Last week, I attended a symposium that clarified for me exactly why Iran is the single greatest existential threat to the United States and the free world today.

The symposium panel consisted not of some off-the-wall Cassandras, but rather of some the soberest most serious thinkers in the field of national security.  Among them were:

• Lt. General (ret.) Thomas McInerney, Air Force; member of the Iran Policy Committee;
• Brigadier General (ret.) Ken Chrosniak, U.S. Army War College, Bronze Star recipient;
• Reza Kahlili, Ex-CIA spy in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards; author of the award-winning book A Time To Betray; Instructor at the Joint Counterintelligence Training Academy of the Dept. of Defense;
• Lt. Col. (ret.) Tony Shaffer, U.S. Army, Bronze Star recipient and Senior Intelligence Officer in the Defense Intelligence Agency;
• Clare Lopez, strategic policy and intelligence expert on national defense, Islam, Iran, and counterterrorism issues.

I put these names up front to demonstrate that this is not just me trying to stir up the pot.

The reason why the danger is so clear and imminent is because of a confluence of two facts that make up the perfect storm:

1.         The nature of the version of Shiite Islam to which the government of Iran adheres; and

2.         a natural phenomenon called EMP (electromagnetic pulse).

I will deal with them one at a time.        

1.      The nature of the version of Shiite Islam to which the government of Iran adheres

The mullahs in Iran practice a particularly virulent brand of Shiite Islam.  They believe in the return of 'the 12th Imam,' known as the Mahdi.  The Mahdi can best be understood as the Shiite messiah. They believe that when the Mahdi returns he will usher in a 1000-year age of justice, and that the Mahdi will come in response to a condition of chaos and destruction.  The added fillip to this is that they believe that they themselves can cause this to happen by creating the necessary chaos and destruction (remember, I am not arguing that this should make sense to you.  The point is that it makes sense to them).        

2.      EMP (electromagnetic pulse)

EMP is a natural phenomenon created by the fact that electrons can be "shocked" into spinning out of control, interacting with other electrons.  (Please continue reading.  This is very simply presented and easily followed).  Therefore, a single nuclear weapon exploded at high altitude above the United States will interact with the Earth's atmosphere, ionosphere, and magnetic field to produce an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) radiating down which will "short-circuit" whatever electric grid it encounters.  In simple terms, if a single nuclear bomb is detonated at the appropriate altitude above the mid west, it will DESTROY the entire electric grid of the US, thus cutting off the lifeblood of the US economy.  Just to be clear, if this happens, the electricity system won't be capable of being turned back on.  It will be finished.  Think of it, no lights, no manufacturing, no banking system, no.... nothing - all will be destroyed!  There is no way that the United States can survive such an attack as a functioning society. 

Now, ask yourselves if you think that those who fall under factor #1 above (Mahdist Shiite Muslims), in order to create the conditions for the return of the Mahdi, would hesitate to resort to factor #2 above (creating an EMP by detonating a nuclear weapon)? 

Remember, this is not me saying this.  This is General McInerney, General Chrosniak, Reza Khalili, etc. who are saying this. 

The US government accepts this as fact, but they don't make a big deal about it because they don't want to create a panic.  They are also concerned that the Jon Stewarts and Stephen Colberts of the world will satirize it into oblivion (remember "Star Wars"). 

The possibility of weaponizing EMP is a problem that will be with us for a very long time, but at a relatively nominal cost we already have the technology to "harden" the electric grid of the United States.  This (national security) is a function given by the Constitution to the Federal government, as opposed to (among other things) subsidizing public broadcasting or distributing cheese.  We need to act now to put this protection in place. 

The immediate, existential situation of Iran can and must be addressed immediately.  Fortunately, the mullahs do not have the support of the people of Iran.  Furthermore, the vast majority of the Iranian people (this according to the panelists at the symposium) are not Mahdists.  If we had supported the revolt in Iran two years ago, we might very well have a friendly Iranian government in power now.  It is not too late.  There is an incipient revolutionary underway in Iran.  We must help that revolution to occur. 

There is so much more to say on this subject.  For more information, I encourage you to go to: http://www.empactamerica.org/index.php.  

EMPactAmerica is comprised of an extraordinary group of people.  They are not asking for anything from you except your attention.   

Please consider what you have just read, become aware of the seriousness of the peril in which we find ourselves, and let others know.