Governments in the US change through elections by vote of citizens, not by votes of corporate boards. Democracy continues, and the American republic endures.
Anyone thinking of using an EMP weapon against the US should carefully consider the consequences. It would almost certainly destroy any ability to use Powerpoint in the military, and as a result it is likely that military effectiveness of US forces could easily double.
Unfortunately EMP is a genuine serious threat, and North Korea poses a potential threat not just to the US, but to Australia, Japan, and other nations as well.
An EMP is a torrent of electromagnetic energy that disrupts and destroys electronic devices within an affected area. As a result of such an event, most electrical devices would fail, most cars would cease functioning, airplanes would fall from the sky, and critical infrastructure—such as water and sewers, banking, energy, transportation, information technology, and others—would shut down.
Importantly, the electrical components and transmission systems would be permanently destroyed, requiring enormous levels of repair and rebuilding. Huge swaths of the U.S. would be without even the most basic of services for years, and it could take decades to fully recover. The economic and human losses would be catastrophic.
An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack represents one of the greatest threats imaginable—to the United States and the world. An EMP occurs when a nuclear device is detonated high in the atmosphere—a phenomenon of which America’s enemies are well aware. The electromagnetic discharge can permanently disable the electrical systems that run nearly all civilian and military infrastructures. A massive EMP attack on the United States would produce almost unimaginable devastation. Communications would collapse, transportation would halt, and electrical power would simply be non-existent. Not even a global humanitarian effort would be enough to keep hundreds of millions of Americans from death by starvation, exposure, or lack of medicine. Nor would the catastrophe stop at U.S. borders. Most of Canada would be devastated, too, as its infrastructure is integrated with the U.S. power grid. Without the American economic engine, the world economy would quickly collapse. Much of the world’s intellectual brain power (half of it is in the United States) would be lost as well. Earth would most likely recede into the “new” Dark Ages.
A., one of the trends of the last several decades is much greater use of OTS (Off The Shelf) equipment in the military. That is just buying existing commercial equipment without all of the traditional MILSPEC type hardening that would have been done in the past. That has meant much quicker fielding times, and more current technology, but at the cost of much greater vulnerability to EMP and other associated effects. Some recent prime examples would be the tablet PCs the military is deploying, and various low level tactical communications gear. There are others.
First off, why be so pedantic about the word homophobia?
Maybe because it is a political club that dishonestly masquerades as a medical term?
Even the National Organization for Marriage, an extremely anti-gay organization...
Is that really true? I don't think so. As far as I know they only want to maintain the definition of marriage that has existed in all the states only what, 10-15 years ago? That is the same definition that existed since well before the republic was formed.
A dumb terrorist with a suicide vest is still a terrorist with a suicide vest. If he sets if off in the mall by you and your family you'll be dead regardless of his IQ.
Only 1-2 of each 5 man team on 9/11 was fairly bright. The other 3 were "muscle" to protect the other 2 while they did their work. The fact that 60% of the terrorists on 9/11 weren't brain surgeons didn't seem to hamper them in creating carnage.
By a similar token, do you take lazy walks late at night in the bad part of town and simply count on the disparity between your education and intelligence to protect you against a gang of high school drop-out? I doubt it.
The Indonesian foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, has escalated the diplomatic row between Australia and Indonesia after revelations about Australia's intelligence gathering activities by suggesting co-operation on people smuggling operations may be reviewed.
Natalegawa made the comments in a press conference on Monday. Guardian Australia reported at the weekend that Australia was spying on Indonesia at the UN climate change conference in 2007, according documents obtained by the whistleblower Edward Snowden.
It's pretty straight forward - you might want to read more of the article. Trying to blame me for the fallout from the actions of Snowden and the Guardian is a failing game even if you approve of Snowden's actions. I have no influence over the foreign policy of Indonesia.
This certainly sounds like an attempt to go "Hey! You! Undecided people! Snowden is totally the bad guy because of this!
So, are you claiming that the Guardian and Sydney Morning Herald articles are false? The Guardian draws a direct line between the reports and the Indonesian foreign minister's statements.
The Indonesian foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, has escalated the diplomatic row between Australia and Indonesia after revelations about Australia's intelligence gathering activities by suggesting co-operation on people smuggling operations may be reviewed.
Natalegawa made the comments in a press conference on Monday. Guardian Australia reported at the weekend that Australia was spying on Indonesia at the UN climate change conference in 2007, according documents obtained by the whistleblower Edward Snowden.
It seems to me what is really going on here is that you are trying to blame me in some way for the fallout for Snowden's actions, and those of the Guardian. Do you really understand what is going on?
My suggestion is that you try actually reading the article before littering the forum with comments alternating between snark and false accusations. Maybe try this one. Someone with your intelligence should be able to figure out what is being said.
Basically, Indonesia is leveraging the disclosures to force Australia to agree to exchange intelligence information to address the problem of human trafficking. Nowhere in the TFA says that Indonesia is going to cancel the talks with Australia over this. Australia broke the trust, its up to them to fix it.
It appears you either didn't read the article, or don't understand the diplomatic language being used. Maybe you should try that again.
'If Australia feels that there are ways of obtaining information other than the official one then one wonders where we are in terms of co-operation,' says foreign minister Marty Natalegawa... The Indonesian foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, has escalated the diplomatic row between Australia and Indonesia after revelations about Australia's intelligence gathering activities by suggesting co-operation on people smuggling operations may be reviewed.
The real blame should go to legislatures that criminalize the free movement of people.
So you're saying that countries should have no control over their own borders, and who is allowed into the country?
I hear that doesn't always work out well. Still, it would be a convenient way for Australia to become populated by Chinese and Indonesians. Perhaps Australia could even join one of them in union once the native population is outnumbered. I wonder if Australia as a Chinese province would have a period of special rights like Hong Kong?
Speech by Eisenhower warning of Military industrial complex:
If the so called Military Industrial Complex was all that powerful today, it's share of the economy (%GDP) wouldn't be on the decline towards the lowest level since 1940.
The mission of the NSA is signals intelligence. Not much room there for rendition.
The FISA court both lacks the power to, and wouldn't, permit illegal activity. The judges that sit on it are the same judges that sit on other courts, they just rotate through the FISA court. They aren't some secret cabal that throws away the law when nobody is looking.
I'm pretty certain that neither the Australian Signals Directorate nor the NSA engages in any sort of rendition, and they seem to be part of the topic here.
You have it backwards. The harm is the human smuggling and trafficking that has been occurring. Intelligence operations provide information necessary to enforce the law and stop the abuse.
Actually the end of list of examples from the story of groups being hacked was about an anti-slavery charity being hacked. Won't you think of the slaves? I doubt it.
Slashdot Mirror
Governments in the US change through elections by vote of citizens, not by votes of corporate boards. Democracy continues, and the American republic endures.
Anyone thinking of using an EMP weapon against the US should carefully consider the consequences. It would almost certainly destroy any ability to use Powerpoint in the military, and as a result it is likely that military effectiveness of US forces could easily double.
Unfortunately EMP is a genuine serious threat, and North Korea poses a potential threat not just to the US, but to Australia, Japan, and other nations as well.
Inside the Ring: North Korean missiles deemed a serious threat to U.S.
'North Korea's nuclear weapons could hit UK': Alarm at David Cameron's claim
An EMP Could Cripple the U.S.
An EMP is a torrent of electromagnetic energy that disrupts and destroys electronic devices within an affected area. As a result of such an event, most electrical devices would fail, most cars would cease functioning, airplanes would fall from the sky, and critical infrastructure—such as water and sewers, banking, energy, transportation, information technology, and others—would shut down.
Importantly, the electrical components and transmission systems would be permanently destroyed, requiring enormous levels of repair and rebuilding. Huge swaths of the U.S. would be without even the most basic of services for years, and it could take decades to fully recover. The economic and human losses would be catastrophic.
EMP Attacks—What the U.S. Must Do Now
An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack represents one of the greatest threats imaginable—to the United States and the world. An EMP occurs when a nuclear device is detonated high in the atmosphere—a phenomenon of which America’s enemies are well aware. The electromagnetic discharge can permanently disable the electrical systems that run nearly all civilian and military infrastructures. A massive EMP attack on the United States would produce almost unimaginable devastation. Communications would collapse, transportation would halt, and electrical power would simply be non-existent. Not even a global humanitarian effort would be enough to keep hundreds of millions of Americans from death by starvation, exposure, or lack of medicine. Nor would the catastrophe stop at U.S. borders. Most of Canada would be devastated, too, as its infrastructure is integrated with the U.S. power grid. Without the American economic engine, the world economy would quickly collapse. Much of the world’s intellectual brain power (half of it is in the United States) would be lost as well. Earth would most likely recede into the “new” Dark Ages.
A single nuke exploded above America could cause a national blackout for months.
One EMP burst and the world goes dark
That's why North Korea is Best Korea(c)!
Little known fact - when they play Donkey Kong they use real donkeys. Their gaming industry is impervious to EMP.
If they are copying Russian EMP weapons, that might explain something.
I think I found a picture showing the results of one of their tests.
A., one of the trends of the last several decades is much greater use of OTS (Off The Shelf) equipment in the military. That is just buying existing commercial equipment without all of the traditional MILSPEC type hardening that would have been done in the past. That has meant much quicker fielding times, and more current technology, but at the cost of much greater vulnerability to EMP and other associated effects. Some recent prime examples would be the tablet PCs the military is deploying, and various low level tactical communications gear. There are others.
Or carbon credits.
But DON'T watch the movie. Nothing but a T&A gore fest that had little to nothing to do with the book, other than insects waging space war.
TMI. Some people will consider that an enticement.
Well, there goes Hollywood.
First off, why be so pedantic about the word homophobia?
Maybe because it is a political club that dishonestly masquerades as a medical term?
Even the National Organization for Marriage, an extremely anti-gay organization...
Is that really true? I don't think so. As far as I know they only want to maintain the definition of marriage that has existed in all the states only what, 10-15 years ago? That is the same definition that existed since well before the republic was formed.
We live in interesting times, and it seems they are likely to get more interesting as time goes by. What was the Chinese curse again?
The Guardian seems to make the linkage pretty clear.
A dumb terrorist with a suicide vest is still a terrorist with a suicide vest. If he sets if off in the mall by you and your family you'll be dead regardless of his IQ.
Only 1-2 of each 5 man team on 9/11 was fairly bright. The other 3 were "muscle" to protect the other 2 while they did their work. The fact that 60% of the terrorists on 9/11 weren't brain surgeons didn't seem to hamper them in creating carnage.
By a similar token, do you take lazy walks late at night in the bad part of town and simply count on the disparity between your education and intelligence to protect you against a gang of high school drop-out? I doubt it.
Here is what the Guardian said.
Spying row: Indonesia threatens to stop co-operating on people smuggling
The Indonesian foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, has escalated the diplomatic row between Australia and Indonesia after revelations about Australia's intelligence gathering activities by suggesting co-operation on people smuggling operations may be reviewed.
Natalegawa made the comments in a press conference on Monday. Guardian Australia reported at the weekend that Australia was spying on Indonesia at the UN climate change conference in 2007, according documents obtained by the whistleblower Edward Snowden.
It's pretty straight forward - you might want to read more of the article. Trying to blame me for the fallout from the actions of Snowden and the Guardian is a failing game even if you approve of Snowden's actions. I have no influence over the foreign policy of Indonesia.
This certainly sounds like an attempt to go "Hey! You! Undecided people! Snowden is totally the bad guy because of this!
So, are you claiming that the Guardian and Sydney Morning Herald articles are false? The Guardian draws a direct line between the reports and the Indonesian foreign minister's statements.
Spying row: Indonesia threatens to stop co-operating on people smuggling
The Indonesian foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, has escalated the diplomatic row between Australia and Indonesia after revelations about Australia's intelligence gathering activities by suggesting co-operation on people smuggling operations may be reviewed.
Natalegawa made the comments in a press conference on Monday. Guardian Australia reported at the weekend that Australia was spying on Indonesia at the UN climate change conference in 2007, according documents obtained by the whistleblower Edward Snowden.
It seems to me what is really going on here is that you are trying to blame me in some way for the fallout for Snowden's actions, and those of the Guardian. Do you really understand what is going on?
My suggestion is that you try actually reading the article before littering the forum with comments alternating between snark and false accusations. Maybe try this one. Someone with your intelligence should be able to figure out what is being said.
Spying row: Indonesia threatens to stop co-operating on people smuggling
Basically, Indonesia is leveraging the disclosures to force Australia to agree to exchange intelligence information to address the problem of human trafficking. Nowhere in the TFA says that Indonesia is going to cancel the talks with Australia over this. Australia broke the trust, its up to them to fix it.
It appears you either didn't read the article, or don't understand the diplomatic language being used. Maybe you should try that again.
Spying row: Indonesia threatens to stop co-operating on people smuggling
'If Australia feels that there are ways of obtaining information other than the official one then one wonders where we are in terms of co-operation,' says foreign minister Marty Natalegawa ... The Indonesian foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, has escalated the diplomatic row between Australia and Indonesia after revelations about Australia's intelligence gathering activities by suggesting co-operation on people smuggling operations may be reviewed.
The real blame should go to legislatures that criminalize the free movement of people.
So you're saying that countries should have no control over their own borders, and who is allowed into the country?
I hear that doesn't always work out well. Still, it would be a convenient way for Australia to become populated by Chinese and Indonesians. Perhaps Australia could even join one of them in union once the native population is outnumbered. I wonder if Australia as a Chinese province would have a period of special rights like Hong Kong?
Speech by Eisenhower warning of Military industrial complex:
If the so called Military Industrial Complex was all that powerful today, it's share of the economy (%GDP) wouldn't be on the decline towards the lowest level since 1940.
Defense Budget Priorities: Opting for American Decline
Yeah, you're sure for now because no evidence of it has been leaked...
No, I sure because that isn't their mission, just like it isn't their mission to inspect fruit at the border or forecast the weather.
Your posts say otherwise, shill.
Hmmmm.
The mission of the NSA is signals intelligence. Not much room there for rendition.
The FISA court both lacks the power to, and wouldn't, permit illegal activity. The judges that sit on it are the same judges that sit on other courts, they just rotate through the FISA court. They aren't some secret cabal that throws away the law when nobody is looking.
I'm pretty certain that neither the Australian Signals Directorate nor the NSA engages in any sort of rendition, and they seem to be part of the topic here.
You have it backwards. The harm is the human smuggling and trafficking that has been occurring. Intelligence operations provide information necessary to enforce the law and stop the abuse.
Actually the end of list of examples from the story of groups being hacked was about an anti-slavery charity being hacked. Won't you think of the slaves? I doubt it.