The Biggest Killer in American History

The song makes an allusion to edward teller, a member of the Manhatten Project and one person who has been considered the father of the atomic bomb. Not only was he imparative to its creation but also one very adament on its use on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He has been a great proponent for building ever bigger bombs since, especially during the nuclear escalations of the Cold War with Russia. He is a man of the school of thought that greater nuclear force means greater safety.

This allusion is very apparent but I don't think that Greg is suggesting that Nuclear Bombs in large or those that were dropped on Japan are the biggest killer in american history, though they certainly killed more people in two moments than anything other single action man kind has taken.

I think the lines: "we have got a problem it starts and ends right here, it can be defeated but you've gotta face your fear" are very literal in the sense that it is not some particular person or entitiy (i.e. stanglers, prowlers, bombers...commandos, etc..) but rather our own fears (individually and collectively) that are the biggest killer in American history. That we are not taught to face them, and so we submit to them creating a monster of our society.

Edward Teller is a man that is driven by fear to create greater fear in the hope that we can suppress threat.

Yes, the Edward Teller/ Nevada Lines of the song clear out the main point of the song, to understand it.

tying it to the H-bomb. You need to know Edward Teller was very imperative and infatuated when it came to the use of the Bomb, which was indeed his creation. like a power trip, in a perspective.

He was insistent on the use of the bomb on Japan. He highly supported the use of it.

and you have to look at the underlying factors... the bombs just tie the song together

The biggest killer in American history is rascim.

this is how the lines -

"business institutions, universities both are quite the circus when the killer wants his way"

-make sense-because these lines would be really random and off the subject if the killer was the bomb.

to ensure of this, see the lines

"most cannot remember minutia learned in school it's not there on the blackboard, it's what they don't tell you we have got a problem, it starts and ends right here it can be defeated but you've got to face your fear"

its widely iconic, especially back in the 50's and 60's that it was ambiguous for the first time how school children looked upon Race...

cuz by that time, the masses of adults were rascist and brought up that way, but it always was an uncertainty in school at the time. still is, less so now. Unity! almost not quite.

The fact the that Teller was a genius scientist .. is great and all... but that doesnt undermine what the impetus of desire was to be so insistent to proceed the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

which can be seen arbitrarily as rascism, through Tellers eyes, preconcieved judgments(rascism) along with intellect

Rascism is the biggest killer in American History. Not the case for the word as much as religion, and ist constituents being rascism.

Rascism caused the civil war

this song is a difficult riddle.

I Believe the right title for this song is "The Biggest killer in American history"

I believe you are right blenderhead...and it's an awesome song too!

I think this song is saying that religion is The Biggest Killer in American History because so many die/kill for their religions IMO.

Well, considering that the US government has invaded many countries I may suggest that there are MANY "The Biggest Killer in American History" since the end of World War II according to international laws (yes, in lowercase) due to the invasion of almost every country in the world. So it would be like every president since Truman to our behated Commander in Chief. I would like to know the exact date of the release of the album... but what if The Biggest Killer in American History could be about US government policy about nuclear weapons?

I don't know if this is about religion. If there were no religions in the world then there would still be war. The UAA and the AAA would still be fighting...those damn Otters.

Yes the correct title is "The Biggest Killer in American History". Referring to gambling.

"I think of Edward Teller and his moribund reprise then I look to Nevada and I can't believe my eyes"

And obviously Nevada is known around the world for Las Vegas, the gambling capitol of the world.

I think it's saying the biggest killer is anyone who justifies killing with God blessing the nation. This relates to the atomic bomb as how the bombings were done for country and justified as protecting it.

For me this song is about waging war out of fear:

The first verse is about that ordinary people become killers when they go to war. "veritas" is latin for truth, but I think he means "the american truth", as an "absolute truth" which just isnt tue.

The second verse is about all the social change a war brings with it. And as someone mentioned Edward Teller is one of the forefathers of the nuclear bomb. And havent they tested nuclear weapons in the nevada desert? (Moribund means "close to death" I think. So the line "I think of Edward Teller and his moribund reprise" means that the nuclear bomb was developed in the nick of time, or close to an american loss of the WWII.)

Third verse is about the fear part.

Im sorry for my bad english, it´s not my native language.