Nuclear targets based on known defense, value of target, population, and military sites
Effects of a ONE megaton nuclear detonation
Posted on 07/06/2007 4:23:33 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Attack likely to exploit existing network of cross-border human, drug traffickers.
A nuclear terrorist attack on the U.S. is better than an even bet in the next 10 years, says a former assistant secretary of defense and author of a book on the subject.
"Based on current trends, a nuclear terrorist attack on the United States is more likely than not in the decade ahead," says Graham Allison, director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and author of "Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe."
Allison, who has testified before Congress on the subject, says the illicit economy for narcotics and illegal alien trafficking "has built up a vast infrastructure that terrorists could exploit" in delivering a nuclear weapon to its target in the U.S.
Al-Qaida, which has threatened to launch an "American Hiroshima" attack on the U.S., remains Allison's No. 1 suspect to pull off such a mission.
"Former CIA Director George J. Tenet wrote in his memoirs that al-Qaida's leadership has remained 'singularly focused on acquiring WMD' – weapons of mass destruction – and willing to 'pay whatever it would cost to get their hands on fissile material,'" Allison wrote in an opinion piece appearing in the Baltimore Sun prior to Independence Day.
Allison says there are several viable options open to terrorists determined to secure nuclear weapons.
"They could acquire an existing bomb from one of the nuclear weapons states or construct an elementary nuclear device from highly enriched uranium made by a state," he wrote. "Theft of a warhead or material would not be easy, but attempted thefts in Russia and elsewhere are not uncommon."
Allison says terrorists are capable of building their own nuclear weapons if they can simply secure the fissile material.
"Once a terrorist group acquires about 100 pounds of highly enriched uranium, it could conceivably use publicly available documents and items commercially obtainable in any technologically advanced country to construct a bomb such as the one dropped on Hiroshima," he states.
The threat is imminent, says Allison.
"If terrorists bought or stole a nuclear weapon in good working condition, they could explode it today," he explains. "If the weapon had a lock, detonation would be delayed for several days. If terrorists acquired 100 pounds of highly enriched uranium, they could have a working elementary nuclear bomb in less than a year."
WND first broke the story of Osama bin Laden's plans for a nuclear terrorist attack on multiple cities in the U.S.
President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and the 9/11 commission have all concluded a nuclear terrorist attack is not only the nation's No. 1 nightmare but also something of an inevitability at some time in the future.
Earlier this year, WND reported how the most extensive study of the effects of nuclear detonations in four major U.S. cities paints a grim picture of millions of deaths, overwhelmed hospitals and loss of command-and-control capability by government.
But the three-year study by researchers at the Center for Mass Destruction Defense at the University of Georgia says a concerted effort to teach civilians what to do in the event of a nuclear attack is the best – perhaps only – thing that could save an untold number of lives that will otherwise be needlessly lost.
"If a nuclear detonation were to occur in a downtown area, the picture would be bleak there," said Cham Dallas, director of the program and professor in the college of pharmacy. "But in urban areas farther from the detonation, there actually is quite a bit that we can do. In certain areas, it may be possible to turn the death rate from 90 percent in some burn populations to probably 20 or 30 percent – and those are very big differences – simply by being prepared well in advance."
Besides the fact that your recommendation will never be adopted by the USG, making the entire religion our enemy is counterproductive and will do absolutely nothing to address the problem of militant Islamic fundamentalism or forestall a nuclear attack against our cities.
“One with experience in such devices, the willingness to share it, and the proper disregard for human life in order for an attack of this type to occur, much less succeed.”
Try Pakistan who has done all of this except the actualy detonation itself.
“The US would figure out the culprits in short order. Whether the President would take the appropriate action is the only question. All must know that the price of nuking the US is too high to contemplate.
That price must be complete annihilation.”
So where do we nuke, the tribal regions of Pakistan? Great we kill some goat-herding tea drinkers with AK’s. Their whole country is expendable at least to the fanatics who are very quickly gaining control...
“It’s terrible to say, but it would almost be a relief. We could finally take the gloves off. At least, I hope that we would take the gloves off. If an end is ever to be put to Islamic terror, it will take something like this to precipitate the necessary force.”
It would not be any kind of relief friend. When it occurs, the entire economy will collapse. It’s hard to fight wars without money. The country would go under martial law and since so many of us work in service industries these days, starvation and mobs would quickly occur. I am sure our enemies overseas would not sit still either, considering we will be at our weakest and most vulnerable since the Revolutionary War.
Their choice is far more likely to be symbolic - hence the fascination with NYC and DC. Houston really doesn’t qualify there and neither, for the most part, would LA.
“Good point, especially when China starts putting more pressure on Taiwan once the 2008 Olympics are over and the US is in the middle of an election campaign. Early 2009 would give them a window opportunity with a new US administration. The only drawback would be the loss of US trade and the impact that would have on its economy.”
They will not need us after the Bejjing Olympics:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/IF22Dj02.html
China is putting their money into ‘super hedge funds’ and has almost entirely ceased investing in our economy by buying treasury bonds. We still give them the excess trade imbalance but we now get nothing in return except cheap Wal Mart goods and poisoned *hit.
“Had one of those 9-11 planes crashed into Wash. DC and killed a bunch of politicians,the attitude would have been a lot different. - tom”
The Pentagon was close enough and should have caused us to never even think about what to do:
1) Become energy independant, shut off their flow of cash
2) Sealed the border
3) Conduct vigorous profiling
4) Held the muslim community accountable by shutting down all Mosques until credible information was given to law enforcement.
5) Attacked Iran and destroyed the leadership.
We have done none of these things
It doesn't have to be publicly announced. Just pass the word along through diplomatic (and other) channels to the right sets of ears while maintaining complete deniability. Tell them to control their nutjobs or everyone pays the price.
George W. Bush certainly has credibility in this regard: the rational elements of the Islamic world have already noted that the destruction of two buildings in NYC led to the removal of two governments perceived as too supportive of the terrorists. Bush's payback had a huge, huge multiplier.
Demand a border fence! Build it NOW!! Beef up the border patrol and close our borders!
U.S. Senate switchboard: (202) 224-3121
U.S. House switchboard: (202) 225-3121
White House comments: (202) 456-1111
Find your House Rep.: http://www.house.gov/writerep
Find your US Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Toll free to the US Senate:
1-800-882-2005. (Spanish number)
1-800-417-7666. (English number)
Courtesy of a pro-amnesty group, no less!!
As long as we are their biggest customer, i.e., we buy 21% of their exports, they will need us more than we will need them.
Tell who exactly? How do you maintain deniability if you tell them? And what do you tell the American people? Do you think that we could keep that secret considering the number of people involved?
George W. Bush certainly has credibility in this regard: the rational elements of the Islamic world have already noted that the destruction of two buildings in NYC led to the removal of two governments perceived as too supportive of the terrorists. Bush's payback had a huge, huge multiplier.
Yeah, right. Since we have taken down those two state sponsors of terrorism, all attacks have stopped--not. Iran and Syria are providing training and sending arms and advisors to help the insurgents in Iraq, including AQ. When/if we have another major attack here, will you still be saying the same thing?
But they’d really scare the sheeple if they blew up Hollywood.
That would be “friendly fire”.
Tell who exactly? How do you maintain deniability if you tell them? And what do you tell the American people? Do you think that we could keep that secret considering the number of people involved?
Our govt has already done this. Damascus, Tehran, etc. have all been put on notice.
I can’t elaborate, but we HAVE put them on notice.
LOL.
West Coast for sure for fallout phobia post effect......large population , sea port as you state and where prevailing winds will do most damage to secondary large population centers.
I’d say San Diego with fallout pattern to Las Vegas NV and all points possible east of there if I was to SWAG the issue from here in the cheap seats !.........:o)
Well - what if the helping nation is.... China?
This country no longer has the moral courage to do something like that. I'm amazed that we can still find soldiers to fight for us. God bless the ones that do.
Nuclear targets based on known defense, value of target, population, and military sites
Effects of a ONE megaton nuclear detonation
If this does happen Mecca should become a pile of glass. And for kicks just blow up the Dome of the Rockl
jus’ ‘member
to judge the direction of the fallout cloud
and to drive perpendicular!
si.
that should put you in tijuana.
Interesting concept. I'm sure they have backup data center operations offsite, probably multiple sites, but key corporate personnel are something else.
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