WHEN in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary….
Noted in Passing: Fun Day Alert at the Capitol
byVanderleunonApril 20, 2022
He calls it a “fun day.” I remind him that this is: A drill practicing evacuation for the nuclear attack on DC. Pelosi rides out safe to he undisclosed location. With cocktail. Hiding in a closet won’t save you and your family from the nukes. Think about these choppers during the moments you have between the light and the blast wave.
UPDATE: Later today this went out to the Capitol building from the Capitol Police
Had this been “NOT A DRILL” for real, I suspect those choppers would have gotten in there, loaded up who they needed to extract, and done a fast boogaloo out of the area. The plans for Continuity of Government in case of an emergency or occupation by a foreign power is laid out in the DOD Manual “Law of War” and under the general term of “Devolution.” A deep dive into Devolution might be of interest to anyone curious about what happens if Washington is under nuclear threat (or occupied by a foreign occupation force).
Casey KlahnApril 20, 2022, 12:05 PM
Just wow. My first thought is: does the CIA or DIA have enough spy power to figure out when the launch finger is near the button? Doubtful. We are without our cavalry, like Lee in Pennsylvania.
The picture in my head of Biden being left behind…
1. Do the Russians have subs that carry nuclear missiles?
2. If so, how many subs and how many missiles?
3. If so, are they stealthy?
4. If so, can the US detect them?
5. If not, do they present a real and present danger?
6. What is your view on a nation that threatens to go nuclear? Apparently Russia has rattled her nuclear saber.
7. Can this one-upmanship get out of hand? Or do you believe that wiser heads will prevail?
8. Is it possible that NATO involved itself in the sinking of the Moskva?
I remember Herman Kahn, who said that a nuclear war is survivable. I would rather not test that theory.
KCKApril 20, 2022, 10:40 PM
Great “K(l)ahns” think alike. A nuclear war is survivable, as everything short of the Pearly Gates is. Saint Peter has the last word on your survival.
idk what tech it takes to detect a boomer launch (Maybe John Venlet does?). My point being that the intel people and the feds across the board are so interested in communist go-along, that we have let down our guard. I can just imagine the OODA loop decision matrix on a boomer launch, and a helo evac at the White House. It’s an absurdist exercise.
Back in the Day–going on a half-century ago–we NORAD troglodytes had 2, count ’em 2, minutes to assess the patterns and trajectories of missile launches worldwide and give the National Command Authorities a go/no-go threat assessment*. Old Ivan could read a leaked crew schedule quite creatively for scheduling naval missile tests; I recall a few shift changes where the early warning pucker factor was dialed up to 11. That shxt gave me nightmares. Mmm, good times, good times.
* Yes or no on WWIII in the hands of a first lieutenant? What were they thinking?
KCKApril 21, 2022, 8:29 AM
Did you have the famous key? Sidearm? That is some shit, my friend. Truly some shit.
If we had a beer together, imagine the lies that could be traded, one ex-Louie to another.
“Hiding in a closet won’t save you and your family from the nukes.”
Coming out of the closet won’t either. Nukes are not a social construct.
Gordon ScottApril 20, 2022, 2:36 PM
“Nukes are not a social construct.” Yeah, but what are their pronouns?
I was watching a YouTube of a Tennessee Air National Guard base practicing an alert scramble. The crews came crashing in their vans from all over the base. Those crews were a little less streamlined than their active-duty counterparts, but there’s plenty of room in the KC-135-R, and those newer engines don’t need the explosive starter cartridges to get going.
When I was stationed at El Forke Grande AFB in North Dakota, those scrambles happened about once a week. Sometimes they’d just get into the tankers and bombers on the alert pad, and then go back to what they had been doing. Sometimes they started engines. Sometimes they taxied to the runway, but didn’t take off. And, during exercises, they would take off, bombers first, tankers next, about 30 seconds apart.
The last few tankers were lifting off into air very thoroughly roiled by the 12 heavy aircraft ahead of them. It could not have been pleasant. Meanwhile, those of us left behind thought about what it would really be like, as we waited and wondered if we would see the incoming warhead before it detonated and everything ended for us.
There’s a scene in the 1980’s movie War Games, wherein the characters watch from NORAD as warheads rain down on the US. No one knows if they’re real or if the computer is just playing a game. The first target to disappear under a big white dot was Grand Forks AFB. I watched that in the theater at GFAFB. Bomber and tanker alert crews were sitting in the seats reserved for them next to the exit doors. Everyone laughed and clapped when that big white dot appeared, but it seemed a bit nervous laughter to me.
KCKApril 21, 2022, 8:33 AM
That is funny. Here we are, the Cold War Vets, telling our stories. Although there was little heat in the CW, it did have no small amount of drama.
Mike Anderson: “Nukes are not a social contract.” That, my friend, is solid gold. I will remember your quote.
Interesting that those very politicos whose actions led to a nuclear war are the very ones who plan on surviving and ruling over the rubble. I would guess that they have never read Burns:
“The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men. Gang aft a-gley.”
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
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Green Pants Interior by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
Had this been “NOT A DRILL” for real, I suspect those choppers would have gotten in there, loaded up who they needed to extract, and done a fast boogaloo out of the area. The plans for Continuity of Government in case of an emergency or occupation by a foreign power is laid out in the DOD Manual “Law of War” and under the general term of “Devolution.” A deep dive into Devolution might be of interest to anyone curious about what happens if Washington is under nuclear threat (or occupied by a foreign occupation force).
Just wow. My first thought is: does the CIA or DIA have enough spy power to figure out when the launch finger is near the button? Doubtful. We are without our cavalry, like Lee in Pennsylvania.
The picture in my head of Biden being left behind…
Casey:
1. Do the Russians have subs that carry nuclear missiles?
2. If so, how many subs and how many missiles?
3. If so, are they stealthy?
4. If so, can the US detect them?
5. If not, do they present a real and present danger?
6. What is your view on a nation that threatens to go nuclear? Apparently Russia has rattled her nuclear saber.
7. Can this one-upmanship get out of hand? Or do you believe that wiser heads will prevail?
8. Is it possible that NATO involved itself in the sinking of the Moskva?
I remember Herman Kahn, who said that a nuclear war is survivable. I would rather not test that theory.
Great “K(l)ahns” think alike. A nuclear war is survivable, as everything short of the Pearly Gates is. Saint Peter has the last word on your survival.
idk what tech it takes to detect a boomer launch (Maybe John Venlet does?). My point being that the intel people and the feds across the board are so interested in communist go-along, that we have let down our guard. I can just imagine the OODA loop decision matrix on a boomer launch, and a helo evac at the White House. It’s an absurdist exercise.
Stay ready, and be of good cheer.
Back in the Day–going on a half-century ago–we NORAD troglodytes had 2, count ’em 2, minutes to assess the patterns and trajectories of missile launches worldwide and give the National Command Authorities a go/no-go threat assessment*. Old Ivan could read a leaked crew schedule quite creatively for scheduling naval missile tests; I recall a few shift changes where the early warning pucker factor was dialed up to 11. That shxt gave me nightmares. Mmm, good times, good times.
* Yes or no on WWIII in the hands of a first lieutenant? What were they thinking?
Did you have the famous key? Sidearm? That is some shit, my friend. Truly some shit.
If we had a beer together, imagine the lies that could be traded, one ex-Louie to another.
Why does Augusto Pinochet come to mind?
I liked his use of helicopters. Very efficient.
“Hiding in a closet won’t save you and your family from the nukes.”
Coming out of the closet won’t either. Nukes are not a social construct.
“Nukes are not a social construct.” Yeah, but what are their pronouns?
I was watching a YouTube of a Tennessee Air National Guard base practicing an alert scramble. The crews came crashing in their vans from all over the base. Those crews were a little less streamlined than their active-duty counterparts, but there’s plenty of room in the KC-135-R, and those newer engines don’t need the explosive starter cartridges to get going.
It’s not the most exciting video, but: https://www.134arw.ang.af.mil/?videoid=827843&dvpcc=false#DVIDSVideoPlayer14805
When I was stationed at El Forke Grande AFB in North Dakota, those scrambles happened about once a week. Sometimes they’d just get into the tankers and bombers on the alert pad, and then go back to what they had been doing. Sometimes they started engines. Sometimes they taxied to the runway, but didn’t take off. And, during exercises, they would take off, bombers first, tankers next, about 30 seconds apart.
The last few tankers were lifting off into air very thoroughly roiled by the 12 heavy aircraft ahead of them. It could not have been pleasant. Meanwhile, those of us left behind thought about what it would really be like, as we waited and wondered if we would see the incoming warhead before it detonated and everything ended for us.
There’s a scene in the 1980’s movie War Games, wherein the characters watch from NORAD as warheads rain down on the US. No one knows if they’re real or if the computer is just playing a game. The first target to disappear under a big white dot was Grand Forks AFB. I watched that in the theater at GFAFB. Bomber and tanker alert crews were sitting in the seats reserved for them next to the exit doors. Everyone laughed and clapped when that big white dot appeared, but it seemed a bit nervous laughter to me.
That is funny. Here we are, the Cold War Vets, telling our stories. Although there was little heat in the CW, it did have no small amount of drama.
Mike Anderson: “Nukes are not a social contract.” That, my friend, is solid gold. I will remember your quote.
Actually a nuked DC, would be acceptable to me. Just like taken the trash out.
As long as the prevailing winds remain from the southwest I’m OK with that. I’m pretty certain the rest of the world would be better off too.
Interesting that those very politicos whose actions led to a nuclear war are the very ones who plan on surviving and ruling over the rubble. I would guess that they have never read Burns:
“The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men. Gang aft a-gley.”
God damn the bastards.
Funny how they weren’t practicing combat landings and take-offs. Looked like any other milk run to me.
Weekend at Biden’s
(stolen from AoS)
JWM
So the 96th WoW LARP Brigade needed to tick off some boxes for their Annual KPI paperwork.
Russians test fired a nifty new ICBM (Sarmat) yesterday.
keystone kopz
the gov’t can’t get out of it’s own way, or yours