ARMS-D-Request@MIT-MC.ARPA (Moderator) (12/05/85)
Arms-Discussion Digest Wednesday, December 4, 1985 6:38PM
Volume 5, Issue 44
Today's Topics:
exploiting misinformed opinion
Not a C-5 (Re: Smuggling bombs)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 4 Dec 85 10:59:40 PST (Wednesday)
From: Hoffman.es@Xerox.ARPA
Subject: exploiting misinformed opinion
Date: Tue, 3 Dec 85 14:51:08 EST
From: Jeff Miller AMSTE-TEI 4675 <jmiller@apg-1>
[In Arms-Discussion Digest, Volume 5, Issue 38]
And I will say again: if we don't find ways to counter the Soviets'
huge machine for exploiting misinformed opinion, we will find that
they have finally learned how to make the Western democracies' hang
themselves with their own rope.
J.Miller
I would say we have an equally huge machine exploiting misinformed
opinion: That's precisely what the Great Communicator is doing
full-time! (So are most other politicians, too.)
And I will say again: The ONLY way to counter such actions (whether by
us or by them) is with INFORMED opinions. That means more information
available to the public. That's why I feel that the old tactic of
"Don't worry. You can't know all the secret, classified information I
know. Trust me." CANNOT work, and, is indeed counter-productive, since
it creates all the more suspicion in people like me (and you, Jeff?) who
distrust misinformed or uninformed opinion. (Then, of course, such
suspicion and distrust is usually derided as "misinformed opinion" by
those of the opposite (misinformed?) opinion, and we're back where we
began.)
I would further say that the Soviets may be the ones to hang themselves
with their own rope -- their fear of information, communication, and
ideas continually hamstrings them.
--Rodney Hoffman
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 4 Dec 85 08:25:24 est
From: delftcc!sam@nyu.arpa
Subject: Not a C-5 (Re: Smuggling bombs)
From me:
> Suppose a small nuclear bomb were flown into the U.S. (This is surely
> easy, since C-5 cargo planes full of drugs come in regularly over the
> southern border.)
As several people have pointed out, C-5's are really huge. My mistake;
I had read about either C-3's or DC-3's. In either case, large enough
to carry a small nuclear bomb, as I understand it.
----
Sam Kendall allegra \
Delft Consulting Corp. seismo!cmcl2 ! delftcc!sam
(212) 243-8700 ihnp4 /
ARPA: delftcc!sam@nyu-cmcl2.ARPA
------------------------------
End of Arms-Discussion Digest
*****************************