Defensive Concepts

    I've waited a bit to write on the blackout. I wanted to make sure it was over with. Now

that we've all survived we need to look at some things. First, I was listening to a

"National Security Analyst" on one of the news networks. He stated that the reason things

went so well was because the federal government was prepared after 9/11. I don't know

about you but I didn't see FEMA or any other federal presence. What I did see was people

getting together and helping each other. The local services, police, fire and EMS were

stretched thin but they also did admirable service. People, for the most part, did not panic

and used their heads. The only stupidity that I saw was once the power came back on

people began making a run on gas stations to the point that someone could've had a nasty

wreck and the prices shot up. Disregard that last statement. I did also notice some other

buffoonery. It came from the politicians, of course. The power wasn't even back on and

the Democrats were blaming the blackout on the President's "failed energy policies".

Republican pundits fired back that it was Clinton's fault because he had been warned

early in his first term about this problem. The Canadians blamed the US. The US blamed

the Canadians. Cleveland is now supposed to be the root of the problem. Geez, ya have

one river catch fire and your marked for life.

     Spike's got news for all of you. We may never know the true cause of why the lights

went out. We've already been lied to about it. Remember the Canadian official who said

it was caused by a lightning strike? The weather radar showed the skies to be partly

cloudy in the area. Was it a terrorist warning shot across our bow? Did Homer Simpson

push the wrong button out of curiousity? Was a squirrel sitting on the wrong spot and got

his furry little ass fried? I don't know. What I do know is that the system, while not a

"third world power grid" as that blithering ass from New Mexico said (I've been to the

third world, they ain't even got a power grid), it is aging. When it was built we didn't

have air conditioning in every home and building, home computers were science fiction

and microwave ovens hadn't been invented. The politicians need to quit pointing (and

giving) the finger to each other and get to work fixing the problem.

    The people of this country need to pat themselves on the back. The feds may want to

take the credit but we actually did the work. People were better prepared because of 9/11

and the Y2K scare both mentally and physically. They were also willing to come together

and help their neighbors. We need to remember that.

Blackout '03