The Conservative Cave

For once the Old Coot is likely telling the truth. I'll be turning 78 next month and remember those days.

From a Gemini chat;

The 1960s marked the height of the Cold War "prepping" culture, where the threat of nuclear conflict moved from abstract military strategy to a domestic reality. This era transformed the American basement and the radio dial into frontlines of national security.

### CONELRAD and the Transition to EBS

By the early 1960s, the **CONELRAD** (Control of Electromagnetic Radiation) system was the primary method for emergency communication.

* **The "640-1240" Rule:** All AM radios manufactured between 1953 and 1963 featured small "CD" (Civil Defense) triangles at the 640 and 1240 kHz frequencies. In an emergency, all other stations would go silent to prevent enemy bombers from using radio signals as navigational beacons.
* **The Shift:** In 1963, CONELRAD was replaced by the **Emergency Broadcast System (EBS)**. This update allowed stations to stay on their assigned frequencies, providing better audio quality and more reliable regional information while still giving the President nearly instant access to the airwaves.

### The Fallout Shelter Crusade

The early 60s, particularly around the **Berlin Crisis (1961)** and the **Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)**, saw a massive push for private and public shelters.

* **Public Shelters:** The government launched a nationwide effort to identify and stock existing buildings (schools, courthouses, subways) as fallout shelters. These were marked by the iconic yellow-and-black trefoil signs.
* **The "Backyard" Trend:** President Kennedy famously encouraged families to build their own shelters. Companies marketed DIY kits and pre-fabricated steel "cocoons" that could be buried in the backyard or integrated into a basement.
* **Social Ethics:** The trend sparked a bizarre national debate over "shelter ethics"—whether it was morally acceptable to use force to keep neighbors out of a private shelter if space and supplies were limited.

### Civil Defense Supplies

A standard 1960s shelter was a study in utilitarian preservation. The government-issued supplies typically included:

| Item | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| **Survival Crackers** | Dense, bland biscuits designed to provide basic calories for 14 days. |
| **Water Barrels** | Large metal drums meant to be filled and sealed; later reused as chemical toilets. |
| **Dosimeters** | Pen-like devices used to measure the cumulative radiation exposure of the occupants. |
| **Sanitation Kits** | Minimalist supplies, as plumbing was expected to fail or become contaminated. |

---

### Popular Media and "Duck and Cover"

While the 1950s gave us "Bert the Turtle," the 1960s took a more somber tone. Civil Defense films became more technical, focusing on the "Total Overpressure" of blasts and the specifics of radioactive decay. This era also produced some of the most enduring media critiques of the system, most notably Stanley Kubrick’s *Dr. Strangelove* (1964).

 

Just days after two Islamic terrorists allegedly threw a homemade IED into a group of anti-Islamic protesters, Mayor Zohran Mamdani is continuing to show us what "globalize the intifada" actually means. Mamdani, and his terrorist attack-loving wife just hosted Mahmoud Khalil for dinner.

"A year ago, Mahmoud was walking home through our city after sharing an iftar with his wife Noor when he was detained by federal agents, flown to Louisiana, and then held in an ICE facility for months. In that time, he was forced to miss the birth of his first child. All of this for exercising his First Amendment rights in protesting the ongoing genocide in Palestine," Mamdani wrote. And yet, even in the face of that cruelty, there has also been beauty. New Yorkers raising their voices in solidarity. A city refusing to look away. Mahmoud won his freedom, and a father was finally reunited with his child. Last night, as we marked the one year anniversary of his detention, Rama and I were honored to welcome Mahmoud, Noor, and their son Deen to Gracie Mansion to break our fast together.Mahmoud is a New Yorker, and he belongs in New York City."

Of course, Jake Lang and his fellow protesters were also exercising their First Amendment rights by objecting to Islam, but Mamdani labeled them "white supremacists."

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2026/03/10/mamdani-khalil-dinner-n2672581

Who's next, Hasan Piker or Kilmar Abrego Garcia?

milestogo (22,967 posts)

I'm so sick of Republicans.

They've been ****ing this country over for my entire life. I do not understand why anyone would vote republican...EVER.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221084506

Go back to bed and curl up with your vodka bottle. That pissy mindset does you no good.

Live on CNN, Michael Oren Exposes What the Coverage Left Out

https://pjmedia.com/david-manney/2026/03/09/live-on-cnn-michael-oren-exposes-what-the-coverage-left-out-n4950446

As Newsbusters reported, former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren confronted CNN's biased reporting head-on during a live broadcast. CNN Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Matthew Chance reported from Beirut on Israeli actions in Lebanon, detailing civilian effects and damage without mentioning Hezbollah's rocket attacks on Israel.

Oren called out the oversight, noting Hezbollah fired over 220 rockets at northern Israel in the previous five days, forcing thousands from their homes and killing or wounding many Israelis. Oren insisted that reporters had failed in their duty by ignoring these facts, catching CNN anchor Jessica Dean off guard and forcing her to pivot, defending Chance's focus on Lebanon, though she conceded Oren's point on Israel's attacks.

Oren didn't let up, highlighting the fact that a million Israelis are living under constant threat, with families dashing to shelters ten times daily from massive rockets that destroy homes. He stated that Israel must defend its people, even if ground invasions are needed.

Western media outlets screw Israel by downplaying threats for decades while slamming its responses. Hezbollah holds 150,000 rockets and missiles, many precision-guided to hit Israeli cities. Militants have launched tens of thousands of rockets at Israel since the early 2000s.

Like other Israel-Hating skews outlets, CNN is past admitting and correcting mistakes, and past admitting their bigotry and correcting it. They are antisemites basking in the security of other MSM outlets being similarly bigoted. They know no other MSM outlet will threaten their audience by offer news instead of bigoted skews, and they will repeat their antisemitic lies again in an hour, a day, a week ... .