Tucson, AZ
I always thought I’d make a good executioner. By and large I don’t give a crap about the human race. I care even less about someone tried, convicted and sentenced by a jury of their peers.
Back in the good old days of nuclear detente I assumed those same inclinations would make me a good man to “push the button.” Having seen the Titan Missile Museum in Sahuarita, AZ I am forced to reconsider.
They take you down into the only remaining Titan II missile silo in the United States. They show you the missile, the various passages and tunnels, the multi-layered security to enter the installation, etc. Then, in the control room, the tour guide and one of your fellow tourists go through a launch sequence. It’s assumed the launch codes are entered, the target selected, the butterfly valve unlocked code entered. The launch keys are inserted and the countdown: 3-2-1, turn is completed. The console lights up. Batteries charging. Guidance loading. The lights go green. The klaxon sounds and within 30 minutes some Soviet town is erased off the face of the Earth.
It’s pretty sobering stuff. Not a thing I would want to participate in. It’s especially difficult to imagine that once those keys are turned, that’s it. Human control is removed. The missile is on its way and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it.
I am glad all that stuff was there when we needed it. I am even more happy we never needed it. And I hope we never do.