On Tue, 05 Dec 2017 23:48:17 -0500, Clare Snyder
wrote:

On Tue, 5 Dec 2017 18:00:17 -0800 (PST), rangerssuck
wrote:

On Thursday, November 30, 2017 at 9:51:12 PM UTC-5, Ignoramus1521 wrote:
Let's say that country A has 1,800 nuclear weapons.

And let's say that country B has 18 nuclear weapons that can reach
country A with 1 square mile accuracy.

And further let's suppose that these two countries are in a nuclear conflict.

Is it possible that country B could "win a nuclear war" and force
country A to end the war on highly unfavorable terms, despite having
only 1% of A's nuclear arsenal?

The real answer is that it is entirely possible, if country B's
arsenal is survivable (hard to find and well defended) and country B
can take more pain than country A.

What this brings up is a realization that nuclear war is in some ways
similar to a negotiation, rather than straight war like most
conventional war. The reason for this is a unique ability of nuclear
weapons to deliver a lot of pain over a long distance. Thus, nuclear
weapons can hurt countries directly, as opposed to conventional
weapons, which have to first work against their militaries.

i

Paraphrasing an example given by Carl Sagan: The leader of Country A and the leader of Country B are standing in a room, knee-deep in gasoline. Leader A has 1800 books of matches. Leader B has 18 books of matches. Now, describe a scenario that comes out good for either of them.
V


Very carefully back away being carefull not to draw a spark and hope
the other ******* doesn't light a match before you get out - and a
long way away!!!

Or, A walks toward B, feigning concession, with his right hand out.
Unbeknownst to B, A also picks up a long screwdriver off the bench as
he approaches. Evil B is then flushed from the world, easing world
tension immediately. His kind of evil has to be snuffed out before it
spreads.

Unfortunately, A is forced to continue to play World Cop for both his
own country's and the world's sake, like it or not.

The rest of us live happily ever after, -if- the other evil, Party D
in A's country, doesn't take them down internally in the interim, as
they are trying. I'm reading Dinesh D'Souza's _America: Imagine A
World Without Her_, where he brings up even more dirt on the evil
Dems. He's a former White House analyst, and his deep research has
permitted him to show to us a lot of connections we might otherwise
overlook, or pay lesser attention to. Highly recommended book.

--
Silence is more musical than any song.
-- Christina Rossetti