Aware and preparing. Went to Wallmart to fill in blanks-2stroke oil. Guy says you must have a large yard. I respond-putting someup for Y2k. He backs up and says "You dont believe that its hype to sell stuff". I tell him done the research and better to be prepared. Get dirty look and "thats wifes problem". As we pass the book rack I point out Y2k books. He backs up like I said here are books on satan. Pretty similiar response from neighbors last Sept and to some extent even now. Anger and denial=a real show stoper. Gary North may be right they wont prepare but thell remember. Any thoughts?

-- Ruth the Moab (aapm@aapainmanage.org), May 31, 1999

Answers

Yes, Ruth, keep quiet about your Y2K preparations! It is absolutely crazy to tell anyone other than your immediate family or people that you are concerned about. If someone questions why you are buying a large quantity of something, make up some reason; whatever the reason is, make sure it has nothing to do with Y2K!

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), May 31, 1999.

I identified so much with Ed's final comments and think that he and I are in the acceptance stage of grief/loss. I am tired. I am broke. I am as prepared as I can be to this point. I am tired of wasting my breath on those who have had the same opportunity to read, study and prepare as I have. I am amazed that people will put more study time into the TV programing guide than they will the possible devastating effects of y2k (not to mention all of the other black clouds hanging in the world skies). IT IS JUNE 1999...if they were going to GI they aready would have...it is now TOO LATE. My humble advise...Go proudly into Wal-Mart pushing your 2 buggies and pile it high! When people ask you questions, just reply as I do.."Oh, just stocking up." I refuse to be engaged into further conversation. All we can do for those poor fools is to remember them in our prayers and defend our "preps" with a loaded 223.

-- (allsweet@rocketmail.com), May 31, 1999.

I too am tired, fed up, and just exhausted from planning and a mutli-level contingincy plan(business, personal, etc.). I've bought gas tank(500 gal) hooking all that up. New emergency wiring to a remote spring, transfer switches, generators, food and more food. And I'm not done yet. All this and trying to run a business. Plus this weekend(memorial Day) I've got a virus and am really pooped.

I think you guys are right (along with Ed) that it's batten down our own hatches and do for ourseleves what we can.

The others won't listen, so we just can't do any more -too late anyway

Love to you all,

Bob P

-- Bob P (rpilc99206@aol.com), May 31, 1999.

when I talk about y2k preparations,I always tell whoever about the firearms I've bought as a preparation against humanitys nastier side,it usualy sinks in,people know how hard I can be.peace.

-- zoobie (zoobiezoob@yahoo.com), May 31, 1999.

Ruth:

You wouldn't believe the level of stupidity in my community. Oh, maybe you would. Whenever I purchase a sizeable quantity of merchandise and get a stupid remark from a cashier, I don't answer. Besides, most of them know me by name now, so they don't bother asking me. At first I would tell them about the coming problems, but when I received unintelligent blank stares, I realized I was wasting my breath. Other merchants view this "Y2K thing" as pure hype and scare tactics.

I'm very disappointed in my family. My mother now gets angry whenever I mention Y2K. She is doing absolutely nothing! Having watched the 60 Minutes special on Y2K made her concerned, but she still did nothing! Why the indifference? She says I'm overreacting.

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), May 31, 1999.

I agree with ALL of the above. BUT, let's pull ourselves up by the boot straps people!!! Nothing we've done to date will be wasted. When it comes to "sharing", choose your partners very, very carefully, because THEY'RE about to survive right along with you. Be like- minded, strong hearted and quite clear about the direction you want to take what's left of our country in. Only the strong will survive this (along with any whimps we decide to save). Something's about to throw a boulder into the ole "gene pool" here. Hear the wave? pinch yourself, it's coming!

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), May 31, 1999.

yeah- I'd say thatthe info has been out there for long enough. If you aren't aware of y2k, you either have the IQ of a turnip or have just awoken from a year long coma. Only excuses accepted. otherwise- I can't figure why anyone shouldn't have a clue. Of course, I respect their right to come to their own decision re: severity of impactand act accordingly. Just so long as if they decide its a BITR, and it's more of a mountain, they don't expect handouts ......but they will...

My own extended family is oblivious- despite stuff I've mailed, etc- won't even discuss it. Same with some good friends. I give up- I can't do more than my immediate family's needs at this point.

The thing is though- I'm working 70-80 hrs a wk now- farming season, and am definitely low-income. If we can be aware, why not the others? I think it's pure denial. Plus, most folks in this country have had it so good for so long, they think it's a given....

-- anita (hillsidefarm@drbs.com), May 31, 1999.

I agree it is important to keep your preps quiet, or if you do tell someone, to be extremely selective who you tell. I am telling no one, yet, there are 2 people close to my heart, who I know, who would be unable to prep even if they were GI. All of them are severly disabled, dependent on public assistance, with absolutely NO extra resources to spend to prepare. So I and my family are quietly including them in our preps. I am even prepared to take them into my home if necessary should they be without heat (we have a woodstove). To any other able-bodied person who could prepare but is too LAZY to prepare, I would say, tough luck folks ( even if it was a relative)!

-- luann (flataufm@hutchtel.net), May 31, 1999.

Oops! I wasn't quite finished! You can only do so much for those who can do for themselves. You can talk about it once, but from then on they alone are responsible for they and their families well-being. You cannot save the whole world - but you can try to help a small part of it, especially those who are truly unable to help themselves. Anger and denial is inevitable when it comes to y2k. Very few people can come to grips with the world as we know it changing in a drastic fashion. As far as going into local stores, I ignore the comments if they come my way. But I live in a town that's large enough (about 13,000) that I can spread out my purchases in more than a few stores. Plus I'm about 80 miles from a major city, and I don't give a hoot how much I purchase there, irregardless of looks and comments I might get. If I do respond I usually say, "As long as I pay for it, what's it to you? No skin off your nose, right?" That usually shuts them up. That may be a tad rude, but it works.

-- luann (flataufm@hutchtel.net), May 31, 1999.

I have to admit, preparing doesn't seem weird to me, but if I saw someone else with a basement full of stuff, waving their arms and saying "The end is near!" I would avoid them like the plague. You must realize how weird this looks to people who don't GI.

-- Sorry I'm at work (abcdef@aol.com), June 01, 1999.

If you want to try and somehow link anger and denial you've missed the boat.......By far, the angriest people in this group are the self righteous "Get Its", many who seem truly disturbed....There is far less anger in the, as you would call it, DGI's.

-- Craig (craig@ccinet.ab.ca), June 02, 1999.