Short Quiz + Suggested Answers

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johnkarls
Posts: 2034
Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:43 pm

Short Quiz + Suggested Answers

Post by johnkarls »

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Question 1

Would the American electorate be likely to forgive the Democratic Party if several American cities (say, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta and Salt Lake City) are destroyed during the next 4 years - with American deaths measured in the millions?

Answer 1

No.

Question 2

Does the 2007 Democratic Congress Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism believe that America is likely to suffer such an attack in the next 4 years?

Answer 2

The Commission’s Report states that if appropriate action is not taken, such an attack “somewhere in the world” will “likely” occur “by the end of 2013.” It does not specify whether it believes “somewhere” will likely be the United States, and whether “by the end of 2013” will likely be before 1/31/2013.

However, over the last 2-3 years, many experts have been interviewed on “talking head” shows and they always equivocate on whether the U.S. will sustain a nuclear attack (which had been the primary focus in view of Osama bin Laden’s fatwa to nuke 10 million Americans) in the next 2-3 years.

Question 3

Does the 2007 Democratic Congress Commission think the threat is greater from nuclear terrorism or biological terrorism?

Answer 3

Biological terrorism, because the Commission believes the materials for a biological attack proliferate more around the world.

Apparently the Commission does not subscribe to the long-held popular belief that the 178 suitcase-size nuclear weapons missing from the old Soviet Union have long since found their way into the hands of terrorists – though the Commission makes no mention of these weapons.

Question 4

Does the 2007 Democratic Congress Commission think the threat of WMD terrorism is growing or receding, and why?

Answer 4

Growing – because the world’s total supply of nuclear weapons-grade materials and biological-WPM materials, and the number of countries possessing them, are both growing.

Question 5

Does the 2007 Democratic Congress Commission recommend, if necessary, going to war to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons?

Answer 5

Yes.

Question 6

Does the 2007 Democratic Congress Commission see as essential the dismantlement of Korea's nuclear weapons program and its existing nuclear weapons? How does it recommend this be done without creating a nuclear holocaust?

Answer 6

Yes, though it makes no specific recommendation on how to accomplish this.

The conventional wisdom has always been that North Korea can NOT be brought to its knees without China embargoing food and energy supplies.

Although this idea is glibly tossed about as a worthy object of diplomacy, (1) there would likely be a tremendous “quid pro quo” to get the Chinese to do this (if indeed there even is such a “quid”), and (2) implementing such an embargo would be extremely dangerous because Kim Il-sung, North Korea’s “Eternal President of the Republic”, has demonstrated over the last 15 years an utter disdain for the welfare of his people (including permitting millions of his citizens to starve to death!!!) and therefore could well react to such an embargo with a nuclear holocaust, rather than with capitulation.

Question 7

Does the 2007 Democratic Congress Commission recommend extending to other countries the existing program with Russia to pay them vast amounts of money to keep better track of their weapons-grade nuclear materials?

Answer 7

Yes.

Question 8

Does the 2007 Democratic Congress Commission recommend creating a similar program to pay other countries vast amounts of money to keep better track of their biological materials that could be used in WPM?

Answer 8

Yes.

Question 9

Does the 2007 Democratic Congress Commission recommend a greater emphasis on human intelligence and penetration of terrorist organizations, in order to foil WMD attacks?

Answer 9

Not really – just better coordination among intelligence-gathering agencies as if their combined effort is already sufficient!!!

Question 10

Does the 2007 Democratic Congress Commission recommend developing and perfecting anti-missile weapons that could destroy missile delivery of nuclear and biological WPM? Especially weapons capable of destroying missiles on take-off, as would be necessary to protect allies in close proximity to threats such as (1) Japan and South Korea who feel threatened by North Korea, (2) Eastern European members of NATO, (2) the "Gulf State Six" oil countries who feel threatened by Iran, and (4) Israel?

Answer 10

No.

Incidentally, on July 5, 2006, North Korea test fired a Taepodong-2 missile and five shorter-range rockets.

The Taepodong-2 missile is believed to be capable of hitting the Western United States.

It failed about 40 seconds after take off. There has been some unofficial speculation that it may have been destroyed by an American destroy-on-takeoff anti-missile weapon.

Question 11

Does the 2007 Democratic Congress Commission recommend developing detection devices that could detect nuclear and/or biological materials as they are imported into the United States? How effective would this be considering the length of America's Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coastlines?

Answer 11

No. Not very effective vis-à-vis smuggling, though it could prevent FedEx shipments.

Question 12

Does the 2007 Democratic Congress Commission recommend developing detection devices that could detect nuclear and/or biological materials within a radius of several miles, so that deployment of the detection devices around major American cities might be effective?

Answer 12

No.

Question 13

What grade (either pass-fail or A thru F) would you assign to the 2007 Democratic Congress Commission's report?

Answer 13

F/Fail.

Question 14

Did the Gallup Poll of Jan 16-17 2009 show that Americans oppose President Obama's Jan 22 Executive Order to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba?

Answer 14

Yes – 45% to 35% with 20% undecided.

Question 15

Was this 2009 Gallup Poll opposing the prison closing in line with the results of the 2007 Gallup Poll on whether to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba?

Answer 15

Yes – the 2007 poll was 53% to 33% with 13% undecided.

(The support for closing, 35% vs. 33%, remained fairly constant -- with a 7%-8% transfer from the opposition to closing to the undecided category.)

Question 16

Does the normal Parliamentary system around the world which usually (the U.K. is a notable exception) features many single-issue political parties make more sense (in our case a Universal-Health-Care party, an Al-Gore-Clean-Energy-Electrical-Grid-Within-10-Years party, a Replace-Failing-Inner-City-Schools-With-Federally-Financed-And-Operated-Magnet-Schools party, etc.) because such a party can accomplish its objective the instant it holds the balance of power between two coalitions, rather than see all these dreams go down the drain if the Democratic Party's positions on closing the Guantanamo prison, refusing to employ aggressive interrogation techniques, etc., are followed by disaster?

Answer 16

Absolutely!!!

AaronStander
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Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 10:03 am

No Nuclear Attack on the US Already "A Miracle"!!!

Post by AaronStander »

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Your topic this week.
From: "Aaron Stander"
Date: Sun, February 8, 2009 5:58 am
To: "John Karls"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

John,

I met a man in 2007 who spent the last 15 years of his working life
with an NGO in Russia and the former republics trying to secure
nuclear weapons and materials. I asked him about the possibility of a
terrorist attack using a nuclear device. He said within his
professional circle, the consensus was that it was a miracle that it
hadn't happened yet.

I enjoy reading your e-mails and taking the quizzes.

A.

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