At the height of the Cold War the nuclear missiles in South Dakota and five other states presented a paradox; while Soviet satellites had pinpointed their locations, American citizens were scarcely aware of the arsenal in their midst. Thirty years ago, concerned peace groups undertook the task of mapping the missile fields with the intention of sparking debate about the weapons stored there.
When first published by the Wisconsin-based organization Nukewatch in 1988, the book Nuclear Heartland provided the first publicly accessible maps and driving directions to each of the 1,000 Minuteman Missile silos located in six fields across the United States. This year, the group published a revised edition of the book, which includes information on the 1990s "Drawdown" of the missile fields in rural Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota, as well as detailed accounts of peace actions in the missile fields from 1958 to the present.
At 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 23, John LaForge—activist and co-editor of the revised edition of Nuclear Heartland—will speak at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site's visitor center about the work that he and others continue to do in fostering a dialogue about nuclear weapons.
"The original edition of Nuclear Heartlandwas released during a critical time at the end of the Cold War. This new edition serves as a reminder that nuclear weapons are still keeping a constant watch on the high plains," said Superintendent Eric Leonard.
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site's headquarters and visitor center is located off of exit 131, Interstate 90. The park consists of three sites along a fifteen mile stretch of Interstate 90 in Western South Dakota. Established by Congress in 1999, Minuteman Missile National Historic Site preserves components of the Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile system, interpreting the deterrent value of the land-based portion of America's nuclear defense during the Cold War era and commemorating the people and events associated with this recent period of American history.
Comments
So, the question goes begging: Is the "Bundy militia" that took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, who defaced federal property, and stole government vehicles, treasonous?
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/brian-levin-oregon-standoff-matters-a...
Of course they are, Kurt - no matter how clumsy a dolt is, he can still be a treasonous and dangeroius fool. They are armed and their avowed purpose is to overthrow the US government.
I don't know that it reaches the level of treason. No "aiding and abetting" the enemy. But, I don't approve of their methods.
That is a gross (and probably intentional) misrepresentation of their goals. A restoration of the Constituionally based US Government is far closer to the reality. But again, I don't agree with their methods nor with their view on the status of Federal Lands.
Everyone knew we had nukes. You could speak up without betraying your country and identifying where they were.
[added] And by the way, building a strong national defense is not government overreach. It is one of the responsibilities/powers actually granted by the Constitution.
@Kurt Repanshek - A well functioning democracy requires a well informed public. A free and open press is key to that. It's well known that official secrecy has been used to cover up embarrassing activities of our government. A free press can reveal such things, which can include a wasting of general funds. Some sectors of U.S. society feel that secrecy is essential and embarrassing activities of our government should remain hidden, especially from innocent children.
The activists, who published the missile map book were well aware that the Soviet Union already knew the location of each of the missile sites since they were easily visible on satellite images which most American citizens were largely unaware of at that time. U.S. government officials wanted the public to believe the sites were well hidden and invulnerable since the continued spending on these systems earned tends-of-billions of dollars for defense contractors.
Prior to reading the book I had come across several of the missile silos while driving the back roads in the northern central plains states. The surface facilities were obvious. I worked at an Air Force long range radar site during the Viet Nam war era. Those, who had made their career in the system had convinced themselves that they were doing something useful. On the other hand, I knew the system I worked with was quite obsolete and more of a tool to reassure the public that they were well defended. I was well aware that if the Soviets had launched their nuclear ICBMs at us our radar site would have turned into a massive blast crater long before the Soviet bombers got even close to the maximum detection range of our site. Sometimes it's better to think for ones-self than to accept the party-line reassurances.
Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction (WMD) no matter who possesses them. The U.S. strategy remains based on mutual assured destruction. That is a strategy of terror. Humans should not engage in threatening the continuance of life on this planet due to their ideological obsessions. We are supposed to be smart apes.
I greatly admired the book Nuclear Heartland. It revealed aspects of U.S. defense spending that few Americans were aware of. It helped guide me on about a two-decade quest to reveal more wasteful spending. Eventually, I ran across an obscure technical report which estimated that a partial clean-up, at the Nevada Test Site where 824 underground nuclear test explosions had been conducted, could cost $7.29-trillion. That was rejected due to several impracticalities, including cost.
Thank you Vernon, others and traveler for this informative discussion.
'That is a gross (and probably intentional) misrepresentation of their goals.'
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They are armed. They have stated many times in many similar words that they wish to overthrow at least some of the federal government.
Your next note is the revealing one, where you sympathize with these traitors' view.
A restoration of the Constituionally based US Government is far closer to the reality.
In their, and apparently your, view. Your denial about their methods is meaningless, given your expressed sympathy.