Newt Gingrich on D.C. Weather: 'Mild Taste of What an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) Attack Would Do'

The Weekly Standard ^

[Perdogg]

Newt Gingrich issued a warning, based on the destructive storms that hit the Washington, D.C. area over the weekend, on Twitter:

[from occupied ga]

I wonder how all those Volts are working out for everyone in DC right now

The 0.001% of the population who were dumb enough to buy them is up sh!t creek.

[spacejunkie2001]

ha! I have a 99 e320 and the sensor went out on mine too. It spent several months of cranking but not turning over. My guy switched out the sensor ($200 :)) and it hasn’t happened since!

[RFEngineer]

“Certain dirk bikes will survive EMPs. Not much else.”

Not true. EMP effects will be statistical in nature, and dependent on actual energy coupled to sensitive electronics. Everything will not be destroyed. Some things - probably, many things - possibly, everything - highly unlikely.

[napscoordinator]

Bolton is a good man and we would do well to heed his advice.

Maybe a good man but did not cut the UN, did not even combine departments or anything. No he sucked as UN Ambassador. Who cares if he agreed with the wars...lots of people did. He needed to do his job as UN Ambassador which for most conservatives means gutting the place.

[nascarnation]

Why are the electronics on a Volt presumed to be more vulnerable than other electronically controlled vehicles?

[Charles Martel]

Doing fantastic running on good ole American Gasoline.

I can just picture the big gasoline-powered generator, strapped to the roof of a Nissan Leaf.

[Charles H. (The_r0nin)]

Let me esssplain:

Much of DC (and other areas in VA) is without power from the recent storms (some places are not scheduled to be restored until Saturday).

The Volt runs on electricity.

There is no electricity in DC to charge the Volts.

The Volts won’t run.

See, so easy almost anyone can follow it!

[mkjessup]

He needed to do his job as UN Ambassador which for most conservatives means gutting the place.

Do tell, how Bolton was supposed to 'gut the place'. The fact is, Bolton's disdain for the U.N. was well known, and when even the communistic New York Times praises Bolton for his criticism of the U.N., specifically the human rights 'function' of that useless body, that speaks volumes.

You need to do some more research before you start slinging sh*t at Bolton, he did more to spotlight the flaws and wrongdoing at the U.N. than any recent predecessor.

Or, maybe you think that like Yosemite Sam, he should have just mined the building with TNT and 'blowed 'em up'?!?

As pleasing a visual as that would be (probably to Bolton as well), unfortunately things don't work like that in the real world (don't know about your world).

[napscoordinator]

Or, maybe you think that like Yosemite Sam, he should have just mined the building with TNT and ‘blowed ‘em up’?!?

In honesty I sorta hoped he did something similiar to this solution and I know it is not realistic and maybe he did do a lot but I guess I am not realistic on what he actually could cut during his tenure. I don’t know if I was being hard on Bolton but probably so.

[IMR 4350]

I think you’re right, I think it was something like 80%.

IIRC people living in the south east would do better than people in the north east. The study showed the NE would basically cease to exist.

[Adder]

Leafs are not...

[nascarnation]

But the Volt also has a 1.4 liter gas engine.

So it's able to operate on that as long as gasoline is available.

Is gasoline available there?

[from occupied ga]

I wasn’t referring to the electronics, but rather that the battery couldn’t be charged thus forcing the vehicle to run on its gas engine without any supplement from the power grid.

[Charles H. (The_r0nin)]

It requires power to pump gasoline... but that would make the Volt owners eeeeevil polluters... and isn’t the whole point of a Volt or Leaf to run the thing on electricity?

[nascarnation]

The Volt and Leaf are completely different.
The Leaf is battery only, like an electric golf cart.
The Volt is battery or gasoline, depending on what is available.

There might be times when gas is hard to get (I remember that from the Nixon and Carter years) and the electric propulsion would give you mobility.
Or times (like in Wash DC) where electricity is not available and you use gasoline.

[DNME]

From what I’ve read, Iran has reportedly tested missile launches from cargo ships, done in the Caspian Sea where our subs couldn’t monitor them. The “Scud in a Bucket” trick would allow them to launch from a few miles off our coast, so an ICBM wouldn’t be needed to reach effective EMP altitude.

They have also, from what I’ve heard, tested missile warhead detonations at the peak of their flight path, instead of near the ground. And their military journals have discussed EMP tactics and effects, so they are fully aware.

If Iran develops nukes small enough to carry on missiles, there could be some very bad days ahead for the civilized world.

[mkjessup]

In honesty I sorta hoped he did something similiar to this solution and I know it is not realistic and maybe he did do a lot but I guess I am not realistic on what he actually could cut during his tenure. I don’t know if I was being hard on Bolton but probably so.

I appreciate your candor. I won't lie and say that I wasn't dismayed when John Bolton got on board with Romney, but that's water over the dam now, I suppose in retrospect I look at it like this: if 'Rats in the Senate were so fearful and opposed to Bolton as U.N. Ambassador that they would filibuster him and force GWB to make a recess appointment, Bolton must have been doing something right.

[Farmer Dean]

I’ve been collecting ang restoring old John Deeres,the 2 cylinder models.We have a 730 diesel and an 830 diesel.Full mechanical injection systems on those,so we’re in good shape if an EMP hits.We could get a lot of farming done with these old machines if we had to.

[MinorityRepublican]

Lost power here in DC Metro Region. Now reading “One Second After”. A great read.

[Eye of Unk]

Those Volt owners should have bought the optional roof mounted emergency generator in case of trips fleeing cities in a firestorm, mass floodings or to flee states under duress of Obamataxcare.

Seriously electric car owners should have a backup, like a gas powered golf cart at the least.