I recently read the book, Command and Control, by Eric Schlosser. While reading the book, I noticed that a local theater is going to play the movie of the same name so purchased my ticket to see it. The book is a very exciting, nightmarish look at the US nuclear weapons program. It wraps itself around a horrible mishap involving an intercontinental ballistic missile. Interspersed in the riveting tale of the mishap, the book details the "command and control" of nuclear weapons, the politics and military plans for how and when to launch these weapons. It explains MAD, mutually assured destruction, "nuclear decapitation" and other reasons for first strike aggression. It tells of many other close calls that have happened with the US stockpile including lax security in the US and on foreign soil, crashes of bombers carrying weapons, and the radioactive messes made by splattered but unexploded plutonium weapon cores. This is a terrifying subject. I easily imagine the documentary movie being a real nail biter.
In my youth I was an adrenalin junkie. I dove out of airplanes, bungee jumped, sailed across oceans in small boats, scuba dived with sharks and did some rock and ice climbing. I have slowed down with age, but this book and subject have me buzzing. I love the timing!
Just in time for Halloween, this terrifying documentary is playing. It is also in time for the most insane election of my lifetime. One of the monsters running for president gets to have its finger on the nuclear launch button. On one hand, we have an erratic, thin skinned, narcissistic lout who likes to punish those who cross him. On the other hand we have the cruel queen who cackled with laughter when Libya was destroyed and its ruler, one of Africa's best, was sodomized with a bayonet and then murdered. She proudly has over a million notches on her royal staff commemorating the civilians killed in the unnecessary wars she has helped promote in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, etc.. Remember the propaganda leading up to those wars and notice that none of it was true and look at the string of failed states that have been crafted by our government's actions with her help and leadership.
Add to all this the non-stop propaganda vilifying Russia and is leader Vladimir Putin. The US with its NATO underlings have surrounded Russia with the missiles and nukes described in the movie, and are now threatening to force an air war over Syria, a place where. by international law. we have no right to be, and have absolutely no right to push "regime change," and a place we are arming the same terrorist organization that we blame for the 9-11 debacle that started the perpetual war on terror which is used as the US excuse for its imperial aggression.
A word about the Russians: Putin, their president was able to find ways for Obama to back away from illegal attack plans the US had for military attacks on Iran and Syria. He patiently avoided taking the bait for war when we spent five billion dollars fomenting a coup in Ukraine, which has become another staging point for US weapons threatening Russia. Russia has its own insane stockpile of nuclear weapons. Russia lost over 20 million people defeating the German army in WWII, for which the US took credit. The Russians may be patient, but I do not think they will back down and become an American vassal or yet another failed state. The US has put a very large, angry, nuclear armed bear in a corner. What could go wrong?
Recently, in the presidential mudwrestling match, the evil queen loudly cackled that she wants a no-fly zone in Syria which can only happen via war with Russia. She is aligned with the neocons who think they and their elite friends should rule the world., misusing the American military to get there. Keep this in mind if you dare see the movie which I am sure will be visceral reinforcement for understanding our predicament.
I have never felt so little in control of my destiny. This is extremely exciting! Happy Halloween!
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