Ricardo Ramos, the director of the beleaguered, government-owned Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, told CNN Thursday that the island’s power infrastructure had been basically “destroyed” and will take months to come back.
“Basically destroyed.” That’s about as basic as it gets civilization-wise.
Residents, Mr. Ramos said, would need to change the way they cook and cool off. For entertainment, old-school would be the best approach, he said.
“It’s a good time for dads to buy a ball and a glove and change the way you entertain your children.”
Meaning, I guess, no more playing Resident Evil 7: Biohazard on-screen because you’ll be living it - though one wonders where will the money come from to buy the ball and glove? Few Puerto Ricans will be going to work with the power off. And the island’s public finances were in disarray sufficient to drive it into federal court last May to set in motion a legal receivership that amounted to bankruptcy in all but name.
The commonwealth, a US territory, was in default for $74 billion in bonded debt, plus another $49 billion in unfunded pension obligations.
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This is a perfect example that helps prove something I've thought for many years.
ReplyDeleteForget armies. Forget air forces. Forget any sort of 'boots on the ground' situation.
You wanna destroy a country in less than a week? All you need to do is hack into the power grid computers and cut it off. Simple and easy.
The country would collapse in on itself in less than a week, in less time than the victim country could figure out who the hell did it and toss a nuke into their backyard. And that is only if they could somehow find the power to communicate with the military to do so.
Nobody - no country - will ever need to use a nuke to win a war in this day and age.
Being that PR is a territory, what is our obligation to them? I don't want to sound callus, but seriously, is it our (USA) responsibility to rebuild their entire country?
ReplyDeleteI am sure there is money and supplies being sent down to them, but their government is as corrupt as the day is long.
That's the concept behind EMP weapons, 10:30. One minute everything's rosy, the next minute (second, actually), all power is gone, all communications cease, all control ends.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right.
DeleteIn this computer age, though, even those type of "hardware weapons" are outdated.
They can be shot down (sometimes); they leave trail of where they originated; as soon as they are launched the retaliatory missiles are heading back at you.
Today's complete dependence on computers will require just one Asian genius with a computer to be capable of wreaking total havoc in America - or anywhere.
That's exactly how it's going to happen.
Bombs are nothing more than back-up nowadays.
I don't see Hillary and Bill boarding a plane to help out.
ReplyDeleteWhen up for a Vote though , they DON'T want to be a State...
ReplyDeleteHalf don't like or want to be an American , But they Love
our $$$ and Benefits though....OH Yes ....and act like
they are Entitled to everything from America........
Now, No doubt, America (and our tax $$) will have to pay to
Rebuild the whole Island. Time to Make it a state Or let
Them fix everything.
Yea , True 9:39 If they want to be their Own Country,
ReplyDeleteDon't expect the USA to fix everything anymore !!
Need to stop letting them to be a welfare country with US tax dollars. They contribute nothing to US economy. The US cannot take care of our own. Vets, homeless Vets, children, elderly and I could keep going. We have to take care of our own first.
ReplyDeleteStop with common sense comments. Puerto Rico belongs to the USA and we (CONgress) will figure out a package (hidden mind you) within the budget that will provide assistance. THEN when everyone is looking the other way, US money will bail them out of their $78 BILLION initial debt. Wiping that away will afford more spending/rebuilding that won't take decades. Then they will be in the same type of debt only 10 years later. New administration, new CONgress and the cycle continues.
ReplyDeleteLather, rinse, REPEAT!
I'm sorry but Puerto Rico to be one of the TOP vacation destination in the Caribbean, sounds to me like their gov't majorly mismanaged all their funds, and now want to cry that The real USA hasn't bailed them out!
ReplyDelete