[ExSoldier]

I got this as an e-mail and felt it should be put on the boards immediately. It is a fairly long read, but fascinating.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Perhaps this is something for your ping list? Many already know much of this, but the article does contain very good practical advice in dealing with a disaster as individuals.

[Mr. Keys]

But, since our borders are secured, and those anti-Americans who come here and hate us are just "activists", and all Americans take this war seriously, this can't happen, right?

[MadJack]

The steady stream of hot air and BS emanating from Capitol Hill also serves as a protective dome that shields DC from reality and nuclear attack.

[Rummyfan]

Chilling. I think it will happen somewhere in the next ten years. Maybe not Washington, D.C, and maybe not even here in the continental U.S., but somewhere. Either that or the jihadis resort to chemical / biological weapons.

[DTogo]

The loss of D.C.... and this would be bad because...?

[Hoodlum91]

I'll be one of the first 15,000 unfortunately.

[NavyCanDo]

That's a great read, thanks for posting. I live 14 miles from Seattle, and this story gives me some comfort in knowing the family would most likely survive if Seattle was a target, as long as we take precautions against fallout

Then again - why would terrorist want to take out anti-war central?

[Constitution Day]

Sounds cheery. I'll check it out later.

[cvq3842]

A few other random thoughts, in addition to the ones people have already posted:

I think others have speculated that the REAL doomsday scenario would be several explosions, in several large cities, on the same day. 9/11 was a coordinated attack on NY and DC. Something like that could happen. Which changes the scenario a great deal. Also, I know an electromagnetic pulse could also damage any solid state circuits, including battery-operated radios, but that would probably not be an issue in this size ground burst. I could be wrong.

I also remember hearing that somehow the US government has some kind of "sniffer" capability that would be able to trace the radiological "fingerprint" of the bomb - in other words, we could probably find out what uranium was used, and have a good idea who used it, right away. Not much comfort, obviously, if a bomb has already gone off. I'd like to believe that any country able to create such a devise would also know of this possibility of tracing, and that that would be some kind of a deterrent. But that's very wishful thinking - I don't know our capabilities, or how much an enemy would care. Certainly another crew of 9/11 crazies wouldn't care. But they have to get the uranium from somewhere.

It is terribly ironic to think that in a sense we might have more to fear from one bomb in the hands of a fanatic than we did from thousands of Soviet missiles. Certainly not because the Soviet leaders were "good people," of course - but they were RATIONAL and did not want to be annihilated. Even though they had the capability to launch a massive attack.

There are plenty of suicidal terrorists out there. So far the ONLY think that has stopped them from doing this is their inability to do so.

If they could have done it already, they would have.

Among other things, it's a reminder that a lot of people in our government, military, etc. are working harder than we realize to keep things right.

[usurper]

I still think it is stupid to house all of our national agencies headquarters in one small city.

You shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Everybody in DC knows this, but the politicians want to be able to walk over to speak to department heads or summon them on a moments notice.

[DCMB]

Thanks for posting this. Scary scenario but good to read it all. We live about three miles from the White House, fortunately upwind (prevailing winds are from the west).
The house is stone, 18" thick. I used to think evacuation was the answer but now I know better. I've neglected the
three day supply aspect but intend to get on it. This needs to be read by all who live in major cities of the US.

[GOPJ]

Federal resources, civilian and military, rally under the National Response Plan. Across the country, firefighters, paramedics, police, soldiers, and volunteers are loading up their trucks and rolling toward Washington.

And at the exact moment of maximum damage while our protectors are setting up in the worst areas, Osama explodes the 2nd nuke in the Washington area.

This bomb taking out almost all emergency workers. It'll be the 2nd of 8 nukes that will be exploded in the following 6 days. The others will be in 3 other major cities, using the same MO. Kill, then kill those coming to help. And yeah, these folks have perfected the second bomb that kills the people helping.

If we underestimate the evil we're up against, we'll be destroyed. Bush gets it, but the democrats live in la la land.

Then again, maybe the dems are right and Osama just wants us to feel his pain and be his friend -- and then everything will be fine and everyone will like us. Who knows?

[RightWhale]

This one seems reality-based.

As long as we are dealing with reality today, eminent domain and all, why not just open both eyes. One nuke [depending on yield, Hiroshima-sized being not so serious] would be disastrous, but the country would cope. Three nukes of 200 kton or more in the wrong places would ruin the country for decades. Any more than that would ruin it for a century.

The same for any other country.

[Cyber Ninja]

.

[BeHoldAPaleHorse]

"Surviving a Nuclear Attack on Washington, D.C."

Step one: Don't live in or downwind of Washington, D.C.

BTW, if al-Qaeda does this, we are probably going to nuke Mecca just to make it clear that you don't pull s**t like this and get away with it.

[TheForceOfOne]

Hello, I'm Geraldo Rivera reporting live from Washington D.C. where it appears a nuclear bomb has just gone off, we will be reporting live on the scene to get local reaction to this event. It appears there is some sort of cloud forming in the sky, not sure what it is, could it be related to the nuclear bomb explosion? you decide!

Did I tell you I'm Geraldo Rivera? reporting livvvvve!

Peace!

[Pete'sWife]

Read "War Day" by Whitley Streiber and James Kunetka.

It's the best nuclear apocalypse story I've ever read.

The attack occurs in 1988 (this is an old book) on NYC, D.C., San Antonio, and all the missile fields in the Dakotas.

There are anti-Reagan overtones in the text, but just ignore them.

Really, really excellent book.

[Nowhere Man]

There is a book out there called "Life After Doomsday" (1980) by Dr. Bruce D. Clayton that has a lot of good tips for this too. Of course, at that time, it was geared more for the US/USSR nuclear war, I think it is still valid for this.

[GOPJ]

The Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute sees the most promise so far in a steroid called 5-Androstenediol, brand-named “Neumune” by the institute’s corporate development partner, Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals. Neumune requires no refrigeration, has no known side effects, and can be packaged in disposable needles like the nerve gas antidotes now issued to troops and first responders. Five injections over five days dramatically boost survival rates in animals. So far, unfortunately, that first injection has to be given within four hours of exposure, before the damage to cells outraces the capacity for regrowth. But it is probably impossible to distribute tens of thousands of stockpiled doses across a fallout zone within four hour...

OK, here's an easy, non-control freak solution -- put the stuff on the open market. Some will buy it, use it if necessary, and be healthy enough to help. Or healthy enough to stay out of the beds needed by those who didn't buy the stuff. Think generator sales in Florida. It's easier to put some of the burden/responsibility on citizens. And it'll help stop panic. When people feel they have some control over their fate, they're less likely to panic.

[wreckedangle]

Didn't we already read this back in 1985 regarding the rooskies?