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Path: utzoo!watmath!looking!brad
From: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: problems with Star Wars #2 (part 2: the crux) (LONG)
Message-ID: <307@looking.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 19-Jul-85 00:00:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: looking.307
Posted: Fri Jul 19 00:00:00 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 20-Jul-85 03:38:48 EDT
References: <1197@utcsri.UUCP> <5772@utzoo.UUCP> <1240@utcsri.UUCP> <5797@utzoo.UUCP> <1269@utcsri.UUCP>
Organization: Looking Glass Software, Waterloo, Ont
Lines: 30
Summary: 

I haven't made up my mind on SDI yet, but all this percentage stuff doesn't
make sense.

It's my impression that most of the many nukes we have (if not all, officially)
are targeted at military targets, not at cities.  The ones targeted at cities
are aimed at military targets located within themm

Nobody seriously considers a nuclear exchange involving everybody killing
off all the cities on the other side.  It's pointless, insane, and would
result in bombs falling on your own cities.

As I understand it, the reason for our current massive nuclear buildup is
fear of a first strike.  Even a 50% effective Star Wars system is enough
for this.  It says, "don't try it, because no matter what you do, a fair
number of our silos will survive, and then it's bye-bye to you."

Nuking cities is something that was done once, strictly for dramatic effect,
to end the second world war.  I don't think it's on people's minds today
as a direct end.

I know this will be an unpopular statement, but I trust the USA not to
engage in a first strike.  They used the bomb twice, but to end a massive
global conflict.  For ten years after that, they never used it again,
in spite of the fact that there was much call for it and they were
involved in a major conflict.  Watch the film, "The Atomic Cafe" to see
what the American attitude was then.  They all thought they were "the supreme
power for goodness" on the earth.  But they didn't use it, even with a
general for a President.
-- 
Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473