Journal EQ's Journal: 10 Kilotons on longbeach port
Saw a technical analysis of the aftereffeects of a 10KT (small by nuke standards) detonation in the Port of Long Beach - wiping it and Port of Los Angelese both out. Container form North Korea and Iran on a ship is detonated in the port facility just before unloading. The port, its facilities and most importnatly, 60,000 people woudl die either immediately or within hours formthe initial radiation, blast and heat.
Fallout would be quite harsh due to the shallow draft, and the abundance of water in which radioactive material would be carried by the superheated steam. Initiall there are the heat and overpressure effects - followed by the probability of 500 sq miles of contaminated area that would cause the evacuation of 5 million people. On top of that the loss of most of the refining capacity, and a large number of industries in the area (entertainment, eletronics, etc).
The losses would exceed 3 trillion dollars (for comparison, 9/11 was mayb 50 to 100 billion - less than 5% of that impact fiscally).
Truly scary stuff. And unlike the Soviets who truly loved thier children too, the guy in North Korea and his Apocalyptic friend in Iran would use such things with no regard to anything other than thier wierd cult of personality (Kim Jong Il and his potemkin world) and the violent apocalytpic Koran version that the Iranians use.
Scary to have so many lives riding on such thin reeds of irrationality.
The potential cost of inaction is very very high - millions of Americans depend on this - and probablytens of millions of Iranians and North Koreans as well (who would die in US retaliatory strikes).
Many would have shot Hitler and Tojo before WW2 had they know the horrors those 2 were to unleash on the world.
Should we be considering doing the same to Kim Jong Ill and the Iranian Mullahs?
How do we look into the abyss without the abyss looking into us? How to destroy our enemies without becoming like them?
No easy answers.