Who's afraid of the EMF bomb

[daepp]

Are we prepared at all for an atmospheric EMF blast? How long would it take to get America going again? And what's immune? Even our early 911 have transistors. What would it take to have an operating vehicle? Pre 19XX? Motorcycle with magneto? Am I just paranoid? Supposedly it doesn't even have to come all that close to it's target...

[nostatic]

bicycles and guns should work just fine

[masraum]

Books too.

Do you spend much time thinking about this? How about an large asteroid hurtling towards the earth?

Relax, don't waste too much time focusing on what could be, you might miss what is right now. Enjoy now!

[jeffgrant]

Originally Posted by nostatic

bicycles and guns should work just fine

Meh. Those of us in power will have rickshaws.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by jeffgrant

Meh. Those of us in power will have rickshaws.

yeah, but without the guns you won't have the power any more

[competentone]

I think it is normally designated as "EMP" -- Electro-magnetic-pulse -- weapons.

The effect is a risk from ground detonated nuclear weapons as well as nuclear weapons detonated in space. The ionizing radiation from fallout too would be pretty destructive to a lot of our modern electronics.

There are also non-nuclear EMP weapons.

It's not something I spend much time "worrying" about -- I'm more afraid of things like the gamma radiation, heat and blast effects from nukes -- but it is worrisome to think about how so much of our modern society would come to a grinding halt if some power could carry out a significant attack using EMP weapons.

I'm not sure how far back technologically one has to go to find electronics not affected by EMP, but do know that the Russians continued to use tube-based electronics in many of their aircraft because of its resistance to EMP. (Some used to laugh at the Russians for having such "primitive" electronics, not understanding the logic behind their use of tubes.)

I just searched on the term "emp shielding" and got this excellent article on the subject written by Duncan Long:

http://standeyo.com/News_Files/NBC/EMP.protection.html

[daepp]

I cannot say that I've stayed up late worrying about EMP (thanks) bombs. But I heard a guy on the radio discuss Iran's ability to do so - esp. now that they've demonstrated they can launch rockets into space.

[daepp]

"On a clear December morning in 2007 that we'll never forget, no one noticed the small freighter in the North Atlantic, or the small Scud missile it launched. In seconds, the missile climbed some 300 miles into the upper atmosphere.

When it was over Kansas, the onboard atomic device exploded-releasing an enormous pulse of high-energy electrons that waltzed with the Earth's magnetic field producing a radio frequency wave a million times stronger than anything ever produced on Earth. As the wave surged downward, darkness and silence marched across the American continent. The electrical grid overloaded and burned out. With ATM and credit cards worthless, the economy collapsed. All motor vehicles suddenly stalled, their electrical components fused, marooning motorists nationwide. Planes plunged, elevators froze mid-floor, phones died.

In seconds America had been "bombed back to the Stone Age" by some foreign Curtis LeMay.

This nightmare scenario emerges from chapter six of War Footing: 10 Steps America Must Take to Prevail in the War for the Free World by Frank J. Gaffney (Naval Institute Press, 2005). An electro-magnetic pulse-or EMP- caused by a specially designed nuclear device is "the biggest threat that no one talks about," Gaffney told me over lunch recently.

Could it happen? Gaffney cites a number of possibilities: Al Qaeda could equip a freighter to launch a short-range ballistic missile, scuds and nuclear warheads could be purchased from North Korea. As for the catastrophic effect, there is little doubt, according to the EMP Threat Commission, which was created by Congress in 2000. Its final report, released in 2004, warned exactly of the kind of attack cited above.

Scientists and military officials have long known about the dangers of EMP. In a 1962 test called "Starfish," the U.S. military detonated a nuclear device some 250 miles over Johnston Island in the Pacific. The EMP wave stretched 700 miles to Hawaii, knocking out street lights.

Nor is EMP a mystery to America's enemies. The EMP Threat Commission conducted a global survey of foreign scientific and military literature and learned that a number of America's rivals or enemies studied EMP. including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

Gaffney decries the Pentagon's lack of interest in the EMP threat. Still there may be good reasons for the Pentagon not to worry. Acquiring and maintaining a working nuclear weapon still seems out of the reach of terrorist groups. The real threat is rogue states. It is extremely unlikely a Scud could be launched from a ship-its highly unstable liquid propellant must be fueled immediately prior to launch, something that would be both difficult and dangerous to do at sea. To date, no nation has developed a nuclear device specially designed for EMP. And of course, even if the weapon succeeded in eliminating the entire electronic infrastructure of the continental United States (a big if), America's ability to retaliate from submarines and overseas bases is likely to deter any such attack from a rogue state.

Still Gaffney's book raises serious questions about EMP and other threats. War Footing is a fast-paced read-the ultimate briefing book for the concerned citizen."

© 2006 Human Events Publishing, Inc. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

[daepp]

What do we own that's immune - ie. besides bicycles and books???

[Heel n Toe]

In the TV show "Jericho," which began as several nukes popped off over most major U.S. cities, one of the main characters had a Plymouth Roadrunner, and it was explained that the reason it still ran after the EMP is because it was a pre-electronic ignition vehicle. Don't know if that's accurate/realistic or not.

[nostatic]

So we've got a neocon author of scare books and a tv show giving us technological guidance and dictating our day-to-day concerns and domestic preparedness policy.

I just hope you don't have peanut butter in your disaster kit...might have salmonella

[masraum]

Originally Posted by nostatic

So we've got a neocon author of scare books and a tv show giving us technological guidance and dictating our day-to-day concerns and domestic preparedness policy.

I just hope you don't have peanut butter in your disaster kit...might have salmonella

Hahahah

BTW, don't worry about the Peanut Butter, I hear that the most powerful man in the world is all over it.

[BGCarrera32]

Originally Posted by Heel n Toe

In the TV show "Jericho," which began as several nukes popped off over most major U.S. cities, one of the main characters had a Plymouth Roadrunner, and it was explained that the reason it still ran after the EMP is because it was a pre-electronic ignition vehicle. Don't know if that's accurate/realistic or not.

No. Plymouths don't generally run anyway so this was more of a fluke. The blast knocked the carb back into whack, giving a little extra choke so the car started for a change.

The TV show Dark Angel with Jessica Alba (circa 2000 ?) was based on an America post EMP blast that was set off by terrorists.

What do we own that's immune - ie. besides bicycles and books???

Nuclear submarines with the full strength of the US Navy.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by masraum

Hahahah

BTW, don't worry about the Peanut Butter, I hear that the most powerful man in the world is all over it.

tabs?!? Is he using a special spoon or something?

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by nostatic

So we've got a neocon author of scare books and a tv show giving us technological guidance and dictating our day-to-day concerns and domestic preparedness policy.

Am I misreading your cynicism as serious, or are you just making a stab at humor?

If it's the former, you should lighten up a bit... we're just shootin' the breeze.

Got any relevant scientific answers to daepp's questions?

[TimT]

How about after the EMP/EMF weapon disables your car... in the most simple an old clunker.... with kettering ignition..

Maybe build another coil? its not to hard to do.. wind some copper wire around iron bars..

[Hugh R]

I think I'm good to go, my 1930 motorcycle will be fine. The only wiring its got is the wire from the magneto to the spark plug. None of my guns has any electronics.

[vash]

some people would consider it refreshing.

isnt this what happened and "escape from new york"? i have gun, and there is a very old truck parked down the street.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by daepp

What do we own that's immune - ie. besides bicycles and books???

A horse, a six gun, and a Winchester Rifle...

[Rick Lee]

Uh oh. The red dot scope on my M4 might not last. Time to put those iron sights back on.