Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

WILLIAM FORSTCHEN DEPICTS ISIS TERROR ATTACK ON U.S. IN HIS NOVELLA "DAY OF WRATH"

History Professor William Forstchen is known by many as the author of One Second After, a novel depicting the mass terror and chaos resulting from an  Electric Magnetic Pulse (EMP) attack by an enemy of the United States.  Now he has come out with a 144 page ebook, Day of Wrath, which imagines a low-tech ISIS attack at our most innocent and vulnerable -- our schools and highways. Forstchen's chilling scenario shows how easy it would be to inflict mass terror on the United States.  

One reviewer wrote:

The scenario laid out here - an ISIS terror attack on the U.S. - is frighteningly possible, even likely given our current state of readiness. When the ineptness (dare I say indifference?) of our civil leaders is combined with ISIS' utter disregard for 'infidel' life - especially 'infidel' children - and our culture of appeasement in the name of 'coexistence,' you get a story which travels to another level. A rather sobering, indeed terrifying level. . . .   This is a tome I emphatically recommend. Serving as both 'engaging story' and 'cautionary prediction,' "Day of Wrath" is not a mere wake-up call - it is a swift kick in the backside. It will scare you, yes, but it will also make you aware and keep you sharp; the fact it is a captivating tale is just a major bonus.

Forstchen testifies to a deeply-felt sense of responsibility and duty:

“I was afraid that if I did not write this book, and choose the ebook format so it was available quickly, what was intended as a warning, would quite simply, come too late.   I had to take a break when writing Day of Wrath several times, it was a deeply emotional experience for me as well. It was difficult to complete, but was too important of a project not to finish.” 

Me: I have read this book and recommend it.  It is not an easy, enjoyable read, but the world has taken a very scary turn.  This book makes us face that unpleasant fact and prepare for a possible (even likely) scenario.  Read it!

CALIFORNIA DROUGHT PRODUCING MODERN-DAY DUST BOWL

Shocking!  Scary!  Serious!  We don't hear a great deal about the great California drought now taking place.  Holly Bailey has written a comprehensive and extremely helpful article that tells us what we need to know. 

8/6/14 - To the above, I came across another worrisome article, "The Drought Apocalypse Approaches as the Colorado River Basin Dries Up: Scientists discover that seven Western states are depleting groundwater reserves at an unprecedented rate."

CALIFORNIA DROUGHT AS SEEN FROM OUTER SPACE

Brian Resnick reports:

What's missing in the photo on the right? Snow. And perhaps a bit of greenery.

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released that photo to illustrate what a year of drought conditions (which have intensified recently) have wrought on the landscape. The amount of snow in California's Sierra region is between 4 percent and 22 percent of normal. And a change that drastic is easily seen from space.

ot's possibly the worst drought California has experienced in 500 years. Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency. Some rural areas may run out of water entirely in the next four months if conditions don't improve. California's State Water Project, an agency that redistributes water from the snowy mountains in the north to the drier south, has announced it cannot deliver water to many communities in the coming months.  [more . . .]

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON - "OBAMA'S GLOBAL FANTASIES ARE FALLING TO EARTH ALONG WITH HIM"

VDH, awake to what is happening in the world, writes powerfully and persuasively on how dangerous the world has become due to Obama's unbelievably inept foreign policy.   If it were just Obama, as Icarus, who fell to earth, it would be one thing.  But Obama is creating-- or at least allowing - looming catastrophy to hang over the entire world.  Read the article.

REDOUBT: NORTHWEST A HAVEN FOR DISMAYED AMERICANS

CBN News had a feature today about which I had not known anything previously.  Watch the video and learn of people (conservative Christians among them) moving to the Northwest for safety and a new life.

 

Here's the text of the video:

NORTHERN IDAHO -- You don't hear the word "redoubt" used very much anymore. It means a "fortress" or a "safe, protected place."

Some conservative American Christians are so dismayed with direction of the country that they're looking for a safe place for their families. They call it the "American Redoubt." 

Alarm over the future of America can be seen almost daily in the headlines and on cable news. The loss of privacy, constitutional freedoms, and out-of-control government spending are just a few of the reasons sending shock waves across the country.

 For Christians, there are even bigger concerns. Religious persecution is on the rise, and that's leading many believers to look beyond the ballot box and start voting with their feet.

IN MEMORIAM

I am indebted to G.C. McLoughlin's blog post:

 

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

~ Psalm 91:15-16

MAYAN APOCALYPSE: PANIC SPREADS AS DECEMBER 21 NEARS

From the UK Telegraph:

Subheading:

Fears that the end of the world is nigh have spread across the world with only days until the end of the Mayan calendar, with doomsday-mongers predicting a cataclysmic end to the history of Earth.

Article:

Ahead of December 21, which marks the conclusion of the 5,125-year "Long Count" Mayan calendar, panic buying of candles and essentials has been reported in China and Russia, along with an explosion in sales of survival shelters in America. In France believers were preparing to converge on a mountain where they believe aliens will rescue them.

The precise manner of Armageddon remains vague, ranging from a catastrophic celestial collision between Earth and the mythical planet Nibiru, also known as Planet X, a disastrous crash with a comet, or the annihilation of civilisation by a giant solar storm.

In America Ron Hubbard, a manufacturer of hi-tech underground survival shelters, has seen his business explode.

"We've gone from one a month to one a day," he said. "I don't have an opinion on the Mayan calendar but, when astrophysicists come to me, buy my shelters and tell me to be prepared for solar flares, radiation, EMPs (electromagnetic pulses) ... I'm going underground on the 19th and coming out on the 23rd. It's just in case anybody's right."  [more...]

Me:  Sun spots are real, life on earth is uncertain, and Jesus is coming again, but I don't think God will use a Mayan calendar to influence His dates for world-shaking events.  I also understand that prognosticators have been misinformed in their interpretation of the calendar.  I expect December 21 to come and go without the earth coming to an end.  Still, it's salutary to be shaken out of complacency.  Each of us is mortal.  Our destiny is to die, so we may as well give thought to that reality now as well as later.  And short of death, some extra food on hand is always wise.  

QUICK TAKES

- India's severe energy problem becoming a crisis

- Stink bug crisis reaches 38 states, Pacific Coast...

- Newt Gingrich on D.C. outages: 'Mild Taste of What an Electromagnetic Pulse Attack Would Do'...

- Google Shopping Censors All Gun, Ammo & Accessories Results  

THE ELECTRIC GRID IS VULNERABLE TO A BIG SUNSTORM

Ryan Tracy writes in the Wall Street Journal about a potential crippling event that many of us probably haven't been paying much attention to.

The sun is expected to hit a peak eruption period in 2013, and while superstorms don't always occur in peak periods, some warn of a disaster. John Kappenman, a consultant and former power engineer who has spent decades researching the storms, says the modern power grid isn't hardened for the worst nature has to offer. He says an extreme storm could cause blackouts lasting weeks or months, leaving major cities temporarily uninhabitable and taking a massive economic toll.

"This is arguably the largest natural-disaster scenario that the nation could face," said Mr. Kappenman.

Ryan explains further:

In a solar storm, charged particles flare from the sun and hurtle into space. When they collide with Earth, the electricity-transmission system acts like a jumbo antenna, picking up currents created when the particles interact with the planet's magnetic field. Those currents can cause wild voltage fluctuations, overheating and permanent damage to transformers, which zip electricity around the grid. The transformers weigh hundreds of tons each and aren't easily repaired or replaced.

Regulators have known about the threat of sunstorms for years but have only recently begun to coordinate disparate efforts to study the problem and formulate a response. Sunstorms can also force airlines to reroute flights and can disrupt the operation of commercial satellites and interfere with or damage their power and navigation systems. Military and spy satellites typically are less vulnerable.

Speaking historically,

[...] the two biggest solar storms in recorded history took place in 1859 and 1921, before the development of the modern electricity grid.

My take:  What with tornados, earthquakes, and now sunstorms (not to mention Muslim terrorist threats), it's not possible to guarantee uninterrupted "ordinary life" (shopping at our local grocery store, having abundance electricity, etc).  With this sunstorm warning, some of us (myself included!) have even more incentive to get on with emergency preparations to weather challenges that may arise. 

EXTRAORDINARY EARTHQUAKE ACTIVITY DRAWING ATTENTION AROUND THE GLOBE

From Croatian Times:

Quake Expert: Earth Cracking Up

A leading earthquake scientist has warned that the planet could be cracking up after a series of massive quakes in just 48 hours.

Expert Gheorghe Marmureanu - from Romania's National Institute of Earth Physics - says 39 quakes had hit the globe within two days.

The series started with two massive quakes in Indonesia measuring 8.6 and 8.2 on the Richter scale rapidly followed by three more only slightly smaller in Mexico within hours.

"There is no doubt that something is seriously wrong. There have been too many strong earthquakes," said Marmureanu.

He added: "The quakes are a surprise that cannot be easily explained by current scientific knowledge. With the Indonesian quake for example, statistically, there should be one big earthquake in this part of Asia every 500 years. However, since 2004, there were already three quakes with a magnitude of over 8, which is not normal.

Me: What is going on?  I don't know.  A friend passed along the above, plus I have learned of a couple of websites that track weather, earthquakes, and unusual occurrences: Dutchsinse and The Extinction Protocol.  Since I have not yet studied the particular theories each site embraces, I am not endorsing their viewpoints, but I do find the websites helpful in chronicling global events. 

SOLAR SUPERSTORM COULD FRY WORLD'S ELECTRIC GRIDS

Mark Martin at CBN News reports:

WASHINGTON -- The potential for no electric power, no communication, no water -- all caused by superstorms from the sun?

The world's scientists have their eyes on space these days, wondering if massive solar flares will seriously disrupt our way of life. A growing number of these storms could mean big problems for a world so heavily dependent on technology.  (More -- which includes the text of the video below)

Me: We don't know what a day will bring forth (James 4:13-16).   I'm reminded of  Ecclesiastes 12:13 - "The end of the matter, all has been heard.  Fear God and keep his commndments, for this is the whole duty of man."

QUICK TAKES

Items:

 - New paper in medical ethics journal argues for infanticide  - ( and it's not the first)  Memo: beware of "Bioethics" and "Medical ethics."  Contrary to expectations, quite often such forums employ high-flown rhetoric to justify the horrific.  Update:  Journal defends its publication of an article advocating "after-birth abortion"

- William J. Broad in NY Times - Yoga and Sex Scandals: No Surprise Here  Broad writes:  

The wholesome image of  yoga took a hit in the past few weeks as a rising star of the discipline came tumbling back to earth. After accusations of sexual impropriety with female students, John Friend, the founder of Anusara, one of the world’s fastest-growing styles, told followers that he was stepping down for an indefinite period of “self-reflection, therapy and personal retreat.”  Seems he had a penchant for women. 

Read the article for a summary of former high-fliers in the yoga world who have crashed.

            - Did Obama ignore plea for help from Iranian opposition in 2009?  Final sentence:

Obama had no hesitation in demanding the ouster of nominal ally Hosni Mubarak just eight days after protests erupted in Egypt.  He still hasn’t demanded the ouster of the mullahs of Iran.

- Wyoming House advances doomsday bill  (Update 2/29/12) - Doomsday bill killed by legislators

RECENT EARTHQUAKE ACTIVITY VISUALIZED (VIDE0)

A friend's email brought a link to this remarkable visualization of recent earthquake activity around the globe.  Look out!  We are definitely living in dangerous times.

 

WILLIAM R. FORSTCHEN ON "ONE SECOND AFTER"

John J. Miller of National Review Online conducted an audio interview with William R. Forstchen, author of the just-published  One Second After.   It's a novel depicting what would happen after an Electromagnetic pulse [EMP] attack on the United States.   Here's the  publishing blurb at Amazon:

New York Times best selling author William R. Forstchen now brings us a story which can be all too terrifyingly real...a story in which one man struggles to save his family and his small North Carolina town after America loses a war, in one second, a war that will send America back to the Dark Ages...A war based upon a weapon, an Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP).  A weapon that may already be in the hands of our enemies. Months before publication, One Second After has already been cited on the floor of Congress as a book all Americans should read, a book already being discussed in the corridors of the Pentagon as a truly realistic look at a weapon and its awesome power to destroy the entire United States, literally within one second. It is a weapon that the Wall Street Journal warns could shatter America. In the tradition of On the Beach, Fail Safe and Testament, this book, set in a typical American town, is a dire warning of what might be our future...and our end.

Me:  It sounds to me like a book very much worth reading.