If an Islamic terrorist group nukes a U.S. city, then what?

[Little-Acorn]

Suppose some Islamic terrorist group were to suddenly set off a nuclear weapon, improvised or otherwise, in a U.S. city such as Des Moines, or St. Louis, or New York, or Los Angeles etc. Not just a dirty bomb, but a full-fledged Hiroshima-type nuke or larger.

One fine sunny morning, suddenly half the city vanishes. A terrorist group (Al-Qaeda, or Hezbollah, or etc.) claims credit, and preliminary investigation turns up strong evidence that they really were the ones who did it.

Two questions:

1.) What will the United States do?

2.) What SHOULD the United States do?

I asked the first question so that the Republican-bashers and Democrat-bashers can vent as usual about how poor the other party's response will be. The second question is the real one, to which I'd like serious answers.

U.N. involvement?

Use of our nukes in response?

Round up all Islamics within U.S. borders?

Military invasion to ferret out every last member of the group while trying to avoid damage to "innocent" civilians not part of the group?

Fold up and cry?

Forbid the religion of Islam within our borders?

Build and man a border fence?

Signal Osama we'll now negotiate?

Declare martial law?

Pass Patriot Act III?

Please "check all that apply", and please add your own suggestions.

Remember, a few million Americans just got incinerated in about half a second. What do we do?

.

 

[Hagbard Celine]

We should round-up all Muslims into concentration camps and issue an ultimatum to the world-wide Islamic community to either publicly launch a campaign to eradicate extremism within their own faith and bring dissidents to justice or face eradication. If they refused, the entire Middle East should be wiped off the face of the Earth by nuclear strike and conversion to Islam should be an offense punishable by death.

 

[theHawk]

Who knows, its probably not something we can really answer until it actually happens.
On 9/11 people were hoping we'd nuke those responsible, but that never happened.
If we were nuked though it would no doubt set off a war. We'd probably nuke several nuclear facilities in Iran and possibly even North Korea. Who knows what would happen domestically. I'm sure initially there'd be mass hysteria and looting.

 

[Avatar4321]

it doesnt matter, it was Bush's fault, thats all that matters.

 

[Mr.Conley]

UN involvement?
Better than no UN involvement

Use of our nukes in response?
No reciprocal nuclear stikes
Round up all Islamics within U.S. borders?
If we start rounding up citizens for being muslims then the United States as a free democracy has ceased to exist.
Military invasion to ferret out every last member of the group while trying to avoid damage to "innocent" civilians not part of the group?
Invading every other coutry that could possibly have had some relation to what happened is logistically and financially impossible.
Fold up and cry?
Not a bad idea
Forbid the religion of Islam within our borders?
See 2
Build and man a border fence?
I doubt it would have a significant effect other than on the Mexican border.
Signal Osama we'll now negotiate?
No
Declare martial law?
For the first few days.
Pass Patriot Act III?

Depends on what Patriot Act III's provisions are.

Personally, I think a nuclear detonation in a major American city would do for us what the fall of Singapore did for the British in Asia.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

We should round-up all Muslims into concentration camps and issue an ultimatum to the world-wide Islamic community to either publicly launch a campaign to eradicate extremism within their own faith and bring dissidents to justice or face eradication. If they refused, the entire Middle East should be wiped off the face of the Earth by nuclear strike and conversion to Islam should be an offense punishable by death.

Can't do that! That'd be PROFILING!

 

[Hagbard Celine]

Can't do that! That'd be PROFILING!

That's why we'd call it "estimated threat assessment" instead of profiling. I'm a better right-wing thinker than you are.

 

[Bullypulpit]

Well, if it's anything like the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, nothing will happen. Michael Chertoff will be attending a bird flu conference, and Chimpy will be doing a photo-op somewhere. Except, since it's a 'terrorist' attack, martial law will be declared...the Constitution will be suspended...and Chimpy will declare himself 'President for Life'.

 

[Bullypulpit]

That's why we'd call it "estimated threat assessment" instead of profiling. I'm a better right-wing thinker than you are.

Nice ripost that.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

That's why we'd call it "estimated threat assessment" instead of profiling. I'm a better right-wing thinker than you are.

Ah yes...depending on what it wants...the left just slaps on the appropriate label.

 

[Hagbard Celine]

Ah yes...depending on what it wants...the left just slaps on the appropriate label.

Ha! That's rich.

 

[trobinett]

Come on people, we will do what we ALWAYS do, TALK IT TO DEATH.

Hasn't worked in the past, but hell, there is always today.:sleepy1:

 

[Annie]

I may be all off here. I do not underestimate the ability of US and allies to make excuses and interim excuses for war. On the other hand...

In the end game, back against the wall; kill or die; we might yet be surprised. I certainly hope so.

 

[pegwinn]

I believe that we would begin exterminating muslims everywhere.

I think that citizens would turn vigilante and start muslim hunts here in the US. Mosques would burn. Every Koran in the nation would be pissed on and burned. We'd have to call out the NG's to protect the muslim population.

Immediatly following 911 the entire USA was united in the idea of hunting down OBL and hanging him by the nads. I have no problem with Iraq, but I think stopping the hunt for OBL was a strategic mistake.

IF an American city were nuked, I don't think the sitting president would survive making such a blunder. It would not be a matter of reelection, it would literally be his/her life on the line.

My ability to see the future is matched only by my ability to win the lottery.

 

[LuvRPgrl]

I wasnt aware we werent hunting for OBL anymore. The lack of enthusiasm for fighting the terrorists is for many reasons. Following 9/11, most Americans lives didnt really change that much.

There have been no more attacks on US SOIL since.

Time makes people forget.

What would happen depends on who the sitting President was.

If it was an intellectual President like Carter, we would hunt the terrorists but only on even days of the calender, like the gas rationing. We could negotiate with them the other days.

IF "CHIMPY" were President, there would be an even greater fervor and determination to root out the problem, and Dems would be screaming even more that Bush hasnt done enough, yet many of the things he implements, they claim are illegal. Hmmmmm

 

[Eightball]

Well, if it's anything like the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, nothing will happen. Michael Chertoff will be attending a bird flu conference, and Chimpy will be doing a photo-op somewhere. Except, since it's a 'terrorist' attack, martial law will be declared...the Constitution will be suspended...and Chimpy will declare himself 'President for Life'.

So are you suggesting that we failed by not bombing the crap out of the next Hurricane that started to approach U.S. shores?

Would you be happy of "Chimpy" declared war on all storms forming in the Southeast Atlantic, where most of the Hurricanes originate before crossing the Atlantic and hitting us?
.......
Yup.......old "Chimpy" was probably reading school books in some photo-op again, and wasn't doing his sworn duty to launch 5,000 cloud seeding planes on Katrina while she was still out in the Gulf, and stop her from destroying the greatest American city, and most progressive city and region from terrible demise.
.......
Yup......Chimpy is an imbecile! He hasn't brought world peace, and solved world poverty, and ended HIV. He's as mealy mouthed as old Moses that had to use his brother Aaron to do the talking.
........
It's pragmatists like you that the world should fear. Not Chimpy.
.....
Oh, God forbid! Martial Law.........! Oh my, the sky is falling! Our constitution is forever maimed and can never be viable...................Hog wash! In times of war, things get suspended for the common defense, and then changed back when imminent danger is considered moot.
......
Osama's first targets will be liberals, then moderates(pragmatists), then he will attempt to do it to conservatives, but this is where he will be thwarted.
.......
To protect freedoms, sometimes certain liberties must be suspended to protect the nation for the greater good.

I'm not talking about exercising of imminent domain, either(imminent domain is hogwash) I'm talking about the actual physical survival of the U.S., as a viable nation.
.....
FDR had to enact harsh measures, but things eased up after WW2 was over.

Terrorism is more insidious than anything before, because it endangers our nation from without and within.
......
And who are you to preach the survival of the constitution, when you support, nothing but constitutional reconstructionists.
.........

 

[1549]

The answer to the original question is simple:

We would invade Iran, beat our dicks into the sand for a few years, say we accomplished something, fuck things up even more, and eventually we would get bombed again.

 

[trobinett]

The answer to the original question is simple:

We would invade Iran, beat our dicks into the sand for a few years, say we accomplished something, fuck things up even more, and eventually we would get bombed again.

Stick to baseball, you don't know dick about world politics's.:arabia:

 

[Bullypulpit]

I wasnt aware we werent hunting for OBL anymore. The lack of enthusiasm for fighting the terrorists is for many reasons. Following 9/11, most Americans lives didnt really change that much.

There have been no more attacks on US SOIL since.

Time makes people forget.

What would happen depends on who the sitting President was.

If it was an intellectual President like Carter, we would hunt the terrorists but only on even days of the calender, like the gas rationing. We could negotiate with them the other days.

IF "CHIMPY" were President, there would be an even greater fervor and determination to root out the problem, and Dems would be screaming even more that Bush hasnt done enough, yet many of the things he implements, they claim are illegal. Hmmmmm

Dear, that's because many of the things he implements ARE illegal.

 

[1549]

Stick to baseball, you don't know dick about world politics's.:arabia:

I suppose you have the answer then?

Go to Israel. Ask an Israeli citizen if fighting fire with fire has stopped terror on their soil over the past fifty years.

Stick to insults...you don't seem to know much about world politics either