[bigbob]

Of course they’re going to prepare for worst-case situations like this. A huge solar flare or EMP burst will knock out communications systems for a long time, and how long do you think it will take for those who are dependent on EBT cards to riot for food? Not to mention the rest of us if all the ATMs, credit card transfers, and the internet stop working.

So there’s a scenario that doesn’t require tinfoil hats or big brother paranoia that can explain this.

[txhurl]

DEFAULT has been whispered in the air for months.

[Old Sarge]

A huge solar flare or EMP burst will knock out communications systems for a long time, and how long do you think it will take for those who are dependent on EBT cards to riot for food?

History teaches us that, regarding the Gibsmedats, we will have only HOURS.

1965 - Los Angeles - the arrest of a young black man in Watts incites a crowd, which spawns a riot, within one hour of the arrest;
1968 - across America - the death of Martin Luther King touches off rioting in several cities within hours of the media broadcast;
1977 - New York - the grid goes offline at 9:30PM, the looting starts around 11PM;
1992 - Miami - Hurricane Andrew's winds haven't even died down before the malls are ransacked;
1992 - Los Angeles - the verdict is announced for the Rodney King Trial, and almost immediately, the city burns;
2005 - New Orleans - the looting started even before the storm made landfall;
2011 - London - a protest over a slain gangbanger turns violent and within four hours, Greater London descends into mayhem;
2012 - Long Island, NY - in the wake of Frankenstorm, enterprising looters dressed as powerline repairmen sneak past the martial law cordon and pillage, with 24 hours of the storm;
2013 - Oakland, CA - less than fifty minutes after the verdict in the Zimmerman Trial is announced, mass demonstrations "spontaneously" erupt, but in Oakland, fires and unrest break out...

Hours, people - not days, hours.