>>>They were working on disbursing biological weapons with them. Plague infested fleas was one of the areas of research. That may actually have been effective far beyond the effort to develop and deploy them had they started doing it.
>
>That's the big risk today IMHO. Nukes are too difficult to deploy. Biologicals can be sneaked in at low cost, even by a test tube broken on a subway. Some of the old diseases we though we'd conquered can be reborn as weapons as whole communities decide that vaccination is bad or adopt other lifestyles that assume that modern infrastructure is inviolate. FWIW at least one of the agents tested by the Japanese on prisoners in WWII is very cheap today and could create havoc if correctly deployed in a modern urban setting, overwhelming medical services and creating massive panic.
>
>Sheesh, what a world we live in, eh?

Yep - Nice cozy place.

My biggest fear of late is having North Korea or Iran manage to pop a couple of well placed nukes high over each coast of the US.

The EMP damage (coupled with threats to possible allies that they could be next if they attempt to help) could devastate the US and kill millions (from starvation and civil strife).

No power. Almost all communications gone. No manufacturing. Most electronic records gone or inaccessible. Most vehicles useless. Transportation essentially non-existant. Nice day.

On top of it, an administration like the current one would wring their hands over retaliation since the strikes were not on US soil and didn't directly cause major casualties. I think we'd simply collapse.

Each day we make ourselves more vulnerable.