Hot Nuclear War

It is unlikely that the commander of a nuclear ship will someday say, “We’ll destroy the world,” and then have it happen. But, sincerely, the fact of THAT even being a possibility is enough to ask just what we are doing about nuclear arms. And what is being done? NOTHING.

The situation today is much worse than in the past. Far beyond Vladimir Putin or Donald Trump waking up with the desire to eat a mushroom cloud for breakfast, both countries have attack plans — the U.S. has an official protocol of striking first under specific circumstances — just to keep the numerical advantage over the enemy nation.

If you launch a first strike, or if you respond to the nuclear attack of someone else, the process should be speedy, since a delay could mean the complete annihilation of your nation or your ability to counter-attack. So, if one side were inclined to attack, or if it erroneously perceives an enemy threat, there would be sufficient motive to deal a mortal blow to an opponent before it can respond.

It is impossible not to reach a catastrophic conclusion if we bring together the statements of the ex-director of the Strategic Command, General Lee Butler, who warns that it is a “miracle the world has escaped the Cold War without nuclear disasters”; the frequency of potential “accidents” that could detonate an exterminating war; and the reduction in processes for launching a weapon — Russia specifically adopted remote controls in Moscow that circumvent the chain of command to launch missiles in Siberia in less than 20 seconds. If we take a rational approach, we should fervently pray that Trump and Putin are united by strong ties of corruption, that would make a threat of nuclear war less likely.

During the Cold War, the U.S. and Russia established controls and opened communication after the Cuban missile crisis to ensure that a moment of stupidity or misunderstanding didn’t finish off humanity. After that, with the appearance of peace, these measures were abandoned. At that time, American leaders respected Russia and acknowledged the country’s sphere of control. Now they want Russia to kneel and submit obediently everywhere — Syria and the Ukraine are examples.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry mentioned that “today, the danger of a nuclear catastrophe is greater than during the Cold War and the majority of people are happily unaware of that danger.” Daniel Ellsberg, the political analyst responsible for leaking the Pentagon Papers and nuclear planner in the ‘60s also revealed that before any conflict with the Soviet Union, the United States would have immediately launched a first strike at the USSR and at China, killing in this first effort about 600 million people, according to the Pentagon’s calculations.