One in Four Americans Would Nuke Terrorists
Charles Johnson
Tue Mar 1, 2005 at 7:06 pm PST • Views: 536
According to a new Gallup poll, more than one in four Americans would use nuclear weapons against “terrorist facilities” if needed: One in Four Americans Would Use Nukes Against Terrorists, Gallup Finds. (Hat tip: Sarah D.)
NEW YORK More than one in four Americans would go so far as to utilize nuclear bombs if need be in the fight against terrorism, according to a national survey reported today by The Gallup Organization.
Gallup asked Americans whether they would be willing or not willing “to have the U.S. government do each of the following” and then listed an array of options.
For example, “assassinate known terrorists” drew the support of 65% of all adults. “Torture known terrorists if they know details about future terrorist attacks in the U.S.” won the backing of 39%.
Finally, the option of using “nuclear weapons to attack terrorist facilities” drew the support of 27% of adults, with 72% opposing, which would shatter the taboo on using these weapons militarily since the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Experts agree that the power of today’s weapons, their range of damage and the peril of drifting radioactive fallout far exceeds the bombs used against Japan. That support has declined 7% since 2001, however.
Are you listening, Tehran?
Frank says: