comment: >
  
  This is concerning how that this is like the 3rd one recently? One is a coincidence, two is concerning, three makes me think the conspiracy theorists might be right.
context: Just waiting for it to be called what it is, an act of domestic terrorism. >
  
  Or you know, the FBI/law enforcement to at least get a fraction of enthusiasm they had for the "war on drugs", or other stupid stuff they loved. Blows my mind how little fucks seem to be given over straight up domestic terrorism. Why aren't they throwing the Patriot Act around and all that like they used to? You'd think they wouldn't need a formal invitation to do their jobs, especially on something like this where they might be allowed to access/use the more "fun" tools and such.
  Figures the time we're actually threatened they take a back seat approach. >
  
  I’m in Eastern NC & have been hearing that the Moore County attack was perpetrated by law enforcement. >
  
  Honestly wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. Having known a few law enforcement, they're not exactly the stable types. >
  
  Ex-cop and now a fireman used to me my first floor neighbor in NJ. The guy plays music too loud that it could be heard from upstairs. The guy wanted to hang toys that are shaped like balls (human anatomy) from the back of his truck. The previous president of the condo association and a few neighbors didn’t like it, so they prohibited him from doing that using a by-law or something (I disagree with that decision btw). The guy sued the condo association and fought for almost two years in court about that. Whenever I see him in the stairways and said Hi a couple of times, he just ignored me (he didn’t to my downstairs neighbor), so I stopped greeting him afterwards. He would park his firetruck in front of the building to check on his dog/cat during the day while he is supposed to be working. Every time he makes such visit to feed his dog/cat, it takes about 30 mins and he and his firefighter coworker would just take it easy/slow while blocking a huge chunk of the parking space in front of the apartment. 
  Needless to say that the guy is very likely a stereotypical asshole ex-cop that we used to hear/read about (I mean there are very likely a decent amount of good police folks but I wouldn’t be surprised the profession draws a certain type of people more so than others. I also worry that when another insurrection happens, there would be so many cops, ex-cops, military and ex-military that it would be very hard to put down the uprising (my home country, Myanmar, always have been under military rule and people there know too well how police and army work together to suppress people there). >
  
  He probably didn't respond to you because you aren't white. I am half Irish and it really shows, but my name matches my other race and once some people know I am an other they treat me differently. Some people are subtle, some make tonedeaf remarks, some make racist remarks, some just avoid you. >
  
  Northeast US I assume? The racist attitude that has stuck around for a century+ in the US against Irish heritage feels so strange coming from the West Coast. Out there it was only the issue of "Mexicans" (Latinos). Is the Northeast really that exclusionary still? Kind of thought it was just a movie thing. >
  
  Its my non Irish side that is the issue. >
  
  Wtf. Why does this keep happening >
  
  Domestic terrorism. >
  
  Yes
  The neo nazis think power outages will cause crime and civil unrest so it can accelerate the "race war"
  Apparently this has been a strategy since the 80s or 90s in their nazi literature. Due to the current political climate it is becoming a reality
  Behind the bastards podcasts weekly discussions talk about the history of the this in more detail >
  
  
  The neo nazis think power outages will cause crime and civil unrest so it can accelerate the "race war"
  
  The problem with that is the country would already have to be heavily unstable for a localized power outage to cause people to flip out and riot. As in, "I'm not sure I'll be able to feed my kids next week for months now" unstable, not "man coffee sure has gotten expensive". 
  Otherwise I don't think we could physically exist anywhere that loses power frequently, as people would continuously be losing their minds every time.
  Realistically all they're doing is alienating more and more people they effect, and pushing law enforcement into more of a corner to act. It's not like they can only target democrats or "the enemy" by doing this, they're probably hurting just as many if not more of the people they have no disagreement with. >
  
  If the debt ceiling isn't raised in the next week, the government might shut down for months and delay Social Security and other program payments. The House is following the shock doctrine. People will reach the point of desperation quicker than you think. >
  
  While that’s a good concern to raise, there is a line of thought that the 14th Amendment renders the debt ceiling unconstitutional.
  
  The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
  
  Now, as this is specifically speaking in the context of denoting it doesn’t apply in the case of emancipation of slaves or insurrection of indebted parties, there may be some wiggle room, but the preamble of Section 4 of the 14th Amendment strictly establishes that the public debt shall not be questioned. So there is a line of thought that emerges from this: that as the Legislature has already authorized the expenditures that accrue debt, those expenditures will continue, even if we have surpassed the limit to the amount of debt the US can accrue by congressional mandate. It would need to be settled by the Supreme Court, of course, and that is… fraught, but the Court could rule that the debt limit questions the validity of the US Public Debt. >
  
  
  It would need to be settled by the Supreme Court, of course
  
  Would it? Is there a case or controversy that they could hear? Someone would have to prove that ignoring the debt limit actually harms them in order for that to happen. >
  
  It would be McCarthy vs. Yellen, i.e. House vs Treasury Dept.  House claims that Treasury is ignoring debt limit.  Treasury claims of course that they have to follow appropriations passed by Congress and not default as per Constitution.
  The underlying political reality is House Republicans want to make sharp cuts in government programs but not take responsibility for doing so by passing a budget or law with those cuts on the record, so they want Yellen to make the cuts so Democrats can be blamed for them, or to default so Democrats can be blamed for those bad consequences.
  So, bizarrely they are trying to force Treasury into taking away the explicit House power enumerated to themselves. >
  
  This is, as I see it, the root of most of the problems in our government. Congress is trying to hot-potato away the unpleasant responsibilities that are supposed to come with the office over to the executive branch broadly and the President specifically. They don't want to do their jobs properly because it might hurt their reelection campaigns. If they can pin anything unpopular on the president, he'll be gone in four or eight years and they can start pinning things to the next guy. >
  
  There have been numerous attacks on the grid for the past 2 years. Some with drones and explosives. >
  
  They've been freaking out about the power grids ability to be hacked for years now, turns out you can just shoot at it lol. >
  
  When the first attack came the Moore county sheriff knew who did it and they didn't face consequences. When you don't face accountability you become emboldened, that's what this new attack is, an emboldened attack because law enforcement didn't do their fucking job, as usual. >
  
  I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, security got much tighter after 9/11 which is probably a good thing(to a degree). OTOH it seems like the TSA tries to put on this toughman schtick and to me, it is kind of grating. Other countries somehow manage security that is much more travel friendly and have seemed to manage just fine for the past 22 years or so. 
  So, I guess my concern is a huge overreaction that inevitably results in a big rescinding of personal freedoms and is probably overkill. But otherwise I absolutely agree that infrastructure is a weak point atm. >
  
  
  EnergyUnited said in a news release that an alarm early Tuesday alerted it to an equipment problem at the substation in Randolph County, northeast of Charlotte. It said crews found damage to the substation from an apparent gunshot and that law enforcement had been notified.
  
  That’s less then an hour from me.  That’s scary stuff >
  
  If you haven't already, now would probably be a good time to look into investing in a generator or solar/battery backup. If they do damage and take out power, depending on what they hit and how much damage they do it could be awhile before a replacement is made/shipped. From what I understand stuff like transformers are in high demand with low supply currently, but could be wrong.
  Even if it's just enough to charge your phone and run a few things, it really helps during those long stretches. Not to mention generators and such will be sold out anywhere even semi-close to you if that stuff happens, so it's good to be prepared. >
  
  Piggy backing on this - we have a small solar Jackary that does our phones and camper fridge when we camp, or Christmas lights at our house. They’re small, and not too pricey. We also have a $300-400 gas one from Harbor Freight that can handle our furnace, some lights, tv, fridge, ps5, and the air fryer when power goes out. It’s not like a whole house one, but well worth the peace of mind. >
  
  
  small solar Jackary
  
  Oddly enough that's exactly what I was thinking about when I mentioned solar/battery backup. It seems there's some really good products specifically for that purpose nowadays with minimal complexity and no self-wiring and such. From what I've heard many tend to work really well, with the bonus of being portable. >
  
  Yup! The jackary is slow to charge with one panel if you’re just relying on solar, but we love it. The gas one makes for an inconvenient extension cord coming inside and some noise, but it sure beats dropping a ton of money on a whole house set up or having no power!! There’s something weirdly comforting about the hum of a generator at night during a blizzard >
  
  
  the hum of a generator
  
  Hum? My neighbor's generator sounds like a freakin' tractor stuck in the mud. I'd go nuts if I had to listen to that thing for longer that a couple days. >
  
  The only thing that can stop a substation shooting is a good substation with a gun. >
  
  Oooh, put an auto-turret on substations! This guy is going places! >
  
  Hello, friend...I see you! >
  
  Isn't this the 4th or 5th substation to be attacked by gunfire in the past few months on the east coast? >
  
  This is exaclty what our founding fathers had in mind. Guns to protect ourselves from electric substations. >
  
  "No electrification without representation!" >
  
  Fun fact: I vote for the people that run my electrical supply company.
  I do, in fact, have electrification with representation. >
  
  Straight out of the Gravy Seals/Prepper textbook. They think that by killing the power, there will be anarchy, and they'll come out on top. Instead, one of their poor grannies is dying in a nursing home nearby because their ventilator went dead. Or their PopPop dies in his house because the heat cut out in negative weather and he just didn't wake up. Collateral Damage I guess? It's Terrorism. >
  
  As dangerous as this trend is it's scarier to me to think it's being encouraged by people who are more interested in the social reaction than the direct effect.
  A coordinated infrastructure attack could theoretically create the kind of chaos a lot of of militants want, but that's pretty hard to pull off and actually might backfire- creating unity of purpose against such attempts.
  My concern is that knee-jerk unity of purpose is someone's goal. Someone sees the value in an atmosphere of fear that will allow measures in the name of preventing these attacks.
  Maybe I'm paranoid and that's pretty abstract but I'm just wondering. >
  
  
  A coordinated infrastructure attack could theoretically create the kind of chaos a lot of of militants want
  
  It's a dumb idea taken from a dumb book for right wing nutjobs (Turner Diaries). Look at Ukraine. The second largest military in the planet has been trying to do exactly that with hundredths of super high tech missiles and they didn't manage to break them at all or to create chaos. The US it's a lot more powerful than Ukraine. They will have the power back up in a week and then you'll have the most powerful military in the history of the human race hunting down every single right wing nutjob in the country that posted in 4Chan about doing this shit when they where 14. >
  
  It is literally illegal for the US military to be used domestically. 
  Posse Comitatus >
  
  
  Posse Comitatus
  
  As part of the war on terror, Obama signed into law section 1021 of the National Defense Authorization Act, which overturns the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act that prohibits the use of the military as a domestic police force.
  Source >
  
  I don't actually see an independent source for that. I saw that Bush pushed for modification, 50 governors said no, and the changes were repealed in 2008. >
  
  You kids won’t remember, but back in the good old days Hoover’s boys would be kicking in doors and rattling skulls if this happened!  We didn’t stand for insurrectionists of any stripe, and we let ‘em know it!  Why, I just wish Elliot Ness was still here, he’d give these traitors what for! >
  
  Sir! The KKK has just burned down a power station! 
  Damn it that’s it. Round up the black panthers and throw them in jail! And then set a honey trap for MLK and tell him to kill himself. 
  But Sir, it was the KKK…
  Did I fucking stutter? >
  
  The fuck is going on with all these attacks on power stations? What’s the fucking point? >
  
  Right-wing terrorists basically just want to accelerate the collapse of society to bring about the conditions for the rise of fascist authoritarian rule in America. >
  
  I think there's some right wing manifesto or something that days destabilizing the grid is the first step in their new civil war or whatever.
  Fucking idiots. >
  
  The simple Sabotage Field Manual >
  
  
  Lawmakers and public officials in affected states are calling for increased security around electrical substations. But experts have cautioned the vastness of the power grid makes it difficult to protect.
  
  Ok? Maybe start with some security cameras facing the buildings/areas that are being shot? My local 7-eleven seems to be better equipped for terrorism than American electrical stations. >
  
  “We can’t do anything, it would upset the fascists even more, and we don’t want to be unfair to them. Sorry :(“ >
  
  Ahhh yes, more pragmatic centrism from America. >
  
  Perhaps it's time for armed militias to defend substations ;) >
  
  Knowing these stacks are happening all over theUS and that surveillance is cheap now have we added additional cameras? >
  
  For everybody in the northern latitudes, do a tiny bit of research about how to wire your furnace for backup power. You don't need a generator. You can wire your furnace to have a plug and if the power goes out because of these dipshits just have a thousand watt inverter handy and hook it to jump pack or a car battery. You'll stay warm for days, well enough time for the utility to fix the damage. Total spend is about $200. >
  
  Well I've actually done a shit-ton of research on this and would advise against a 1000 watt inverter sandwiched between a car/jump-pack and your furnace.
  For many reasons:
  1.  that 1000 watts is probably far too small to handle the peak startup draw of most furnaces, which could be triple that.  Even the run wattage of your furnace would put the inverter at its limits.  (this all depends on your furnace ratings)
  2.  jump packs and car batteries are awful for sustained power needs, they are designed for high bursts of power, otherwise they deplete quickly unless you have a huge car alternator/battery set-up.  A bank of marine batteries on a separate charger would be better.
  3.  Small chonda (honda knock-off) "suitcase" generators have come down in price and up inefficiency in recent years.  They are versatile, powerful, and far more flexible in any kind of emergency.  Multiple outlets and can even be converted to dual-use propane with add-on kits.  They are likely double the cost of an inverter still but much more practical in real world use.
  I own 4 generators ranging from 2.5k to 15k and 3 inverters, from 250 watt to 1200watt.
  My furnaces are wired for separate power as is the entire house, well, etc.
  I agree that being prepared for emergencies, including keeping the heat on should be a priority that doesn't take too much knowledge or cost. >
  
  Well, it works on my system, I don't have a McMansion. Inrush current for us is about 600W, steady state is about 375.
  Size appropriately. >
  
  600 watts?  Is the furnace you are referencing a gas or fuel oil furnace? >
  
  Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.
  I have been laughed at for this before, but I maintain tat there's a Russian connection to these random substation attacks.  It's not like they lack either means or motive. >
  
  More conservatives causing shit. Cool. >
  
  White Christian Terrorism. Everyone is afraid to say it, but everyone knows exactly what’s going on. >
  
  It's kind of nuts to me how everyone sorta has this agreement to not say that. From the media to politicians. I'm sure it's been uttered a few times, but you'd think they'd be parading that word around with "Patriot Act" like they did last time. Didn't realize our government/law enforcement needed a kick in the ass to fight terrorism, last time I checked they loved that stuff. Guess it's a bit different when you can find them on a map, and they don't speak another language. >
  
  These are the little terrorist acts that are the first sparks of civil war. There will be no Mason- Dixon line. >
  
  Heyyyyy maybe someone should look into this… >
  
  Page out of the TURNER DIARIES? >
  
  Can we agree to stop shooting goddamn power stations? Or arrest the people that do as domestic terrorists? >
  
  These are the same weirdos who talk all the time about doing this in blue states to own da libz then realize that’s way too much work so they just shoot up the local substation instead. >
  
  The substation needs to start concealed carrying and carrying medical equipment >
  
  Our entire infrastructure is subject to disruption, not just the electrical grid. Rightwingers are working themselves up for it little by little. >
  
  Copycats are the worse possible thing that can happen.  Neverheard of this ever really being a problem, but it take one subhuman and good news coverage to spread the idea further.  Makes me wonder if this type of shit should really be posted on the front page of popular news orgs. >
  
  Another act of right wing terrorism. >
  
  So people are just um, shooting at power substations now? What does it gain? Is there any meaning to it, or are we about to experience The Walking Dead, just with no zombies? >
  
  Fucking Terrorist traitor scum. >
  
  so this is ....uh the second instance of this behavior in less than one year? >
  
  Nationwide, there's been about a dozen since the start of December. >
  
  Yeah, sounds like something that a group would be targeting. >
  
  This is why we can’t fucking have nice things >
  
  Wild, this just happened in Washington a few weeks ago. I guess this is a nation-wide problem. >
  
  Last month or the month before (December or November), it happened in North Carolina and actually caused like a 2-week outage. >
  
  Let’s just say these people live in the area. They do realize that they won’t have power either, don’t they? Fucking morons >
  
  Domestic terrorist's AKA republicans.