Surviving a Nuclear Attack on Washington, D.C.

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

[DTogo]

When did you start hating the government and nation? When did you stop being a patriot?

Never. In fact I'm actually sworn to protect it in uniform if it decides to call me to do so - to which I would gladly and eagerly respond.

Regarding my comment, it's often called "sarcasm" or a friendly "jab" at our government which many consider too big, expensive/wasteful, and often overstepping it's original purpose as established by our great and very wise Founding Fathers.

[RaceBannon]

politicians...I think they are targeting Howard University moreso, just for the population deaths, to make us angrier.

[backtothestreets]

I can tell by your comments that you have good convictions and intents. I know of no way to judge the humility, wisdom, selflessness, fairness, discernment you mention except to look for applications in the lives of our elected.

I am hopeful people everywhere start to understand a few basic truths. Among those are:

Being good for business does not automatically make something good for our nation. If it were so, these people would stop squawking about abortion, stop squawking about our businesses relocating overseas, and be quite satisfied with the recent ruling by the Supreme Court on eminent domain, to name a few instances. These people must stop thinking that whatever is good for business is good for America. It's just not true.

Just because someone speaks of God doesn't mean he or she is in harmony with God.

There are many factions of our population now claiming the mantle of conservatism, but some, maybe too many, are just using it as a device to increase their own personal gain of wealth and power.

[JDoutrider]

indexing

[Quix]

PLENTY of truth in your words. Thx.

[ExSoldier]

Duck and cover isn't foolish, it's good sense. Good training for the masses. Heck at my inner city school we do "Code Red" Alerts to practice for a possible Columbine situation. But understand something, places perceived as likely targets is everywhere in the United States. Nobody is safe. But you have a chance to get ready.

[GOPJ]

How did we ever get people on FreeRepublic who hate their country? What are they? Trolls? There's no way this guy could be a conservative.

To: DTogo The loss of D.C.... and this would be bad because...? Because it is the seat of national government, it has historical value, the Constitution would literally be destroyed....! On a personaly level, the economy would tank and there would be mass panic. When did you start hating the government and nation? When did you stop being a patriot?

[BeHoldAPaleHorse]

Yeah, but the plutonium, after a while sitting around decaying, will be poisoned with neutron absorbers. You need new plutonium.

[hoagy62]

Ah, yes! The old Civil Defense frequencies were 560kc and 1620kc, usually marked on the AM bands of old radios with the little "triangle-in-circle" CD symbol.

In the 50's & early 60's..when the "Red-Flag Alert" was sent out, and the old EBS was activated, all radio stations were to sign off except those two frequencies, which were then signed on. Only those stations, which were fairly low-powered, were to operate until the All Clear had been sounded after an attack.

It was part of a program called CONELRAD, for CONtrol of ELectromagnetic RADiation. Back 'in the old days', bombers would lock onto radio stations in their target areas and guide themselves in that way. As electronic guidance systems got better, this system became obsolete, as bombers (and missles) no longer needed a target radio station.

[GOPJ]

Whoa -- that's an ugly truth:

How is anyone going to survive when the best plan for protecting our national leaders is to run through the hallways of the buildings of our nation's capitol yelling, RUUUUUUNNNNNNNNN!'?

[steve86]

In other words, anything with electronic start or even electronic fuel injection won't work. I'm guessing if you have a 1975 or prior Ford Bronco, you're ok.

Hi, Ex! The Ford diesels are a good bet through the period they used mechanical fuel injection. No ignition system, as you know, other than the simple resistance glow plugs. These were basically farm-tractor primitive without any kind of digital electronics. For example, I have an '84 E-350 cube van outfitted as a bug-out rig with three types of alternative fuels for heating and cooking plus solar and gasoline for the generators. The box is hardened and can't be easily broken into. Well stocked with particulate and organic respirators. Parked a few hundred feet from a uncrowded highway leading off to the desert/mountains.

The gasoline would run out after a few days and that would be the end of the A/C in the box. But there would be plenty of clean warm or cool water for showers and drinking . Speaking of generators, choose those carefully as well; the same EMF susceptibility applies. There are a few smaller diesel generators on the market (made in China, of course).

[rmlew]

Fear of a government that constantly takes our liberty can devolve into loathing.
Idealists can come to hate not only imperfections, but all trappings of the reality.

[JSteff]

I always thought so too. After all why waste a perfectly good neutron weapon? We would have been stupid to really decommission everything we agreed to.

The only problem with that is some liberal squeal bag who would run to the press with any such fact. I still think we keep some of them somehow.

I still can't understand why we did not use a nuke after 9-11. Set an example of our desire to be ruthless to protect our own would have been the best thing to show the islamic countries what hell would be like.

After all that is all they understand.. raw power and the will to us it. Any who argue that just need to look at the countries there. That is how they stay in power or gain power.

[hoagy62]

I goofed.

After checking, I realized the old CONELRAD freqs were 640 and 1240 AM.

[GOPJ]

bump

[Jackknife]

Wow. Long, but worth it. Thanks.

[brazzaville]

Good morning.
"The only problem with that is some liberal squeal bag who would run to the press with any such fact. I still think we keep some of them somehow."

Maybe we disassembled them and buried the parts in the desert, like Saddam did.

Michael Frazier

[GOPJ]

Fear of a government that constantly takes our liberty can devolve into loathing.

I felt that "dead type of loathing" you allude to when the SC said mayors could take people's home for their developer friends. It was awful...

[DCPatriot]

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the original Constitution and Declaration of Independence are not anywhere near Washington, DC., in case of such an event.

[Nowhere Man]

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the original Constitution and Declaration of Independence are not anywhere near Washington, DC., in case of such an event.

IIRC, I remember back in the early 1980's, there was a discussion where in case if the USSR attacked us, the documents, sealed in helium (helium is a "noble gas" does not easily bind to other elements), would be lowered into a vault that could take a 10 megaton hit. No matter what, it wouldn't surprise me if they are actually stored at places like Mt. Weather, Site R, or some unknown place.