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WSJ: Mother of All Blackouts
Wall Street Journal | 8/12/2004 | Editorial

Posted on 08/12/2004 12:37:18 PM PDT by vajimbo

Edited on 09/08/2012 5:46:59 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]

Saturday marks the anniversary of the blackout that shut down much of the Northeast a year ago. Anyone who lived through that power outage remembers the annoyance of life without lights, air conditioning, TVs, computers and all the other electronic equipment on which a modern society depends. Now, imagine a blackout that lasts for months, or years.



TOPICS: Editorial; Russia; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: emp
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To: Bikers4Bush

Yes, that would be a very large thermonuclear device. It's not something that can be launched by a Scud. It would take a dedicated large ICBM.


41 posted on 08/13/2004 10:01:19 PM PDT by RightWhale (Withdraw from the 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty and establish property rights)
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To: diamond6

The US spent decades building up a force that could fight in a nuclear conflict.


42 posted on 08/14/2004 8:41:43 AM PDT by dr_who_2
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To: dr_who_2

People in Quebec lasted 40 days with absolutely no power, a few years back when they got hit by an ice storm.
I also glean the idea that Americans tend to think something else is looking out for them (much like anyone else on the planet, I gather).
I the event of a massive EMP burst, ie, a nuclear device going off in the atmosphere, you all tend to forget it will rip a huge hole in the ozone layer as well - frying everything. Forget electricity at that point - think of vegetation turning crips, lakes evaporating and rivers drying out.
Think bigger - the army won’t be looking out for you at that point - there is a whole population ready to go underground in a few military bases, and you have to ask yourself if your name’s on the survival list, at that point in time.
I know I’m not on a survivor list. But I do know how to live 40 days without anything electrical at all. I had kersoene, an indoor wood burning stove, and a hand cranked wooden stereo. I rocked.


43 posted on 12/23/2009 1:38:20 PM PST by NathanPaulPrince (emp, burst, canada, north, america, survival, underground, base)
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To: hennie pennie

*bookmark*


44 posted on 01/03/2010 1:26:54 PM PST by hennie pennie
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To: hennie pennie

bttt


45 posted on 01/03/2010 1:49:07 PM PST by Guenevere (....)
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To: NathanPaulPrince; Candor7; appalachian_dweller; JustPiper; MestaMachine
>>> "the event of a massive EMP burst, ie, a nuclear device going off in the atmosphere, you all tend to forget it will rip a huge hole in the ozone layer as well - frying everything. Forget electricity at that point - think of vegetation turning crips, lakes evaporating and rivers drying out. Think bigger - the army won't be looking out for you at that point - there is a whole population ready to go underground in a few military bases, and you have to ask yourself if your name's on the survival list, at that point in time.

I know I'm not on a survivor list. But I do know how to live 40 days without anything electrical at all. I had kersoene, an indoor wood burning stove, and a hand cranked wooden stereo. I rocked." <<<

*ping* ~~~ I never knew this about an EMP, thanks much for posting the info here.

46 posted on 01/03/2010 5:37:29 PM PST by hennie pennie
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To: hennie pennie

40 days?I am good for 18 months.By the end of that time, I will be in Canada on the Atlantic coast, kicking back with a few brewskies between episodes of fishing and hunting.


47 posted on 01/03/2010 6:07:54 PM PST by Candor7 ((The effective weapons Against Fascism are ridicule, derision , truth (.Member NRA))
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To: Travis McGee

It will start if you do not have a solid state ignition system or starter motor. If your deisel has a hand crank start option , you are good to go.

Pre 1970 vehicles with the old fashioned points systems would easily start although the resistors of the charging system might have to be replaced.


48 posted on 01/03/2010 6:12:21 PM PST by Candor7 ((The effective weapons Against Fascism are ridicule, derision , truth (.Member NRA))
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To: Candor7; appalachian_dweller; MestaMachine; JustPiper
Sounds like we're all going to be fried to a CRISP when the hole in the atmosphere lets in all the noxious radiation.

Evidentally, THAT is why the government & military intend to go deep UNDERGROUND in the event of an EMP.

NEVER heard of that, not ever.

Say, I found a long list of survivalaist fiction book titles over on this webpage:

http://www.survivalblog.com/survival_fiction/

49 posted on 01/03/2010 6:28:35 PM PST by hennie pennie
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To: hennie pennie

Buy a few rolls of lead sheathing and do a closet in it. You will only need it for 12 to 24 hours.


50 posted on 01/03/2010 7:06:45 PM PST by Candor7 ((The effective weapons Against Fascism are ridicule, derision , truth (.Member NRA))
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To: Candor7; blam; JustPiper; 1COUNTER-MORTER-68; MestaMachine; sonofstrangelove; SunkenCiv; decimon
>>> "Buy a few rolls of lead sheathing and do a closet in it. You will only need it for 12 to 24 hours." <<<<

Thanks, candor7.

But that wasn't really the point of my question.

IF that other poster was correct and an EMP would break open a dangerous hole in the upper atmosphere, so dangerous that the military and the D.C. Elite plan to be hunkered down safely DEEP UNDERGROUND........ and so many experts are SO worried about an EMP attack on the USA....

Well, then WHY hasn't the populace ever been told about that dangerous hole in the upper atmosphere.

Huh??????????

OR is the info about the dangerous solar & cosmic rays inaccurate?

51 posted on 01/04/2010 6:29:38 AM PST by hennie pennie
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To: NathanPaulPrince
>>>> "I the event of a massive EMP burst, ie, a nuclear device going off in the atmosphere, you all tend to forget it will rip a huge hole in the ozone layer as well - frying everything. Forget electricity at that point - think of vegetation turning crips, lakes evaporating and rivers drying out. Think bigger - the army won't be looking out for you at that point - there is a whole population ready to go underground in a few military bases, and you have to ask yourself if your name's on the survival list, at that point in time." <<<<

Hello, NathanPaulPrince.

Do you remember where you got this information which you posted in a 2004 messagethread?

Thanks.
HP

52 posted on 01/04/2010 6:33:13 AM PST by hennie pennie
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To: null and void
Here's the link to a list of popular survivalist fiction book titles:

http://www.survivalblog.com/survival_fiction/

53 posted on 01/27/2010 6:11:26 AM PST by hennie pennie
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To: dr_who_2

“the US would retaliate shortly afterwards”

HA ! Don’t count on it.....


54 posted on 02/23/2012 9:40:50 AM PST by traumer
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To: cripplecreek
carried me fine for that week

You better have a huge gas supply since the damage done to the grid by EMP would take months and maybe years to repair. If you use natural gas, the production and delivery system is controlled by electrical equipment. From what I've read, the civilian electrical system is totally unprepared for EMP.

Also, any electronic controls in your generator may be at risk. Even then, some of the things you want to run may be rendered useless, too.

It's a whole different ball game than a simple blackout. It's destruction of at least part of the system.

55 posted on 09/08/2012 5:30:15 AM PDT by Right Wing Assault (Dick Obama is more inexperienced now than he was before he was elected.)
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To: Bikers4Bush
buy old appliances, cars, motorcycles

They still need electrical energy and gas to run them. Both of those probably will not be available. If you have a large gasoline supply, you will be OK for a while.

56 posted on 09/08/2012 5:33:46 AM PDT by Right Wing Assault (Dick Obama is more inexperienced now than he was before he was elected.)
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To: vajimbo
This scenario keeps coming up. It is NOT something that is feasible for terrorists.

It would take multiple one-megaton H-bombs, detonated in space, to create EMP events that would cover the whole US. Only the Russians, maybe the Chinese, have that sort of capability, and neither would be looking forward to our response. We WOULD respond to a nuclear attack with nukes.

57 posted on 09/08/2012 5:42:24 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 (Charlie Daniels - Payback Time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWwTJj_nosI)
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To: eno_
Only Russia or China could even attempt it. And since no civilian casualties are an immediate result, what is the barrier to retaliation in kind? It's not like the Chinese do military logistics on abacuses anymore.

A real American president would let it be known that we would not "retaliate in kind". We would end the attacker's existence as a nation.

58 posted on 09/08/2012 5:48:45 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 (Charlie Daniels - Payback Time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWwTJj_nosI)
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To: cripplecreek
I have a 5,000 watt DeVillbiss generator that carried me fine for that week.

So, how big is your fuel supply, since online it says that a 7 gallon tank lasts for 10.8 hours. 168/10.8 (hours in a week) = 15.5 fill ups @$4 a gallon. That's better than $400 a week fuel cost, but storage is the real problem... IF YOUR POCKETS ARE THAT DEEP!


59 posted on 09/08/2012 5:59:12 AM PDT by WVKayaker (I'm more than happy to be Obama's "enemy of the week" - Sarah Palin)
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