The Conservative Cave

Oil is fungible, used by Iranian civilians and the Iranian military. Refineries and oil storage are valid military targets, whether in Iran or in Russia (which Ukraine has been clobbering for a year or two ). If Iran built refineries in/near a residential area (or allowed building a residential neighborhood near a refinery), that's on Iran. Similarly, if Iran designed its sewer system so that gases or oil could flow from oil storage or a refinery into the sewer, that also is on Iran.

I'm not Snoopy-dancing that ordinary Iranian people are suffering some of the FO consequences of the Mullahcrats' FA, their 47 year war on the US, but war is not surgically precise.

Also, don't forget that if LIEden or Kammie were doing this, DU-folk would be cheering and Snoopy-dancing (and I would not be carping about it, BTW).

...
How about the WW2 attack on the Ploesti oilfield?

I'm not sure how many DU-folk would know what you're talking about without resorting to W'pedia or a search engine. The Brits also attacked oilfields and refineries in the DEI during WW2, IIRC (possibly with the participation of USS Saratoga, CV-3?).

flashman13 (2,313 posts)

Lets be absolutely clear. Destroying oil refineries and storage sites in and around Tehran,

turning streams and sewers into rivers of fire, poisoning the air and water that millions of people depend on while also poisoning food producing irrigation systems is a CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY. It is a form of mass murder or genocide if you like. It is the very thing that we tried, convicted and hanged Nazi leaders for 80 years ago.

Don't comfort yourself by saying that the Israeli's bombed those sites. That doesn't matter. We have financed and armed Israel for decades. One phone call to Bibi by a rational President could have prevented this entire war. We have a totally irrational President. We are responsible. We are complicit.

We are now careening down the road in a clown car hell bent on disaster. We, all of us, will pay a terrible price before this is over. On that point, U.S. intelligence services have just issued warnings that they believe Iran has activated Iranian sleeper cells in the country.

Hey Vance, if you ever want to be President, here is your chance. Invoke the 25th Amendment today.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221084661

I think you don't like Jews.

There's a meme circulating on FB this AM that an unnamed newspaper has verified the then-13-YO's accusation against Trump. Next time I see it my response will be along the lines of: "The FBI interviewed her four times and she told four substantially different stories. Which version of her lie did the paper "verify"?

after all the death and destruction radical muslims brought to NYC on 9/11/01 I will never understand why they elected a radical muslim as mayor 25 years later.  So much for "NEVER FORGET!"

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).