View Full Version : One Second After
x SF med
02-07-2010, 14:37
Although couched as fiction is a warning about EMP weapons and the devastating effect they will have when used.
It will scare the living shit out of you.
It will make you think.
An excellent read - rough and heart wrenching.
The Afterword should be read first, IMHO.
BigJimCalhoun
02-07-2010, 14:47
I read it. It is thought-provoking.
The Reaper
02-07-2010, 15:18
I think I have already recommended it here several times.:munchin
TR
Based on the recommendations, I recently listened to the audio version of this story on a long drive. Kept my attention and concerned me sufficiently to take some minor steps to prepare. Those steps will be augmented with additional steps over the next year. It is that kind of story...believable and compelling. Thanks for the recommendation.
MatthewD44
02-07-2010, 16:07
Next up in my reading Que right after I finish Band of Brothers again
Started this book yesterday before I went to bed, and just now finished it. Pretty gripping read. It got me curious about the details, so I'm currently going over the documents that the EMP Commission has drawn up, which you can view here:
http://empcommission.org/
Pretty terrifying stuff.
Team Sergeant
02-08-2010, 18:11
Although couched as fiction is a warning about EMP weapons and the devastating effect they will have when used.
It will scare the living shit out of you.
It will make you think.
An excellent read - rough and heart wrenching.
The Afterword should be read first, IMHO.
I sleep comfortably knowing guns and bullets are NOT affected by EMP.;)
I sleep comfortably knowing guns and bullets are NOT affected by EMP.;)Knives, ball bats and claw hammers are pretty resistant too...
The Reaper
02-08-2010, 21:14
I sleep comfortably knowing guns and bullets are NOT affected by EMP.;)
Yep.
But the power plant, water works, cell towers, gas refineries, farm tractors, any vehicle made after 1984 or so, to include the delivery trucks for food, fuel, etc. are not.
The millions of people living in your metro area will not be directly affected, except for losing all of the things above.
How much fuel does a hospital generator have on hand, and what do people do when that runs out?
TR
armymom1228
02-08-2010, 21:23
Knives, ball bats and claw hammers are pretty resistant too...
So are sailboats with 30 yr old engines and sextants, with paper charts.:D
Defender968
02-08-2010, 21:30
It's a scary scenario, I finished reading the book a couple of weeks ago gave me a ton to think about. Unfortunately when Iran gets a Nuke it will be that much closer to becoming a reality.
I need to get my 76 CJ up and running, and my retreat in the mountains built in a hurry. :eek:
So are sailboats with 30 yr old engines and sextants, with paper charts.:DI think I can still use a sextant...and an ephemeris...it'd take a minute or two...maybe an hour or so...
armymom1228
02-08-2010, 21:41
It's a scary scenario, I finished reading the book a couple of weeks ago gave me a ton to think about. Unfortunately when Iran gets a Nuke it will be that much closer to becoming a reality.
I need to get my 76 CJ up and running, and my retreat in the mountains built in a hurry. :eek:
Let me really scare you.. cannot remember where I heard/read it, but a couple of years ago the FBI relieved a White Supremist group in Maine of a 'dirty' bomb.
I worry less about Iran than our own homegrown loonies with thier own personal copy of the 'terrorist handbook". Remember OK City and all that?
The Reaper
02-08-2010, 21:47
Let me really scare you.. cannot remember where I heard/read it, but a couple of years ago the FBI relieved a White Supremist group in Maine of a 'dirty' bomb.
I worry less about Iran than our own homegrown loonies with thier own personal copy of the 'terrorist handbook". Remember OK City and all that?
Sounds like you and Janet Napolitano are on the same freq.:rolleyes:
Last time I checked, the domestic redneck threat has done very little since the mid-90s, and a certain other group has killed thousands of Americans here and abroad. They continue to kill my American brother warriors on a daily basis.
I think I can see where the real threat lies.
TR
The Reaper
02-09-2010, 06:39
I just get through reading The Road which put bad images in my head for the last few days and now I have another terrifying book to read:rolleyes::cool:
In the review at Amazon.com, it says that the bomb disables all electrical devices around the world. If that is the case, what is the point of missile defense? Might as well just launch the missile to Antartica, have it detonate high in the atmosphere, and you still wreak havoc right?
EDIT: Okay stupid question on my part, I looked at the Wikipedia and see multiple bombs were used.
Ready, aim, post.
The bombs have EMP footprints depending on altitude and yield.
TR
PedOncoDoc
02-09-2010, 06:42
How much fuel does a hospital generator have on hand, and what do people do when that runs out?
I was in Cleveland during the 2003 blackout. What made things worse in Cleveland is the water safety system failed so there was no potable/sanitary water in the whole city for over a week. I can't speak to the generator fuel supply, but we had power through the day. The lack of water was crippling to the hospital. All elective surgeries and appointments got cancelled and surgeons were either 1) scrubbing in using bottles of sterile water, or 2) not washing their hands and double-gloving with sterile gloves. The hospital lost quite a bit of revenue for that week.
I don't think the hospital would've made it more than 5-7 days. It would be worse in a SHTF scenario where there are mass casualties from the initial incident then second and third waves of injuries/illnesses from the resulting chaos.
My $.02...
dadof18x'er
02-09-2010, 06:58
Ready, aim, post.
The bombs have EMP footprints depending on altitude and yield.
TR
so if an enemy set off an EMP over as at the right altitude we would be back to the 1800's? I think I'll go print out that survival thread:eek:
Just went on Amazon and ordered:
1. One Second After
2. Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse
3. The War after Armageddon
4. Courting Disaster: How the CIA kept America safe and how BHO is Inviting
The Next Attack.
My IP address just popped up on someones watch list to be sure... :lifter
so if an enemy set off an EMP over as at the right altitude we would be back to the 1800's? I think I'll go print out that survival thread:eek:
Google "SCUD in a bucket"
so if an enemy set off an EMP over as at the right altitude we would be back to the 1800's? I think I'll go print out that survival thread:eek:
I have no idea how realistic this is, but in the book three nukes took the continental US back to the 1800s.
Defender968
02-09-2010, 17:41
Let me really scare you.. cannot remember where I heard/read it, but a couple of years ago the FBI relieved a White Supremist group in Maine of a 'dirty' bomb.
I worry less about Iran than our own homegrown loonies with thier own personal copy of the 'terrorist handbook". Remember OK City and all that?
Respectfully Armymom a dirty bomb would not be fun, but it is completely survivable, take out one city, any city and it is my belief that the country will rally and destroy whoever is responsible. On the other hand if you were to suddenly take out all electricity in the US it would take us back 200 years and tens if not hundreds of millions would die in the first year alone. No water, no heat, no food transportation, no refrigeration…etc, most people in our country couldn’t survive one week without the above let alone the possibility of years. Our country would cannibalize itself and it might take decades to recover if we ever did.
In my former military life I was involved with lots of contingency plans for disasters of all types, including some cataclysmic NBC ones, I was also briefed regularly on current and potential terror threats both at home and abroad, I'm well aware of many of the current threats that face this nation, and while home grown extremists are a threat as Reaper has said, they are not the threat that keeps me up at night.
Iran with one weapon placed on top of one of their existing weapons could bring this country to it's knees. Would we destroy them, probably, but do they care....I would argue that some high up in their government don't. To take a line from The Peacemaker I'm not scared of the country with 100 nukes I'm terrified of the man with just one.
Just my .02
x SF med
02-09-2010, 20:48
I think I have already recommended it here several times.:munchin
TR
My search fu must be weak... it didn't come up...
The book transported me back to NBC School and NDWs and EMP coverage areas...
monsterhunter
03-07-2010, 01:58
Just went on Amazon and ordered:
1. One Second After
2. Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse
3. The War after Armageddon
4. Courting Disaster: How the CIA kept America safe and how BHO is Inviting
The Next Attack.
My IP address just popped up on someones watch list to be sure... :lifter
I read One Second After and thought it was an excellent read. This led me to Patriots by James Rawles. I haven't seen it mentioned very much at all despite several runs through the search feature. Does anyone here know how credible he is? He appears to have a solid background.
The Reaper
03-07-2010, 09:20
I read One Second After and thought it was an excellent read. This led me to Patriots by James Rawles. I haven't seen it mentioned very much at all despite several runs through the search feature. Does anyone here know how credible he is? He appears to have a solid background.
My personal impression is that Rawles is less knowledgable than he thinks he is, and has an overly high opinion of himself and his skills. He also seems to be pretty serious about his religion, which can be both good and bad.
The book is somewhat sensationalist, but is entertaining.
HTH.
TR
monsterhunter
03-07-2010, 10:55
My personal impression is that Rawles is less knowledgable than he thinks he is, and has an overly high opinion of himself and his skills. He also seems to be pretty serious about his religion, which can be both good and bad.
The book is somewhat sensationalist, but is entertaining.
HTH.
TR
Thank you sir. That is exactly the information I was looking for.
Surf n Turf
03-13-2010, 21:28
Just finished reading One Second After.
My area of study was Biological, as I thought that is the most probable (relative ease of development / delivery) attack vehicle.
I had reviewed the EMP threat, but wasn’t very concerned (building a Nuclear weapon still requires sophisticated equipment, parts, and expertise )– but think I will take another look at EMP.
The compelling part of the book was the rapid destruction of society – and after reading the book, believe the timeline – 1 year – would be about right for such a change to happen. The book is also correct in concentrating of the “things of value” during a breakdown in society.
BTW – back in the day it was ABC (Atomic, Biological & Chemical) warfare.
SnT