Breaking: B-52 Carrying 5 Nuclear Warheads Mistakenly Flew Across United States
From Americablog:
CNN's Barbara Starr has been breathlessly reporting the news that a B-52, loaded with nuclear warheads, flew across the country last week -- without anyone's knowledge. It has caused quite a stir in the military. Starr reports that Bush had to be informed about the mistake. Here's an NBC report:
An Air Force squadron commander has been relieved of his command after five nuclear weapons were mistakenly loaded aboard a B-52 and flown cross-country from North Dakota to Louisiana last week, NBC News reported.
Five 150-kiloton warheads were attached to cruise missiles that were flown from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana to be dismantled, but they should have been removed, according to officials.
Military officials insist the warheads remained "under control" at all times and did not pose a danger.
That's comforting.
More information as it becomes available.
I wonder how this news got out?
Geee, stocking up for IRAN?
As uncool as this is, I doubt very sincerely that there was any real danger as G.W. Bush or his cabal didn't have a part in writing any of the launch protocols...
Didn't we used to have B-52's airborne 24/7 w/ nukes in case Russia tried an attack, our planes were already scrambled?
Urban legend?
We have met the enemy and they are us.
Curtilingus @ 4:
"scrambled planes"......not capable of that. remember 9/11?
And so it begins...
What does our government do with "dismantled" nukes anyway?
Maybe the bombers were on their way to SF under general bill o'reilleys orders.
Or maybe the nukes were on their way to Justice Stevens house under the orders of General Ann Coulter.
Or maybe they were on their way to the Dem presidential candidates houses under the order of General Ted Nugent.
Maybe under the orders of Bush (I am Constitutionally incapable of referring to this beast as President) the nukes were going to put the military families out of their misery. Then he could use the nuke disaster for a backdrop when he announces that the military families were part of the 9/11 attacks and had to be pre-emptively destroyed. (Sarcasm)
...and they all play dumb.
So which foreign country are we going to question next when it comes to the security of their nuclear arsenal?
Hmmm....Everything was under control unless the plane had an unfortunate incident, which does occassionally happen, right? But don't worry. FEMA would have been there to help all of the nuclear burn/poison/death/soon-to-die victims. Everything would have turned out fine.
The fact that these idiots are making mistakes with WMD's should be indicative of the fact that they shouldn't fucking have access to them in the first place.
It's bad enough the President can't say NU-CLE-UR....
I don't see the concern about this. Surely with all the nukes the US has many are routinely shipped about. The fact of the accidental movement of them is a bit disturbing but it isn't as if they were left on the tarmac at a public airfield with a big "Radiation" warning on them. From the sounds of it they were completely under military control as they alway would be when their movement is known.
No mistake. The warheads are intended for the upcoming War on Iran.
U.S.A. : A failed experiment with democracy.
BabushkaBlue @ 12:
exactly. And I'm sure SOMEONE would be getting that medal of freedom.
Or is that madal of Victory?
How can one "mistakenly" load a nuclear bomb on a plane, let alone five?! Aren't they marked with special handling stickers or something? Geeze, in my office I can't move a box of toner without noticing the red signs and warnings. I think the mistake in this story is that it got out in the public.
It's the end of the world as we know it...And I feel fine!
Nuke, nuke, nuke, nuke the world,
Nuke, nuke, nuke the world.....
Curtilingus @ 4:
Yes, but not over US cities.
Why exactly is the AF transporting cruise missiles with nukes?
God bless Nine-Levin part Two! God Bless Dubya's plan for victory. Are they finally going to level those Nawlins Hellholes and blast those brown vermin to atomies?
God bless the deconstruction!
I think this is carefully leaked propaganda as to get the attention of Iran.
Thank you Pope todd, so it was the flight path that had them concerned. Cause we have nukes flying around all the time. We even send them into space now.
Keystone Cops! And if the plane had gone down over the US???????
Curtilingus @ 4:
Yes of course. On the other hand, I guarantee you their position was known at all times. It is not just "a little disturbing" that five nukes were unaccounted for by the air force. It is way, way out of line.
people who are working in government are warning us regularly how bad it has become. but the snickering drunk will get $50B from the snivelling dems. I used to think that the dems were trying to work up a head of steam; then I thought they were milking the situation for political leverage in 2008; after that, I believed they were cowards. Now I'm beginning to believe there is one-party rule - the incumbent party.
Curtilingus @ 4:
Yes... but that was before the days of LRBM/ICBMs, almost 50 years ago. When Russia launched the Sputnik, the US was freaking out because it meant that they could lob a nuke warhead into space and drop it on us.
What the guy above said the Insiders are leaking the truth about how bad it is....
Dr. Matt @ 23:
might be... but it still smells.
Did they come from Planet Claire?
Curtilingus @ 24:
That and the Command didn't know they are on the plane.
That as pointed out is the most disturbing feature.
It means possible rogue elements in the military most definitely CAN deploy WMD within US borders without anyones knowledge.
Trust no one, it's a way of life.
Why the BIG concern...haven't you guys/gals been digging you a fall-out/basement
shelter because the "terrest" are coming to get you? Am surprised you're not already
prepared for an accidental disaster.
So these nukes were sent to be dismantled (destroyed), but "they should have been removed"... removed from what? I'm guessing they mean removed from the cruise missiles.
re: Dr.Matt-
Yes, Iran- pay attention! We are so dangerous with our nukes that we don't even know where they are and where we are moving them! Be afraid! Be very afraid!
What the fuck is Iran going to do with this bit of info? "Holy Crescent! I do believe George Bush wants to nuke us!" They already know that. The only thing stopping them now is what's left of the real patriots in this country, calling attention to the fact that IRAN is NOT A threat whatsoever.
Iran's actions or lack of actions will NOT influence the neocon cabal's decision to invade/destroy Iran. Iran is powerless to even surrender unilaterally to the U.S. because Cheney would declare it an evil trick and bomb them anyway.
It may well have been Cheney's idea of how to clean up the Katrina aftermath once for all.
five nuclear weapons were mistakenly loaded aboard a B-52
I wonder if THIS was supposed to be the 'supposed' suitcase nukes
Al-CIA-DUH were going to use on us?
This is no doubt and unequivocally Bill Clinton's fault.
You'd think, that the military would have a GPS beacon on each nuke so that when it moved, someone in control and command was alerted.
Also, an entire crew both ground and flight had to know they were doing something out of the ordinary.
This story seems weird. I believe we could be that incompetent, but its a strange news leak.
Curtilingus @ 4:
No "Urban Legend" there. Cold War fact.
I was based at Minot ('74-'77) with the 5th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (Isti Non Penetrabunt). If memory serves me, there were six B-52s and almost twice as many tankers (KC-135) on alert. Each "BUFF" (doesn't stand for buffalo) was fully armed with nuclear payloads. The 2 fighter interceptors (F-106 Delta Darts) that were on alert also carried an Air-2A Genie missile that had a nuke warhead.
It's been a long time since nukes were flying overhead. This was a gross management error, on someones part, but, launch of a nuclear weapon can only be approved by the President..............Holy Shit!
Also, did you notice that the Buff was going to Louisiana? I guess that last bad thing that could happen to NOLA is getting NUKED, by accident.
I do think that this story is going to get much more press than is actually necessary, especially with the MSM getting the opportunity to run cool graphics of a-bombs going off and conspiracy theories. Somebody just royally screwed up and they are either out of the Air Force or will be commanding a radar station in the Aleutians.
Tim @ 26:
Looks like the AF is run the same way herr dubyah runs this country.....without regard, without checks-and-balances, and completely incompetently.
I'm also confused about the "no one knew these were flown over the US" part. You just don't arrive at the dismantling facility with warheads, and say "here you go!" The Minot AF Base would've had to contact the Barksdale AF Base that warheads were on their way. Maybe they mean that no one knew that they were still attached to the missiles.
I can only imagine the reactions of the receivers in Louisiana once they realized they had armed bombs sitting on their tarmac.
Major Kong Rides the Bomb
That's a good question. If it had crashed, would there be any indication to the recovery crew that there were nukes on board?
Heads-up Blue States!
38- lol... Probably what Rush Limbaugh is saying, right now, in addition to decrying those traitors in the military that are leaking info and how the media talking about the military losing track of nuclear weopons flying over our nation hurts our security...
We've been the biggest Terrorist in the world for so long, that now WE are the biggest threat even to ourselves.
Hmmm. fallout shelters. Nah, let the pretty lights come. Will Armageddon be on pay-per-view? a drooling American public hopes?
Bud @ 43:
Was that the point they realized the error? How long would it have gone unnoticed if the place flew somewhere else?
PopeTodd,
When I was living in Stockton, CA, B-36s with full loads flew directly over my house, from McClellan AFB (Sacramento) probably, and were often making right turns to head out to sea over San Francisco.
Maybe that's where Bill-o got his idea?
Might be a dumb question, but aren't nuke bombs/missiles "crash proof" - that is, they're designed not to go off in the event of a plane crash? Kind of like the "black box"
Or am I just a propaganda dupe?
This could have happened!!!!!! --> Broken Arrow
Really....it could have!!!!
Save us herr dubyah!
/sarcasm.
Tim @ 26:
Agreed. Absolute incompetence, to say the least.
Maybe this is this government’s way of taking care of the housing glut -- Knock out a few newly built sub-divisions and supply will be more in line with demand.
Actually, there were six nukes. The other one just turned up on ebay.
Something to listen to while we're shuffling off our mortal coils to Buffalo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW6OrdLkCLU
"Military officials insist the warheads remained “under control” at all times"
If that is SO, how do you explain the comment, "without anyone’s knowledge"?
WTF am I missing here?
Bud @ 50:
Nukes need a certain arrangement of high explosive to work... this is why it took so long to develop one in the first place, back in the 1940's. Plus the explosives used to set off the reaction are electronic, not thermal. Even if the plane blew up on impact from a fuel explosion, the worst that would happen is the crash area would be irradiated with nuclear material.
lucid fiction @ 56:
Sounds more like a case of WTF missed you?
Good night to rent "Dr. Strangelove".
“Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the war room!”
Bud @ 50:
They are designed to withstand being in aircrashes (as best as might be expected). There won't be a detonation if one is involved in a crash. There will however be a risk of a radiation leak and all of the hideous crap that comes with it.
Blue Buddha @ 57:
Oh that's all?
:)
(thanks for clearing that up)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueuauKKjPZI
ysbaddaden @ 58:
Wait a minute, now I think I have it. It was 'under control' at all times 'without anyone's knowledge'. I see.
Two words:
Practice. Run.
:)
Mellifluous @ 49:
I know it, used to live in Sonoma County. Watched plenty of these birds go overhead on their way out.
But that is the thing, they were on their way out via the shortest route.
I think the fact that they were still attached to delivery systems and Military Command had no idea of the status of these weapons to be far more disturbing.
Curtilingus @ 54:
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the munitions squadron commander also was relieved of his duties. The AP also reported that the bomber was carring six nuclear warheads, not five as sources told the Military Times. -- http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2007-09-05-b-52_N.htm
BaScOmBe @ 30:
I would like to point out the article which I read notes the annoucement of the Air Force to stand down on Sept. 14 to review procedures. So, they've just announced the Air Force will not be available for flying that day...smell even worse yet?
lucid fiction @ 6:
yeah under cheeney the airdefense system does'nt work anymore
Are you sure they weren't just filming an episode of 24?
Thing Fish @ 66:
Shit. I was just joking. Thanks.
Curtilingus @ 54:
:lol:
"Yer doin' a heckuva job, nukewler warhead caretaker guy!"
Anyone know if Condi was out shoe shopping?
paul gilmore a fat ass repo congressman from ohio has just been found dead.
maybe we have a chance to get rid of another repo contolled seat
God forbid if they detonated, who do we blame?
BTW, according to the reich-wingers, herr dubyah is "commander-in-chief".....you know, the "guy" in charge of the military. How will they spin this?
Tam @ 74:
Brown people (i.e. terra-ists)
Bonkers @ 64:
Exactly, ha! An hour after the polls close on Election Day, the sky will be full of B-52s following Diebold’s coordinates.
Bonkers @ 71:
"That's why I fired ya!"
Tam @ 74:
They would blame "US" of course, you know, for not supporting and passing
Patriot Act 3, 4, & 5 along with the super duper echelon warantless
wiretaps. If we'd JUST let them do that, we would be safe and protected.
Dr. Matt @ 75:
Well, when 911 occurred in 2001, he was in a school room reading "My Pet Goat"
and this time he is conveniently in Australia, so had a disaster occurred, bush
could have gone to Alice Springs and been safe.
As of 2004, the U.S. has about 7,000 operational and 3,000 reserve warheads.
Big whoop. Who here can honestly say they've never accidentally misplaced a 150-kiloton nuclear warhead?
L.A. Confidential @ 80:
Why sooooo few? Dammit, we need to hit that 10,000 "operational" number soon.
This happened a week ago. Wasn't Bush in Louisiana a week ago? Even more bizzare then...
and we worry so much that Iran will get just one.....
L.A. Confidential @ 80:
And it's questionable as to how "operational" those warheads are. Many of them used Plutonium, which sheds most of its critical mass in about 20-30 years time through radioactive decay... so if we were to try to detonate such a nuke on an enemy, it wouldn't do anything but spew radioactive material over a small area. In other words, nukes have shelf-life... just like all the lovely chemical weapons that are eating through their containers and oozing toxic goo while sitting around in warehouses collecting dust.
Bush Co and the Pentagon Fear and Cheer Dept is trying to distract us again.
What a game
Patriot Actor @ 84:
I heard that there are 14 countries who have nuclear weapons...Can anyone identify
exactly who they are???
Is there anything this crowd can't muck up?
Blue Buddha @ 85:
Same can be said for the weapons that were "dumped" by the Navy after WWII into
the Pacific Ocean and off of the northeaster coast...just sitting there underwater,
corroiding and will eventually release toxic crap into the Oceans...
Why were these warheads attached to apparently active cruise missiles if they were scheduled for dismantling? And how often does this sort of thing happen right under our noses?
Breaking: B-52 Carrying 5 Nuclear Warheads Mistakenly Flew Across United States
Need some 'No Child Left Behind' retro geography and map larnin'!
Doggiebobo @ 87:
How about the Grand Duchy of Fenwick?
Neal @ 90:
the cruise missiles make a great carrying case for weekend getaways!
Doggiebobo @ 87:
I'll take a stab:
-- France, UK, China, India, Pakistan, US, Russia, Ukraine... and the other six are probably other former Soviet breakaway republics.
Isreal, Korea
More than 40 years on, Spain revisits a nuclear accident when a B-52 carrying 4 nuclear warheads had a mid-air collision with a supply plane.
Detonation isn't necessary for a crash involving plutonium to cause problems. Half-Life is more like 24,000 years.
Seriously, though the Sqd Commander got what he deserved and there should be other heads to roll on this, a nuke is NOT dangerous simply because it is a nuke. It CANNOT accidently go off. The aircrew could have jettisoned all of them and not a single one of them would have detonated. This isn't the bad old days of the mid-60s or earlier when an accidental drop (or intentional, for that matter) could, at worst, produce a dirty bomb explosion. What is impossible...physically impossible...is for there to be an accidental critical explosion, that is, a nuclear detonation is im-freakin'-possible with these things unless they are actually armed. You cannot simply arm them either. THAT requires that the crew have the codes onboard (most likely did NOT, not for a flight of this nature) AND be able to identify the correct codes (if they had nefarious intent).
This is a big blunder. It is. But it was never ever ever a danger of an accidental nuke explosion nor an accidental dirty bomb explosion. A crash or accidental release WOULD have been a nice way to lose a nuke to nefarious individuals if they were all involved in a nice plot (shades of the movie Broken Arrow).
Blue Buddha @ 94:
Thanks...and of course Isreal and Korea..
Praedor Atrebates @ 97:
Well put.
Blue Buddha @ 94:
Doggiebobo @ 87:
1. USA
2. Israel
3. India
4. North Korea
5. UK
6. France
7. Russia
8. Pakisthan
9. Lybia?
Dito on the former Soviet states.
Praeder doesn't watch enough TV. Jack Bauer could make it blow with some help from MacGyver and a paperclip.
Curtilingus @ 95:
Right... forgot about those two!
Obviously he was fired because these nukes were supposed to be transported to our B2 "Spirit"/"Stealth Bomber" base in Guam for use against Iran and instead the Guam base received emergency rations intended for New Orleans a year ago. It's just how the government works.
ysbaddaden @ 31:
L
O
L
Practice run for 'Galvanizing Event II'
lucid fiction @ 100:
1. USA
2. Israel
3. India
4. North Korea
5. UK
6. France
7. Russia
8. Pakisthan
9. Lybia?
Dito on the former Soviet states.
I'm fairly certain that Ukraine and Belarus have them, as they used to be industrial powerhouses for the USSR. Moldova is a maybe, and maybe Turkey has a couple, but it was under an agreement with the US during the Cold War because they're close to Russia. Can't think of the other one.
This was the subject of a note passed under one of the stalls where democrats sit waiting with wide stances. The theme is always the same-submit. Give in to Bush's agenda and other funny business or Bushco hits America.
Yea, trust the military.
Sounds like some cold war bs.
Geez.
I call Bullshit on the mistake - that is David Addington's "One Bomb" Away
Praedor Atrebates @ 97:
ONLY a dirty bomb explosion, huh? Whew, that's a relief.
NOT.
YES, a nuke IS dangerous "simply because it is a nuke". Warheads contain several pounds of plutonium, probably the most toxic known substance, plus high explosives and mercury switches. Five warheads on a single aircraft is a LOT of plutonium. If the bomber were to crash or the missiles were accidentally released, even without an explosion, the resulting spread of toxic material could irradiate large areas for decades, and kill many, many people.
This is undoubtedly why the military has strict protocols banning the transport of warheads in domestic airspace.
Still the question remains -- why were they transporting those missiles in the first place? How could the place have left the ground w/o someone realizing the mistake. This ain't no small mistake here people.
Something is very wrong with this news report. Either they are hiding something or our military is stupid beyond all comprehension.
I'd be much more worried about the chemicals transported on the trains that go through hundreds of small towns and plenty of big ones too. We've had a couple of derailments in San Antonio over the years that have resulted in neighborhoods evacuated for days or huge fish kills etc.
*aaaaah-CHOOO* Whoops I just delivered nukez by accident?
Blue Buddha @ 106:
I'm fairly certain that Ukraine and Belarus have them, as they used to be industrial powerhouses for the USSR. Moldova is a maybe, and maybe Turkey has a couple, but it was under an agreement with the US during the Cold War because they're close to Russia. Can't think of the other one.
Thanks again for update. Since it was reported earlier(above) that U.S. has approx.
7,000 operational weapons and apprx. 3,000 reserve warheads, I am wondering if there
are statistics available somewhere(?) indicating the numbers in the respective stockpiles
of each of the above mentioned "other" countries. If I were a betting person, I'd bet
that our(U.S.) numbers are substantially more than the comined numbers of all others.
MamaLynn @ 67:
Can you provide a link?
hadenuf @ 115:
That's pretty bad since they were standing down on 911 due to a training exercise.
We don't send nukes into space. We send probes which utilize radioactive material for heat and power. Radioactive does not = nuclear explosion. If Cassini, for example, had managed to make it back into Earth's atmosphere and burn up, we all would have gotten a dose of radiation roughly equivalent to standing really close to the microwave when popping pop corn, or about the same amount thats in a beer.
Why the knee-jerk reactions? I mean, aren't we supposed to be the 'smart' ones when it comes to this kind of thing?
parasitesafari @ 117:
parasitesafari @ 117:
So you wouldn't mind living near Yucca Mountain? Or along the train route?
So...
were the nukes 'under control' of all those evangelical freaks in the DOD, who are getting impatient that Bushco's Armageddon ain't working?
From: "The Cassini Mission Inadvertent Swingby Reentry Accident Risk" in Explaining The Risks of The Cassini Mission (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/course/Syllabi/97Dartmouth/day-6/risk.html)
"In the extremely unlikely event that a Cassini inadvertent Earth reentry has occurred, some plutonium dioxide could be released into the atmosphere. The fine particles of plutonium dioxide that are potentially hazardous to people would remain high in the atmosphere for a long period of time. This would result in the particles being spread very thinly across the world and eventually making their way to the surface, mostly the oceans. Since the material is highly insoluble, once it reaches the surface most of it would become trapped in the oceans or soils and not pose a health hazard. Thus, most of the released material would not be breathed in by people. The small amount of released material that would be breathed in would be distributed over much of the world. Since the amount to be breathed in is so tiny, the radiation dose that a person would be expected to receive is less than one millirem total over 50 years. This small radiation dose is indistinguishable when compared to the 15,000 millirem dose an average person will receive (over that same 50 year period) from natural background radiation."
I live along a train route now. Anyway, how near is near? Can I include the width of the lead/steel/concrete/earth in my calculation of distance between myself and the mountain?
Not that it matters, but I'm not a Dartmouth student - the internet is just a wonderful place.
I had no idea they weren't allowed to fly nuclear bombs in US airspace. I assumed they did it all the time. Weird.
the junta puts our lives in danger every day but they are "serious"
You all better clap... HARD ...during the Blue Angel’s acrobatics at your next air show you attend.
parasitesafari @ 121:
Dispersion of a given amount of plutonium in the high atmosphere after the re-entry and burnup of a spacecraft can't really be compared to the far more concentrated release of radiation which would occur if a B52 were to crash or if its cargo were somehow released enroute from ND to LA. The results would be much, much more serious.
Do you really want regular transport of plutonium warheads over the continental US by air, at relatively low altitudes? Admittedly, B52s don't crash very often. But these aircraft have been the primary means of delivery for nuclear weapons since 1955 (52 years!). Statistically, sooner or later planes malfunction.
Nuclear arming checklist:
"One pair of nylon stockings, two packs of chewing gum, one hundred dollars in gold, one hundred dollars in rubles, three prophylactics, geez a guy could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all this stuff!"
Major Kong, from Dr. Strangelove. That movie was a true classic. Just not as scary as "Fail Safe".
And speaking of odd, did you guys happen to notice that the date September 14 was included saying no bomber or fighter will be allowed to fly. It's like, hey terrorist, knock, knock, wake up for today is the day you should do your thing. Granted, something special may have been flown on this flight, but I feel there is deeper meaning yet to be seen. And yes, a nuclear treaty-breaking flight like this should have never gotten to the media. Never. In fact, we should be learning this from the Russians or Chinese should we not?
THANK GOD there was no shampoo or nail files on those planes.
THAT would make the Baby Jesus cry...
Curtilingus @ 116:
"The Air Combat Command has ordered a command-wide stand down on Sept. 14 to review procedures, officials said."
Here's the link/source.
Wait for it, rash limpballs will claim that the danger of radioactivity isn't so bad, you could nuke a bake potato just by holding it in your hand.
parasitesafari @ 117:
Now I know why my liver glows in the dark.
parasitesafari @ 121:
Thanks for info as it related to an inadvertent re-entry of Cassini into the earth's
atmosphere. It was educational and I agree, the Internet is a great place.
As a somewhat related, but perhaps off topic subject, I worry more about the DU
(Depleted Uranium) affects it "may be" having on our fine militrary personnel who
served in Gulf War I and are now serving in both Afghan and Iraq. DU is, according
to some, having a serious negative impact on the health and well-being of those exposed
to it....yet the Defense Dept./Military continue to indicate "No problem". Only further
studies of seriously ill military persons returning from the Mid East will ascertain if fact
or fiction..
Annoyed Canuck @ 125:
The spacecraft comment was in direct response to another post which asserted that we deployed "nukes" into space. I was refuting that and backing up my statements, rightly called for citation, by another poster.
Concentrated releases of radioactive material as the result of military accident have occured (http://www.ask.ne.jp/~hankaku/english/np9y.html), (http://www.rense.com/general45/drop.htm), and while dramatic, heart-stopping events, they weren't exactly catastrophic. Does this mean that it won't happen? No - you're point that eventually, statistically, planes will sooner or later malfunction is well taken. The transport of radiactive material by rail and truck (spent nuclear fuel rods, commercial equipment) occurs every day, and we all know the statistic that it is safer to fly than to travel the nation's roads. Whether I want it or not, its what happens. My whole point was that kneejerk, "the military is stupid, this is a conspiracy, they were headed for Iran," comments aren't exactly the most informed, insightful or useful. It reminds me, actually, of how the 'right wing noise machine' operates. Through fear, ignorance, and arrogance. But then again, I'm coming from a position where I believe that the internet, and internet forums and comment boards, can be sites of resistance. I may be expecting too much. But calling out BS when we see it, on the right or the left, should be common.
i have it from a good source that our ever vigilant prez, when he heard the news, immediately retired to his reading room where he could finish reading the final page of "my pet goat."
Barksdale AFB (where the missiles were transported to) is the home base for the bombers that were used for shock and awe against Iraq. Supposedly the cruise missiles were being sent to Barksdale for decommissioning, although I have yet to find references to a decommissioning plant there.
'nuff said?
http://www.militarynewcomers.com/BARKSDALE/index.htm
[...] September 5th, 2007 · No Comments BREAKING:FROM CROOKS AND LIARS [...]
I suspect we are witnessing a bit of a power struggle. Perhaps between the fourth branch of government and the military who despite what liberal bloggers may think are not all war crazed loonies who would like nothing better than to drop a nuke on somebody. (The same cannot be said of the fourth branch.)
That could be real reason that they shut down flights, to try to stop any unaccountable behind the back machinations like the fourth branch has pulled before.
I was stationed at Minot AFB, ND during the 80's as a Security Policeman. I spent many days on the flightline watching B52 bomber crews load nukes as well as conventional bombs. First of all, the warheads probably weren't armed (that's done enroute to a target after aircraft launch). As stated below if the plane crashed it wouldn't result in a thermonuclear explosion.
During the 80's we had about 5-7 B52's loaded on the flightline with air launced cruise missles (ALCM'S)(nukes) that were ready to launch in case of a nuclear shootout with the old USSR. They never left flew due to the fact that would be a provocation of war with the USSR. We did however, have comand and control aircraft flying 24/7 from the 50's until early 90's.
When I first got to Minot I bought my first car. One day I was coming back to the base and I noticed that the alert B52's weren't on the flightline! There were alert lights everywhere and I freaked out. I drove up (more like sped) to the the south gate and talked with the SP on duty. It seems they would do a pretend "attack" on the base and would have the BUFFS (a kindly acronym--BIG UGLY FAT F******--for the old plane) do an "elephant walk" from their flight line position to the end of the runway and back. Boy was I glad of that!
This is a major issue as this screwup does violate international as well as treaties with the Russians. Heads will roll for this!
Mistake?
Or failed attempt?
First of all, I don't believe this was a mistake ("Oops, we screwed up handling nukes!") and second, our military along with our government has covered up so much from the murder of Pat Tillman to the thievery of Haliburton/KBR, and somehow this story about misplaced and mishandled nukes endangering the U.S. has leaked out? There is something very wrong about all of this. It just does not make sense.
Nobody needs to be afraid of any terrorists when there's the military pulling such assinine things. Effin' brilliant!!
Curtilingus @ 4:
Duh!It's one thing flying on alert status knowing you're carrying nuclear weapons during the Cold War and quite another flying down to Louisiana thinking you're delivering scrap metal.
I can just imagine the pilot saying to his crew ,lets scare those boys at the scrap dump and drop one of these harmless missiles , har har. They go'in to be dismantled anyways.....fire!
Doggiebobo @ 114:
Thanks again for update. Since it was reported earlier(above) that U.S. has approx.
7,000 operational weapons and apprx. 3,000 reserve warheads, I am wondering if there
are statistics available somewhere(?) indicating the numbers in the respective stockpiles
of each of the above mentioned "other" countries. If I were a betting person, I'd bet
that our(U.S.) numbers are substantially more than the comined numbers of all others.
I think you would be correct on that. Every other country besides the US/former USSR probably has roughly 100 nukes combined... maybe 200 at the absolute most. Just before the Cold War ended, the USSR had about 1000-2000 nukes less than the US.
Former SP @ 138:
Major General Don sheppard (ret) was just on CNN and confirmed what you said. This violates a treaty going back to the Kennedy Administration. Remember when we lost some in the waters off of spain during the late 60's? This is scary shit. You can't tell me it was just an oops.
Here is an oddity. We were "decommissioning" old cruise missiles but according to this we have a shortage: http://www.papillonsartpalace.com/clintCons.htm (and this was before the Iraq war.)
Perhaps this was about converting nuclear missiles to conventional ones, although supposedly that program was completed some time ago.
parasitesafari @ 133:
You and I are pretty much on the same page. Yes, a story like this does bring out the chicken littles of the world. There are far too many chicken littles of all stripes these days.
The accidental military releases of radioactivity you cite are, however, proof of how dangerous warheads are, even when they aren't armed and launched. Many, many of these events have happened since 1945. Some time ago I read an article about accidents aboard Soviet nuclear subs. It was a horrifying read, and included accounts of many sinkings and severe reactor malfunctions at sea (mostly unconfirmed as the incidents were classified).
And, of course, there's all the radioactivity that was released in the course of manufacturing nuclear weapons over the past 60 years. One of the places where this happened is Hanford, WA, where large tracts of land are still badly contaminated. Radioactive water waste and gases were routinely released into the Columbia River and the atmosphere for decades, with no notice to nearby communities.
The true story of radioactivity in the environment will probably never be told, in order to "protect national security".
I live less than a stones throw away from Minot, and it makes me nervous every time I drive my car past one of these missile sites all over this area. It makes me even more nervous now that we have a president who is incapable of putting his penis size into perspective and wants to blow up the damn world to compensate for his feelings of insecurity over this issue alone!
Maybe the Shrubbies have finally decided to get serious about rebuilding New Orleans: they have to destroy the city to save it (Katrina wasn't as through as could have been "hoped").
how the eff do you mistakenly fly nukes????? seems a pretty rigorous checklist would be enforced before making such maneuvers...
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