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From: haapanen@watdcsu.UUCP (Tom Haapanen [DCS])
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: We need the arms race (well, not quite...)
Message-ID: <825@watdcsu.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 13-Jan-85 20:44:48 EST
Article-I.D.: watdcsu.825
Posted: Sun Jan 13 20:44:48 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 14-Jan-85 04:05:09 EST
References: <734@loral.UUCP> <43000005@rna.UUCP>
Reply-To: haapanen@watdcsu.UUCP (Tom Haapanen [DCS])
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 57

In article <43000005@rna.UUCP> serge@rna.UUCP writes:

>>/***** rna:net.flame / loral!rfs /  8:24 pm  Jan  7, 1985*/
>>Who cares about the arms race?	I was born in 1947 and we had the bomb.
>>Since 1953 both the Soviets and the US have had the bomb.

>The U.S. started the nuclear arms race. If we had not continued
>testing and developing nuclear weapons after WW2 things may have been diffrent.
>Soviet military doctrine had no coherent nuclear strategy until the
>mid-50's, they were merely trying to match our capabilities.
>Of course now nuclear weapons are critical elements of the strategic
>picture for both sides.

Yes, BUT!  The arms races have always existed.  Take a look at Europe
in the 1930's, or at just about any time in history.  It just that now
we've got bigger and better sling and rocks to play with.

>> No one has pushed the button yet.

>That dosen't mean it will never happen.

No, but our record is pretty damn good.  Think back and figure out
when was the last time the world had fourty years without a major war
(ie a confrontation of the world powers).

>>The Soviets will never attack us unless we attack them first.  Look
>>at their history.  They're bassically cowards.  Before world war II
>>they attacked small helpless countries on their borders (i.e Poland
>>in 1939 (along with hitler)).  Since WW II they've attacked only
>>helpless countries DIRECTLY on their borders (Hungary, Checz, Afganastan
>>and threatened Poland).  If you think about it they've never gone
>>beyond their borders.  The US on the other hand goes acrossed oceans
>>and attacks another country.  We have guts.  Sometimes more guts than
>>brains.  We should'nt worry about the Soviets as long as we don't
>>bother their MOTHERLAND.

>It is true that until the mid '60s the Russians did not have a truly
>global military capability. We proved that in the Cuban Missle crisis.
>... The Russians are ready to go for our
>jugular, so don't tell me they haven't gone beyond thier borders.

The Russians play to win.  Historically, they haven't attacked anybody
that wasn't supposed to be an `easy prey'.  U.S. isn't one.  Finland
and Afghanistan were supposed to be :-).

P.S. The genetive form of the pronoun 'they' is 'their', not 'thier'.


tom Haapanen		university of waterloo		(519) 744-2468

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