War With China Coming to a Magazine Near You

Hong Kong, China

Remember Popular Mechanics magazine? I remember picking up an issue as a kid, thinking it would have something I could build or create from junk lying around the house. Most of the time I just flipped through it. Or smiled at the magazine cover, happy that I had my own magazine but quickly bored by the contents. Until now.

Ever wonder what would happen if we went to war with China over Taiwan? Popular Mechanics wonders, and wonders twice, generating two war game scenarios. The first gives a dramatically plausible case for Chinese success, followed by a second rendering that gives a dubiously relaxed counter argument for U.S. success. The comments following tend view the possibility of China winning as ridiculous, with the ultimate outcome being our nuking of Beijing. (While, presumably and miraculously avoiding the counter nuking of Washington, New York and Sarah Palin's house).

Nowhere does anyone, in the written fantasy piece or the comments, examine whether the Chinese have a legitimate case for claiming Taiwan. I tend to think they do, and that losing a civil war does not allow the losing party to corner up geographically and claim home ownership. That means you, Nationalists, circa 1949.

In any case, and like most things, perceptions are probably wrong, and war between China and the United States is one of those events better left unexplored until the moon and Mars are brought online.

So if you have long ago built your backyard ice rink and are looking for something more philosophical to capture your imagination, check out "What a War Between China and the United States Would Look Like." Despite our own possible death from radiation drifting into Arizona from a defunct and nuked Los Angeles, we think it otherwise might make for really good television to die for.