EMP could leave '9 out of 10 Americans dead'

WorldNetDaily ^ | May 3, 2010 | Joseph Farah

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

There is renewed alarm about the possibility of an EMP attack – electromagnetic pulse – on the United States because of Iran's work on a multi-stage Space Launch Vehicle, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

And experts forecast if such an attack were a success, it effectively could throw the U.S. back into an age of agriculture.

"Within a year of that attack, nine out of 10 Americans would be dead, because we can't support a population of the present size in urban centers and the like without electricity," said Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy. "And that is exactly what I believe the Iranians are working towards."

A recent launch of an SLV by Iran has sparked renewed concern of an attack that could send an electromagnetic pulse powerful enough to wipe out computer controls for systems on which society has come to rely, officials say.

As the G2 Bulletin reported last week, Ronald Burgess, director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, revealed that Iran successfully launched a multi-stage SLV, the Simorgh. The device ultimately could be equipped with a nuclear bomb, which the U.S. intelligence community assesses Iran is developing.

Officials also report Iran has been testing detonation of its nuclear-capable missiles by remote control while still in high-altitude flight...

[mad_as_he$$]

Ok I am an engineer and I do play one on the net. In the tests that happened in the US tube radios were in use by the military. I have searched high and low to find records that they were destroyed in the EMP from the blas. Can’t find any. Tube radios are one of the most fragile things ever made by man. Could EMP have effects in a small area - sure. But these guys make it sound like one nuke going off at 50,000 feet would bring the country to it;s knees. NO WAY!!! The EMP is subject ot the inverse square rule of wave propagation. It is half as strong at half the distance and so on.

[cripplecreek]

You better be a long long long way from any center of population or the locust will come and strip the area clean...

Actually most will die while waiting for rescue, many of the survivors of the first die off would die as they head for the next city. They will walk past miles of food in fields in their desire to reach the "safety" of a city they hope is in better shape. They'll walk straight down the interstate and never even consider getting off at some rural exit that leads to the small towns.

Rural folks will band together for defense and support. The urban survivors would likely be intelligent and resourceful, making them useful members of the rural communities.

[spectre]

People will die or be killed for what they have.

Those people who have CASH and are close enough to a store to buy food, meds, etc., will be very few and far between.

Credit and debit cards will be useless.

And even if I own a vintage car, how can I pump gas to fill the tank?

And on and on. Pray that (God Forbid) if this event happens, you and your family are within walking distance of each other or else there will be no way of getting home again or even communicate "location".

A bicycle is fine, till someone shoots you to get it.

Can you say "anarchy"?

[Constitution Day]

I absolutely loved that show. I wish the network had given them another season.

[wolfcreek]

You are right about our fancy electronics. In turn, I would worry about all the brain-dead people who live and breath via these toys. Many don't know how to live without them.

Their psyche will be entirely suspect after the EMP.

TG I've got 3 military trained children, a Wife I would trust to fight by my side and the experience to growing up hunting, fishing, building and planning.

[PA Engineer]

those of us who are prepared would likely be just fine hunting and gathering to survive.

There is a potential fallacy here. During the great depression, the deer were hunted to near extinction and took decades to recover. Something to think about when preparing the larder.

[puppypusher]

That’s great to have an older car but it’s not worth much if you can’t pump the gas from the underground storage tanks.

[classified]

What’s a pre-state solid ignition?

[shibumi]

"What may be true of the city seldom translates to the country very well."

It is my belief (and in some ways a perverse hope) that such an attack would see the end of Liberal culture (the AufgeblasenBlutegelBourgeoisieBurokraten) in the US, along with the return to the basic agrarian, proto-industrial society that gave birth to the nation.

Coupled with this would be the rise of a volunteer militia the likes of which the world has never seen, spelling the end of foreign invasion, whether Mexican, Muslim or those pesky Canucks who are always trying to sneak in over the Northern Border.

An invading Sino/Eurasian or Muslim army would learn to rue well the prophetic words of Isoroku Yamamoto.

[dfwgator]

Why would a tractor not work again?

Gasoline pumps don't work without electricity. As James Burke put it, you'd better have a plow lying around.

[classified]

Or a lot of full gasoline cans laying around....

[GonzoGOP]

"Within a year of that attack, nine out of 10 Americans would be dead, because we can't support a population of the present size in urban centers and the like without electricity," said Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy. "And that is exactly what I believe the Iranians are working towards."

If we haven't brought the system at least partially back on line after a year we deserve to die. The damage would be massive, but wouldn't kill 90% unless the 90% were Detroit and New Orleans level stupid. We may be urban Amish, but we wouldn't be dead. Most of the military equipment is EMP hardened. So they would be able to provide some emergency services right away.

[puppypusher]

This story sounds bad and it could be.It all depends on how much of our infrastructure has been previously hardend against EMP and
how long it would take to repair the damaged computer systems that run everything.

The government has known about EMP for decades,its nothing new so they should have had an ongoing plan to harden those facilities.

Let’s hope they’ve done that.

[halfright]

After trying to get Netflix malware outta my computer I hope netflix is the first one exposed to the the EMP. BASTARDS they are.

[cripplecreek]

Hunter gathering isn’t the most effective means of survival. Hunter gatherer societies are usually nomadic by necessity. Farming on the other hand supports larger numbers of people, leads to trade and technological advances.

[P8riot]

What’s a pre-state solid ignition?

Points and condensers. I've got a 1972 VW Bug. The only thing electronic on the whole car is the radio. No worries on that account, plus we grow 80 to 90% of our own food without the benefit of electronics too. My biggest worry would be folks trying to raid our crops, but they do so at their own risk.

[alarm rider]

BTTT

[metmom]

I think the 90% figure is a bit high, but they do have a point that something that disruptive would result in a lot of deaths.

[Le Chien Rouge]

EMP attack would absolutely devastate the production and distribution of food while shutting down much of the nations water supply.

Large scale farming and tractor trailers would probably be unable to function due to the many electronic devises within the engines. The older diesels might still work however.

Most people forget that grocery stores only have about a 24 hour supply of food.

Imagine an event like Katrina but with no rescue teams and no power.

10% survival rate is rather high in my opinion.

[mlocher]

This is a teaser story to sell subscriptions.