Declassified Report: Two Nuclear Bombs Nearly Detonated in North Carolina

US NewsJune 2014 • Views: 25,678

Here’s some cheery news for a lazy Friday afternoon, as a newly declassified document reveals new details from an incident in January 1961, when the US Air Force nearly nuked North Carolina — twice.

Video

(CNN) — On a January night in 1961, a U.S. Air Force bomber broke in half while flying over eastern North Carolina. From the belly of the B-52 fell two bombs — two nuclear bombs that hit the ground near the city of Goldsboro.

A disaster worse than the devastation wrought in Hiroshima and Nagasaki could have befallen the United States that night. But it didn’t, thanks to a series of fortunate missteps. …

Or, as Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara put it back then, “By the slightest margin of chance, literally the failure of two wires to cross, a nuclear explosion was averted.”

More: Report: Two Nuclear Bombs Nearly Detonated in North Carolina

UPDATE at 6/13/14 4:57:20 pm

Just noticed that at 40 seconds in, the CNN announcer in the video above says one of the bombs “could emit 3.8 megatons of gas.”

Uh — what now? She thinks nuclear weapons are horrible because they… emit gas?

We have our lolwut of the day, folks.

Jump to bottom

182 comments

EiMitch Jun 13, 2014 3:26:29pm

Or, as Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara put it in back then, “By the slightest margin of chance, literally the failure of two wires to cross, a nuclear explosion was averted.”

So the only thing that saved American lives from government incompetence that night was further incompetence? Wow.

Have a nice day.

Teukka Jun 13, 2014 3:39:57pm

A couple of other scary facts about mishaps with nukes…
Since the 50’s until the 80’s, when the US government ceased disclosing them, there have been 32 “Broken Arrows”, i.e. nuclear warheads gone missing.
Out of them, only 26 have been recovered.
It is unknown if all of those 6 devices that haven’t been recovered were implosion type devices, or if there is a gun type device among them.

Sweet dreams, folks…

Justanotherhuman Jun 13, 2014 4:45:17pm

Well, I hadn’t moved back to NC at that time, was still in CA.

Still. I knew there was a reason I hated The Bomb.

EPR-radar Jun 13, 2014 4:47:45pm

re: #3 Justanotherhuman

Well, I hadn’t moved back to NC at that time, was still in CA.

Still. I knew there was a reason I hated The Bomb.

It is easy to forget that the Cold War was decades of ritualized insanity, combined with the US going out of its way to prop up various thoroughly corrupt regimes worldwide in the name of “fighting communism”.

Charles Johnson Jun 13, 2014 4:48:53pm

Uh… wait a minute. The CNN blonde who narrates the story says one of the bombs “could emit 3.8 megatons of GAS.”

lolwut?

Justanotherhuman Jun 13, 2014 4:50:02pm

re: #5 Charles Johnson

Uh… wait a minute. The CNN blonde who narrates the story says one of the bombs “could emit 3.8 megatons of GAS.”

lolwut?

Oh gawd, they’ve gone totally Fox?

Charles Johnson Jun 13, 2014 4:50:35pm

She thinks nuclear bombs EMIT GAS?

Gotta love that.

On the other hand I’ve occasionally emitted some gas that could be compared to a nuclear bomb.

Kid A Jun 13, 2014 4:51:23pm

From the comment section with 3,957 likes, lol.

The plane suffered “a failure of the right wing.”

It seems we have some historical precedent for our present-day right wing failures.

Islamo-Masonic Conspirator Jun 13, 2014 4:52:04pm

Once I had a love and it was a gas. Soon turned out had a heart of glass…

Charles Johnson Jun 13, 2014 4:52:15pm

That horrible mushroom gas that comes out of these things. It’s a nightmare. Creates a big mushroom gas cloud.

klys Jun 13, 2014 4:53:06pm

re: #7 Charles Johnson

She thinks nuclear bombs EMIT GAS?

Gotta love that.

On the other hand I’ve occasionally emitted some gas that could be compared to a nuclear bomb.

One of our cats could be packaged up and sent off to the front lines as a chemical weapon. I swear.

b.d. Jun 13, 2014 4:53:09pm

Not believing in science means you can say anything and never be wrong.

wrenchwench Jun 13, 2014 4:53:36pm

“How Mr. Beaumont Got His Name”

piratedan Jun 13, 2014 4:53:44pm

re: #10 Charles Johnson

and since it was ‘61, I assume that it was leaded, not unleaded or even diesel… //////////////////

Kid A Jun 13, 2014 4:54:33pm

And further down the comments section of this link, the libertarians are getting after it. Reminds me of a saying: “Libertarians are Republicans that like to smoke dope.”

b.d. Jun 13, 2014 4:54:50pm

re: #14 piratedan

and since it was ‘61, I assume that it was leaded, not unleaded or even diesel… //////////////////

3.8 megatons of ethyl

Single-handed sailor Jun 13, 2014 4:57:22pm

I thought we all knew about this event at least as far back as the 90s…

Rightwingconspirator Jun 13, 2014 5:00:55pm

re: #7 Charles Johnson

When you flunk your audition at Fox, try CNN.
///

Charles Johnson Jun 13, 2014 5:01:00pm

Such taste! #doge much hungry Will tongue reach?? Much yum! pic.twitter.com/ACzSh2f2OT
— Kabosu the Doge (@WowSoDogeWow) June 13, 2014

Charles Johnson Jun 13, 2014 5:01:26pm

re: #17 Single-handed sailor

But not how close they came to actually exploding.

Dr Lizardo Jun 13, 2014 5:01:27pm

So basically, back in 1961 we could’ve seen this in North Carolina:

Oops.

Charles Johnson Jun 13, 2014 5:01:50pm

re: #21 Dr Lizardo

So basically, back in 1961 we could’ve seen this in North Carolina:

Oops.

Twice.

Single-handed sailor Jun 13, 2014 5:02:32pm

re: #20 Charles Johnson

But not how close they came to actually exploding.

I’ve known they almost exploded for several years now.

Gus Jun 13, 2014 5:03:09pm

b_sharp Jun 13, 2014 5:03:47pm

re: #5 Charles Johnson

Uh… wait a minute. The CNN blonde who narrates the story says one of the bombs “could emit 3.8 megatons of GAS.”

lolwut?

Yah, that drops and your ass is gas.

Charles Johnson Jun 13, 2014 5:04:09pm

re: #23 Single-handed sailor

These are the details I don’t remember reading previously:

The B-52 was flying over North Carolina on January 24, 1961, when it suffered a “failure of the right wing,” the report said.

As the plane broke apart, the two bombs plummeted toward the ground. The parachute opened on one; it didn’t on the other.

“The impact of the aircraft breakup initiated the fuzing sequence for both bombs,” the summary of the documents said.

In other words, both weapons came alarmingly close to detonating.

Weapon 1, the bomb whose parachute opened, landed intact. Fortunately, the safing pins that provided power from a generator to the weapon had been yanked — preventing it from going off.

Weapon 2, the second bomb with the unopened parachute, landed in a free fall. The impact of the crash put it in the “armed” setting. Fortunately — once again — it damaged another part of the bomb needed to initiate an explosion.

Dr Lizardo Jun 13, 2014 5:04:37pm

re: #22 Charles Johnson

Twice.

And according to post #2, there’s still six of them out there…..somewhere.

Yep. Sleep tight.

nines09 Jun 13, 2014 5:04:47pm

The Outer Banks could really have been The Outer Banks. Cut to Twilight Zone music…

b_sharp Jun 13, 2014 5:05:31pm

What does ‘virtually’ armed mean? As opposed to ‘literally’ armed.

klys Jun 13, 2014 5:05:52pm

re: #26 Charles Johnson

These are the details I don’t remember reading previously:

When I read this story on CNN the other day, the absolute best comment was (paraphrased): It’s nice to know the “failure of the right wing” has historical precedent.

nines09 Jun 13, 2014 5:06:27pm

re: #29 b_sharp

What does ‘virtually’ armed mean? As opposed to ‘literally’ armed.

Sorry. That’s classified.

b.d. Jun 13, 2014 5:06:36pm

So we’d be back to 49 stars and we’d have the state of Carolina.

nines09 Jun 13, 2014 5:07:03pm

re: #32 b.d.

So we’d be back to 49 stars and we’d have the state of Carolina.

The beach would be closer.

b.d. Jun 13, 2014 5:07:54pm

re: #33 nines09

The beach would be closer.

Raleigh Bay

prairiefire Jun 13, 2014 5:08:57pm

And North Carolina is such a pretty state!

nines09 Jun 13, 2014 5:09:03pm

re: #34 b.d.

Raleigh Bay

Port of Fayetteville.

b_sharp Jun 13, 2014 5:10:35pm

ITS NO JOKE!!

A lot of gas could have been released!!

Think of the birds.

And the dogs who would be blamed for it.

William Barnett-Lewis Jun 13, 2014 5:12:11pm

re: #20 Charles Johnson

But not how close they came to actually exploding.

That was out there as well. As far back as 1975, Daniel Ellsberg claimed to have seen a report that 5 of 6 interlocks had failed and nearly caused an explosion. en.wikipedia.org

This incident: en.wikipedia.org was more troubling to me.

Not to mention how little is officially known about Soviet “broken arrow” incidents…

Eventual Carrion Jun 13, 2014 5:13:29pm

re: #35 prairiefire

And North Carolina is such a pretty state!

That it is.

dog philosopher Jun 13, 2014 5:14:21pm

Just noticed that at 40 seconds in, the CNN announcer in the video above says one of the bombs “could emit 3.8 megatons of gas.”

i’m on contract to supply all of the methane needs of goldsboro, nc through 2018

Skip Intro Jun 13, 2014 5:15:29pm

Provocative front cover of Taz Die Tageszeitung today, replacing George W. Bush w. ISIS commander Shaker Wahib: pic.twitter.com/Axm7im2I2u #Iraq

— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) June 13, 2014

NJDhockeyfan Jun 13, 2014 5:15:38pm

A few years before that a nuke was accidentally dropped from a B-47 in Mars Bluff, SC.

Justanotherhuman Jun 13, 2014 5:16:08pm

The 4 yr old just learned how to highlight and delete.

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 5:16:38pm

BECAUSE, you know, we can be trusted with WMD …

Lidane Jun 13, 2014 5:19:19pm

In flip-flops. RT @BuzzFeedNews: .@AP Photo: Iraqi Shiite fighters deploy to help the military defend the capital pic.twitter.com/n59Xw3HgUj
— justin kanew (@justin_kanew) June 14, 2014

Single-handed sailor Jun 13, 2014 5:19:33pm

Whoops: Atomic Bomb dropped in Goldsboro, NC swamp, Neuse River Basin, HUC 02

Published:Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Daniel Ellsberg, famously of the Pentagon Papers case, was quoted in the April 1981 issue of Mother Jones as saying that during his time at the Pentagon he saw “a classified document” about the Goldsboro incident which verified Lapp’s claim. Ellsberg stood by his story in a telephone interview for this project, and repeated his 1981 assertions that when the behavior of safety features in both bombs involved in this incident are taken into account, every kind of safety interlock had failed.

In September of 1983, Robert McNamara, who served as Secretary of Defense in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, said at a press conference: “The bombs’ arming mechanism had six or seven steps to go through to detonate, and it went through all but one, we discovered later”

Old news.

lawhawk Jun 13, 2014 5:20:27pm

re: #2 Teukka

A couple of other scary facts about mishaps with nukes…
Since the 50’s until the 80’s, when the US government ceased disclosing them, there have been 32 “Broken Arrows”, i.e. nuclear warheads gone missing.
Out of them, only 26 have been recovered.
It is unknown if all of those 6 devices that haven’t been recovered were implosion type devices, or if there is a gun type device among them.

Sweet dreams, folks…

I’ve read about the Goldsboro incident before, because it was such a close call. The government never recovered all of the device either. The got the plutonium core, but not the uranium jacket. That’s still out there somewhere.

There’s another incident over near Tybee Island that has folks and the Navy searching in futility ever since it happened. The military says the device doesn’t pose a threat, but really? They don’t know where it went down, what kind of condition it’s in, and they’re able to declare it safe?

The Navy searched for the bomb for more than two months, but never found it, and today recommends it should remain in its resting place. In a 2001 report on the search and recovery of the bomb, the Air Force said that if the bomb is still intact, the risk associated with the spread of heavy metals is low. If it’s left undisturbed, the explosive in the bomb poses no hazard, the report said. It went on to say that an “intact explosive would pose a serious explosion hazard to personnel and the environment if disturbed by a recovery attempt.”

While the government has officially stopped searching for the bomb, area residents — including retired Air Force pilot Derek Duke — haven’t forgotten about the deadly weapon lying quietly off their coast. In 2004, Duke detected high radiation in shallow water off the coast of Savannah. Government officials investigated, but concluded that the radiation readings were normal for the naturally occurring minerals in the area.

I got interested in this particular incident when we went down to Charleston and Savannah a few years back and drove over to Tybee Island. Great area, and it’s wild to imagine it being obliterated in a nuclear cloud.

NJDhockeyfan Jun 13, 2014 5:24:05pm

Uh oh…

Terror Cell Affiliated With Bloodthirsty ISIS Claims Responsibility for Kidnapping Israeli Teens http://t.co/AftoqWv3mu
— Algemeiner (@Algemeiner) June 13, 2014

Teukka Jun 13, 2014 5:27:27pm

re: #47 lawhawk

I’ve read about the Goldsboro incident before, because it was such a close call. The government never recovered all of the device either. The got the plutonium core, but not the uranium jacket. That’s still out there somewhere.

There’s another incident over near Tybee Island that has folks and the Navy searching in futility ever since it happened. The military says the device doesn’t pose a threat, but really? They don’t know where it went down, what kind of condition it’s in, and they’re able to declare it safe?

I got interested in this particular incident when we went down to Charleston and Savannah a few years back and drove over to Tybee Island. Great area, and it’s wild to imagine it being obliterated in a nuclear cloud.

What’s concerning, is that if there is an unrecovered gun type bomb in an area which isn’t under total control by a military, is that a gun type bomb is much easier to getting into operable condition than an implosion bomb, regardless of the number of years it has been laying there.

Sure, the yield won’t be that great, but still, 16 to 20 kT in a population center…

*shudders*

Dr Lizardo Jun 13, 2014 5:27:53pm

And with that, good night. Hopefully, no accidental nuclear detonations will take place whilst I slumber.

Gus Jun 13, 2014 5:27:59pm

lawhawk Jun 13, 2014 5:30:04pm

Frankly, I thought this particular revelation was old news. The reports I had read indicated that all but one of the failsafes had failed on one device, and that it was sheer dumb luck that it didn’t detonate. The bomb had somehow become armed, which was evident by the fact that the parachute deployed on the device, which would only happen if the bomb was active.

And that other bomb could have detonated as well, as it had gone through 6 of 7 arming steps.

lawhawk Jun 13, 2014 5:31:09pm

re: #51 Gus

Recycled news/photos much easier/cheaper than procuring current news/photos.

b.d. Jun 13, 2014 5:31:14pm

re: #51 Gus

[Embedded image]

The website looks like it hasn’t been updated in months, kinda like The Intercept.

Charles Johnson Jun 13, 2014 5:33:43pm

Oh well, the details were new to me and I’ll bet there are a lot of people who don’t know anything about these incidents when we almost nuked ourselves, so it’s still worth posting.

Stanley Sea Jun 13, 2014 5:33:48pm

re: #48 NJDhockeyfan

Your posts come off as blood thirsty. Dial it back.

Gus Jun 13, 2014 5:34:07pm

BTW. Hamas declared an Intifada against Israel.re: #53 lawhawk

Recycled news/photos much easier/cheaper than procuring current news/photos.

Unconfirmed story about Iraqi army retaking Tikrit. Can’t find much of anything. The usual including the uncredited “file photos.”

Charles Johnson Jun 13, 2014 5:34:09pm

Also because of the announcer who thinks nuclear weapons emit megatons of gas.

Gus Jun 13, 2014 5:35:15pm

SPASTIC MEGATONS

Justanotherhuman Jun 13, 2014 5:36:01pm

re: #48 NJDhockeyfan

Uh oh…

[Embedded content]

It’s a Fox News sourcing, so, meh.

Rightwingconspirator Jun 13, 2014 5:37:17pm

I can imagine there are lost weapons out there from the other major powers. Sure would be ironic if a future terror cell or smaller country got a warhead by way of a long lost NATO or Soviet weapon. Fortunately without maintenance and in salt water I would think they sorta self disarm.

re: #49 Teukka

What’s concerning, is that if there is an unrecovered gun type bomb in an area which isn’t under total control by a military, is that a gun type bomb is much easier to getting into operable condition than an implosion bomb, regardless of the number of years it has been laying there.

Sure, the yield won’t be that great, but still, 16 to 20 kT in a population center…

*shudders*

Well now that we have 50 years of decay in a moist or sunken environment that pit will be in pretty bad shape.

Aging issues[edit]
Metallic plutonium, notably in the form of the plutonium-gallium alloy, degrades chiefly by two mechanisms: corrosion, and self-irradiation.
In very dry air, plutonium, despite its high chemical reactivity, forms a passivation layer of plutonium(IV) oxide that slows down the corrosion to about 200 nanometers per year. In moist air, however, this passivation layer is disrupted and the corrosion proceeds at 200 times this rate (0.04 mm/year) at room temperature, and 100,000 times faster (20 mm/year) at 100°C. Plutonium strips oxygen from water, absorbs the liberated hydrogen and forms plutonium hydride. The hydride layer can grow at up to 20 cm/hour, for thinner shells its formation can be considered almost instant. In presence of water the plutonium dioxide becomes hyperstoichiometric, up to PuO2.26. Plutonium chips can spontaneously ignite; the mechanism involves formation of Pu2O3 layer, which then rapidly oxidizes to PuO2, and the liberated heat is sufficient to bring the small particles with low thermal mass to autoignition temperature (about 500 °C).
The self-irradiation occurs as the plutonium undergoes alpha-decay. The decaying atom of plutonium-239 liberates an alpha particle and a uranium-235 nucleus. The alpha particle has an energy of more than 5 MeV and in the metal lattice has range of about 10 micrometers; then it stops, acquires two electrons from nearby atoms, and becomes a helium atom. The contaminant plutonium-241 beta-decays to americium-241, which then alpha-decays to neptunium-237.

thedopefishlives Jun 13, 2014 5:37:49pm

re: #55 Charles Johnson

Oh well, the details were new to me and I’ll bet there are a lot of people who don’t know anything about these incidents when we almost nuked ourselves, so it’s still worth posting.

Most people probably don’t know about the times we almost nuked other people. Like Greenland.

Gus Jun 13, 2014 5:37:50pm

re: #60 Justanotherhuman

It’s a Fox News sourcing, so, meh.

IDF Spokesman Moti Almoz said during a press briefing that forces have been searching for the teens since Friday morning. He cautioned against speculation and rumors that have been circulating all day on Israeli social media.

haaretz.com

lawhawk Jun 13, 2014 5:37:50pm

re: #55 Charles Johnson

It’s a fascinating history of just how close we came to nuking ourselves several times over in the rush to deter the Russians from doing that to us.

And the Russians (Soviets) had perhaps even more incidents of this type, and their devices were typically much larger than ours to account for lack of accuracy. In particular, the Russians lost several subs carrying nuclear weapons, with the potential to cause incalculable damage.

Gus Jun 13, 2014 5:38:37pm

Yeah. ISIS in the news and suddenly they’re EVERYWHERE.

klys Jun 13, 2014 5:40:52pm

re: #65 Gus

Yeah. ISIS in the news and suddenly they’re EVERYWHERE.

Why aren’t you terrified, Gus??? Why aren’t you terrified!!!! DO you hate AMERICA?!?!?!?!

Justanotherhuman Jun 13, 2014 5:42:04pm

re: #63 Gus

IDF Spokesman Moti Almoz said during a press briefing that forces have been searching for the teens since Friday morning. He cautioned against speculation and rumors that have been circulating all day on Israeli social media.

haaretz.com

I know about the 3 teens being kidnapped, because I linked it this morning.

However, I was referring to this:

“On Friday Reuters’ Jerusalem bureau fielded a call from ‘Dawlat al-Islam,’ an ISIS branch operating in Hebron. The caller claimed responsibility for the kidnappings and said the incident was in retaliation for the killing of three of its members, Fox News contributor Lisa Daftari reported on her blog.”

algemeiner.com

NJDhockeyfan Jun 13, 2014 5:42:14pm

re: #65 Gus

Yeah. ISIS in the news and suddenly they’re EVERYWHERE.

I hope they stay out of my neighborhood. I have plans this weekend.

lawhawk Jun 13, 2014 5:42:22pm

re: #57 Gus

Saw that this afternoon, and my reaction is still the same.

@haaretzcom Again. How successful have those prior efforts? Israel's still around, Hamas still in Gaza, & Palestinians suffer at Hamas hand
— lawhawk (@lawhawk) June 13, 2014

Hamas has been calling for an Intifada for years now, and haven’t been able to pull it off. They’re not about to get it going now either.

As for the missing hitchhikers, really don’t know who took them and the circumstances. Could be Islamic Jihad or a Hamas splinter cell, or PRC, or it could end up being ISIS. In any event, Israel will turn over every rock to find them.

Pie-onist Overlord Jun 13, 2014 5:43:00pm

If he had any actual class, he’d turn himself in to the Hague and say “I fucked up. Arrest me for war crimes.”

Former President George W. Bush decides that he has 'decided not to criticize his successor' He has class..unlike Liberal scum… #tcot
— simplySTUNNING (@Dirk_Stunning) June 14, 2014

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 5:43:44pm

Pie-onist Overlord Jun 13, 2014 5:43:58pm

re: #67 Justanotherhuman

I know about the 3 teens being kidnapped, because I linked it this morning.

However, I was referring to this:

“On Friday Reuters’ Jerusalem bureau fielded a call from ‘Dawlat al-Islam,’ an ISIS branch operating in Hebron. The caller claimed responsibility for the kidnappings and said the incident was in retaliation for the killing of three of its members, Fox News contributor Lisa Daftari reported on her blog.”

algemeiner.com

Algemeiner is kind of a wingnutty site. I’d wait for confirmation on Haaretz. Their paywall sucks, however.

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 5:44:37pm

re: #58 Charles Johnson

Also because of the announcer who thinks nuclear weapons emit megatons of gas.

And, somehow, it’s all Obama’s fault.

wrenchwench Jun 13, 2014 5:45:14pm

An Independent Autopsy Figured Out How Oklahoma Botched That Execution So Badly | ThinkProgress http://t.co/WduDfdeC8l
— majii (@miglsi) June 14, 2014

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 5:45:28pm

re: #65 Gus

Yeah. ISIS in the news and suddenly they’re EVERYWHERE.

Do you think they realized ISIS is then name of an Egyptian Female God?

Justanotherhuman Jun 13, 2014 5:45:52pm

re: #72 Pie-onist Overlord

Algemeiner is kind of a wingnutty site. I’d wait for confirmation on Haaretz. Their paywall sucks, however.

Yes, same here. I was ticked about the absolutist reporting on Algemeiner that ISIS was responsible. With a “Fox contributor” source. On FB.

Kid A Jun 13, 2014 5:46:10pm

re: #30 klys

See #8.

lawhawk Jun 13, 2014 5:46:13pm

re: #75 FemNaziBitch

Do you think they realized ISIS is then name of an Egyptian Female God?

Nope, they’re Archer fans.

Rightwingconspirator Jun 13, 2014 5:46:20pm

re: #45 Lidane

[Embedded content]

For a moment i thought that was the Texas Open Carry guys, then I realized… no camo pants or shirts so can’t be….
//

Justanotherhuman Jun 13, 2014 5:46:45pm

re: #75 FemNaziBitch

Do you think they realized ISIS is then name of an Egyptian Female God?

It used to be a brand of women’s stockings. : )

Lidane Jun 13, 2014 5:46:51pm

re: #65 Gus

Yeah. ISIS in the news and suddenly they’re EVERYWHERE.

I know it’s completely wrong given the gravity of the situation on the ground in Iraq, but every time I see ISIS I keep thinking of Archer.

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 5:47:01pm

*spit*

Lidane Jun 13, 2014 5:47:51pm

For the legal eagles, I thought this was cool:

Clever piece of code exposes hidden changes to Supreme Court opinions http://t.co/Irc5v9imLX
— Gigaom (@gigaom) June 12, 2014

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 5:48:01pm

re: #78 lawhawk

Nope, they’re Archer fans.

No, this is Isis.

jaunte Jun 13, 2014 5:48:03pm

re: #74 wrenchwench

One state legislator, Rep. Mike Christian (R), is already pushing for the return of firing squads, hangings, and the electric chair. Christian would also settle for even more gruesome options — he recently said that he doesn’t care if death row inmates are fed to lions.

There must be some kind of contest going on about who’s the biggest caveman.

wrenchwench Jun 13, 2014 5:49:35pm

re: #85 jaunte

There must be some kind of contest going on about who’s the biggest caveman.

Gearing up for 2016.

Stanley Sea Jun 13, 2014 5:51:32pm

re: #71 FemNaziBitch

[Embedded image]

Need tweet able!!

dog philosopher Jun 13, 2014 5:51:36pm

One state legislator, Rep. Mike Christian (R), is already pushing for the return of firing squads, hangings, and the electric chair. Christian would also settle for even more gruesome options — he recently said that he doesn’t care if death row inmates are fed to lions.

my instructions say that the christians get fed to the lions

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 5:54:07pm

re: #87 Stanley Sea

Need tweet able!!

can you save the image and upload it as a photo to twitter?

Teukka Jun 13, 2014 5:54:20pm

re: #61 Rightwingconspirator

I can imagine there are lost weapons out there from the other major powers. Sure would be ironic if a future terror cell or smaller country got a warhead by way of a long lost NATO or Soviet weapon. Fortunately without maintenance and in salt water I would think they sorta self disarm.

Well now that we have 50 years of decay in a moist or sunken environment that pit will be in pretty bad shape.

Only problem is that a gun-type bomb always has a fissile component consisting of HEU. They tried to make gun-type plutonium bombs, but Pu is too reactive for that method, hence why we never saw the “Tall Boy” nukes in use.

Another problem is the amount of HEU in a gun type bomb. It requires a lot more HEU than a implosion type bomb would, divided into a “bullet” and a “target”.

And in the early days, the devices were overdesigned in terms of using more HEU than would be necessary to form the critical mass that causes the detonation. IIRC, 28 kg is all that is necessary, and for comparison, Little Boy contained 64 kg of the stuff.

All that is necessary is for the bullet to slam into the target fast enough for the fissile parts not to pre-react and the device to fizzle out, but not so fast that the bullet shoots through the target with too little time to go crit.

A very simple, and some say crude, design. So simple the Los Alamos folks didn’t bother to test fire it. They crunched the numbers and knew it would work.

And the tools necessary to make one are not restricted, nor expensive. Apart from the HEU, you need a gun barrel, some explosives, a lathe for working hard metals, some protective gear and maybe the gear to melt the HEU into shape.

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 5:54:41pm

re: #89 FemNaziBitch

can you save the image and upload it as a photo to twitter?

I just tweeted it so RT my tweet.

jaunte Jun 13, 2014 5:55:30pm

Caveman legislators are all about having the lion eat criminals, but you’ll never see them volunteer to clean up the lion cage.

lawhawk Jun 13, 2014 5:57:12pm

re: #61 Rightwingconspirator

That was the basis of the Clancy novel Sum of All Fears (where an Israeli broken arrow, derived from US gathered nuclear materials was lost over the Golan Heights and discovered by an Islamic terrorist intent on starting WWIII). The movie version does not exist. /

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 5:57:20pm

Stanley Sea Jun 13, 2014 5:57:45pm

re: #89 FemNaziBitch

can you save the image and upload it as a photo to twitter?

Yeah.but lazy. Ha will do.

Stanley Sea Jun 13, 2014 6:00:19pm

Dorms. Why I hate tweeting from iPad. Fail.

NJDhockeyfan Jun 13, 2014 6:02:04pm

A “Breaking Bad” fan has been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle sensitive military gear to China - http://t.co/nzMrrsldPN
— PzFeed Top News (@PzFeed) June 13, 2014

bratwurst Jun 13, 2014 6:02:21pm

Talking about Hillary's rough TV week with @MegynKelly around 9:30 ET. Are media making too much of her gaffes?
— HowardKurtz (@HowardKurtz) June 14, 2014

(Her “rough tv week”? Because the GOP put out talking points attacking her for talking about buying “houses”? The same party that nominated a man 6 years ago who couldn’t count how many houses he has…and 2 years ago sent Romney’s wife out with a convention speech telling of their “lean years”?

And of course…what better place to discuss whether the media is making too much of this than the outlet that is making too much of this!)

CuriousLurker Jun 13, 2014 6:03:40pm

re: #85 jaunte

There must be some kind of contest going on about who’s the biggest caveman.

We could always do it Saudi style—I mean that’s what some of them complain about, right? That we should be more like Saudi Arabia.

I do lots of wikiwalking, but I’d never never ran across this page before—it’s pretty interesting (if gruesome) information: List of executioners

100

b.d. Jun 13, 2014 6:04:00pm

re: #97 NJDhockeyfan

[Embedded content]

HE’S A WHISTLEBLOWER!!

101

piratedan Jun 13, 2014 6:04:49pm

re: #73 FemNaziBitch

well duh!!!! connect the dots, incidents occurred in 1961 and when exactly was Obama born in Kenya?????? see, the wingnut posts virtually write themselves thanks to the new Kochbot 2012 app, developed in friendly Pakistan to save American jerbs…..

102

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 6:06:06pm

Oops. The Brat is going to catch hell for that slip of the tongue! .@Trammell4Va @DaveBratVA7th #p2 #tcot #uniteblue pic.twitter.com/bqHzkg6wdx
— Leyla (@MiamiLib) June 13, 2014

103

piratedan Jun 13, 2014 6:08:02pm

re: #102 FemNaziBitch

yeah Mr. Brat, it’s called the “Republicans quashed the proper funding for State Department security staff while they were promoting austerity”… that scandal….

104

CuriousLurker Jun 13, 2014 6:10:56pm

Gonna go watch videos. Have a good night, everyone.

105

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 6:11:14pm

re: #71 FemNaziBitch

[Embedded image]

can someone tell me with what font the above is written?

106

Justanotherhuman Jun 13, 2014 6:12:35pm

re: #104 CuriousLurker

Gonna go watch videos. Have a good night, everyone.

Time for some Hercule Poirot and hitting the rack.

Later, Lizards!

107

Lidane Jun 13, 2014 6:13:36pm

re: #97 NJDhockeyfan

Wow. Those guys are definitely dumber than this one:

'Breaking Bad' Fan Busted for Cooking Meth … In Los Pollos Hermanos T-Shirt http://t.co/zqdvubjkRy
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 26, 2014

108

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 6:15:21pm

Tommy James and the Shondells
Youtube Video

109

jonhendry Jun 13, 2014 6:15:27pm

re: #2 Teukka

Two nuclear torpedos went down with the USS Scorpion somewhere near the Azores. As far as I could determine, they’re still down there.

110

Backwoods_Sleuth Jun 13, 2014 6:18:29pm

re: #11 klys

One of our cats could be packaged up and sent off to the front lines as a chemical weapon. I swear.

posted this the other day, but more perfect now.

My cat is sad because my other cat has let rip a fart, which is regrettably of the “silent but violent” variety. pic.twitter.com/rgMBuFjSYI

— WHY MY CAT IS SAD (@MYSADCAT) June 10, 2014

111

wrenchwench Jun 13, 2014 6:18:38pm

Later, lizards.

112

Lidane Jun 13, 2014 6:19:30pm

How to Tell the Difference Between an Open-Carry Patriot and a Deranged Killer http://t.co/jCHoTh7BlL … pic.twitter.com/VspI4y6yK9
— HumanNature (@sarahsside) June 11, 2014

113

Lidane Jun 13, 2014 6:21:18pm

Could someone please roast Tweety alive for this hypocritical bullshit? He was one of the biggest Iraq War cheerleaders on TV IIRC:

Chris Matthews shreds 'ideologues' Bush and Cheney for sowing seeds of chaos in Iraq http://t.co/eQ5eyTzNQS
— The Raw Story (@RawStory) June 14, 2014

114

Charles Johnson Jun 13, 2014 6:30:56pm

re: #113 Lidane

Tweety is one changeable fellow.

115

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 6:45:03pm

116

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 6:45:38pm

uh-huh

Baconfest tickets on sale today; numbers are 'extremely limited' http://t.co/n2Wx2PwjQz @BaconfestMi
— Detroit Free Press (@freep) June 14, 2014

117

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 6:47:14pm

Everyone needs a Puppy (or two)

Those Eyes pic.twitter.com/09aus2fO2F
— Baby Animals (@BabyAnimalPics) June 14, 2014

118

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 6:50:22pm

Michele Bachmann, We Hardly Knew Ye

119

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 6:53:55pm

#ThatAwkwardMoment when the people who told you we couldn't afford to pay veterans' benefits now say we CAN afford another war in Iraq
— The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) June 14, 2014

120

blueraven Jun 13, 2014 6:55:50pm

re: #98 bratwurst

[Embedded content]

(Her “rough tv week”? Because the GOP put out talking points attacking her for talking about buying “houses”? The same party that nominated a man 6 years ago who couldn’t count how many houses he has…and 2 years ago sent Romney’s wife out with a convention speech telling of their “lean years”?

And of course…what better place to discuss whether the media is making too much of this than the outlet that is making too much of this!)

Jesus Christ, Fox News and particularly Megyn Kelly have jumped the frickin shark.
Just a few of todays EXPLOSIVE stories on her show

ISIS leader was let out of Iraq prison in 2009.
They tried very hard to make this look like a US thing. It was the Iraqis who released him.

One of the “Bergdahl 5” Taliban has ties to Al Queda and probably helped to facilitate 9/11!!

The way they get there is the ultimate tortured twisted pretzel logic. I cant even…

Bergdahl…Obama admin is trying to set him up for life with benefits and honorable discharge AND he is receiving excellent HEALTH CARE!! while our other verterans suffer!!

The child refugees from Central America are a smoke screen for the Mexican drug cartels!!

You have to wonder WTF is wrong with these people.

121

EPR-radar Jun 13, 2014 6:56:01pm

re: #119 FemNaziBitch

Of course we can afford endless war. Just end all the social programs.

122

GlutenFreeJesus Jun 13, 2014 7:00:33pm

re: #70 Pie-onist Overlord

If he had any actual class, he’d turn himself in to the Hague and say “I fucked up. Arrest me for war crimes.”

[Embedded content]

Yeah. Because he knows he fucked up so bad that if he were to say anything, it would all come back right to him for causing it in the first place.

123

Backwoods_Sleuth Jun 13, 2014 7:01:32pm

re: #119 FemNaziBitch

[Embedded content]

Republicans want to send more troops to Iraq but can't find any money for veterans here at home. pic.twitter.com/ZyJnsN6kA7 #UniteBlue

— Zach Green (@140elect) June 13, 2014

124

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 7:03:32pm

Remember the Problems With Mortgage Defaults? They’re Coming Back With Student Loans http://t.co/hRIy5ovL8a via @UpshotNYT
— Rick Cooley (@rcooley123) June 14, 2014

125

Lidane Jun 13, 2014 7:03:44pm

Thanks all for RTs, MTs, Favs, & Follows. It was a good day in Indian Country! #PrezRezVisit pic.twitter.com/R8VaddHn9H
— Patrick Bjork (@bjork55) June 14, 2014

126

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 7:06:57pm

re: #121 EPR-radar

Of course we can afford endless war. Just end all the social programs.

War is good for the economy

127

Lidane Jun 13, 2014 7:08:25pm

Right on cue, Shep Smith has his mandatory stopped clock moment to provide “balance” on Faux News:

Shep Smith: Hawks Who Were Wrong About Iraq In 2003 Want Us To Go Back - http://t.co/vjvP6ruoyT
— Jeff Gauvin (@JeffersonObama) June 14, 2014

128

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 7:09:01pm

re: #120 blueraven

Jesus Christ, Fox News and particularly Megyn Kelly have jumped the frickin shark.
Just a few of todays EXPLOSIVE stories on her show

ISIS leader was let out of Iraq prison in 2009.
They tried very hard to make this look like a US thing. It was the Iraqis who released him.

One of the “Bergdahl 5” Taliban has ties to Al Queda and probably helped to facilitate 9/11!!

The way they get there is the ultimate tortured twisted pretzel logic. I cant even…

Bergdahl…Obama admin is trying to set him up for life with benefits and honorable discharge AND he is receiving excellent HEALTH CARE!! while our other verterans suffer!!

The child refugees from Central America are a smoke screen for the Mexican drug cartels!!

You have to wonder WTF is wrong with these people.

They are running scared —afraid of the Brave New World and living high off their ratings.

129

NJDhockeyfan Jun 13, 2014 7:14:27pm

Wow. Great photo of airborne refueling of a B-2. From @US_Stratcom http://t.co/M9uQ287fl9 pic.twitter.com/ZWwsNYqgQF - @markknoller
— NewsBreaker (@NewsBreaker) June 13, 2014

130

Lidane Jun 13, 2014 7:15:08pm

Glenn Greenwald is no different to those he worshiped, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld & Co - lie after lie after lie #Iraq pic.twitter.com/uwwzPor4PX
— theobamadiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) June 14, 2014

131

EPR-radar Jun 13, 2014 7:19:01pm

re: #130 Lidane

For a clean kill here, we’ll need a column by GG cheerleading the Iraq war. His book merely says that he was in agreement with Bush at the time, which does not amount to “writing in favor of the Iraq war or arguing for it”.

132

FemNaziBitch Jun 13, 2014 7:21:17pm

I’m going to make a smoothie.

chocolate/bananna

133

Lancelot Link Jun 13, 2014 7:23:41pm

re: #130 Lidane

134

Stanley Sea Jun 13, 2014 7:31:12pm

Remember when this happened in an episode of #rickandsteve? pic.twitter.com/L2u5SVt4mp
— Q. Allan Brocka (@allanbrocka) June 13, 2014

Too much?

135

piratedan Jun 13, 2014 7:31:53pm

re: #121 EPR-radar

silly you, endless war IS the GOP social program, put those poors on the front lines for freedom, if they don’t wanna flip burgers or work at Walmart!!

////

136

freetoken Jun 13, 2014 7:36:19pm

I always think about things like this when the glibertarians rant on about eliminating government:

Whooping cough reaches epidemic level in California

137

Floral Giraffe Jun 13, 2014 7:37:11pm

re: #134 Stanley Sea

Oh, goodness. I remember driving down a street and seeing a “really big” seagull. Uh, it was two of them. Glad it wasn’t my car!

138

b.d. Jun 13, 2014 7:38:31pm

UPDATE: When life gives you lemons, now you go on social media & embarrass the crap out of the prick who gave you lemons
— Eric Stangel (@EricStangel) June 14, 2014

139

Killgore Trout Jun 13, 2014 7:38:41pm

Young men from Minnesota recruited to fight in Syria

During the past few months, as many as 15 young Somali-American men from the Twin Cities have traveled to Syria to join radical groups trying to overthrow President Bashar Assad’s regime, according to the FBI.

One of the men, Abdirahmaan Muhumed, told MPR News through a series of Facebook messages that he is fighting alongside the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. ISIS, as it is commonly known, captured the Iraqi cities of Mosul and Tikrit this week.

“A Muslim has to stand up for (what’s) right,” Muhumed, 29, wrote in a Jan. 2 post. “I give up this worldly life for Allah.”

Muhumed, who claims he wants to save the global Muslim community, said if that causes others to consider him a terrorist, he is “happy with it.” He asked Allah to forgive him and to “make my mom strong for the decision that I made.”

140

freetoken Jun 13, 2014 7:40:43pm

Gannett company news outlets are quite fond of these type of letters:

No evidence that humans are changing the climate

Gannett’s various branded outlets run a continual stream of these type of things (and the IndyStar is only one of many.)

141

Killgore Trout Jun 13, 2014 7:42:14pm

U.S. citizen among teens missing in West Bank

Israeli soldiers searched the West Bank on Friday for three missing teenagers from nearby settlements, one of them a U.S. citizen, amid fears Palestinian militants abducted them, authorities said.

Israel police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said one of the missing teens called police to say the three had been kidnapped, without giving additional details.

Shit

142

jaunte Jun 13, 2014 7:43:06pm

An ancient #fish species is making a comeback! #wildlifewednesday http://t.co/ct4kEZQbgz @USFWSFisheries #paddlefish pic.twitter.com/JU1BoQw4zR

— US Fish and Wildlife (@USFWSHQ) June 11, 2014

Paddlefish can live up to 30 years and grow up to 7 feet long and weigh 200 pounds. The fish’s long, paddle-shaped snout accounts for about one-third of its total body length. The snout helps to stabilize the fish as it swims.

Close to 50 paddlefish were recently released into Caddo Lake on the Texas-Louisiana border and the river that forms it, Big Cypress Bayou. The paddlefish were raised at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Fisheries’s Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery in Oklahoma. They are 18 months old, 2-3 feet in length, and have a surgically-implanted radio transmitter that will allow scientists to track the movement of individual fish.

143

sagehen Jun 13, 2014 7:43:07pm

re: #116 FemNaziBitch

uh-huh

[Embedded content]

Ever since I heard of it, I’ve been wanting to try chocolate-covered bacon…

144

teleskiguy Jun 13, 2014 7:47:02pm

re: #143 sagehen

Ever since I heard of it, I’ve been wanting to try chocolate-covered bacon…

Candied Bacon, like dog treats for humans.

Place bacon strips on baking pan, liberally sprinkle with brown sugar (both sides of bacon), bake in oven 350 degrees to desired cooked-ness.

OMG

145

sagehen Jun 13, 2014 7:52:06pm

yummers.

146

freetoken Jun 13, 2014 7:55:18pm

Earlier today I posted a link about the continued slaughter of elephants in Africa. About 5% of the population is now killed every year, meaning in a couple of decades they will be gone at this rate.

Anyway, they are not the only animals we are currently eliminating:

Over 90% of lemurs face extinction: IUCN

147

Varek Raith Jun 13, 2014 7:55:35pm

Per CNN banner,

Source: Military transport plane for Ukraine government with at least 49 passengers was shot down approaching airport in Luhansk.

148

Killgore Trout Jun 13, 2014 8:00:23pm

re: #147 Varek Raith

Per CNN banner,

That’s not good. I see Putin sent the rebels some tanks today too.

149

NJDhockeyfan Jun 13, 2014 8:08:36pm

re: #148 Killgore Trout

That’s not good. I see Putin sent the rebels some tanks today too.

With the West focused on Iraq Putin probably feels he can sneak in some extra firepower without anyone looking.

150

Killgore Trout Jun 13, 2014 8:09:50pm

voiceofrussia.com

Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported that the militia shot down the aircraft in Lugansk airport, with the Ukrainian servicemen on board. Some of them died. It is reported that the plane was shot down on Saturday night while landing at the airport in Lugansk.

“Ukraine Air Force military transport aircraft IL-76 transporting personnel with the aim of rotation was brought down by anti-aircraft heavy machine gun. There were military personnel, machinery, equipment and food on board,” - the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The exact number of deaths is still unknown. IL-76 - Soviet and Russian heavy military transport aircraft developed by OKB Ilyushin. Crew - seven people. It is able to carry 167 soldiers with weapons.

151

Killgore Trout Jun 13, 2014 8:10:22pm

re: #149 NJDhockeyfan

With the West focused on Iraq Putin probably feels he can sneak in some extra firepower without anyone looking.

He doesn’t have to sneak, it’s not like anyone’s going to do anything about it anyways.

152

NJDhockeyfan Jun 13, 2014 8:10:43pm

Game 5 Ranger/Kings game is in another overtime. Henrik Lundqvist is the only reason the Rangers are still in the game because the rest of the team played like shit in the 3rd period.

153

palomino Jun 13, 2014 8:11:52pm

re: #48 NJDhockeyfan

Uh oh…

[Embedded content]

Maybe you should try to find some sites that are even more far right wing, where the Obama Derangement Syndrome is even more out of control.

Or you could just start linking directly to foxnewsnationpatriot.com

154

Rightwingconspirator Jun 13, 2014 8:12:07pm

re: #138 b.d.

[Embedded content]

See now that’s just shortsighted thinking. Slackerthought.

What you do in modern media is you make that lemonade and get that prick to overpay for it

////.

155

palomino Jun 13, 2014 8:12:33pm

re: #151 Killgore Trout

He doesn’t have to sneak, it’s not like anyone’s going to do anything about it anyways.

What should they do about it?

156

NJDhockeyfan Jun 13, 2014 8:12:35pm

re: #151 Killgore Trout

He doesn’t have to sneak, it’s not like anyone’s going to do anything about it anyways.

They could get an earful of Extra Extra Extra Concerned if they don’t watch out.

157

palomino Jun 13, 2014 8:14:54pm

re: #127 Lidane

Right on cue, Shep Smith has his mandatory stopped clock moment to provide “balance” on Faux News:

[Embedded content]

Because, apparently, some people forget the lesson they learned almost immediately thereafter. John McCain, for example, who thinks we won in Iraq, and now wants to go back for more.

I don’t remember 1973. How many dead end hawks were demanding that we return to Vietnam right after we left? Any?

158

Killgore Trout Jun 13, 2014 8:20:43pm

“A Failure to de-escalate”
ha!

159

BlueSpotinAL Jun 13, 2014 8:23:59pm

re: #143 sagehen

Angell and Phelps in Daytona Beach ships. I never eat milk chocolate, but it is better with bacon than dark. They also do chocolate covered potato chips.

160

Stanley Sea Jun 13, 2014 8:37:52pm

re: #157 palomino

Because, apparently, some people forget the lesson they learned almost immediately thereafter. John McCain, for example, who thinks we won in Iraq, and now wants to go back for more.

I don’t remember 1973. How many dead end hawks were demanding that we return to Vietnam right after we left? Any?

Anyone?

161

Dark_Falcon Jun 13, 2014 8:38:56pm

re: #97 NJDhockeyfan

re: #107 Lidane

Wow. Those guys are definitely dumber than this one:

[Embedded content]

Two entries in the “Better Call Saul” file.

162

Dark_Falcon Jun 13, 2014 8:41:32pm

re: #152 NJDhockeyfan

Game 5 Ranger/Kings game is in another overtime. Henrik Lundqvist is the only reason the Rangers are still in the game because the rest of the team played like shit in the 3rd period.

He won’t hold forever if the rest of his team doesn’t step up. The Kings advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals by getting the puck past Corey Crawford in overtime, so they’ve already shown they’ll get it done if you keep giving them shots.

163

Gus Jun 13, 2014 8:47:34pm

re: #150 Killgore Trout

voiceofrussia.com

How do you know it was shot down?

164

NJDhockeyfan Jun 13, 2014 8:48:17pm

re: #162 Dark_Falcon

He won’t hold forever if the rest of his team doesn’t step up. The Kings advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals by getting the puck past Corey Crawford in overtime, so they’ve already shown they’ll get it done if you keep giving them shots.

First overtime is in the books. It’s still tied. Lundqvist is having a stellar game so far.

165

Gus Jun 13, 2014 8:48:19pm

This is pretty funny.

Edit. Pic appears in April. http://t.co/JR5ktlywpA and http://t.co/B2ecQAMDb7 @Interpreter_Mag
— Gus (@Gus_802) June 14, 2014

166

Gus Jun 13, 2014 8:49:05pm

As a firm believer in science and logic I’ll wait for a logical explanation rather than going with emotion.

167

Dark_Falcon Jun 13, 2014 8:49:29pm

re: #148 Killgore Trout

That’s not good. I see Putin sent the rebels some tanks today too.

T-72B3, with 2nd Generation ERA panels. Those panels aside, the turret looks larger in front compared to the T-72M1 models the US Army fought in 1991 and 2003 because it has thicker armor. It’s turret armor is actually thicker than that found on a T-80 and it has better electronics as well.

Basically, the T-72s sold to Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Libya were plain vanilla sports coupes. These three in Donetsk are fully loaded GTs. But don’t worry too much about that, since our M1A2 Abrams tank still has these Russian tanks beat in every combat category.

168

Gus Jun 13, 2014 8:50:06pm

re: #158 Killgore Trout

“A Failure to de-escalate”
ha!

We can arm Ukraine all we want but they won’t be able to repel Russia if it gets that far. Additionally, we are not going to war with Russia for Ukraine.

169

Dark_Falcon Jun 13, 2014 8:53:01pm

re: #163 Gus

How do you know it was shot down?

CNN is reporting the shoot-down:

A Ukrainian military plane with at least 49 passengers was shot down overnight Friday, a source said, making it the latest and likely one of the bloodiest single events in that nation’s current period of turmoil.

The Ilyushin-76 military transport plane went down while approaching an airport in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk, a source with the Ukrainian Anti-Terror Operation of the Ukrainian military forces told CNN.

It was not immediately clear how many of those aboard died or survived.

The incident came hours after Ukraine’s Kiev-based government — which is trying to regain control of the country’s restive south and east — deemed successful an operation targeting pro-Russian separatists in the city of Mariupol.

Anton Geraschenko, adviser to acting Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, said more than 30 “terrorists” had been detained and their base destroyed. Other separatists are hiding in homes and basements for safety, he said.

170

Gus Jun 13, 2014 8:54:02pm

BBL Kind of creepy in here again.

171

klys Jun 13, 2014 8:56:59pm

re: #170 Gus

BBL Kind of creepy in here again.

It’s been happening a lot recently. I try to counter with cat pictures and it’s not working all that well. :(

172

NJDhockeyfan Jun 13, 2014 8:57:24pm

re: #170 Gus

BBL Kind of creepy in here again.

Could be a full moon on Friday the 13th.

173

klys Jun 13, 2014 8:58:59pm

re: #172 NJDhockeyfan

Could be a full moon on Friday the 13th.

Yeah, you think that.

174

sagehen Jun 13, 2014 8:59:37pm

re: #160 Stanley Sea

Anyone?

Not only did nobody want to go back, President Ford had to go to Congress and beg each member of the Armed Services committee individually, with clasped hands, in tears, for appropriations to rescue our translators and their families.

(oh wait… in iraq, the only people begging to save our Essential Local Help are the Lt Col’s whose units they were attached to. Not a single elected official has given them another thought, except to whine that they’re Muslims, probably sleeper agents wanting to “infiltrate” the U.S., and each needs to be carefully investigated and full background workups done before we can even begin to process their asylum applications. I don’t even want to know how many have died on that waiting list.

175

palomino Jun 13, 2014 9:00:59pm

re: #172 NJDhockeyfan