What happends if we get nuked/chemed?

[Bowmaster]

This question is related to the one that WinstonSmith asked, but with a difference.

Let's say the terrorists sneak in a dirty bomb or some chemical weapon. They manage to set it off, effectively destroying a major US city.

Now let's say we have credible evidence that Al Quaida did it. What is our response? The world will be totally behind us in most anything we do - but what do we do? Unlike 9/11, there is no Taliban. We need to do something big in response - do we go after Syria?

Please, no Flamewar of any kind. I have no idea what our response should be.

My Opinion: I'm afraid we will need to just continue our war against Al Quaida, trying to get more International help in the effort. I also think we should hope that Israel doesn't use it as an excuse to throw some nukes Syria's way to "help" us out - and I don't mean that as a slam against them or to make this into a palastine/israel discussion.

What is your opinion?

 

[lozina]

Someone would pay. If we use histroy as precedent, the victim does not necessarily have to have anything to do with al qaeda.

 

[conjur]

Two words:

Internment camps

 

[Infohawk]

It depends who's President. If GWB was president, I wouldn't be at all surprised if we nuked anyone in retalation. If 9/11 is a lesson, than Americans in the majority will support lashing out against pretty much anyone in the name of revenge. And yes clearly such an act would benefit Israel and give them even more room to rampage against their neighbors.

Here is what we SHOULD do in such a situation / right now. Respect international organizations. Work within them to take a tougher stance on WMDs. This means going after North Korea, Israel and other small countries that have them. I think clearly certain countries will have them. This should be limited to very large countries like China, India, and maybe pakistan. Definitely no more nuclear powers than we already have and again we need to take the weapons away from teh smaller countries that have them now. Then, we start decreasing our own WMDs in cooperation with foreign nations. It's easier then to go after WMDs if you have fewer yourself. This really needs global cooperation, not US lonewolf bs. And weapons inspectors should have free reign. Once they are blocked and they themselves don't think they can continue, then military action WHEN supported by international organizations will be legitimate.

 

[MAW1082]

Three Words: World War Three

 

[Bowmaster]

Someone would pay. If we use histroy as precedent, the victim does not necessarily have to have anything to do with al qaeda.

Iozina - that's what I'm asking. Who would pay?

Three Words: World War Three

MAW1082 - please be more specific. Between who and who? Judeo-Christians vs. Islam?

 

[Slick5150]

Just as an FYI, setting off a "dirty bomb," as you say in your original post, would not even come close "effectively destroying a major US city." The actual damage would be minor to nonexistant, and if emergency management plans are acted upon properly, there would be very few casualties.

That being said, obviously one hopes this doesn't happen. But I think the first step would be figuring out who did it (after all, the last major "bombing" in the US was not islamic extremists, it was a wacko militant)

 

[Infohawk]

PS I also think we should button down the hatches to prevent this stuff from happening. We need more port security. I also am a proponent of well-managed surveillance and registration. Given the giant risk of WMD use I think it's warranted to monitor Muslim organizations and such. I don't think we should imprison them and treat them like trash but I also don't think there's a problem with lists and more cameras on the street. Remember that most Americans are scared of id cards for some weird reason. We need excellent id cards that are very hard to duplicate and everybody in the US needs to have one. If big businesses want illegal immigration to slide then we give illegal immigrants temporary work passes and cards, even if they are illegal. (Of course ideally there should be no illegal immigrants since it's unfair to legal ones).

 

[Bowmaster]

PinwiZ - good reply. I'm thinking something big, but you are correct - even the Japanese cult who used a chem weapon really had only small results.

My question pertains more towards a huge event, and what happens after we figure out who did it.

 

[CanOWorms]

I think people would cry for war without waiting for an investigation and so much pressure would be on the President that he would basically have to without being ridiculed out of office. Maybe institute a draft to just randomly invade someone or lots of people and I'd think it wouldn't be a "nice" war. I think Europe may set up concentration camps and put their minorities in them & possibly exterminate them (possibly the US too). The world will then fall apart.

 

[BugsBunny1078]

We just keep on doing what we are doing now. We continue overthrowing every Islamic nation until we control them all.

 

[tec699]

Hopefully we would show restraint, but you all know that war monger Bush would start WW3.

:|

 

[Passions]

If George Bush is still President, then full retaliation against the aggressors will result.

If John Kerry is President, then probably UN Resolutions, years of fruitless debate, and maybe small number of Tomahawks will be launched.

 

[Infohawk]

Originally posted by: Passions
If George Bush is still President, then full retaliation against the aggressors will result.

If John Kerry is President, then probably UN Resolutions, years of fruitless debate, and maybe small number of Tomahawks will be launched.

What's the basis for your prediction about Kerry?

 

[Passions]

Originally posted by: Infohawk

Originally posted by: Passions
If George Bush is still President, then full retaliation against the aggressors will result.

If John Kerry is President, then probably UN Resolutions, years of fruitless debate, and maybe small number of Tomahawks will be launched.

What's the basis for your prediction about Kerry?

Democrat's are all the same. Look at Clinton.

 

[K1052]

Go after them as never before, any resistance to this effort in the mid east would quickly crumble because no one else wants to lose their country.

I don't think any nation would be stupid enough to give or sell them a fully functional nuclear weapon. The consequences if they were found out would be severe to say the least.

 

[Moonbeam]

Originally posted by: Infohawk

Originally posted by: Passions
If George Bush is still President, then full retaliation against the aggressors will result.

If John Kerry is President, then probably UN Resolutions, years of fruitless debate, and maybe small number of Tomahawks will be launched.

What's the basis for your prediction about Kerry?

Infohawk, you have a terrible nose for Schmoos. This is a Schmoo alert!

 

[irwincur]

What's the basis for your prediction about Kerry?

Considering Kerry has come out and pretty much said as much there really is no argument here. Not to mention that he wrote about this during college.

Here is what we SHOULD do in such a situation / right now. Respect international organizations. Work within them to take a tougher stance on WMDs.

And what about the fact that this is what we have been doing for the last thirty years - AND IT HAS NOT WORKED. The world has too many seperate agendas for an Int'l Org. to ever harness any power. Plus most of the world hates us, always has, and always will no matter how we grovel and beg to be included. Clinton did this and we suffered through the highest amount of terror attacks ever in the history of the world. Now with the new policy it is amazing that terror attacks are down 60% to all time lows. Hmm, wonder why.

 

[lozina]

Originally posted by: irwincur

What's the basis for your prediction about Kerry?

Considering Kerry has come out and pretty much said as much there really is no argument here. Not to mention that he wrote about this during college.

So that means Bush is snorting coke and drinking during his term?

Here is what we SHOULD do in such a situation / right now. Respect international organizations. Work within them to take a tougher stance on WMDs.

Clinton did this and we suffered through the highest amount of terror attacks ever in the history of the world. Now with the new policy it is amazing that terror attacks are down 60% to all time lows. Hmm, wonder why.

Huh?

 

[Tinkerhell]

Draft time

 

[Steeplerot]

Hopefully if something like that happened the people would rise up and take back control of the gov. and stop meddling with other countries foreign policies that get us into these situations.
Straight revolution is what would be called for. A time to the people in power now to pay the piper and answer for once to the people. A period of old-school isolationism pre-ww1 seems about right until the mess of foreign policy bush has gotten us into has blown over and people trust us again. (I don't think it would take long we have done much for the world in the past and most americans have good intentions.) But then you know what the road to hell is paved with. The best way to stop a bully is to stand up to them and punch them in the nose, but I hope these things never come to pass this is/was a great country.

 

[Spencer278]

I would guess bushg might grow a pair and attack saudi arabia.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Spencer278
I would guess bushg might grow a pair and attack saudi arabia.

Where we should've taken over to begin with, after all it is the "Home" of Bin Laden and most of the Oil.

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: irwincur

What's the basis for your prediction about Kerry?

Considering Kerry has come out and pretty much said as much there really is no argument here. Not to mention that he wrote about this during college.

Here is what we SHOULD do in such a situation / right now. Respect international organizations. Work within them to take a tougher stance on WMDs.

And what about the fact that this is what we have been doing for the last thirty years - AND IT HAS NOT WORKED. The world has too many seperate agendas for an Int'l Org. to ever harness any power. Plus most of the world hates us, always has, and always will no matter how we grovel and beg to be included. Clinton did this and we suffered through the highest amount of terror attacks ever in the history of the world. Now with the new policy it is amazing that terror attacks are down 60% to all time lows. Hmm, wonder why.

Because many of the terrorist attacks occurred within Iraq and were not included in those totals. I've seen that article mentioning the low # of terror attacks last year. We all have. You're not bringing anything new to the table.

 

[TommyVercetti]

What happened in the movie "The Siege" will happen.