ISIS just stole 88 lbs of uranium from Iraq

[Certaindeaf]

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-ex...orist-groups-seized-nuclear-materials-2014-09

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[PiratePast40]

There's no word yet on the quality of the material so it's not a serious WMD threat at this point. However, it could certainly be used to cause panic and confusion. IMO, the more important issue is the hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars and the high tech weapons they have captured.

 

[JRuby]

It doesnt say that it is enriched meaning weapons grade. However they could still create a dirty bomb.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Yea, I hear you. If it were highly enriched, I doubt we'd be told of it when simple things are lied about.
Our Berkley California university (this was taken from a university) has had a nuclear reactor for quite some time but that's beside the point.

 

[JRuby]

You can create a mess with a reactor but doubtful if it could ever be used for/create a nuclear bomb out of it.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I don't know but it seemed that when I was going to college, there were a heck lot middle easterners taking nuclear engineering classes.

 

[JRuby]

So?

 

[Certaindeaf]

Exactly.. I guess in the long run we'll find out.

 

[Sstrand]

KABOOOM . . . Infidel!!!!!

Sheldon

 

[dlurvey]

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-ex...orist-groups-seized-nuclear-materials-2014-09

It wasn't from Iran, but Iraq. Surprised that no one picked up on that.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Yea, I saw that and thought I'd just leave it.. I don't think you can change titles but I'll either do that or within the body. ooh, I figured it out

 

[PiratePast40]

You can create a mess with a reactor but doubtful if it could ever be used for/create a nuclear bomb out of it.

Not true. The highly enriched fuel that Iraq had could be converted and harvested. Would take a bit of work and subterfuge, but not impossible. However, that particular grade of material was removed. Most under the supervision of the IAEA. However, there remains quite a bit of DU and other low grade of material. We can thank the gulf war for saving Israel the trouble of bombing the Iraqi facility a second time.

 

[JRuby]

Not true. The highly enriched fuel that Iraq had could be converted and harvested. Would take a bit of work and subterfuge, but not impossible. However, that particular grade of material was removed. Most under the supervision of the IAEA. However, there remains quite a bit of DU and other low grade of material. We can thank the gulf war for saving Israel the trouble of bombing the Iraqi facility a second time.

That highly enriched fuel could not be used in a reactor so I stand by statement. Now as you state that fuel could be enriched but by doing so it is no longer useable to run a reactor. A reactor cannot be made in a Nuclear bomb. It however can have dramatic environmental impact as seen at Chernobyl ( spelling ?).

 

[PiratePast40]

^^^ I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you. I happen to know the % of enrichment used in a certain reactor in Iraq. You're correct, a reactor cannot be turned into a bomb, however, after x amount of enrichment, and with the proper geometry and physics, that fissile material is considered weapons grade material. How do you think "fat man" was produced? Do you even have a clue what changes take place during the fission process?

 

[Redcap]

"Stole".

 

[JRuby]

^^^ I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you. I happen to know the % of enrichment used in a certain reactor in Iraq. You're correct, a reactor cannot be turned into a bomb, however, after x amount of enrichment, and with the proper geometry and physics, that fissile material is considered weapons grade material. How do you think "fat man" was produced? Do you even have a clue what changes take place during the fission process?

Good - dont want to argue either. Honestly I dont know what fissile is even after reading it so how about endowing us with your knowledge since you brought it up.

 

[JRuby]

Found this on Uranium
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/N...roduction/what-is-Uranium--How-Does-it-Work-/

 

[Certaindeaf]

I don't think they care.. as long some Great Satans are taken out.. just like 9-11

 

[mkwerx]

POTUS seems to be completely unconcerned with his buddies taking over the middle east from it's center outward. I think he WANTS ISIS to expand and take over the whole damn middle east. He's also afraid of looking like George Bush by launching a new invasion of Iraq, though I do find the dogma and political word play funny in a bad way. During the war, the loud mouths kept comparing it to Vietnam, though it was nothing like Vietnam other than Americans were fighting half way around the world. This new situation, however, does look like the beginnings of vietnam - a country in political shambles embroiled in what amounts to a civil war being fought for and backed by outside influence, and we send in "military advisors" aka Green Berets. First a few to start off with. I won't be surprised in the slightest if we have 10,000 troops headed back to Iraq by the end of August or September, and a steady ramp up. I also don't see this administration, or it's likely successor as having the will or the intelligence (smarts, not information) to prosecute the war to WIN it and not hamstring the warriors fighting it with stupid ROE and then stringing them up on charges whenever the other side cries foul.

Now until this latest development - them stealing materials to make a nasty dirty bomb - I was of the opinion that we need to get the hell out and let Iraq fend for themselves and let the middle east be the middle east. If a divided Iraq - or a dissolved Iraq is the end game and new states take over - so be it. We will never get these people to love each other and hold hands and sing songs together. Never going to happen. It is a foolhardy dream.

Barack Obama has already turned the US into a joke on the world stage and he will continue to do so. But now that ISIS has proven it's intent to obtain "weapons of mass destruction" (lets not forget the chemical weapons they've already obtained in Syria, you know that crap Iraq had that they moved out before Saddam was deposed, the same chemical weapons the US gave to him when we propped him up as our puppet decades ago to fight the Iranians with) - we need to destroy ISIS. Bomb them back to Allah and their virgins. Root them out and kill every one of them and anyone who supported them, or gave them aid and comfort. These aren't goat farmers running around some desolate hill side with delusions of destroying the Great Satan, these are real threats to the US and her allies.

I don't see Barry doing a damn thing though. In two years when this clown leaves office, the world will not be a thing like it is today and I hope to god this doesn't wind up with us actually being attacked on our soil again. We need to stomp this problem out while it's still all the way around the globe and not in our own back yard.

 

[PiratePast40]

The only thing that matters about the theft is hat the material that they have is not weapons grade. But that doesn't mean that it's without hazard. Spreading material among the general population or in a heavily congested area will certainly cost quite a bit in lost time and cleanup. There will most likely be a health risk to those handling large quantities without adequate controls. But for the general population, the biggest risks are fear, loss of productivity, cleanup costs, and the possibility of temporary relocation. If there is an up side, it's that there are hundreds of thousands of people around the world that are knowledgeable and active in working with radioactive material that can help with cleanup.