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Nuclear Armageddon is the most terrifying scenario humanity has ever faced.
It means ‘The End Time’, mass hysteria and whining. It is the plot of dystopian science fiction movies. It means that life as we know it ceases to exist.
Well then. Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning to a news report saying that President Joe Biden has been raising the prospect of a nuclear Armagedon.
Just an ordinary Thursday night, Joe?
He spoke to a closed-door fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee at the home of — of all people — Kathryn and James Murdoch, son of Rupert Murdoch of the media empire News Corporation.
The president reportedly said the risk of global destruction from nuclear war was the highest since “Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.”
You’ve got my attention!
That’s because, according to Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin (“a man” he knows “fairly well”) “wasn’t kidding when he talked about using tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons.”
Putin has rattled his nuclear saber before. But in recent days and weeks, as Russian forces in Ukraine have suffered more military setbacks and more evidence of public dissension in Russia, the Kremlin strongman has stepped up the rhetoric.
Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning to a news report saying that President Joe Biden has been raising the prospect of a nuclear Armagedon.
The talk of “tactical nuclear weapons” almost makes the prospect more realistic and alarming.
You can imagine how even a deranged maniac like Putin hesitates to destroy an entire city with an atomic bomb the size of Hiroshima. But if the nuclear blast could be more controlled and “tactical,” would Putin consider it?
Of course, that’s unthinkable for most, and Biden said that would certainly lead to catastrophe.
“I don’t think there is such a thing as the ability to easily… [use] a tactical nuclear weapon and not end with Armageddon,” he said.
Apparently, Biden believes that a cornered Putin is a more dangerous Putin, because the ex-KGB killer will not lose lightly.
“We’re trying to figure out: what is Putin’s exit?” Biden went ahead at a remarkable moment of revealing what highly sensitive national security deliberations should be in a public setting.
‘Where does he find a way out? Where does he end up where he loses not only face but also considerable power?’
That is a good question. I hope the White House has an answer to this. Or are you just working on it?
“We haven’t seen the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis,” he added.
Oh good. So, what the hell are ordinary Americans supposed to do?!
Of course, I’m not of the generation that grew up facing the threat of nuclear war — but we’ve all seen the pictures: kids doing emergency drills, huddled under desks at school, and air-raid shelters built in suburban backyards.
Are we going there?
I am six months pregnant and have a two year old child.
According to Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin (“a man” he knows “fairly well”) “was not kidding when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons.”
One of the first things that came to mind this morning was a scene from the HBO show Chernobyl in which a man exposed to radiation touches his pregnant wife’s belly. Ultimately, the baby dies from radiation exposure.
Admittedly, this may be a dramatic response on my part, but excuse me if the threat of a potential nuclear holocaust causes me fear and anxiety.
I’m angry too. How could he be so generous?
In Kiev, the government is distributing potassium iodine pills to evacuation centers in preparation for a possible Russian nuclear attack on Ukraine’s capital.
Potassium iodine pills help block the absorption of radiation by the thyroid when taken just before or immediately after exposure to nuclear fallout.
Sorry if that doesn’t make me feel better.
Is the president proposing that we fill our medicine cabinets in America too?
Reportedly, some Americans are already buying in panic, with one manufacturer selling $14 pills as identical products sell for $149 on eBay.
The White House better have some answers and fast, because the president scares people.
However, Biden may be talking nonsense again. That is always possible with him.
It’s not that Putin hasn’t tried to terrify the world before. He is, after all, a trained Russian agent, specializing in psychological warfare.
So why is President Biden now raising the specter of global nuclear destruction? Did he feel loose in a more casual setting with billionaire supporters? Was he more likely to warn his elite friends of the world’s impending doom than anyone else?
Or was our Commander in Chief, known for his hubris and exaggeration, the threat?
It’s hard to know with Joe.
You may not be surprised to learn that Biden’s comments are a departure from the official statements of White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Apparently, Biden believes that a cornered Putin is a more dangerous Putin, because the ex-KGB killer will not lose lightly.
“We have seen no reason to change our own strategic nuclear stance, nor do we have any indication that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons in the near term,” she said on Tuesday.
So, what exactly has changed in two days? Exactly nothing.
During a brief briefing with reporters on Friday, Jean-Pierre said there is no information that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons “soon”.
Biden is known for his gaffes and outlandish comments, but this one can really take the cake.
This is a prime example of why it’s so dangerous and upsetting to have a president whose words you can’t trust (and yes, that includes President Donald Trump).
Biden’s loose lips only make this nuclear fear worse.
On Friday, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin was asked about a possible ‘off-ramp’ for Russia to end the war in Ukraine and her simple answer was: ‘The way out of the conflict is for Russia to leave Ukraine.’ Then she quietly walked away from the press.
Perhaps Biden can take a note from her script before going straight to “the end is nigh, prepare your air raid shelters.”
Biden is deliberately and unnecessarily scaring America and the world — or he does it unintentionally. Whatever happens, both scenarios are terrifying.