I’ve watched the Occupy Wall Street and various Occupy spin-offs with a mix of serious interest and amusement. Add the Tea Party, the American Dream Movement, or whatever flavor-of-the-month political-civil group that pops up, and not even the dead can deny that Americans across the board are angry, unhappy, and have itchy voting fingers. It doesn’t matter if you walk the far Left, the Right, or jog straight down the middle, there’s a boiling volcano ready to burst and we need to be nimble and strong enough to leap across the fiery chasm when it comes.
I’m no doomsayer. But i don’t own a pair of rose-colored glasses either. Minorities, who have been the voice of change, are being consumed by the angry Middle Class. It isn’t that the Minorities aren’t equally unhappy; it’s just that the Middle Class is drowning them out with their own confused tales of woe. The Rich are the only ones who are keeping silent – and keeping their heads low in hopes they’ll dodge stray bullets and whatever unpleasantness that comes their way.
News articles, blogs, YouTube, and social web sites are rife with claims of an impending civil explosion. The Tales: We are headed for a serious depression; the US government has deployed 20,000 troops to handle civil unrest; Left vs. Right is being replaced by Young vs. Old; high unemployment will continue; we are pre-revolutionary. So, what does this mean? I’m not saying anything new. I don’t believe anyone we vote for will make much of a difference other than to postpone, and possibly worsen, the inevitable.
What do we do? While we have no idea where or how violent the outburst might be, we don’t want to be like before the recession with our heads in the ground ignoring the signs of a swiftly down-turning economy. We need to educate ourselves. Be pro-active. Watching the news isn’t enough. We need to be informed. Read the journals of all sides and read them without bias. We need to be prepared. Civil unrest disrupts our lives. Often the disruption hits these three sectors: communication, transportation, and utilities. Think emergency preparedness – squirrel away spare cash, keep the car gassed, stock up on water and food – enough for a few days. Keep a hard copy of important account information in a very secure place. Memorize important phone numbers – current phone technology has spoiled us with speed dial and other short cuts. Know the physical location of your closest police and fire station as well as hospital and emergency care services.
Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.53fabf6cc033f17a2b1ecfbf43181aa0/?vgnextoid=537b218c37752210VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD&currPage=6057d7aada352210VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD
This website has a lot of opinions, read with caution and common sense - however - the last bit of the article is what's important - BE PREPARED! Have a kit ready for emergencies!
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/wolfe118.html
But more than anything, we need to be unafraid. There are no countries, no states, no cities, no communities, no families that exist without the cyclic turn of the wheel going from prosperity to chaos back to prosperity again. Americans have had it good for a long while; we’ve spoiled ourselves. Now we need to dig deep and locate our spines. Be courageous. Face the known and unknown with certain conviction that we will pull through no matter how bad it gets. This country was founded by men and women who understood how to push through fear. Courage. It’s All American.
