# Grim Poll: Where do you want to be if the nukes fly? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 18, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190 "2009-06-18T16:17:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/13edae/32.png) [@Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interconnected_Series_of_Tubes)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/21 "2009-06-18T22:32:26Z")
Second one. I can think of a lot worse ways to die than being unknowingly and instantaneously vaporized. _Especially_ after the fallout begins to drift. ETA: I’m actually pretty surprised at the lack of ‘ground zero’ answers. Cheerful bunch, you guys! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/22 "2009-06-18T22:40:44Z")
Being in the U.K., and right next to an airport to boot, I’m pretty much toast so I’ll just pull out a good book and wait. Given sufficient warning, I’ll go to the coast and steal a sea-worthy boat. Make sure it’s fuelled and loaded with a few weeks of provisions (including water) and head out to the middle of the North Sea. Head back a few days after the bombs have stopped falling. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/23 "2009-06-18T22:46:14Z")
Vault 101. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/24 "2009-06-18T22:51:49Z")
I’m highly skeptical of N. Korea having the technology to hit us with an ICBM, but if they do, I’m pretty sure California is getting the bulk of their payload. So I’m pretty much boned. If I had my preferences, I’d rather be on the opposite end of the country than at Ground Zero. I don’t think it’s very likely, though. Nuclear deterrence has worked pretty well so far, and I think it’ll continue to work. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/25 "2009-06-18T23:28:35Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > In keeping with my new thread regarding N. Korea and nuclear war… > > Let’s say for some reason or another a big fat nuclear exchange occurs, not big enough to simply turn the planet to a dead rock, but big enough that life as we know it is radically altered for everyone on earth, even if you were not in any real strike areas. > > Would you want to be somewhere that didn’t get hit and navigate life in a world so radically damaged, or would you want to be Ground Zero and never know what hit you? Depends on how much time I have to get somewhere safe enough to ride out a couple of weeks. I live on the perifery of a Canadian Armed Forces base, 50 miles to the south is our largest city with a big enough airport for Bombers and tankers to divert too, and about several hours away from Norads northern command in North Bay. Add in , is this winter or summer, cause the power going out means no heat and I doubt all unesential traffic is not going to be allowed on the roads, even if by some means your able to get gas. The good news is that the days of an over abundance of weapons are history, if this is a russian strike. The chinese never had any real strategic deterence beyond enough to be concidered a threat to be honored. All they would really have is adapted artillery shells and gravity bomb. We should have ten days notice that a full court nuke shoot out is iminent, thats enough to make plans to ride it out or other options. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/26 "2009-06-19T00:31:00Z")
On the potty. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/27 "2009-06-19T02:29:46Z")
A bomb hitting Detroit would only improve the neighborhoods and downtown area. HItting the automobile plants …well…it would be an early demolition anyways. Hitting my garden…well…that would piss me off. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/28 "2009-06-19T03:37:21Z")
Either a) long since cremated, or b) soon to be so. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/29 "2009-06-19T03:43:09Z")
I’d like to be the only male judge at an underground cheer leader competition. Yea, Rah!! Go Team! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/30 "2009-06-19T04:10:50Z")
New Zealand would probably be the best bet. Stable democratic government. Out of the way. Not a strategic target. Self-sufficient in food. And I speak the language. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/31 "2009-06-19T05:08:48Z")
limited exchange, I’m willing to help. Big fat exchange, ground zero thank you very much. Although I would appeciate a 2 min warning ---
**Author:** ![AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/32 "2009-06-19T05:29:31Z")
> [@](#): > > Nuclear deterrence has worked pretty well so far, and I think it’ll continue to work. Yes. It’s only been since the early 90’s that nukes weren’t THE headline threat. We survived the Cold War…we’ll survive this…and perhaps the UN can send in some peacekeepers or someone will start a coup. ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/33 "2009-06-19T05:49:57Z")
Australia. I’m not ready to ditch this life yet. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/34 "2009-06-19T06:11:50Z")
Bah. Even if NK nukes Hawaii and California, we only lose what…3 PAC-10 teams? Somebody wake me up if they do something serious…like disrupt SEC football. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/35 "2009-06-19T07:45:14Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Bah. Even if NK nukes Hawaii and California, we only lose what…3 PAC-10 teams? Somebody wake me up if they do something serious…like disrupt SEC football. football’s the one with the pointy ball, right? ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/36 "2009-06-19T08:01:55Z")
I have thousands of bottlecaps at my disposal. I also have intimate knowledge of how to create all manner of alcoholic beverages. Assuming I’m not at a Ground Zero, let the nukes fly! > [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > Vault 101. You must be in the DC area. I’ll be in Vault 13. ---
**Author:** ![Ohime\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e8c25b/32.png) [@Ohime\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ohime_Rose)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/37 "2009-06-19T11:08:22Z")
Ima stay in some nice deserted island in the middle (and I mean the middle) of the Pacific with a nice luxury yacht and wait while the big angry countries bomb each other. But surely they’re not that stupid, to start a neuclear war… 0.0 ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/38 "2009-06-19T11:37:48Z")
Ground Zero. All my trials, Lord, soon be over. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/39 "2009-06-19T12:11:43Z")
I want to be killing Kim Jong-il where ever he is. ---
**Author:** ![ColonelDax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@ColonelDax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColonelDax)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190/40 "2009-06-19T14:15:43Z")
I first heard this as a joke about Belgium and have since heard it applied to Canada as well: “If there’s ever a nuclear war, I want to be in [country you wish to disparage] because everything happens 10 years later there.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grim-poll-where-do-you-want-to-be-if-the-nukes-fly/500190.md?page=3)