From: John M Grigg (starman125@mailcity.com)
Date: Wed Jul 05 2000 - 04:39:15 MDT
Spike wrote:
John, you can thank your god, the rest of us flaming atheists can only thank nothing that we never had a nuke war. John, you pray to your god, the rest of us can only hope and pray fervently to nobody that we never do.
(end)
I do thank God that a nuclear exchange never happened! And I am grateful that as the saying goes, "Russians prefer chess to playing craps!!" I grew up with a stepfather who was career Air Force and did communications work in a command and control center at Elmendorf AFB here in Anchorage.
When I was six he took me there at a gathering for families back in '74. I looked down in awe from the command and control box at the huge maps which could help choreograph the end of the world if needed. I was so young, but I understood what it was all about.
Later I talked to him about my concerns about an impending nuclear war. He explained to me that if the Russians attacked us we would respond immediately by sending thousands of missles to destroy them. Since the Russians did not want to die along with us they would not attack. He also told me our weapons were better which gave us the advantage. Even than, mutually assured destruction made sense to me! lol! I remember laughing and feeling better after the talk. What a strange world I was growing up in...
Years later I saw the films _The Day After_ and the British made _Threads_ which both really touched me. And to this day I love the song by Sting entitled, "I hope the Russians love their children too."
When I was in AFJROTC we had an Air Force major come by and speak to us about the history and future of the branch. One of his favorite comments was, "be glad we never had a nuclear war, because if we did you could all just bend over and kiss your asses goodbye!"
Later on Carl Sagan helped to lead the charge in telling the public what an insane situation the world was in. I remember Ted Koppel getting tired of his "two men in a room filled with gasoline and matches" analogy! Reagan surprised me by pushing Gorby to the arms control treaty table.
Spike, you mentioned how I should thank my God for us not having a nuclear exchange. Well... according to both Mormon and evangelical scriptural interpretation we WILL be seeing this sort of nightmarish conflict happen. So, the worst is yet to come if these views are correct. And the "miracle" technologies of AI, nanotech and biotech may also fulfill other Bibical prophecies.
A part of me hopes I am wrong and these things are not bound to happen. I don't claim that God will force humanity to nuke itself, but being divine can simply see what we will do to eachother when left to our own devices.
best wishes,
John
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