Rep. Chicken Little (R-Ariz.)

It’s amazing that a party that claims to be about cutting government spending and reducing the deficit is inventing reasons to freeze or increase spending for the thing that accounts for over 1/3 of the budget — defense. Simply amazing.

It’s all a big joke until somebody detonates a nuclear weapon in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Then who will be blogging? Nobody, that’s who.

I should buy a congressman to create a false demand for my products.

Does that clown even know what an EMP weapon is?
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There are thousands of them already. They’re called nuclear weapons. They ALL generate such a pulse when they detonate.
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It’s been widely known for decades that the first explosion in a nuclear exchange would be ONE such high-level blast that would burn out every solid state device functioning within range (satellites included). Anything NOT turned on would be OK (spare satellites, anyone?).
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I imagine one in tha back of a truck would be similarly destructive.

“SHIELD”
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Will Nick Fury be in charge?
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(Google it)

Before everyone mocks the good congressman just consider that you can actually do this pretty cheaply.
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http://www.zazzle.com/looneytunes

Agreed. Everything I’ve read suggests that DoD considers this a very real and dangerous threat.
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I’ve come to respect your knowledge on defense matters a bit, Mr. Thompson, does the Pentagon really consider a nuclear-weapon-generated EMP a “dubious challenge”?

Anything in use would be history (routers, switches, etc.) As long as the blast didn’t take out the actual fiber infrastructure, you’re OK there.
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It’s possible to shield units from EMP (military’s been ordering vital equipment built that way for years but it’s more expensive to make).
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Cheaper way is probably to have spare units on hand pre-configured and ready to go.
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Hard part about bringing routers back online is configuring the routing tables. Switches have to be configured too. Servers replaced and re-populated with data from backup tapes, you know the drill…

Should a nuclear weapon from a rogue state such as Iran be detonated in Earth’s atmosphere at a sufficient height above the continental United States…
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I call shenanigans.
Iran has no nuclear weapon nor a navy capable of delivering it to the US. Let me guess, SHEILD calls for something that’s to be built in AZ.
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And this guy’ “is a member of the Committee on Armed Services, Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee, Military Readiness Subcommittee, Committee on the Judiciary, Constitution Subcommittee, and is Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law” (from his site). What an ass; how do we get stuck with guys like this.

Shep,
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DOD has known about those for years. I really doubt you can make us totally impervious to that threat, no matter how much you spend.
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At NORAD, I imagine thay’ve done what they can do to do such.

Whether or not we need a new committee to deal with this long-existing threat, it is worth noting that the GOP keeps trying to cut funding to contain loose nuclear materials.
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Its amazing. The GOP is in favor of funding any number of completely worthless weapons systems, but just try to keep nuclear materials off the black market and they get all frugal.

Ah. But since when does the Pentagon or Congress do anything “cheaply”?
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This guy’s fellow congress people are cutting programs right and left for the sole reason of cutting, and he comes along with a way to increase expenditures. I said yesterday that I think LIHEAP needs to be re-thought, if that program or any program is cut and this insane black hole of spending is approved I will be marching on DC.

I will, however, call BS on the supposition that Iran will EVER have the capability to launch and detonate a nuclear weapon of sufficient size to affect the whole US.
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THAT would be a monster. Detonations affect an area through which subsequent warheads launched will be directed.
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Never happened mainly because, by the time you do this, the other side will have sent enough your way to turn your territory into a giant mirror.
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That’s MAD (mutually-assured destruction) in a nutshell.

Buying as much of the loose nuclear warheads/materials from the old Soviet Union as we could was one of the better policies we’ve had recently.
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Their nuclear forces aren’t under the best of control. We have to hope that their personnel are as professional and diligent as ours have been.

Iran, pfft, what about the Russians?!?

Let me draw you a picture *pulls out chalkboard*

Now imagine there are certain para-military elements in Russia, elements that the US military has been covertly battling in the middle east for some time. Eventually this all spills out and over into their national spotlight, allowing the the leader to be elected to the top executive position within the government in the midst of a populist uprising.

Now suppose that’s just the first stage of the plan. One day, a group of terrorists show up at the Moscow airport and begin to fire upon the unarmed civilians! As they make their getaway, one of them is shot. He’s an American! What is this nefarious plot?

In the Pentagon, all seems quiet, until suddenly, hundred of enemy signals appear on the radar! It’s a suprise attack by the Russians! The US army is suddenly battling on it’s home soil for the first time in 300 years, in suburbia, in fast food restaraunts, in the cities.

Meanwhile, suspecting Russia all along, a group of US operatives have infiltrated a Russian naval base in far-eastern Russia, attempting to deactivate the nuclear subs that are stationed there. They succeed in reaching the subs, but one of the operatives turns on them all and locks himself inside a sub. He launches a nuke into space, detonating it above DC!

Back in DC, the soldiers are fighting to retake the White House from Russian forces. All of a sudden, a bright flash lights the sky! Helicopters and planes fall from the sky, tanks stand still, street lights go dark. In a scene reminiscent from WWII, the US forces are able to retake the White House and plant an American flag.

Now, the question is, wouldn’t you want to be protected in the face of all this? Or are you so un-American as to put the lives of our troops at stake by not equipping their helicopters with EMP-proof electronics?

Or did I just describe the plot of Call of Duty? You be the judge.

On a related note, I can’t tell you how many helicopter crashes the main characters survive in those. I’m pretty sure at least 3 or 4 (in 12 levels) in Black Ops.

Boys and their toys.

Funny you should mention helicopters and EMP…
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The Backhawk, after it came out, had crash problems related to the fly-by-wire system. After research, it was found that insuffient shielding caused the control surfaces to deflect to extremes whenever they passed too close to radio/tv/power transmission towers.
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Better wiring shielding from factory = problem solved.
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We already know the issues and how to deal with them.

More importantly, will Tony Stark have extra parts when he’s in flight?

Serious questions demand serious answers.

My brother was an engineer at Boeings for years. He had top secret clearance and met with the Pentagon on many occasions. I forgave him for those meetings because he would attend them wearing a beard and overalls.
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Often, he and others worked in a locked room at Boeing’s and contemplated what might cause doomsday and how to prevent it. In my experience, engineers are a little crazy so this was a productive activity for them.
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They would sometimes come up with weapons that they presented as not really feasible. However, if Boeings figured they could sell it to the Pentagon, it was full speed ahead.

We have a number of new Republican tin hat peole in our new House that could help with this proposal since they are already sure that BIKE TRAILS are UN plots, that sustainability is a UN plot, and that EPA is putting mind-altering drugs into the local water supplies (they may be doing it in this particular nut’s case)!

I think we may be growing the next crop of nutcases.

Sacred:
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You didn’t fart, did you? That sucker is centered right over your…

And you were facing South, too.
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Were you mooning Lott from your front porch?

Guys, allow me to apologize once again for the complete idiocy which emanates from my state in waves.
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My only consolation is that even after Arizona descends into a catastrophic meltdown that makes the Road Warrior look like a 19th century novel of manners, there will still be South Carolina and Georgia to advance the cause of abject stupidity.

afguy, your turn to provide a link for your statements that only devices that are switched on will be affected by an EMP from a high altitude nuke.
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I am under the understanding that circuit boards, computer chips, low voltage devices, etc. will be fried, on or off.