from Genesis Communications Network

In a recent stunning disclosure, the Department of Homeland Security admitted that the US power infrastructure was wide open to cyber terrorism. (1)

This admission confirms what many observers have long believed, that even foreign governments and groups hostile to the United States realize just how fragile and antiquated our electric grid is. In fact, much of the recent data was made public by a Chinese researcher who relied on unclassified information available to the public to show how cyber-terrorists could sabotage the grid.

The researcher, Mr. Wang and colleagues at the Dalian University of Technology in China, showed how cyber terrorists could access a low-priority network within regional or national networks and force a ‘cascading failure’, or a domino effect, causing one network after another to overload and eventually collapse.

This type of cascading failure is precisely what happened in Brazil last week, when heavy rains and wind brought down power plants, which led to an overload on the remaining system and failures which left 60 million people in the dark. This same failure is commonly believed to be the cause of the Northeast Blackout of 2003, when millions of Americans on the East Coast and the Midwest were left in total dark for hours, and in some cases, days.

Most reporters believe neither the 2003 blackout in the US or the most recent outage in Brazil were directly related to terrorism, but Mr. Wang’s report and that by others, including the Wall Street Journal, have revealed for the first time that hackers from China and Russia have already breached the electric grid and may have left behind ‘Trojan horses’, programs which act like computer viruses and could remain dormant, until activated and attacking the system.

This type of attack has already been used in Australia where more than 200,000 gallons of sewage were released into city streets.

The Obama administration believes the solution is $200 million of more funding, but skeptics claim the problem is far greater, and cite the fact that much of our national electric grid uses hardware that is more than 60 years old and could just as easily be brought down with primitive explosives.

Other experts have indicated that threats to the grid go far beyond what a few terrorists might accomplish. Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich pointed out in a recent speech that a nuclear weapon detonated in the atmosphere above the US could act as an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) device, destroying the electrical circuitry that powers every computer in the city. He cites the ‘Report of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse Attack’ from April 2008.

Readers already know that natural disasters can wreak havoc on our relatively fragile infrastructure, as was the case in New Orleans after Katrina, after the Blizzard of 2006 that dumped 26 inches on New York City, and after floods in north Georgia in September of 2009.

Patriots realize they can’t rely on the government to help them, and those who wait for the government to turn the power back on may sit in the dark for days or longer. In some recent cases of local weather phenomenon it takes weeks before all the power facilities are back on line and lines are connected.

In response to the growing threat, many citizens are turning to alternatives, such as the one offered by an Illinois-based company that sells a solar powered generator. Bill Heid, the CEO of MySolarPowerBackup.com, explained how the solar power generator works. “The solar powered generator harnesses free energy from the sun, stores it and then delivers it cleanly and quietly whenever you need it.”

Unlike traditional gasoline powered generators, the solar powered generator uses entirely free energy from the sun, and emits no fumes and makes no noise. “If you’ve ever used a gas-powered generator, you know how loud they are and how much they smell. That’s hardly a practical solution in a residential situation.”

The solar powered generator has another advantage; it relies on the unlimited, free, and clean power of the sun. This may appeal to many survivalists whose plans rely on traditional gas or diesel powered generators; after all, the long-term availability of fossil fuels in the event of a terrorist attack or natural disaster could be in serious jeopardy. If the electric grid is down for any reason, the pumps at gas stations won’t work and if there is any serious disruption to the electric grid, the entire ‘just in time’ inventory system will fail altogether.

Experts have observed the problems facing the US power grid are likely to remain with us for the foreseeable future. The aging infrastructure, the radical left’s opposition to nuclear power, a growing population and increased electric consumption are driving demand, while fossil fuel prices continue to skyrocket.

Author Armory Loins makes the case in his book, “Brittle Power: Energy Strategy for National Security” (2), that our energy infrastructure is even more susceptible to disruption, by accident or through malice than even imported oil.

Patriots who have established emergency preparedness or survival plans and are counting on their traditional generators may find themselves with an expensive piece of equipment that does nothing but take up room. Bill Heid explains, “A gas powered generator may run out of fuel in as little as a few hours. If you’ve planned ahead maybe you’ve stored extra fuel, and if you’ve taken precautions to prevent it from spoiling, maybe that will buy you a few extra days, but then what? What will your family do when there is no more gasoline?”

It is this growing frequency of blackouts, such as those in Brazil this week, which has driven many consumers to prepare for the worst, while praying that day never comes. Many others are motivated by a desire for true independence, recognizing that without electricity; even the best-prepared family will suffer many hardships that could be avoided.

The rather minor glitch that led to the blackout in the northeast in 2003 disrupted water service, communication, transportation and even contributed to the death of more than a dozen people. Some consumers were without power for days. A few citizens remained calm and confident in their homes, despite the chaos outside, because of their preparations. Last week, some localized wind and rain in Brazil left two countries paralyzed and millions without power. The solutions are complex, costly, and not likely to be solved by governments any time soon.

As Bill Heid of MySolarBackup.com says, “Having a solar powered generator is like having a secret power plant hidden in your home…the unit is portable, easy to setup, and will power your house with an endless supply of electricity for years to come.”

1. “US Reviewing Cyber Threat to Power Grid”, InternetNews.com,
   http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3839241
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittle_Power

by Congressman Ron Paul

What if tomorrow morning you woke up to headlines that yet another Chinese drone bombing on US soil killed several dozen ranchers in a rural community while they were sleeping?  That a drone aircraft had come across the Canadian border in the middle of the night and carried out the latest of many attacks?  What if it was claimed that many of the victims harbored anti-Chinese sentiments, but most of the dead were innocent women and children?  And what if the Chinese administration, in an effort to improve its public image in the US, had approved an aid package to send funds to help with American roads and schools and promote Chinese values here?

Most Americans would not stand for it.  Yet the above hypothetical events are similar to what our government is doing in Pakistan.  Last week, Congress did approve an aid package for Pakistan for the stated purposes of improving our image and promoting democracy.  I again made the point on the floor of the House that still no one seems to hear:  What if this happened on US soil?  What if innocent Americans were being killed in repeated drone attacks carried out by some foreign force who was trying to fix our problems for us?  Would sending money help their image?  If another nation committed this type of violence and destruction on our homeland, would we be at all interested in adopting their values?

Sadly, one thing that has entirely escaped modern American foreign policy is empathy.  Without much humility or regard for human life, our foreign policy has been reduced to alternately bribing and bombing other nations, all with the stated goal of “promoting democracy”.  But if a country democratically elects a leader who is not sufficiently pro-American, our government will refuse to recognize them, will impose sanctions on them, and will possibly even support covert efforts to remove them.  Democracy is obviously not what we are interested in.  It is more likely that our government is interested in imposing its will on other governments. This policy of endless intervention in the affairs of others is very damaging to American liberty and security.

If we were really interested in democracy, peace, prosperity and safety, we would pursue more free trade with other countries.  Free and abundant trade is much more conducive to peace because it is generally bad business to kill your customers.  When one’s livelihood is on the line, and the business agreements are mutually beneficial, it is in everyone’s best interests to maintain cooperative and friendly relations and not kill each other.  But instead, to force other countries to bend to our will, we impose trade barriers and sanctions.  If our government really wanted to promote freedom, Americans would be free to travel and trade with whoever they wished.  And, if we would simply look at our own policies around the world through the eyes of others, we would understand how these actions make us more targeted and therefore less safe from terrorism.  The only answer is get back to free trade with all and entangling alliances with none.  It is our bombs and sanctions and condescending aid packages that isolate us.