SILENT WARRIORS

SILENT WARRIORS – From  “Collapse”  a fiction novel by Richard Stephenson

“Domestic terrorists are the hardest for us to capture…..We have seen some progress capturing  waves of Silent Warriors that make it across our 7612 miles of borders.  The majority of terrorists invaders have no identification of any kind, not so much as a fake driver’s license………

The invasion of America was done in secret.  It was quiet. ….The Empire of Iran sent an entire regiment of Muslim warriors to sneak into the United States to do one thing and one thing only – install fear, panic, and paranoia in citizens of every walk of life.  Their mission was clear and they did not discriminate.  No one was off limits.

…..Arriving via Iranian submarines or by simply walking across the Mexican border, the warriors breached the US with only the clothes on their backs.  They were given no specific instructions, no target to destroy, they were simply told to be creative and improvise.”

These paragraphs are taken from the fiction novel “Collapse” by Richard  Stephenson (which I loved).

 And  assuming there is truth in fiction -destroy is what these people have done very effectively. While not every immigrant to the US is a silent warrior, there are those that fit this profile.

They are funded with cash monthly payments of $2,000 and up, per month, wired in to anonymous accounts (wire transfer receipts have been documented).  They start a business and after establishing credit and credibility run up debts to everyone and  then file bankruptcy.  They marry and have children and when divorced, fail to pay child support.  They hide money from the courts and secretly buy property.  They pay up front fees to rent an apartment or house after they have no credit and then default, causing further losses to the owner.  They destroy the unit as they take as much time as legally allowed to vacate – 6 to 9 months with no payments.

Some may  argue that born and bred Americans do this also.  That is what they are allowed to do under the laws of the country in which they were born in.  However:

These are the silent warriors……the economic terrorists coming from outside our country.  Our laws are written to protect well meaning citizens who “make a mistake”.  These are not mistakes – these are a way of life.  And these people, who have immigrated and become citizens…..should have this  citizenship revoked and sent back to their country of origin.  Sorry, but since when did we  invite people to come live here to be abusive to others?

This is like the 3 strikes law that puts you away for the rest of your life.  Here’s an immigrant who  1)defrauds creditors of money borrowed and files for bankruptcy protection (bankruptcy fraud  can be perpetuated)  2) marries and defrauds the child and wife of support   3) then  rents  and due to the laws that protect renters, can defraud the rental owner of almost a year’s income……with no punitive damages to this terrorist.  This particular case I refer to managed to buy a 40 acre piece of property for $150,000 cash during his bankruptcy and failure to pay his wife or landlord or creditors, stating in court papers he had no earned income.

And another of another many cases:

LA Times: 9/16/2012  Adel Daoud, a US citizen from Chicago, was arrested in a sting operation wherein an undercover agent provided him with a phony car bomb by pretending to be a terrorist looking  for co-conspirators.  The FBI watched him press the fake trigger.  He is charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to destroy a building with an explosive.

Silent Warriors.    And I hope you read the newly updated version of my fiction novel of survival:

“TheNuclear Catastrophe”  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WDRWXY

WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON EARTH DAY?

EARTH DAY is Sunday April 22, 2012. Every year on April 22 Earth Day is celebrated since it was started in the 1970's, thought to be the beginning of the environmental movement. Most protestors at that time were against the Vietnam war. But cars were gas guzzlers, air pollution was acceptable, and climate change had not been thought up. However, a woman named Rachael Carson had published a book called “Silent Spring” in 1962. It sold over 500,000 copies in 24 countries and alerted people to the dangers of pesticides accumulating in the earth and its food chains. She has to be given credit for bringing thoughtfulness about our environment to the public eye.

The actual creator of Earth Day was Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson after he witnessed the massive oil spills off the coast of Santa Barbara, Ca. He proposed a “National teach-in on the environment” to the media and accumulated staff and volunteers to promote various events on April 22. Twenty million Americans gathered and demonstrated for a healthy, sustainable environment in coast-to-coast rallies. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.



In 1990 Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. President Bill Clinton awarded Senator Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995 -- the highest honor given to civilians in the United States -- for his role as Earth Day founder.



Earth Day 2000 had 5,000 environmental groups in a record 184 countries reaching out to hundreds of millions of people. Earth Day 2010 was focused on Earth Day Network which reconfirmed Earth Day as a powerful focal point around which people could demonstrate their commitment.

Mobilize the Earth. Earth Day. 4.22.12

On April 22, more than one billion people around the globe will participate in Earth Day 2012 and help Mobilize the Earth™. People of all nationalities and backgrounds will voice their appreciation for the planet and demand its protection.

Attend a local Earth Day event and join one of the Earth Day campaigns to elevate the importance of environmental issues around the world.

Share what you are doing for Earth Day: register your Earth Day events, put them on Facebook, or send a tweet.

Website: http://www.earthday.org/2012

And as you all know, my particular environmental interest revolves around nuclear awareness. We still are not sure of the far reaching effects of the Fukushima disaster. Dr. Helen Caldicott of Boston said if the number 4 nuclear reactor had a further meltdown and explosion of radioactive material she would evacuate her family to South America. There are further admissions of radioactive water being leaked into the ocean from the Fukushima site. The past Prime Minister Kan of Japan has stated he was not aware of how dangerous nuclear plants can be. He now wants all the plants closed in Japan and decommissioned. He reminds us that hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced and cannot return to their homes because of this disaster.



Studies are now showing increased rates of cancer in certain of the populations residing next to nuclear reactors. 50% of the people polled around selected nuclear plants stated they had no idea what to do if the warning sirens went off. We may have to wait twenty years to see the full effects of the radiation released from Fukushima. Hopefully it will not be another Silent Spring.

Barbara Griffin Billig

Author: The Nuclear Catastrophe (a fiction novel of suspense) also published as:

THE DISQUIET SURVIVORS of The Nuclear Catastrophe

Follow on Twitter: @ barbarabillig

Blog: http://www.thenuclearcatastrophe.blogspot.com

Web page: http://mysite.verizon.net/resrrmof/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Nuclear-Catastrophe/187754411274067

Available for Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WDRWXY

Available as THE DISQUIET SURVIVORS of The Nuclear Catastrophe in Paperback

Read an excerpt now: http://bit.ly/pY8HxX

Thanks to you ALL

Thanks to all of you that took the time to download my book, “The Nuclear Catastrophe”, a fiction novel of suspense. As you read it you may find that you are already aware of many of the facts that are portrayed through a fictional story. If so, pat yourself on the back for knowledge and skim those parts. If I provide any new knowledge to a reader, or perhaps start a thinking process, then I get a pat on the back. Hopefully, you will be entertained and experience enjoyment.

I, myself, just finished a novel that centered around a nuclear disaster caused by missiles and the survival of the fictional characters in the aftermath. The book is Jackie Druga's novel, “Dust”. I couldn't put it down. It is definitely a page turner. And if you enjoy “The Nuclear Catastrophe”, then this would be a good follow up book. It's all about survival. And while we hope all these stories will remain fictional, the archeologists will tell you that the ground beneath us is full of civilizations that have died out and been replaced by others. So, being prepared is just a form of insurance. A recent survey showed that 52% of the population living within 50 miles of a nuclear reactor have no idea what to do in the event of an emergency.

It would be appreciated if you mentioned (or emailed or tweeted) that you downloaded, and hopefully read, my book, “The Nuclear Catastrophe” to at least one other person. Why? Because the subject of whether or not to continue with our present nuclear plants is going to be more and more in the forefront of discussion. And there are proposals to build new nuclear plants in the United States and elsewhere in the world. The fictional tale of “The Nuclear Catastrophe” presents a worst case scenario, one that we hope will never happen. However, the question is.....Is nuclear power worth that risk? Each person has to make up their own mind.

California has already closed one of its nuclear plants. Citizens are collecting signatures to get the closure of the remaining 2 plants on the ballot in 2012 (The California nuclear initiative petition).
Germany has closed 8 plants and will have 100% shutdown of all by 2022.. Japan has closed 52 plants of its 54 plants. The Swiss will phase out all their nuclear plants by 2034. The world's oldest nuclear power plant (44 years) was shut down in Britain February 29, 2012. And please note......the world has not come to an end, Japan still has power for its country, residents are not paying 20 times more for utilities (I haven't heard that they are paying anything more in terms of bills for electricity).

While the opponents of these closures are stating that atmospheric carbon based emissions will rise without nuclear, that really depends on what type energy replaces nuclear. It's not a fact written in stone. Don't forget that not all utilities are publicly owned. Many utilities are owned by private or public companies and they are in business to generate a profit. And they will be opposed to anything that threatens their profit, including the start up of other competing companies generating power.

So, again, thanks for your interest and support of my efforts. Hope you had a nice NUCLEAR AWARENESS DAY, March 11, 2012. Let's hope we don't become one of those civilizations that are excavated out of the ground thousands of years later by the archeologists. And in closing, you might want to check out the web site: http://www.PreppingToSurvive. They have a good article on the pros and cons of nuclear.

HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

I was lucky enough to get the valuable advice of several prominent nuclear physicists and scientists over the last month. I have publicly thanked them at the end of this blog. The following are some excerpts from what they wrote in response to my concerns about radiation levels in our world changing after Fukushima.

1. The ocean and radiation pollution:
   "THE SOLUTION TO POLLUTION IS DILUTION" ... in this case the ocean is so large in comparison to the amounts of contaminants that it is safe to say they are infinitely diluted away... that is not to say there will be a local gradient or plume within a few meters/ kilometers of the plant... but don't forget that nowadays we have very sensitive mechanisms for measuring things, especially radioisotopes, but just because we can measure something and put it on a map doesn't mean it's significant... we can also measure radioactive fluxes in galaxies zillions and zillions of light years away and none of that is significant to us... yet we can measure it and place it on maps...”
   
   The World Radiation Monitoring Center has placed monitoring points around the world, including our oceans for the detection of radiation.
   
   
2. Radiation in our food:
   “Yes, seaweed is showing radioactivity - as are the bananas, milk, eggs etc that you eat every day. This comes from the radioactive Carbon, Potassium and Uranium/Thorium isotopes that are present in the environment. Sometimes there may be trace amounts of other nuclides as well (Cesium, Beryllium, Tellurium, Cobalt, ...) that are detectable if you measure the samples long enough (24h or longer). It all depends on which elements are biologically absorbed by the plant. In the case of seaweed, it is known that it bioabsorbs Uranium next to other heavy metals. Some people have even thought to use algae to 'harvest' uranium from the sea.” 
   
   3. What dose of radiation is safe?
   If you google “no safe dose of radiation” you will find page after page of articles talking about the view that there is no safe dose of radiation. One study followed patients who had myocardial infarctions requiring various radioactive low dose scans. After five years there was a significant increase in cancer in those patients receiving the scan(s) versus the control group that did not receive the low dose radioactivity.  But if you have had a heart attack (myocardial infarction) wouldn't you want a scan to see the condition of your heart and which vessels are blocked? How about if you take a fall and hit your head – wouldn't you want a scan to see if there were bleeding in your brain?

And the scientific community argues that if the dose of radiation is low enough (lower than the study above) it could be beneficial. Radiation homeostasis is the theory that low doses of ionizing radiation (around natural background levels) are beneficial, stimulating the activation of repair mechanisms that protect against disease, and those repair mechanisms would not be activated in absence of ionizing radiation. While this is just a theory, there are many scientists strongly arguing for it. It is said that sunshine stimulates the production of Vitamin D in our bodies.
 
In the evolution of life,...the first one-celled life (bacterial films, pond scum) existed and evolved in a high ultraviolet radiation environment (without the ozone layer we have today) so adaptive mechanisms were established in cells from the very beginning in order to survive. Of course, they also mutated in form, (perhaps from the radiation) or we wouldn't be here today.



My thanks to Clemens Scholl, Nuclear Physicist at LIGA.NRW. (Consulting in radiation protection & monitoring and defense against nuclear hazards.Cologne Area, Germany) and Louis Pena, Senior Scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory for taking the time to address my questions and expand my knowledge base.

And finally I did a brief survey (very unscientific) asking the question – Are you comfortable enough with the radiation levels in Japan's air, water, and food to live there for the next year?
Not one person answered yes.
How about you?

Book Review: THE DISQUIET SURVIVORS of The Nuclear Catastrophe

                  Hello, I'm excited to tell that my book is now available to purchase at http://www.booksandnovelstoread.com.  The book is written as a  thriller suspense novel.  And, this website is dedicated to books by new and emerging authors.  There are thousands of new and original stories to be had, books that the public would never get to experience, if it were left up the "Publishing Industry".  Have a look at this website and you will be pleasantly surprised.  Please pass this onto all your contacts interested in reading so the word can be spread.  Links are at the bottom of the page.  Reviewed by Terry Callister, author.

A Review of THE DISQUIET SURVIVORS of The Nuclear Catastrophe by Barbara Billig

 

Also published as:  The Nuclear Catastrophe by Barbara Billig

Please note that the author is currently changing the name of this book from A Nuclear Catastrophe to that above. The print book is done and the eBook will follow shortly.

Every so often you come across a book that you can’t put down; you just want to know what happens over on the next page. I warn you, this is one of those. It is also a story that is very relevant today considering the events in Japan earlier this year.

The writing drags you into the pages as the characters fight to survive the aftermath of a massive explosion at the White Water Nuclear Plant in Southern California following a fairly minor earth tremor. Barbara has done what one of my favourite authors of all time, Leon Uris, has done, taken solid fact and cleverly crafted an excellent fictional story around it, faction as I call it. Leon Uris used history, Barbara science. By the way I checked out the science and worryingly it is all factual.

Not that the science gets in the way of this troubling story. It is used fleetingly to explain, in layman’s terms, the dangers that follow the release of massive amounts of radiation into the atmosphere following a blast. A modern nuclear facility can release fifty times more radiation into the atmosphere than the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, at the end of WW II. That’s how serious this problem is.

As the reality of their situation dawns on the victims of the fallout then Barbara introduces ever more problems for the characters to face. You can’t drink the water, because it is radioactive. Hospitals close their doors to new patients for fear of contaminating those already in the facility. I won’t spoil it any more but the list goes on.

One of the worst aspects of their situation is the complete lack of a co-ordinated rescue plan by the authorities. Well why prepare for something that can never happen? Like all politicians and those in authority they never seem to learn from history. The likes of 3 Mile Island and Chernobyl immediately spring to mind and of course more recently the terrible disaster in Fukushima, Japan.

Looking at politicians and their lack of understanding of the importance of history you need look no further than the conflict in Afghanistan as a prime example. The British were fighting there over a hundred years ago, the Russians tried and now the USA and Britain again. Political expediency in the USA and Britain means the troops will pull out before the job is done and the Taliban will be back in power before too long. Why did we go there in the first place? Do the powers that be never learn?

This isn’t an easy read, but you know it was never going to be, the subject is far too important. For all that it is a very good story, one that needed telling and one that should be made compulsory reading for all political leaders who are considering building more nuclear power stations. Perhaps it should be compulsory reading for all our youth also, so they can become aware of the dangers and take up the fight against this menace.

Barbara Billig is obviously passionate about this subject and this comes across in her writing. You will be swept away from the first page. Barbara must also be a keen observer of people, throughout the story her characters come to life with subtle little flicks of the hand, a look in the mirror and much more.

This is a thoroughly good read, an important story, not to be missed.

My Rating 5 out of 5.

To buy a copy of the printed book click here.

To buy the eBook click here.

ebook is currently on sale for 99 cents!!!!

To buy the eBook in Pounds Sterling click here.

To go to Barbara Billig's blog click here.