What was scarier: 9/11 or Cuban Missile Crisis

[Screech]

I once discussed this issue, in a different context, with a friend of mine from high school; the question was, how safe was the US as a country (and its citizens as people) in the world after 9/11 compared to other points in our country's past (including the cuban missile crisis). I was of the opinion that although 9/11 was, obviously, very terrible and tragic, that in the grand scheme of things the US was not really facing a catastrophic defeat on a large military scale or any other type of event that would make the US literally cease to exist, whereas such things in the past have been possible; the threat of WWIII was to me a much scarier thing (for obvious reasons). You could also argue that the civil war was worse in a health-of-the-US-as-a-country viewpoint, as well as the US in the aftermath of pearl harbor, etc.

Said friend disagreed and said that we are in much more danger from terrorists than the threat that nuclear war presented (or any of the aforementioned cases in history).

Said friend thought bill o'rielly was brilliant.

Make of that what you will...

 

[Jaskalas]

Said friend disagreed and said that we are in much more danger from terrorists than the threat that nuclear war presented (or any of the aforementioned cases in history).

That's because Russia is a sane actor. You can hope that their self interest is ratified in upholding the security behind MAD. We won't touch each other, because we don't want to be martyrs. Cannot say the same for fanatical religious zealots.

Read up on the 12th Imam, and their motives should scare the !@#$ out of anyone.

 

[Nemesis 1]

9/11 by a factor of 100x I remember the cuban thing and the reaction of the adults. It was scary as the terror was known.
9/11 and how it all played out and the offical story just doesn't work for me , So I am left with knowing the terror.Yet not from where it comes!

 

[Agent11]

There isn't any 9-11 conspiracy theory more frightening than mutually assured destruction.
It isn't even close. We are talking the end of the human race as we know it.

http://youtu.be/IyMTYXUXYvs

 

[Nemesis 1]

Mad is scary so are other possiable events. What makes Mad scary as far as terror is concerned is a mans finger controls the event. So governments use this type of event to put terror into the hearts and minds of its own peoples . I trust the american governments finger on threat button ,NOT! If it were a government for the people by the people I woud trust them . But thats not the case and its been this way for a 100 years. We have in place now,A government thats against the majority and thats a dangerious place to be for any government as in the end the minorities will go with the majority and the super minority the 2%ers will go into predition.

 

[GarfieldtheCat]

One is a terrorist act - with global consequences to be sure! - but limited to a single spot.

The other one is the prospect of global thermonuclear war.

I think there's no contest.

This...how does someone compare a limited one-time attack vs possible nuclear war?

 

[nanette1985]

I was living with my Mennonite relatives during the CMC - I heard about the CMC from my non Mennonite friends and had no idea what the big fuss was about. In my family household it was all about praying. (of course everything on a Mennonite family farm is all about praying). 9/11 was fear and surprise and about worrying about everone I knew who worked down there. I'm sure back in Mennonite land there was a lot of praying going on too.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

I once discussed this issue, in a different context, with a friend of mine from high school; the question was, how safe was the US as a country (and its citizens as people) in the world after 9/11 compared to other points in our country's past (including the cuban missile crisis). I was of the opinion that although 9/11 was, obviously, very terrible and tragic, that in the grand scheme of things the US was not really facing a catastrophic defeat on a large military scale or any other type of event that would make the US literally cease to exist, whereas such things in the past have been possible; the threat of WWIII was to me a much scarier thing (for obvious reasons). You could also argue that the civil war was worse in a health-of-the-US-as-a-country viewpoint, as well as the US in the aftermath of pearl harbor, etc.

Said friend disagreed and said that we are in much more danger from terrorists than the threat that nuclear war presented (or any of the aforementioned cases in history).

Said friend thought bill o'rielly was brilliant.

Make of that what you will...

He's an idiot. The world ACTAULLY came extremely close to a nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis.

 

[hal2kilo]

I was 6 years old in Alexandria then so yeah it was pretty much certain we would be toast if it happened. I'm not sure if I really grasped exactly what being vaporized meant but to my parents credit they went about life as normal and it was my older brother and his friends talking about it that was really scary. I do remember doing the duck and cover drills multiple times while that was going on. 9/11 on the other hand made me angry more than anything else, much like a more intense anger similar to what I felt watching the Iranian hostage crisis play out.

That's pretty much how 9/11 hit me too.

I see you still hale out of No VA. I still have 3 brothers out there. One in Ashburn, one in Vienna, and one in Arlington.