In this weeks Great Dying in South Asia we may have seen a preview of some of the terror that got George W Bush re-elected president.
Remember Cheney and Condi talking about the Mushroom Cloud? And the notion that 911 was just a preview of our future according to the NeoCons?
A few years ago we had the Great Blackout that hit the east and central US. I was personally involved in that mess and, I still remember the lessons learned.
"D" BATTERIES! AND PLENTY OF THEM! CANDLES! AND THE MATCHES TO LIGHT THEM! GAS LANTERNS AND ANYTHING THAT RUNS ON BOTTLED PROPANE WERE PURE LUXURY! PLENTY OF BOTTLED PROPANE! AND LOTS CANNED FOOD! WITH A LEAST ONE NON-ELECTRIC CAN OPENER! FIND ANY THING THAT IS HAND OPERATED AND CHARISH IT! GALLONS OF BOTTLED WATER. FINALLY, A GOOD BIKE! AND LOTS OF LOW DENOMINATION CURRENCY!
Of course, no one was killed directly by the Great Blackout. No dead to bury.
But, many of the same lessons are at work with the Tsunmai survivors today.
We tend to forget how easily society breaksdown.
Just take away the traffic lights and near chaos ensues! Shouldn't the KEY INTERSECTIONS have battery powered backups? And gasoline stations and water pumping stations should be required to have electric backup power perhaps? During the blackout the water stopped! And became contaminated for days!
One of the "good things" from disasters is that people immediately start to organize themselves for mutual benefit and self defense.
Barter springs up almost immediately. My candles for your batteries? Who has "the news?" What are the rumours? Gathering Points arise. People Meet Up. And vigilante police forces spring up as well. Strangers are suspected until proven otherwise.
In that darkness, people found "community" that wasn't there when the street lights were on!
PERHAPS, THESE THINGS ARE "HARD WIRED" INTO THE HUMAN BRAIN?
DO WE ALL HAVE THE CAPACITY TO BECOME: LORD OF THE FLIES?
Postscript: This notion that Iraq is "without security" is belied by the above comments too. Did you ever notice that bombs only go off when Americans are around; Or their "collaborators?"
My hunch is that Iraq would organize its civil affairs BETTER without the coming US BACK ELECTIONS, than with the elections!
Where not the Iraqis the first Lords of the Flies?
Was not Mesopotamia the Cradle of Civil Government in ancient times?
Perhaps, the violence and chaos is BECAUSE OF THE OCCUPATION!
PERHAPS, DUBYA AND HIS NEOCONS ARE STARTING 2005 FIGHTING AGAINST THE TSUNAMIS OF "HUMAN NATURE" AND "MOTHER NATURE!"
----- MOTHER NATURE, WHO DAVID BROOKS TODAY MUSES ABOUT, THEN ACCUSES OF BEING A "BAD PARENT!"
-------Hmmmm?
"THOREAU BASHING" AS THE NEW CONSERVATIVE THING IN 2005?
Stay tuned.......it will be ALWAYS interesting...
Oh, and Happy New Year??
Well..... try anyway......
