: 43


>	I don't know about theirs, but our missiles have no self destruct
>	capabilities. The fact is, when they leave the hole there is no
>	way of stopping them so one had better be certain of what is going
>	on.


We have no self-destruct capability on our missiles????? (ok -- pun
unintentional)  Quick, bring the smelling salts!

Seriously, I knew we had fools in Washington, but I find that incredibly
stupid.  Yes, I know there is the risk of the enemy using our self-
destruct code to destroy our missiles before they reach them, but compare
the potential lose from losing some of our missiles to accidently starting
a nuclear war.  
 
Besides, I am only concerned about accidental launches.  So what if the
self-destruct message takes (say) 5 minutes.  If each missile had a different
code, and they could not be addressed simultaneously we will still have an
effective deterent.

Of course, this makes my argument for an ABM system (High Frontier style, 
incidently) uncomfortably even more pertinent.

(I know right now that I shall have nightmares tonight).

Any more disquieting news out there?


			    Bruce Giles
			    decvax!ucf-cs!giles (UUCP)
			    UCF, Dept of Math, Orlando Fl 32816 (Snail)


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P.S.:  In the *Orlando Sentinel* today (26 November) there was a cartoon
       remarkably similar to my argument.  It shows a flying saucer above a
       collection of jagged rocks in space, with two aliens speaking.
       The brunt of the dialog was that immediately after the U.S. and
       the U.S.S.R. actually stopped the arms race (spurred on by *The Day
       After* et nausea)  Kaddafy blew up the world.  Hopefully it is 
       a syndicated cartoon; I only glanced at it.
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