[extropy-chat] Freedom and Practicality

[Russell Wallace]

On 5/28/06, Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org> wrote:
>
> I disagree. If you have the fissibles, it's straightforward.


Straightforward for a team of skilled engineers with appropriate tools and
the knowledge of how to use them, not for a lone nutcase or small band
thereof. Get it slightly wrong and all you get when you press the button is
a fizzle. But getting hold of the fissionables is the hard part.

You can't retaliate against a group which has no fixed location,
> or a group that doesn't mind dying.


Terrorist groups have homelands and host countries, whose people do tend to
mind dying. Everyone's seen what happened to the Taliban after 9/11.

Excuse me, you have not seen anything in action yet. If you
> want to kill lots of people, you have to do it right.


I'm talking about what's been happening in reality, not what could
theoretically happen if people did things just right. If everyone did things
right, the world would be a different place than it is.

You're still trapped in the cargo cult thinking.


Cults and other bands of loonies are the subject under discussion.

If you want to kill
> many people, you would put the weapon where it hurts. 20 kT Manhattan
> penthouse/skyscraper roof, on a tower would be more realistic.


Increasing the chance of being detected and stopped in the process.

Skyscrapers are glass, and Manhattan is effectively a 3d stacking
> of people during business hours. Nevermind millions, but destroying
> a major business center would hurt.


It would hurt, certainly, but as you say, not to the tune of a death toll in
millions.

Terrorism works by not killing people, but creating disruptions.
> A single nuclear blast in a major city would cause widespread
> fear of inner cities. *That* would hurt.


Undoubtedly. But let's not encourage disruption out of fear of an attack
that hasn't even happened.

Agreed, but people are not rational.


Let's try to set a better example, then.
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