[lit-ideas] Re: Text of bin Laden Tape/ size matters/dogs

  • From: david ritchie <ritchierd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 16:25:49 -0800


On Jan 23, 2006, at 11:54 AM, Eric Yost wrote:

Teemu: Only known nuclear warheads that would fit
(in a very large and heavy) suitcase are the U.S.
designs for mini-nuke war heads. These had explosive power of 10 to 250 tons, for comparison the Hiroshima bomb yield was about 15 kilotons.



Sorry to contradict, but I have a first-hand account of a friend who was a US officer in Europe during the late '70s and early '80s. US forces had an array of "suitcase" (he called them "backpack") nukes for use in the feared Soviet invasion of Europe through the Fulda Gap. These nukes were in the low-kiloton range (Hiroshima- sized). In the event of an invasion, these weapons would be placed along the Autobahn and detonated--consistent with the NATO strategy of delaying the Soviet ground advance. IN addition to creating an obstacle to the Soviet advance, they would send a wave of fallout toward Eastern Europe. It was also widely believed at the time that the Soviets had developed their own version of these tactical nukes, primarily for the same purpose of disrupting a ground advance.



Why not just use the less well-bred members of the Brazilian Fila family?


I'm running three threads together because when I take my Border Collie cross to a dog park there's often some guy with a large black lab or a Rhodesian Ridgeback or some such who clearly got the dog because he wanted a Biiiig Crittr to go with his Truuuuuuuuck . Ridgebacks were bred to rip the tendons from the legs of lions. I've met some very nice Ridgebacks and no doubt Lawrence's one is handsome, clever, well-bred. But come on guys, can you not get dogs that kids won't be afraid of? Consider your homeowner's liability insurance if nothing else.

David Ritchie
Portland, Oregon


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