And I thought Americans were paranoid

Did you know that in the span of about 15 minutes, the entire country of Switzerland can be cutoff from the rest of the world? I'm not kidding, literally cutoff. How you ask? Well, before i get into how, a little history lesson is in order.

The swiss are a fiercely independent people. They are and island, albeit a landlocked island, within the sea of other countries that is the European Union. One still needs a passport to enter or exit Switzerland, Switzerland still has its own currency, Switzerland has a very strong military and a surprising number of firearms in the country. If you mistakenly suggest to a Swiss that they are Austrian or German, you will get a quick and firm correction. So back to my question, how can the swiss cut themselves off?

Well, it turns out that during WWI and WWII the Swiss didn't just simply claim neutrality, they built a very strong military complex to ensure that they could remain neutral. For a landlocked country such as this it was important to control it's borders. The solution, to wire all roads and bridges in and out of the country with explosives so that they could be destroyed within a moments notice. This system still exists today along with hundreds of hidden bases, hospitals, airstrips, guns and other armaments throughout the country. What may look like a barn in a field, upon closer inspection, might be a steel shelter containing a cannon. Pretty incredible when you really think about it. Although many of the facilities have been mothballed or turned into museums, many are still in use or maintained for future use in a moments notice. Including the network of exploding roads! I'd like to get a picture of this, if there is anything to see. But that might be risky. Most of the borders have large concrete barriers on either side and a series of Metal plugs in the road, i think this is the explosives. In today's post 911 world, seeing someone climbing around a bridge with a camera is a red-flag in any country i think.

As an American, i don't think we appreciate the pressures of being landlocked. After all, we're surrounded by Canada and Mexico. Let's be honest, i don't see any real fear of an invasion by mounties or Mexicans. Some might argue we already being invaded by Mexico...but I'm not gonna touch that subject in this blurb. American's are fiercely independent just as are the Swiss. Independence in this case is almost the same as paranoid. It's been swiss law for over a decade that all new home construction includes a bomb shelter. American's haven't quite gone that far, but i do hear that Canada has the bomb now.