To members and friends of Santa Rosa Neighborhoods:

We have been working since May to organize Santa Rosa for Y2K. At this point I think it is a good time to take of stock of where we are. What follows is my own personal assessment of the situation, and is not an official position of Santa Rosa Neighborhoods, although I think many others would agree with the basic tenor of my remarks. I hope that this article will generate a dialogue on what people throughout Sonoma County and the Bay Area think we should be doing at this point in time. For those not getting this on the Sonoma County Y2K Bulletin Board, go to the Sonoma County Website (www.Sonic.net/y2k/) and post a response. Bay2K members can use that medium. Let's take a look at this together.

Our initial plan in Santa Rosa was to organize neighborhood groups around y2k, block parties and barbeques, or anything that worked, and to work with the city, county, and community organizations to foster Y2K preparedness. A few people in Santa Rosa have been willing to spend some time calling the many names we have of people who have in the past been interested in the Y2K issue. The response of the people we have been able to reach has ranged from mild interest to rabid lukewarmness, with a few notable exceptions. We have tried to organize regional or neighborhood meetings, but the number of people who have showed up has been marginal.

It is very strange to me that a situation which so clearly threatens the wellbeing of the community is reacted to with such apathy, even by people who are convinced it is a problem. There are many things that can be done, but at this point many more people need to step in and put their shoulders to the wheel because there are only a very few of us trying to do a huge job. The question is - what kind of neighborhood and community do you want to be in when Y2K hits, and are you willing to do anything about it?

What I fall back on when confronted by this situation is the idea of the Remnant. It is a concept expressed by a number of people from different backgrounds, which states essentially that significant progress in human affairs is brought about by a relatively small portion of the population, say 5%, and that the rest of the people are primarily followers. So maybe we are dealing here with the Remnant. Another similar idea is that there were only a certain number of people who were going to "get" Y2k, those people have gotten it, and there won't be an awful lot more until it becomes a mass realization, at which point it will be too late for any large number of people to make effective preparations. Those people willing to acknowledge a problem seem to fall into one of three categories - 1) alternative counter-culture folks who have been into low tech lifestyles and community for a long time, 2) Christians and others with a strong religous committment, 3) people who live in the back country areas like West Sonoma County and the island of Kodiak in Alaska where they have had to be self-sufficient because they can't depend on the comforts of civilization always being there. It is interesting that all three of these groups for their own reasons think outside the American consumer "prosperity and comforts will make me happy" mentality. Y2k thoughtperson and corporate consultant Doug Carmichael has said that the tremendous faith in technology is the new American religion, and that to tell people about Y2K is tantamount to telling them that their God has a fatal flaw, thus they don't want to hear it.

Many others besides myself have come to the same realization that 1) we won't fix the problem, and 2) we won't get most other people to prepare, so 3) we need to do all that we can to prepare ourselves and begin thinking about how to put the pieces back together sometime next year. Ed Yourdon has begun the Humpty Dumpty Website with this in mind. Given all this I am personally making the following recommendations:

1) Make EXTENSIVE preparations for shortages of food, water, gasoline, medicines, for electrical blackouts, brownouts, and surges, and for periodic interruptions of telecommunications. Prepare for severe blows to the economy and financial markets. Assume that these shortages and conditions will last several months to many years and will be worldwide.

2) Continue to educate yourself to the extent of the problem. I especially recommend checking Gary North every day (www.garynorth.com) to see his latest postings. "A Gary a day keeps denial away". See the Napa Valley Y2K listing of "my favorite sites" (www.Y2KNapa.com/) for many more good sources of info. The problem is just as bad as we thought it was months ago, nothing has really changed. But the media won't tell you, you have to dig out the real story on your own.

3) Work with those friends, family, and neighbors who are willing to listen and do something. I personally have tried to reach a wide range of people with only limited effect. Since I have only so much time and energy I will continue to put out information on the e-mail networks to try to convince people the problems will be serious, since I can reach a number of people easily. However, I am now choosing to work personally mainly with people who are willing to address the problem, and friends I have not had a chance to contact because I was trying to cast a wider net.

4) Store extra food, etc. for those who will need it but whom you could not convince. Don't put yourself in the position of having only enough for yourself when others are in need. When others are suffering and possibly have their lives in danger, you want to be able to be generous, first because it is the right thing to do, and second because you will have to live with yourself.

5) People will die because of Y2K, maybe in your city. Do something to prevent it.

6) As I am an eternal optimist, I would encourage people to write to and work with city and county officials, local newspapers, and influential people of any stripe, and educate them to the extent of the problem. More on this subject in part 2 of this message.

As I mentioned above, please respond with your thoughts, and if you are willing to help in Santa Rosa, please contact me. A little effort on your part may make a lot of difference.

A story. There once was a man who had commited a serious crime and was sentenced to death by the king. As he was being led away, he turned to the king and said, "Your Majesty, why would you put me to death when I am the only man in the kingdom who can teach your favorite horse to talk?" The king, who loved his horse, said "Can you really do this?". "Of course", the man said, "I have done it many times". "All right", said the king, "I will give you three months to teach my horse to talk, but if at the end of that time you have failed, my sentence will be carried out". "You won't be disappointed your Majesty", said the man. That night his friend came to visit him in prison. "What are you trying to do?" his friend demanded, "You know you can't teach horses to talk". "Don't be so worried", the man replied. "If I had said nothing, I would be dead. I have three months, and three months is a long time. Maybe the horse will die. Maybe the king will die. And maybe the horse will talk!".

Keep working. Maybe the horse will talk.

Alan Jones

-- Alan Jones (alandonnaj@aol.com), September 17, 1999

Answers

Just wanted to let you know we went to a few of you meetings, went back to our community and started the ball rolling (if slowly) here. Just don't want you feeling discouraged that noone heard your message.

-- joan linney (joan@ecostewards.org), September 20, 1999.