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Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington

Posted: April 10, 2010 11:59 PM

Sunday Roundup

What's Your Reaction:

This week, President Obama signed the biggest nuclear arms reduction pact in a generation and released his Nuclear Posture Review. The response from the right was as bellicose as it was predictable. Among the most vocal critics were Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani. Can Palin also see Russia's missiles from her porch? Giuliani derided the idea of a nuclear-free world as "a 60-year dream of the left." The problem for him and all the other kneejerk critics is that this is a dream shared by that unrepentant lefty, Ronald Reagan, who wrote in his memoirs: "I never let my dream of a nuclear-free world fade from my mind." Reducing -- and ultimately eliminating -- nuclear weapons is not a right versus left issue. It is a sanity versus insanity issue.

 
 
 

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04:52 PM on 04/14/2010
14/04/2010 21:51 - Italian mistery
Just to have a wide view of what is happening in the world. From the Italian national newspaper l'Unità (http://nemici.blog.unita.it//Italian_mistery_1170.shtml):

To the foreigners that, faced with Prime Minister Berlusconi's conduct, ask us: "How can a civilized country stand it?" Here is the answer: a Special Force of the National Gendarmerie of Italy, policing both the military and civilian populations, named 'Raggruppamento operativo speciale dell'Arma dei Carabinieri', is the main agency in the war against terrorism and organized crime in Italy. The general in charge is Giampaolo Ganzer. Yesterday, the Milan prosecutor asked the court to convict him to a 27-year sentence for criminal association and other crimes related to weapons and drugs trafficking.
The general said that he will keep doing his job in a serene way. Nobody dared to ask him which job.
11:43 AM on 04/12/2010
"It is a sanity versus insanity issue." Bible literalists are not sane. They are rubbing their hands together in anticipation of apocolypse. They are every bit as dangerous as Muslim crazies, or any religious extremist where "faith" trumps common sense, reason, and compassion. And I'm not sure about Guiliani anymore - In the past, I had respect for the guy. I think he's trying to get back into the spotlight, or maybe trying to attract the fundy right & evangelical crowd...but it seems that Obama figured out that you can't reason with people like that, you have to just go ahead and do what's best for the country (and in this case, for the world). Obviously, more reductions are needed because we can still blow each other up. Imagine if all that energy, creativity and intelligence had gone into productive things like finding ways to distribute food to all corners of the earth, or eradicating AIDS or cancer. Clearly technology is always ahead of human evolution.
11:19 AM on 04/12/2010
Sarah Palin’s stance on “Nuculer Proliferation†sends chills down my spine. Since the months after beginning of the nuclear age we have had leaders that understood that the weapon was not a physical tool, but a threat so horrible that its existence would alter policy. Mutually Assured Destruction was a reality that sobered even madman leaders.

Enter the prospect of Sarah Palin with the launch codes. As a Pentecostal Christian and biblical literalist the view of the world is a little different. They see that the world will come to a fiery end and they do not dread it, fact is they see it as front row seats with a backstage pass to meet and see the king of kings and I don’t mean Elvis (I do not doubt many believe he will be in the building on that day).

Before this Tea Party thing gets too out of hand I wish some responsible journalist or even Bill O’ Reilly would ask Sarah one question: “If God opens the door to the presidency to you and then reveals to you that his purpose in doing so was to bring about judgment day as test of your faith, will you be up to the task?â€

I need to know, I would like a head start on food hording and digging my fallout shelter.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
pangborn
10:28 PM on 04/11/2010
1. If you are going to keep citing Ronald Reagan, then emphasize that he would have considered Obama's policy statement announced this past week regarding the use of nuclear weapons to be totally insane.

2. While many of you are slobbering over the arms reduction treaty by the great Obama (a reduction from 2200 to 1500), don't forget to blame Bush for getting the Russians to reduce the number from 6000 to 2200.
08:31 PM on 04/11/2010
You know, every once in awhile, I can see why conservatives break out into rages and scream until sweat breaks out on their foreheads. Bless their little ( and I do mean little) hearts, every so often, I sympathize.
God knows conservative leaders and talk show hosts make ME break out in a sweat from screaming, but at least they're not silly. Dangerous, menacing, hatefilled, insane, but not silly.
Bring up nuclear arms irradication to a liberal, and watch their eyes reach towards Heaven, a vacuous, silly smile breaks out on their usually vacant faces, and listen to them sigh, watch them stand up straight, and then assume a posture of moral superiority. It's enough to make a cat laugh.
There isn't going to BE an elimination of nuclear arms, not ever...until somebody thinks of something even more horrendous. Let's hope to God it's us.
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
ConfuciusSay-
Aglets: their purpose is sinister.
10:02 PM on 04/11/2010
The US won't even give up land mines. So I agree with you.

The thing is with nukes - it is a genuinely better thing to not have those things on the planet at all.
07:14 PM on 04/11/2010
Great first step. Now, how to get rid of the security threat posed by dual use nuclear technology?

As long as countries use nuclear fuel for electricity, there's going to be "plausible deniability".

There's a way to profitably produce clean electricity, with existing technology, for one tenth the price we pay today. The system can be built in ten years, to supply half the power needs of the U.S., and break even in 15 years. It's called the Lunar Solar Power System.

Don't take my word for it, though. Check it out at http://lunarsolarpowersystem.blogspot.com/

Nuclear power would be too expensive to be viable. All future major nuclear enrichment programs would be weapons-only.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ralph Boyd
Look, . . right behind you!
09:17 PM on 04/11/2010
We have hundreds of tons of bomb grade material we need to convert to relatively safer carbon ash. Nuclear reactors are the cheapest way to deal with this toxic legacy, plus we get electricity.
07:11 PM on 04/11/2010
If this great country goes under, or belly up, the fault will lie squarely with the Democratic Party and its followers! This country is under attack from within. It is being hammered on a daily basis by right-wing zealots and neoconservatives who are pretending to be America's salvation, while their actions are leading this country to damnation. And what are the Democrats doing? They're trying to ensure that we don't get into any fights. They rush to compromise before they even know if their idea will be accepted or not.

I wish Democrats had a pair, a spine, or just had the guts to stand up for what they believe in, regardless of the outcome. Democrats seem to be totally unwilling to fight! This is some group to have your back. I'd hate to be one of the last two guys left in the fox hole and the other guy is a Democrat.

Democrats, stop retreating and running away in fear; that dark scary thing you see is just your shadow.
07:09 PM on 04/11/2010
We should all pray for our Nation and it's so called leaders we have voted for.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ralph Boyd
Look, . . right behind you!
09:13 PM on 04/11/2010
I'm betting you're a big Palin fan.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Rodney Thorn
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
07:08 PM on 04/11/2010
I'd love to be a fly on the wall when Sarah Palin, the half-governor from Alaska, mixes it up with some real Pentagon heavyweights who just happen to agree with the main thrust of President Obama's initiatives on reducing the role of nuclear weapons. The agreement recently signed with the Russians is based upon the Nuclear Posture Review described in the article linked to here: http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=58628

A few excerpts:

"'The message to Iran and North Korea is if they play by the rules, then they will be covered by the new recommendations', Gates said. 'But if you're not going to play by the rules, if you're going to be a proliferator, then all options are on the table in terms of how we deal with you.'â€

"The review has the full support of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm.) Mullen said."

" The United States will continue to field its triad of nuclear-capable missiles, aircraft and submarines."

Doesn't quite sound like a surrender to me. But from my California home, I can't see Russia across the ocean. Disadvantage mine. Oh, well, ignore me too. But again, listen to the Pentagon brass.
07:06 PM on 04/11/2010
Jesus died for the sins of man kind. Man kind is their own worst enemy not Jesus Christ.
It's because of our founding fathers of this great nation that we have freedom of religion and of speech, to try to blame the righteous people of this nation is very sinful and for the wicked to do their sinful things of this world and blame the righteous for the gospel of Jesus Christ is very wrong.
The wages of sin is death!
"My God will meet all your NEEDS according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus". Phil 4:19.
Our needs not wants of the flesh.
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
ConfuciusSay-
Aglets: their purpose is sinister.
10:12 PM on 04/11/2010
What is the relevance of the post?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Green Lantern
06:21 PM on 04/11/2010
Dear Sirs,
Putin developed his TOPOL missiles, which can take evasive4 action against an ABM, during the Bush administration!
What happened to "trust, but verify?"
Clifford Spencer
06:58 PM on 04/11/2010
does the USA allow russia to verify US stockpiles??
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Jeffreygeez
08:59 PM on 04/11/2010
Different rules for us of course. and for Israel. Do as I say not as I do.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Dukedraven
05:28 PM on 04/11/2010
You said it, Arianna. The hawks like Palin are crazy. No one can win a nuclear war. We can't drop an atom bomb on a country for implementing a cyber attack, as Palin intimated recently. To even suggest such an idea is ridiculous and Palin got an applause for it.
05:24 PM on 04/11/2010
The nuclear genie is out of the bottle and won't go back in. One alternative could be to reduce all nukes drastically, leaving a few under UN control. That would give the world the power to prevent nuke proliferation. Nukes are too globally threatening to leave in the hands of a handful of countries and rulers with possible criminal designs.
05:18 PM on 04/11/2010
I guess it's this type of behavior, reducing nuclear weapons, that won him the Nobel Peace Prize, disgusting! As Irving Kristol says, the Republicans are fired up to start a war with Iran, if they win back Congress in Nov. and there is no way they are going to want to do away with the large, costly numbers of nuclear weapons the US maintains. The Iraq War wasted 3 trillion dollars, we can at least waste that much in Iran. But not if we go and dismantle perfectly good weapons. Palin and Guiliani are right, we need more war and killin. Otherwise those teabaggers are going to have to start shootin someone nearby.
03:34 AM on 04/12/2010
The Republicans make money...a great deal of money...when the US is at war.

The draft should be reinstutited. I think that when boys and girls from each congress members
districts face being placed in harms way will make these politicians think twice before committing our troops in a war over the ideals of a democratic society, when the profits of war is the real issue.

Does anyone here have a link that provides the demographics of our volunteer army?

Thanks in advance,
David
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HUFFPOST PUNDIT
foxbat
Don't jump to conclusions
03:57 PM on 04/11/2010
"Giuliani derided the idea of a nuclear-free world as "a 60-year dream of the left.""

Giuliani's just mad because of such a tough math problem ... how to squeeze 9/11 into a 60-year dream.