171–180 of 292 posts
Kind of surprising to not see the words "domestic terrorism" here, so let me be the first? This very well could be domestic terrorism and for now it would be prudent to treat it as such.
The slow-play around reporting of possible attackers and motives is trying to stop the social contagion.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
A VHS cassette tape thrown over transmission lines in the middle of nowhere coordinated at 3 or 4 key locations would do that too… and much easier ordinance to acquire. NMS systems can’t react and load shedding chaos is likely.
I think a lot about how terrorists don't act and I guess I don't understand their motives. Electric grids, fiber optic lines, train tracks, bridges, water mains, sewage treatment, all of these can be pretty easily disrupted with equipment that isn't hard to get and doesn't require extensive training. And the disruption could be extreme . I mean, I'm glad they're not doing any of this, but I'm puzzled.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What is the actual importance of this rhetoric / labeling discussion over all emerging domestic news stories? Do you not feel that it constantly gets in the way of an actual discussion. I feel like this topic has been ongoing for over a decade. There are so many ways to describe the world. This is being described as a “[premeditated] attack”. Is there some ulterior motive I’m missing? Sorry to seem to ranty over this…
Because the US doesn't have a federal domestic terrorism statute, and so things that we'd confidently label 'terrorism' if they happened overseas or originated in a foreign country become the subject of thorny debate if they have a domestic origin and an otherwise identical fact pattern. A decent write up of the legal issues here: https://www.aclu.org/other/how-usa-patriot-act-redefines-dom...
That sounds to me like something we would call terrorism if it happened internationally will now also be called terrorism if it happens domestically.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
"The power is out and I know why" doesn't give you an impression? I guess I'd cross off "detective" as fall back career
If you take nutters off the internet at face value then you should. Most crimes that make the news have a few dozen nutjobs calling in claiming responsibility. People will go to great lengths to get attention. And we're already talking about social media posts here...
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/emily-rainey-fort-bragg-captain...
Would not be surprised to learn they got this idea after all the news coverage of the infrastructure attacks in Kyiv
On the +GDP side of this, the war makers and reconstruction companies get to replace the broken windows.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Apparently "Lead time on replacement parts" is the biggest issue today with dealing with the issue in a prompt time frame. Maybe they should stock up on at least 1x set of repair parts that would take a long timeframe to replace? Ukraine has shown how important electric substation part supply chains are.
Quoting from the movie Contact: "Why build one, when you could build two for twice the price?" I'd assume this isn't standard procedure, but agree that it should be, considering the increasing importance of power supply to society and in the current terror-paranoia state of the world.
A grenade (or IED) or two thrown in coordination into a few of those local-area transformer / power distribution stations would cause state-level chaos. Where I live, these seemingly critical infrastructure outposts, are protected by nothing more than high chicken-wire fences. Cyber Squirrel is the best and longest-lived exemplification of the sensitivity and scale of this vulnerability: https://cybersquirrel1.com/ T…
A VHS cassette tape thrown over transmission lines in the middle of nowhere coordinated at 3 or 4 key locations would do that too… and much easier ordinance to acquire. NMS systems can’t react and load shedding chaos is likely.
I find it hard to believe VHS tape wouldn't just vaporize instantly without disrupting anything. A steel bike frame however...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think a lot about how terrorists don't act and I guess I don't understand their motives. Electric grids, fiber optic lines, train tracks, bridges, water mains, sewage treatment, all of these can be pretty easily disrupted with equipment that isn't hard to get and doesn't require extensive training. And the disruption could be extreme . I mean, I'm glad they're not doing any of this, but I'm puzzled.
I suppose most of it is that terrorism and just any ideological violence is more about sending a message than being effective. This isn't total war. The point isn't really to outage a random town/county from power or internet. You want to be flashy and obvious. It's why suicide missions are the common method. Being a martyr is more ideologically powerful than causing massive damage. If you're subtle but effective, yo…