WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration selected a design for a new generation of atomic warheads, taking a major step toward building the first new nuclear weapon since the end of the Cold War two decades ago.
The military and the Energy Department selected a design developed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California over a competing design by the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, according to government sources who spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of a formal announcement.
The decision to move ahead with the warhead, which eventually would replace the existing arsenal of weapons, has been criticized as sending the wrong signal to the world at a time when the United States is assailing attempts at nuclear weapons development in North Korea and Iran and striving to contain it.
But military and Energy Department officials have argued that the new U.S. warhead will not add to the nuclear arsenal. They maintain the new design will make the weapons stockpile more secure and reliable without the need for actual underground testing.
The warhead has been the focus of an intense competition between Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore, the government’s two premier nuclear weapons labs.
JCM,
You are making a whole heap of assumptions in your post. You don
Bowie,
It doesn’t surprise me in the least that you have no understanding of what presented. Noriega and every other two-bit dictator in the world have no clue as to what I presented. But just so everyone understands, nothing of what I said was original material. Check out the Federalist Papers written by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, two prominent authors of the U.S. Constitution. The words I used to describe democracy was originally written by them, not me, over two hundred years ago. Democracy without checks and balances IS NOT a good thing for any minority opinion. The only thing that makes our form of government work so well is the protections that the law gives everyone, not just the majority opinion. So in fact, true democracy IS mob rule.
As for my own feelings, I’ve never been pro-war, pro-torture, or anything else you seem to think that you want to label me with. Your take is just way to easy and makes alot of assumptions and we all know about those. And to tell you the truth, I’m very happy that you don’t want to live here. So don’t forget to pick up your hat on the way out.
JCM,
For someone who accuses others of having a closed mind, you are incredibly selective in the people you quote. You forgot Thomas Paine — remember he was the one who coined the term United States of America — and was a signatory to your constitution, and wrote radical democratic pamphlets which would probably make you apoplectic.
You, or others who want to have an open mind, might be interested in looking at these sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Thomas+Paine&sourceid=mozilla-search
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rights_of_Man#Aristocracy_versus_Democracy
Just a little aside. Have you thought what your heroes of the American Revolution would have been called if they were fighting the english today? A few clues-they Destroyed Civilian targets (Boston Tea Party), attacked the legitimate government (it happened to be the british)I’ll leave you to put a name to that.
Have you read de Toqueville — he was a frenchman who wrote about your thriving democracy in the 1830’s. He was impressed with the democracy you had then. There is a very good biography of him that has just been printed which you might want to read.
I haven’t accused you of being pro war, pro torture or anything else. You spend a lot of time building straw men to attack rather than answering the points I put to you. That generally shows that you are finding it difficult to put a counter view.
In my country we would welcome you even if you do have a radically different point of view to most of us. So you would be welcome in our country JCM. Its a pity that your country is so intolerant of difference. I’ll put my hat on now.
Bowie,
I’m sorry, but as far as I know, Wikipedia is not officially recognized as a legitimate source of information by the academic world. I know this because my wife is currently in a Masters Program and her professors refuse to recognize it as a research source. So I ask your forgiveness in advance for not “checking” with Wikipedia to validate your argument.
Secondly, I’m not sure what you mean by strawmen. You presented some points of view and I presented some points of view. How is your point of view more valid than mine. The fact is, you cannot refute my position that in the U.S. we don’t have a true democracy from a technical point of view, we are a republic. What does that mean exactly? Well, it means that the bullies down the street can’t impose their view on others without their consent. If they try, they are breaking the law.
Being that you come from a country outside of the U.S. it doesn’t surprise me that your views are different. In fact, I would expect that almost every country in the world has a viewpoint different than we do. As should be expected. My comment about your lack of understanding of my position is based on that logic.
That facts are quite clear. The U.S. was founded by, and continues to thrive because of, the oppressive governments or societies that exist around the world. In fact, in the time of our founding fathers, England was one of those states that people were fleeing from. This is something that you cannot deny, mainly because it’s obvious.
When our Constitution was drafted, the authors of it took into consideration the historical failure of democracy in it’s truest form. And in order to give democracy a lasting and enduring chance at success they created a representative form of democracy, or a republic. The main idea was that every citizen had inalienable rights that could not be taken away by majority vote. Since true democracy is based on a majority vote, you can then conclude that we are not a true democracy, though the word is often used to mischaracterize the U.S. and it’s dealings with other countries.
In your comments you allude to my supporting Noriega. That’s insulting. You allude to my supporting war crimes. That is also insulting. You suggest that we should have seat belts and motorcycle helmets, but we have had those laws for years. You address the numbers, but avoid the real issue that makes the deaths meaningless … alcohol consumption and then operating a motor vehicle. You comment on murders, but fail to recognize that only a percentage were committed using a gun. You definitely wanted to plug your anti-gun point of view, and I was talking about bad behavior which I find much more tragic than soldiers doing their job.
The bottom line is this, The U.S. is NOT the rest of the world. It’s supposed to be different. That’s why everyone comes here, because of the difference. The more we gravitate in YOUR direction, the more we cease to be different and all the benefits that come along with it, be they real or imagined. So when you start talking about how much better your position is I’m obviously going to reject that position because I don’t believe it. If I did, then I’d be just like you, wouldn’t I?
Only time will tell if you are right or I am right. Most likely long after we are both gone. In the meantime, we can trade points of view and entertain the gallery. Peace.
The decison to advance our military power is a good thing. Would you rather fear a country that could wipe us out with a push of a botton or would you rather be the country feared. If we went to war we should be able to crush our enemy to were they wont be able to fight back ever again.
Bowie54
You are an idiot and I am thankful you are not a citizen of the US. It would be my pleasure to introduce you to the 27 virgins!
Don,
I take it that your comment ” It would be my pleasure to introduce you to the 27 virgins!” is an invitation to send me to the Muslim heaven. Does this mean that you are offering to kill me?
So is this how people in the United States respond to people who have a difference of opinion? Is this how you train your soldiers? What happens in Iraq if ordinary people there dispute with your soldiers? Do you offer to introduce them to the 27 virgins as well? I’m sure it’s taken as a joke there — as much as I am taking it as a joke.
JCM and others, are you comfortable with Don’s comments? I would take no comment from you that you are in support. Do the moderators of this site think it is appropriate for death threats to be offered to people who post here?
Is it against the law in the United States to offer death threats, or have you descended further into fascism than even I had feared?
And by the way Don, I am not a Muslim, don’t actually believe in heaven, and even if there is such a place I don’t think there would be 27 Virgins there for me.
I hope one day your country returns to being the great and wonderful place it used to be, and comments and opinions I have heard here are treated with the contempt that they deserve.
May you all find peace and gentleness one day.
Bowie,
You seem to go out of your way to make far-reaching broad-based statements of fact about which you know little. I’m insulted to some degree that you would think the majority of Americans agree with comments like Don made, let alone speaking for myself. I never liked popular opinion, but you appear to be a master of rumors and colloquialism yourself.
I don’t believe that mainstream America has a voice and generally choose not to participate in it’s civic duty as evidenced by the past couple of decades of less than stellar turn-out in both local and federal elections. With less than 50% normally participating, can you then say that the “majority” of Americans are not in agreement with current policy, whether right or left? My belief is that the “majority” of Americans aren’t even represented in substantial way. It’s only the extreme views like yours that capture headlines and lend to the perception that things are out of whack. I guess if you look at the world through those glasses, things would seem that way.
Another example of how popular opinion is captured is through using polls. Amazing things really (I’m being sarcastic.) How exactly can one surmise what 300m people think by asking staged questions of only 1,000? The percentage is so small you need a special calculator just to figure out how small the number really is. I base my opinions on my education and experience, relationships that I’ve had in my life (both professional and personal), and just plain old common sense.
Very little of what happens in our lives is personally directed at ourselves. For the most part, we are spectators in an elaborate game. Sometimes this makes us feel helpless and we try to compensate by reaching out farther than our grasp can support us. Such is the case, I believe, with you Bowie. I’m saddened that you don’t believe in heaven. It must be difficult to endure living with no hope that something better is over the horizon of life. That’s all that heaven represents, really. The belief that our lives somehow have meaning, and that any sacrifices we make for the common good will somehow be accounted for and make it all worth it.
I hope that peace finds you and leads you to a place where the world doesn’t look so dreary and full of hate. I for one believe the world is a much better place, as are the people in it. Peace.
JCM,
I thought you would be interested in this. As Lee Iacocca says “I’ve not been Commander in Chief”, but he has been CEO of Chrysler…Seems to hold the same fears and concerns as me.
Below is an excerpt from an article he has written, which is part of a book he has written called “Where have all the leaders Gone?”. I’ve given a link to the site so you can read the whole article it is well worth it.
Thelink to the site is
http://www.ichblog.eu/content/view/1145/1/
“Had Enough? Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We’ve got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we’ve got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can’t even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, “Stay the course.” Stay the course? You’ve got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I’ll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out! You might think I’m getting senile, that I’ve gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore. The President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies.Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don’t need it). The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we’re fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions. That’s not the promise of America my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for.
I’ve had enough. How about you? I’ll go a step further. You can’t call yourself a patriot if you’re not outraged. This is a fight I’m ready and willing to have. My friends tell me to calm down. They say, “Lee, you’re eighty-two years old. Leave the rage to the young people.” I’d love to, as soon as I can pry them away from their iPods for five seconds and get them to pay attention. I’m going to speak up because it’s my patriotic duty. I think people will listen to me. They say I have a reputation as a straight shooter. So I’ll tell you how I see it, and it’s not pretty, but at least it’s real. I’m hoping to strike a nerve in those young folks who say they don’t vote because they don’t trust politicians to represent their interests. Hey, America, wake up. These guys work for us. Who Are These Guys, Anyway? Why are we in this mess? How did we end up with this crowd in Washington? Well, we voted for them, or at least some of us did. But I’ll tell you what we didn’t do. We didn’t agree to suspend the Constitution. We didn’t agree to stop asking questions or demanding answers. Some of us are sick and tired of people who call free speech treason. Where I come from that’s a dictatorship, not a democracy. And don’t tell me it’s all the fault of right-wing Republicans or liberal Democrats. That’s an intellectually lazy argument, and it’s part of the reason we’re in this stew. We’re not just a nation of factions. We’re a people. We share common principles and ideals. And we rise and fall together.
Where are the voices of leaders who can inspire us to action and make us stand taller? What happened to the strong and resolute party of Lincoln? What happened to the courageous, populist party of FDR and Truman? There was a time in this country when the voices of great leaders lifted us up and made us want to do better. Where have all the leaders gone?
The Test of a Leader
I’ve never been Commander in Chief, but I’ve been a CEO. I understand a few things about leadership at the top. I’ve figured out nine points, not ten (I don’t want people accusing me of thinking I’m Moses). I call them the “Nine Cs of Leadership.” They’re not fancy or complicated. Just clear, obvious qualities that every true leader should have. We should look at how the current administration stacks up. Like it or not, this crew is going to be around until January 2009. Maybe we can learn something before we go to the polls in 2008. Then let’s be sure we use the leadership test to screen the candidates who say they want to run the country. It’s up to us to choose wisely.
And by the way you can be a Christian full of hope and belief but not hold any belief in heaven. I follow Christ because a life in him gives me meaning and strength and bravery in this life, I don’t need promises of heaven to do that, just the knowledge that all the evil that humans could throw at him did not stop his spirit from prevailing.
Hope you enjoy
Bowie,
Again, you seem to take alot of interest in a country that is not your own. And you continue to offer rationalizations for the ousting or overthrow of our government’s leadership, even after admitting that you’re not a citizen of our country. Why then should I, as an American citizen, listen to you? By rights, I would expect that a citizen of another country would have something against our country, nationalism and all that.
Having said that, I like Iacoca. In his day he difinitely had an impact on the business models here in the U.S. But I will say that being a CEO is not being an elected official at the highest levels, especially the Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces. I wouldn’t even compare the two as he has done, though it certainly shows the moxy he’s known for. As I said before, the only people who know what it means to be the President, are the current President and former Presidents still living. Everybody else is just a spectator.
Like I stated in previous posts, only time will tell what impact the policies of the U.S. and it’s leaders will have in the future. I reserve judgement until that time. Peace.
The nuclear ambitions of India, the Middle East States, and North Korea convince me that the United States needs to continue refining its own nuclear weapons technology.
First, the Reliable Replacement Warhead development program I believe is a good idea. The concept of designing and building simple, secure, and reliable nuclear weapons that can be scaled up in yield if necessary seems prudent.
Second, the possibility of directed energy nuclear weapons such as a nuclear bomb pulsed x-ray laser concept should be considered. I believe open literature on the subject was available during the 1980s at the height of the SDI program, referred to in public slang as the