Re: Al-Qaida may have nuclear weapons

["Frank Helk" <frank.helk@nis-hanau.de>]

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 06:15:09 -0800 (PST), Gerry Blackwood wrote:



Gerry,



>"The damage done by a nuclear weapon is - even while one of the

>most horrible threats - at most limited. A very big boom, much

>damage, and contamination of a more or less area. Besides of the

>magnitude, not much different from a chemical weapon like i.e.

>nerve gas."

>

>Lets take "one" small 1 Megaton Thermonuclear [...] You don't want 

>to see what "one" 20 Megaton Nuke would do.



Just to put it in the right aspect ... I never wanted to play down the

effects of a nuclear bomb, even a kiloton one. The damage is beyond

any other one may think of, and the damage thru contamination is severe.



To the comparison with neve gas ... you've described the iraq example 

well, but the comparison is nevertheless true besides the fact that nerve 

gas doesn't usually damages objects .... there's death, and there's 

contamination. The only difference is the order of magnitude.



>Bio weapons while very horrible agents and we all should be

>frightened of these agents, while I do not want to underplay

>these agents at all, once again talking about "mass casualties"

>as in "millions" is still theory based while these agents are

>susceptible to outside enviironments and delivery and dispersing

>for "mass" casualty effect is still not yet there. But one day

>very shortly will be just like a nuclear weapon. 



O.K. - things that are currently planned as "weapons" usually

should contain an "emergency stop" ... but in the mind of

a terrorist such a fuse is not existent. The only thing in such

a mind is terror. Don't think of the "benefits" that military research

might bring over us .... I think i.e. of real existing things like Ebola,

or Pox (to name only tow of many).



Why should not a sick mind bring one of those threats over us,

only to claim that this is gods punishment for our sins ?



>Of course hundreds dead are still hundreds dead with any weapon.



Definitely correct. But again - the really main difference between 

nuclear/chemical and biological weapons is really simple, as I've 

stated before:



Biological agents are self replicating. Once the nuclear bomb is exploded,

it's gone. It won't generate new little nuclear bombs travelling to other cities. 

Nerve gas grenades won't do so either. That's the cause of my fear, and I 

think that's a quantum leap between'm.



Best regards



	Frank





************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To

unsubscribe, send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the

text "unsubscribe radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail,

with no subject line. You can view the Radsafe archives at

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/