Thursday, August 21, 2008

We're All going To DIE!

The sky Is Falling... Again:
Electricity grids down, uncontrolled fires from exploding gas transport systems, no communication to call for help, no water to battle fires: It's all part of a catastrophic scenario some scientists predict could happen under an electromagnetic pulse attack...
This fear-mongering rant, written by some female named Chelsea Schilling, is totally devoid of any scientific fact that would support such blather. The apparent source for her information is from "some scientists", unnamed, unquoted, unverified. However, Chelsea goes on to mention:
... and the Department of Homeland Security's 83-page emergency plan includes no mention of EMP or how it might respond to such an attack.
Imagine that. The Department of Homeland Security - an organization that has it's own set of problems with understanding reality - does not consider an EMP threat as very credible. Why? Perhaps, some of their scientists actually understand the inverse square law, and realize that an EMP device - no matter how large - exploded 250 miles up in the atmosphere would hardly cause a magnetic ripple on the surface 250 miles below.

But, that apparently does not carry any water for Chelsea. Stuff that that just gets in the way of a good story.

She does use statements from the likes of non-scientist William R. Graham, chairman of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse(EMP) to boost her story.

Bet you didn't even know we had an EMP Commission. Claims Graham:
But the most threatening and terrifying type of EMP attack could come following a blast from a nuclear weapon 25 to 250 miles above the Earth's surface. Like a swift stroke of lightening, EMP could immediately disrupt and damage all electronic systems and America's electrical infrastructure.
Wow... All of America's electronic systems. It would certainly appear that Graham, big shot Chairman or not, is just another hack that - and like Chelsea - has no clue about the inverse square law either.

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