I think it’s relatively obvious that this isn’t the kind of thing that public representatives should carelessly spout off. However, what it really comes down to is this: If someone wants to start an uncontrolled fission reaction in a major US city, and the required materials are the size and weight of an overstuffed checked suitcase, what can we do to stop them?
How do you find that suitcase in New York City? Imagine this. Imagine that someone tells you that they have hidden a suitcase in New York, New York. They tell you it’s about 3 feet by 2 feet by 1 foot. Then they tell you that you have a week to find it. New York’s a pretty big and complex place.
Could you do it?
Could the NYPD do it?
What if they don’t tell you where it is? What if they just tell you it’s in a major city? Or, what if they don’t tell you at all?
What do you do when nobody finds it, and hundreds of blocks of one of the biggest cities in the world become a massive hole in the ground?
I don’t think the threat of nuking Mecca would help. Don’t think I’m suggesting that. It might even make it worse. The magnitude of the problem here is nigh on to insurmountable. I know that a lot of clever people… okay, a few clever people (at last check I had about 14 readers) read my blog. What would you suggest?