MAD

Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., Feb. 3, 2014. U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Richard Graves, 576th Flight Test Squadron nuclear weapons team chief, checks the serial number of an Mk-12 re-entry vehicle. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Snyder/RELEASED)

My Congressman, Earl Blumenauer, has introduced a bill to reduce the amount of money we spend on nuclear weapons. It sounds like a good idea, although it is nowhere near the kind of reduction I would like to see. It's nice to see him making an effort. I wonder if he will have any success with it. I suspect not. Anyone who has been sucking at the Federal teat for as long as the nuclear power folks have been (70 years) is going to be emotionally attached to that money and can be expected to raise a god awful fuss if anyone dares to threaten it.

     I'm beginning to think that there is a minority of our population who are on board the USS Nuclear Juggernaut that is charging full steam ahead regardless of whether that direction is benefiting anyone. Well, the people who are on board are getting first class service, fancy dinners, clothes and shows. We'll see how well they like it when the ship sails off the edge of the world. The rest of the country is going on about their business, pretty much oblivious to whatever shenanigans are going on in D.C., but as long as they have the legal authority, the ability to levy taxes, and the armed forces to back them up, things aren't going to change.

P.S. I wish people would stop referring to our nation's capital as Washington. Washington is a state right next to Oregon, and every time someone says Washington I have to stop and figure out what they are talking about. It's usually D.C. It would probably be easier to get Washington state to change its name, but I don't see that happening, so I guess I should just shut up about it. I probably won't because it's like a stone in your shoe, it irritates with every step.

P.S. I just noticed that the caption calls the device "an Mk-12", not "a Mk-12", which means they are pronouncing it 'an em kay twelve', not 'a mark twelve'. Isn't Mk pretty much understood to be an abbreviation for Mark?