August 2022 – Page 2 – The Laughing Wolf

Couple of Quick Thoughts

Though I’m not feeling great, hoping this is the first of two posts today. With luck, I will get up the first Nuclear 201 post later today. Two quick things to keep in mind when getting the news today.

First, when you see stories like this one, take them with several grains of salt. The source for this story is a single-source opposition Telegram channel. Such can be useful for intel, but they are heavily biased and, like this one, don’t have the greatest track record for accuracy. Sure, they do get some things right but they also have a vested interest in painting that which they oppose with the darkest brush possible.

As to their points, I do think Vladimir came face-to-face with his own mortality 3-5 years ago. How, I’m not sure: it could be illness or other close call. I will say that he is not the man he was, and is very much off his game. Is he vacillating on nuclear or other special weapons? Unsure, though it appears various factions in the Kremlin and out are pushing for a variety of options including tactical and strategic nuclear weapons. How seriously anyone is taking that is the real question. The magic 8-Ball says ask again later.

I am finding the assassination of Darya Dugina to be extremely interesting. Others are coming around to my take that she was indeed the target, though I strongly suspect there were have been some joy and rejoicing had both she and her father been taken out. For those who don’t know, her father is Alexandr Dugin, who is often ascribed in the West of being “Putin’s Brain,” “Putin’s Rasputin,” or just Putin’s philosopher. It should be noted that such tropes are more a thing of the West and not of Russia.

Both have played up the Putin connection, particularly in the West. She, in fact, has been trying to coordinate bringing together various factions in Russia as well as reaching out to various socialist and far-right groups in the West. This type of empire building is expected to some extent, and it brings up financial incentives as well as power plays — both of which are potential reasons for her elimination.

Her father is indeed an ultra-nationalist, by Western standards fascist (and that may be a bit of understatement), and one of the cast-of-thousands who had input into the creation of Russkiy Mir. I would posit that a certain other (thankfully dead) philosopher had more of a role in some respects, but that may be an angels on the head of a pin argument. Dugin may or may not be a part of Vladimir’s truly inner circle, though there is some reason to believe he really isn’t part of the ultimate insider’s group.

With the bomb being powerful and under the driver’s seat — her seat — and given some other factors, I think she was the target. Again, if it had gotten both of them I suspect no one behind this would have objected. Now, the question gets really interesting: who was behind it? Vladimir has been cleaning house in some respects, as the Gazprom “suicides” show. When people begin talking to those they shouldn’t, bad things happen and a “kill them all” approach is the most likely. Was she talking to people she shouldn’t? Did she perhaps engage in a bit of Vladimir-is-failing-we-need-to-save-Russia and word get back?

Did some of the Western groups with whom she had been in contact, and who may have been involved in financial dealings despite sanctions, feel ripped off? Or decide she was a loose end who needed to be taken care of before she could reveal anything in the West? Did some of the groups inside Russia decide to take her out in a power play? Did a Kremlin faction see a chance to deprive Putin of an ally in the power struggle to come? Yes, yes, I think the first stages are underway, but the real fight is yet to come.

All valid and good questions, and right now there are no good or definitive answers. Along with the reports that someone high-up is talking to the West and trying to find a way out of the Ukraine debacle (again, take with a grain or several of salt), there may be as much speculation going on inside the Kremlin and Russia as there is in the West. For all that comes up on social media in Russia, there is caution and one would love to be a fly on the wall for some of the private conversations that are taking place.

Oh, before I forget, there will be a LOT of finger-pointing at the Ukraine over this. Russia does not want to admit to this being an internal affair, and it also is a chance to unite the people for the war effort. This is believable to a number of factions as Russia had quietly blamed the British for helping Ukrainian SF conduct missions well behind the lines. In fact, early on, there were several instances where various plants and refineries had “accidents” — some well east of Moscow even — that some in the Kremlin put down to such cooperation. Add to it the fact that the Brits were onboard with helping the Ukraine literally months before the invasion and MOD and other Intel had the situation right (unlike pretty much all US intel operations), and there is a reason the Russians were so (irrationally) mad at the Brits and threatening to nuke them. So, even as fingers point at the Ukraine, don’t be surprised if the Brits have a finger pointed at them too.

Just a few thoughts to start a Monday morning. Hopefully, more to come later today.

Some Previous Posts:

Vladimir And The Ukraine

Answers, Ramblings, And A Bit More On Vladimir And The Ukraine

Your Must Read For The Day On Russia

The Puzzles In Play, And The Missing Pieces

Quick Thoughts On Ukraine/Putin

The Thing Behind The Curtain

Missing Pieces And Surprise Pieces

Accuracy, Reliability, And More

Putin, Trump, And The Coming Storm

Three Futures For Russia

Quick Thoughts

Saturday Update

Mismatched Locomotives

War, Ag, Demographics, And The Worst Is Yet To Come

Past, Present, And A Hungry Future

Huge Grain Of Salt

The Moskva

Retribution Inbound

Uncertainty And Preparation

Honest Question

Monday Morning Quick Brief

War Of The Memes

A Little Free Ice Cream

Rumors Of War

Three Times Is…

If It’s Wednesday, This Must Be Moldova

Going Nuclear

How To Spy On The Russians

Here’s Hoping I’m Wrong

Pins And Needles Time

Mock Away

Intel Wars

The Revenge Of HUMINT

A Funny Thing Happened

Rumors of Rumors

Ukraine, Uvalde, Oh My

Very Interesting

A Quick Russia/Ukraine Update

Russia/Ukraine/Lithuania

Hmmmm

Hmmmm Follow-Up

Ukraine/Russia Tidbit

If You Think

*****

Nuclear War Posts In Order:

Nuclear What?

Nuclear 101: Weapons

Nuclear 101: Delivery

Nuclear 101: Now What?

Nuclear 101: Targeting

Nuclear 101: Scenarios

Nuclear 101: Survival

Some Quick Thoughts

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If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the tip jar in the upper right or the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo. Getting hit by lightning is not fun, and it is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Update: TTC

First up, sorry for yesterday. You couldn’t reach my site, I couldn’t reach my site, and I couldn’t even log into the appropriate site to report the problem. As noted before, my current provider Dreamhost sucks. I appreciate the suggestions I’ve gotten, and am at the point I think it may be worth giving up buying groceries for a few weeks to go ahead and switch to a competent and effective provider. Need to lose weight anyway. FYI, got an e-mail last night from then, telling me how to change the password on my webmail, which honestly was the only part of their service that did work yesterday and was not a topic of discussion. Love that competence and reading comprehension!

The plan is to start Nuclear 201 next week. I’m reaching out to some people to solicit inputs, guest posts, and such. We will probably start with some history, as far too many don’t know it and you need to know at least some to understand current discussions. For example, a callow person complained on social media recently how whenever anyone talked escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war that it automatically went to nuclear without considering chemical, biological, or tactical nukes! The historical ignorance of that (and of current U.S. policy) is breathtaking, and one of several topics that we need to get into so that people have a realistic understanding of policies, doctrine, and more. After all, how can you truly screw things up now if you don’t know how they screwed them up before?

My plan is to keep it on a high level, though more in depth than the last time. First, I don’t want to scare off readers who are not familiar with concepts, science, etc. In fact, I want to hook them and reel them in. So, my approach remains to keep it accurate but not too in the weeds. Honestly, I modeling this on in many respects on science education, particularly physics education. You don’t start first graders out on quantum physics. You start with basic information, then each time you take it up a bit more. You can also provide a means for those students who get it to dive in deeper. As a physicist explained it to me one time, you teach basics even though you know portions of it are technically incorrect on some levels. The point is, make it understandable. Even though on some levels it is incorrect, it also forms a basis for understanding that next level and eventually moving up to a truer understanding.

On some levels, I hate the need for these discussions. Honestly, I had hoped a lot of this was in my past, not my future. My thoughts on how we got here and the opportunities lost are close to being unprintable. Putting that aside, people need to understand the thoughts, theories, and reality of nuclear war, and nuclear weapon and war policy, if we are to have a good chance of navigating the next few years without something stupid being done. Because, the fact is almost every stupid decision comes from ignorance, and, to some extent, bias if not bigotry. Nor do such screw-ups happen in isolation. The mistaken idea that everyone thinks as we do (mores, aka cultural blinders) is at the heart of that bias and bigotry on all sides.

For all that I hope for some knowledge and sanity to prevail, I also adamantly believe in preparing for Murphy’s inevitable appearance and dealing honestly with the Toddler Law of Governments. Keep in mind that in a crisis, the Good Idea Fairy also often shows up with the best of intentions and at the worst possible moment. Dealing with/preventing that means sharing knowledge and the means to acquire more on the subject. It also very much means sharing knowledge and ideas on surviving if any of the toddlers currently running the world stage do something stupid. Okay, more stupid than normal even for them.

I may even share a tale or two, both for educational purposes and to lighten the mood a bit. Sometimes, even in a dark event, a moment of unintended humor, if not hilarity, can shine forth. Also, I want to remind everyone that we’ve made it this far relatively intact. With knowledge, preparation, Devine guidance, and perhaps a bit of luck, we will continue to do so. Despair not that darkness looms. Light a candle and help drive it back.

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Things To Come?

Based on e-mail and a lone comment, looks like there is interest in a Nuclear 102 series along with some more on preparedness. I’m actually going to look into some possible guest posts for the former, will see. Meantime, I’m trying to push things along for my fundraiser as it is headed into the end of the month and I want out of here!

I would have loved to have moved months ago, but all the health issues kept that from happening. I do well most days, the coping mechanisms for the brain issues work well and it could be imagination but I swear I see/feel some progress in the healing. I don’t want to wait three years, I want to be good now! 🙂 So far, we have most everything under control as far as we can tell. Working to keep it that way. Please help me keep my head above water and get out of the hellhole that Indy has become.

Meantime, there is more to come besides Monday’s pun! May take a day or two to get the new series moving, but it will happen.

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Lite Day

The world is plowing along, and on some levels it’s quiet. There are a lot of things happening, but at least for today nothing earth shattering.

Rumors and more continue to bounce around the Kremlin, pretty much business as usual save for that one group that is still keeping quiet. Internal or external politics is the question on that, and the magic 8-ball says ask again tomorrow. This story may have rolled a verbal hand grenade into the room, but from what I’m seeing no one there seems terribly surprised at the story. As with a lot of stories, taking it with a huge grain of salt for now.

A number of things continue to puzzle me about all that is going on in Russia, and with it’s response to the West. Vladimir has, reportedly, kompromat on a number of Western politicians and leaders (as does Zelensky, again, reportedly). Yet, there has been no open use of it and RUMINT says no covert use. Surprising, as this is one more area where full use of existing “weapons” is not taking place.

Now, a question for you the reader: would you care to see a nuclear 102 series, more on preparedness, or something else? Honest question, though I am leaning towards doing more preparedness posts as a means of driving the book project forward. The sad fact is the majority of the public remains sadly ignorant on things like nuclear war, nuclear diplomacy, etc. Heck, it even extends to space as people talk about living and working in space, on the moon, and elsewhere without understanding the changes that will occur to human physiology in the process. Hmmmm. That may be a post later in the week.

So, let me know in the comments if you have a preference, and let’s see where life takes us.

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The Scene

Music plays, evocative of film noir, building as the camera pans across the tall buildings of a city at night, the clouds that have just finished a downpour casting it into black and white. The camera zooms in and down, into the shadows of an alley and a skinny figure garbed in a stained and worn cloth coat that falls down to his feet, with the collar up and a tweed flat cap pulled down as far over his face as possible

The figure moves in the deepest shadows, preventing the camera from showing his face. The movements are skittish, scared, and the figure’s head is constantly darting about, looking. As the camera pans on his movements down the alley, dodging puddles, the music fades and we hear the figure talking to itself in a tenor that is almost childlike.

“It’s my fault, it’s all my fault. It always was, I see that now. But, I’m going to get it right, I swear. I’ve done it, I wrote up all those plans and what went wrong. Where I went wrong.”

The figure moves on, always keeping to the shadows. His voice drops, muttering to himself, and we hear sniffling, almost like he’s crying. The voice rises again.

“Curse that Tom! That cat was just mean. There was no reason for him to kill you.”

The figure stops, straightens up, and adopts a level and reasonable tone as the camera pans around behind him, a door visible on the left further down the alley.

“I mean, it’s not like we meant for you to pop up right in front of him as he’s doing his thing. And, that mousey little fella with him was not help at all! Naaa, Na, nah, I’m not going say, I promised B I would never say that again.”

The figure stoops and begins to move again, the voice becoming childlike once again.

“But, this time, I’m going to get it right. I’m going to make it up to you because I miss you and that huge brain of yours. I’ve taken everything that worked and written it down. I’ve noted everything that didn’t work, and made sure it’s not part of the plan.”

The figure stops at the previously glimpsed doorway, carefully working a key into the lock and opening the door. The camera pans around to catch the silhouetted figure walking into the pitch black room. The door closes and the scene goes black.

“Yes Big B, I’m being careful. I know they want them. Your plans, our plans, the plan that this time will work and let us take over the world. But they will never have them. They will never…”

The light switch clicks and the camera has turned so that it shows shelves upon shelves full of binders carefully titled.

“ever get them, I promise.”

The camera then turns, and we see the figure for what it truly is. A tall, skinny white lab rat who’s eyes dart nervously around in a face that is clearly not all there. With the reveal, he finishes saying

“They will never get Pinky’s Binders!

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Thank You

If you have hit the tip jar, and not gotten a thank you, please do let me know! I try to get those out ASAP, but with my short term memory OH SHINEY! 🙂 I’m supposed to make lists of what I need to do, and what I’ve done, and they work well — when I remember to do them. So if you have hit the tip jar, or made a non-anonymous donation via the fundraiser, and not gotten a thank you let me know so I can take care of it. Meantime, thank you all so much for the prayers, encouragement, and help. It is all very much appreciated.

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The Hardest Part

Something came up on social media that I thought I would talk about today. I occasionally get questions, most often along the lines of ‘what was it like to get hit by lightning?’ Something new/different came up, and it’s actually some good food for thought: What’s been the hardest thing to deal with?

Believe it or not, it’s not everything that has happened cardiac-wise. Getting the BP under control was an overlong process and exasperating, but manageable. Being told ‘you have to have open heart surgery within the next two weeks and we really recommend tomorrow morning so you don’t die’ was interesting. Again, something to work through and I’ve done okay with it I think. Need to exercise more, but driving to malls to walk when the heat/humidity keeps me inside (per the docs) is no longer in the budget. Hopefully the worst of summer moderates soon.

Nor is it the cognitive/memory issues. A close second, admittedly, but something that can be and is being dealt with. Testing says I’m still above average in all major areas of cognition, though that was followed by the word I’ve come to dread hearing from any doctor: but. In this case ‘but there are some issues that will last for at least three years while your brain heals.’ I’ve said before, the long-term memory issues are like someone went into the room full of filing cabinets that is my long term memory, went to random filing cabinets, pulled out a drawer at random, and dumped it on the floor. Then the jerk cut on a fan. The short-term issues require me to use a number of coping strategies that are familiar to those with TBI.

The hardest thing to deal with has been the damage to my hearing. There is some hearing loss/increase in tinnitus in both ears. On my right side, which is where I took the hit, I’ve lost all of the higher frequency hearing and the nerves involved are dead. The loss of hearing and increase in tinnitus is a bit higher in that ear. I qualify for a hearing aid in that ear, but the doc and I want to wait a year and see what’s happening, maybe build a baseline, as no matter what we can’t restore what’s lost.

One of the largest problems is that things don’t sound the same. Normal noises in the house can take time to analyze before I know what they are. Sometimes, the brain is helpful (cough, cough) and tries to augment the sound which really makes it hard to identify. I flat out miss hearing some things, and where with two good ears (for my age and times around bangs and booms) I could figure out quickly and accurately from where a sound was originating, well, that’s gone.

It also sucks when it comes to music. I love music and enjoy listening to it. Yet, I’m missing a chunk of it now and can tell it. I still enjoy listening to music, but I really wish I could hear it fully once again. Thank goodness for headphones! They help, esp. with the noise cancelling taking out extraneous room/house sounds that can be a problem.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to be alive and grateful the damage wasn’t worse! I continue to give thanks to God and the Blessed Mother for that. That said, I’d be something other than human if I didn’t admit that it’s not been a smoothly paved path. Reminds me a lot more of a high-country hike years ago that led through boulders, ravines, loose rock, and other delights. No one ever promised me it would be easy. I will say that the help, prayers, and other support that continues to come in has made a huge difference. It is that, and Faith, that keep me going and not terrified at the challenges ahead. For your part in that, thank you. Let’s all press on, and meet the challenges as they come.

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Something Different

Don’t know about you, but I could use a break from the super serious today. Nuclear war, the state of the Republic (no, we are NOT a democracy, thank goodness), and all else that is going on can get one down and/or raise BP to bad levels. So, something different.

I’ve always had interesting and vivid dreams. Last night, I swear I did NOT have Welsh rarebit for dinner. Yes, having eaten the real deal, I do subscribe to it giving strange/horrible/other dreams. Let’s just say that in my dreams last night my bathroom suddenly expanded to ten times its current size, began flooding, and the newborn ponies (!) turned into something else as the waters rose. Yeah. No idea. None.

While I didn’t have Welsh rarebit, what I did have last night was an amazing Murgh Makhani, better know to many as Butter Chicken.

The basic recipe is here, and was shared with me by an author and editor I know down in Chattanooga. It is a little involved, but well worth the time and effort. I will also get three to five meals out of it. My major mods to the recipe were: I used plain Greek yoghurt instead of regular, may choose regular next time just to try it; where it called for red chili powder I used a mix of chipotle and red pepper; and, where it called for salt I went 50/50 on Himalayan and hickory smoked salt. The pepper mix did kick the heat up somewhat but also helped add to the richness via the smokiness of the chipotle. This was enhanced by the smoked salt.

I also marinated the chicken for 48 hours instead of just overnight. Part of that was time issues and part was curiosity.

The result was a rich (do use the heavy cream) dish with layers of flavor, intense spice, and a nice level of heat. I used chicken thighs this time, but probably will use breast next time to try for more uniform-sized pieces. I do try to keep keto, but will recommend garlic naan with this dish, and basmati rice should work well too.

Enjoy!

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Some Quick Thoughts

NOTE: If you had problems getting to the site, thank you for persevering and I will simply state that my hosting provider, Dreamhost, sucks. If I had the time and money I’d switch immediately at this point. Don’t, so can’t, but suggestions on good hosting providers most welcome. Given that I usually have a short time in which to write these posts, if the occasional typo/autocorrect error makes you meltdown, you might want to skip. These posts are high-level overviews, and if you want to discuss details, special cases, one-offs, etc. feel free but keep it civil and don’t pretend non-inclusion is a world-ending mistake to give yourself ego-boo. For all those (the majority of you) making good, solid, and thoughtful comments: THANK YOU! Such are very much appreciated.

In yesterday’s post, I failed to add in an important step. Before starting your evacuation, be sure to check any and all vehicles you can to see if any of them start. Some may.

Blast fronts, and even EMP, can do a bit funny on occasion. Terrain, structures, and other delights can create blast shadows and otherwise tamp the fronts. Having been through a “spontaneous disassembly caused by a sudden overpressure” event (the boffins were adamant it wasn’t an explosion as there was unburnt solid rocket propellant lying around), one of the weirdest and amazing things happened to the front of a nearby building. The blast front hit it and sheared off the bolts on the glass curtain front wall and moved the entire structure about ten feet in. Not a single pane of glass cracked or broke. The effort to get it moved back may not have been as successful, think they ended up taking it apart as the crew said no way to move it back without breaking it. Seen and heard of some other weirdness over the years.

The same can hold true for EMP, particularly from a local explosion. Structures and terrain have the potential to block or attenuate EMP and even the radiation front. So, be sure to try your vehicle, and/or any others you can access, before heading out on foot. One suggestion though is to have a proper container you can siphon gas into from any unworking vehicles to use in the one you can as you are not likely to find many working filling stations on your bugout. In fact, an extra-long siphon hose or mechanical crank siphon is not a bad thing to have on hand/with you so you can access underground tanks and even barrels.

While it may seem ghoulish, when checking for working vehicles be sure to check on that older neighbor who has the pristine older vehicle. If they no longer need it, and it runs… If they are alive, kicking, and wanting out, work with them and become a team. Win/Win.

Which leads to another point: know your neighbors. Odds are at least one of them will be good people, and someone you can work with in an emergency, be it an ice storm/power outage or nuclear war. While crowds are not my thing and are to be avoided in most circumstances, having a reasonable sized group is an advantage in a bugout situation. It allows more supplies and gear to be taken, mutual support, and if they happen to be current or former military (which tends to show) it’s going to discourage the looters and others attempting to prey on the weak.

In fact, it’s not a bad idea to get to know a number of people who have different skills. I actually know of some who ended up moving near each other so that in an emergency they could support each other. Sort of like one of those art communities but with an emphasis on preparedness that could also be presented as a historical group who could do blacksmithing and other “old fashioned” things for re-enactments.

Anytime you do have to do the bugout boogie, I want to emphasize something Dean Ing pushes hard in his works: staging. You may be starting out in a vehicle, but roads can be impassable, other things can happen, so you need to leave it and move on. If a car/truck/etc. can’t get through, what about trail bikes or even bicycles? You can even pull a cart behind them at need. Seem to recall a story where they started in an RV, dropped down to a car/truck pulling a large trailer, then to ATVs/trail bikes pulling smaller trailer(s), then to bicycles, and only in ultimate need dropping to foot. Ultimately, be prepared for it being by shank’s mare, but start at the highest level of transport you can get as you can always step down; but, it’s likely to be hard to step back up.

Also, while I focused on sitting tight to avoid the worst of the fallout, I also mentioned that I may be on the wrong side of the conflagration zone. If the structure of my building is too damaged, or the fires are starting/burning, I’m getting the heck out of Dodge. I’m going to see if any vehicle runs, but if not I’m moving out with what I can quickly grab or already have ready (have your bugout bags ready at all times!). I may or may not be able to clear the fires and/or firestorm, but I’m going to try my best to do so.

Just some quick thoughts that really didn’t fit in yesterday’s post.

Some Previous Posts:

Vladimir And The Ukraine

Answers, Ramblings, And A Bit More On Vladimir And The Ukraine

Your Must Read For The Day On Russia

The Puzzles In Play, And The Missing Pieces

Quick Thoughts On Ukraine/Putin

The Thing Behind The Curtain

Missing Pieces And Surprise Pieces

Accuracy, Reliability, And More

Putin, Trump, And The Coming Storm

Three Futures For Russia

Quick Thoughts

Saturday Update

Mismatched Locomotives

War, Ag, Demographics, And The Worst Is Yet To Come

Past, Present, And A Hungry Future

Huge Grain Of Salt

The Moskva

Retribution Inbound

Uncertainty And Preparation

Honest Question

Monday Morning Quick Brief

War Of The Memes

A Little Free Ice Cream

Rumors Of War

Three Times Is…

If It’s Wednesday, This Must Be Moldova

Going Nuclear

How To Spy On The Russians

Here’s Hoping I’m Wrong

Pins And Needles Time

Mock Away

Intel Wars

The Revenge Of HUMINT

A Funny Thing Happened

Rumors of Rumors

Ukraine, Uvalde, Oh My

Very Interesting

A Quick Russia/Ukraine Update

Russia/Ukraine/Lithuania

Hmmmm

Hmmmm Follow-Up

Ukraine/Russia Tidbit

If You Think

*****

Nuclear War Posts In Order:

Nuclear What?

Nuclear 101: Weapons

Nuclear 101: Delivery

Nuclear 101: Now What?

Nuclear 101: Targeting

Nuclear 101: Scenarios

Nuclear 101: Survival

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Nuclear 101: Survival

First and foremost, yes humanity CAN survive a nuclear war. Is it possible to destroy all life on earth via nuclear war? Theoretically, yes, but it would take enough work and planning that there are good odds the insane people behind such an effort would be detected and hopefully dealt with early on. The same applies for any effort to wipe out humanity.

A current full-level exchange will do tremendous damage to the world, its ecosystems, and reduce human population, possibly even significantly via the loss of major cities. That said, if humans survive in sufficient numbers, we will find ways to thrive and bounce back, it’s the nature of the beast.

While the best way to survive is to not live near a target, it’s not a valid option for many people. I will admit that in my efforts to move out West for my health, one of the factors I’ve used in deciding on location has included not being near any primary, secondary, or even tertiary targets. Until then, however, I do live in a target city: Indianapolis. I strongly suspect it is a secondary target based on the old Soviet doctrine to take out state capitals, and as such it would be a bomber and not a missile target. Let’s run with that as a base assumption.

First, let me say I sincerely hope the Russians have updated their targeting packages as back a few years/decades ago, in addition to the capitol complex they would have targeted the Ford and GM plants, Western Electric (which actually had a bomb shelter under it), and possibly a few other facilities. Given bureaucratic inertia, I would be unsurprised (though extremely briefly disappointed) to find out that the targeting packages had not been changed and the Russians were bombing empty fields and possibly a strip mall.

Manufacturing is no longer the target driver for Indianapolis. Aside from the state government, the largest player is logistics, followed by data/management activities and biomedical research. The Indianapolis International Airport is one of the largest air cargo operations in the U.S. and slated to continue growing as the planned major expansion hub for FedEx. While there is a large amount of rail cargo as well, four interstates and several state highways brings in a staggering amount of truck-hauled cargo each day.

For purposes of our discussion today, let’s limit things to a single 1-megaton device detonated over the state capital. What damage would it do? Check out this entry in Britannica and this page at McGill University for some answers.

Such a blast would not only take out the state government complex, it would also destroy much of the data/management and biomedical research that is concentrated in the downtown area, close those four major interstates, damage if not destroy the airport and prevent operations, and take out a good bit of warehousing and logistics operations.

For me, where I live in a basement room, I am outside the circles for immediate destruction and while the building will likely take damage it should not be destroyed in the immediate blast wave and overpressure. Where things are very iffy is with the thermal effects including firestorm moving out from the area of the explosion. Depending on a number of factors, I’m either toast or I’m fine given distance and location. Let’s go with the fine, and get into what I do to stay fine.

To be honest, as this is a secondary target, if I have a working vehicle I will have packed as much essentials as I have and be long gone given any warning. I have places I can go, friends I can visit, etc. But, let’s say there’s no warning. What do I do?

First up after the blast, I’m checking the building out and determining how long I can stay in said building. I’m also checking to be sure nothing is trying to start a fire or otherwise create a major hazard. There is a very brief period between a blast and when fallout truly starts to come down. Make the most of that very limited time. Even in that time, I’m covering my mouth and nose with a mask, or two- to three-layers of tightly woven t-shirt. The latter is NOT ideal, but works well enough in an emergency.

Many years back, I had some interesting talks with a group at Ft. McPherson about some possible consulting work exploring the use of everyday items in a response to a nuclear exchange. Yes, bunkers, MOPP, etc. may be ideal but are not realistic for the vast majority of people. So, we were going to look at how to improvise good responses. Sadly, that did not take off as new administrations have different priorities. Doesn’t mean I can’t suggest a couple of out-of-the-box ideas here.

Now, the fact is that I, like thousands of others, are going to have to leave because we are on that nasty edge. However, for a number of reasons, it’s going to be best to wait a few days if possible so as to minimize fallout exposure. So, once I secure the structure of the building (and, yes, you should also be prepared to provide security), I’m going to cover the windows to the basement as best I can if not already take care of before the blast. Then, I’m going to shift bookcases and other items in my room to enclose an area as close to the center of the structure as possible. Why the bookcases? Books make great radiation shielding. I’m going to steal some wood pallets from my landlord to create a raised area, then seal that area with plastic including over the pallets. I’m also creating an “air lock” for getting in and out of the area. Tightly woven sheets go over the plastic, providing extra filtration. Put pillows and such down, and you have a nice secure area as a base. Bring in some of your prep food, a 5-gallon bucket as an emergency toilet, and you are in about the best shape you can be at that point.

If I don’t have a keychain detector, dosimeter, or other manufactured device, I check my Kearny Fallout Meter I built when things started to go south. Build it, or buy the other stuff in advance, as after the bombs go off it’s a bit late… If all is good, or at least good enough, and I have enough extra plastic, I’m going to cover the larger room as much as possible. If I’ve planned really, really well, I should have enough stuff left to create a small decontamination area outside the room. If not, one improvises and yes, I do have plans for that as well. As I can, I’m going to help those around me that are wanting to survive and willing to work.

Once I’ve done what I can to create a safe zone, taken care of others as warranted, and done as much advanced prep work as I can, I’m going to hunker down in my inner shelter and wait things out. Presuming no emergencies or the need to defend the site, sit, wait, and see if the emergency radio I tucked away a while back works and if so, if anyone is broadcasting and hopefully providing useful information. If not, I’m going to keep an ear out for military vehicles or any form of announcements being made by people.

Let’s presume no evacuation effort happens, no major problems crop up, etc. After two-three days, or if the Kearny meter says it’s good, I’m going to have to leave. The structure is damaged, power is out which means nasty radioactive flooding if it rains, and a probably degrading security situation. During my wait, I’ve made my preparations to depart. My largest backpack is filled with food, first aid, defensive means, survival gear, etc. I’ve turned the wheelbarrow into a covered means of transport and it has water, food, and other needful things already in it ready to go. Every water bladder, bottle, etc. integral to my gear is filled. I have my medicines and such in the backpack, it’s time.

I’m dressed in layers, and over it all I have my oilskin coat (or duster depending on some issues) and my poncho over that. I’ve rigged a plastic cover over my waterproof hat to help keep dust away from my face. I’m masked up, gloved up, and covered up as completely as I can be. At first light I take off and begin to head out using tertiary roads as much as possible as main roads are likely to be impassible. Where am I headed? In real life, not saying.

In this scenario, I plan to head south then west and try to find transport. Heading this way should put me on a course away from major fallout and radiation. Just to be safe, I frequently check the fallout meter. As for all the waterproof outer layers? Makes decontamination a lot easier and keeps the fallout away from you.

Now, if I were further out from the blast, and was clear of the major fallout path, my preference would be to hunker down and shelter in place. If you have made sufficient advance preparations, and are in a good location, it really would be the best choice. The less you have to go outside, especially at first, the better. Be prepared to deal with refugees and guide them onwards towards help. Be prepared for other issues at need.

Also keep in mind that general emergency preparedness, or preparedness for inflation and food issues, is the same basic preparedness you need for a nuclear situation. The only difference is that you should add in detection gear and gear to help you deal with the fallout. Also, have the means for you and each member of your family/group to transport as much of that material as possible if/when you have to leave. Wagons, carts, wheelbarrows and other delights can be used for other things until needed for emergency use.

If you are interested in preparedness, start here on page 3 of my preparedness posts and work your way forward. Just remember that while the number and type of disasters can approach infinity, there are only a few types of damage and that makes preparation relatively easy.

Again, this is a high-level overview and I’m not getting into a lot of detail. If there is interest in that, let me know and I can look at doing some posts that drill down a bit and explore things in more detail. Also, as I noted the other day, find a copy of Dean Ing’s Pulling Through and buy it! That and Alas Babylon are two excellent books to have on hand. Meantime, the thing to keep in mind is that even near a target, with prior planning (and a bit of luck) it is possible to survive a nuclear blast or war. How well and for how long are up to you to a surprising degree.

Some Previous Posts:

Vladimir And The Ukraine

Answers, Ramblings, And A Bit More On Vladimir And The Ukraine

Your Must Read For The Day On Russia

The Puzzles In Play, And The Missing Pieces

Quick Thoughts On Ukraine/Putin

The Thing Behind The Curtain

Missing Pieces And Surprise Pieces