Be prepared
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Give me Liberty
Rodger Williamson
As I write this it is Tuesday, the ninth of January, 2024. On any other Tuesday I normally try to write for my weekly column in the morning, with the aim to finish prior to a 12-noon deadline. However, this Tuesday is different, as there was a serious thunder/rain/windstorm all though last night.
At my place, the power went down a couple different times. I tried to continue to sleep, with the intent of firing up the back-up generator in the morning should the power still be down. To the credit of Alabama Power, the power was on when I woke up, and has been on all day. However, my telephone line, internet and television, all through Windstream, was down, and has been down all morning, and now into the afternoon period.
Compounding my capabilities to use the internet to source information, my cellphone service through Verizon has also been down throughout the day. I can’t even call either provider to let them know that I am without service, and am left to hope that someone, somewhere has already notified them of the outages.
With the exception of the electricity that is lighting my room, I may as well have gone back in time to about 1910, when this house was first built, and I fear that I may have to print this column upon paper, and place it into a stamped envelope, and rely upon the U.S. Mail service to get my thoughts from Equality over to Rockford for publication.
Due to the present circumstances; and my incapability to source information to write something related toward our liberty, freedom, our Constitution, or limited government; I think I shall reflect upon individual responsibility, a factor that increases correspondingly with liberty and freedom.
My grandson is only 3 years old, approaching 4. All of his great-grandparents had already passed on before he was born, making me his oldest living direct relative. In my youth, I knew four of my great-grandparents; the oldest was born in 1885. His oldest living relative at the time of his birth, his grandfather was born in 1820.
In that span of time, society has progressed from horses, buggies and sailing ships; to steam trains and steamships; to motorcycles, cars and airplanes; to jets and rockets that go to outer space. While there is no telling of what technology is yet to come, I can guarantee that eventually we will all experience a day, or more, where all of that technology is worthless, as it goes down because of storm, accident, natural disaster, act of war, or something worse.
It matters not the reason, because we will all be suffering similar circumstances equally. Without technology available at our fingertips, it might as well be a hundred or more years ago before these things were invented.
You are responsible for yourself, and if you have a family, you are responsible to them. Should a day come where technology is not available, what is your plan to continue on?
Without internet, you will be unable to ring up a purchase of food, or gasoline. Without the internet, your debit card will be useless. Without cell, or phone service, you will not be able to communicate instantly. Without power, you will probably not be able to heat your home. And, without power to pump gasoline, even the Postal Service will grind to a halt.
Unable to communicate, or travel, or purchase items, or heat (or cool) your home, things will start to get real dicey really quick.
I am a former Boy Scout, where our motto was “Be Prepared.” With this I ask: “What is your Plan B?” Will you have water? Will you have food stocks to draw upon? Will you be able to feed your pets? Do you have a bicycle? Are you physically fit enough to walk any distance if needed? And most importantly, do you have the capabilities to defend your family and property from those who would steal what you possess?
With this as the beginning of a new year, perhaps this is the perfect opportunity for you and your family to have a sit-down meeting to discuss how you intend to survive whenever that day comes where normalcy ceases to exist.