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."
“Like we did the Japanese after Pearl Harbor”
You betcha! We can pay guilt money later after we have separated the sheep from the goats!
When did the President tear down Clinton’s wall?
So for us not living near a big city, how do we survive the nuclear fallout? I’ve still got my duct tape and plastic sheeting. How do we prepare?
Would you also round-up black Muslims and put them into camps?
You mean the one Bush 41 began?
I’ve pretty much been a lifelong libertarian leaning Pubbie but I’m actually beginning to miss klintoon, Oval Office BJs and all.
Now his old lady is another story altogether...
Well some of us have much higher standards I guess.
How many RR tunnels are there in California? A GPS detonated conventional explosive inside a tunnel and it is closed for months. What happens to the economy when all tunnels are closed within minutes or hours of each other? Same with highway tunnels. Close them and watch the US economy tank.
Islamists really prefer to kill. If they wanted to cripple the infrastructure, they could take out power transmission towers in the boonies.
Google “Alameda Corridor” and explore some of the RR maps. I’ve driven over those mountains from SoCal to Vegas many times. Low hanging fruit.
In the case of Islamist ideologically based nuclear attack, we intern all believers of the ROP who will not renounce violence or turn over to authorities those who are actively working against the US. We can vet those who are not a threat and keep those who are. We’ll have the congressional hearing in a couple of decades and vote the reparations money for the internees later...after the Islamist threat has been neutralized with extreme predjudice! And yes it means Muslims of ANY race or background!
How do you implement that policy? Have 3 to 5 million people sign declarations that they renounce violence? How do you force them to turn over to authorities "those who are actively working against the US?" The devil is always in the details when making such sweeping platitudes about what needs to be done.
We’ll have the congressional hearing in a couple of decades and vote the reparations money for the internees later...after the Islamist threat has been neutralized with extreme predjudice! And yes it means Muslims of ANY race or background!
Totally unworkable and it would be fought tooth and nail by Congress and the courts, not to mention various special interest groups.
I believe this is the ultimate plan, government takeover.
In trying to guess which major cities might get targeted, look at the blue vs red areas of the electoral map. How could they avoid wiping out their own anti-war dem-buddies? That would be like shooting themselves in the foot. Ironically, my nephew actually did that once, didn’t hit any bones though.
China is building ‘super hedge funds’. To them, they will not need this revenue from us in 3-4 four years and I expect their true imperialistic intentions made clear. They also fund Al Queda and the PRC wrote the book Assymetrical Warfare that included flying hijjacked planes as flying bombs into commercial centers. These people are not our friends guy. Yes dollars keep hostile countries around longer, but look at Venezuala and Iran for example and oil. They are replacing us as customers and accelerating (at least Iran) attacks on our troops in Iraq and building the bomb.
“The problem the Pentagon had is the Commander in Chief immediately says Islam is a religion of peace. That stupid statement set the military back at least 4 years in addressing the problem. - Tom”
You got that right!
“I disagree. Given the complacency in DC these days I think life would go on as normal. The economy is not dependent on any one geographical area, even as potent an area as NYC, so the only danger “is fear itself”.
The government would quickly find a scapegoat (probably the wrong one) for the attack and announce they had everything under control. Most people would believe them.”
The total economic damage was estimated at 1 trillion dollars for 911 and that was 2 buildings. Investors, corporations would all pull their money out of the market instantly. It would be economic meltdown. Think of something else. If NYC was nuked, would you go out shopping for a new home or car immediately afterwards? No? Think about 200 million consumers doing the same exact thing...
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