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2004-08-04 Home Front: WoT

Saddam has 7 nukes? - Can anyone back this comment/claim up?

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Posted by Yosemite Sam 2004-08-04 2:06:33 PM|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 shit - meant osama in the title

Posted by Yosemite Sam 2004-08-04 2:07:16 PM|| 2004-08-04 2:07:16 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 So Mr. Williams just made this discovery at the same time his book came out?

Posted by Matt 2004-08-04 3:17:15 PM|| 2004-08-04 3:17:15 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 He probably copped the m.o. from Richard Clarke & Joe Wilson. Or it could be a huge coincidence...

Posted by Raj 2004-08-04 3:22:16 PM|| 2004-08-04 3:22:16 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 It has been posted here on the Burg in the last couple of weeks. There was lots of interesting discussion regarding the care and feeding of small nuke-u-lar devices.

It seems highly unlikely that IF they had them, they are still in working order.

Posted by eLarson 2004-08-04 3:28:44 PM|| 2004-08-04 3:28:44 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 doubt it. anything they could build would require constant maintenance.. unless you think the jihadis are constantly screwing up because they trained all their smarties to handle nukes ;)
if they have anything, then must be some kind of dirty bomb.. mostly useless... tho the media will do it's best to get people to crap their pants.
ahh the media, lazy man's jihad

Posted by Dcreeper 2004-08-04 3:33:27 PM|| 2004-08-04 3:33:27 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 Almost *any* nuclear devices would have to be radiation bombs. The problem with radiation bombs is a simple one. Bomb-type radioactive materials are usually very, very heavy. So you need to both "atomize" them as much as possible, and blow them as far up and away as you can, to cover as much area as possible, before they settle to the ground as dust--think of gold as a comparison. The lighter isotopes usually have a short half-life. The two most dangerous are Iodine and Cesium, which have half-lifes of 7 days and a month, respectively. So if your bomb sits around for any length of time, it doesn't work, the isotopes have broken down.
So, most radiation bombs are made of uranium or similar materials. And truthfully, the high explosive needed to make them work will be more destructive than the isotopes themselves. How easy would it be to blow up an ounce of gold and make gold particles cover an area?

(Historical note: one of the Soviet Union's first nuclear missiles just had nuclear waste in its warhead. When it hit the ground, it would have gone 'splat', with hardly any explosion.)

Posted by Anonymoose 2004-08-04 7:58:13 PM|| 2004-08-04 7:58:13 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Problems:

1) emplaced weapons would be radiating. Decay happens and nothing can stop that. Has effects: screwing up electronics, causing radiation of surrounding contianer, and eventually produces a detectable signature. So they would have to be maintained - meaning more chances to detect. (NEST does do sweeps).

2) detonation would require somone the to trigger them. The longer they wait the higher the risk of discovery of either the weapon or the triggerman.

3) Wy would they wait? They do not gain anything by waiting.

Strike between now and jsut before the election, it rallies the nation. Plus striking urban areas kills lots of Democrats. Ensuring a Bush Victory - and a mandate to kill anything that moves in that region of the world.

Strike just before the election - guarantee a Bush victory with the same mandate.

Strike after the election, and lose the impact other than killing - and forces whoever wins the election to go hard after the entire Muslim world - Bush need not stand accountable as he turns Mecca into Glass in either scenario, and Kerry has no way to back out without being impeached.

There you go.

Posted by Oldspook 2004-08-04 10:41:41 PM|| 2004-08-04 10:41:41 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Isn't this just a retread of the same story with "Russians" crossed out and "jihadis" substituted?

Posted by Super Hose 2004-08-04 10:57:48 PM|| 2004-08-04 10:57:48 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 Super Hose - Looks more like a plot to sell books than blow up US cities to me.

Posted by AzCat 2004-08-04 11:09:46 PM|| 2004-08-04 11:09:46 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 Plus striking urban areas kills lots of Democrats.

As long as they don't explode one of those things in Reno this upcoming weekend. :)

Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2004-08-04 11:59:52 PM|| 2004-08-04 11:59:52 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 Hot August Nights, BAR?

Posted by Frank G 2004-08-05 8:24:41 AM|| 2004-08-05 8:24:41 AM|| Front Page Top

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