Goodbye Washington DC

[megaplayboy]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

Every time, somebody convinces themselves that this latest, this big new escalation of threat level on the American home front will be what breaks the national will.

 

Every time, not so.

 

In my imagination, I can hear the words, echoing from the past...

 

'They'll never seriously push the War of Northern Aggression! As soon as the first division or two is lost, they'll stop paying the price in blood and bring the boys home. No one will kill hundreds of thousands of men just to subjugate the South! But we'll pay any price for our freedom!'

 

 

'What can the Americans do with their Pacific Fleet lost? Lost in its own harbor! They have no true samurai spirit! They will never recover from the shock. And they will never be able to dispute Imperial Japan's possession of our ocean... not until years after it's too late!'

 

'The infidels are weak! This will not be like Pearl Harbor! This will be us showing them that we can make their *civilians* die at will, not merely their soldiers! They will be paralyzed with fear! They will do anything to avoid having it happen again!(*)'

 

... wrong. wrong. and wrong again.

 

Every time, it's 'but *this* time, the death toll at home will break them!'

 

And every time, they've been wrong.

 

You can -- if you have a massive PR machine, massive sympathizers for you at the home front, and Presidential vacillation and strategic confusion -- convince America to walk out of a war where all the dying's been on foreign soil. That, we've done once or twice.

 

But you hit the American mainland? You hit us *in our own house*?

 

We hit you.

 

Period.

 

This is the tradition of centuries. And it will not be abandoned.

 

Edit -- of course there'll be panic. There will be scared people. There will be overreactions and might very well be evacuations.

 

What there *won't* be is *giving up*.

 

And before anybody cries' 'jingoism!' or anything else -- no, it's not jingoism. It's the pure and simple realization -- by at least 200 million people -- that to abandon the above tradition, to abandon hope of victory before we've even started trying, is to abandon a key element of what makes the American outlook on life /American/.

 

Some traditions are worth keeping. We might look like we've forgotten that from time to time -- but when push really comes to shove, we remember.

 

 

 

 

 

(*) Actually, there is a bit of irony in the last one.

 

I'm not saying any of that. What I'm saying is that the after-effects would obviously be more devastating on all levels, and that it'd be a lot harder to bounce back from. I don't think you can really argue against that specifically.

 

again, if we don't know who hit us, and we don't know if they'll do it again...

[Chuckg]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

again' date=' if we don't know who hit us, and we don't know if they'll do it again...[/quote']

 

Then anybody who does know will tell us -- to avoid the possibility of being mistaken for the bad guy.

 

Seriously, this is the sort of thing that would get Kim Jong Il picking up the phone to say "Wasn't me! Swear to God! It was the Supreme Serpent! Go get him... please?"

[Guest bblackmoor]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

The dollar now has value because people have faith that the dollar has value. Sounds backwards' date=' neh?[/quote']

 

It's kind of like art, in that sense.

[Rapier]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

Washington DC has very little to do with finances. Its destruction would not result in an economic meltdown. In what sort of screwed up world would have grocers suddenly raise the price of a loaf of bread to $45' date='000,000,000.00 just because a city is nuked? He couldn't sell it, it would be stolen. The Federal Government would regenerate in a matter of a few weeks. There would be lots of complications but not an economic meltdown of that magnitude.[/quote']

Washington DC has EVERYTHING to do with the value of the dollar. The dollar is not worth anything without the guarantee of the US government. If Washington DC becomes a pile of radioactive glass, you can bet your sweet Aunt Petunia its going to have a huge effect on the value of the dollar.

 

Are you for real? You HONESTLY thought I was being serious about a loaf of bread and gallon of milk costing 45 billion dollars? Was it the lack of the smiley that threw you?

[Rapier]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

It's kind of like art' date=' in that sense.[/quote']

Kind of scary, too.

[Kristopher]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

Washington DC has EVERYTHING to do with the value of the dollar. The dollar is not worth anything without the guarantee of the US government. If Washington DC becomes a pile of radioactive glass, you can bet your sweet Aunt Petunia its going to have a huge effect on the value of the dollar.

 

Hmmm...so you're saying that, if Washington DC was nuked, everyone in the US would refuse their paycheck, refuse to accept payment for goods delivered and services rendered, default on contracts, and otherwise suddenly treat the dollar like toilet paper?

 

Man, I run into Gold Standard loons in the strangest places.

[Dog Soldier]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

Accepting money is a habit, and habits are hard to break.

[Guest Champsguy]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

It all depends on what happens afterwards. This is a superhero world, after all. I can imagine different possibilities.

 

Ka-BOOOOOMMM!!!

 

10 minutes - 1 hour after:

The media freaks out.

No one knows what's going on.

News anchor: "Reports of a massive explosion..." "No contact with Washington DC..." "...fearing the worst..."

News choppers from Baltimore are the first on the scene.

Reporter: "Oh my god... its all gone..."

The general public watches in horror. There is no looting, because everyone is stunned.

The military is on red alert. If we have any clue as to who did it, nukes are fired.

Superhumans begin to respond.

 

1-3 hours after:

Reporter: "The Avengers are here. They've finished securing the city... Captain America would like to address the nation..."

Cap: "My fellow Americans, I am Captain America. Today, the city of Washington DC was attacked by superhuman terrorists. It is believed that these individuals utilized a small atomic bomb. We have not yet ascertained the full extent of the damage. Whatever the final toll may prove to be, we know that it is far, far too high. Our nation has suffered a terrible wound today. We have been attacked by cruel men who, for whatever reason, have murdered thousands of innocent people in order to strike a blow against this country. Today the nation, and the world, mourns. We have suffered the gravest of injuries.

But, ladies and gentlemen of these United States, I ask that you remain calm. The Avengers, working in conjunction with the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Defenders, the United States Armed Forces, and individual heroes across the country, are working around the clock to both ensure the security of this great nation, and to find the individuals responsible for this great tragedy. I ask that you remain calm. Check on your neighbors. They may need your help. Speak with your children, as they will be scared. Support each other. Care for each other. Today, all Americans are one. If you have loved ones who live far away, you may have trouble reaching them on crowded phone lines. Do not be afraid for them. Their friends and neighbors will make sure they are okay. From sea to shining sea, we will stand united.

Men and women of America, please here me when I say that we will survive this tragedy. Though the cost is great, I must assure you that life will continue on. This nation will survive. Those who have perpetrated this obscene act will be brought to justice. That I promise you. I would like to close with a scripture... (appropriate scripture that Champsguy doesn't know here). I also ask you to remember the words to our national anthem, the Star Spangeld Banner. 'By the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there. Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.' Thank you, and God Bless America."

 

Captain America rolls 60 something plus on his Presence Attack, and people across the country, instead of looting and rioting, start checking on their neighbors and helping people out.

[megaplayboy]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

Yeah, that'd work too.

 

I think I was looking at a more Bronze or Iron Agey outcome, but that certainly works for 4-color or slightly grayscale games.

[Vondy]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

I think you're underestimating public reaction. This isn't the vague (or even probable) thread of a nuclear attack (with some warning). A major city' date=' the capital has been blown off the face of the Earth with no warning. Hundreds of thousands are dead, etc. It could happen at any time, anywhere. There'd be a fairly massive panic and public order would be hard to maintain. Not just in the US, but in major population centers around the world. Now, would be people -get- used to it eventually. Yes, but those first few weeks would be bad.[/quote']

 

I actually looked up the expected kill ratios for a 1MT blast at optimal altitude and did the math on the DC metro-area, which has a population of 3.5 million (presuming a mid-day detonation on a clear, sunny work day): there would be close to half a million immediate deaths, a quarter million more within 48-72 hours, and another quarter-million within 4-6 weeks.

[Vondy]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

Every time, somebody convinces themselves that this latest, this big new escalation of threat level on the American home front will be what breaks the national will.

 

 

 

I don't presume such an event would break the national will, but there is such a thing as being con-stunned on a national level. And I don't believe in that nietzche-esque will to power claptrap. There would be very real, very tangible, and massive challenges to overcome. I don't doubt the US would overcome them, but to imagine there wouldn't be a stunned pause and national consequences on a grand scale - consequences that would take decades to recover from and might lead to very real national change - is simply not realistic.

[Vondy]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

It all depends on what happens afterwards. This is a superhero world, after all. I can imagine different possibilities.

 

Ka-BOOOOOMMM!!!

 

10 minutes - 1 hour after:

The media freaks out.

No one knows what's going on.

News anchor: "Reports of a massive explosion..." "No contact with Washington DC..." "...fearing the worst..."

News choppers from Baltimore are the first on the scene.

Reporter: "Oh my god... its all gone..."

The general public watches in horror. There is no looting, because everyone is stunned.

The military is on red alert. If we have any clue as to who did it, nukes are fired.

Superhumans begin to respond.

 

1-3 hours after:

Reporter: "The Avengers are here. They've finished securing the city... Captain America would like to address the nation..."

Cap: "My fellow Americans, I am Captain America. Today, the city of Washington DC was attacked by superhuman terrorists. It is believed that these individuals utilized a small atomic bomb. We have not yet ascertained the full extent of the damage. Whatever the final toll may prove to be, we know that it is far, far too high. Our nation has suffered a terrible wound today. We have been attacked by cruel men who, for whatever reason, have murdered thousands of innocent people in order to strike a blow against this country. Today the nation, and the world, mourns. We have suffered the gravest of injuries.

But, ladies and gentlemen of these United States, I ask that you remain calm. The Avengers, working in conjunction with the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Defenders, the United States Armed Forces, and individual heroes across the country, are working around the clock to both ensure the security of this great nation, and to find the individuals responsible for this great tragedy. I ask that you remain calm. Check on your neighbors. They may need your help. Speak with your children, as they will be scared. Support each other. Care for each other. Today, all Americans are one. If you have loved ones who live far away, you may have trouble reaching them on crowded phone lines. Do not be afraid for them. Their friends and neighbors will make sure they are okay. From sea to shining sea, we will stand united.

Men and women of America, please here me when I say that we will survive this tragedy. Though the cost is great, I must assure you that life will continue on. This nation will survive. Those who have perpetrated this obscene act will be brought to justice. That I promise you. I would like to close with a scripture... (appropriate scripture that Champsguy doesn't know here). I also ask you to remember the words to our national anthem, the Star Spangeld Banner. 'By the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there. Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.' Thank you, and God Bless America."

 

Captain America rolls 60 something plus on his Presence Attack, and people across the country, instead of looting and rioting, start checking on their neighbors and helping people out.

 

 

Well, my world tends to be somewhere between the iron and the bronze age, but the heroes, while shadowy, are known and respected the way "delta-force" is known and respected, and the project director, also a super, is a well known and admired by the public. He isn't a flag-suit, but he is likely to quote the psalms under such circumstances. The heroes are powerful enough to secure the blast zone (I have a hard time referring to anything hit with a 1MT bomb as a city) quickly and to curtail some of the long term effects, but the devastation would be on a scale unimaginable. We're talking about a blast 500 times more powerful than Hiroshima. I think you make a good point about the heroes being able to have some sort of calming effect on the nation.

[zornwil]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

Something hugely dastardly is about to rock my world that may actually be as significant as the Washington, DC, scenario that Von D-Man mentions.

 

I just say that to tweak lemming... (I don't think anyone else from my game is reading the boards)

[Klytus]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

..snip..

 

What does the world look like as the ramifications unfold?

 

Ok. Having read this far so far, I'll give you my take on it...

 

For a while, the U.S. goes into Lock & Load mode. U.S. Military bases world-wide go on red alert. The borders are hermetically sealed, no foreign travel in or out of the country - including Canada and Mexico. This will have a serious impact on the economies of all three nations (and much of South America) as this move also shuts down trade. U.S Troops will be deployed along the Mexican and Canadian borders with orders to shoot on sight anybody trying to cross in either direction. Martial Law is enforced domestically to maintain order.

 

Anticipating the start of World War III, the global economy goes into a tailspin as investors all over the world dump stocks like crazy. Great Britain and the EU assume a "ready for war" posture and start war-time production of military arms and equipment. For a while, the only "safe" investment are government war bonds. This will give nations like the U.S. a temporary boost in immediate spending power, but in the long-run, massive deficits will be run up.

 

With a second global depression occuring, just look at what happened after the first one: masive unemployment, banks, insurance agencies, and other financial institutions closing down as billions of dollars in savings are lost. Crime rates and suicides skyrocket. With no where else to turn, the unemployed join the military en masse (both in America and abroad) both to secure employment to provide for their families and from patriotic fervor to defend their nation.

 

All of those tin-pot dictators who are living large at the expense of their own people will be emboldened and step-up their progroms of genocide and/or conquering their neighbors. After all, the U.S. and U.N. have bigger fish to fry, and can not waste resources on "isolated problems". Many Third World nations that are rely on foreign trade yet do not have essential resources (like Nigeria with its oil) will implode as their economy collapses and the food becomes scarce.

 

North Korea will NOT invade South Korea, knowing that if they do so, they will be seen as responsible for nuking DC, and will result in them being nuked off the map. China, Russia, India and Pakistan will also be *very* careful - even conciliatory - towards the U.S. as they will be seen as the most likely candidates for supplying the terrorists with the bomb materials.

[Rapier]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

Hmmm...so you're saying that' date=' if Washington DC was nuked, everyone in the US would refuse their paycheck, refuse to accept payment for goods delivered and services rendered, default on contracts, and otherwise suddenly treat the dollar like toilet paper? [/quote']

IN-FLA-TION. Say it with me. I know you can. Of course, noone would refuse a paycheck. But that paycheck's buying power would be drastically reduced.

 

Man, I run into Gold Standard loons in the strangest places.

I'm not even going to rise to the bait. I've got better things to spend my time on than people who just don't get it.

[Kristopher]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

IN-FLA-TION. Say it with me. I know you can. Of course, noone would refuse a paycheck. But that paycheck's buying power would be drastically reduced.

 

Why? It's not like a major oilfield, or the Great Plains breadbasket, or a manufacturing center like Detroit, or a financial center like New York, was nuked. "Gee, DC was nuked, I better raise the price of my _________ since there's no gold backing the dollar."

 

Whatever.

 

I'm not even going to rise to the bait. I've got better things to spend my time on than people who just don't get it.

 

If you want to regard it as bait, that's fine, but it was a simple observation on my part. Gold standard ranting is disproportionately common online.

[Klytus]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

I actually looked up the expected kill ratios for a 1MT blast at optimal altitude and did the math on the DC metro-area' date=' which has a population of 3.5 million (presuming a mid-day detonation on a clear, sunny work day): there would be close to half a million immediate deaths, a quarter million more within 48-72 hours, and another quarter-million within 4-6 weeks.[/quote']

Sounds like White Heat and I would be in that 48-72 hour crowd. Hell of a way to go. Also, for max casualties, make sure its not on a Monday or Friday - many folks like to take 3-day weekends in this neck of the woods.

[zornwil]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

(snip) Also' date=' for max casualties, make sure its not on a Monday or Friday - many folks like to take 3-day weekends in this neck of the woods.[/quote']

 

That's our Klytus, local terrorist advisor!

[Agemegos]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

Washington DC has very little to do with finances. Its destruction would not result in an economic meltdown. In what sort of screwed up world would have grocers suddenly raise the price of a loaf of bread to $45' date='000,000,000.00 just because a city is nuked? He couldn't sell it, it would be stolen. The Federal Government would regenerate in a matter of a few weeks. There would be lots of complications but not an economic meltdown of that magnitude.[/quote']

 

Yeah, but don't forget that the US owes on trillions of dollars worth of T-bills, many of which are held by overseas investors and central banks. Also, there are a lot of greenback in circulation overseas. If for any reason a significant number of people and institutions began to fear that the US was in significant danger of collapse (even if their fears were unreasonable), or that it was in danger of defaulting on its (extensive) debts, or that it was in danger of deferring its debt, or that it was in danger of government spending seriously exceeding its capacity to pay, or basically if any serious uncertainty about the future of the US governmment were to arise, the people and institutions holding those T-bills would try to sell them. The price of T-bills would drop, and then major institutions would have to decide whether to (1) buy up T-bills to keep their price up and stabilise the international financial system (2) sit tight on a mountain of T-bills, or (3) dump T-bills while they are still worth something. Everything would then depend on international public confidence in the USA. If it were low or uncertain, the price of T-bills would pull down the price of the US dollar and push up the interest rate in US dollars. Overseas investors and institutions holdings of T-bills greatly exceed the Fed's gold and foreign currency reserves. After a while selling gold, yen, euros, and Sterling to stabilise the exchange rate, the Fed would face a choice of buying T-bills with newly-printed greenbacks (leading to inflation) or letting the interest rate spike (leading to recession), or both. On the bright side, the fall in the price of the US dollar would be a great help to American industry and agriculture in the medium term. On the dim side, the US government would have a hell of a time raising funds. Also, a rise in the interest rate would reduce the price of shares and bonds across the board. This might be exacerbated by people trying to sell out as soon as they can. Expect stock markets across the globe to take a big hit. Lots of people will suddenly feel poorer and less ceertain: likely they will retrench expenditure.

 

International finances are very sensitive to confidence. It doesn't take an attack on productive capacity or on financial institutions to upset them. A rumour can do so.

[casualplayer]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

I'm gonna get Rapier's back about the economy. His first post stated clearly that we use the Incontrovertible Fiat monetary system (money has worth because we say it does, not backed by gold.) The value is completely dependant on the faith in the agency backing it.

 

Try to imagine Catholics when they find out their priest has been up to funny business. Now try to imagine Catholics when the Finger of God reaches down and thumps Father Gilhooey a good one. There are only three schools of thought: God hates us all (empathizing with the padre,) Father Gilhooey warranted the thumping or God made a huge mistake. Any way erodes at a pillar of faith essential to keeping the roof from crashing down on our heads. Without maintaining a certain baseline faith a dollar is just paper. There is a reason why the value of money fluctuates and it's not tidal forces.

 

Monetary transactions will freeze up where faith is scarce. Banks will close, markets won't open and accounts will be locked down. The Mom and Pop store might still take your coin but that will only happen if they have faith in you, not the government. Trying to restart the economy would be like rebooting Apollo 13.

 

But anyway, in this event the East Coast power grid is toast. If you believe the company line one little switching station in Ohio put Detroit in the dark for days. DC is now off line and quite a bit of juice runs through there. There is a little bit of activity going on now in the Ionisphere so radio would be dicey and satellite relay would be hurting as well. Without some sort of atomic bomb-proof way of communicating out of the new Ground Zero, the populace is reliant on whatever they are told by whomever they are told by. Good thing there are unimpeachable news sources available to the US populace.

 

On the East Coast the South would be severed from the North. You sure wouldn't want to fly over the bombsite and the closest safe major roadway is on the other side of the Appalachians.

 

After this we may remain states but I doubt we would be United anymore. It's not hard to find a map to see how the country would split, and it's even color-coded red and blue. California and Texas are always one bad day from going their own way. There would be a new New England. I'm not saying that the country would never be united again but it would be a complete renegotiation and look quite different.

 

Charismatic people would rise to the fore. Motivations would range from noble to vile. In a heroic world Superman might step up or the country may elect Luthor. A drowning person does not ask for references from the person throwing a rope.

 

That whole greater DC region would become a No-Man's Land on a par with Gotham after the earthquake. If you are familiar with the New Universe from Marvel, they had to deal with repercussions of Pittsburgh essentially getting nuked and for the most part there were comic-logical aftereffects of the explosion. For a more realistic causality the Clancy books aren't bad.

 

The rest of the world would justly treat the US like a wounded beast that has very sharp claws and teeth. Some would stay as far out of harm's way as they can (sadly our reach is long) and some would try to help and get hurt while doing so. The country would lash out with only a moderate amount of effort put into striking at the right target. Quickly, easily, accurately-pick any two.

 

But this is comics, or comic-inspired gaming. What about the survivors of this radiation accident? What if the damage happens but the new super that crawls from the wreckage "scrubs" all the radiation away from the site? Millenium City on the Potomac anyone?

 

Sadly comics has had similar events like this happen and it just leads to bad storylines. Topeka wasteland? Never dealt with. Coast City blues? Hardly a blip (but you can't get a bus ticket there anymore.) San Diego underwater? Not such a big deal.

 

I would think long and hard before you pull the trigger on this one.

[Kristopher]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

I'm gonna get Rapier's back about the economy. His first post stated clearly that we use the Incontrovertible Fiat monetary system (money has worth because we say it does, not backed by gold.) The value is completely dependant on the faith in the agency backing it.

 

Most people don't look at a $20 bill and think, "This has value because the US government backs it up." They think "I can buy something with this." The "agency" backing the value for most people is that other people will take it in exchange for something.

 

What screws that up is when the numbnuts who blabber on about "faith in the government" get involved and start spewing their FUD.

[Guest bblackmoor]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

The value is completely dependant on the faith in the agency backing it.

 

Actually, it has value because the people using it agree to accept it as a medium of exchange. PayPal, currently the most popular form of online payment, operates on the same principle: the units of exchange that PayPal transfers are measured in "dollars", but many PayPal exchanges are never converted from PayPal units to dollars. They simply get transferred from one PayPal account to another.

 

To some degree, there is an amount of faith in the "agency backing it" -- people tend to trust that PayPal won't fold up tomorrow and take their PayPal balances with it. In that sense, the faith that people have in their dollars is not in the US government, but in the institutions in which their "dollar" balances are stored. Of course, in the USA those institutions are insured by FDIC, which is in fact an instrument of the federal US government, but that's not really relevant at the consumer level -- most people are too stupid to think as far ahead as the credit card bill two months away, much less to contemplate what would happen if their bank closed its doors.

 

So would a nuclear detonation in Washington DC affect the economy? Of course it would. It would affect bond rates, interest rates, the stock market, and a great many other things: at the very least, people at every level of society will be re-evaluating what they will spend their money (and their organization's money) on, and that will affect where investors will be willing to put their money. But having "faith" in the US government's "backing" of the dollar has almost nothing to do with it.

[megaplayboy]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

Darn it, where's Gary when we need him to clear up this dispute about economic effects?

[gewing]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

I think if DC was nuked (as you pointed out a 1 megaton would damage much of the region) the country would go NUTS!

 

Remember what the Vorlons did when Kosh died? YOU DON'T want to be the nail that stands up in the aftermath.

 

Ya' think? I petty much had that one figured, believe it or not. I'm not trying to be cheeky, but I think that qualifies as "obvious."

 

 

 

Fair enough, but these are tactical effects, and the US has enough redundant command stations spread over the entire country that its a moot point. Though I went and looked and the "hurricane of fire" would spread as much as 40-60KM. I'm looking for the effects it would have on the world order.

 

 

 

That's a very silver age assumption and one that doesn't apply to my game. The "heroes" in my game work for a small project that provides meta-human based black operations, counter-terrorism, counter-intelligence, crisis intervention, and overt military solutions for the government. They aren't caped crusaders with the cliched code versus killing and they've been know to put people in body-bags from time to time.

 

> I'm more concerned with what it does to the nation and the world order on

> a strategic and economic level... does this lead to a collapse of major

> institutions, international bodies, or nation states?

 

 

 

Are you honestly suggesting, that in the wake of a major nuclear event and the destruction of the nations capitol, as well as all of the urban areas for 20-30 miles around, as well as collapse of world markets and a sudden shift towards global depression, and the fact that military estimate require the use the majority of hospital beds and medical personnel in the country, which means normal medical services go to hell, that the idea of america will somehow ensure it doesn't suffer any operational downtime in the ensuing weeks, or would lead america to decalre "do anything that annoys us and we'll go nuclear on your ass"? Do you think America would honestly nuke china over taiwan (as an example) in those circumstances, or north korea over south korea, etc?

 

I have my doubts.

[gewing]

Re: Goodbye Washington DC

 

For just these reasons I think every country on earth would be sending their heads of intelligence to whoever was in charge here with EVERYTHING they even SUSPECTED about the culprits.

 

After 9/11 there were people who wanted to nuke Afghanistan.

 

If this happened and I was a head of state, I would probably get into a bunker and tell my people to please sit quietly.

 

I think in THIS situation, even back in the 70s or 80s the Soviet Union might well have confined their soldiers to barracks and pulled thier fleet into port, and just hunkered down. There wasn't going to be a survivor otherwise.

 

I suppose a Psychotic Soviet or Chinese leader might have tried to take advantage for a first strike, but we had too many SLBMs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the thing.

 

You were talking about nations 'immediately moving to take advantage'.

 

Under those circumstances, it sure *LOOKS LIKE* we were nuked by a nation state... first the bomb, and then somebody uses that opportunity to jump the gun? Talk about a great way to get mistaken for the guilty party!

 

If a nuclear weapon detonated on American soil, this country would get reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally twitchy.

 

As the man mentioned -- 9/11 was two planes, 3000 dead people, and several burning and collapsed buildings. Horrible, yes, but not one-millionth as bad as a nuclear attack that levels our nation's capital city.

 

So, try to imagine America's mood immediately after 9/11 -- magnified about a million times.

 

America would be in a severe state of "WHO WANTS SOME, HUH? YOU? YOU? HOW ABOUT YOU?!? HEY, YOU IN THE BACK! I SAW YOU BLINK! IT WAS YOU, WASN"T IT?!?"

 

Under such circumstances, other nations would be advised not to start anything until the US has had a few weeks to calm down, evaluate, and identify the guilty party -- because in the period immediately following the blast, we'd in a mood to 'identify the guilty party' by watching for the first nation to twitch in anything remotely resembling a warlike direction.