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Now now, don't confuse Senator Obama with President Obama. They're entirely different people...

(I'm not sure to what extent I'm joking...)

In a sense they are. It's easy to make big sweeping claims when you're uninformed about the threats out there, on unfamiliar legal ground, and not the one responsible for national security. One election takes care of the question of who is responsible. A couple of daily presidential intelligence briefings will start to take care of the uninformed part. Some briefings by the Justice and Defense departments on the Law of War and national security law will firm up the legal ground. The world is going to start looking different at this point.

When you're President of the United States, you own whatever happens on your watch. President Obama already owns at least two successful terrorist attacks, and two attempted attacks, ignoring the ones that were intercepted. He probably doesn't want to own any more. It's bad for the party at the polls, bad for his record as president, and bad for America, let alone the victims. Also note that he hasn't asked Congress to rescind the Authorization for Use of Military Force, passed after 9/11, and legally the same as a declaration of war.

If you're responsible and assumed that there were no terrorist threats before becoming informed, you might have a change of view as well. And if he hadn't, or wavers in the future, and that results in more successful terrorist attacks, the Congress would likely become a Republican congress within an election or two, and at that point they would help the President along.

2013 Boston Marathon bombing 3 dead, 254 wounded. Fifteen victims suffered amputations, two of which had double amputations.

2010 Attempted bombing of Times Square in New York City by the Taliban - Attack failed, car bomb could have been mass casualty event.

2009 The "Underwear" bomber - Attack failed, potentially could have brought down aircraft with death of all aboard

2009 Fort Hood massacre - 13 dead, 30 wounded

Just a few weekly arrest reports from the FBI during President Obama's term:

FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending January 27, 2012

U.S. citizen Antonio Martinez, aka Muhammad Hussain, pled guilty to attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against federal property in connection with a scheme to attack an armed forces recruiting station in Catonsville, Maryland.

Yonathan Melaku, of Alexandria, Virginia, pled guilty to damaging property and to firearms violations involving five separate shootings at military installations in northern Virginia between October and November 2010, and to attempting to damage veterans’ memorials at Arlington National Cemetery.

Jamshid Muhtorov was arrested by members of the FBI’s Denver and Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Forces on a charge of providing and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic Jihad Union, a Pakistan-based designated foreign terrorist organization.

FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending January 13, 2012

Snowdens situation appears to have been exaggerated. There is a real question as to whether his claims are accurate in any way, or possibly a fabrication. Morons believe many things besides the possibility that exposing genuine sensitive national security programs could have a negative impact on security. For example, a few unauthenticated PowerPoint slides constitute sufficient reason for overturning the democratic process, or even the government, instead of letting Congress do its work addressing concerns of the citizenry. That is pretty ill considered if not in fact moronic.

Assuming you're an American, many aspects of the 1st Amendment rights are far stronger than many nations. The same goes with the 2nd Amendment. There may be others as well, but those are the two common cases.

Not only is there no guarantee that things would be better of the current government is overthrown, it is highly unlikely.

National security is no mere excuse.

Not only is it no mere excuse, it's often an outright lie,

Tell it to the dead and their families.

2001 9/11 attacks - 2,973 dead. Two skyscraper towers destroyed, heavy damage to Pentagon.
Estimated damage to US economy: ~ $100,000,000,000.

There might be an answer for that.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES.

(a) In General.--That the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.

That document was issued after this series of events:

1996 Bin Laden's Fatwa - Text of the fatwa, or declaration of war, by Osama bin Laden first published in Al Quds Al Arabi

1998 Bombing of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya - 224 dead, est. 4,000 injured, both embassies heavily damaged

2000 Photo: USS Cole - Video USS Cole - 17 dead, 39 injured, major damage to destroyer

2001 9/11 attacks - 2,973 dead. Two skyscraper towers destroyed, heavy damage to Pentagon.
Estimated damage to US economy: ~ $100,000,000.

I still don't really see you making any counterarguments or providing any new facts. Its pretty much all personal attack. So I'll give you one more attempt. Where do I go wrong below? Where is the hyperbole, the straw men? The blinding fear? I understand that injecting actual facts on this subject is unpopular with many people.

Terrorists exist. They've conducted attacks in the past. They'll continue to attempt attacks in the future. A significant part of the reason the number of successful attacks has been limited is due to hard work by the security services, good intelligence, and civic minded people. Crippling the intelligence agencies is a bad idea. In the past, people that stole large amounts of classified documents from the intelligence agencies, fled the country, and took refuge in a communist country where they began making the documents available to America's adversaries have been considered and called spies and traitors. Below is a list of a few attacks and arrests of terrorists.

2013 Boston Marathon bombing 3 dead, 254 wounded. Fifteen victims suffered amputations, two of which had double amputations.

2010 Attempted bombing of Times Square in New York City by the Taliban - Attack failed, car bomb could have been mass casualty event.

2009 The "Underwear" bomber - Attack failed, potentially could have brought down aircraft with death of all aboard

2009 Fort Hood massacre - 13 dead, 30 wounded

FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending January 27, 2012

Denver: Man Arrested for Providing Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization

Jamshid Muhtorov was arrested by members of the FBI’s Denver and Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Forces on a charge of providing and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic Jihad Union, a Pakistan-based designated foreign terrorist organization.

Baltimore: Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Use of a Weapon of Mass Destruction in Plot to Attack Armed Forces Recruiting Center

U.S. citizen Antonio Martinez, aka Muhammad Hussain, pled guilty to attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against federal property in connection with a scheme to attack an armed forces recruiting station in Catonsville, Maryland.

Washington Field: Man Pleads Guilty to Shootings at Pentagon, Other Military Buildings

Yonathan Melaku, of Alexandria, Virginia, pled guilty to damaging property and to firearms violations involving five separate shootings at military installations in northern Virginia between October and November 2010, and to attempting to damage veterans’ memorials at Arlington National Cemetery.

FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending January 13, 2012

1.Tampa: Florida Resident Charged with Plotting to Bomb Locations in Tampa

A 25-year-old resident of Pinellas Park, Florida was charged in connection with an alleged plot to attack locations in Tampa with a vehicle bomb, assault rifle, and other explosives.

I know little that you couldn't, but apparently much that you don't. And that is sad, really. But you aren't alone. So, here is what I'm talking about to help you along.

Attacks against Americans that were attempted and not intercepted, or completed (this excludes war zones):

2013 Boston Marathon bombing 3 dead, 254 wounded. Fifteen victims suffered amputations, two of which had double amputations.

2010 Attempted bombing of Times Square in New York City by the Taliban - Attack failed, car bomb could have been mass casualty event.

2009 The "Underwear" bomber - Attack failed, potentially could have brought down aircraft with death of all aboard

2009 Fort Hood massacre - 13 dead, 30 wounded

2001 9/11 attacks - 2,973 dead. Two skyscraper towers destroyed, heavy damage to Pentagon.
Estimated damage to US economy: ~ $100,000,000,000.

2000 Photo: USS Cole - Video USS Cole - 17 dead, 39 wounded, major damage to US Navy destroyer

1998 Bombing of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya - 224 dead, est. 4,000 wounded, both embassies heavily damaged

1996 Bin Laden's Fatwa - Text of the fatwa, or declaration of war, by Osama bin Laden first published in Al Quds Al Arabi

Small, limited sample, of other terrorism arrests and trials in the US:

FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending January 27, 2012

Denver: Man Arrested for Providing Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization

Jamshid Muhtorov was arrested by members of the FBI’s Denver and Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Forces on a charge of providing and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic Jihad Union, a Pakistan-based designated foreign terrorist organization.

Baltimore: Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Use of a Weapon of Mass Destruction in Plot to Attack Armed Forces Recruiting Center

U.S. citizen Antonio Martinez, aka Muhammad Hussain, pled guilty to attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against federal property in connection with a scheme to attack an armed forces recruiting station in Catonsville, Maryland.

Washington Field: Man Pleads Guilty to Shootings at Pentagon, Other Military Buildings

Yonathan Melaku, of Alexandria, Virginia, pled guilty to damaging property and to firearms violations involving five separate shootings at military installations in northern Virginia between October and November 2010, and to attempting to damage veterans’ memorials at Arlington National Cemetery.

FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending January 13, 2012

1.Tampa: Florida Resident Charged with Plotting to Bomb Locations in Tampa

A

I know little that you couldn't, but apparently much that you don't. And that is sad, really. But you aren't alone. So, here is what I'm talking about to help you along.

Attacks against Americans that were attempted and not intercepted, or completed (this excludes war zones):

2013 Boston Marathon bombing 3 dead, 254 wounded. Fifteen victims suffered amputations, two of which had double amputations.

2010 Attempted bombing of Times Square in New York City by the Taliban - Attack failed, car bomb could have been mass casualty event.

2009 The "Underwear" bomber - Attack failed, potentially could have brought down aircraft with death of all aboard

2009 Fort Hood massacre - 13 dead, 30 wounded

2001 9/11 attacks - 2,973 dead. Two skyscraper towers destroyed, heavy damage to Pentagon.
Estimated damage to US economy: ~ $100,000,000,000.

2000 Photo: USS Cole - Video USS Cole - 17 dead, 39 wounded, major damage to US Navy destroyer

1998 Bombing of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya - 224 dead, est. 4,000 wounded, both embassies heavily damaged

1996 Bin Laden's Fatwa - Text of the fatwa, or declaration of war, by Osama bin Laden first published in Al Quds Al Arabi

Small, limited sample, of other terrorism arrests and trials in the US:

FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending January 27, 2012

Denver: Man Arrested for Providing Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization

Jamshid Muhtorov was arrested by members of the FBI’s Denver and Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Forces on a charge of providing and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic Jihad Union, a Pakistan-based designated foreign terrorist organization.

Baltimore: Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Use of a Weapon of Mass Destruction in Plot to Attack Armed Forces Recruiting Center

U.S. citizen Antonio Martinez, aka Muhammad Hussain, pled guilty to attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against federal property in connection with a scheme to attack an armed forces recruiting station in Catonsville, Maryland.

Washington Field: Man Pleads Guilty to Shootings at Pentagon, Other Military Buildings

Yonathan Melaku, of Alexandria, Virginia, pled guilty to damaging property and to firearms violations involving five separate shootings at military installations in northern Virginia between October and November 2010, and to attempting to damage veterans’ memorials at Arlington National Cemetery.

FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending January 13, 2012

1.Tampa: Florida Resident Charged with Plotting to Bomb Locations in Tampa

A

Just a small sample:
London terror bomb plot: the four terrorists
Fertiliser bomb plot: The story
Rucksack Bomb Plot Terror Suspects Nasser, Khalid and Ali Accused of Planning Attack ‘Deadlier than 7/7’

There have been regular arrests in the US besides actual attacks. Here is a sample.

I found V for Vendetta to be largely nonsense. And the purpose of police states generally isn't to prevent street crime, but to ensure the survival of an oppressive regime through oppression of the political opposition.

There's a bigger list of people detained and jailed in the UK who turned out to be innocent. Since the 9-11 the surveillance has increase by a large factor and the reduction in crime is not even measurable - but of course really there's been a huge reduction in terror attacks, but we can't know about it 'cause it's secret (sigh).

I don't think this works well as an argument (especially when it invokes the Nazis) because most people dismiss the possibility of a really bad government like the Nazis getting in to power in their own countries. It's not the only one, though. Government powers are exercised through those who make them up. Those individuals can do bad things. In the UK, animal rights activists at the DVLA used driving licence records to locate a target (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1475082/DVLA-mole-jailed-for-aiding-guinea-pig-farm-activists.html), and police have a history of selling information to journalists and criminals (eg, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8713194/Hundreds-of-police-officers-caught-illegally-accessing-criminal-records-computer.html). People are just more convinced by low-level everyday corruption and misuse by untrustworthy individuals than by by statements such as 'what if the Nazis come back?'. At least they are in the UK, anyway

Because they were so incredibly effective at preventing 9/11 in the US, and so effective at stopping the London, UK subway bombings, and so effective at preventing the train bombing in Madrid, Spain, right? I'm feeling less imperiled already.

As I understand it, the surveillance was started some time after the 9/11 attacks, so it couldn't have stopped that. But as to attacks in the UK, there has been a steady stream of arrests and trials over the years. A number of those plots were aimed at mass casualties by attacking stadiums, that sort of thing. I'm surprised you apparently haven't heard of them.

Just a small sample:
London terror bomb plot: the four terrorists
Fertiliser bomb plot: The story
Rucksack Bomb Plot Terror Suspects Nasser, Khalid and Ali Accused of Planning Attack ‘Deadlier than 7/7’

There have been regular arrests in the US besides actual attacks. Here is a sample.

I found V for Vendetta to be largely nonsense. And the purpose of police states generally isn't to prevent street crime, but to ensure the survival of an oppressive regime through oppression of the political opposition.

The limited revelations so far have focused on the technical scheme and said little about the regulatory scheme, how it was used operationally. Leaving out that sort of data is like noting that almost everybody has in their house or on their person a device which has a microphone and transmits all it hears to remote listeners, that is a telephone, but leaving out the fact that it is off until you pick it up or turn it on. The existence of this technology and program says very little about if it is legal and if it has been used appropriately.

Turning off telephone service is inconvenient. Turning off the intelligence services ability to gather timely intelligence can perilous.

Bali death toll set at 202
London 7/7 terrorist attacks
Madrid train attacks
9-11 attacks

What has MI-5 had to say?

U.K. tracking 30 terror plots, 1,600 suspects - updated 11/10/2006

British authorities are tracking almost 30 high-priority terrorist plots involving 200 networks and 1,600 suspects, the head of Britain’s domestic spy agency said, adding that many of those under surveillance are homegrown terrorists plotting suicide attacks and other mass-casualty bombings.

What did the next head of MI-5 say a year later?

New MI5 chief says terror suspects in Britain have doubled in the last year - November 6, 2007

The new chief of Britain's intelligence service MI5 painted a troubling picture of growing terrorist threat in Britain, saying the number of suspects in the country has more than doubled in the past year – and that many of the new recruits are teenagers....

and more:

At Least 4,000 Suspected of Terrorism-Related Activity in Britain, MI5 Director Says - November 6, 2007

LONDON, Nov. 5 -- British security officials suspect that at least 4,000 people are involved in terrorism-related activities in Britain and that al-Qaeda's "deliberate campaign" against Britain poses the "most immediate and acute peacetime threat" to the nation in a century, the head of Britain's domestic spy agency said Monday.

And in 2012?

MI5 warns al-Qaida regaining UK toehold after Arab spring

You cripple the security services at your peril. Unlike the IRA, al Qaida doesn't tend to phone in warnings before a blast.

Cheers

During the cold war the NSA was focused on the Soviet Union, which was an actual real threat to our national security. There is little evidence that the NSA was engaged in domestic spying during that time. Today the NSA, and all this surveillance, is focused on stopping some hermits in Afghanistan from talking to a few guys with a pressure cooker full of gunpowder.

So you acknowledge that the Soviet Union was a threat to national security? Well, good, that's a first step. Now things get a bit more interesting. I recall that the Soviet Union shot down a number of surveillance planes during the Cold War, such as the famous U2 incident. I don't recall that they ever bombed or torpedoed any American warships. I also don't recall that they bombed any, let alone two, American embassies, killing large numbers of people. Nor do I recall that they ever attacked any American skyscrapers or military headquarters, killing thousands of people on American soil (2,973 ) - approximately as many as died in the war igniting attack on Pearl Harbor. Nor did they recruit any attackers to shoot dead American soldiers engaging in administrative processing at an American military base. And yet Al Qaida and company has done all these things, and they continue to attempt to recruit extremists to commit further attacks.

1996 Bin Laden's Fatwa - Text of the fatwa, or declaration of war, by Osama bin Laden first published in Al Quds Al Arabi

1998 Bombing of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya - 224 dead, est. 4,000 injured, both embassies heavily damaged

2000 Photo: USS Cole - Video USS Cole - 17 dead, 39 injured, major damage to destroyer

2001 9/11 attacks - 2,973 dead. Two skyscraper towers destroyed, heavy damage to Pentagon.
Estimated damage to US economy: ~ $100,000,000.

2009 Fort Hood massacre - 13 dead, 30 injured

2010 Attempted bombing of Times Square in New York City by the Taliban - Attack failed

You dismiss intelligence efforts to halt attacks like this as "stopping some hermits in Afghanistan from talking to a few guys with a pressure cooker". You don't think those sorts of attacks need to be stopped? I'm curious, what sort of body count or damage will it take for you to realize you're wrong?

Prior to the US invasion in 2001, Al Qaida was turning out thousands of trained terrorists per year in Afghanistan. That pretty much stopped after the invasion.

Meanwhile, our diplomatic relations with China and Russia have deteriorated, and we have very little idea what is going on in Iran or North Korea.

There should be no surprises there.

From Warren Christopher to John Kerry — Slow learners about weak horses in the Middle East

Remember last month, when the Chinese Red Army was identified as actively behind cyber-spying? It was some gumshoes working for a private company that tracked it to a specific building in Shanghai.

You aren't suggesting either that the NSA had no idea, or that they make regular press announcements

During the cold war the NSA was focused on the Soviet Union, which was an actual real threat to our national security. There is little evidence that the NSA was engaged in domestic spying during that time. Today the NSA, and all this surveillance, is focused on stopping some hermits in Afghanistan from talking to a few guys with a pressure cooker full of gunpowder.

So you acknowledge that the Soviet Union was a threat to national security? Well, good, that's a first step. Now things get a bit more interesting. I recall that the Soviet Union shot down a number of surveillance planes during the Cold War, such as the famous U2 incident. I don't recall that they ever bombed or torpedoed any American warships. I also don't recall that they bombed any, let alone two, American embassies, killing large numbers of people. Nor do I recall that they ever attacked any American skyscrapers or military headquarters, killing thousands of people on American soil (2,973 ) - approximately as many as died in the war igniting attack on Pearl Harbor. Nor did they recruit any attackers to shoot dead American soldiers engaging in administrative processing at an American military base. And yet Al Qaida and company has done all these things, and they continue to attempt to recruit extremists to commit further attacks.

1996 Bin Laden's Fatwa - Text of the fatwa, or declaration of war, by Osama bin Laden first published in Al Quds Al Arabi

1998 Bombing of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya - 224 dead, est. 4,000 injured, both embassies heavily damaged

2000 Photo: USS Cole - Video USS Cole - 17 dead, 39 injured, major damage to destroyer

2001 9/11 attacks - 2,973 dead. Two skyscraper towers destroyed, heavy damage to Pentagon.
Estimated damage to US economy: ~ $100,000,000.

2009 Fort Hood massacre - 13 dead, 30 injured

2010 Attempted bombing of Times Square in New York City by the Taliban - Attack failed

You dismiss intelligence efforts to halt attacks like this as "stopping some hermits in Afghanistan from talking to a few guys with a pressure cooker". You don't think those sorts of attacks need to be stopped? I'm curious, what sort of body count or damage will it take for you to realize you're wrong?

Prior to the US invasion in 2001, Al Qaida was turning out thousands of trained terrorists per year in Afghanistan. That pretty much stopped after the invasion.

Meanwhile, our diplomatic relations with China and Russia have deteriorated, and we have very little idea what is going on in Iran or North Korea.

There should be no surprises there.

From Warren Christopher to John Kerry — Slow learners about weak horses in the Middle East

Remember last month, when the Chinese Red Army was identified as actively behind cyber-spying? It was some gumshoes working for a private company that tracked it to a specific building in Shanghai.

You aren't suggesting either that the NSA had no idea, or that they make regular press announcements

Could you remind me again, won't this be the 15th year since global warming stopped?

There IS a problem with global warming... it stopped in 1998

No, no, no.

Could you remind me again, won't this be the 15th year since global warming stopped?

There IS a problem with global warming... it stopped in 1998

Except one power he does have (that completely negates your point here) is the royal pardon.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/thailand/9391118/Thai-king-pardons-US-car-salesman-over-royal-insult.html

But apparently he only does that for American citizens when highly pressured by the US state department, and not for his own citizens...

And the millions of semi-attractive prostitutes his reign has produced!

FTFY

that's quite possibly the honest truth since neither that "war" nor "terrorism" has been defined to any degree.

For it is the doom of men that they forget. -- Merlin, Excalibur

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES.

(a) In General.--That the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.

By their deeds you shall know them.

1996 Bin Laden's Fatwa - The following text is a fatwa, or declaration of war, by Osama bin Laden first published in Al Quds Al Arabi

1998 Bombing of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya

2000 Photo: USS Cole - Video: 2000: USS Cole Attack in Yemen

2001 9-11

2002 Bali terror attack

2004 Madrid train attacks

2005 London 7/7 Terrorist Attacks

2009 Now classified as "workplace violence" - Nidal Hasan Admitted Jihadist Motive, Ft. Hood Victims’ Attorneys Say

2013 Boston Marathon Bombing

Note that this is only a snapshot of attacks, and doesn't include the many attacks that occurred in the Middle East (except the Cole). It also doesn't include the many plots disrupted by the security services, or cancelled by the terrorists planning them. It doesn't include the many arrests for terrorism related activity, but snapshot of that over a short period of time is below:

FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending January 27, 2012

Denver: Man Arrested for Providing Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization

Jamshid Muhtorov was arrested by members of the FBI’s Denver and Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Forces on a charge of providing and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic Jihad Union, a Pakistan-based designated foreign terrorist organization.

Baltimore: Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Use of a Weapon of Mass Destruction in Plot to Attack Armed Forces Recruiting Center

U.S. citizen Antonio Martinez, aka Muhammad Hussain, pled guilty to attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against federal property in connection with a scheme to attack an armed forces recruiting station in Catonsville, Maryland.

Washington Field: Man Pleads Guilty to Shootings at Pentagon, Other Military Buildings

Yonathan Melaku, of Alexandria, Virginia, pled guilty to damaging property and to firearms violations involving five separate shootings at military installations in northern Virginia betwe

A few gems:

“I came into the office and I pressed my PC and it took me seven minutes to boot up,” he told attendees. “That’s government in the old world, that’s three days of the year I waste of my time booting up."

Urm, just gonna sit there and watch it boot, eh Steve? Go grab a coffee, make some calls...whatever.

"You wouldn't believe how much (it costs), I think the average cost of a desktop a year is about £6,000"
So he "thinks" a "desktop" costs that....I wonder what the definition of "desktop" is? The PC, the PC & support? The PC, support & s/w? etc...

The Fine Jounalist challenges the £6K figure.
"According to my estimations – verified by a CIO – this figure should be less than £1,000 per year taking into account the cost of the hardware, office suite, and support and server costs over a three-year period"

Seems more reasonable, but does not say it's a like-for-like comparison. Support costs for Govt. PC may include additional security, network and application maintenance, which for Govt crapware can be insanely costly.

Could only find one other article here, but really just the same information...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10097514/State-workers-spend-three-days-a-year-waiting-for-PCs-to-start.html

Mar 2011: "Tokyo Electric, the owners of the plant, said five workers had been killed at the site, two were missing and 21 had been injured." link

Apr 2011: "On March 24, three workers at the Fukushima nuclear power plant were exposed accidentally to high localised radiation while standing in contaminated water". link

Jul 2011: "A newly released document says the Japanese government estimated in April that some 1600 workers will be exposed to high levels of radiation in the course of handling the reactor meltdowns at the stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant". link

Dec 2011: "Masao Yoshida, who led the fight to bring Japanâ(TM)s crippled Fukushima nuclear station under control, steps down tomorrow for medical treatment after almost nine months directing the disaster response from inside the plant". link

Dec 2012: "Dozens of workers received potentially cancerous doses of radiation to their thyroid glands during recovery work at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, according to data submitted to the World Health Organization. link

July 2012: "An executive at construction firm Build-Up in December told about 10 of its workers to cover their dosimeters, used to measure cumulative radiation exposure, with lead casings when working in areas with high radiation, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper and other media said." link

July 2012: "Japanese officials are investigating whether workers cleaning up in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster were pushed to shield their radiation meters so they could keep working for longer on the contaminated plant". link

The US already spends money on healthcare. The current law isn't likely to do much to improve outcomes for the general population It may result in some improvements for a small minority, and make care for a much larger percentage much more expensive.

Democrats' New Argument: It's A Good Thing That Obamacare Doubles Individual Health Insurance Premiums

In fact, the average 25 and 40-year-old will pay double under Obamacare what they would need to pay today, based on rates posted at eHealthInsurance.com (NASDAQ:EHTH). More specifically, for the typical 25-year-old male non-smoker, the average Obamacare “bronze” exchange plan in California will cost between 64 and 117 percent more than the cheapest five plans on eHealth. For 40-year-old male non-smokers, it’s between 73 and 146 percent more.

You also might want to look into the epidemiology of truck bombs. They can have a significant negative impact on the health of a community, and there have been a fair number of attempts by extremists in the US since 9/11. One of them was by a member of the Taliban.

Yazidis Live Among Reminders of Deadly Attack

The death toll from 9/11 attack was ~ 3,000. It resulted in approximately $100 billion in damage to the US economy. That is more that the incremental cost of the war to the US defense budget in several years, and half of the cost of implementing the Affordable Care Act per year once it is in full force.

Is this even a new idea?

I've heard this for quite some time now, and I thought this was a prevailing understanding.

No, it's not new at all, but there is at least one "news" story on it every year.

See here for 2012's, or here for 2011's, here for 2010's, etc., etc.

The man's whole dream for the Middle East went up in a puff of Arab Spring.

That's completely wrong, in fact al Qaeda claims some responsibility for the Arab Spring: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/8759968/Al-Qaeda-leader-supports-Arab-Spring-in-911-anniversary-video.html

New al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri voiced support in an internet video for popular uprisings sweeping the Middle East, saying Arabs are no longer afraid of the United States, ten years after the country was targeted by the militant network.

As for bin Laden himself: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a218eb16-9539-11e1-8faf-00144feab49a.html

Osama bin Laden was a surprising proponent of the Arab spring, according to documents found after his capture and released on Thursday.

In his last private letter written just a week before his death, he said the revolutions represented a “formidable event” and a turning point in the Arab world. Before the release of the 17 letters by the US government, the revolutions were viewed as a concern for bin Laden as they could cause instability and potential western involvement in the region.

That said, I wouldn't credit bin Laden with the victory. Their attempt to link 9/11 to the Arab Spring is a bit tenuous in my opinion, and I would give the Taliban more credit with the legitimization of America dealing with radical Muslim groups in Afghanistan than al Qaeda. Certainly our attempts to negotiate a peace with the Taliban must have made groups like the Muslim Brotherhood more confident that if they successfully took over, America would no longer come swooping in to save a Western-friendly dictator.

It's more like, bin Laden's dreams are being realized by others. He fought for these dreams but they weren't his alone. That's why it's not HIS victory.

"His" own people rejected his methods and goals.

I'm no expert on bin Laden but I doubt his goal was to get 100% of Muslims into al Qaeda. Bin Laden was a mujahideen and was fighting on behalf of other Muslims. It's like saying the goal of a general of the US army must be to get 100% of Americans into the army.

You didn't do much research! This is a true story from 2010.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1265136/NHS-relax-superbug-safeguards-Muslim-staff--just-days-Christian-nurse-banned-wearing-crucifix-health-safety-reasons.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7576357/Muslim-staff-escape-NHS-hygiene-rule.html

I've been tempted to ask a doctor whether he's washed his hands but that seems a little like criticizing the chef who is going to cook your meal. Maybe he'll spit in your food.

Regulate too much and people will think up alternatives that skirt the regulations.

Shutting down LibertyReserve is not over-regulation. This is over-regulation.

dkleinsc put it better than anyone. He even included a George Carlin quote.

There is no need to be 100% precise and accurate with human languages because the message usually gets through anyway.

Except when the message doesn't get through.

Completely fucked.

Post 9/11 people have willingly given up basic rights that the country was founded on that people fought and died to protect, all out of fear and others have capitalized on it.

Americans have given up basic rights after, and as a result of 9/11? Well, no they haven't, that is pretty much nonsense. Do Americans still vote despite 9/11? Yes. Can Americans still join the political party of their choice despite 9/11? The same as before, yes. Do Americans still exercise free speech despite 9/11? Yes. Do Americans still worship or not worship the god of their choice, if any, despite 9/11? Yes. Do Americans still have the right to pursue the legal occupation that they choose despite 9/11? Yes. Do Americans still have the right to run for office despite 9/11? Yes. Do American's still have the right to travel despite 9/11? Yes. Do Americans still enjoy a free press despite 9/1? Yes.

Do you have a right to communicate in private to Al Qaida? No. That has never been the case that you have a right to private communications with an enemy involved in armed conflict against the United States.

What about Guantanamo? Less than 1,000 people total have ever been held there as part of the war against Al Qaida. Contrary to slogans on protest posters, nobody went to Guantanamo for making a joke about Presidents Bush or Obama.

What about denial of habeas corpus? Only effected the prisoners of war until the Supreme Court created a new right for them. Historically they never had it.

What about indefinite detention? Only effects prisoners of war. Under treaty you can hold them until the conflict is over.

What about no declaration of war? The Congress passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force in 2001. Legally it is equivalent to a declaration of war.

In short, your claim that Americans have given up basic rights since, and as a result of 9/11, is pretty much nonsense. That doesn't mean there isn't a threat of that, though. We'll come back to that.

The Soviet Union had the KGB to "protect" it's citizens.

No, the KGB's main mission was to protect communist rule in the Soviet Union. In short, it was an organ of political oppression that spied internally and internationally. When a new country came under Soviet rule, as in Eastern Europe, the KBG was active there. It was always making plans for that, even for the US.

Nazi Germany had the Gestapo to "protect" their citizens.

No, the Gestapo's main mission was to protect Nazi rule in Nazi Germany by hunting down the opposition, although they also "protected" Germans by hunting down Jews to prevent "contamination."

And the US has homeland security. Of course, what are they protecting their citizens against?

The Department of Homeland Security is mainly a regrouping of previously existing Federal agencies, mainly involved in law enforcement, under a new headquarters. It is made up of:
US Customs & Border Protection
US Citizenship & Immigration Services
US Coast Guard
Federal Emergency Management Agency
US Immigration & Customs Enforcement
US Secret Service (Bodyguards for the President, anti-Counterfeiting, and some online crime.)
Transportation Security Administration

Maybe at some point you could pick out the really sinister part of DHS?

The agencies that were regrouped under the new DHS headquarters continue the law enforcement missions that they had prior to 9/11. But you don't know why they were regrouped, and what it was they were regrouped to try and protect against? Really? Here is a reminder.

Terrorism plots, arrests, and convictions have continued over the years, as this sample shows:

and the scientist then asked "So why is it in the literature you're selling in the lobby?"

I don't find that particularly persuasive, do you? Are all books with one or more superseded theories or now former "facts" gathered up and destroyed immediately as soon as one part of it is out of date? There is a bit of a problem keeping textbooks up to date with current science. I seem to recall a recent story that space science is particularly bad off in that regard with many books being 30-40 years out of date in some important areas. I don't find it any surprise that vendors don't throw their inventory on bonfires if it is dated, but rather prefer to sell them to get their money back. That is before you get into the question of classics in a field. Some of the classics in my fields are timeless, others have been superseded but still offer valuable insights into thinking about the problems, or approaches to consider. No, I don't find that a persuasive point at all.

I suspect it's something like the reason physicists don't feel a need to have Time Cube proponentists and historians don't need holocaust deniers.

Not, that isn't it. The problem with your quip is that physicists that ascribe to ID still do real physics. Chemists that ascribe to ID still do real chemistry. Biologists that ascribe to ID still do real biology. Doctors that ascribe to ID still do real medicine. The time cube guy probably needs (needed?) medication and therapy. Holocaust deniers are popular in Iran, and various parts of the Middle East, but not so much in the West.

This scientist clearly believes in God, perhaps he is even a Creationist. I don't think you can argue he hasn't made a solid contribution to science. He isn't alone, not by a long shot.

Collins: Why this scientist believes in God

As the saying goes, you're entitled to your own opinions, but not to your own facts. If you don't deal in facts, science doesn't need you.

Well, that always is one of the questions, isn't it? What are the facts? And do they support the theory? Some scientists prefer only friendly reviewers, and like minded theories.

The famous German physicist Max Planck said, "A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it. " He also said, "Both Religion and science require a belief in God. For believers, God is in the beginning, and for physicists He is at the end of all considerations To the former He is the foundation, to the latter, the crown of the edifice of every generalized world view. "

Journals can be discriminatory, or captured by a particular faction in a debate and exclude solid papers by those they disagree with. The science around "climate change" is not a shining model of scientific process even if you agree with the theory of man-made global warming.

Climategate: the final nail in the coffin of 'Anthropogenic Global Warming'?

. . . a long series of communications discussing how best to squeeze dissenting scientists out of the peer review process. How, in other words, to create a scientific climate in which anyone who disagrees with AGW can be written off as a crank, whose views do not have a scrap of authority.

“This was the danger of always criticising the skeptics for not publishing in the “peer-reviewed literature”. Obviously, they found a solution to that–take over a journal! So what do we do about this? I think we have to stop considering “Climate Research”

Was your knowledge of British History gleaned from Miss Marple whodunnits?

It might have been gathered from the newspapers. . .

From: Ottawa Citizen, January 17, 1977
Bobbies borrow guns to blast fugitive

RAINOW, England (AP) - Police cornered and killed an escaped prisoner who fled across snow-covered moorlands holding a woman hostage at knifepoint after allegedly killing four members of her family.

Police said the escapee, William Hughes, 30, was shot to death Friday night after the stolen car he was driving crashed into a wall at a police roadblock.

Some of the policemen earlier had to arm themselves with guns borrowed from residents of this central English village.

There's only one way to protect ourselves – and here's the proof

Today, 96 years ago, London was rocked by a terrorist outrage. Two Latvian anarchists, who had crossed the Channel after trying to blow up the president of France, attempted an armed wages robbery in Tottenham. Foiled at the outset when the intended victims fought back, the anarchists attempted to shoot their way out.

A dramatic pursuit ensued involving horses and carts, bicycles, cars and a hijacked tram. The fleeing anarchists fired some 400 shots, leaving a policeman and a child dead, and some two dozen other casualties, before they were ultimately brought to bay. They had been chased by an extraordinary posse of policemen and local people, armed and unarmed. Along the way, the police (whose gun cupboard had been locked, and the key mislaid) had borrowed at least four pistols from passers-by in the street, while other armed citizens joined the chase in person.

Today, when we are inured to the idea of armed robbery and drive-by shootings, the aspect of the "Tottenham Outrage" that is most likely to shock is the fact that so many ordinary members of the public at that time should have been carrying guns in the street. Bombarded with headlines about an emergent "gun culture" in Britain now, we are apt to forget that the real novelty is the notion that the general populace in this country should be disarmed.

. . . A century ago, the possession and carrying of firearms was perfectly normal here. Firearms were sold without licence in gunshops and ironmongers in virtually every town in the country, and grand department stores such as Selfridge's even offered customers an in-house range. The market was not just for sporting guns: there was a thriving domestic industry producing pocket pistols and revolvers, and an extensive import trade in the cheap handguns that today would be called "Saturday Night Specials". . . . Beatrix Potter's journal records a discussion at a small country hotel in Yorkshire, where it turned out that only one of the eight or nine guests was not carrying a revolver. . .

Now I'm curious, from where do you learn your British history? It seems to be an incomplete source.

Despite all your reasoning it is nonetheless true that American citizens are (somehow) able to use firearms to defend themselves on a regular basis.

In some countries this woman would probably have been badly hurt or killed. Do you know how she avoided it?
Elderly Woman Shoots at Intruder

Tough Targets - When Criminals Face Armed Resistance from Citizens
Stories That Happened In MI

I can see why you might be misled on the subject though: Self-Defense: An Endangered Right

On the other hand, HM seems to (second picture down) know what she likes.

Cheers

the entire summary and the first half of the article is basically an agenda for discrediting anonymous and whitewashing the local cops.

the leak was in response to the complaints from citizens sent to the police department, assigned a case number, and basically ignored by the police. what were the complaints about? the shooting death of 34 platinum mine workers by the police. you dont need to worry about exposing whistleblowers because the police killed 34 mine workers during a protest pretty much describes the suspects. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10016471/South-Africa-the-Massacre-That-Changed-a-Nation-BBC-Two-review.html

Hi

I live in South Africa, what you fail to mention is that the Miners was attacking the police and firing on journalists. The police fired in self defense and any human being would if they get attacked by a bunch of savages running at you with sticks and machetes and firing a gun. Do some research about the striking culture of South Africa and how this crippling the country economy. The workers demand 20% pay raise and when the companies cant pay the wait at the gates and attack anyone that wants to work.

Then eventually the mine gives in and gives the 20% raise to the miners then a few months down the line they strike again because people are loosing they jobs because the company cant pay them anymore and the cycle starts again.

If you want to speak about other countries at least do some research.

Cape Town South Africa

FTFY

the entire summary and the first half of the article is basically an agenda for discrediting anonymous and whitewashing the local cops.

the leak was in response to the complaints from citizens sent to the police department, assigned a case number, and basically ignored by the police. what were the complaints about? the shooting death of 34 platinum mine workers by the police. you dont need to worry about exposing whistleblowers because the police killed 34 mine workers during a protest pretty much describes the suspects. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10016471/South-Africa-the-Massacre-That-Changed-a-Nation-BBC-Two-review.html

Hi

I live in South Africa, what you fail to mention is that the Miners was attacking the police and firing on journalists. The police fired in self defense and any human being would if they get attacked by a bunch of savages running at you with sticks and machetes. Do some research about the striking culture of South Africa and how this crippling the country economy. The workers demand 20% pay raise and when the companies cant pay the wait at the gates and attack anyone that wants to work.

Then eventually the mine gives in and gives the 20% raise to the miners then a few months down the line they strike again because people are loosing they jobs because the company cant pay them anymore and the cycle starts again.

If you want to speak about other countries at least do some research.

Cape Town
South Africa

the entire summary and the first half of the article is basically an agenda for discrediting anonymous and whitewashing the local cops.
the leak was in response to the complaints from citizens sent to the police department, assigned a case number, and basically ignored by the police. what were the complaints about? the shooting death of 34 platinum mine workers by the police. you dont need to worry about exposing whistleblowers because the police killed 34 mine workers during a protest pretty much describes the suspects. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10016471/South-Africa-the-Massacre-That-Changed-a-Nation-BBC-Two-review.html

Bloody politicians.

But there are distinctions made among prisoners that determine where you end up. . .

Prisoner security categories in the United Kingdom

Assuming you make it so far as prison . . .

In soft-bellied Britain, it's hard to stay in prison for long. Even getting into jail is difficult

Might be a tougher ride in the future.

Do prisoners get a cushy ride in British jails?

Generally parasites co-evolve with their hosts. Because of this, it is actually fairly unlikely to unearth some vicious ancient virus from waters a billion years old. Billions of years ago all that existed was bacteria and the oldest viruses we know about go back only hundreds of millions of years.

That said I fully endorse your Hermetic seal and wish you well in your initiating our flippered friends into the alchemic ways.

You gt some new data that point to another cause? great, lets review it.

You overlooked the other cause mentioned in my post.
Perhaps my post should be subject to a recall lol

-

Well, defending the facility and all your lines of communication against land pirates would suck something fierce. Your physical security costs will be breathtaking. But it might still profit better than fair labor, ethical tax payment, and socially responsible environmental practices.

Once you've sold your soul, the rest is pretty affordable.

Saudi Arabia is a dictatorship, they rule by an army inducing terror on a populace, not because the populace chose the leadership.

The problem is that in Muslim countries the political system they chose is invariably worse. Libya is worse than it was under Gaddafi, Egypt is worse now than under Mubarak, Iraq is worse than under Saddam Husain, and Afghanistan is infinitely worse off than it was under Soviet rule.

Yes, Saudi Arabia is bad, but anything that keeps the Muslims under control is better than letting them have their way .... which is not giving them freedom but allowing them to murder, kill, and rape others as well as killing eachother and removing freedoms under sectarian Sharia militias.

"How do you pick who can vote when the average person votes badly and selfishly?" That is the central question of Starship Troopers (the book, not the movie). One could easily argue many western states get pushed worse off over time due to democracy.

I'm not advocating any particular view here, other than maybe we could do with a little self introspection.

Saudi Arabia is a dictatorship, they rule by an army inducing terror on a populace, not because the populace chose the leadership.

The problem is that in Muslim countries the political system they chose is invariably worse. Libya is worse than it was under Gaddafi, Egypt is worse now than under Mubarak, Iraq is worse than under Saddam Husain, and Afghanistan is infinitely worse off than it was under Soviet rule.

Yes, Saudi Arabia is bad, but anything that keeps the Muslims under control is better than letting them have their way .... which is not giving them freedom but allowing them to murder, kill, and rape others as well as killing eachother and removing freedoms under sectarian Sharia militias.

One wonders what could possibly go wrong regarding Syria.

Turkey claims evidence of Syrian chemical weapons use
UN accuses Syrian rebels of chemical weapons use
An Al-Qaeda Alliance in Syria Demands Response From U.S.
Al Qaeda's track record with chemical weapons

Even if there are chemical weapons laying around, they would still need to get them somewhere where they could be used. They would probably need help for that. Is any available?

US teen accused of seeking to join al Qaeda-linked Syrian group
Danish jihadist killed while fighting for Muhajireen Brigade in Syria

Iran recruiting volunteer troops for Syria
Hezbollah Steps Up in Syria as Israel Tries to Ease Tension

US Congressman: Hezbollah agents in US worse than al-Qaida
Peter King warns: Hezbollah agents in U.S.

Border porous for obvious reason
Official: Book of suicide bombers found in Arizona desert

. . .the book is published in Iran and contains biographies of Islamic suicide bombers and other Islamic militants who died while carrying out their attacks. . .

Yes indeed, what could possibly go wrong?

Maybe this story has some insight into the process - Climate scientists accused of 'manipulating global warming data' (from 2009)

I guess there is no way she could own a knife also. Or pepper spray, or a taser, or mace. Without a gun the elderly are generally helpless against a knife wielding rapist?

Knife fighting tends to be pretty physical. The mismatch between a 90 year old woman and a 20 year old man is pretty substantial, don't you think? As far as I know, pepper spray and tasers are illegal for private citizens to possess in the UK.

Are stun guns legal in the UK?

It is against the law to import:High voltage electric 'stun guns'.
Pepper sprays, CS gas canisters and other self defence sprays.
High-powered air rifles.
Martial Arts weapons such as death stars and swordsticks.
Knives that have a concealed blade or a sharp point such as belt buckle blades.

Besides that practical problem, there is another:

Self-Defense: An Endangered Right

The withdrawal of a basic right of Englishmen is having dire consequences in Great Britain, and should serve as an object lesson for Americans. Today, in the name of public safety, the British government has practically eliminated the citizens’ right to self-defense. That did not happen all at once. The people were weaned from their fundamental right to protect themselves through a series of policies implemented over some 80 years. Those include the strictest gun regulations of any democracy, legislation that makes it illegal for individuals to carry any article that could be used for personal protection, and restrictive limits on the use of force in self-defense. . . .

Read this bit of madness - and there are far too many cases like it: Five years in prison for acting in self-defence

There are attempts at reform, but there doesn't seem to be enough movement.

A rather different example: Elderly Woman Shoots at Intruder

As it is Liz seems unable to produce a smile. Her frowning face isn't exactly the best way to promote our country and its heritage.

It's not a big point, but I'll bite. She's capable of smiling.

-Gareth

As it is Liz seems unable to produce a smile. Her frowning face isn't exactly the best way to promote our country and its heritage.

HM Queen Victoria seems to have done well without a cheery visage.

HM Queen Elizabeth is certainly able to smile, as you can see in the second photo as she contemplates an object of delight (to many), as well as cause them.

Would YOU be able to push the big red button ? I know I wouldn't be able to.

That's because you haven't had the Air Force's Jesus Loves Nukes training. </sarcasm>

Whom do you think the Soviet and Chinese communists use? You may recall that they were both part of a club that treated Christians poorly? China still is.

... though their 'not-launching-the-missiles' capabilities might be a problem.

I think Christians understand that the end of the world is in God's hands, not man's. Trying to start it themselves would seem to be a sin.

“But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. -- Mark 13:32

This is in contrast to the Iranian branch of Shia Islam (the Iraqi branch is distinct) where many believe they can cause enough chaos in the world to bring the return of the Hidden Imam.

'Divine mission' driving Iran's new leader
Ahmadinejad: Chávez Will Rise Again with Jesus and the Hidden Imam

I get the impression you might be a little fixated.

Damn straight they did. And every communist lived in peace with their neighbors.

It's nice that people can still believe fairytales, but not so nice when they involve the "peaceful" nature of communism. There is a little history you left out, such as:

The Soviet suppression of the workers strike in East Germany in 1953, the Soviet invasion to put down the Hungarian revolution in 1956, the Soviet led Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 to crush the "Prague Spring - Socialism with a Human Face," and the Soviet invasion of communist Afghanistan.

The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

On December 27, 1979, under cover of an ongoing Soviet military buildup, heavily-armed elements of a Soviet airborne brigade were airlifted into Kabul, Afghanistan, to violently overthrow the regime of President Hafizollah Amin. Within hours after the beginning of this Trojan Horse-type operation, Soviet troops had overwhelmed the elite presidential guard, captured Amin, executed him along with several members of his family for crimes against the people and seized control of the capital.

Within days Soviet armor columns were fanning out across Afghani stan to occupy major population centers, airbases and strategic lines of com munication.

Uprising in East Germany, 1953 ; In Eastern Germany, 1953 Uprising Is Remembered
The 1956 Hungarian Revolution: A History in Documents
Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia, 1968

Added bonus: 1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état

The Chinese-Soviet border war of 1969 very neary went nuclear:

The Sino-Soviet Border Conflict, 1969: U.S. Reactions and Diplomatic Maneuvers

A State Department memorandum of conversation, published here for the first time, recounts one of the more extraordinary moments in Cold War history--a KGB officer's query about the U.S. reaction to a hypothetical Soviet attack on Chinese nuclear weapons facilities.

USSR planned nuclear attack on China in 1969

The Soviet Union was on the brink of launching a nuclear attack against China in 1969 and only backed down after the US told Moscow such a move would start World War Three, according to a Chinese historian.

The extraordinary assertion, made in a publication sanctioned by China's ruling Communist Party, suggests that the world came perilously close to nuclear war just seven years after the Cuban missile crisis.

Liu Chenshan, the author of a series of articles that chronicle the five times China has faced a nuclear threat since 1949, wrote that the most serious threat came in 1969 at the height of a bitter border dispute between Moscow and Beijing that left more than one thousand people dead on both sides.

He said Soviet diplomats warned Washington of Moscow's plans "to wipe out the Chinese threat and get rid of this modern adventurer," with a nuclear strike, asking the US to remain neutral.

But, he says, Washington told Moscow the United States would not stand idly by but launch its own nuclear attack against the Soviet Union if it attacked China, loosing nuclear missiles at 130 Soviet cities. The threat worked, he added, and made Moscow think twice, while forcing the two countries to regulate their border dispute at the negotiating table