Very interesting read, especially after a few in here said "that there
was no cause for concern" etc. etc. It should be enough to make one
think and not just say "it won't happen here."
****************************


Sunday, March 29, 2009 4:23 PM

By: Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen Article Font Size



A sword of Damocles hangs over our heads. It is a real threat that has
been all but ignored.


On Feb. 3, Iran launched a “communications satellite” into orbit. At
this very moment, North Korea is threatening to do the same. The
ability to launch an alleged communications satellite belies a far
more frightening truth. A rocket that can carry a satellite into orbit
also can drop a nuclear warhead over any location on the planet in
less than 45 minutes.


Far too many timid or uninformed sources maintain that a single launch
of a missile poses no true threat to the United States, given our
retaliatory power.

A reality check is in order and must be discussed in response to such
an absurd claim: In fact, one small nuclear weapon, delivered by an
ICBM can destroy the United States by maximizing the effect of the
resultant electromagnetic pulse upon detonation.


An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a byproduct of detonating an atomic
bomb above the Earth’s atmosphere. When a nuclear weapon is detonated
in space, the gamma rays emitted trigger a massive electrical
disturbance in the upper atmosphere. Moving at the speed of light,
this overload will short out all electrical equipment, power grids and
delicate electronics on the Earth’s surface. In fact, it would take
only one to three weapons exploding above the continental United
States to wipe out our entire grid and transportation network. It
might take years to recover from, if ever.


This is not science fiction. If you doubt this, spend a short amount
of time skimming the Report of the Commission to Assess the Threat to
the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse Attack from April 2008.
You will come away sobered.


Even as the new administration plans to spend trillions on economic
bailouts, it has announced plans to reduce funding and downgrade
efforts for missile defense. Furthermore, the United States’
reluctance to invest in a modern and credible traditional nuclear
deterrent is a serious concern. What good will a bailout be if there
is no longer a nation to bail out?


Fifty years ago, it was not Sputnik itself that sent a dire chill of
warning around the world; it was the capability of the rocket that
launched Sputnik. The rocket that lofted Sputnik into orbit also could
have served as an ICBM.


Yet for all its rhetoric, the Soviet Union was essentially a rational
power that recognized the threat of mutual destruction and thus never
stepped to the edge.


The world is different today. Intercontinental range missiles tipped
with nuclear weapons in the hands of leaders driven by fanaticism,
leaders that support global terrorism, leaders that have made repeated
threats that they will seek our annihilation . . . can now at last
achieve that dream in a matter of minutes.


Those who claim that there is little to fear from Iran or North Korea
because “at best” they will have only one or two nuclear weapons
ignore the catastrophic level of threat we now face from just “a
couple” of nuclear weapons.


Again: One to three missiles tipped with nuclear weapons and armed to
detonate at a high altitude — to achieve the strongest EMP over the
greatest area of the United States — would create an EMP “overlay”
that triggers a continent-wide collapse of our entire electrical,
transportation, and communications infrastructure.


Within weeks after such an attack, tens of millions of Americans would
perish. The impact has been likened to a nationwide Hurricane Katrina.
Some studies estimate that 90 percent of all Americans might very well
die in the year after such an attack as our transportation, food
distribution, communications, public safety, law enforcement, and
medical infrastructures collapse.


We most likely would never recover from the blow.


Two things need to be done now and without delay:


1. Make clear in the strongest of terms that, if either Iran or North
Korea launches a rocket on a trajectory headed toward the territory of
the United States, we will shoot it down. The risk of not doing so is
beyond acceptable. And if they construe this as an act of war, so be
it, for they fired the first shot. The risk of sitting back for 30
minutes and praying it is not an EMP strike is beyond acceptable,
beyond rational on our part.


2. Funding for EMP defense must be a top national priority. To
downgrade or halt our missile defense program, which at last is
becoming viable after 25 years of research, would be an action of
criminal negligence.


Surely, with such a threat confronting us, a fair and open debate,
with full public access and the setting aside of partisan politics, is
in order. In the meantime, a policy must be stated today that we will
indeed shoot down any missile aimed towards the United States that is
fired by Iran or North Korea. America’s survival, your survival, and
your family’s survival might very well depend on it.


Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is a Senior Fellow at the American
Enterprise Institute. William Forstchen is the author of "One Second
After," an account of a town struggling to survive after an EMP weapon
is used against the United States.


[Editor’s Note: Get William Forstchen’s book depicting a nuclear EMP
attack, “One Second After” — Go here now.]










© 2009 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

On Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:55:53 -0700, BCBlazysusan wrote:

[snip]

One to three missiles tipped with nuclear weapons and armed to detonate
at a high altitude — to achieve the strongest EMP over the greatest area
of the United States — would create an EMP “overlay� that triggers a
continent-wide collapse of our entire electrical, transportation, and
communications infrastructure.

[snip]

Wow. This speculated damage would be so much worse than the more certain
threat of nuclear truck bomb attack in a major city. Yeah, why should
the bad guys settle for the sure thing devastation of hundreds of
thousands of casualties and the consequent economic damage when they
could gamble their meager nuclear arsenal in go-for-broke attack 100
miles over our heads?

[snip]


Some studies estimate that 90 percent of all Americans might very well
die in the year after such an attack as our transportation, food
distribution, communications, public safety, law enforcement, and
medical infrastructures collapse.

Or, as Br'er Rabbit said:

"Getting barbecued is a whole lot better than getting thrown in the briar
patch."

Frank Dresser

An EMP wouldn't knock out all of America, American electronics.

The Andy Griffith Show is on tv now.
cuhulin

On Apr 9, 11:40*am, Bob Dobbs wrote:
BC Blazy susan wrote:
By: Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen

Now those are a couple of credible scientific references
aren't they. ;-)

Ya know Blazy,
your grasping for sensationalism represents a fundamental flaw in the
large brained primates we've evolved into, that being a yearning to fill
that space with 'something', however implausible, and with rational
analysis requiring too much effort, it's way more expedient to go for
the glitz and glamor of some far fetched doomsday scenario.
Maybe that's' why there are so many fundamentalist religionists
hell bent on suicidal campaigns of self destruction.

--

Operator Bob
Echo Charlie 42

North Korea Missile Launch : The Obama-Regime's©
We Need An International Response . . .
.. . . waiting, Waiting. WAITING !

On Apr 10, 1:57*am, Bob Dobbs wrote:
Bushcrapgregg wrote:

I have never lost a night of sleep over it but it sure sounds like Bob
has, I mean, according to him.....it is a "Doomsday
Scenario."snicker

You're a lying sack of **** if you can't quote any better than that!
I'm not losing any sleep over someone else's (your) scenario.
Every twisted post you make only serves to convince me
you're not worth the trouble it takes to read it.
How about you just killfile me now you trolling fool

--

Operator Bob
Echo Charlie 42

A little testy there Bob. How am I lying? You were the one who
mentioned "Doomsday".......not me. Sheesh, get a grip.

Back in the mid-80's a debate team from Georgia State, in Atlanta,
spent an entire year researching debate arguments by thoroughly
combing the EMP literature. They had some interesting evidence that
one nuclear blast 100 miles above the surface of the US would
effectively disarm the entire US nuclear force by taking out
electronic components in both missile guidance systems and in the
electronics of the detonation systems. They ran a case arguing for the
unilateral nuclear disarmament of the US by deliberate air bursting a
nuke weapon. They also had evidence that US scientists have considered
the possibility of EMP air-bursts to prevent incoming nuclear weapons
(from the Soviet Union) from detonating when targeted at the US.
Supposedly much of the research on this is classified.

They were pretty successful with the case until other teams were able
to find evidence that both US and Soviet tactical planners had planned
for the possibility of EMP-led disarmament by maintaining small fleets
of nuclear-tipped ICBMs that had no solid state electronics in them.
At least through the mid-80's, both the US and Soviet Union maintained
small missile fleets that used vacuum tubes, which are much less
susceptible to EMP degradation. So, potentially, EMP could prevent
Doomsday.

In the late 70's and early 80's, the US conducted much testing of subs
pulling devices that produced an EMP without nuclear blasts. Though
the reseach effort has been documented and confirmed, the results
remain classified today.

Interesting topic, but I wonder why LazySuzy never posts about
shortwave.

Mike
Louisville, KY

Michael W. Bryant, the imbecile who once claimed to have a PhD, wrote:

Back in the mid-80's a debate team from Georgia State, in Atlanta,
spent an entire year researching debate arguments by thoroughly
combing the EMP literature.

That was far better than a debate team from Weber State, led by you, a PhDufus,
getting busted for smoking pot, wasn't it?

dxAce
Michigan
USA

And, as always, don't let your children attend Louisville Technical Institute.
They've hired at least one dufus who once claimed to have a PhD, and who knows,
there may be more dufi there.

On Apr 9, 5:11*pm, dave wrote:
Frank Dresser wrote:
On Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:55:53 -0700, BCBlazysusan wrote:

[snip]

One to three missiles tipped with nuclear weapons and armed to detonate
at a high altitude — to achieve the strongest EMP over the greatest area
of the United States — would create an EMP “overlay” that triggers a
continent-wide collapse of our entire electrical, transportation, and
communications infrastructure.

[snip]

Wow. *This speculated damage would be so much worse than the more certain
threat of nuclear truck bomb attack in a major city. *Yeah, why should
the bad guys settle for the sure thing devastation of hundreds of
thousands of casualties and the consequent economic damage when they
could gamble their meager nuclear arsenal in go-for-broke attack 100
miles over our heads?

[snip]

Some studies estimate that 90 percent of all Americans might very well
die in the year after such an attack as our transportation, food
distribution, communications, public safety, law enforcement, and
medical infrastructures collapse.

Or, as Br'er Rabbit said:

"Getting barbecued is a whole lot better than getting thrown in the briar
patch."

Frank Dresser

I don't think EMP is as big a deal as it used to be. *There is very
little capture area inside modern electronics.

- The bad guys do not have nuclear bombs, let alone missiles.

Dave so North Korea is one of the 'good-guys' - NOT !

"Bushcraftgregg" wrote in message
...
On Apr 9, 2:40 pm, Bob Dobbs wrote:
BC Blazy susan wrote:
By: Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen

Now those are a couple of credible scientific references
aren't they. ;-)

Ya know Blazy,
your grasping for sensationalism represents a fundamental flaw in the
large brained primates we've evolved into, that being a yearning to fill
that space with 'something', however implausible, and with rational
analysis requiring too much effort, it's way more expedient to go for
the glitz and glamor of some far fetched doomsday scenario.
Maybe that's' why there are so many fundamentalist religionists
hell bent on suicidal campaigns of self destruction.

--

Operator Bob
Echo Charlie 42

I'll add, strange to me that you would call that a "doomsday
scenario." Say worse case scenario and it would go down exactly like
the "ones in the know" or the "experts" say....not like Expert Echo
Charlie says.;-)

You think that is a doomsday scenario? Maybe it would be if you
weren't prepared. I have a 74 Pontiac Ventura, my first car, that
wouldn't be impacted by an EMP blast....if indeed it would affect
everything solid state like the "experts" say. So, I would still be
cruising while the SUV's and Hummers and Land Rovers etc. etc. would
be sitting in their driveway. I'd rather it not be my every day car,
but in that situation, no problemo here.

I'd still have four receivers that would not be impacted. I Have more
than enough food and more than enough water and the skills to handle
the food and water if I were to use up all my supplies (which I
doubt). I take it odd that you call that a doomsday scenario, maybe
for the ones that call it far fetched....lol....they would crap their
panties. ;-)


Back in the 70s I remember ads for EMP protected HF antennas in the
professional literature.

Twenty years ago I had a pair of solid-state EMP protected surplus RACAL HF
receivers rated for 5,000volts at the antenna input.

More recently I have been involved in developing Air Traffic Control systems
which were totally solid-state and EMP protected - one system survived two
direct lightning strikes that I witnessed.

And, I had the opportunity to tour a current generation warship a couple of
years ago and was struck by the EMP protection evident throughout the
vessel.

Solid state electronics and high energy pulse protection has come a long way
in the last half century.

Dave

On Apr 9, 10:23*pm, "Brenda Ann" wrote:
"Bushcraftgregg" wrote in message

...
LOL...that was funny Frank. I think I would rather do without electric
than being barbecued. I remember growing up I always thought (like
many kids I would guess) that a nuclear bomb being dropped and that
would be all she wrote.

That is far from the truth, now if you lived at grown zero or 20-30
miles it could make for a good movie. My hope would be that there
would be enough of a warning that even if one was headed to my town
that I'd have enough of a jump on it to get the heck out of there.
Hope it never happens in my lifetime, but I feel I am as prepared as
one could be.

The trip time for an ICBM from Europe/middle east to the US is between 15
and 30 minutes. *I doubt the government would bother to warn the public
about it since all it would do is cause panic and likely end up costing more
lives than just letting it be. You wouldn't have time to leave a city of any
size, let alone get out of the blast zone of an air burst nuke.

About all there would be to do is pray.

That's what I've often wondered Brenda Ann, is if they would even let
the people know. Out where I live, if the bomb was coming from the
east, I along with not many that live here in the village, would make
a bee line out to the state route that is a longgggg and I mean long
stretch of road (over a hundred+ miles). No curves, no hills, nothing.
In that scenario I would imagine anyone "in the knows" of what was
going to happen would be driving just about as fast as they could.

I know I could definitely cruise to at least a mile and a half per
minute, which if I had thirty minutes would give me and others quite a
good chance, real good chance.....and that is if the bomb literally
landed right smack on top of my village. If the bomb literally landed
on Cincinnati I feel I would be safe because Cincy is roughly 30-35
miles of me, a little drive down the road should keep me out of
danger.I just hope it never happens. ;-)