I remember back in 1975 that our CO read a message that said the United States had never been more vulnerable to a Soviet attack than we were right then. Our Navy was smaller than any time since WW2, the Marine Corps and other services were cut to the bone, and if the Soviets were going to attack, now was the time.

With Putin acting with no restraints while our CNC packs fudge in the Rainbow House, what do you think would be our response if Putin pulled the nuclear trigger while Obongo fiddled?

Why nuke? That'd be stupid. A conventional attack leaves the nation ripe for the pickings with the resources largely intact and recoverable.

I can see using a nuke as an EMP weapon to remove a countries ability to utilize technology, but not to destroy it. Not sure how Putin sees things, though, and not sure I want to.

We have been vulnerable to nuclear annihilation for over half a century now. Worse, we are even more vulnerable to a terrorist nuclear attack.

The doctrine of mutual assured destruction has kept the big powers from pushing the button, and likely will continue to do so. But it would only take one fanatic in a small plane, or a single cargo container to set off a nuke almost anywhere in the country.

That is exactly what a neutron bomb does. The radiation kills everything, then it dissipates in a relatively short period.

Most of the Russian nukes are intermediate range missiles targeted for China. If either China or Russia shoots their wad at us, they are vulnerable to attack by their neighbor.

Presently there is no cogent reason for either to enter into a nuclear exchange with us. As already mentioned, the real threat is from a terrorist organization. In such a scenario it's likely to hurt, but not likely to annihilate us.

We ignore the greatest risk to this nation.

The only thing stopping a terrorist org from detonating a nuclear weapon is the ability/knowledge to build one.

I don't think there is any real nuclear threat from China or Russia - they might get a couple of blows in but we'd likely respond and we'd both end up further behind than we were to begin with. North Korea is a different threat entirely but I don't think their nuclear arsenal is advanced enough to pose a threat to the US.

In all honesty, I'd be more worried about us launching a nuke than them. I'll explain.

Putin's designs are meant to weaken us across the board. I think they eventually mean to remove the dollar as the reserve currency and crash our economy. If when that happens, I worry more about us getting squirrelly with the nukes than them. They won't have any need to nuke us at that point. We on the other hand, will be scrambling for our lives.

there's various groups of humans down here on the Earth that just don't like the way things are progressing.

sure, everyone wants to survive, have a good life, a trophy wife, and 1.5 kids (to get the human population at a sustainable level).

but, noone is going to press the nacular button. it'd signal a failure of the human race. the grand experiment would be over, and brought on by the very species that was suppose to nurture, rule, and survive on this planet.

even the stupid who walk amongst us wouldn't be that stupid.

Can we trust Obongo to respond in kind? I don't think so.

he'll hold a sternly worded press conference and call for laws against nukes. then go golfing

Actually, I'm kinda surprised that a terrorist hasn't at least set off a dirty suitcase bomb yet with our southern border wide open and others overstaying their visa's. Now Obama wants to import somewhere in the neighborhood of 800,000 "refugees" from the middle east. It's funny how 70% of these people are men. I hate to sound like a dooms-dayer, and always like to think optimistically, but unfortunately I think we're setting ourselves up for a catastrophe. If anybody's going to nuke us, it's going to be Korea. Then give it a few years and you'll see Iran lobbing schit at Israel.The Iranians don't care if they die.

Putin had to draft 150,000 troops this week for Syria.

You think his military is in big and in good enough shape to take on the US on our soil?

No.. he'll keep to the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Only nuclear threats are from terrorists. Between Pakistan, North Korea and soon Iran having the bomb - the likelihood of a nuke floating into some harbor city on a freighter isn't going down.

Or somebody doing an EMP attack. We could still retaliate tho, so it would be North Korea or Iran because they are just bug[bleep] crazy.

Is America at risk of nuclear annihilation?

Always has been, since the Manhattan Project.
But, God has always been in co ntrol / has the final say.

Do we really believe Iran won't use their first bomb on Israel, starting the cascade effect worldwide that is supposed to "out" the Hidden Mahdi?

Every day millions of young Muslims beg Allah for exactly that. If they had their way it would have occurred long ago...

Well if that happened (and I don't think Putin is anywhere near crazy enough to ever consider it), I do happen to think Obama would level Russia.

Who knows what N Korea is launching on the 10th? EMP weapon?

If it ever happens it'll be like throwing a rock into a basket of cocked mousetraps.

There probably won't be enough time to get panicked about it.

I really don't believe Putin wants to spend the rest of his life in a underground bunker waiting for the radiation levels to go down in Russia. I believe he wants to enjoy his billions above ground.

There will almost certainly be at last one dirty bomb attack against a major city, though Europe or Russia might be the target, they are not well liked either.

Much easier to make. The difficulty is more the deadly nature as both deadly poisons and radioactivity of Uranium and Plutonium and the rarity of radioactives in general.

The danger in the future is with the ongoing development of anti missile technology. When the balance of MAD goes, the risks will greatly increase...

In the Cold War, there were those in the American military that seriously thought a *limited* nuclear war could be fought in Europe using only short range/tactical nukes...Hopefully the advent ATM won't result in a return to such ideas...

Pete, I don't fear that particular aspect much. I believe Neutron Bombs were outlawed, meaning that any sane world leader is going to know that any strike of significance is going to render the whole world if not uninhabitable, then significantly less habitable.

The thing that is more worrisome nuke-wise are insane terrorists. But what is more so to me, are the possibility of the development of some doomsday biological or chemical weapon that an antidote exists for. Imagine the glee of some assclown with access to such a thing who decides to vaccinate who he wants and then unleash it on a country (us) or the world. It's only a matter of time.

No need for nukes, just turn of the electricity and it's done....

Putin won't do it.
He'd have to put his shirt on.

I'd say America is more at risk for total and dismal collapse from the 'inside'.

My Grandpa didn't have electric 'til the fifties. I could probably do without it if I had to. I don't think an EMP event would be the doomsday everybody thinks it would be. The biggest risk would be from the government itself or another government following up by coming in and trying to take over. They would do well to heed the admonition of the Japanese Admiral speaking of why they didn't invade after Pearl Harbor.

The world knew how to thrive without electricity in the fifties. That collective knowledge is gone now. A big power outage would be absolute chaos for months nowadays. Though people could survive, they won't because they would choose not to.

well, just let me share that it's unlikely the world needs 7 billion people and increasing as we speak.

a die-off rom nacular bombs, disease, or other factors would reduce the breeding population for sure.

but, we know we don't have to have electric lights, water well pumps, or even paved roads. none of that is essential for the survivors who might be left after such an insane exchange of modern weaponry.

in the post-modern era, just getting a breeding population into the next day, month, season, year will be quite enough.

and who's to say we won't be better for it?

Wifey and I have talked about an EMP event. She realizes since she does not live in a Faraday cage she is toast. DRT.