Timothy Birdnow

Rick Moran discusses the potential (or non-potential, as he seems to believe) of a North Korean EMP attack on the U.S. While Rick does admit to a danger he downplays it as best he can.

From the blogpost at American Thinker:

"Hawaii has already suffered from the effects of an EMP. Back in 1962, before the atmospheric test ban treaty, the U.S. detonated a huge hydrogen bomb more than 240 miles above the Earth's surface. Despite the blast being 800 miles from Hawaii, the island's electricity was disrupted for hours.

But some experts minimize the EMP threat from North Korea. First and foremost, the North Koreans have yet to develop the technology to miniaturize a nuclear weapon so that it fits on a missile. This is vital, because the EMP is a line of sight weapon, unable to affect systems beyond the horizon. So the EMP effects of a ground-level blast would highly localized.

There is also a question of whether the North could develop weapons powerful enough to affect ground systems from space. The North's nuclear tests to date haven't even come close to the massive 1.4-megaton blast in 1962. Their most recent test from last September had a yield of only 10 kilotons – about 150 times less powerful than the 1962 blast. Since the effects of an EMP weapon dissipate rapidly, it is doubtful that a North Korean nuke detonated in space could cause widespread damage.

Also, most key systems in the U.S. have been hardened in recent decades to withstand all but the most devastating EMP pulse."

End excerpt.

This is an example of using mainstream media sources when you should dig deeper. Moran, who comes out of a mainsteam media background (his brother is Terry Moran from CNN, for example) and has ta tendency to accept certain claims at face value. At least he does so here.

Take, for instance his comment:

"But some experts minimize the EMP threat from North Korea."

In journalistic fashion he does not note who those experts are, or quote them. Yes, there are some people with degrees who have been quoted in the media and who downplay the danger, but who are they? I know for a fact that the U.S. government denied there even WAS such a thing as the EMP Effect until about twelve years ago. When I wrote about it in 2007 someone claiming to be part of the Starfish Prime test said I was full of beans. A year later the Congressional report came out; the man who wrote that to AT was undoubtedly working for the government. I have little doubt these "experts" are doing likewise.

Let's look at other claims in this blogpost.

First, the issue of blast capacity for nuclear bombs. Rick doesn't seem to realize that there is no good reason to test a big bomb in this day and age unless you are readying it for deployment. The basic physics is the same whether you detonate a Fat Man or a much larger device (provided you are still using a fission weapon) and a country trying to create a nuclear arsenal as North Korea is doing will not waste fissile material. Generally if you can build a small weapon you can build a larger weapon.

Even a fusion bomb is not that much more difficult; the U.S. exploded her first fusion bomb in 1952, just three years after Hiroshima. In fact, Edward Teller wanted to skip fission altogether and go for the H-bomb right away (he was overruled by Oppenheimer.) And this is a major step forward in power from the fission bomb. also, the Russians deveoloped their bombs sithin a few years of the U.S. despite being a Third World country (well, strictly speaking a Second World country, but you get the point.)

The key to nuclear weapons lies not in the size of such devices but in the ability to purify uranium or make plutonium.

It should also be pointed out that a small yield nuclear device is actually better at producing an EMP. The problem is it doesn't cover as much area as a big thermonuclear device. That is not as important if it is being detonated in orbit. Also, there are ways to increase the effectiveness of a fission bomb when used for an EMP attack. See here for more information on that score.

Second, Rick's claim that the Norks couldn't put a large enough nuke on a missile is incorrect.

The orignial Fat Man (the plutonium bomb) was 10,311 lbs. Now, the Taepodong-1 is capable of lifting roughly 440 lbs into orbit - a fraction of the weight of Fat Man. But that capability has been improving and it is now believed the Norks can do much more. According to an article in Space.com

" The Taepodong-1 rocket has flown once, in a modified space launch configuration that added a third stage. In August 1998, it blasted off carrying a small satellite called Kwangmyongsong-1 ("Bright Star 1"). Western observers say the launch failed, but North Korean officials claim the satellite made it to orbit and broadcast patriotic songs into space.

Analysts believe a two-stage Taepodong-1 rocket could deliver a 1-ton payload up to 1,500 miles (2,500 km) away. But additional modifications could bring more distant targets into range.

"Some analysts speculated that a reduced-payload configuration could deliver a 200 kg warhead into the U.S. center and a 100 kg warhead to Washington D.C., albeit with poor accuracy," missile defense specialist Steven Hildreth wrote in a 2009 Congressional Research Service report."

end excerpt.

So, while the Norks may not possess the capability to re-enter the atmosphere, they certainly can put a smaller device up Here is a list of American nuclear weapons with their weight; it is clear that some of these would be deliverable by a two stage Taepodong. Also, bear in mind North Korea is not pioneering this stuff but is following in our footsteps - something far easier. And they are getting help, from Iran, probably from China and perhaps Russia. Also, computer technology is infinitely superior to what we had to work with in the '40's and 50's and 60's.

In so many ways we are in peril from this. It is a far, far more effective weapon to use on the United States than simply nuking one of our cities.

And as for our "hardening", here is a report from the Heritage Foundation showing some efforts (not nearly enough) on hardening the U.S. Almost all of the efforts are focused on military and government, which does sqwat for the average citiznen, who will still see the lights go out, the food run out, the water run dry, and chaos engulf all but perhaps some military bases. Believing we are prepared is like believing you can survive on your own in wilds of Alaska; yes, some people will be o.k. but most won't. And as of 2017 we are still shockingly unprepared for an EMP attack.

But the mainstream media was not going to tell us that during the era of Obama and even now, because they cannot pin it on Trump. So the illusion continues that all is hunkey-dorey. It's not.

So Rick Moran should get his nose out of mainstream media and dig a little deeper into this type of thing. It is, sadly, a common mistake. WE are the alternative media, and it is we who need to lead on this stuff.

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at 12:50 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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