From: bear@kestrel.fsl.noaa.gov (Bear Giles)
Subject: Re: Chuck Missler and imminent Armageddon
Followup-To: sci.skeptic,alt.messianic
Organization: Forecast Systems Labs, NOAA, Boulder, CO USA
Distribution: world,local
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 03:25:41 GMT

(How many of these articles originate in alt.messianic?  I can only post
to sci.skeptic from work (although I correct the follow-up line) but if
the originators don't get my response I should move this newgroup back
to the University of Colorado...)

In article <28DEC199219414469@skyblu.ccit.arizona.edu> lippard@skyblu.ccit.arizona.edu (James J. Lippard) writes:
>
>3.  Russia, Syria, various north African nations, and Iran will soon
>invade/fire nuclear weapons at Israel.  Why soon?

Because everyone has always expected Jesus to return during their lifetime.
Based on what happened 1000 years ago, this is only going to get worse.


>4.  Iran has just bought four nuclear missiles from one of the former
>Soviet republics, and they have only a seven-year "shelf life."

There was a rumor that Iran had purchased nuclear warheads, but last I
heard that had been conclusively dismissed by the intelligence community.

Of course, this is something so black that _nobody_ will ever be told
the truth.  That doesn't mean that Iran bought the warheads, or that they
didn't.  It just means that we will never be able to prove either position.

BTW, I think the half-life of the tritium in a nuke is around 14 years.
Reduce the tritium and you'll reduce the fusion component of the blast,
but you will still have the fission component -- enough to level most cities.

(A thermonuclear weapon is a fission weapon surrounding a chamber containing
various light elements.  When the fission warhead goes off it compresses the
center, raising the temperature and pressure to the point where nuclear
fusion occurs.  That is why the timing on a thermonuclear warhead is so
critical -- if one side of the high-power explosives surrounding the
fissionable material goes off even microseconds before the other side,
the light elements in the center will be blown out of the side -- you
will still get a fission reaction (tens of kT), but not a fusion reaction
(1+ MT).  There's much more to it than that, but it relates to improving
the yield while reducing the material required).


>5.  Islam predates Mohammed; it is a Babylonian religion which aims
>at world domination and involves the worship of Satan.

"Islam predates Mohammed" is ludicrous.  How could it predate Mohammed
when its scripture describes the life of Mohammed?

"is a Babylonian religion" is meaningless.  It undoubtably contains
elements in common with some Babylonian religion, but most religions
have something in common with other religions.

"which aims at world domination" is calling the kettle black.  Currently
Christianity is ahead, but the birth rate in Moslem countries is higher
than Europe/North America....

"involves the worship of Satan" shows the predilection of the speaker.
To a fundamentalist, _any_ religion other than his own involves the
worship of Satan.


>Missler publishes a monthly "Personal Update" newsletter (Koinonia
>House, P.O. Box D, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816-0347),

Idaho.  Of course.


Bear Giles
bear@fsl.noaa.gov
Newsgroups: sci.skeptic,alt.messianic