Madman On the Button

I've mentioned before that I developed a nihilist approach to nuclear conflict growing up during the Cold War having existentialist discussions with my elementary school friends during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Hiroshima, 1945.

I've also mused what war with North Korea will look like.

If there’s going to be a war, it’s going to be in the region, not here in America. ~ Sen. Lindsey Graham

Basically, Seoul wiped from the face of the Earth (along with your Samsung product warranties), millions dead, and Russia possibly using the chaos to invade eastern Europe triggering World War III.


Retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey was on MSNBC last night and, while acknowledging the apocalyptic lose of human life, predicted a Korean War would last only six months.

Generals are always predicting wars will be short. Donald Rumsfeld said the Iraq War would last less than five months. Lincoln's Secretary of State thought the Civil War would be over in 60 days. World War I was supposed to be "over by Christmas."

The first Korean War lasted three years and ended in a draw. There were 140,000 American servicemen killed and wounded and 2.5 million civilian casualties.

If we have them [nukes], why can’t we use them? ~ Trump, 2016

Then there are the madmen holding the triggers, and by the day it is getting harder to know which of them is more insane. One or the other may order a nuclear attack because of rampant paranoia or just because his hemorrhoids are acting up.

Sometimes, accepting the pointlessness of existence makes sense.