] The destructive power of nuclear weapons is well known,
] but given the United States%u2019 continued reliance on
] them, it%u2019s worth remembering the danger they
] present. A 2000 report by the International Physicians
] for the Prevention of Nuclear War describes the likely
] effects of a single 1 megaton weapon%u2014dozens of which
] are contained in the Russian and U.S. inventories. At
] ground zero, the explosion creates a crater 300 feet deep
] and 1,200 feet in diameter. Within one second, the
] atmosphere itself ignites into a fireball more than a
] half-mile in diameter. The surface of the fireball
] radiates nearly three times the light and heat of a
] comparable area of the surface of the sun, extinguishing
] in seconds all life below and radiating outward at the
] speed of light, causing instantaneous severe burns to
] people within one to three miles. A blast wave of
] compressed air reaches a distance of three miles in about
] 12 seconds, flattening factories and commercial
] buildings. Debris carried by winds of 250 mph inflicts
] lethal injuries throughout the area. At least 50 percent
] of people in the area die immediately, prior to any
] injuries from radiation or the developing firestorm.

A extremely criticqal analysis of current US Nuclear weapon's policy, especially critical of Bush's plan to *increase* our theatre and tactical nuclear weapons.

And before you go a dismiss this as some liberal bed wetting NYT article, it was written by SecDef during the Cubian Mission Crisis, Robert S McNamara.

McNamara: Bush's nuclear policy... BAD!