he thought, as he remembered one of his favorite political quotations. And now it played out on steroids.
Political correctness had taken over in places like Portland and Seattle. Along with other big liberal cities around the world, time and money had been wasted on alternative energy, light rail, and other liberal ideas. Now those same people were being robbed and killed by all the criminals on whom they had spent so much energy trying to understand and rehabilitate.
Idaho and the other ISSC states had set a goal that they would not suffer a similar fate. Along with protecting the power grid and transportation system, the states had made plans for securing the nonproductive population of each state.
While an EMP or CME event had spurred on the ISSC states to act, the ongoing financial crisis in Washington D.C. had also motivated many in those states. With the Federal debt out of control, the more conservative states realized that the Federal government would face bankruptcy in short order.
When the latest Federal budget had to borrow half the amount to meet its obligations, the member states knew that their preparations for an EMP would also come in handy if the country collapsed into monetary chaos first.
With over half the population in the country receiving some type of government largess, when the money stopped arriving, many of those people would strike out at their fellow citizens.
The sun had struck first and now the dependent class was striking out at their neighbors. The fabric of civil society had been torn wide open as the criminal class attempted to take over.
“General Gale, I want to emphasis that any outsiders attempting to force their way into Idaho shall be met with as much force as we can apply. Also, we need to support our friends in Eastern Oregon and Washington as much as possible. They are our first line of defense. We need that buffer from the big cities to the west,” the governor instructed.
“You can count on it, Sir. Any word on our overseas troops making it home? We could use those experienced troops right about now,” Ed said.
“I’m afraid the Feds have been non-communicative lately. From reports out of Northern Virginia, Washington D.C. is a burning hulk. The Potomac River is the border now between anarchy and what passes for civilization these days. I’ll keep you informed,” the governor said.
The remaining advisors finished their reports. The advisor for the power utilities received applause when he announced that Idaho Power would be returning electricity to the Boise area on a limited basis today. The other more populated areas along the Snake River would be back on line within a week.
When initial word had been received of the major Coronal Mass Ejection aimed at Earth, Idaho Power had pulled the plug. That is, they shut the system down and disconnected as much as they could. This saved much of the system from the overloads that could destroy components.
Along with equipment hardening, this effort had saved much of the state’s power system. It was kept shut down while the sun continued to throw large CMEs at Earth. The Northern Lights that had illuminated Paul’s journey provided the indication as to when the sun would return back to normal.
Once the Northern Lights had disappeared over Idaho, it was assumed that it was safe to bring the grid back on line. Everyone turned to John for confirmation.
“Not to put you on the spot, Dr. Ewing, but are we safe to start things up? Or is the sun likely to hit us again?” the governor asked.
“Not likely, but no guarantee,” John answered. “The last CME event this large was right before the Civil War. Written accounts report the Northern Lights were visible all the way down into Virginia, but back then the only electrical device was the telegraph. The written accounts don’t mention recurring flares, so we can assume that the sun has released its pent-up energy and will settle into a quiet period.”
“But no
Political correctness had taken over in places like Portland and Seattle. Along with other big liberal cities around the world, time and money had been wasted on alternative energy, light rail, and other liberal ideas. Now those same people were being robbed and killed by all the criminals on whom they had spent so much energy trying to understand and rehabilitate.
Idaho and the other ISSC states had set a goal that they would not suffer a similar fate. Along with protecting the power grid and transportation system, the states had made plans for securing the nonproductive population of each state.
While an EMP or CME event had spurred on the ISSC states to act, the ongoing financial crisis in Washington D.C. had also motivated many in those states. With the Federal debt out of control, the more conservative states realized that the Federal government would face bankruptcy in short order.
When the latest Federal budget had to borrow half the amount to meet its obligations, the member states knew that their preparations for an EMP would also come in handy if the country collapsed into monetary chaos first.
With over half the population in the country receiving some type of government largess, when the money stopped arriving, many of those people would strike out at their fellow citizens.
The sun had struck first and now the dependent class was striking out at their neighbors. The fabric of civil society had been torn wide open as the criminal class attempted to take over.
“General Gale, I want to emphasis that any outsiders attempting to force their way into Idaho shall be met with as much force as we can apply. Also, we need to support our friends in Eastern Oregon and Washington as much as possible. They are our first line of defense. We need that buffer from the big cities to the west,” the governor instructed.
“You can count on it, Sir. Any word on our overseas troops making it home? We could use those experienced troops right about now,” Ed said.
“I’m afraid the Feds have been non-communicative lately. From reports out of Northern Virginia, Washington D.C. is a burning hulk. The Potomac River is the border now between anarchy and what passes for civilization these days. I’ll keep you informed,” the governor said.
The remaining advisors finished their reports. The advisor for the power utilities received applause when he announced that Idaho Power would be returning electricity to the Boise area on a limited basis today. The other more populated areas along the Snake River would be back on line within a week.
When initial word had been received of the major Coronal Mass Ejection aimed at Earth, Idaho Power had pulled the plug. That is, they shut the system down and disconnected as much as they could. This saved much of the system from the overloads that could destroy components.
Along with equipment hardening, this effort had saved much of the state’s power system. It was kept shut down while the sun continued to throw large CMEs at Earth. The Northern Lights that had illuminated Paul’s journey provided the indication as to when the sun would return back to normal.
Once the Northern Lights had disappeared over Idaho, it was assumed that it was safe to bring the grid back on line. Everyone turned to John for confirmation.
“Not to put you on the spot, Dr. Ewing, but are we safe to start things up? Or is the sun likely to hit us again?” the governor asked.
“Not likely, but no guarantee,” John answered. “The last CME event this large was right before the Civil War. Written accounts report the Northern Lights were visible all the way down into Virginia, but back then the only electrical device was the telegraph. The written accounts don’t mention recurring flares, so we can assume that the sun has released its pent-up energy and will settle into a quiet period.”
“But no
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