Surviving a Nuclear Attack on Washington, D.C.

National Journal ^ | June 24th 2005 | By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.

[conservativewasp]

Bin Laden knows that the trick is to destroy our economy, bet he's irked that it didn't work last time. I doubt it would work now even with a nuke, alot of post 9/11 redundancy built into the markets, disaster recovery sites, etc. The trading houses took a big lesson from the fate of Cantor Fitzgerald.

[chs68]

"Who wants D.C. to survive? It is a dangerous cancer that a Chinese nuke would be doing us a favor."

Ummmmmm.....

Some of us live (and work) here in the Washington, DC area.

And may I remind you that if Washington, DC is a "dangerous cancer", a good part of the reason is due to elected officials.

Those elect6ed officials are, for the most part, elected by people who live a long way from Washington, DC.

[Textide]

Good informative email.

It's a shame to read some of the comments on this thread. I think some people, in their wish for the demise of DC, have forgotten that the multitude of lawyers, politicians, and associated bloodsuckers are intermixed with human beings in that town.

[shellshocked]

"Those elect6ed officials are, for the most part, elected by people who live a long way from Washington, DC."


yeah, it is all OUR fault that they can't seem to stay away from corruption. /sarcasm

[RHINO369]

You dont need to stop the stock market to destroy the economy. There are over 10 million people who live in or near Chicago and every single one of them, including me is packing up and leaving after the two weeks are up. Say goodbuy to companys like Motorola, Boeing, and countless others who are based near Chicago, whos employess are dead or gone, and their offices and plants are radioactive. Not to mention that cash is only worth cash if you believe that the US government supports the dollar. The first thing i do if their is a nuke attack in a US that i dont like in is go to the bank and take out every cent i can. (im 19 and a college student so its only like 4K). Losing 4 of the biggests cities would ruin the economy. We'd survive but many would starve because of transportation problems.

[null and void]

A new city could be designed to limit ground attacks, like the Oklahoma City bombing, limits air strikes, and any possibility of an attack from sea. We've the best technology on the planet, and if applied with foresight, we can make a capital that can protect the nation from the turmoil that would ensue if the seat of our government were struck.

Make all transportation within the new city public transit, set airports at least 25 miles from the city with high speed rail connections into the city. Build government building with low profiles that would be less susceptible to nuclear attack. Forbid all air traffic over the city. These are just suggestions, but they would assure a much higher degree of protection then we can give our country now.

Build it in canyon lands with parts broken up into different canyons. Connect through the common river cuts and cross connect with tunnels with frequent bends.

Carve the really critical stuff deep into isolated redundant bedrock chambers...

[null and void]

He's talkin' 'bout you...

[Terabitten]

Months before 9-11 my local newspaper printed a letter to the editor in which I suggested relocating our nations capital to the heartland for protective and political reasons. The heartland is the demographic center of our nation and would be the easiest to protect.

My wife, the lovely Terabyte here on FR, and I have been joking about moving the nation's capitol to somewhere in the Midwest, maybe where Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska intersect. It's a fun exercise.

[Yasotay]

bump

[null and void]

Fixed your typo:

When people feel they have some control over their fate, they're less likely to panic depend on the government.

[JAKraig]

I am not a good typist but I had to respond to this one, forgive the mistakes please, my blood is boiling thinking about this.

I'm an ex-nuclear submarine sailor. Nuclear hazards are just like any other hazard, they can be dealt with.

The real problems are in the aftermath. Local governments won't fail but they will strain. Prices for all foods will skyrocket. Building material prices will go through the roof. None of that will be nearly as life changing as the effect that that one explosion will have on the electorate.

We will all suddenly realize how vulnerable we are to this kind of an attack. We will all have friends or relatives who were killed in the initial explosion or died later from radiation poisoning. We will be an angry country. We will have elections in a short time after the bomb because many of our national elected officials will have been vaporized or succumb to radiation sickness.

When the new elections happen we won't be thinking about social security, we won't be thinking about minimum wages we will have one thing on our collective minds. Kill the people who did this to us, keep them from ever being able to do it again.

You may think that the idea of nuking Muslim cities of 100,000 or more might sound far fetched but I would imagine that the anger in the country will allow nothing else. Can you imagine electing someone who wants to negotiate with the terrorists who would do such a thing. Can you imagine watching someone die for a month who knew they were doomed. What if were your parents and brother and sister, how much negotiating are you going to want to do? Even good Christians have their limits. Some will not call it revenge but protection.

If you think that the Tridents won't work you are un-informed. They will do exactly as they are designed. The Arab world does not have near the support structure that we have here. There will be a much higher kill ratio there than here. There will be 10's or perhaps 100's of times more fallout there and it will kill a lot more than the initial blast. There won't be a few hundred thousand deaths but perhaps a few hundred million deaths. The Arab world will indeed return to the stone age. After one generation there will be little of educated Arabs left in the world outside of the west. What education there is will be run by Americans and there will be no Islam taught, it will be outlawed. There will be no more money to fund terrorism from oil, the US will own the oilfields and rule what is left of the Middle East. Many western Arabs will forsake Islam to protect their lives.

A bomb in DC will scar DC for a long time but it will be the death of Islam.

If the Arab world knew that we had no choice other than the kind of massive retaliation that will follow a nuclear strike on our soil they might do all they can to stop the terrorist before they commit mass suicide.

[Quix]

Dear Heart JM,

Perhaps God will intensify discernment and guidance when you read the above.

Blessings,

[null and void]

Hmmm. might be an acceptable trade. D.C. for the elimination of Islam?

[Quix]

True. The satanic dictator puppet masers would do it much more directly until the AC took over the job for all such.

[Quix]

Have long thought of such and the arrogance of our leaders and people who think we are immune.

Have wished we were like Taipei--keep most of such in deep tunnels with only a small percentage on rotating displays. Perhaps in deep salt mines in Kansas?

But we won't. And lots will be lost unless God chooses to save some of the glorified trash.

[Quix]

There is that aspect! Politicians terminally fired in more ways than one.

[Quix]

Plenty of sad reason for the starting over perspective.

[Quix]

Thankfully, God will be doing that--evidently in our lifetime.

[Quix]

You are likely correct. But it won't happen.

[Quix]

Almost feels like someone's preparing us for an inevitability they know can't be stopped.

Been wondering how long it would take for how many others to notice. Seems to me it's been going on increasingly for several years and especially the last several months.