What would it take?

What would it take to knock the USA down some post-apocolyptic/Jericho/The Postman sort of situation? A year ago hurricanes wiped cities and towns off the map from East Texas all the way down into Florida, yet when it came down to it, most Americans just shrugged and continued on with their daily lives. I think that's pretty impressive.

I wonder then how much would have to be destroyed to cause the USA to fall apart. Quite frankly, after pondering this for some time I'm coming to the conclusion that it would be very unlikely, at least in the next 10-20 years or so.

Possibilities:
Nuclear attack - how many bombs would have to go off/cities destroyed? How many countries have the needed number of bombs and the desire to use them in that manner? China, Russia, Uk, France...anyone else have enough? I don't know. What would any of those countries truely gain that would outweigh losing the USA? I don't know. It seems unlikely to me thouugh.

Natural catastrophe - Earthquake/volcano-supervolcano/global warming/asteroid impact. The New Madrid fault looks like it could really mess things up, over a wide area and cost trillions of $$$, but would it be enough cause the fall of the USA? Global warming? I have faith in technology helping out there. Other natural disasters? The odds look rather slim.

Financial failure:
Depression/recesssion/national debt/babyboomer retirement/etc... This one I have the hardest time deciding about. We survived the Great Depression and assorted recessisons. What are the chances of an "Atlas Shrugged" sort of collapse? I don't know.

The above thoughts have just been rolling through my head so I thought I'd dump them out for others to chew on. I definately believe people should be prepared for a year or more without help as localized disasters can take that long or longer to play out. It just seems to me that the chances of a complete collapse are *currently* slim. What are y'alls thoughts?

-Blast

I am not too worried about Nuclear or waether related issues. I think if there was a nuke detonated it will be a small one set off by terrorists; to small to change the world.
Weather again is too regional; no one storm can change the whole country.
What does worry me is financial collapse and civil unrest. Either of these on a large scale could cripple the country.

I am more worried about the mickey mouse "leadership" of our politicians. My aplogies to Mickey. If our politicians don't grow a nationalistic heart and start leading the country instead of looking to enhance themselves and their causes, we won't need an enemy attacking us.

Its at least as much the American (and Western) People's Fault and Ball Dropping too!

We really should be as Eager about Keeping Up with the News, Voting, Being an Informed Citizen, etc! As we are about so many other Loves, Passions, and Creature Comforts as we've got! If we'd only be as Eager!,....

Its OUR Country, Lifestyle, Interests, and such! It DOES Directly Affect and Concern us! We should Make it our Business to Inform ourselves so!

Yet How Many of us Really and Ardently DO?!

I know Plenty who DON'T!

You all do too!

Our Govt. and Leaders are Very Much only a Reflection of Ourselves!

I Hear THIS Aspect ever so Very Little Talked of! [color:"black"] [/color] [email]aloha[/email]

Most people don't know how close it came in the Depression, actually. The only things that really saved our bacon is that we weren't dependent on imports to maintain basic infrastructure, and we didn't have much of that.

Let's play a bit of what if:

Serious drought in the west, leading to near total crop failure for three or fours years, and a serious issue with Mexico over water rights. Most of your west coast cities start to have massive water issues, in some cases leading to the history books would call the "water riots", along with food shortages. As the possibility of a war with Mexico increases, toss in race riots and lynchings. Without crops to export, our trade balance worsens, particularly when the plains and midwest turn into a dust bowl due to lack of ground cover and moisture, sending the American dollar down against global currancies.

Eventually, we'd collapse- we can't rebuild ourselves if the dollar drops like mark just after WWI. If trade and crops go in the toilet together, that will all the pretty lady in the harbor wrote, becuase someone will try to sell her as scrap. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I just don't see it happening either, at least in our lifetimes. Maybe the eruption of the entire Yellowstone Caldera? Other than that the only thing i can think of would be a Deep Impact-type event.

We have always been lucky here in the States. I know from my parents who lived through it that the Great Depression was a national calamity. But compare things here with the Ukraine during the same time period, where millions literally starved to death. Or China and India, where floods killed millions more and caused widespread famine. Even back then we had the resources to adapt. I think we still do.

How about if the radical Muslims take over the middle east and stop selling oil to western countries. China and other major investors in America pull their money out of the US and dump all US dollars for the Euro causing a collapse of the American economy.

Then an emboldened China and Russia point their missiles at the US and destroy all of our large cities. Retaliatory missile strikes are dealt with using nuclear explosions in the air as our missiles get close to their air space and the majority of their population are in fall-out shelters. With the US no longer a super power China and the reformed USSR exterminate the radical Muslims and take over the oil fields. They then force PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER. on the rest of the planet and exterminate all dissidents.

Just a few happy thoughts to make your day better. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Too many possible scenarios to list . I , for one , never say " IT " couldn't happen " . You just never know what tomorrow might bring . Be prepared !!!

How about the western half of the La Palma Island in the Canaries breaks off and causes a 50ft tsunami to the east coast 9 hours later. That might just do it.

http://www.rense.com/general13/tidal.htm

Well, so far that's my favorite one. It might get rid of a lot of problems we have now.