MeisterEckhart wrote on Nov 4^th, 2023 at 7:58am:



Would you accept walking around all day with a loaded gun pointed at your head?

The fact that we still have nuclear weapons pointed at all of us
proves that our world leaders have failed us - miserably.

Bobby. wrote on Nov 4^th, 2023 at 8:16am:

Would you prefer that our outgroup enemies have all the weapons and we have none, or not enough, to match the threat?

MeisterEckhart wrote on Nov 4^th, 2023 at 8:18am:



Our leaders needed to find a solution.
Reagan was on the right path - trust but verify -
get rid of all nuclear weapons.
The problem has been - no trust.

Now that tensions are so high in the Middle East and Ukraine,  nuclear war is more likely.

https://edition.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-11-03-23...




Analysis by CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi

For weeks, Lebanon was preparing for war. People spoke about their backup plans in hushed tones. The government said it was putting together contingency supplies for the public’s basic necessities.

It all hinged on Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah’s thinking about the Hamas-Israel war, which he kept close to his chest before breaking his nearly month-long silence about October 7 on Friday.

In a fiery speech from an undisclosed location, the reclusive head of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group heaped praise on Hamas and hailed the war as a “turning point” in the Arab-Israeli conflict. He extolled the virtues of the weekslong cross-fire with Israel on Lebanon’s southern border, which he described as an “unprecedented battle.”

He also said Hezbollah would be "prepared for all scenarios,” and that any escalation by the Israeli army at the border would be a "historic folly" that would prompt a major response.

Yet for all the tough talk, Nasrallah was not banging war drums. He said Hezbollah’s “primary goal” was to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, and said it was incumbent on the US — which he held directly responsible for the bloodshed in the Palestinian enclave — to implement the cessation of hostilities.

What this tells us is that Nasrallah’s immediate plans do not include a broader conflict.

This may come as a disappointment to many in the Arab street. When the pro-Palestinian demonstrations washed over much of the region in recent weeks, many of the chants called on Nasrallah to go to war.

But it will be a relief to Israel’s Western allies, who fear a wider regional conflict and have repeatedly warned Nasrallah not to enter the fray. Two US aircraft carriers — including the nuclear-power USS Gerald Ford — were dispatched to the Mediterranean in an apparent bid to deter Hezbollah.

That relief will be shared by many in Lebanon. The tiny eastern Mediterranean country has barely recovered from the devastating economic crisis of 2019, and much of the population — while horrified by the soaring death toll and widespread destruction wrought by Israel’s offensive in Gaza — has been worn down by decades of war and crises.

Nasrallah may have been restrained by that popular sentiment, or he may have concluded, after weeks of deliberation, that his powerful paramilitary has too much to lose in a war with Israel.

MeisterEckhart wrote on Nov 4^th, 2023 at 8:29am:


Most people who live in liberal democracies do not expect to go through a war. But it is still sensible to maintain your ability to defend yourself.

freediver wrote on Nov 4^th, 2023 at 8:31am:



My belief is that arms races we see are a shocking waste of resources.
Why can't the world leaders meet and all decide to reduce their arms spending every year
until no country has the military power to destroy another country?

Bobby. wrote on Nov 4^th, 2023 at 8:34am:

I agree. Preparation for war comes at a gargantuan cost, which only reinforces that the human instinct for war not only permits that expenditure, it also values that preparation over any other single expenditure.