www.geocities.com/strategicmaneuver/battleboxes.htm

Next, key U.S. equipment and weapons must be buried deep into underground facilities like the Swedish and Switzerland militaries do in order to evade destruction from either a surprise nation-state "Pearl Harbor" or local terrorist NBC attack possibly using a "backpack nuke" device or stand-off missile attack.

"Suitcase" nuclear bomb on display at U.S. Senate Hearings

U.S. air forces must be ready to rapidly disperse their airplanes on warning to small non-military airports to evade attack or severe weather storms. All of the things that were routine during the Cold War must be still trained for and available today. Lt. General Francis Tucker's book "The Pattern of War" USMCRP 1989, has much insight on how today's air-mobile forces must be dispersed/hardened to survive NBC attacks and then dominate the battlefield. The best way to defeat U.S. forces is to not let them get to the battlefield. Today's serviceman wants all the urban comforts of home nearby his military duty station -- being packed close in to major urban areas that are hard to keep free of close-in attack agents or are easy targets from space for long-range missile attack has made him at risk to catastrophic destruction. The modern battlefield is NOW not after a a formal declaration of war between nation-states. It is time to wake-up and realize the true Pattern of War that exists today and get ready for it, not what we wish it to be. ALL Soldiers should have their TA-50 and NBC gear packed and ready to go like the Swiss military is.

At his off-post home he should have either a blast (best) or fall-out shelter in a basement or central sealed room to survive any surprise terror attacks and know that his family will be taken care of if he reports to duty at a nearby military base (if its not destroyed). At least 2 week's worth of supplies should be in the emergency room/basement.

NOTES

AUGUST 6 (Hiroshima 60th anniversary) and SEPT 11 POSSIBLE DETONATION DATES

<< Al-Qaida nukes: Why wait?

Attack plan complex, coordinated, devastating

(c) 2005 G2 Bulletin Publishing date: 26.07.2005 20:26

Skeptics of al-Qaida's ability to detonate nuclear weapons inside the U.S. most often suggest the problems with maintenance and technical attention.

Some suggest Osama bin Laden may have purchased duds on the black market. Others point out that the triggers on suitcase nukes decay rapidly and have short half lives. The nuclear cores, after a time, fall below the critical mass threshold, say the optimists. Even the shells are subject to contamination over time if not properly maintained, they say.

Unfortunately, finds Paul Williams, author of the upcoming book, "The Al Qaeda Connection: International Terrorism, Organized Crime and the Coming Apocalypse," there's little point in assessing the possibilities with rose-colored glasses.

"The belief that bin Laden simply purchased these weapons for millions of dollars and stored them within his cave without concern for maintenance has its basis in the erroneous and prejudicial notion that he is a backward Bedouin warrior without knowledge of sophisticated weaponry, rather than a highly trained engineer and one of the most gifted military tacticians in the annals of modern history," he writes.

Williams dismisses suggestions that bin Laden hasn't taken into account some obvious problems with nuclear weapons.

"Bin Laden has been extremely mindful of proper maintenance," he writes. "As soon as he obtained the weapons, he paid an amount estimated from $60 to $100 million for the assistance of nuclear scientists from Russia, China and Pakistan. From 1996 to 2001, bin Laden also kept a score of Spetznaz technicians from the former Soviet Union on his payroll. These technicians had been trained to open and operate the weapons in order to prevent any unauthorized use. To simplify the process of activation, the scientists and technicians came up with a way of hot-wiring the small nukes to the bodies of Muslim agents who long for immediate martyrdom and immediate elevation to the seventh heaven."

Other skeptics ask: "If bin Laden has nukes, why hasn't he used them? Why would he wait? If he has successfully smuggled them into the U.S., why haven't any gone off yet?"

Williams and other G2 Bulletin intelligence sources explain that one of bin Laden's defining characteristics is patience.

"He started plotting the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania when he was in Sudan in 1993," points out Williams. "The attack on the USS Cole was more than two years in the making; and 10 years passed between the first attack on the World Trade Center and the second."

Williams said recruits at al-Qaida training camps are instructed to repeat this throughout the day: "I will be patient until Patience is outworn by patience."

Intelligence analysts and sources disagree on the details of the way bin Laden's "American Hiroshima" plan unfolds. Some G2 Bulletin sources emphasize bin Laden's commitment to re-enacting the 1945 attack on Japan with one nuclear detonation, followed by another days later.

Williams, however, sees a much more devastating, coordinated, all-out, surprise attack coming.

"The next attack, according to al-Qaida defectors and informants, will take place simultaneously at various sites throughout the country," he writes. "Designated targets include New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Houston, Las Vegas, and Valdez, Alaska, where the tankers are filled with oil from the Trans-Alaska pipeline. To orchestrate such an incredible event requires not only the shipment of the nukes into the United States but also the establishment of cells, the training of sleeper agents, the selection of sites, and the preparation of the weapons without detection from federal, state or local law enforcement officials. Unlike 9-11, that cost less than $350,000, this event already has cost a king's ransom, and bin Laden will not waste the billions in expenditures, the years of planning and his coveted 'crown jewels' on an attack that is ill-planned, poorly timed and carelessly coordinated."

Other G2B sources interpret some of the same information, based on captured al-Qaida operatives and documents as well as defectors, differently. They project an escalating series of attacks, each followed by blackmail demands upon the U.S. government and the American people.

In any event, both kinds of spectacular nuclear terror attacks require pinpoint coordination and secure communication.

Williams also speculates that the delay in launching attacks with weapons already smuggled inside the U.S. could be due to reports al-Qaida is determined to locate tactical nuclear weapons that were forward-deployed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. These weapons were reportedly buried at remote sites throughout the country for recovery by Soviet agents.

"There is no doubt that the Soviets stored material in this country," says Rep. Curt Weldon, R-PA, chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Research. "The question is what and where."

Bin Laden may have a considerable head-start in the search given his predilection toward hiring former Soviet special forces officers whose job it was to know something about these plans.

U.S. officials have reportedly ordered the excavation of several sites believed to be possible depots.

Russian defector Stanislav Lunev, told congressional investigators that nuclear suitcases had been buried throughout the U.S., and that he could not pinpoint the locations because Russian military leaders continue to believe a nuclear conflict with the U.S. is still "inevitable." He said the only hope of finding them would be if the Russian government disclosed the locations.

During the same hearings, Belgian officials testified they found three secret depots containing tactical nukes buried by the Soviets in the 1960s.

G2B previously reported, based on captured al-Qaida leaders and documents, that the terrorist group has a plan called "American Hiroshima" involving the multiple detonation of nuclear weapons already smuggled into the U.S. over the Mexican border with the help of the MS-13 street gang and other organized crime groups.

Al-Qaida has obtained at least 40 nuclear weapons from the former Soviet Union - including suitcase nukes, nuclear mines, artillery shells and even some missile warheads. In addition, documents captured in Afghanistan show al-Qaida had plans to assemble its own nuclear weapons with fissile material it purchased on the black market.

The plans for the devastating nuclear attack on the U.S. have been under development for more than a decade. It is designed as a final deadly blow of defeat to the U.S., which is seen by al-Qaida and its allies as "the Great Satan."

At least half the nuclear weapons in the al-Qaida arsenal were obtained for cash from the Chechen terrorist allies.

A follow-up report in G2B said at least nine major U.S. cities, including New York and Washington, are prime targets for the al-Qaida nuclear terrorists. Osama bin Laden's preferred dates for attacks include Aug. 6, the anniversary of the Hiroshima nuclear bombing in 1945, Sept. 11 and May 14, the anniversary of the re-creation of the state of Israel in 1948. The 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima attack will be marked next month.

www.worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45203

Al-Qaida nukes already in U.S.
Terrorists, bombs smuggled across Mexico border by MS-13 gangsters
Posted: July 11, 2005

12:22 p.m. Eastern
(c) 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

WASHINGTON - As London recovers from the latest deadly al-Qaida attack that killed at least 50, top U.S. government officials are contemplating what they consider to be an inevitable and much bigger assault on America - one likely to kill millions, destroy the economy and fundamentally alter the course of history, reports Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin .

According to captured al-Qaida leaders and documents, the plan is called the "American Hiroshima" and involves the multiple detonation of nuclear weapons already smuggled into the U.S. over the Mexican border with the help of the MS-13 street gang and other organized crime groups.

Al-Qaida has obtained at least 40 nuclear weapons from the former Soviet Union - including suitcase nukes, nuclear mines, artillery shells and even some missile warheads. In addition, documents captured in Afghanistan show al-Qaida had plans to assemble its own nuclear weapons with fissile material it purchased on the black market.

In addition to detonating its own nuclear weapons already planted in the U.S., military sources also say there is evidence to suggest al-Qaida is paying former Russian special forces Spetznaz to assist the terrorist group in locating nuclear weapons formerly concealed inside the U.S. by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Osama bin Laden's group is also paying nuclear scientists from Russia and Pakistan to maintain its existing nuclear arsenal and assemble additional weapons with the materials it has invested hundreds of millions in procuring over a period of 10 years. The plans for the devastating nuclear attack on the U.S. have been under development for more than a decade. It is designed as a final deadly blow of defeat to the U.S., which is seen by al-Qaida and its allies as "the Great Satan."

At least half the nuclear weapons in the al-Qaida arsenal were obtained for cash from the Chechen terrorist allies.

But the most disturbing news is that high level U.S. officials now believe at least some of those weapons have been smuggled into the U.S. for use in the near future in major cities as part of this "American Hiroshima" plan, according to an upcoming book, "The al-Qaida Connection: International Terrorism, Organized Crime and the Coming Apocalypse," by Paul L. Williams, a former FBI consultant.

According to Williams, former CIA Director George Tenet informed President Bush one month after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that at least two suitcase nukes had reached al-Qaida operatives in the U.S.

"Each suitcase weighed between 50 and 80 kilograms (approximately 110 to 176 pounds) and contained enough fissionable plutonium and uranium to produce an explosive yield in excess of two kilotons," wrote Williams. "One suitcase bore the serial number 9999 and the Russian manufacturing date of 1988. The design of the weapons, Tenet told the president, is simple. The plutonium and uranium are kept in separate compartments that are linked to a triggering mechanism that can be activated by a clock or a call from the cell phone."

According to the author, the news sent Bush "through the roof," prompting him to order his national security team to give nuclear terrorism priority over every other threat to America.

However, it is worth noting that Bush failed to translate this policy into securing the U.S.-Mexico border through which the nuclear weapons and al-Qaida operatives are believed to have passed with the help of the MS-13 smugglers. He did, however, order the building of underground bunkers away from major metropolitan areas for use by federal government managers following an attack.

Bin Laden, according to Williams, has nearly unlimited funds to spend on his nuclear terrorism plan because he has remained in control of the Afghanistan-produced heroin industry. Poppy production has greatly increased even while U.S. troops are occupying the country, he writes. Al-Qaida has developed close relations with the Albanian Mafia, which assists in the smuggling and sale of heroin throughout Europe and the U.S.

Some of that money is used to pay off the notorious MS-13 street gang between $30,000 and $50,000 for each sleeper agent smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico. The sleepers are also provided with phony identification, most often bogus matricula consular ID cards indistinguishable from Mexico's official ID, now accepted in the U.S. to open bank accounts and obtain driver's licenses.

The Bush administration's unwillingness to secure the U.S.-Mexico border has puzzled and dismayed a growing number of activists and ordinary citizens who see it as the No. 1 security threat to the nation. The Minuteman organization is planning a major mobilization of thousands of Americans this fall designed to shut down the entire 2,000-mile border as it did in April with a 23-mile stretch in Arizona.

According to Williams' sources, thousands of al-Qaida sleeper agents have now been forward deployed into the U.S. to carry out their individual roles in the coming "American Hiroshima" plan.

Bin Laden's goal, according to the book, is to kill at least 4 million Americans, 2 million of whom must be children. Only then, bin Laden has said, would the crimes committed by America on the Arab and Muslim world be avenged.

There is virtually no doubt among intelligence analysts al-Qaida has obtained fully assembled nuclear weapons, according to Williams. The only question is how many. Estimates range between a dozen and 70. The breathtaking news is that an undetermined number of these weapons, including suitcase bombs, mines and crude tactical nuclear weapons, have already been smuggled into the U.S. - at least some across the U.S.-Mexico border.

The future plan, according to captured al-Qaida agents and documents, suggests the attacks will take place simultaneously in major cities throughout the country - including New York, Boston, Washington, Las Vegas, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles.

In response to the G2 Bulletin revelations, Chris Simcox, founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, a citizen action group demanding the U.S. government take control of its borders, said an immediate military presence on the borders is now imperative "to stop the overwhelming influx of unidentified, potentially hostile and seditious persons coming across at an alarming rate."

"Terrorists have carte blanche to carry practically anything they want across our national line at this time," he said. "As ordinary citizens have warned this government for years, the only surprising part about the new information reported here is that nothing apocalyptic from Mexican-border weapons trafficking has yet happened. Terrorism has reared its ugly head in London again these past few days, and as we know all too well we are not immune in this country.

"At this point, the next attempt to attack America at home is just a matter of 'when,' not 'if.' And our unsecured borders have surely contributed to this threat - yet our government officials continue to fiddle while our nation's margin of security and safety burns away. The president and Congress had better wake up before they have to answer for another devastating terrorist incursion on our own soil."

To Paraphrase Rudyard Kipling:

"Now these are the Laws of the Jungle---as old and as true as the sky;

And the Wolves that shall keep them may prosper,

but the Wolves that shall break them will die.

These are the Laws of the Jungle, and many and mighty they are;

But the head and hoof of the laws, and the haunch

and the hump is----WAR!"

1st Tactical Studies Group (Airborne)

October 15, 2001
August 5, 2005 UPDATED

NOTES

SIRIUS: The Strategic Issues Research Institute

Benjamin C. Works, Executive Director

1515 Jeff Davis Hwy #408 * Arlington, VA 22202

703 415-1191; www.siri-us.com;

E-mail: Benworks@AOL.Com

--Speak the Truth and Shame the Devil--

SIT 02-11-18; November 18, 2002

NOTE: SIRIUS thanks KM of Texas, MB of Colorado, JF of Toronto and JPM of Chicago for material contributions to this report.

The FBI and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge continue their general warning of signals that Al Qaeda is preparing a new "spectacular attack." Osama generously added several US allies to his group's target list in his taped message released through Al Jezeera TV last week: Britain, France, Italy, Canada, Germany and Australia have been warned, and Canberra put on notice that its actions in East Timor are a material factor.

Last Friday, in SIT -02-11-15, I explored moon data indicating that a visible crescent moon appears to be "signature" element in recent Al Qaeda attacks. But SIRIUS had few data points to support the theory. Today there are a few more conforming to the pattern. One can now see that there are both signature attacks -spectaculars-and ongoing "target of opportunity" attacks.

Call it a "signature," a "calling card" or whatever. Terrorists and serial killers are among those who develop signatures and trademarks in their operations. SIRIUS sees indications of two key signature elements in Al Qaeda and other Islamic fundamentalist terror attacks, as well as a more general Muslim tendency to strike during a crescent moon phase. The signature includes who-what they target, the weapon used, when they favor striking and any embellishments. Ideology is the why of this "who, what, when, where, why & how" framework.

One signature element of Al Qaeda spectaculars is the double attack. In August 1998, Al Qaeda bombed two US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania nearly simultaneously, to demonstrate their ability to mount complex operations on a global scale. In the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, they demonstrated a double-double -two cities with two targets-- and pulled three out of the four attacks off to their liking.

Islam runs on the Lunar calendar and the God "Allah" draws as much from the ancient moon goddess worshipped at the Kaaba in Mecca as it does from the God of the Christians and Jews. Ramadan begins and ends with the new moon over Mecca. And by unofficial count, a crescent features in 12 national flags of Muslim states.

Further data indicate that Al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorists do, in fact, favor action during the period of the crescent moon which runs about 12 days-nights per month. There was a fat crescent moon during the 1996 bombing of the Al Khobar Towers and as reported in the last update, crescent moons observable during the 9-11-2001 attacks and during attacks in Yemen, Kuwait and Bali during Oct 6-12, 2002.

I found more: the visible crescent moon obtained during attacks in France and Tunisia in April 2002.

Then I determined that the DC Beltway snipers began their October 2002 reign of terror during the crescent moon phase. Though the moon had gone down shortly before the first killing on Wednesday evening Oct. 2^nd, it was clearly visible when they killed two women and a man in the Glenmont-Spring Hill district of Silver Spring on the morning of Oct. 3^rd. And though John Mohammed has no known direct connection to Al Qaeda, he was more than a dabbler into America's Nation of Islam, then into militant Islamic fundamentalism and is known to have voiced sympathy for Al Qaeda's aims. Also on Oct. 2^nd, less noted because of the Beltway sniper story, Abu Sayyaf bombed a disco in Zamboanga, the Philippines, killing a Green Beret and three others.

The theory that spectacular "signature" attacks will be mounted under a crescent moon continues to hold water and these tend to announce new campaigns of follow-on attacks. Data for each attack accompanies this narrative. It also seems that you don't have to be Al Qaeda to favor aggression under a crescent moon; it may well be an embedded bias among Muslims in general as with the Beltway snipers - but that's a matter for historical research. It is common to launch new enterprises at the beginning of a month and Muslim months are determined by the new moon.

Islamist terrorists affiliated with Al Qaeda increasingly appear to favor a crescent moon that is at least partly visible in daylight or at the time of the attack itself, or both. The 9-11 attack was during the last quarter moon. Now we have the April attacks in France and Tunisia, and the Mohammed-Malvo sniping spree. Add the October 6-12 attacks in Yemen (the French Tanker), Kuwait and Bali which started on the new moon of the 6^th and during the new crescent moon; and the moon was visible in daylight hours.

The attack on Al Khobar Towers in 1996 took place under a fat crescent moon. On the other hand, the attacks against the Embassies in Africa in 1998 and the attack on the USS Cole did not take place under crescent moons.

The purpose, of course, would be so that Al Qaeda can get a photo and video image of the crescent moon in the same frame as the smoldering ruins of their target(s). What better image could Osama have for a recruiting poster? Security forces might well watch for swarthy cameramen loitering around high value targets when a crescent moon is hanging overhead.

Our Intelligence community has $30 Billion or so in budget that they can use to test other attacks against lunar data.

But there will also be attacks on targets of opportunity throughout the month, independent of the moon's phase. As with the attack on USS Cole, naval vessels are moving targets of opportunity, while tankers such as the French ship Limburg are more frequent passers by. The terrorist cell has to strike a naval vessel when it is in reach, not reach it when the moon is right; so military assets in the Middle East must always be watchful.

Oct. 25 attacks on five Thai schools (more below) and a Buddhist temple and the Moscow hostage standoff of Oct. 24-26 did not take place under a crescent moon, but under a waning full-half moon phase. During this same period an American diplomat was murdered in Amman, Jordan. Abu Sayyaf attacks in Zamboanga and Manila on Oct. 17-18 also do not conform to the crescent moon pattern. But the Philippine attacks do begin with the disco attack on Oct. 2.

It is worth noting that US civilian business and non-government personnel working in Muslim countries have yet not been major targets, except in Pakistan. Nobody bothers oilfield Americans in the Gulf because their business relations and economic contributions are so effective. But Al Qaeda could seek to change that, too.

So as to that "spectacular" attack that Al Qaeda reportedly has in mind; SIRIUS notes that Ramadan ends on the Dec. 4^th new moon, with moonrise at 7:30AM and moonset at 5:08 PM. A crescent will be visible for the 4^th-9^th or so and while I don't think Al Qaeda would attack at night on the feast of Eid, daytime from the 4^th on is a perfect Islamist "free fire zone." Dec. 27, 2002 - Jan. 7, 2003 is the next high risk period, with moonrise for New Years Day at 6:40 AM and moonset at 3:47 PM.

For civilian targets, in the absence of anything specific, I would look at the almanac and move quietly to "condition orange" from "condition yellow" during the last quarter-first quarter periods and be doubly careful when the crescent is hanging out there in broad daylight. Terrorists will strike targets of opportunity when they can, so it is unsafe 24/7/365, but for a big operation, Al Qaeda appears to have adopted the crescent moon phase of the month.

As to other elements of the Al Qaeda signature, attacks in Yemen and Bali were largely done with locally available civilian explosives, though the Bali bomb was triggered by a small amount of US military-grade C-4 plastic explosive. The bomb used against the Limburg was construction-grade dynamite, easily stolen or laundered through a construction company front. This means that Al Qaeda does not have to compromise itself by developing links to corrupt military sources of stolen munitions or to the international black market in arms and munitions.

It is noteworthy that Colin Powell delivered a list of 22 high-value Canadian economic targets to the Ottawa government last week. Al Qaeda increasingly plots attacks against our economic infrastructure and enterprises around the world.

Also, new threats against western-run schools have emerged. On Oct. 25, a spate of arson and bomb attacks in Muslim-dominated southern Thailand targeted five schools and a Buddhist temple. These Western and other non-Muslim schools prepare people for the modern world, filling their minds with modern thought, antithetical to Islamic Fundamentalism's grip on people's emotions.

It is increasingly clear that the virulence of Islamic Fundamentalism is predicated on the fact that they know they have lost the competition of ideas to the West and to Christianity. Thus, the only way to retain power is to keep the people suspended in Feudal ignorance, fear and hate. It is good to see the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia embarking on a major educational reform program to winkle out hateful doctrine and elevate the education of girls and young women, while teaching the modern sciences in English.

Flags: By my unofficial count, twelve Muslim majority states have a crescent in their flag design: Algeria, Azerbaijan, Comoros, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Singapore, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. Most Muslim flags featuring a crescent show a waning moon, Mauritania and Turkmenistan are exceptions to that.

Moon Phases are from Naval Observatory site and its times are per Greenwich Mean Time (Eastern US plus 5 hours). For Moon Phase data see:

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/MoonPhase.html#y2000

Moonrise and moonset are for Arlington, VA. from the Farmers Almanack site http://www.almanac.com/rise/index.php

Times would be plus or minus half an hour or so at any other site in its time zone.

June 25, 1996: Al Khobar Towers; Day after 1st Quarter, a waxing fat crescent moon; Moon Rise 2:22PM, set after 2am next day.

August 7, 1998: Daylight Embassy bombings in Kenya; Mozambique. Full Moon Aug 8. Moonrise: 7:58PM; Moon set: 5:40AM.

- US retaliatory strikes in Afghanistan and Sudan were on Aug. 20 under the new moon Moonrise 4:50 AM; moonset 7:58PM -strike hit when moon was down.

Sept. 11, 2001: 9-11 Attack on WTC & Pentagon: Last Quarter Moon: Moonrise 0:53 AM; moonset: 3:13PM. Crescent moon clearly visible high in western sky when Pentagon was struck.

4-10-02: Attacks on Jewish football team and school bus in France. Waning crescent moon; Moonrise 6:04AM, moonset 5:46PM

4-12-02: (Friday) Blast at Tunisia Synagogue kills 5; Moonrise 6:51AM, moonset 7:41PM

9-25-02: Armed men invade offices of Christian charity in Karachi, killing seven workers, injuring two others. Sixth attack this year targeting Westerners and Christians in Pakistan. Waning Gibbous (full-half) moon.

10-2-02: Waning crescent moon: Moonrise: 2:07AM, moonset: 5:01PM

* Abu Sayyaf bomb outside a nightclub in Zamboanga, Philippines, frequented by U.S. troops kills four people, including a U.S. Green Beret, and injures two dozen.

Waning crescent moon: Moonrise: 3:20AM, moonset: 5:30PM

10-6-02: Tanker Limburg -off Yemen. New Moon: Moonrise 7:07AM, set 7:15 PM

10-8-02: Attack on marines in Kuwait during daylight. New Crescent Moon

10-12-02: Bali Bombing (2^nd Anniv. of attack on USS Cole). Crescent Moon. Moonrise: 2:15PM, moonset 11:35PM.

10-17 & 18-02: Abu Sayyaf bombs in Zamboanga and Manila; waxing Gibbous Moon

10-25-02: Bombing rampage in Thailand; waning Gibbous moon

10-24-26-02: Chechen terrorists hold theater audience hostage in Moscow.

10-28-02: US diplomat assassinated in Amman Jordan; waning Gibbous moon.

* Dec. 1-10, 2002. Eid Feast: Dec. 4, 2002: Moonrise: 7:30AM; moonset: 5:08 PM.

* Dec. 27, 2002 - Jan. 7, 2003. New Years Day: Moonrise: 6:40 AM, moonset: 3:47 PM.

© Copyright 2002 by Benjamin C. Works - SIRIUS www.siri-us.com

Recipients of this report may re-post it, in whole or in part, to Internet web sites and address lists, so long as the copyright notice is included, and "for fair use only."

E-mail 1st TSG (A)

A reader from southern California proposes using your car to flee from nuclear radiation:

"AMERICAN HIROSHIMA DAY? YOU CAN PREPARE

Osama bin Laden's second in command al-Zawahiri yesterday Aug. 4 has threatened to rain destruction down on the U.S. in a newly released video tape message.

The much ballyhooed 'American Hiroshima' reportedly threatened by al Quaida against the US may be upon us today as we approach the 60th anniversary of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima Aug. 6, 1945. Osama bin Laden likes to plan terrorist attacks on weekdays to catch victims at work (9-11 was at close to 9 AM on a Tuesday) so today Friday Aug. 5 might be a target date or possibly Monday, Aug. 8 (the Nagasaki atomic bomb was dropped on Aug. 9 three days after Horoshima). If the East Coast is struck at say 9 AM Eastern Time, there is a possibility the West Coast might have 3 hours' warning to get out of town before an attack at 9 AM PACIFIC Time.

Thus there is a remote chance that if Osama's terrorists have obtained 'suitcase nukes' and smuggled them into the US for a coordinated attack, or snuck them in the large seaport shipping containers, there might be a terrible nuclear attack on major US cities. It might not be today or Monday or any time soon, hopefully NEVER at all. But just like earthquakes and other major disasters are rare you should still be prepared and stock up, know your PLAN and make sure all family and friends KNOW THE PLAN.

Here are the most important things you should know so you can prepare an EMERGENCY PLAN:

1. The greatest danger from a nuclear attack is from RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT, which is basically dirt made radioactive by the nuclear blast and lofted into the air for miles around and spread by wind up to 100-300 miles or more. You are not likely to be in a downtown urban area most likely to be struck so it's FALLOUT that is the greatest danger not blast or heat flash or initial gamma radiation burst.

2. FALLOUT is MOST DANGEROUS in the FIRST HOUR (with the first arrival of fallout dust) and in the FIRST DAY (the heaviest radioactivity and deposits of fallout), mainly within about 5-10 MILES all around the blast site (ground zero) and then downwind for 100+ miles. Fallout radiation levels drop to about 1/10 every 7 hours or so (or every time factor of 7x) as a rule of thumb from the DOD-DOE manual The Effects of Nuclear Weapons (1977 rev.) p. 391.

3. Therefore you could accumulate a FATAL DOSE of gamma radiation from fallout dust on the ROOF of your HOUSE if you just sit there for 1-2 days, which you could entirely avoid if you just DRIVE AWAY say 50-100 MILES. It's that simple to save your life. Even if you get caught in a massive traffic jam you will still not be collecting fallout rays from the roof of your house like hunting fish in a barrel, the fallout dust will BLOW OFF YOUR CAR, and within a few hours you will be SAFELY AWAY FROM THE FALLOUT ZONE, and you can go to a gas station or car wash and wash all the fallout off (and when you get somewhere where you can shower you should scrub ever square inch, rinse mouth, eyes, cough and sneeze to clear lungs and mucosal passages of possible fine fallout particles).

4. DO NOT STAY AT HOME if you are within 5-10 MILES of the blast, you MUST LEAVE IMMEDIATELY EVERY MINUTE COUNTS. If you are farther away say 20-50 MILES, you have a few extra minutes to QUICKLY pack your ALL YOUR MONEY-JEWELS-VALUABLES you can carry, CELL PHONE/PDA's/LAPTOPS (they may not work but if/when they do or while they still work and REMEMBER YOUR RECHARGERS especially any car chargers), MEDICATIONS, FIRST AID KIT, STATE ROAD MAPS, WATER, FOOD, TOILETRIES, IMPORTANT LEGAL DOCUMENTS, WEAPONS, CLOTHES, BLANKETS, and head out the door with your MOUTH/NOSE COVERED with CLOTH to prevent breathing in cancer-causing fallout particles which won't harm you much right away but could over the long-term. Just imagine you are going away on a long vacation trip and you have no time to pack. Stuff it in heavy GROCERY BAGS if you have plenty.

5. PREVAILING WINDS in North America are TO THE EAST (weather man calls it a "west wind" coming from the west but going TO the east so don't get confused, meteorologists ALWAYS report where wind directions are "from"). But check weather reports for ACTUAL WINDS and directions or LOOK AT THE CLOUDS and see which way they are going.

6. For example, this is MY PLAN: I am in Orange County some 40-50 miles SouthEast of downtown Los Angeles. If I hear a broadcast report in time of a terrorist nuclear blast in Downtown LA, I would have possibly 15-30 minutes to pack and get out the door (but I have travel kits ready to go for most things, and I can use these for everyday purposes like travel, but can do double duty for emergency supplies). The fallout cloud will be blown by prevailing winds toward Riverside so I would not drive north and cross the deadly fallout footprint (though if I drive fast it is possible to get away with driving through it). I would drive SOUTH to around Oceanside (mid-way between LA and San Diego) because farther to the south San Diego might be target of another terrorist attack. After a day or two I would drive north to Oregon or Idaho once it is relatively safe to do so through the now much dispersed and reduced radiation in the fallout zone.

7. DO NOT ASSUME THAT THE ONLY BLASTS WILL BE THE ONES YOU HEAR ABOUT. News reporting may be chaotic and unreliable. Or terrorists may strike at a later time or even a later day. Assume nothing if you CHECK EVERYTHING yourself. Be prepared to change plans instantly. STAY CALM and do what you have to do.

8. Therefore, you must GET OUT of the area if you are within 5-10 miles of a terrorist nuclear blast by DRIVING AWAY SOUTH or NORTH out of the eastward fallout pattern, with WINDOWS TIGHTLY SHUT and NO OUTSIDE AIR, VENTS SHUT (if you have duct tape then tape your vents in your car shut). COVER YOUR NOSE AND MOUTH WITH A TIGHT CLOTH (or better yet a surgical mask) so you don't breath in cancer-causing fallout particles.

9. LISTEN TO RADIO/TV/INTERNET NEWS REPORTS for info on WHERE the nuclear blast or blasts went off so you can figure out which way to go. LOOK AT THE SKY for the MUSHROOM CLOUD to see where it is located, how far away and what DIRECTION it seems to be going. You generally want to go the opposite direction, but generally NORTH or SOUTH is best.

10. When you get out of the fallout pattern by driving at least 50 miles NORTH or SOUTH of the eastward fallout footprint, stop at a branch of your BANK or at an ATM and GET ALL OF YOUR MONEY OUT. Get every last penny out even on credit card Cash Advances because the banks will likely be frozen or closed by government order very soon. If you can only get out a maximum daily ATM withdrawal then make sure you get the maximum cash out EVERY DAY. You will need all of your money for emergencies you cannot anticipate. Hopefully you also have CAR REPAIR KITS in your car, spare tire, tools, etc.

11. Depending on radiation levels you can probably return to your home within a few days or weeks, at least to grab whatever possessions you left behind that are essential. If there is water pressure in your faucets you can wash down the fallout from the roof of your house. However, government officials/troops enforcing martial law may not let you back home even if relatively safe or readily decontaminatable. Also roving bands of the living dead may make it extremely dangerous.

12. BEWARE OF BLACK RAIN or ANY RAIN THE FIRST DAY after the blast(s) as these will be INTENSELY RADIOACTIVE (rain collects fallout dust in the air and concentrates it, in the long run it's good for washing out fallout but bad in the short term if you are where it falls!). Stay inside wherever you are and if you get any rain on you WASH/SHOWER IMMEDIATELY. Think of fallout as like a slow-acting acid. If a slow acid gets on your clothes you may not notice anything right away but hours later you find a hole in your clothes and a burn on your skin beneath the hole. Yet if you had washed it all away no damage would have ben done. Fallout won't burn any holes in your clothes but it can do other damage easily prevented by washing it off.

13. There is no point in returning to live in your home if within say 100 miles of the blast. Economic depression will occur in the region around the blasts which will take months or years to recover from. How will you get food if no one delivers it to the supermarkets? How will you pay for it if you have little money and the prices are skyrocketed with inflation like nothing you've seen before ($100 loaves of bread, maybe $1,000 who knows?)? What if there is no water pressure how will you get water to drink and wash with? Also water supplies may well be fallout contaminated except bottled water and prices will be astronomical. Same for gasoline. Etc. etc. Banks will be closed. Better to relocate to a rural or semi-rural area with a robust survivable economy."

When this zero-cost proposal was sent to a major military magazine editor in 1997 to sound the alarm, look what kind of defeatist non-sense (BS) was sent back:

"I appreciate your comments. There is definitely a role for the National Guard in domestic preparedness issues, but what that role will be is as yet undefined. As you are probably well aware, there have been 10 Rapid Assessment and Initial Detection (RAID) teams established by the National Guard Bureau to help serve as a domestic response capability in the event of a WMD attack. Many believe, however, that this will not be nearly enough to mitigate the effects of a mass attack. Your idea of a sealed room makes sense and has been mentioned during various planning meetings, but it has been deemed by the powers that be as something that is too politically sensitive to mention. Those opposed to the idea fear that instituting such a program on a large scale would remind people of the "bomb shelter days" of the Cold War. Our civilian political leadership wants to avoid such a scenario due to the increase cost, both political and financial, that would be involved. In short, they don't want to deal with the possibility of creating a national emergency regarding WMD. It's fine to tell people that the Iraqi's have nerve agents, but almost no one outside of the emergency response community wants to be told that terrorists could use such a weapon on main street, U.S.A. As such, I personally believe that nothing significant will be done to prepare the nation until people start dying. It's a rather cynical view, but it is one that is probably accurate."

UPDATE 2001: we now have 3,000 plus dead in NYC and Washington D.C., hope this editor is happy. Let's see if he gets off his ass and starts printing the public preparedness articles we need (I doubt it).

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