# What would be worse than blowing up the Taj Mahal? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 19, 2006, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342 "2006-08-19T14:27:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/41 "2006-08-20T15:26:42Z")
This story looks a bit suss to me anyway. Yes, Agra is in UP and Lucknow is UP’s adminstrative centre, but it’s at least 350km from one to the other. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/42 "2006-08-20T16:03:01Z")
[QUOTE=Duckster] [Yes](http://www.leavenworth.org/). [/QUOTE] That’s the one I thought of. And I, for one, would be beyond consolation if anyone blew that place up. I love Leavenworth and go a couple times a year. ☹ I think, for me, anyway, that the Taj Mahal would be the worst. Any of them would be horrific. ---
**Author:** ![Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Can_Handle_the_Truth)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/43 "2006-08-20T19:33:35Z")
[QUOTE=F. U. Shakespeare] I guess I’m the first person white-trash enough to nominate Graceland. [/QUOTE] That’s the _first_ place I wish they’d blow up. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/44 "2006-08-20T19:54:17Z")
Ack, the Agia Sophia has already been mentioned. It’s hard to overstate the importance of that church to the Orthodox. Since its loss to the Turks, it’s taken on a role in the Orthodox psyche almost analogous to the Jewish temple – its loss is still mourned, and various plans are still talked about as to how to get it back. The Orthodox have never relinquished their claim to it. If it were destroyed, it would definitely unify the Orthodox against Turkey, to the point of likely sparking a war between Greece and Turkey, causing severe unrest in the ME between Christians and Muslims, and possibly even getting Russia to start throwing its weight around in the region. It’d be sad to lose the [Golden Temple](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Temple). Luckily for it, though, doing anything to even damage it is an exceptionally poor idea, as Indira Gandhi found out. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/45 "2006-08-20T20:03:58Z")
[QUOTE=Can Handle the Truth] That’s the _first_ place I wish they’d blow up. [/QUOTE] I _almost_ ran off and started a new thread with that (stuff we wish they’d blow up) as a theme but decided that would smack of “wishing death” at least on places if not people. Not that the list in this thread might not serve to spark some interest by wannabe terrorniks, but at least it’s the flip side of the issue. But maybe we could “Brer Rabbit”\* the ones we really wouldn’t shed too many tears over. E.G., Please don’t blow up Graceland! \*Please don’t throw me in that briar patch. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/46 "2006-08-20T23:06:47Z")
So, no one has gotten around to nominating the Big Chicken? [Clucky-lucky-linky!](http://roadsidegeorgia.com/site/bigchicken.html) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/47 "2006-08-20T23:10:31Z")
[QUOTE=Evil Captor] So, no one has gotten around to nominating the Big Chicken? [Clucky-lucky-linky!](http://roadsidegeorgia.com/site/bigchicken.html) [/QUOTE] Oh, no! Horrors. Yankee Stadium first. Cape Canaveral. Johnson Space Flight Center. JPL. The Rose Bowl. But save the Chicken. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/48 "2006-08-22T00:44:41Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] Yahoo!'s news headlines yesterday had an item about somebody sending a letter saying there was a threat to blow up the Taj Mahal. I haven’t seen any follow-up reports, but that’s not the issue here. What other landmark would be even sadder to lose to some dickwad terrorist-vandal getting his or her jollies destroying something the rest of the world cherishes? Even if you don’t personally cherish the Taj Mahal, surely there’s something manmade or natural on the face of the earth that you would hate to see obliterated. Some choices: Eiffel Tower Empire State Building Golden Gate Bridge Great Wall of China St. Louis Arch Indianapolis Speedway Churchill Downs Leavenworth [/QUOTE] :eek: What!! No Big Ben? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/49 "2006-08-22T02:06:20Z")
[QUOTE=DMark] More serious is the Hoover Dam…lots of security currently, but blowing up that structure would have ramifications beyond belief. [/QUOTE] Boy would it ever. A big chunk of the American West would lose its electricity and water supply simultaneously. And restoring either would take quite a while. Las Vegas would become a ghost town. Perhaps permanently. Along those same lines, sabotaging the pipelines that supply Southern California with water could trigger a massive humanitarian crisis. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/50 "2006-08-22T06:07:01Z")
I agree with the earlier post about Hoover Dam, personally I think that will be the next to go. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/51 "2006-08-22T07:01:26Z")
Meh. We all have a mental picture of _Boulder_\* Dam and how tall it is. But at it’s base it is thicker than it is tall. The Twin Towers were matchsticks in the air compared to it. I can’t really think of a means to “take it out”. \*The heck with that particular egotistical prez… ---
**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:** [August 22, 2006, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/52 "2006-08-22T07:13:54Z")
Ceasar’s Palace. British Parliment Westminster Abby Big Ben ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/53 "2006-08-22T07:19:03Z")
And not to give the terrists any ideas… like they haven’t thought of ALL of these… State of the Union Address. Both houses of Congress, all of the cabinet, SCOTUS judges, dignitaries, all in one place. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/54 "2006-08-22T09:09:43Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] Some choices: St. Louis Arch Indianapolis Speedway Churchill Downs Leavenworth [/QUOTE] I didn’t even know about the Arch until a few months back; I knew there was a chance i’d be traveling to St Louis so I looked up some touristy info. Oh, nice arch, that’s cute. Never got to go to St Louis, pity. I assume the Indianapolis Speedway is in well, Indianapolis. May even be the racetrack? Since it’s the only thing people outside the US know Indianapolis for and well, it’s a “Speedway”. The rest, no idea where the heck they are or why you consider them significant. Mind you, my Philly coworkers were shocked when I told them 99% of Europeans have never heard of Liberty Bell and would be very surprised if it was blown up by terrorists. The Arc de Triomph might be a “better” terrorist target than the Eiffel Tower, being a celebration of imperialist power and all. The Tower is very famous but has no political significance. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/55 "2006-08-22T09:47:39Z")
Blowing up every single MacDonalds and KFC would be catastrophic. Wouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/56 "2006-08-22T10:10:38Z")
[Himeji Castle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Himeji_Castle_The_Keep_Towers.jpg) Not as well known as some of the other buildings mentioned, but in my opinion one of the most beautiful buildings on the planet. Losing this would be a tragedy. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/57 "2006-08-22T12:00:24Z")
[QUOTE=MadTheSwine] I agree with the earlier post about Hoover Dam, personally I think that will be the next to go. [/QUOTE] Fortunately, that’s quite hard to do. They could probably mess up the electrical generators without too much trouble, but actually breaching the dam would probably require a small nuke. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/58 "2006-08-22T16:12:52Z")
[QUOTE=Ranchoth] “Last I heard, there were 1._3_ billion pissed off Chinese…” [/QUOTE] ::::::Blank stare:::::: ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342/59 "2006-08-22T18:42:36Z")
[QUOTE=Rufus Xavier] I’m pretty sure the Indianapolis Speedway could be rebuilt in relatively short order. [/QUOTE] You may not realize just how many bleachers are involved, making it difficult to blowup and rebuild. [http://indymotorspeedway.com/500sit.htm#choose](http://indymotorspeedway.com/500sit.htm#choose) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-worse-than-blowing-up-the-taj-mahal/369342.md?page=2)