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Mycroft
Skeptic Friend
USA
427 Posts |
 Posted - 02/16/2009 : 03:17:29
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-fg-usiran12-2009feb12,0,3478184.story
Reporting from Washington -- Little more than a year after U.S. spy agencies concluded that Iran had halted work on a nuclear weapon, the Obama administration has made it clear that it believes there is no question that Tehran is seeking the bomb.
In his news conference this week, President Obama went so far as to describe Iran's "development of a nuclear weapon" before correcting himself to refer to its "pursuit" of weapons capability.
Obama's nominee to serve as CIA director, Leon E. Panetta, left little doubt about his view last week when he testified on Capitol Hill. "From all the information I've seen," Panetta said, "I think there is no question that they are seeking that capability." |
The topic was raised a couple years ago in this thread:
http://www.skepticfriends.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7659&whichpage=1
I wonder if these concerns will draw a different response with a different administration?
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tomk80
SFN Regular
Netherlands
1278 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2009 : 06:45:02 [Permalink]
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| Reading the thread, my idea at the time was that Iran's actions worried me, but not overly. No, I feel no need to respond differently now. |
Tom
`Contrariwise,' continued Tweedledee, `if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic.'
-Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Caroll- |
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Gorgo
SFN Die Hard
USA
5310 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2009 : 06:48:52 [Permalink]
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| U.S. foreign policy doesn't change much over the years. Empire first. Democrats and Republicans make little difference in that area. People like Bush just tend to brag more about their criminal behavior. |
I know the rent is in arrears
The dog has not been fed in years
It's even worse than it appears
But it's alright-
Jerry Garcia
Robert Hunter
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| Edited by - Gorgo on 02/16/2009 06:49:51 |
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Simon
SFN Regular
USA
1992 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2009 : 08:48:33 [Permalink]
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As I said... 'Well, duh'.
Bush' invasion of Iraq prove to the world that just being innocent of the accusation was not enough to protect you if the US did not like you or wanted your resources...
On the other hand, the US attitude toward North Korea is very suggestive that if you actually have the weapons in question, you'll be considered able to defend yourself and the Bushite bully will leave you alone.
Iran is very clearly on the top of the US' shit list and has been for quite some time. It is not surprising that they would be concerned and looking for a way to protect themselves. |
Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
Carl Sagan - 1996 |
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The Rat
SFN Regular
Canada
1370 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2009 : 21:33:26 [Permalink]
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| There's a couple of other considerations here. You may have a bomb, but without a delivery system it's not much use. So you develop a delivery system, but a ballistic missile leaves a trail that any bozo can follow right back to the launch site even before the warhead has impacted. Therefore you need to develop a crapload of warheads and missiles before anyone catches you, otherwise it's not much of a deterrent. It isn't impossible, but it does muddy the waters a bit. |
Bailey's second law; There is no relationship between the three virtues of intelligence, education, and wisdom.
You fiend! Never have I encountered such corrupt and foul-minded perversity! Have you ever considered a career in the Church? - The Bishop of Bath and Wells, Blackadder II
Baculum's page: http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=3947338590 |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2009 : 22:12:46 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by The Rat
There's a couple of other considerations here. You may have a bomb, but without a delivery system it's not much use. So you develop a delivery system, but a ballistic missile leaves a trail that any bozo can follow right back to the launch site even before the warhead has impacted. |
What's the point of trying to disguise the trail? It's supposed to be used retaliatory. And when it comes to American Imperialism, threatening to blow up Israel as retaliation should be enough deterrent, considering Israel is America's bosom baby of the Mid-East. The rest of the world would never forgive America if they attack Iran and the nuke goes off.
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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Simon
SFN Regular
USA
1992 Posts |
Posted - 02/17/2009 : 08:14:19 [Permalink]
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Yeah; I am pretty confident that Iran already has enough delivery systems to reach Israel.
At any rate, I am pretty confident they could sneak in a few warhead into Jerusalem to be activated in a retaliatory fashion... |
Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
Carl Sagan - 1996 |
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astropin
SFN Regular
USA
970 Posts |
Posted - 02/17/2009 : 09:49:11 [Permalink]
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I don't know.....I mean if you lived in Texas would you really want to nuke California?......wait....scratch that. If you lived in Alabama would you really want to nuke New York?......wait.....this isn't coming out how I intended.
Ok.....would you really want to nuke someone geographically close to you? |
I would rather face a cold reality than delude myself with comforting fantasies.
You are free to believe what you want to believe and I am free to ridicule you for it.
Atheism:
The result of an unbiased and rational search for the truth.
Infinitus est numerus stultorum |
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astropin
SFN Regular
USA
970 Posts |
Posted - 02/18/2009 : 10:30:07 [Permalink]
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| And here I thought that ^^^ was a good one. |
I would rather face a cold reality than delude myself with comforting fantasies.
You are free to believe what you want to believe and I am free to ridicule you for it.
Atheism:
The result of an unbiased and rational search for the truth.
Infinitus est numerus stultorum |
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Simon
SFN Regular
USA
1992 Posts |
Posted - 02/18/2009 : 10:43:25 [Permalink]
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I was funny, I just did not have anything to answer... Also, I was to scare to get close from your razor sharp wit...
That reminds me, I did manage to stab myself with a scalpel blade over the week-end... Funnily, the nitrile gloves mostly acted as a compress keeping the blood flow to a minimum until I was done and removed them...
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Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
Carl Sagan - 1996 |
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Dude
SFN Die Hard
USA
6891 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2009 : 20:58:57 [Permalink]
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| Everyone wants the bomb. Why? Pakistan. You get one and the entire world treats you differently. It's like a rite of passage, the only way to join the club is to get yourself the biggest stick and make scary motions with it. Then all the others who also have the big stick will treat you better, because they don't want to take a chance of getting hit by you stick. |
Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson
"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin
Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 02/22/2009 : 02:54:33 [Permalink]
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Exactly the reason why I wanted Sweden to develope nukes too. With the idiot George W. Bush calling the shots in the White House, you'd never know what could happen. Better to have a deterrent.
Fortunately, the new American president seems like a reasonable guy. But if it has happened once, it can happen twice. Obama cannot stay longer than 8 years: what happens then is anyyone's guess. I'd rather be prepared.
And I can emphasize with Iran feeling the same way.
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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Hittman
Skeptic Friend
134 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2009 : 11:35:32 [Permalink]
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| My guess is that Israel will take care of the problem like they did with Sadam. This time it will be much more difficult, but they'll probably pull it off, considering their survival depends on it. |
When a vampire Jehovah's Witness knocks on your door, don't invite him in. Blood Witness: http://bloodwitness.com
Get Smartenized® with the Quick Hitts blog: http://www.davehitt.com/blog2/index.phpBlog |
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Iran still wants a bomb
