Posted on 09/06/2009 7:04:14 PM PDT by immadashell
I have just finished reading William R. Forstchen's new novel One Second After. Briefly, it is about the instantaneous breakdown of American way of life as the result of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) which disables the nation's electrical grid as well as all sophisticated electrical components in cars (they stop), planes (they crash), telecomunications of every sort, etc. leaving the population in a world similar to that of the Eighteenth Century. Shortages of every variety create societal strains, chaos, death and destruction in a matter of weeks and months. Forstchen's book (with a forward written by Newt Gingrich), while fiction, creates a scenario which can happen to us today, since the technology already exists. The possibility of this devastation has been largely ignored by our politicians and media, and, to a lesser extent, by the military. Only a very small proportion of our citizens has ever heard about EMP. Even fewer have taken measures to deal with it. Experts on the subject have no doubt about whether we will have to eventually face such an attack. They only question when it will occur.
After reading this book, my first thought was we spend billions (potentially trillions) of dollars preparing for a hypothetical calamity we are powerless over like global warming and yet ignore preparing for this ultimate weapon of asymmetrical warfare.
I highly recommend this very frightening but readable new book. It is science fiction (#1 on Amazon) today but could be reality One Second After.
Read it a couple months ago. Highly recommended.
That was a scary, scary book, especially for an insulin-dependent diabetic. I immediately starting researching propane refrigerators and found out that RVs have them. One thing, the author doesn’t know any women who garden - I fell over laughing when he wrote about searching out old women who still remembered the lost art of canning. That was about the only bright moment in the book.
Aw jeez, I couldn’t even remember the name of the movie!!
Major “King” Kong was the character, Slim Pickens was the actor...Dr. Strangelove was the title and a character....Stanly Kubric was the director.....
That says it all! The enemy is in The White House.
Thanks for the book recommendation! I’ll have to check it out.
The ICBM complex at Barshaw.
You beat me to it.
“the instantaneous breakdown of American way of life” started the minute Obammy was elected.
lol I’m 39...and I can can. (Not to be confused with the Can-can dance.)
Seems like it would be a lot easier to wake up and find the electricity out than to turn on the TV every morning and find what new damage the failure in chief is doing.
Well YEAH - I think most of us gardeners do. He just doesn’t know any. But that really was the only light moment in the book, and it was unintentional. Don’t read it at bedtime.
What in the wide wide world of sports is a going on here? Y’all dancin around like a bunch of Kansas City faggots.
You mean that Slim Pickens?
Thanks for the reminder. I heard the author interviewed on one of the radio talk shows...very knowledgeable guy.
Quick question: Is the damage done after an EMP permanent or temporary? That is is the car’s computer and circuity and alternator fried completely, or is it stunned and then resets and can be used again. What about computer circuitry?
Slim Pickens, I think.
I put that one on my wish list. Must see if I can find it cheap somewhere.
I read it. Scared me, but I recommend it.
I had a discussion with a guy I used to work with (well educated, liberal) about the importance of being a “prepper.”
He couldn’t understand why. I used the example of the electrical grid completely shutting down, grocery store refrigeration being down, hospitals with no electricity. I said it would be a survival situation, you’d need protection and food and water.
He said, no, no, no, because we are all so interdependent, we will all come together and we’d get over such a situation in no time.
All I could think was Katrina, though I didn’t bring it up.
I was amazed at the core difference between those who depend upon and look toward various forms of Collectivism for their survival and those who rely on themselves.
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