Community Preparation: A checklist - Additions welcomed...

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From a July, 1998 email...

We are not the doom-and-gloomers; we are called activists and mitigators and remediators. The doom and gloomers accuse people like myself of contributing to the problem because we are promoting the illusion that something can be done.

We are also not the Pollyannas (the term used for folks who minimize the problem). The Pollyannas accuse people like us of fear-mongering and fanning the flames of panic. We simply say that something must be done, and that there is a role for everyone, in some capacity, if not in their own back yards, then at least assisting someone else. The problem is global. Most people have some connection with global work, in some arena of their lives. Somewhere, at least someone that each of us knows, still lacks information about their y2k problems and needs it.

Anyhow, especially today, I am still mightily confused by the lack of forward movement and don't feel comfortable ascribing it to the vagaries of a fallible human nature. That makes it possible to dismiss and, until we get...

...then the lack of forward movement I speak of remains an issue of awareness and understanding, and does not speak to an inherent flaw in human nature that makes us immune to preventing disasters simply because they haven't happened yet.

Of course, this does seem to be the challenge at the end of this 20th century era of such powerful technology - learning from our mistakes before we make them, rather than afterwards. I'm still an advocate of that, and believe strongly that we have the capacity of foresight and insight, as well as hindsight. There's just that tiny matter of waking up...

Best,

Cynthia Beal



-- cynthia (cbeal@efn.org), December 23, 1998

Answers

Very Important Notice:

A new product to add to your on-line y2k supplies store:

Most candles are made with a carcinogenic toxic substance: paraffin. Paraffin is the left over residue from gasoline refining. Candleworks offers a clean-burning, 100% natural solution: Long burning candles made from soybean oil grown in America's Heartland. Each candle burns 60 hours $44 for one dozen (shipping is included in price): one dozen provides 720 hours of emergency light. These candles are safe, non-toxic and burn clean without the black soot created by paraffin.

We will pay your company a commision. Phone Mike Richards at 319-337-6316

-- Mike Richards (Icanwork@aol.com), April 17, 1999.


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