The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1489842
The Press-Dispatch D-3 Wednesday, Januar y 11, 2023 OPINION Submit Letters to the Editor: Letters must be signed and received by noon on Mondays. Email: editor@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg SUBMIT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR EDITOR@PRESSDISPATCH.NET By now, just about everyone has heard about the massive campaign of lies that republican George santos fabri- cated that just got him elected to a congressio- nal seat from new york. In his various appear- ances and interviews to explain himself, the lack of shame he seems to feel is almost as un- canny as the lies them- selves. sadly, santos is a child and product of the troubling and, yes, dangerous state of affairs in our na- tion today. a friend sent me a short cartoon version of Hans Christian ander- sen's tale, "The emperor's new Clothes." The shyster weavers convince the vain emperor that there really are clothes when in fact there is noth- ing. They convince him that only fools and those unqualified in their work can't see the fabric. The only thing on anyone's mind is what others think of them. There is no truth, only appearances. until one naive and unindoctrinat- ed child steps forward and tells the truth that the emperor is naked. It's what happens when people become unmoored and lose a sense that there is something called re- ality, something bigger than them- selves, of which they are a part. a vital part of a child's develop- ment is learning they are not the cen- ter of the world. That there are oth- ers, and they must be aware of the line where they end and others and the world outside begin. In traditional cultures, there are rites of passage where children for- mally become adults and assume the responsibilities of adults. But today, in our nation, where a sense of objective right and wrong has widely disappeared, there are no rites of passage, and many remain perpetually children. They insist the world is the way they want it to be rather than appreciating that there is a greater reality to which all must submit. We see it culturally, economical- ly and fiscally. I write all the time about the mind-boggling debt being accumu- lated on the backs of american citi- zens. Fiscal responsibility is realism. It means the numbers must add up and debts are not incurred without clear ways to pay for them. One analyst from the Institute for Policy In- novation calculates our national debt amounts to almost $600,000 per every american man, woman and child. This includes not just feder- al obligations on the or- der of some $30 trillion, but also debts built in- to social security and Medicare from an in- sufficient tax base to meet the obli- gations that must be met in upcom- ing years. yet what did this Congress do be- fore ending its term? Pass another $1.7 trillion in spending. The piper will be paid, and this is called reality. On the cultural front, the u.s. su- preme Court, and now the u.s. Con- gress, has, based on politics and whim, redefined the eternal institu- tion called marriage. Is it any surprise, shortly after de- ciding you don't need a man and a woman to constitute marriage, that now even who is a man and who is a woman is matter of personal whim? so, George santos is the man of our time. Why should he feel the need to submit to any "reality" more than what is happening in our cul- ture at large? What did santos fabricate any more than the "1619 Project" fabri- cated about what american history is about? santos shows little shame because shame comes with appreciation that there are truths - - right and wrong. There is no shame in a culture where we make everything up. Fortunately, there are many amer- icans who have not become detached from reality and see what is happen- ing. But, still, many are afraid to say the emperor is naked. But how long can widespread de- tachment from reality continue? Meanwhile, an unrepentant li- ar, George santos, a child of woke america, will be sworn into the sa- cred duty as a member of the u.s. Congress. Star Parker is president of the Cen- ter for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show "Cure America with Star Parker." Heritage Viewpoint By Hannah Davis Race for the Cure By Star Parker The weakest link in America's power grid George Santos, a child of woke America When the lights go out, most peo- ple assume it's due to a storm. not necessarily. This year, americans suffered from an uptick in malicious attacks on all 16 sectors of critical infrastruc- ture (CI). recent nationwide attacks highlighted severe vulnerabilities within the energy sector. We must act to protect our power substations so we won't have to stay in the dark. WHAT'S A SUBSTATION? The energy sector, referred to as the "achilles heel of the united states," is comprised of and inter- connects power plants, transform- ers, substations, and wires, to the electrical grid via circuits. These circuits allow electricity to flow across 470,000+ miles—enough to circle the earth almost 19 times. as more pressure is placed on the ener- gy sector and as attacks on grid-re- lated facilities rise, it's safe to as- sume the nation's grid will continue to weaken. substations are high-voltage elec- tric systems used to switch genera- tors, equipment, and circuits in and out of the grid. some have one trans- former; others have several. Without substations, electricity cannot be measured, and voltage levels cannot be switched or regu- lated. When this occurs, the power goes out. There are multiple ways for this to happen: a downed tree, a hurricane, simple voltage miscalculations, or, as in multiple cases across the na- tion, intentional attacks targeting substations with guns. WHAT'S GOING ON? substations are quite vulnerable to attack. Many of the nation's 55,000 substations are in remote, rural ar- eas, obstructed by foliage. In Moore County, n.C., individ- uals shot at two substations, caus- ing severe damage and knock- ing out power to more than 45,000 homes and businesses. Four days later, shots were fired near another substation in ridgeway, s.C. neither case has been solved. These two incidents may not seem like much, until you realize that the intelligence community detected a significant uptick in chatter revolv- ing around the grid system and the energy sector earlier in the year. That is why, about a week prior to the n.C. and s.C. substation attacks, the dHs released a bulletin warning that the nation remains in a "height- ened threat environment" and that CI facilities are potential targets of violence. With a little digging, one can make a rough timeline of known substation attacks across the nation. In February, three men pled guilty to recruiting and planning for a substation attack in Ohio. In March, a transformer in Okla- homa was shot at, causing a massive oil leak. In July, a transformer for the Keystone Pipeline in south dako- ta was vandalized, resulting in re- duced oil outputs. also in July, shots fired at the Pa- cific Gas and electric facility in Was- co, California produced a massive chemical spill. In early november, the Carter- et-Craven electric Cooperative in Maysville, nC, was vandalized, caus- ing damages expected to exceed $500,000. Luckily, the 12,000+ people affected had their power restored in a matter of hours. In mid-november, six substations were at- tacked in the Pacific northwest. substations in this region play a key role in transmitting pow- er to hydroelectric dams. Then came the attacks in the Carolinas. WHY TARGET SUBSTATIONS? some blame it on sheer boredom, troubled youth, or disgruntled em- ployees. The Metcalf substation at- tack in 2013, which disabled 17 sub- stations and caused more than $15 million in damages, most likely in- volved an angered employee. The other attacks are not so straightforward. as the dHs bulle- tin states, CI is a target. But why? The answer is fairly simple: when the power goes out, everyone is af- fected. That is the appeal: scram- bling chaos. What's more, it can be done with minimal effort and plan- ning. There's nothing complicated about shooting up a substation and rendering it useless. The motive could be anything. each attacker may have a different "justification" for his actions. under- standing motive may help, but it fails to address the core issue: Why are our substations so vulnerable? The u.s. grid consists of 6,400 power plants, 3,000 companies, and 55,000 substations, but they're usually not manned. WHAT CAN STATES AND COMPANIES DO? The Metcalf sniper attack served as a blueprint for bigger CI facilities to follow. a fter the damage occurred, the Federal energy regulatory Com- mission (FerC) ordered the north american electric reliability Corp (nerC) to equip the Metcalf substa- tion with more cameras, make it bul- letproof, and barricade it with a wall. This has worked for Metcalf. smaller CI facilities should follow suit. some already are. For example, after six substations in the Tampa Bay area were broken into this year, and the Oldsmar wa- ter treatment plant was hacked, (re- leasing increased amounts of sodium hydroxide [lye] into the city's water), duke energy is fortifying the secu- rity of its facilities. It's far more cost-effective to beef up security proactively, rather than wait and react to future attacks. For every $1 invested in disaster mitiga- tion, taxpayers save $6 in disaster response and recovery. an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure. But not all companies are ea- ger to commit large amounts of re- sources to prevention. Many set- tle for half-measures. and, as Ted Krauthammer, the director of the university of Florida's Center for Infrastructure Protection and Phys- ical security, has noted: "a chain- link fence around something is OK, but it does not prevent a sophisticat- ed attacker." While government agencies may provide blueprints, private compa- nies are not required to follow them. Krauthammer says those reluctant to pour more mon- ey into bulking up their security are "… play[ing] the ostrich game. It's a disaster waiting to happen." What these "reluc- tant" private compa- nies are failing to re- alize, is that, once an attack happens, and the power goes out, the reactive mone- tary response and re- covery efforts far outweigh the miti- gative security solutions that should have already been put in place. When portions of the grid go down, having no access to electricity can be uncomfortable, but for some, it's life-threatening. One person died as a result of the Moore County, n.C., attack. nursing homes and hospitals must rely on generators; well pumps cannot run, and traffic lights go out. Moreover, schools, banks and oth- er businesses close. The danger and hardships increase the longer the grid stays down. Over the next ten years, duke energy facilities will spend $75 bil- lion in grid improvements. Ideally, these improvements will include re- inforcement of grid security (walls, cameras, etc.), implementation of more backup systems, and improved access to repair equipment. WHAT IS WASHINGTON DOING ABOUT IT? John Wellinghoff, former chair- man of FerC, has expressed con- tempt for the grid's makeup as a whole: What is surprising is the nature of the grid itself: a hodge-podge of public and privately-owned, half-cen- tury-old tech, that is increasingly vul- nerable to severe weather, cyber-at- tacks, and even physical assaults. … [and], no government agency, not even the department of energy, is truly in charge of protecting it. even with multiple incidents of tar- geted attacks toward CI, FerC has only asked that nerC determine whether grid security and reliabili- ty concerns are valid and in need of strengthening. Given the lack of federal leader- ship, it is imperative that states pro- tect their critical infrastructure. The grid is designed to localize blackouts, therefore preventing one shutdown from triggering another. This domino effect was seen during the 2003 northeast Blackout, which left over 55 million americans and Canadians without power for close to four days. needless to say, crime and death rates skyrocketed. This could happen again, at any moment, and at any time; in fact, ex- perts state that the entire u.s. grid could be knocked out in less than 20 minutes. How vulnerable are we go- ing to continue to be? If Washington refuses to step up and formulate con- sistent energy sector security reg- ulations, (the last time it did was 8 years ago), the states must become self-reliant and do it alone. That's the only way to ensure the protection of its citizens. Hannah Davis is a research as- sistant in The Heritage Foundation's Border Security and Immigration Center. STOP it takes 3 MINUTES to subscribe to 812-354-8500