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Burroughs on nuclear weapons

Thou shalt not drop an atom bomb or shit one out in the first place. Yes, I'm talking to you Dr Robert Oppenheimer known as Oppie to his friends. If you've got an atom for a friend your only enemy is a dud. When Oppie heard the good news about Hiroshima he said: "Thank God it wasn't a dud." What God are you thanking for Hiroshima Oppenheimer? And Truman said, "God has given us the atom bomb and Eve will show us how to use it". Oh God!

It has to be remembered that on the occasion of the first atomic explosion at Alamogordo, New Mexico - that translates roughly as fat soul - so on this fat occasion Robert Oppenheimer the founding father entertained the possibility of a chain reaction that would ignite the atmosphere. "You're theorizing way over our heads Oppie" said the General - well there were a lot of Generals around - "And speaking for the Pentagon I don't like it."

Twenty years later Oppie still believed that nuclear fission would destroy the planet. "We are become death's shatterer of worlds" he said. He said it on TV and wiped a tear out the corner of his eye with one skinny finger - he was dying of cancer at the time. And various highly placed officials appeared to say, "It was a very difficult decision..." the decision to drop the atom bomb on Hiroshima. And I thought God defend us all from a difficult decision in the Pentagon. Nobody does more harm than folks that feel bad about doing it.