I understand that it is a legitimate debate, and I don't claim to know everything about it.

My main problem is that other people seem to think that it is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO HAPPEN TO US SINCE GLOBAL COOLING!!!

the hysteria over it has always been my problem. I just feel we should focus more on something that we DO know is a major problem right now instead of something that is still in debate.

In a study done by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in April 1945, the figures of 7.45 casualties per 1,000 man-days and 1.78 fatalities per 1,000 man-days were developed. This implied that the two planned campaigns to conquer Japan would cost 1.6 million U.S. casualties, including 370,000 dead. In addition, millions of Japanese military and civilian casualties were expected.

According to the mass majority of figures done casualties would have been much larger on BOTH SIDES if we had invaded instead.

So... the bombings saved millions of more lives than an invasion would have.

Actually, in order to actually MAKE A DIFFERENCE in our effect on the environment would mean to eliminate ALL uses of carbon emissions. Eliminate ALL uses of paper and plastic. Eliminate ALL uses of any type of oil. Eliminate ALL uses of filtered water (because really, who needs clean water?).

In order for US to make a POSSIBLE difference, it would basically mean to eliminate most of everything that we use EVERY MINUTE.

Simply making hybrid cars and recycling won't do shit.

Not to mention that humans have been through much worse shit than POSSIBLE global warming. What we need to focus on is what we DO KNOW is true. We DID KNOW that Hitler was killing innocent Jews and political prisoners. To me, that's enough. But, unfortunately, the same attitude existed then that exists now "we don't need an unnecessary war". In fact, we didn't fight Hitler until we were attacked by the Japs. Just how we didn't fight Saddam until we were attacked by al-Qaeda. We knew that Saddam was threatening us with nuclear weapons and we knew that he mentioned plenty of times before that he was restarting his nuclear program, but we didn't pay much attention because it would have been considered an unnecessary war. Plus, all the citizens he murdered for shit reasons didn't matter enough either. What it took was an attack from a random enemy who's related somehow. We would have never fought Hitler were it not for Pearl Harbor... Whoa... off topic. But anyway, we knew the bad shit he WAS doing, so it doesn't relate to Global Warming, which still has many different theories.

that's interesting and all, but your mass extinction theory hasn't been proven to the point that WE'RE responsible for it or what direction it's actually going. after all, over the past 100 years the climate has gone up and down.

what we do know for sure is that the economy is currently fucked and needs some major patching up.

the environment can wait till later. or, until some new theory comes up (first global cooling, then global warming, in 20 years we can hope for global time rifts).

When one or two corporations go out of business, i'm totally cool with that. It's social Darwinism in a Capitalist world.

But when banks and health insurance companies are failing and the housing market plummets, millions of people are screwed over by that no matter what. We need to stop that NOW, and focus on environmental issues later.

about why the economy needs more help?

well, because there are millions of people in poverty and right now corporations are failing left and right...

that's probably why i feel that way.

that's a toughy. I don't give a fuck about Global Warming, but I do think that if we became energy independent it would make life so much easier.

It would also probably help our economy as well.

But since the other side says environment specifically, I find fixing the economy more important. Lets face it, it could always use MORE help. What we need is a Progressive Corporate Capitalist system. I know, the name is long but that's the only hybrid system that I could produce in my head that would WORK and continue our acceleration that Capitalism has successfully done for us so far.

We understood that there would be massive death, of course... that was the point.

Japan wasn't going to surrender if just SOME people died.

Actually, the incineration of the atmosphere was considered ALMOST impossible, but many scientists were still scared about it happening. Plus, they also felt it likely that the entire state of New Mexico would be destroyed.

Yeah, I forgot to say that it was the test where they thought the destruction would destroy the atmosphere. but they still weren't sure what would happen. and the effects afterward, they had no idea when they dropped it on Nagasaki. They figured there would be some fallout, but nothing like what ended up happening.

And they never even tested their initial bomb, Little Boy, which they just went with because they were pretty sure it would explode.

They didn't know what the results would be. Some even thought that it might blow a hole through the atmosphere.

But they did it anyway.

yeah, back when only America had it and no one knew what the hell it would do.

Now, everyone has them and knows exactly what they're capable of. Creating M.A.D.

Nuclear weapons have never been used because all the major nations have them.

When people like Mahmoud and Saddam are threatening to make nuclear weapons, it's hard to stop them when all we have a pea-shooters. Plus, many nations try to do it secretly. Imagine how fucked we'd all be if a nation created the only nuclear weapon (especially a lunatic like Kim Jong Il).