Is This A Threat? (Wth addendum from AOW)

North Korea Openly Threatens EMP Attack On U.S. For First Time Ever

Because it sure sounds like a threat.

And I remember Mattis said "Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming."

So, is Trump going to get off his ass and do something now?

Or was his threat, also, just an empty, idle, hipster, LOSER threat?

What the fuck kind of country is this "Make America Great Again"?

ADDENDUM BY AOW

Please read Attack Would Send America into a Dark Age (dated September 2009). Excerpt:

In a matter of seconds, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack or a geomagnetic storm would set America back to the 14th century, Gale Nordling, president of a company that protects against such a catastrophe, tells Newsmax.

An EMP attack occurs when a nuclear bomb explodes in the atmosphere. The electromagnetic pulse generated by the blast fries all electronics in line of sight. EMP was first detected after the detonation of the Starfish Prime nuclear test on July 9, 1962. While the explosion occurred near Johnston Island in the Pacific Ocean and was not designed to be an EMP blast, it blew out street lamps, television sets, and telephone communications in Hawaii nearly 1,000 miles away.

A single nuclear bomb exploded over the Midwest would generate an electromagnetic pulse that would destroy the chips that are at the heart of every electronic device. While military and intelligence networks may be shielded against EMP, the rest of the country’s technological infrastructure is not.

[...]

“Water treatment facilities, food storage facilities, everything would be gone,” Nordling says. “Financial records would be wiped out. Your investments would be gone. Your medical records and prescriptions would be zapped.”

Forget about your computer and the Internet, heating and air conditioning, supermarkets, telephones, and radio and television. Banks and ATMs would shut down, credit cards would become useless, and hospital operating rooms would close.

While vehicles made before 1970 might still work, they would be useless. That’s because gasoline could not be obtained, and newer cars and trucks, disabled by the pulse, would block the roads and highways. In most cases, the damage to chips would be permanent. Because tow trucks would not operate, cars would never be cleared from roads.

The vast majority of Americans would die from starvation or disease or would freeze to death...

Read the rest HERE.

Hyperbole?

Is the above-cited article from Newsmax no longer applicable?

Maybe a commenter with knowledge of EMP could clue us in.

How To Protect Your Electronics From An EMP Attack

From the Preparedness Pro:

Faraday Cages
By Kellene Bishop

Faraday Cage c/o jeddaniels.com

We’ve established that an EMP incident will fry all electronics. This occurs whether or not they are plugged in or turned on. This also affects automobiles, batteries, computers, medical equipment, etc. Needless to say, in such an instance, life as we know it will change dramatically. Even more distressing is the fact that the strike of an EMP is not likely to give any warning. You don’t see it. You don’t feel it. You are simply left with the sudden consequences and whatever preparedness you have on hand. So, other than your preparedness supplies, your new best friend may be a Faraday cage. In fact, with the knowledge of the protection that a Faraday cage can provide you, you may be able to enjoy nearly as comfortable a lifestyle as you did prior to any electromagnetic pulse.

While being mentally prepared to live in the Stone Age may be helpful, it’s not necessary. Aren’t you glad?

First of all, allow me to dispel some myths about Faraday cages—and boy, howdy, there are a LOT of them.

• Whether or not your electronics are plugged in, how long of an antenna you’ve got on something, what voltage it is, or whether or not they operate with batteries—all non-protected electronics will be affected by an EMP.
• Batteries will be affected, usually in the form of “shorting” as well.
• Electronic phone systems will also be damaged.
• Surge protectors are useless in the event of an EMP exposure.
• Just because your car has rubber tires, it will not be impervious to the effects of an EMP. Rubber containers are insufficient protection against an EMP.
• And oh yeah—yes, your Faraday cages DO need to be grounded. If it’s NOT grounded, then the Faraday cage merely becomes a reflector or an amplifier.
• Yes, a microwave can act as a Faraday cage, but why in the world would you want to use it for that? That’s just silly when you can make one simply.
• Faraday cages do not have to be solid, thus the name “cage” instead of the oft misused term—“box.” In fact, many of them that you can build yourself or will see on the internet will resemble a bird cage or a very finely meshed chicken coop wire.
  

  Copper Mesh photo c/o twpinc.com

• Also, contrary to what you may see on the internet, a sheet of foil on a box will not protect you. It’s not thick enough to withstand the pulse. However, you CAN protect your items if they are buried a couple of feet underground in every direction (up and sideways.)
• Last, but not least, a car is NOT a Faraday cage sufficient to withstand an EMP incident. It has some similar components, yes. Most cars made today consist of fiberglass and disjointed parts, not a continuous metal material. In addition to that, they are on tires. Tires on a car do NOT serve as grounding. Folks are simply getting an EMP strike confused with a lightening strike. Now, IF you had an old fashioned car that was made of metal, that had its tires removed, that was also attached to an Iron or copper pole and that was ALSO on dirt—not gravel—then yes, you may have a car that doubles as a Faraday cage. (Kind of like the old clunker my dad has out in his “back forty.”
• The cages do not have to be solid, but they do have to be constructed continuously without gaps between the protective material.

There. Now that we’ve discredited 90% of the internet information out there, let’s continue.

Michael Farady oil, by Thomas Phillips. photo c/o commons.wikimedia.org

Faraday cages are named after Michael Faraday who invented them in 1836. They block out external electrostatic fields and electromagnetic radiation. One mistake many people make when it comes to an EMP is to compare it to a lighting bolt. The effects of an EMP and a direct lightening bolt are very similar, but they are not at all similar in terms of their visibility, and affect on the body. An EMP is more like a radio wave, not a visible bolt of light or electric current.

It’s the substrate layers of the diodes and transistors that make them susceptible to a magnetic pulse attack. Electronics are made up of diodes and transistors and substrate layers. A computer, car, television, and cell phones are made up of tons of transistors. When hit with a powerful magnetic pulse, the substrate layers are destroyed. However, early 1960’s and before electronics did not use substrate layers. They used vacuum tubes. This is why older electronics are less susceptible to damage. This is why a human or animal body will not be affected. Yes, our bodies consist of an electric volt. But understand there’s a difference between electricity and electronics.

I just want to reiterate this again. It’s important that any Faraday cage that you plan to use is grounded. It has to be grounded in order to disperse the energy.

What you should know though is that a Faraday cage is not fool proof. The higher the frequency of the magnetic pulse, the faster it is. This is what causes the burn out. The cages must be grounded, continuously connecting, and the openings of them cannot be too large. Chicken coop wire would work, but only if you double or even triple layered it as the opening are too large. For a reference of opening size, look at the front of your microwave door. It’s a small mesh. Just a like a snake can slither its way through the right sized hole, so can an electronic wave.

Galvanized Trash Can photo c/o housewares.hardwarestore.com

You can have an instant Faraday cage with a galvanized trash can or a large stock pot like they use in restaurants. (Be sure to clamp the lid down. Remember—continuous connection is key. Since Faraday cages are not fool proof, depending on the strength of the pulse, I would recommend burying such containers 2 feet under the ground, storing survival electrical and battery items. (Including batteries).

An easy way to make a Faraday cage would be to acquire some 2 x 4 brass mesh sheets. (Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel did a couple of experiments using this successfully.) Make a box frame with the 2 x 4’s and staple the brass mesh to the outside. Create a securely attached/connected access entry within the frame. Solder a ground wire to one of the corners and ground the cage. Scrap metal and mesh wires can easily be obtained in junk yards, on E-bay, the clay modeling section of a craft store, or at your local hardware or “farm and feed” store. The important aspect of this to remember though is that mesh or sheet metal only shields magnetic fields if the frequency is up in the RF range. To properly stop the wave, you need some iron, steel, or some slabs of thick copper. Most electronics are useful in the VHF/UHF/SHF range today and will need more substantial protection. Remember when you’re browsing the internet. Protecting against sparks is not the same as protecting against a strong magnetic pulse.

You can make your “cage” as small or as large as you’d like. It wouldn’t be out of the question to continuously line a basement storage room or hole in the ground with copper mesh wire and a grounding rod.

Bottom line, with an appropriately constructed Faraday cage, you can likely protect that which is inside from the electromagnetic attack of an EMP incident or solar flare, thus preserving the function of all that is contained therein. Here is a very simple example of how Faraday cages work. (DO NOT try this at home, please)

Note that the Peeps are put into a mesh bowl and covered with a mesh cover. They are then put in the microwave. The one Peep that wasn’t put in the microwave met his untimely death, while the others were still intact.

For a little bit of a science lesson on the workings of a Faraday cage, check out this YouTube link. The science professor is EXCELLENT. Note though that he does say that a car is a Faraday cage, however, I want to reiterate that it is NOT sufficient to extinguish the effects of an EMP attack.



Photo c/o physics.umd.edu/

Photo c/o physics.umd.edu/

Be selective in what you protect. It makes no sense to protect a cell phone, for example, as the cell towers will be useless. If it were me, I would protect radios, communication devices (such as a HAM radio), batteries and all of their respective tools, thumb drives loaded with all of my vital information, and a laptop. Keep in mind that a Faraday cage should be your LAST concern in terms of protecting every electronic that you enjoy presently. It’s not like if you preserve your television you’re going to have any “juice” to plug it into. Don’t focus on a Faraday cage and its time, effort, and expense at the risk of neglecting food, water, and medical supplies. It would be better for you to read up on solar power, wind and steam energy instead.

* EMP 101: Part I–The Likelihood.
* EMP 101: Part II–The Aftermath.
* EMP 101: Part III–Prepare Medically.
* EMP 101: Part IV–Faraday Cages.

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

Wiki confirms this information. I know, I know, you can't trust Wiki. But usually, USUALLY, you can trust WIKI on science stuff.

There now, don't ever tell me Infidel Bloggers Alliance doesn't try to help. At IBA, we care.

;-)

Darkness at High Noon

This is getting to be a hot topic. Finally.

American Spectator

Darkness at High Noon
By Brett Joshpe on 7.1.09 @ 6:07AM

In recent weeks, I have attended two lectures that discussed what could be the greatest existential threat to the U.S: EMP, or electromagnetic pulse, attacks. Although an EMP attack would utilize conventional nuclear weapons, it is an infrequently discussed aspect of our nuclear policy, and one for which we are woefully unprepared. Furthermore, the potential effects highlight the gravity and immediacy of the rogue nuclear threat.

The way an EMP attack would work is as follows. An attacker would launch a nuclear weapon into orbit. However, rather than hitting American territory and obliterating a city with scorching flames, the weapon would detonate above the Earth's atmosphere. Instead of seeing a mushroom cloud upon impact, we would simply be left in the dark. Almost all forms of electricity, including cell phones and other battery-operated devices, would cease to work; airplanes would literally rain from the sky.

Unlike past blackouts, such as the one that occurred in the summer of 2003 and left much of the northeastern U.S. without electricity, the lights would not come back on for years potentially. The U.S. would be plunged into a primitive state in which people scrounged for food and water to survive. Money would be worthless, our economy would revert to bartering, and one's most valuable assets would be guns and ammunition.

So, how likely or plausible is this sort of attack? More so than we would like. In 2004, the Electromagnetic Pulse Commission, which Congress established, issued a Report of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack." It concluded that "EMP is one of a small number of threats that has the potential to hold our society seriously at risk and might result in defeat of our military forces." The Commission issued another report in 2008 in which it concluded that "The electromagnetic pulse generated by a high altitude nuclear explosion is one of a small number of threats that can hold our society at risk of catastrophic consequences."

On May 6, the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States also issued a report in which it addressed EMP, saying, "We note also that the United States has done little to reduce its vulnerability to attack with electromagnetic pulse weapons and recommend that current investments in modernizing the national power grid take account of this risk." The report also stated that "Prior commissions have investigated U.S. vulnerabilities and found little activity under way to address them," and "EMP vulnerabilities have not yet been addressed effectively by the Department of Homeland Security. Doing so could take several years."

The 2008 Commission report recommended that "The Department of Homeland Security should add content to Web sites it maintains, such as www.Ready.gov." It appears, however, that the DHS has neglected to do so thus far. Instead, it has included a short description of potential EMP effects in its "Are you ready? An in-depth guide to citizen preparedness" report. In the report, it actually misleads citizens into thinking that EMP is virtually harmless, saying that "Although an EMP is unlikely to harm most people, it could harm those with pacemakers or other implanted electronic devices."

If all of this is not enough to wake up members of Congress and a seemingly unaware public, then recent activity by American adversaries should. The Wall Street Journal reported in April that Russia, China, and other countries have "penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system."

Furthermore, Iran and North Korea recently conducted long-range missile tests, and North Korea may launch another missile soon in the direction of Hawaii. Military experts also believe that Iran is specifically simulating an EMP strike, and an Iranian military journalist recently said that "If the world's industrial countries fail to devise effective ways to defend themselves against dangerous electronic assaults then they will disintegrate within a few years."

All of this highlights the poor timing of Defense Secretary, Robert Gates' proposed $1.4 billion cut in missile defense spending. And while our government has done little to address the EMP threat to date, it is, by most accounts, something that we have the resources for which to prepare. While it would cost several billion dollars to achieve preparedness for an EMP attack, it would likely cost less than what the U.S. government has already wasted on General Motors and Chrysler. It requires, however, a public that is aware and which demands action from Congress and the administration. The time for that action is now.

Brett Joshpe is co-author, along with S.E. Cupp, of the recent book, Why You''re Wrong About the Right: Behind the Myths: The Surprising Truth About Conservatives (Simon & Schuster). He graduated from Harvard Law School and is currently General Counsel of The American Civics Exchange.

Electro-Magnetic Pulse: One Nuke To Take Out America

From Vlad Tepes:

Here is a rather well done but simple and understated short video on the consequences of a high altitude nuclear burst over the USA. Many pundits, very well versed ones in fact make the claim that Iran is working in three shifts to achieve exactly this with their nuclear weapons program. A sky burst for the EMP effect would be orders of magnitude more damaging than merely detonating a nuke on a city.

A Hiroshima sized nuclear weapon detonated on LAX airport Los Angeles would in fact destroy the airport but probably nothing outside the fence delimiting the property edge of the airport concession. Many wouldn’t know it went off in greater Los Angeles till they heard about it on the news.

If the same weapon where detonated in space at the right altitude, there would be no news. No TV etc.

Phares Says the Three-Letter Word: EMP

Oh s***...

On the heels of a boast by an Osamaton blogger (see my post below) that another massive blackout is being planned by OBL's merry pranksters here North America comes an op-ed by Walid Phares at Family Security Matters warning of the danger of an EMP, or electro-magnetic pulse, attack originating in Iran.

Over the past seven months, I have been interacting with U.S. Homeland Security and European defense officials and experts on the next potential threat to the West, more particularly against mainland America. The signature of that strategic menace is EMP, or electro magnetic pulse - a weapon of the future but already available in design, construction and possible deployment. As eyes are focused on the Iranian nuclear threat, and as we began recently to understand that missile advances are as important as fissile material development, private sector projects and some in the defense world are now paying attention to what can cause a wider circle of damage to the U.S. and thus be more crippling to U.S. national security...

Even if a high-altitude EMP kills nobody at first, it would paralyze a large section, if not most of, of the United States. The lingering practical and economic effects would take anywhere from hours to years to resolve: when secondary effects are considered, such as the unavailability of food, an EMP could be even deadlier than a direct nuclear strike against the mainland.

For those unfamiliar with EMP-related concerns, Phares provides a link to a useful overview at http://shieldamerica.org/ . Basically, an EMP attack causes its most significant devastation not through blast damage or radiation, but via long-term crippling of the target nation's electrical infrastructure. Detonation of a nuclear device at extremely high altitude over America would create a shockwave knocking out electrical power, communications, transportation, the ability to supply water, food, and heat -- in short, casting this country backwards more than a century in technological time. As Phares observes, the missle threat from Iran is diverse. Theoretically, at least, it could be used to deliver a chemical, biological, or EMP strike as well as a "conventional" nuclear attack against major city or other significant target.

Geopolitical projections, including developments which may take place in Iraq and Afghanistan, tell us that Iran may find itself free from constraints to equip itself with long range missiles able to reach the U.S. mainland at some point in the near future, not only from mainland Iran, but also from other locations closer to America, including from the hands of terrorist forces in the open seas and elsewhere.

Is The One aware of this form of nuclear weaponry, or has he been made aware of it in the course of his post-election security briefings? Assuming he has, how will he play this hand in his talks with the Ahmadhimmijerker?

Read it all at Phare's website.