Every empire in history has fallen, but none had a nuclear arsenal.

[Cyrano]

Given what's taking place today, all we can hope for is that the madmen currently in charge of the American empire don't decide to take the rest of the world with them when they fall.

[xray s]

1. What about the USSR?

I think they qualified as an empire.

Maybe you should say "but none has ever used a nuclear weapon in war"

[patdem]

2. America DID use nuclear weapons in war...we did not call ourselves

an empire at the time..but we are the ONLY country who has ever used a nuclear weapon!

[xray s]

3. that's my point

[barb162]

4. We used it because we invented it and at a time when it probably

saved a lot of American lives. I suspect Americans at the time didn't object one bit to it being used...they were damned sick of the war by that time.

[Terran1212]

5. USSR was a crumbling political order -- I think quite different from USA

It will be different here.