Nukes in Minot

I am sure you recall last fall when a B-52 was loaded with 6 nukes and flew across country unaware of their payload's lethality. Well, apparently the boys at Minot were not so hot yet again. This is an interesting blog entry. Seems to me that the base commander would be on the ass of every person assigned to be on their best behavior. Is it just me or wouldn't you want to avoid getting your ass reamed? So, the security forces were apparently playing games on their cell phones while they should have been repelling a simulated attack. Maybe they were texting loved ones about their coming courtsmartials.

Considering the amount of security surrounding nukes in the Cold War, this comedy of errors is evidence of today's kids and their inability to appreciate the gravity of such things. I am not as scared of radiation as I once was (flashback to 1986, when Chernobyl had blown and rain across the US was said to be possibly somewhat radioactive. I was 12, but I recall being aware that it was a bad thing to be soaking in the rain at the time). I have a much better understanding of radiation and blast effects. I am not stupid, I know that any nuclear blast would be a bad thing. I simply am not over-worried about the prospects. Still, these are things best kept in controlled places. Part of the control is a security force that should be on the ball...apparently, we need to work on that. I would expect an all volunteer force to work better than it sometimes does. Maybe it is the group culture that has evolved in the modern US...who knows. I suppose we shall have to wait and see.