Terrorism - The Problem with Retaliation & Turning our tools against us

[Jay!]

Read the MSNBC article.

Edit: Added Turning our tools against us.

[Chris]

Teh biggest problem is there isnt a real target. There is no country, no clear target. It is the most difficult type or warfare.

[Twist]

Thanks for the heads up, Silver S2000.

I think we're seeing a new type of warfare, a new evolution if you will. In the days before the American Revolution, soldiers fought in lines and ranks. The American rebels effectively defeated the British by introducing a new type of warfare, guerilla warfare. Small bands would strike hard and fast and retreat. In WW1, trench warfare was employed. When WW2 broke out, every one expected a repeat in terms of combat tactics. Instead, the Nazi's introduced a new type of warfare, the blitzkrieg. They combined swift attacks with little or no warning and were highly successful. In Vietnam, we expected a war much like in Korea or in WW2. Instead, the Vietcong introduced a new form of war. They attacked with such verocity, for example they strapped landmines to little children and sent them into US camps. The thick jungle was unlike anything the US has ever fought in before. We are now seeing a shift in warfare. The US, nay the world, now has to find a way to safeguard it's citizens from these acts of terrorism.

On Bio and Nuclear Warfare:
I think we will be seeing a large increase in these kinds of attacks. Definitely non-nuclear bombs will continue to be the primary weapon. However, Biological and Nuclear weapons are becoming all the more availabe. Each year over 500 tons of MUF (Materials Unaccounted For) are reported. That means that each year 500 tons of nuclear material disappears. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, technicians and scientists are now readily available to process these nuclear materials. A missile defense system like the President suggests will be ineffective. These systems rely on thermal imagery, early detection and predicatable flight plans. These can all be easily circumnavigated. It would be even more likely that nuclear missiles would have debris around them and would have erratic flight paths. These would further prevent any type of detection. And after all, if we can't detect and track, how can we destroy? Biological warfare will most likely become the second most common type of attack. These could range from flu to small pox. A terrorist camp not long ago was captured and they found a vile of small pox. People no longer recieve immunizations against smallpox because it was thought to be under control. I'm not immunized and many young people today aren't. It's frightening to consider how much danger we live in today. Everywhere is a possible ground zero. The mushroom clouds that people see from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nukes, they no longer exist. Modern day nukes are so powerful that the mushroom falls over on itself. The US military has also created a neutron bomb which is an H-bomb that is set a highter detonation and instead of destroying everything within a mile, it destroys all organic material. Imagine dropping one of these over NY. The city would be totally unharmed, but everyone would be dead. It's just plain scary...

Wow! that was long... *blinks*

[gang$tarr]

that neutron bomb thing scares me


i remember reading a long time ago (2 years ago) about the war satellites the government was going to send up into space (they said before 2010, too late!) they were armed with lasers and they will notice any moving object, nuclear bombs from what i hear go into sub-orbital flight or somethin like that, really high. The laser can detonate the bomb in mid-air and it will never touch U.S. soil

interesting, that would be a good defensive piece of machinery

[Twist]

Yeah, I've heard about the "Star Wars" satelites. They're just sooo easy to get around though. And of course they're no protection against nukes with multiple warheads and "suitcase" nukes. Suitcase nukes basically are nukes that people carry with them into major cities and detonate by hand... It's a scary world we live in...

[Jay!]

Note... Added second article. Read it.

[Twist]

For all you Playstation/PS2 owners, guy buy/rent/borrow Metal Gear Solid: Tactical Espionage Action. While this is a fictionalized story, a LOT of the game is based on truth, especially the bits about terrorism and nuclear arms. If you get to the Nuclear storage wing, spend the time talking to Natasia or read the back of the manual. It has loads of info on nuclear treaties and stores and arsenals. That game wasn't meant to be a horror game, but it sure is after you realize that a lot of the stuff they talk about is real...

[Jay!]

I like the Syphon Filter games a lot; also about terrorism... but I didn't feel like playing them yesterday for some reason...

[Twist]

I think I'm going to go watch the Tom Clancy movies again. You know: Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games, Hunt for Red October, Air Force 1. Those movies deal with this sorta thing. It'd be interested because a lot of what is in these movies may not be true, but they represent much of what the general public believes.

[Chris]

Also, once in the US, 40 pounds of weapons grade plutonium was stolen.

The world is scary, and I hope this is the worst terrorism gets.

Just writing this makes me sick to my stomach, seriously.