News Is the CIA Warning of an Attack in Exclusive 60 Minutes Interview?

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The discussion centers on the perceived threat of dirty bombs, particularly in the context of terrorism. It argues that dirty bombs are largely harmless, with minimal potential for fatalities and manageable radiation cleanup. The psychological impact of such an attack, however, could lead to widespread panic and significant economic disruption, especially in high-stakes areas like financial districts. The conversation also touches on the historical context of terrorist attacks, noting that the actual physical damage from events like 9/11 was less severe than the resulting psychological and economic fallout. Emphasis is placed on the importance of public education to mitigate fear and misunderstanding surrounding dirty bombs and other potential threats. Additionally, concerns are raised about the reliability of older nuclear devices, suggesting that many threats may be overstated due to maintenance issues.
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He speaks of a dirty bomb. As an expert he should have known that dirty bombs are almost harmless. At most the radiation can kill a handfull of people, although most likely no one will be killed. The radiation can also be cleaned up effectively.

I doubt Al Qaida would attack with a harmless weapon.
 
PIT2 said:
He speaks of a dirty bomb. As an expert he should have known that dirty bombs are almost harmless. At most the radiation can kill a handfull of people, although most likely no one will be killed. The radiation can also be cleaned up effectively.

I doubt Al Qaida would attack with a harmless weapon.


A dirty bomb would make people freak out because they don't understand it, and in a financial district would cause a lot of money in downtime. It would create terror.
 
Unfortunately, phatmonkey is right. The physical impact of attack on the WTC and the Pentagon wasn't nearly as severe as the psychological impact. 9/11 shouldn't have had nearly as severe an impact on the economy as it did.

Part of preparing and preventing terrorist attacks should be some education. Ideally, we wouldn't let the effect of a dirty bomb be amplified far beyond its physical capabilities.
 
There is also the chance that any nuclear device may not work. For example and as I understand it, many of the concerns about X-Soviet devices are reduced when the required maintenance is taken into account. For many years we worried about the suitcase bombs but these are almost certainly beyond their useful life.
 
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