I don't think China is gunning for us just yet; however, if we accept their "goods" and allow them to help finance our debt (we are) and then we effectively devalue the dollar by printing more (we're doing that too IMO), thus repaying the debt with cheaper dollars, how good a trading partner are we?
The Chinese are always looking for other markets.

As for them getting hit back by the worlds only remaining military superpower, that presumes we know who launched the attack. With a sea-based attack from a merchant ship, the gun isn't smoking. It's really very Tom Clancy'ish, but I can see this happening and while we'd know it came from the sea, our ability to determine specifically which platform did it would be muddied by the lack of sensors after the strike. Plausible denial would rule and with the Chinese offering aid and friendship following the attack, would we bite the hand that's feeding us?

Diabolical. . . we'd be blaming Iran or N. Korea with no firm evidence and the real culprit would be off-loading supplies in Long Beach.

Great observation. It flat-out creeped me out (in no small part because I live smack in the middle of Washington, DC) and that's why I posted the initial query on the plausibility of his EMP scenario.

Stephen King has become a wealthy man writing novels that appall literary critics and scare the bejeezus out of the masses. Lots of peops will pay for a good scare (scary fiction, roller-coasters....). No fiction, until "One Second After," scared me more than "The Stand," because of the initial plot plausibility. The Stand, a mass market non-classic (and better written) book, still begs the question: what is optimal lethality for a virus to cause societal breakdown or severe economic damage? 90%? 80%? 50%? 30%? The federal government no doubt has such analyses.

For written and film entertainment, a great plot grounded in non-fiction can compensate to a considerable degree for mediocre fictional characterizations and dialogue. That's assuming you're not too distracted by imperfect grammar, writing style or discriminating in whose works or what genre you'll consume. Reader reviews of "One Second After" reveal that quite aside from the plot, some folks find the writing intolerable. I found the writing tolerable but lamentable. At the least it needed better editing.

As to the initial point of this thread, just how plausible the One Second After EMP premise is apparently is in dispute.

But it might be a good idea to have a 1958 Plymouth Fury. Not named: "Christine."

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for getting off the sideline.


:-)

9/11 was very Tom Clancy-ish.



;-)

Blaster, you need to read the list of qualifications in order to really understand what I would call the "creepiness" of Ms. Rawles and her quest.

What would the opposite of actively searching for a replacement wife be exactly? Letting fate take it's course? Surely at least part of the joy of a marriage is the part where the couple find each other? Pre-arranging a second marriage before the first wife is even dead isn't love, it's hiring a domestic servant who gets to/has to sleep with the boss.

Good to see you aren't being presumptuous or judgmental.

Sorry, I meant a case where the terminally ill husband found a new man for his wife.

I read his blog every day and saw his wife's original post. Personally, I felt that if posting it made her feel better then it was a good thing to do. James's comments on it indicated he thought it was a bit squirrelly and he was just humoring his wife.

-Blast

Russ, if you can live your life without making judgements or presumptions, please share the methods you use. Everything posted here is opinion, and thus a judgement, you're obviously free to disregard or ignore.

Given that most everything thats posted here is someone's judgement about something it might make for very light reading.

And while we're revisiting the topic, I find it interesting that some humans think that they can control every part of their lives, forgetting that it's the randomness that makes the human experience what it is. Control is simply fear.

The old method of nation states conqeureing and taking doesn't exist anymore and just isn't possible. Its about a 20 hour flight to asia from the west coast of the US. Thats a loooong way. Even if this was a plausible scenario it makes no sense. Everything in this world is for sale, including natural resources. The Chinese can just buy what they need from willing US sellers. Or they can do what Japanese companies have done in South America. Buy the best farmland, hire local labor, and raise crops for export only. What I'm saying its a colossal waste of resources for any nation to militarily occupy another in any capacity, and always winds up being a pyrrhic victory for the occupier. It makes no sense from a logistical, economical, or practical standpoint. And China is not some homogenous entity where everyone sings in unison and works in lockstep. Do you really think the chinese people would tolerate this type of destructive behavior from their government? They already have a hard time containing the thousands of demonstrations that take place each year.