I moved from downtown Seattle about 1:30 P.M. on Friday. My condo is on the 24th floor of a high-rise. Talk about timing!!! My Jeep Cherokee was packed to the point of critical mass. This was just my camping gear collected over the last 10 or so years, and my survival gear. What this experience brings to mind are the relentless disparaging remarks made on this forum by human-like insects regarding those whom prepare for emergencies. A bigger quake and a five hour delay in my departure time and I might have been trapped on a freeway known for the worst traffic in the country with thousands of creatures like that 'pro-something' person. What a disgusting thought. Coincidentally, perhaps, the local propaganda organs have been running spots encouraging earthquake preparedness for the last three or so months. I'll bet you that not one in ten had any survival gear in their vehicles on Friday. Today, that might be different, but I doubt it.

I have lived through a hurricane in Florida, earthquakes, riots and floods in Los Angeles and riots again in the D.C. area. One unifying factor linking all these events is that the vast majority of people affected were either too stupid or too lazy to provide for their own needs in an emergency. This was particularly poignant in Florida after Andrew hit southern Florida in 1992. Whatever your justification, having lots of supplies is the smart way to go.

I am a 'big iron' contract programmer and have worked on Y2K for the last 1 1/2 years. The systems I worked on will process 4-digit years. What is unknown is the effect of the interfacing systems, in one case over 50 systems, will have. That is because end-to-end testing was not conducted for all the interfaces to the systems on which I worked. I know personally of one gigantic telecommunications system which has had NO effort at testing to this day. Many companies have simply given up, frozen remediation and development, and adopted a 'fix on failure' tactic. This may or may not be a valid decision depending on the systems involved. Outside of some government entities, Y2K contracts for worker bees like me are gone, for the time being. The reality of Y2K is that on 01/01/2000 either the fault tolerance of the global information structure will be exceeded or it won't. No one has the capability of assessing the global information structure to the level necessary to categorically state the effect Y2K will have on our lives. We must come to our own conclusions, but remember this. A large portion of the U.S. voting population and the media twice supported and elected an admitted perjurer and unprincipled scumbag as chief executive and also elected the same types to federal legislative offices. These slime infect every aspect of our lives and are generally the types telling you not to prepare. Do you trust ANYTHING they or those whom elected them might say or do with regards to Y2K? Personally, I plan to err on the side of caution.

-- Godzillabunny (wayned@aa.net), July 04, 1999

Answers

Is Poole trolling again?

-- GO AWAY TROLLS (skeptical@the.children), July 04, 1999.

Sorry Godzillabunny....your story is far too logical for many folks to comprehend. It contains an excess of common sense and critical thinking resulting in intelligent conclusions. In short, you couldn't be more correct in each and everything you've just said, but it will tend to fall upon deaf ears or brainless supporters of the current THUG we have in the oval office. Lock and load buddy.....I'm putting together a little Fourth of July bash at our place, just as soon as my old man gets home with the case of SKOAL!!!!! yeeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaahhh

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), July 04, 1999.