RE: Local political structure, you guys are right...my bad. As someone who does not have kids and travels a lot (and has for years) I have a limited connection to wherever I live. Usually, my political involvement is at a state level or above, working for RKBA. I do get involved locally on gun issues, but seldom for other things. Living in Boulder County — 50 square miles surrounded by reality, as the poster says — has its pluses and minuses. It is a spectacular place to live with outdoor recreation second to none; it is also a major fruit and nut enclave. The cell tower issue grated because it is a matter of life or death...the town is at the head of 17 miles of twisting mountain road through a canyon. Make a mistake driving, or have a heart attack at a bad time behind the wheel, and you have a choice of a rock wall or a drop into a fast-running mountain stream. If your accident happens in the middle of the canyon, especially at night, you have a 7 mile walk to be able to call for help. Happens every year.
I once popped the accelerator linkage on an old Land Cruiser of mine at Mile 8 one the way home on a cold, cold night. Of course, I had extra clothing layers, hiking boots and a SureFire, so I mostly got a unplanned hike up the hill. I was almost hit twice at narrow points where there was no place to get off the road...gotta love target fixation!
Anyhow, speaking of EMP, Rastus, I jst finished reading ONE SECOND AFTER by William Forstchen, a TEOTWAWKI book postulating an EMP strike against the United States and based on substantial military research on the subject. As stated in the afterword, a terrifying report on U.S. vulnerability to an EMP strike had the bad luck to be released on September 11, 2001 and was effectively lost in the subsequent coverage of the terrorist events...or am I now required to say man-made catastrophes? Anyhow, an EMP strike is an efficient and devastatingly effective way to use limited nukes...you don't have to have precision targeting or super-deluxe missile delivery systems...just enough to lob the nukes high enough over the central U.S. to get a maximum pulse effect.
It's a very well written, scary and ultimately profoundly depressing book, focusing on one small town in North Carolina (sort of like the late, lamented television series, Jericho, in that way). If you're having trouble staying awake all night, ONE SECOND LATER will solve that problem...
Thanks for the idea, Michael: I just now ordered One Second Later for my stepson's 21st B'Day next month. He's thoroughly wired, as are most kids in his generation, and I think the book would be a good jolt of anti-electrodes to awaken him to another view -- if he can still read...
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds like a really good reason to have a mechanical lock on your gun safe.
ReplyDeleteI've already read One Second After. It's one of the scariest books I've read in years.
ReplyDeleteEspecially given how little official Washington has done to stop Iran's and North Korea's nuclear programs and their development of delivery systems...and, as Fortschen's book notes, they don't really need satellite launch or ICBM technology to directly threaten the US or Europe.
Although the Norks and Iranians are working on those as well...
--Wes S.
I finished up "One Second Later" and besides giving me the heebee geebees, it is also the only book I have ever read that made my eyes tear up. I do think it cannot be highly recommended enough for people to read.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of the old internet book "Lights Out".
ReplyDeleteThanks, I'll jog over to the Amazon site and pick up a copy of One Second After. I was a big Jericho fan...oh, well.
ReplyDeleteCheck out the 13,500 watt 1,000 RPM Lister...$5,200 ++ (gotta cut back when TEOTWAWKI hits, 13.5kW is plenty) and you can use biodiesel which is involved but doable.
My point about the slow speed is they are easy to fix..buy some parts and you can run this one at 1/2 gallon an hour at around 6,500 watts continuous...which would be, at 6,500 watts, 100% flat out on the garden variety generators that most people own whilst using much, much more fuel with the gas units...plus you're supposed to change the oil every 24 hours on the gasoline units they sell down at the Home Depot & Lowes.
http://www.generatorsales.com/diesel_all11.asp?page=1
If I sell and build that new house this year I'll have one of those plus some spare parts and a 1,000 gallon agricultural diesel tank....nearly three months of continuous power at just under 1/2 load and more electricity than you really need....and it oughta run that long easy except for a couple of oil changes. Once you eat all your frozen food you won't need to run the generator as long (Which is a good reason to get a PROPANE refrigerator/freezer...low consumption and bullet proof reliability).
The only thing that would make it better...a DC generator and an inverter to make the power smoother...but that would add to the fuel consumption.
And don't forget the Siltronix 1011D and Drake TR-4...tubes, less susceptable to EMP and to dirty AC power....boat anchors will survive!
ReplyDeleteWhat about wind, or solar ? Most states require the power company to pay you for excess,plus, the fuel is FREE !
ReplyDeleteOr Methane ?
No Joke in parts of northern Asia run on home generated Methane. The basic Idea is to turn the rotting compost pile into a gas generator.
Tom Bogan
Haven't read One Second Later, But have read Brittle Power by Amory Lovins about 15 years ago. All 800or so pages. It's worth the read and it will scare you especially in todays world.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittle_Power
Almost forgot about Brittle Power. All the scarier because it's written by a scientist, but not as readable for some for lack of a fictional plot.
ReplyDelete