Let's send him a note from the PDML thanking him for his actions. (I'm serious) If he doesn't have internet service (he's poor, right) we could send him something written. It sounds silly but it may make his day to think someone noticed.
On Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 11:13 AM, Bob Sullivan <[email protected]> wrote: > Dan, > He didn't do his job, thank God! > Regards, Bob S. > > On Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 9:27 AM, Daniel J. Matyola <[email protected]> > wrote: >> 27 years ago today, Petrov saved the world >> >> September 26, 2010 >> Written by Eliezer_Yudkowsky >> >> Today is September 26th, Petrov Day, celebrated to honor the deed of >> Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov on September 26th, 1983. Wherever you >> are, whatever you’re doing, take a minute to not destroy the world. >> >> The story begins on September 1st, 1983, when Soviet jet interceptors >> shot down a Korean Air Lines civilian airliner after the aircraft >> crossed into Soviet airspace and then, for reasons still unknown, >> failed to respond to radio hails. 269 passengers and crew died, >> including US Congressman Lawrence McDonald. Ronald Reagan called it >> “barbarism”, “inhuman brutality”, “a crime against humanity that must >> never be forgotten”. Note that this was already a very, very poor >> time for US/USSR relations. Andropov, the ailing Soviet leader, was >> half-convinced the US was planning a first strike. The KGB sent a >> flash message to its operatives warning them to prepare for possible >> nuclear war. >> >> On September 26th, 1983, Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Yevgrafovich >> Petrov was the officer on duty when the warning system reported a US >> missile launch. Petrov kept calm, suspecting a computer error. >> >> Then the system reported another US missile launch. >> >> And another, and another, and another. >> >> What had actually happened, investigators later determined, was >> sunlight on high-altitude clouds aligning with the satellite view on a >> US missile base. >> >> In the command post there were beeping signals, flashing lights, and >> officers screaming at people to remain calm. According to several >> accounts I’ve read, there was a large flashing screen from the >> automated computer system saying simply “START” (presumably in >> Russian). Afterward, when investigators asked Petrov why he hadn’t >> written everything down in the logbook, Petrov replied,”Because I had >> a phone in one hand and the intercom in the other, and I don’t have a >> third hand.” >> >> The policy of the Soviet Union called for launch on warning. The >> Soviet Union’s land radar could not detect missiles over the horizon, >> and waiting for positive identification would limit the response time >> to minutes. Petrov’s report would be relayed to his military >> superiors, who would decide whether to start a nuclear war. >> >> Petrov decided that, all else being equal, he would prefer not to >> destroy the world. He sent messages declaring the launch detection a >> false alarm, based solely on his personal belief that the US did not >> seem likely to start an attack using only five missiles. >> >> Petrov was first congratulated, then extensively interrogated, then >> reprimanded for failing to follow procedure. He resigned in poor >> health from the military several months later. According to >> Wikipedia, he is spending his retirement in relative poverty in the >> town of Fryazino, on a pension of $200/month. In 2004, the >> Association of World Citizens gave Petrov a trophy and $1000. There >> is also a movie scheduled for release in 2008, entitled The Red Button >> and the Man Who Saved the World. >> >> Maybe someday, the names of people who decide not to start nuclear >> wars will be as well known as the name of Britney Spears. Looking >> forward to such a time, when humankind has grown a little wiser, let >> us celebrate, in this moment, Petrov Day. >> >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> [email protected] >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >> follow the directions. > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. > -- Steve Desjardins -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
