Will Putin attack U.S.?
Thought for the day
Pentagon and Dept. of Homeland Security officials have begun warning the White House that Russia (i.e., Vladimir Putin) may launch cyber attacks in the U.S. I doubt any of these people ever read my piece on this topic, so here it is now. The following op-ed appeared in the Orange County Register on Aug. 8, 2018.
Putin really wants to bury us
Like many older Baby Boomers, I still remember watching news clips of Nikita Khrushchev’s infamous speech at the United Nations in 1960. Pounding the podium with a shoe, the late leader of the former Soviet Union shouted, “We will bury you.” Clearly his focus was on America.
Thankfully, that never happened. That is until Russia’s Vladimir Putin discovered there actually is a way to bury us. First, by disrupting our elections; second, by wreaking havoc on America’s energy grid and communications systems; and, lastly, by destroying our banking and financial institutions.
By all reasonable accounts, Russian hackers influenced the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Today, many of those same hackers are hard at work trying to influence the outcome of the November mid-term elections. How do I know this? Their social media ads that went unchallenged two years ago are now being scrutinized (and removed) daily. With approximately 100 days left until the mid-terms, there’s no telling what tricks Putin’s hackers have up their sleeves; but, this much is known: Their intent is to impact the outcome of congressional campaigns coast to coast, including the Rouda v. Rohrabacher race here in Orange County.
Putin’s second objective is to wreak havoc on America’s energy grid and communications systems. How do I know? Russian hackers have been caught trying to break into complicated grids for years — like those affecting cities’ abilities to keep the lights on, nuclear power plants, water agencies and manufacturing centers. What’s not so widely known, but equally as troubling, is hackers having their sights set on iPhones and U.S. airports. Imagine the chaos and carnage they could inflict if they ever took control of our runways and skies? No one could call out and flying would become impossible.
Putin’s third and final objective is his ode to Khrushchev. By breaching America’s banking and financial institutions, Russian hackers could wipe out individuals’ checking and savings accounts with one click of their keyboard. Ditto the various stock exchanges. Imagine trillions of dollars disappearing in a blink of an eye. People wouldn’t be able to pay their mortgages or rent, much less buy groceries or gas because their credit or debit cards would be useless. In a matter of days, there would be massive consumer panic. America would be on the brink of economic collapse and Putin would be laughing.
“We will bury you” didn’t happen in 1960, but it could happen in the next 5 to 7 years. As far as I am concerned, we are at war with Russia. We must do everything in our power to reverse, blunt or destroy Putin’s hackers from any further advances on America. If we don’t, I am afraid the alternative for our children and their children will be quite bleak. Imagine listening to Putin say this from the Oval Office: “Goot evenink my vello Amerikans.” Laugh now, but Russian hackers are doing everything they can to make this happen.
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Denny Freidenrich writes from Laguna Beach. He served as a congressional staff assistant on Capitol Hill in 1972. He has written about both ends of Pennsylvania Ave. for decades.
I believe you and it's too scary to contemplate.