In the 1950’s, when the cold war first became a reality, citizens of the United States had their first exposure to the possibility of mass destruction. The notion of the Soviet Union dropping an atom bomb was very real. This realization hung like a cloud over many people’s heads. The business in building bomb shelters skyrocketed, and school kids were routinely taught how to hide under their desks if the Soviets decided to launch their nuclear missiles. It was similar to living in the era of the Bubonic Plague where there was the very real possibility of death, and little that you could do to avoid becoming a victim.
In 2003, President Bush noted: “The greatest threat of our age is nuclear, chemical or biological weapons in the hands of terrorists…” With the current generation, it’s almost as if the “nuclear fear” pendulum has swung in the entirely opposite direction. Today, the general population operates as if the possible use of nuclear weapons is just a fairy tale. It’s almost as if weapons of mass destruction don’t really exist, or a belief that “those terrorists won’t really explode a nuclear bomb”.
As I have gotten older, I realize that human nature is reflected in organizations – and, left to their own devices – organizations have natural entropy that moves them toward Fascism. This is true in the case of the Roman Empire, Soviet Union… and especially Moslem extremists.
During the cold war, the notion of “MAD” – Mutual Assured Destruction – provided the necessary constraint for both sides in the stand-off to avoid the use of nuclear weapons. Even though the Soviets were ruthless, they too loved the idea of living. Unfortunately, as Golda Meir used to say, “Moslems don’t love their children as much as they hate ours”. Thus, the Moslem extremists believe that they are achieving a higher level of self-actualization by killing the “infidel”.
I honestly hope that I am wrong… but mark my words. Once the Moslem extremists get their hands on nuclear weapons, they will use them.