Nuclear War From Unexpected Direction???

https://www.foxnews.com/science/nuc...a-pakistan-unleash-global-climate-catastrophe

We generally think of nuclear war as being some sort of US/Europe versus Russia or the US versus China. Unfortunately, we are not the only groups with a nuclear capability with possible worldwide consequences.

The thing that struck me about this is that the consequences of this are not something that we normally have discussed. The sudden and long term lowering of temperatures is significantly worse than the global warming issue. Imagine, if you live in the North, a winter that just never ended. Arctic winters and no real summers.

It MIGHT be slightly better for those of us in the South but then we are probably less prepared for massively lower temperatures than those in the North and might be even less able to deal with it. How would you like to face winter in Michigan with nothing but a fleece hoody for a coat?? Also, homes in the South don't have the same level of insulation as those in the North and there are fewer real fireplaces here.

How do you prepare for even a short period of ice age weather that might last for a decade or two? Where I live you can't buy wool clothes off the shelf. I have never worn wool of any sort. Even our coats here are cotton. It is a rather different thought and direction for my thoughts. All we hear about these days is the global warming stuff and it has always been more likely that we would have a global cooling than warming. Even a slight true global warming would probably have the end result of an ice age.

Thoughts???

 

Good afternoon TexDanm,

There are and would be too many "known unknowns" in re Pakistan and neighbors India and China involving nuclear exchanges and pending cooling to browse through catalogs like "Early Winters" and "Cabela's".

Any sudden and long-term lowering of temperatures from nuclear exchanges would typically mean interrupted oil trade flows. Pakistan's port of Gwadar, close to Iran, is the terminus of oil and gas pipelines to China. If this oil flow is stopped, China adds more coal consumption to the equation. This causes somewhat of an overall warming effect - conceding that here, too, many known unknowns come into play.

Now, accepting the scenario, we Southerners will learn all about wool - and goose down - and leather. Fur is both too expensive and unethical as per Ingred Newkirk of PETA, Norfolk, Virginia.

Continuing, ... watch geometric purchases by Southerners of Mr Heater Portable Buddy with hose to connect to large gas supply.

"Where one can live, one can live well." Anon.

More thoughts; I am much less concerned (not worried) about collateral matters of nuclear exchanges than about bio-warfare. In the nuclear arena of technology, the US is superlative in counter-measures such as interfering with missile launches, pre-emptive strikes, much more. The germs ? Forget it ! Can't even get the public to get flu shots.

Feet Notes:

Big town neighbor Houston area would probably see the field clothes suppliers load up on wool clothes. I got my best ultra-cold weather anti-vibration oil rig gloves from a supplier in Alameda, California, SFO Bay area - far from being a cold weather area !

Much cotton in layers - think of North Korean troops, Chinese troops (volunteers) during the Korean War. They kept semi-warm in their thickly-padded field clothes.

Conclusion; A nuclear exchange will surely place residential living arrangements and locations at the bottom of the list of priorities. Many here at MSF.COM would be activated for the US national response. I am an idiot. When finishing up Army service, was still ready to get airlifted to Germany's Fulda Pass area. Since I know how to do artillery recon in northern area like far north Norway, where the Meridians merge ie they are no longer "X-Y" axis, I volunteered for the NATO forward base north Norway, close to USSR border. Some senior folks heard me discuss my volunteering and a most senior person said to me in a low, profound and mundane voice: "You will be dead in about 40 to 60 hours before we join you".

Addendum: Best wool underwear: British Jaeguar, light brown, thin so not bulky when 2nd layer added. US Army stuff OK for padding when packing Mt Buddy space heaters. Do not use the Army stuff for garments.

Best insulator of body heat: Black Sable fur.

 

Nuclear Winter has always been a very realistic possibility no matter who drops the bombs. While the climate change would be catastrophic, the article doesn't even begin to mention what would happen with all of that radiation circling the globe.

Texdanm: I am a little surprised that with all the hunters in Texas you wouldn't be better prepared for the cold. Any Bass Pro Shop would have everything you need. Even a Wal Mart would have everything. It might not be a bad idea to put some stuff away just in case. Dress in layers.

 

"Cold" in some parts of TX means 50°.

 

I once visited historic Army fort, Ft Davis, south of Interstate 10 between El Paso and Fort Stockton. Was there in January. Froze my non-cowboy hat off.

 

They have made a lot of predictions about the idea of a nuclear winter but I'm not so sure about it. The same people freaked when we went into Kuwait. They loudly predicted that if we went in and the Kuwait oil fields caught on fire that THAT would result in a "nuclear type winter situation. we went in the oil fields were set on fire and...not much happened. We put the fires out and things were little effected on a global level.

I have a Yankie buddy from Michigan that came to Texas in the 80s when the Auto industry bottomed out and the oil industry boomed. H nearly froze to death that first winter and swore that there was nothing between North Texas and the North Pole but a three-strand barbed wire fence. The winds out around Ft Davis just seem to roll in right off the ice. I think that it has to do with the way the upper-level air streams dip down into the middle of the country during the winter.

 

Good afternoon TexDanm,

The Ft Davis, Texas area validates the adage "Night is winter in the desert".

 

I camped out at the State Park there at Fort Davis in July one time and even in July, it was pretty chilly at night. We had a nice time there. The animals in the state part act like it is a petting zoo. My girls had a great time hand feeding the deer and other smaller critters.

 

"Russia Claims Ukraine Prepping 'False Flag Provocation' At Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant As IAEA Attempts Access"

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopoliti...g-provocation-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-iaea

"Starting a week ago the United States led the way at a United Nations Security Council special meeting in calls for a demilitarized zone around Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, but on Thursday Russia's defense ministry has again rejected such a possibility. Starting weeks ago Ukraine said that some 500 Russian troops occupied the nuclear power plant, which is Europe's largest.

"Amid tit-for-tat accusations of shelling on the facility and thus putting the sensitive site in danger of a nuclear incident, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said this week he stands ready to lead a delegation in person to inspect the plant. However, it's being reported that the Russian side has rejected this possibility, saying such a mission would be too dangerous as Ukraine is shelling it.

"At the same time, on Thursday, Russia's defense ministry has issued its most ominous and alarming claim yet regarding the deteriorating situation at Zaporizhzhia, alleging that Ukraine is currently engaged in plotting a "false flag provocation" and that any resulting catastrophe will be immediately blamed on Moscow.

"Taking the allegation further, a military spokesman even named a date, Friday Aug.19, as the day it's expected to happen according to the Kremlin. "Russia will be blamed for the man-made catastrophe," the MoD spokesman warned.

"However, Ukraine and its Western allies have charged that it is in reality Russian troops that are using the plant as a nuclear shield and so bear responsibility for any potentially disastrous consequences.

"At this point, both sides are in essence charging the other with "nuclear blackmail" - with Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also echoing the fresh military allegations of a Ukrainian 'provocation' in the works."
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Suitcase nuclear device

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suitcase_nuclear_device

"Neither the United States nor the Soviet Union have ever made public the existence or development of weapons small enough to fit into a normal-sized suitcase or briefcase.[3] The W48 however, does fit the criteria of small, easily disguised, and portable. Its explosive yield was extremely small for a nuclear weapon.[4][5]

"In the mid-1970s, debate shifted from the possibility of developing such a device for the military to concerns over its possible use in nuclear terrorism.[6] The concept became a staple of the spy thriller genre in the later Cold War era.

H-912 transport container for Mk-54 SADM:


"The existence and whereabouts of Soviet suitcase nuclear bombs became an increasing subject of debate following the disarray that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union.[9] Namely, major concerns regarding the new government’s overall security and control of its nuclear stockpile came into question on 30 May 1997 when an American congressional delegation sent to Russia met with General Aleksandr Lebed, former Secretary of the Russian Security Council.[9] During the meeting, Lebed mentioned the possibility that several suitcase portable nuclear bombs had gone missing.[9] More specifically, according to an investigation Lebed led during his time as acting secretary, it was concluded that 84 of these devices were unaccounted for. Lebed would make several press releases and television interviews regarding the matter later in the year.[

"Despite the Russian government’s rejection of Lebed’s claims however, the resulting public interest from Lebed's television appearances would eventually provoke a congressional hearing held between 1-2 October 1997 intended on discussing "Nuclear Terrorism and Countermeasures."[9] Chief among these talks was the matter of Russian suitcase portable nuclear bombs and the circulating rumors of these weapons proliferating in the wild

"During the hearing itself, Yablokov would maintain his position that KGB nuclear weapon caches continue to exist in operation independent of the recently defunct USSR Ministry of Defense, providing further insight as to why the Russian government and witnesses’ claims contradicted so greatly.[9] Moreover, Yablokov further clarified his source of information, which up until this point remained ambiguous, citing communications between scientists working at the Krasnoyarsk-26, Tomsk-7, Chelialinsk-65, and Penza-19 nuclear installations located across Russia.[9] Granted to relevancy of the perceived threat of these suitcase nuclear bombs was reconsidered as Yablokov explained that if these weapons were developed in the 1970s, then the warheads would have needed to be replaced twice at that point, a possibility he could not guarantee.

"Lunev suggested that suitcase nukes might be already deployed by the GRU operatives on US soil to assassinate US leaders in the event of war.[12] He alleged that arms caches were hidden by the KGB on many countries. They were booby-trapped with "Lightning" explosive devices. One such cache, identified by Vasili Mitrokhin, exploded when Swiss authorities sprayed it with a high pressure water gun in a wooded area near Bern. Several others caches were removed successfully.[13] Lunev said that he had personally looked for hiding places for weapons caches in the Shenandoah Valley area[12] and that 'it is surprisingly easy to smuggle nuclear weapons into the US' either across the Mexican border or using a small transport missile that can slip undetected when launched from a Russian airplane.[12] US Congressman Curt Weldon supported claims by Lunev but noted that Lunev had 'exaggerated things according to the FBI.[14] Searches of the areas identified by Lunev have been conducted, 'but law-enforcement officials have never found such weapons caches, with or without portable nuclear weapons."
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