Missing the essential point (about our Nations's weaknesses)

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gilliam:
Here is my 2-cents. Katrina is nothing like a nuke attack because:
  1. We had lots of warning
  2. People were not vaporized, they had time to get out or move to higher ground
  3. We will be able to start rebuilding almost immediately
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There are differences and similarities. Vern has already pointed out that the swath of destruction left by Katrina is far bigger than any we have experienced or could predict from a nuclear bomb. Multiple nuclear bombs, maybe.

Nuclear explosions leave a radioactive area which cannot be redeveloped for quite some time. There are long-term effects to the eco-system.

Katrina left a toxic soup in the New Orleans lowlands which cannot be redeveloped for quite some time. There are long-term effects to the eco-system.
 
Ani Ibi:
I’ts the ‘more or less’ that’s the rub, tcay. Natural does not necessarily mean benign to life.

Katrina has damaged huge swaths of forest in Mississippi and the wildlife therein.

Katrina has been responsible for urban and rural fires; fires which cannot be extinguished easily because of damage to the infrastructure and communications.

Katrina has overwhelmed sewage systems, dumping millions of gallons of raw sewage into the eco-system. To say nothing of whatever toxins were in the Dupont plant as well as various and sundry chemicals from warehouses and upturned railcars.

Nature is much bigger than mankind. And capable of almost infinitely more destructive power.
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I wasn’t trying to downplay Katrina’s effect, Ani. I’ve seen what these storms can do up close and personal. I just can’t agree that this is on par with a nuclear disaster.
 
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tcay584:
I wasn’t trying to downplay Katrina’s effect, Ani. I’ve seen what these storms can do up close and personal. I just can’t agree that this is on par with a nuclear disaster.
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I was trying to bring light to the reality that nature is not always benign to life. Witness the effect of the meteorite impact in the Gulf of Mexico during the age of the dinosaurs. Nature wields tremendous destructive power.

As for Katrina itself being on the scale of a nuclear disaster I think there are some lessons we can draw from Katrina in order to ameliorate our preparation for any possible nuclear disaster.

As I have tried to point out before, we are no longer looking at 100 megaton nuclear explosions. We are looking at small bombs in the kilotons. The main destruction from those are the firestorms caused by multiple explosions in a given configuration. Firestorms suck combustibles – including human beings – into their centre and then vapourize them.

These firestorms are on a par with Katrina and I would venture to say that Katrina was more destructive, although nothing was vapourized. If Katrina had been able to cause a firestorm (a possibility) then things would have been vapourized. The destruction to forests and to wildlife and the toxicity introduced into the ecosystem by Katrina, however, is comparable to some nuclear explosions – not all, but some.

By the way, the links I gave are only the news they are letting us hear. Several oil platforms are missing altogether. Several are destroyed. Refineries are destroyed; Chevron for instance will not be up again for a long time. What happened to the oils and chemicals in those facilities when Katrina blew them open?

I’ve never been in a hurricane. We had a tornado here a few weeks ago. We’re looking at a coupla hundred million dollars in damage. Nothing comparable to Katrina.
 
Other similarities between Katrina and a nuclear explosion are:

damage to communications (nuclear EMP versus flooded generators)
damage to infrastructure
 
vern humphrey:
Sure. You might want to grab one of those pocket dosimeters, too.

I’m thinking we invite the National Abortion Rights League to have their annual convention in San Francisco in conjunction with the Gay Pride parade. (or is that uncharitable of me?)http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon12.gif
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Completely uncharitable…you should be ashamed 😃
I want the ACLU and NAMBLA there as well, uncharitable troglodyte that I am.
You bring the dosimeters and the Courvoisier, I’ll bring the lead shields and the canapes!
 
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tcay584:
Completely uncharitable…you should be ashamed 😃
I want the ACLU and NAMBLA there as well, uncharitable troglodyte that I am.
You bring the dosimeters and the Courvoisier, I’ll bring the lead shields and the canapes!
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Hmmm … let’s invite the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, too – no sense in wasting a good nuke. They’re hard to come by.
I’m so old that I can remember when it wasn’t considered heroic to contract a sexually-transmitted disease – nor expecially generous to pass it on to someone else.
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vern humphrey:
Hmmm … let’s invite the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, too – no sense in wasting a good nuke. They’re hard to come by.
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Man, this list is getting long! The invites are gonna cost more than the nuke! I’m adding PETA.
 
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tcay584:
You bring the dosimeters and the Courvoisier, I’ll bring the lead shields and the canapes!
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Oh party! What can I bring? Oh! Oh! I know…

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/ROS/SPG-1116.jpg

By the way I have a useless fact. Way back when my Dad was building a bomb shelter, I found out that a person is much less susceptible to radiation poisoning if he is very cold and very drunk. Well now we know that Canada’s safe. :rotfl:
 
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tcay584:
Yeah, the fishing thing kind of made me cool my jets about them. Then the whole expose regarding how many pets they euthanize w/o even trying to find them homes. Now I just plain hate 'em.
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I’ve found that antinomianism is endemic in the Holier-than-thou crowd. They take the position that “I’m so holy and rightous that everything I do is holy and rightous – even if it would be illegal and sinful if **you **did it.”

(Note to moderators – notice the use of a Catholic term, which you can find at www.newadvent.org – so we’re NOT off topic.)

(Well, not very much)http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon12.gif
 
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