Trinity and Beyond

If you haven't seen this movie, then make a point to do so. Even if you're a fan of Nuclear Weapons, you should watch this movie.

I've heard a few people claim that the movie has a liberal bias. That's interesting. Somehow showing an endless stream of mushroom clouds is 'liberal'. Somehow anything shy of lavishing praise on thermonuclear weapons means you're liberal.

Seriously it's both awe-inspiring and informative. If you have a large television set it's even better.

The awe-inspiring part isn't the explosions which are stunning, but the extent of the testing. I remember watching the movie several years ago and being somewhat taken aback at the scope of what they were doing. I don't think a lot of people realize how out of control these experiments were until the Test Ban treaty was signed.

When you consider the lingering effects of the fallout from Chernobyl you have to wonder what did all these tests do to the planet during the 1950's and early 60's? That was a lot of radiation that was dumped into the atmosphere. Like it or not it's spread over the entirety of the Earth. What did it do to the soil and the atmosphere?

We also came very close to utilizing nuclear explosions as a method of propulsion for spacecraft. Well, I don't know how 'close' we came but they were seriously talking about propelling spacecraft by unleashing a chain of nuclear explosions.

These men were messing with powers and forces beyond their comprehension. They were like mad scientists. I'm surprised they didn't blow holes through the atmosphere.

Watching this movie makes you wonder if there's any point in worrying about Organic foods, chemicals or toxins. The earth has been infected with carcinogens on a planetary scale, delivered and dispersed through the atmosphere.

It was a Pandora's Box and there's no going back.

Some will already be familiar with the extent of the tests and maybe even with the film.

Like I said I saw it some years ago but I was reminded of it recently when I saw it listed on the Netflix livestream. I think I need to watch it again. I think you can even watch it on YouTube but it would definitely be more impressive to watch on a television screen.

I mention it because I know that many people just have no idea regarding the extent of the nuclear programme.

If it sounds boring, I assure you it's not. It's actually fairly riveting.

And the best part...it's narrated by William Shatner. Sadly he doesn't perform Rocket Man or Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, but it's still good to hear Kirk/TJ Hooker giving us the blow by blow. Love that guy.

It also reminded me of some lyrics from a song I used to like back in High School. I played it the other day and it made me wonder why in some cases it seems the lost are more thoughtful and introspective than many Christians I encounter. I thought about how during the early 2000's it became clear that the ostensibly Christian-influenced Bush administration wanted to start developing new types of nuclear weapons and speak of using them in tactical terms. It was frightening but supported zealously by many Christians.

Of course if you've looked into the use and legacy of Depleted Uranium then you'll find that in a way the United States has been utilizing low-grade nuclear weapons for a generation and the costs have been nothing less than a horrific and one of the greatest crimes of modern times. The notion that the son of George HW Bush and successor to Bill Clinton would speak to Iraq of Weapons of Mass Destruction strikes me as a tragic horrific and absurd joke.

Manhattan Project by Neil Peart

Imagine a time when it all began

In the dying days of a war

A weapon -- that would settle the score
Whoever found it first would be sure to do their worst --
They always had before...

Imagine a man where it all began

A scientist pacing the floor
In each nation -- always eager to explore
To build the best big stick
To turn the winning trick --
But this was something more...

The big bang -- took and shook the world

Shot down the rising sun
The end was begun -- it would hit everyone
When the chain reaction was done
The big shots -- try to hold it back
Fools try to wish it away
The hopeful depend on a world without end
Whatever the hopeless may say

Imagine a place where it all began

They gathered from across the land
To work in the secrecy of the desert sand
All of the brightest boys
To play with the biggest toys --
More than they bargained for...

Imagine a man when it all began

The pilot of "Enola Gay"
Flying out of the shockwave on that August day
All the powers that be, and the course of history,
Would be changed for evermore...