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From: inc@fluke.UUCP (Gary Benson)
Newsgroups: net.flame,net.politics
Subject: 30 to 10 and counting
Message-ID: <363@tpvax.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 29-Aug-84 13:07:38 EDT
Article-I.D.: tpvax.363
Posted: Wed Aug 29 13:07:38 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Sep-84 09:12:40 EDT
References: <1575@zehntel.UUCP> <801@ihuxn.UUCP>, <47@pixadv.UUCP>, <249@mhuxt.UUCP> <197@whuxl.UUCP>
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Everett, WA
Lines: 28

Oh Jeez, that old crap again about how we're only ten minutes from doom. To
my way of thinking, people who go around shouting about the short length of
time between POSSIBILITIES are merely parading their ignorance of the
probabililities.

Now I ask you: do you really think that the length of time a missile takes
to get from side_aggressor to side_defender really matters? I certainly
don't.  What matters is how expert the diplomats are -- you know, the folks
whose purpose is to provide the communication link between nations. As long
as the response time for communications is held shorter that the lead time
for missile delivery, we are as safe from holocaust with 30 as with 10
minutes. When it took 30 minutes for a bomb to get from 'us' to 'them', the
turn-around time for communications had to be something less than 30
minutes.

Today, we have "instantaneous" communications, so the time between
deployment and apology can be shortened considerably. I really don't give a
rat's ass if it only takes 5 seconds to get our weapon to it's target. If
that were the case, however, I'd like to be damn sure that the Kremlin and
the Pentagon were hooked up in a permanent dialogue.

-- 
Gary Benson ms232e -*- John Fluke Mfg Co -*- Box C9090 -*- Everett WA 98206 USA
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