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From: jpj@mss.UUCP (J. P. Jenal)
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: Living (?) with the nuclear nightmare
Message-ID: <254@mss.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 3-Feb-85 14:43:33 EST
Article-I.D.: mss.254
Posted: Sun Feb  3 14:43:33 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 7-Feb-85 07:29:03 EST
References: <1237@eagle.UUCP> <15500002@uiucdcsp.UUCP>
Reply-To: jpj@mss.UUCP (J. P. Jenal)
Organization: Mayfield Senior School, Pasadena, Ca
Lines: 36
Summary: 

In article <15500002@uiucdcsp.UUCP> ashby@uiucdcsp.UUCP writes:
>As long as we have a strong defense, and the Soviets are sure
>of our resolve, I see little to fear.  Neither the USA nor
>the USSR desires a nuclear war.  If it does happen, it will
>most likely be because the Soviets thought they could get
>away with something, only to find out (too late) that they
>were mistaken.

Far more likely, given your assumption that neither side *desires* a
nuclear war, is that the war will be started by accident, seized as an
*advantage* not to be squandered and allowed to go out of control with
possibly terminal results.

None-the-less, this is not to the point of the original article - namely,
how does the *threat* affect daily life?  In Jonathon Schell's book,
_The Fate of the Earth_, he addresses this question quite well. 

I feel that part of the self-centeredness in today's society is a product
of an underlying feeling of here today, gone tomorrow - with little concern
for any notion of legacy.

As to my own personal response - I have marched in protests on both sides
of the country, written to whomever I could find that might be in a
position to change things and I have refused to work for any portion of the
defense establishment.  My present role is that of educator and I have
tried to raise the issues with my students - at the very least to make them
think about their own assumptions.  I don't know if that is enough, but right
now it seems like the best thing that I can do.

To try and make some connection to net.singles, I would add that any
potential SO would have to share a similar concern.

Cheers...

	Jim Jenal		(aka ...!scgvaxd!mss!jpj)
	Mayfield Senior School	( "  ...!ihnp4!mss!jpj)