Just INFO recd;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Since the media has decided to scare everyone with
> >> > predictions of chemical, biological, or nuclear
> >> > warfare on our turf I decided to write a paper and
> >> > keep things in their proper perspective. I am a
> >> > retired military weapons, munitions, and training
> >> > expert.
> >> >
> >> > Lesson number one: In the mid 1990's there were a
> >> > series of nerve gas attacks on crowded Japanese
> >> > subway stations. Given perfect conditions for
> >> > an attack less than 10% of the people there were
> >> > injured (the injured were better in a few hours)
> >> > and only one percent of the injured died. 60
> >> > Minutes once had a fellow telling us that one drop
> >> > of nerve gas could kill a thousand people, well he
> >> > didn't tell you the thousand dead people per drop
> >> > was theoretical. Drill Sergeants exaggerate how
> >> > terrible this stuff was to keep the recruits awake
> >> > in class (I know this because I was a Drill Sergeant
> >> > too). Forget everything you've ever seen on TV, in the
> >> > movies, or read in a novel about this stuff, it was
> >> > all a lie (read this sentence again out loud!)!
> >> > These weapons are about terror, if you remain calm,
> >> > you will probably not die. This is far less scary
> >> > than the media and their "Experts," make it sound.
> >> >
> >> > Chemical weapons are categorized as Nerve, Blood,
> >> > Blister, and Incapacitating agents. Contrary to the
> >> > hype of reporters and politicians they are not weapons
> >> > of mass destruction. Instead, they are "Area denial",
> >> > and terror weapons that don't destroy anything. When
> >> > you leave the area you almost always leave the risk.
> >> > That's the difference; you can leave the area and
> >> > the risk; soldiers may have to stay put and sit
> >> > through it and that's why they need all that spiffy gear.
> >> >
> >> > These are not gasses, they are vapors and/or air borne
> >> > particles. The agent must be delivered in sufficient
> >> > quantity to kill/injure, and that defines when/how it's
> >> > used. Every day we have a morning and evening inversion
> >> > where "stuff," suspended in the air gets pushed down.
> >> > This inversion is why allergies (pollen) and air
> >> > pollution are worst at these times of the day. So, a
> >> > chemical attack will have it's best effect an hour of
> >> > so either side of sunrise/sunset. Also, being vapors
> >> > and airborne particles they are heavier than air so
> >> > they will seek low places like ditches, basements and
> >> > underground garages. This stuff won't work when it's
> >> > freezing, it doesn't last when it's hot, and wind spreads
> >> > it too thin - too fast. They've got to get this stuff on
> >> > you, or, get you to inhale it for it to work. They also
> >> > have to get the concentration of chemicals high enough
> >> > to kill or wound you. Too little and it's nothing, too
> >> > much and it's wasted.
> >> >
> >> > What I hope you've gathered by this point is that a
> >> > chemical weapons attack that kills a lot of people is
> >> > incredibly hard to do with military grade agents and
> >> > equipment so you can imagine how hard it will be for
> >> > terrorists. The more you know about this stuff the
> >> > more you realize how hard it is to use.
> >> >
> >> > We'll start by talking about nerve agents. You have
> >> > these in your house, plain old bug killer (like Raid)
> >> > is nerve agent. All nerve agents work the same way;
> >> > they are cholinesterase inhibitors that mess up the
> >> > signals your nervous system uses to make your body
> >> > function. It can harm you if you get it on your skin
> >> > but it works best if they can get you to inhale
> >> > it. If you don't die in the first minute and you
> >> > can leave the area you're probably gonna live.
> >> > The military's antidote for all nerve agents is atropine
> >> > and pralidoxime chloride. Neither one of these does
> >> > anything to cure the nerve agent, they send your body
> >> > into overdrive to keep you alive for five minutes,
> >> > after that the agent is used up. Your best protection is
> >> > fresh air and staying calm. Listed below are the
> >> > symptoms for nerve agent poisoning.
> >> >
> >> > Sudden headache, Dimness of vision (someone you're
> >> > looking at will have pinpointed pupils), Runny nose,
> >> > Excessive saliva or drooling, Difficulty breathing,
> >> > Tightness in chest, Nausea, Stomach cramps, Twitching of
> >> > exposed skin where a liquid just got on you.
> >> >
> >> > If you are in public and you start experiencing these
> >> > symptoms, first ask yourself, did anything out of the
> >> > ordinary just happen, a loud pop, did someone spray
> >> > something on the crowd? Are other people getting sick
> >> > too?
> >> >
> >> > Is there an odor of new mown hay, green corn, something
> >> > fruity, or camphor where it shouldn't be?
> >> >
> >> > If the answer is yes, then calmly (if you panic you
> >> > breathe faster and inhale more air/poison) leave the
> >> > area and head up wind, or, outside.
> >> >
> >> > Fresh air is the best "right now antidote". If you
> >> > have a blob of liquid that looks like molasses or
> >> > Kayro syrup on you; blot it or scrape it off and
> >> > away from yourself with anything disposable. This
> >> > stuff works based on your body weight, what a crop
> >> > duster uses to kill bugs won't hurt you unless you
> >> > stand there and breathe it in real deep, then lick
> >> > the residue off the ground for while. Remember they
> >> > have to do all the work, they have to get the
> >> > concentration up and keep it up for several minutes
> >> > while all you have to do is quit getting it on
> >> > you/quit breathing it by putting space between you
> >> > and the attack.
> >> >
> >> > Blood agents are cyanide or arsine which effect
> >> > your blood's ability to provide oxygen to your
> >> > tissue. The scenario for attack would be the same
> >> > as nerve agent. Look for a pop or someone
> >> > splashing/spraying something and folks around there
> >> > getting woozy/falling down. The telltale smells are
> >> > bitter almonds or garlic where it shouldn't be. The
> >> > symptoms are blue lips, blue under the fingernails
> >> > rapid breathing. The military's antidote is amyl nitride
> >> > and just like nerve agent antidote it just keeps your
> >> > body working for five minutes till the toxins are used up.
> >> > Fresh air is the your best individual chance.
> >> >
> >> > Blister agents (distilled mustard) are so nasty that
> >> > nobody wants to even handle it let alone use it. It's
> >> > almost impossible to handle safely and may have delayed
> >> > effect of up to 12 hours. The attack scenario is also
> >> > limited to the things you'd see from other chemicals. If
> >> > you do get large, painful blisters for no apparent reason,
> >> > don't pop them, if you must, don't let the liquid from the
> >> > blister get on any other area, the stuff just keeps on
> >> > spreading. It's just as likely to harm the user as the
> >> > target. Soap, water, sunshine, and fresh air are this
> >> > stuff's enemy.
> >> >
> >> > Bottom line on chemical weapons (it's the same if they
> >> > use industrial chemical spills); they are intended to
> >> > make you panic, to terrorize you, to herd you like sheep
> >> > to the wolves. If there is an attack, leave the area
> >> > and go upwind, or to the sides of the wind stream.
> >> > They have to get the stuff to you, and on you. You're
> >> > more likely to be hurt by a drunk driver on any given
> >> > day than be hurt by one of these attacks. Your odds get
> >> > better if you leave the area. Soap, water, time, and
> >> > fresh air really deal this stuff a knock-out-punch.
> >> > Don't let fear of an isolated attack rule your life.
> >> > The odds are really on your side.
> >> >
> >> > Nuclear bombs. These are the only weapons of mass
> >> > destruction on earth. The effects of a nuclear bomb
> >> > are heat, blast, EMP, and radiation. If you see a
> >> > bright flash of light like the sun, where the sun
> >> > isn't, fall to the ground! The heat will be over a
> >> > second. Then there will be two blast waves, one
> >> > out going, and one on it's way back. Don't stand
> >> > up to see what happened after the first wave;
> >> > anything that's going to happen will have happened
> >> > in two full minutes.
> >> >
> >> > These will be low yield devices and will not level
> >> > whole cities. If you live through the heat, blast,
> >> > and initial burst of radiation, you'll probably live
> >> > for a very very long time. Radiation will not create
> >> > fifty foot tall women, or giant ants and grass hoppers
> >> > the size of tanks. These will be at the most 1 kiloton
> >> > bombs; that's the equivalent of 1,000 tons of TNT.
> >> >
> >> > Here's the real deal, flying debris and radiation will
> >> > kill a lot of exposed (not all!) people within a half
> >> > mile of the blast. Under perfect conditions this is
> >> > about a half mile circle of death and destruction,
> >> > but, when it's done it's done. EMP stands for Electro
> >> > Magnetic Pulse and it will fry every electronic device
> >> > for a good distance, it's impossible to say what and
> >> > how far but probably not over a couple of miles from
> >> > ground zero is a good guess. Cars, cell phones,
> >> > computers, ATMs, you name it, all will be out of
> >> > order.
> >> >
> >> > There are lots of kinds of radiation, you only need
> >> > to worry about three, the others you have lived with
> >> > for years. You need to worry about "Ionizing radiation",
> >> > these are little sub atomic particles that go whizzing
> >> > along at the speed of light. They hit individual cells
> >> > in your body, kill the nucleus and keep on going.
> >> > That's how you get radiation poisoning, you have so
> >> > many dead cells in your body that the decaying cells
> >> > poison you. It's the same as people getting radiation
> >> > treatments for cancer, only a bigger area gets radiated.
> >> > The good news is you don't have to just sit there
> >> > and take it, and there's lots you can do rather than panic.
> >> > First; your skin will stop alpha particles, a page of a
> >> > news paper or your clothing will stop beta particles,
> >> > you just gotta try and avoid inhaling dust that's
> >> > contaminated with atoms that are emitting these things and
> >> > you'll be generally safe from them.
> >> >
> >> > Gamma rays are particles that travel like rays (quantum
> >> > physics makes my brain hurt) and they create the same
> >> > damage as alpha and beta particles only they keep going
> >> > and kill lots of cells as they go all the way through
> >> > your body. It takes a lot to stop these things,
> >> > lots of dense material, on the other hand it takes
> >> > a lot of this to kill you.
> >> >
> >> > Your defense is as always to not panic. Basic hygiene
> >> > and normal preparation are your friends. All canned
> >> > or frozen food is safe to eat. The radiation poisoning
> >> > will not effect plants so fruits and vegetables are OK if
> >> > there's no dust on em (rinse em off if there is). If you
> >> > don't have running water and you need to collect rain
> >> > water or use water from wherever, just let it sit for
> >> > thirty minutes and skim off the water gently from the top.
> >> > The dust with the bad stuff in it will settle and the
> >> > remaining water can be used for the toilet which will
> >> > still work if you have a bucket of water to pour in
> >> > the tank.
> >> >
> >> > Finally there's biological warfare. There's not much
> >> > to cover here. Basic personal hygiene and sanitation
> >> > will take you further than a million doctors. Wash your
> >> > hands often, don't share drinks, food, sloppy kisses,
> >> > etc., ... with strangers. Keep your garbage can with a
> >> > tight lid on it, don't have standing water (like old
> >> > buckets, ditches, or kiddie pools) laying around to
> >> > allow mosquitoes breeding room. This stuff is carried
> >> > by vectors, that is bugs, rodents, and contaminated
> >> > material. If biological warfare is so easy as the TV
> >> > makes it sound, why has Saddam Hussein spent twenty
> >> > years, millions, and millions of dollars trying to
> >> > get it right? If you're clean of person and home you
> >> > eat well and are active you're gonna live.
> >> >
> >> > Overall preparation for any terrorist attack is the
> >> > same as you'd take for a big storm. If you want a gas
> >> > mask, fine, go get one. I know this stuff and I'm not
> >> > getting one and I told my Mom not to bother with one
> >> > either (how's that for confidence). We have a week's
> >> > worth of cash, several days worth of canned goods
> >> > and plenty of soap and water. We don't leave stuff
> >> > out to attract bugs or rodents so we don't have them.
> >> > These people can't conceive a nation this big with this
> >> > much resources. These weapons are made to cause panic,
> >> > terror, and to demoralize. If we don't run around like
> >> > sheep they won't use this stuff after they find out it's
> >> > no fun. The government is going nuts over this stuff
> >> > because they have to protect every inch of America.
> >> > You've only gotta protect yourself, and by doing that,
> >> > you help the country.
> >> >
> >> > Finally, there are millions of caveats to everything I
> >> > wrote here and you can think up specific scenarios
> >> > where my advice isn't the best. This letter is supposed
> >> > to help the greatest number of people under the greatest
> >> > number of situations. If you don't like my work, don't
> >> > nit pick, just sit down and explain chemical, nuclear,
> >> > and biological warfare in a document around three pages
> >> > long yourself. This is how we the people of the United
> >> > States can rob these people of their most desired goal,
> >> > your terror.
> >> >
> >> > SFC Red Thomas (Ret)
> >> > Armor Master Gunner
> >> > Mesa, AZ
> >> > Unlimited reproduction and distribution is authorized.
> >> > Just give me credit for my work, and, keep in context.
> >> > |
