Off the Deep End
I believe in being prepared.
At home, I keep gallon jugs of water, canned food, flashlights, batteries, and a kerosene heater just in case there's some emergency, and we need to be self-sufficient for a few days. I wouldn't mind doing a bit more. It's kind of a fun mental exercise. If we had, say, a pandemic, and the safest thing really was to stay home for three weeks, could we do so comfortably? If not, what would we need on hand that we don't have now?
There's a lot of information out there on "prepping" for these imaginary worst-case scenarios, and a whole community of people who call themselves "preppers." Unfortunately, the prepping community reminds me in a way of the NRA and PETA. (Yes, they have something in common, bear with me.) The thing is, the core mission is not crazy. But some of the people...ye gods and little fishes, there are some absolute lunatics out there, and they tend to drag the whole organization/community into a risible dungheap of extremist hysteria.
This rant was occasioned by idly clicking on Facebook links. I arrived at one page that had to do with a "prepper" of some flavor, and a commenter on her page offered the following (excerpt presented verbatim):
Did you know since the 40's with have the technology How to make and shift hurricanes. We could have prevented Katrina that either massive hurricane storm im pretty much anywhere else. We also have the power to create storms anywhere on the planet. Or prevent them. Look up geo weather engineering. Weather modification. I know my state Texas a crazy law is to be in office you have to want to control the weather hey don't believe me look it up I've heard worse.
If you are wondering how Ted Cruz can be so popular, the answer is votes from people like the author of the above. This tinfoil-hat-wearing ignoramus has absolutely zero idea of the kind of energy that would be required to divert a hurricane. He can imagine that it could be done, therefore it must be true.
Maybe I should create a Facebook page of my own. "Conspiracy-Free Prepping," perhaps? But I don't care that much. And therein, I think, lies the problem. The people who do care enough are the ones who care perhaps a bit too much, for the wrong reasons. *sigh*
At home, I keep gallon jugs of water, canned food, flashlights, batteries, and a kerosene heater just in case there's some emergency, and we need to be self-sufficient for a few days. I wouldn't mind doing a bit more. It's kind of a fun mental exercise. If we had, say, a pandemic, and the safest thing really was to stay home for three weeks, could we do so comfortably? If not, what would we need on hand that we don't have now?
There's a lot of information out there on "prepping" for these imaginary worst-case scenarios, and a whole community of people who call themselves "preppers." Unfortunately, the prepping community reminds me in a way of the NRA and PETA. (Yes, they have something in common, bear with me.) The thing is, the core mission is not crazy. But some of the people...ye gods and little fishes, there are some absolute lunatics out there, and they tend to drag the whole organization/community into a risible dungheap of extremist hysteria.
This rant was occasioned by idly clicking on Facebook links. I arrived at one page that had to do with a "prepper" of some flavor, and a commenter on her page offered the following (excerpt presented verbatim):
Did you know since the 40's with have the technology How to make and shift hurricanes. We could have prevented Katrina that either massive hurricane storm im pretty much anywhere else. We also have the power to create storms anywhere on the planet. Or prevent them. Look up geo weather engineering. Weather modification. I know my state Texas a crazy law is to be in office you have to want to control the weather hey don't believe me look it up I've heard worse.
If you are wondering how Ted Cruz can be so popular, the answer is votes from people like the author of the above. This tinfoil-hat-wearing ignoramus has absolutely zero idea of the kind of energy that would be required to divert a hurricane. He can imagine that it could be done, therefore it must be true.
Maybe I should create a Facebook page of my own. "Conspiracy-Free Prepping," perhaps? But I don't care that much. And therein, I think, lies the problem. The people who do care enough are the ones who care perhaps a bit too much, for the wrong reasons. *sigh*