This is something to be really corncerned about. Radioactive contaminations/detonations could make your Y2K prepardness efforts pretty worhtless. Read about the Y2K-readiness of US, Russian and Chinese nuke-computer systems at this link (and other factors):

(found at the Y2K today site)

Maybe time to plan a prolongued vacation in a non-NATO, non-COMMUNISTIC country. I live in Sweden (which is officially neutral) but don't feel to safe at this location (squeezed inbetween NATO-countires and russia). Any suggestions on were to go for vacation and the end of this year? Today Poland, Hungary and Tjekia joined NATO - another reason for russia to why not having some x-tra flashy fireworks at new year?

Any good suggestions? Or maybe time to start treating insects with greater respect - they are the really Y2K-prepard individuals.

Good luck to us all...

-- Marcus Sokolowski (Marcus.Sokolowski@imim.uu.se), March 12, 1999

Answers

I mean this link:

http://www.y2ktoday.com/modules/home/default.asp?id=1061

-- Marcus Sokolowski (Marcus.Sokolowski@imim.uu.se), March 12, 1999.

Go with the bugs! If the US, Russia, and China unload their nukes on each other, there will be no place safe from radiation. May I suggest Mars.

-- Scotty (BLehman202@aol.com), March 12, 1999.

Fire flies and glowworms. They must be left overs from a previous nuke war.

-- nowhere (nowhereman@nukem.com), March 12, 1999.

Let's see. Leading up to and during the Cuban Missle Crises the leaders had us gradeschool kids doing the Duck and Cover. I'm not sure if I can get to the local school in time now, and sure doubt if I can fit underneath a kids school desk. Talk about sympathetic magic! There we were, underneath desks, solomnly stiffeling giggles, with a 14 foot wall of windows running full length of the room.

This time I've got a 75 foot dry, stocked mine.

-- Mitchell Barnes (spanda@inreach.com), March 12, 1999.

Let me see if I get this straight - you think the Y2K bug will knock down banks, close supermarkets and generally blow off all technology depending on computers, right? BUT, somehow, instead of making it IMPOSSIBLE to launch a nuke, it will cause them to launch? Can you spell inconsistent?

Just to set your mind at ease here - there is ALWAYS a human in the launch loop. NO EXCEPTIONS. Take the old minuteman silos as an example - there were TWO firing officers present at all times, 24/7, and BOTH were needed to fire one missle. Behind them was a guard with a gun, just in case they both went nuts at the same time. Switches were locked with keys, and the keys had to be turned at the same time exactly - and one person can't stretch far enough to reach both switches. Without turning those switches - you can't fire the missle - not by accident, not by act of God. It can not happen. If those switches aren't turned, power cannot reach the firing relays. No power, no launch.

-- Paul Davis (davisp1953@yahoo.com), March 12, 1999.

Paul, I believe the reason y2k is so dangerous to our nukes is that it can affect our early warning devices causing a possible false warning. In other words, you have your two guys sitting at the desk with their keys. The computer freaks out because it received some garbled junk in its innards when the rollover occured. When all else fails, protect the homeland; it must be an incoming nuke! In comes a message at 12:01, 1/1/00 that someone's launched a nuke at us, must retaliate in kind, recommends a launch towards China/Russia/ICBM-armed country of your choice. No way to confirm the launch; our communication's down. Is it the Reds, trying to take advantage of our crippled post-y2k situation? Should we send over a nuke, just in case? We may not (or may; look at Clinton, the bomb-happy president) but the Russians or Chinese may. Get the picture?

Jeannie

-- jhollander (hollander@ij.net), March 12, 1999.

Which is exactly why there are going to be representatives of all the nuclear military forces gathered together on 12/31/2000 - so they can communicate with their respective forces from the firing areas of each countries missile control centers. (BTW - do you know where the Soviet launch system was designed?) That way they prevent even a slight chance of a serious mistake. And you can bet the com links are perfectly Y2K compliant - probably running 20 years ahead or something.

-- Paul Davis (davisp1953@yahoo.com), March 13, 1999.