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From: orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: The Chronic War-Preparers
Message-ID: <300@whuxl.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 26-Oct-84 09:52:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: whuxl.300
Posted: Fri Oct 26 09:52:00 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Oct-84 03:40:09 EDT
References: <362@tjalk.UUCP> <2752@ucbcad.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs
Lines: 44

> Reagan may be many things, but you are really being absurd in accusing him
> of actually desiring a nuclear war. Tell me, what sort of sentiments do
> you think would motivate anybody to want such a thing? A desire to commit
> suicide in the most dramatic way possible, maybe, but I doubt that Reagan
> wants to do this... He's had four years to destroy the world and hasn't
> managed it yet, has he?
> 
> 	Wayne

Of course it is absurd to think that Reagan "desires" a nuclear war.
But what has he done to prevent one, to lessen the number of nuclear
weapons threatening the planet, to keep the nuclear fuse from getting
shorter? Nothing.  Instead he has launched a full-scale nuclear arms race
that makes the nuclear fuse shorter and shorter.  The time to react to
a nuclear attack is less today than it was four years ago.  
Kurt Vonnegutt spoke at Indiana University when I was there and gave a
very good analogy.  He said we had a major social problem in our society
that was very much neglected but more dangerous than alchoholism, drunk
driving or other forms of addictive behavior.  It was the disease of
the "chronic War Preparers".  The chronic War Preparers are addicted to
getting more and more arms--it really doesn't matter if they serve any
purpose--they make them think of Parades and Heroism and playing War
when they were kids.  Just as alcoholics are always surprised and upset
when their addiction leads to the inevitable hangover, so the chronic
War Preparers are the first to be shocked when all their preparations for
War, which seemed so grand and fun, actually lead to war! How did that happen?
We didn't WANT a War! We just wanted to PREPARE for one!
The parades were great but all these people actually getting killed....
how could that happen? It's not like it was in the movies!
Ronald Reagan is a chronic War Preparer of the worst sort. It would be bad
enough to constantly prepare for conventional War, but what Ronnie especially
gets his kicks out of is preparing for the Big One. Thus just several weeks ago
the Pentagon released its report to prepare not only for the Big One but for
the Days, Weeks, Months After--in response to Reagan's administrations plans
to be prepared to fight "protracted Nuclear War".
First off this shows a shocking disregard for reality--after the Big One
there will be very few people left, and ultimately it is extremely likely
there may be none left.  Thus this plan for "protracted nuclear war" illustrates
the belief common in the Reagan administration that both sides will somehow
"survive" an allout nuclear war.  Secondly, to the extent there may POSSIBLY
be anyone left, do we really want to prepare to REALLY wipe out the human race?
I find this attitude and such Nuclear War Preparing very dangerous.
But most of us will not wake up when this hangover is over....
Tim Sevener  whuxl!orb