This is how the Russians were planning on defeating the US. The plan had been devised and was in the last stage of implementation. Right here in the US on a thousand acre plus piece of land in the west (Nevada, or Utah, I believe) they had deployed a sleeper cell (diff name then but same meaning) who had become naturalized citizens as the spear heard. I was an NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) NCO (non-commissioned officer) in the military when our fairly new and sparse low-tech surveylance satellites discovered them. Thank God for our military. The attack's strategy which was in the process of of being implemented incorporated small nuclear blasts detonated a certain distance above ground and in a specific network or configuration. The affect of this would fry all micro-processor chips due to the frequency of one of the emitted rays being fatal to computer chips. Can you imagine what it would be like if all items with computer chips died? All military vehicles and equipment were computerized at that time not to mention the the civilian infrastructure. That is where they were first employed as well as NASA. Only tax dollars could have funded the R & D of such technology. I was also a Communications Specialist at the time and had a Secret security clearance just because our commo equipt was so advanced it was computerized and had Crypto gear (one of the multiple fairly large boards) in it. Similar to what we all use and take for granted today online for encrypting our data. Anyway, the Russians, using our strength (advanced technology) against us, after disabling the infrastructure and much of the consumer run vehicles and equipment, had timed a penetration through Alaska and Canada (over only 15 miles of thick ice in the Berian Straights-the distance between Alaska and Russia---you can see fishermen 4x4 trucks out on large lake ice here in lower MI) of a force of their tanks, vehicles, and equipment which were so"obsolete" to ours that they would survive the nuclear detonations because they all still ran on the predecessors of computer tech, tubes. Talk about the poor being the survivors. Because of our vulnerability due to our "tech advancements" they were in the process of over-taking us and leaving our infrastructure in tact for their use. We almost lost it all. The next winter many of our National Guard forces shifted their "summer" camps to WINTER camps. The units had been issued additional clothing and equipment and after months of winter survival training, had their 2 wks of training out in the woods on 3 ft of snow in avg temps of -10 to -30 degrees F and stayed out in it (sleeping on it, too) 24/7 and in less than 24 hrs, operating and strategically functioned 100% without any infrastructure supplies (electricity, bldings, and such.) My unit stayed out in it the longest and sustained the least amount of frostbite casualties of the Midwestern states involved. Russia got the message: "We are ready." How many other source sleeper cells are in place today in the US? Well, it is impossible to really know; esp with our southern border still being constantly infiltrated by aliens from who knows where. (Side note off topic: This is what I was alluding to on another thread dedicated to the banning of automatic assault weapons which would be invaluable towards the survival of who knows who if they were in the hands of veterans like me should we have sleeper cell(s) activated again. Because of the length I didn't share any of this and most probably thought that I was some deranged, paranoidal survivalist.) I have a generator which will last as long as my gas does. One tank of gas will run my whole house for 1 -2 days as we make it a point to live where natural gas (cheaper than wood heat if you consider total cost including all the time and labor which will be needed for other critical survival tasks, like food procurement and maintaining a protective perimeter, in an emergency as discussed here) is available so most of my furnace, my water heater, my dryer, and my stove use no or very little electricity during all of the power outages I have ever been through, the gas still runs. By the time the gas runs out for the generator (I have enough for about two weeks at any given time here considering all the gas in my vehicles; as they won't be needed for a power outage due to our proximity to any supply source being a short walk) depending upon the cause and duration of the power outage, Lord willing, I will have had time to do what is needed to do without electricity. I also have oil lamps, candles, self-charging flashlights, battery run radio and NOAA radio, canned food, and such. If one can plan and have their family so disciplined that they can start rationing immediately it will make a big diff in how long they can survive. If one waits till it is seriously FELT it will be far too long to wait to start if the nature of the power outage predicates a long duration. We CAN survive w/o electricity. It is just that it will take time to acclimate our living style to the conditions. Food will be the tough due to growing seasons (weather) and the duration of sowing seed till harvest. Living close to a good fish populated lake or tributary is a plus; hunting has relatively very short seasons and bag limits even further reduce its productivity. Keeping warm will be also tough but it can be survived. If you are proud of your large stack of dried fire wood out in the yard then think about how long it will last unsecured (not locked up in a cement/steel structure and steel door and out of sight) when everyone is looking for just that to keep from freezing to death. Especially if you are one who thinks it would be a sin to exercise violence, even to protect your home front or a loved one from invaders, theifs, and such.
can you survive without those (or electronics)?;)
