(Help) What should I say to this reporter?

[BB]

Hi Pastor Brown

I'm a journalist for The Record, a 200,000 circulation paper in northern New Jersey. I'm interested in talking to people about the whole topic of preparedness. Why has this nation never seemed to taken the idea of civil defense very seriously? Why does there seem to be no real fallout plan? Anyway, if you are interested in talking about the topic of survival, please
write back. My phone number, in our Trenton office, is xxxxxxxxxxx. You will probably get my voice mail because I am usually out of the office, but I check it frequently.
Thanks.

Jeff Pillets
Senior Writer
The Record, Hackensack, NJ

----------------

I'm ready to talk survival and preparedness bigtime.

Can anyone give me their take on why our nation has not taken civil defense very seriously? I have my ideas, just interested in yours.

[Jesse]

G'morning BB:

Your young reporter said: "Anyway, if you are interested in talking about the topic of survival, please
write back."

Given the rather unique position you are in, my first thought is that there are different kinds of survival. Is this young man aware of where we are in the Biblical timeline? Has he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ? Primary "survival" guidelines like these.

No matter what transpires here on this earth, and I'm sure you can well advise him how to prepare to survive in the flesh for as long as he can, ultimately it won't do him any good though if he and his readers don't have "first things first" as Stephen Covey would say.

I'm certain you have thought of this yourself, but I thought I'd bring it up anyway, - just in case.

Because of Jesus, - Jesse.

[BB]

Thanks Jesse. Yes, I ALWAYS try to humbly look for the Lord's opening to share His plan for survival.

It is the same with Ed Yourdon's new book. I suggested he include a chapter or even an appendix on the spiritual side of survival. It was brushed aside, left for someone else to do. I'm trying.

I guess I need to look up how our civil defense went from civil defense to FEMA and why fallout shelters went the way of the dodo bird.

[Alas Babylon]

The Bergen Record breaks lots of stories ... pretty aggressive, owned by one of the biggies I think. This MIGHT be a case of a DGI finally becoming a GI, and selling his editor on his new awareness. OR it might be an editor sending his guy out to find the survivialist whackos and do a number on them. Flip your own coin to decide.

Now, as to your question:

The reason for the .gov's insistence on the Polly line is that the government fears panic, and doesn't trust the people. Compared with the Brits in WW II, we're being treated like sheep, and are responding accordingly (in the main, at least). The .gov MUST be in absolute control of everything, and such widespread awareness and accompanying preps, would mean they have lost that control, and that indeed, the people are paramount. Waaay to fundamental for the suits to understand. They can't admit that the people are smarter than they are.

Good luck...post the story when it runs.

[Markus Archus]

Have him contact Lynnie. We're right outside Trenton, if he wants a local person-on-the-street perspective.

My answer would be very similar to Jesse's, and I don't think I need to elaborate much further. We need to prepared to suffer the loss of all things in this life knowing that our eternal possession is secure; that keeps us from panic when the things of this life become uncertain. But you were probably going to say that anyway.

[Coast Watcher]

Pastor Brown, I don't suppose it's any secret here that I used to be in the newspaper business. In fact, I was once one of those "young reporters" who called people looking for information. Pillets is looking for real-world preparedness information, according to the letter you posted. If you start the conversation by asking him if he has accepted Christ and telling him you think we're in the End Times, I can flat out guarantee that he will write you off as a nut case and present you as such in his story, if he includes you at all. And if he doesn't see you that way, his editor will. Many reporters and editors simply don't know how to deal with religious issues. They don't study that in journalism school, and when they do, many think in terms of Koresh and Jim Jones. To their credit, some papers recognize that deficiency and are trying to address the issue because, wonder of wonders, they are recognizing the major role religion plays in society. I don't know if this paper is one of them.

He appears to be looking for secular information. I would suggest you give him your thoughts on the questions he has posed, fact-based, real-world answers, and tell him in the course of the conversation that you use the information in light of your personal religious beliefs, which include (fill in the blank). Then add that many other people are also concerned about preparedness for their own personal reasons, which may or may not include their religious beliefs. Do NOT try to engage him in a religious debate or challenge him about his own beliefs. Be friendly, be open, be the guy next door.

Hope this helps.

Coast Watcher

[BB]

Thanks Alas. Do you think it really is a matter of control or the fact that they truly believe the cold war is over?

As I review the history I see people including leaders relaxing under the MAD security. Then slowly reducing missiles. Reagan built our defenses strong again, then the cold war was announced over and under Bush/Clinton nothing has been done.

I think we have simply let our guard down.

Russia's strategy worked. Do we have time to establish a Homeland Security? Dont think so....

[BB]

Thank you very much CW. Just what I was looking for. I agree totally with your approach. We must wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Being the guy next door will be easy.

Interesting though that he is looking for this information from a Pastor. So I expect he is looking for a spiritual angle. Hope it's not a setup looking for a nutcase. I'll be careful. Thanks again.

[BB]

CW: I decided that I'll just be secular and let him open the door to a spiritual angle if that is what he is after.

[Cascadians]

Money. Bottom line. Idjit PTB axed and axed and earned political brownie points. Hadn't been a war for a while, so momentary easy life hypnosis blinded them to History and Way Earth Is. Cut, slash, save $$$, Be Stupid.

Now, PREPARE !

Personally, if a person hasn't felt the urge to connect with his/her Creator, they're in a dense state and talk ain't gonna wake them up.

We learned during Y2K run-up that reporters were not sincerely interested in prepping, only fodder for ridicule articles. War might tilt toward more seriousness.

Really, shuck the fluff, the hand-wringing and academic pontificating over "why" this and that and just PREPARE!

Civil defense system should be highest priority of a government. Period. Protect the people. Train the people to protect themselves. Defend the land.
Duh ...

[mutter]

BB, i can think of few people who would be better prepared to talk to this reporter.........

be a fisherman, and reel him in slowly.

knowing you as i do, i know you will do a fine job both for the people and for God!

[BB]

Thanks A & L.

It could be with all this attention to Ridge and Homeland Security that the Press is waking up to the history of civil defense and lack thereof.

Why he wants to talk to me miffs me. Don't know where he got my name or email. Forum?

[grannyclampett]

Maybe you could start by asking him questions to make him think about the need for preps. Especially if he seems to be looking for the "nutcase" angle.

ie...If our water supply was contaminated by terrorists, what would you do?

or...Air traffic was stopped for a short time, bus traffic was stopped for a short time, what if something happened to stop trucking for a few days? Do you know how long the food at the grocery store would last? What would you do if it was not available?

Something like that.

[Richard]

try and ask for some editorial control to ensure he's not going to take the piss

[Conrad Nimikos]

Try this angle. People feel responsibility for themselves and their families. Being prepared for various possible situations, such as natural disasters, many people know that if they are prepared they will be able to help instead of adding to the problem. The more prepared people the easier the job for the authorities.

And many people realise there is evil in the world and the authorities cannot be everywhere so being prepared may just prevent weak persons from taking that final step into evil.

By being prepared you are accepting the responsibility of your and your families well fare. Being less of a burden when so many others may nedd the the limited assistance available.

Don't mention personal protection unless he asks. Then say that, yes, some do feel that need for their own personal reasons but that the majority that do so appear to be very responsible and take safty classes.

Some people preparing do so because the authorities do not provide enough information and the authorities are in the position of reacting, such as they are to the attack in NY. If the authorities can only react to what happens we should be prepared for what we can prepare for. Food, water, enough for a period of time.

A favorable article could tip a few people toward being survivors, not sheep.

[Readalot]

BB

Some excellent advice already given, but personally, I would find such an interview tending to go against every grain of what truth I possess, and a very difficult situation to put ones self into. Trying to make it sound secular, when that is not what I would mean, I would have a real problem with. Also, that as to the reasons of why we as individuals are not prepared is because of power hungry, greedy, control freaks who run our country would be hard to evade as to this countries unpreparedness.

To me, anyway, the whole issue of preparedness is spiritual because it concerns the freedom and liberty that is only known and totally understood by those in Christ. To try and explain this as purely secular misses the whole boat, IMHO.

Being honest, I would come across as an anti- government, religious zealot. To do otherwise, I would be dishonest and would end up coming across as just another con and BS artist.

This, of course, is all just my personal stance, but personally, I would put this in the category of prudence as per Amos. Or..... make my truthful stance, and let the chips fall, while making sure my armor is fully in place.

[SmartAZ]

1. The only people worried about survival are those about to die.

2. It's all because of cars.

#1 implies that only the old folks care about preparations. Young folks are convinced they will live forever. So a culture needs the guidance of old folks to get the young folks to make those preparations. This whole concept is called "extended family".

In the early days of cars there was some discussionabout how to pay for roads and whether the country really needed them at all. The industrialists lobbied in favor of road building and encouragement of the use of cars specifically because they wanted a "mobile workforce" that could travel to wherever they needed workers. This led directly and immediately to the destruction of the extended family, the loss of the elders' influence on the young people, and a search for wisdom that continues to this day.

Without the direction of the elders, the young people must discover by themselves some form of wisdom by which to organize their affairs. In other words they are still searching for "what works". People often ask, "What's wrong with the young people?" What is wrong is that they have been separated from their old people and forced to live their lives without direction. And it's all because the industrialists wanted them to have cars so they could move easily to wherever the jobs might be.

[Coast Watcher]

Sir Richard, no American reporter, editor, or newspaper will surrender an iota of "editorial control" to an interview subject, and they will resent being asked. Nor will they allow the interviewee to even see the article before it is published. Better to decline the interview in the first place.

Pastor Brown, what you might do is give the reporter a phone number where you can be reached easily at any time, day or evening, and tell him to feel free to call if he needs additional comment or clarification. It can be a complicated subject for someone (the reporter) who is coming at it without a lot of background, and you can offer to be a resource. If nothing else, it might earn you kinder treatment in the article. Ask the reporter to send you a copy of the article after it appears -- many newspapers do that automatically. (Make sure he has your mailing address.) Some also send questionnaires to interviewees afterwards asking about the accuracy of the information and quotes attributed to them.

One last point I should make. Many people who are interviewed by the media are surprised to see how they "sound" in print. I can't count the number of times someone asked me, after the fact, "did I really say that?" Remember that all the reader will see is your words, not your facial expression or tone of voice or body language. Irony and sarcasm and exageration for the sake of emphasis simply don't translate well.

Hope this helps.

Coast Watcher

[data junkie]

BB, beware. Why would he call a pastor to do his secular research when it is readily available online? He wouldn't.

At the very least, pull all his articles to see how he has portrayed religious persons. You should be researching HIM, and NOT researching his secular topic for him.

IMHO I think he is intending to ridicule your position so that when his readers are presented with the truth dwn the road, they will be predisposed to reject it as kooky hysteria.

My advise, fwiw, and it costs you nothing so that is what it is worth, LOL, is this....DO NOT agree to an interview. Offer to write a so-many-word position paper, and he can include that in his magazine if he does so in its entirety, or not at all.

[Reliance]

Advice from a friend who does TV/radio interviews: decide what message you want to get out. Say it and repeat it. Don't go onto tangents. YMMV.

That was after I did a five minute TV news interview. They only took the most ridiculous, banal 5 seconds. It was sooo embarrassing. A friend later asked which side of the issue I was on!

[data junkie]

BB, I am looking at some of this reporter's stuff and it looks like he has an agenda and typically writes about people of whom he holds a negative and ridiculing view. He ridicules the gov and religious people it seems, but I encourage you to look yourself more thoroughly than I have. Try entering at google.com "jeff pillets record" and you will see what I mean....Here are some snips.....Is this how you wanna be portrayed?

As a Republican state legislator, Bill Schluter spent 25 years annoying party leaders in the ceaseless campaign for ethics reform. He spends his Sundays leading Bible study classes at his church in Pennington.

http://www.bergen.com/campaign/govrace200108281.htm

May 18, 2001

Jeff Pillets

PENNINGTON - Flanked by Jesse Ventura's campaign manager and buddies from his Bible study class, state Sen. Bill Schluter launched an independent bid for governor Thursday and pledged to purge "the evil of big money politics" from Trenton.

"The cancer of campaign finance abuse has to stop in New Jersey," said the 73-year-old Republican from Pennington, speaking to a small group of supporters outside borough hall.

Schluter's entrance into the gubernatorial sweepstakes creates more problems for a Republican Party that is still recovering from the political demise of acting Gov. Donald T. DiFrancesco, the former GOP frontrunner who was forced from the race last month after damaging reports about his personal finances.

Many feel that Schluter, a lifelong Republican who has represented a conservative voting district on and off since 1967, will swing what is expected to be a close race to the Democrats.

(snip)

Schluter denied that his announcement was intended to tweak party leaders who squeezed him into a predominantly Democratic area in the newly unveiled legislative map. He admitted, however, that he has built a career as a maverick who has largely ignored party leadership on a range of issues.

"It's true I go on my own path, but I'm running now for all the right reasons," he said.

Pennington resident Glenn Eshbach, who has attended weekly Bible study classes with Schluter for the past 39 years, called Schluter "the only incorruptible man in Trenton."

"Yeah, he can be cranky," said Eshbach. "But he is one fellow who can absolutely not be compromised, and the people of New Jersey are going to find that out."

http://www.schluterforgovernor.com/a.../rec051801.htm

"Schundler digs in against state's $8.6B school construction plan."

By Jeff Pillets - Trenton Bureau

TRENTON, The Record, January 9, 2001 - Putting forth a call Monday for "fellow patriots" across New Jersey, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bret Schundler joined the battle to bottle up the state's $8.6 billion school construction plan and asked others to join with him.

The two-term Jersey City mayor, a conservative who has gained national notoriety for winning over staunch Democratic voters, announced his support for a lawsuit that seeks to stop the construction program until it is put before voters as a ballot question.

"It's your debt and you have a right to vote on it," Schundler said at a State House news conference. "The constitution says the state can't go into debt with your money until you say so."

He urged people across New Jersey, "anybody who is a fellow patriot," to send as little as $25 apiece to help cover the cost of the lawsuit.

Without mentioning him by name, Schundler took a political jab at his GOP gubernatorial rival, Senate President Donald T. DiFrancesco, calling the massive school spending plan an example of "dictatorship by the Legislature."

Along with Governor Whitman and other legislative leaders, DiFrancesco helped forge the details of the controversial court-ordered plan last year.

Supporters of the construction plan say it is not subject to voter approval because it was ordered by the state Supreme Court.

They also point out that the construction bonds will be issued by an independent agency, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. As such, they do not fall under a provision in the state constitution that calls for voter approval of new debt that exceeds 1 percent of the state budget.

"This news conference was a transparent political event by a campaign that is desperate for attention," said Charlie Smith, DiFrancesco's campaign manager.

Next month, the first in a series of construction bonds intended to finance the project are scheduled to be issued. The lawsuit, brought in December by Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, would halt the sale of bonds until a Superior Court judge hears the case.

Lonegan, appearing with Schundler at Monday's news conference, accepted a $1,000 personal check from the Jersey City mayor made payable to the "Stop the Debt Legal Defense Fund."

Lonegan estimated that he has raised about $20,000 of the $70,000 he expects the lawsuit will cost. "The people have a right to vote on it," he said.

Schundler, asked why he waited for Lonegan to file the lawsuit considering his strong feelings against the plan, acknowledged that he did not think a lawsuit had much chance of success.

"And it would have been seen as a political ploy," he said. "Now, I'm not the only one out there fighting against this unconstitutional taking of taxpayer money."

Sam Perelli, chairman of United Taxpayers of New Jersey, a non-profit group that opposes the school construction project, welcomed Schundler's support but wondered why the millionaire Harvard graduate could not come up with more than $1,000.

http://www.utnj.org/Button%20Pages/index2.htm

BB, this story is long, but shows well the reporter's knowledge and angle on the feds...here is a snip and link....

For decades, Americans have known that the mighty atom can do harm as well as good. That's why diplomats have tried to trim atomic weapon stockpiles and regulators have taken pains to prevent the release of radiation at nuclear power plants.

But as the government has focused on such high-profile issues, it has left a rip in its nuclear safety net. Officials concede that they have lost track of tens of thousands of little-known radioactive devices, some of which have contaminated homes and work sites and exposed Americans to harmful radiation levels.

The result, some experts say, is an emerging threat to public health.

http://www.bergen.com/news/newatomic199911211.htm

A GOOD article showing Jeff has been following some of the internal threats for awhile....

Nuclear tools of terror could destroy in silence
Sunday, November 21, 1999

By JEFF PILLETS and
THOMAS J. FITZGERALD
Staff Writers

Just before Christmas 1995, dissidents from the break away republic of Chechnya sought to strike terror into Mother Russia.

They took a single canister of cesium -- a radioactive element that remains potent for 30 years -- and planted it in Moscow's Izmailovsky Park, a popular marketplace. Their plan was foiled when Russian authorities were tipped off and recovered the canister. But security experts said thousands of people strolling close to the cesium could have been killed or injured.

"The scary thing is that we are entering an era where this kind of terror could become commonplace," said Klaus Duftschmid, an official with the International Atomic Energy Association, which offers a handbook to combat what the intelligence community refers to as RWs, or radiologic weapons.

For years, officials have worried that uranium and plutonium from nuclear power plants and military installations could fall into the wrong hands and lead to the ultimate nightmare -- terrorists armed with homemade atomic bombs.

But even more accessible are other potent radioactive elements that power medical and industrial machines in the United States and around the world. Officials fear that terrorists will harvest cesium, cobalt, or strontium from discarded or abandoned machines, or steal it from research laboratories.

Weapons made from these elements don't explode. Instead, they silently assault victims with radiation that can damage cells, potentially causing severe burns and immune system shutdowns in the short run and cancer and other diseases over the long haul.

"I regret that I have come to the conclusion that there is going to be tremendous growth in [nuclear] terrorism over the next decade or so," John Deutch, then the director of the CIA, told the House Intelligence Committee three years ago.

FBI and CIA representatives declined this month to discuss efforts to combat this type of terrorism. But there are other signs of government concern. Kathleen McIntyre, a member of a Long Island-based Department of Energy team that responds to nuclear materials accidents, said her group has trained to deal with attacks by terrorist groups and troubled individuals.

In 1996, she said, a Long Island man was arrested after threatening to kill local politicians by planting radioactive materials in their homes. "This guy had accumulated a truckload of old sources," McIntyre said. "If he wanted to, he may have been able to do some real damage."

In 1995, someone contaminated a water cooler at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., exposing 26 employees to radioactive phosphorous. The FBI and other investigating agencies never were able to identify the culprit.

William Belanger, chief radiation safety specialist in the Environmental Protection Agency's Philadelphia office, said the U.S. government "is quite concerned" about radiation being turned into a weapon. "Just be thankful we're not in Russia," where thousands of nuclear devices litter old Soviet factories and closed military bases, he said.

The International Atomic Energy Association has held two conferences on the threat posed by uncontrolled nuclear sources. The Vienna-based group is calling for an international agreement that would set worldwide standards to help countries regain control.

"There's so much stuff out there, there can be no guarantee that some of it won't be used for bad purposes," said IAEA President Abel Gonzalez.

http://www.bergen.com/news/terrjp199911212.htm

[Prairie Lady]

BB,

1) You can ask for a list of questions in advance so that you can prepare for your answers. This is a common and acceptable practice.

2) The fact that you are a pastor gives you an authoritive edge on addressing the issue of spiritual preparation. You might not want to make that your number one priority in your conversation with him, but viewing the list of questions in advance does give you some idea of the angle he is looking for. If spiritual preps are included in and among those questions, then you have an open door for spiritual answers.

3) Once the interview has been dealt with, you could also go "off the record" as a PASTOR and inquire of him as a human being what HIS spiritual questions might be...You are only doing YOUR job, just as he is doing his.

[bigwavedave]

ask what preparations he has made for himself and his family should WWIII spill over into his neighborhood. if he hasn't made any, tell him he might not have time to finish the story. time to get busy.

[gisgaia]

Namaste...

Hi --- I offer to have your reporter interview me about what my sisters and I are doing together here in Texas setting up a farm for emergency survival. Not worried too much about being poked fun of - am used to it since Y2K. Anyway, I firmly believe in speaking out truthfully & being fully informed depite our .gov's tradition to the contrary. Our Y2K/Evac farm was started in early '99 for Y2K and never dismantled afterwards. We set it up with the motto of SHARING + HELPING OTHERS --- thinking that if things were worst-case scenario, then people would show up suffering & in great need. And we knew (and even better now since recent events) that there are no guarantees no matter where one seeks shelter or how much preps are done, that God's DIVINE WILL will be done... but at least we are doing the best we can with what we have and our gifts of know-how. I have found that prepping for self-sufficiency is in itself is very therapeutic and seeems to prevent anxiety, worry, and depression. Also can be very rewarding in surprising ways --- cetainly helps teach our children about basic life skills, working together, self-sufficiency, & importance of helping others. There are many already set up out in the surrounding areas of Texas --- found this after we got out there and met neighboring folks. Some of 'em worked insider .gov jobs and knew what was coming around this time... they got out of the cities & prepared for survival in the hills

For Y2K, we researched everything on the NET the year before, including all CIA reports, Senate Testimony, read all that we could get our hands on. That is how I found Mr. Yourdon's site & this group. We looked at the .gov $ trail very closely per GAO reports and decided the .govs & elite & whoever had insider knowledge &/or big $$ --- and despite their mantra of a "3 DAY STORM" BS ---- it was obvious to us that they all were definitely preparing for something major to go down by building and stocking long-term SURVIVAL BUNKERS with air/water bio-filters, etc around major cities!!! After Y2K was "over" - we researched even more & our final analysis was that Y2K was used as a handy SCREEN OPERATION to get Congressional funding for something of "Disastrous Magnitude" either being secretly planned or anticipated sometime in the future. And one thing for sure, they had no plans to let the taxpayer public in on this information.

As native Texas women, we luckily grew up in the rough & tough world of West TX ranching --- rattlers, tornadoes, coyotes, bulls on the rampage, prairie fires, you name it --- there was no 911 to call to save your hind-end, only your own preparedness, common sense & maybe neighboring ranchers if they weren't out too far on their own property. Town folks were 30 miles away and even the phones back then were all party line. Heck, I can remember some old lady wouldn't stop gossipping on the line once when I, a youngster, had been instructed to run call the Vol Fire Dept while the men were out in the 'north 40' w/ shovels & feed bags fighting a wildfire! Anyway, we were girls but so what, we were expected to be tough, determined, flexible, and ready to pitch in & help with everything. In this part of the country, participation in everyday survival was NOT optional... one had no choice.

I am a certified Red Cross Disaster Nurse and have worked & taught Trauma nursing for over 25 yrs - was in charge of survivor scene at last Delta crash here in 80's & know my stuff in that dept... too well know that death & suffering are part of the physical experience we all must go through. But my experiences in working disasters have also taught me that the "physical needs" stuff of thirst, hunger, exhaustion, illness, cold, etc get one's full attention very quickly, despite whatever belief systems + practices have been personally acquired. My philosophy is that we are born into this physical reality "hologram" to learn and spiritually evolve through our involvement via physical experiences. Thus we set up our Y2K preps with the motto of SHARING + HELPING OTHERS --- thinking that if things were worst-case scenario, people would show up suffering & in great need. We are approaching the current situation with same outlook - to prep and plan with altruitstic desire to help others.

IMHO, the cities will become HELL Zones the minute there are multiple attacks, WMD, ect. And the writing is on the wall - there is an increasing threat of such events occurring across this nation in the coming days. It is just plain common sense to accept and prepare for it.... anyone who denies the need for preps and the dangers we face is either TOTALLY IGNORANT or, more likely, a lying politico just mouthing off BS while playing the beaurocracy games that have got us in this mess to start with. Anyone with half a brain knows that the cities are not natural systems... they are crowded and lack resources when the system goes down.

For Y2K, we brainstormed memories of how our grandmother & all her "pioneer" relatives lived on their ranches & farms around the county when we were young children... these were completely self-sufficient people raising all their food and still living very much as if they were in the Depression days. We bought old books for ideas - made lists. Then we procured the "stuff" needed in order to live as we remembered they did - no electricity or modern tech. Filled the barn w/ mostly garage sale stuff, easy & cheap - stored in labeled bins: old wool blankets; warm clothes- jeans, jackets, sweatshirts all sizes including much for children; boots, clean old sheets/towels that could be used as bandages & diapers; cots, sleep bags; camping supplies; and lots of building supplies. Obtained washtubs, canners, kitchen tools from antique stores. And filled the cellar w/ bins of basic foods & OTC meds & herbal remedies, teas, etc. It was hard but also fun -- lots of campfires & cookouts w/ friends that helped us w/ donations & work.

So now 2 years later post WTC, we are doing the same thing all over again. Hitting Garage Sales, Flea Markets... doing inventory, refilling bins & buying basics to restock food bins (we donated good food to shelters before it went bad). It is not hard to do this, folks, almost everyone has friends or relatives that live in outlying areas where they could pool resources to take shelter. Even set up an old camping trailer or a 1 room tool shed to shack up in --- stock it and have plan to get there. Get windmills running & outhouse dug. That is how the people in these other nations live all the time - go to countryside of Russia or China... they live very simple and are mostly self-sufficient. If I was running the Nt'l Gov show with CIVIL DEFENSE, I would put a "BACK TO BASICS" help your family-friend-neighbor Survival Preps Project in place immediately with tax incentives, fed work corp help, whatever.
Maybe some of us should write & make calls up on Capital Hill... and maybe some local public officials too ... that the people are demanding our tax $ go to help Americans.

Praying & humbly asking for DIVINE intervention - rhonda

[Patrick]

BB...

.....I'd tell him to take a hike; regardless how "nice" he would appear before such an interview, the chances are it is a smear job and I have seen, first-hand, similar jobs done on friends of mine... if he works for the whoring press, tell him to go ahead and just make something up, as he will twist your words to make you look like an idiot, with the slightest opportunity... you are far too fine a person to aloow such...

(edit to add)

.....Nice job, dj, although, I believe you are ignoring me these days, perhaps someone will relay these sentiments to you; we don't always disagree...

[BB]

Wow. I've been gone and just got back online. Thanks for your kind words, good comments and helpful suggestions. DJ: you went beyond the call of duty. I never thought to look look up his old articles, thank you for that. That helps.

I guess what I was really asking for help with was the issue of why our nation abandoned fallout shelters and civil defense. I thank all of you for your concern for me and for the truth we all hold dear. I'm zealous for God and would never let Him down. I have His Spirit. Don't worry. God bless you.

I have talked to reporters before. I have no problem discussing a secular issue like what happened to our nations fallout shelters. I think it is important for secularists to see that Christians are concerned about local, area and national issues. While I believe spiritual preparations are primary and in the end the only one that will prevail, I do support physical preparations. eg. I can talk about woodstoves or civil defense without quoting the Bible. I like this verse in Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 29:7 - " But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare."

As most of you who have read my posts know, I'm not shy about sharing the truth. I look for opportunities to warn people to prepare and share the Good News. I'm a watchman and my agenda with this reporter is to sound a warning that people need to prepare for themselves and not wait for Uncle Sam to do it, God willing.

This man knows I'm a pastor. He knows where I'm coming from. He hasn't called me after I left him my number so maybe he went in a different direction. I'll let you all know if he calls.

Peace and thanks again for taking the time to respond. Bob

[Markus Archus]

Patrick wrote:

.....Nice job, dj, although, I believe you are ignoring me these days, perhaps someone will relay these sentiments to you; we don't always disagree...

Consider it done, if she returns to the thread. And FWIW, DJ, I agree with him. Really first-rate bit of research you've done. Not every day that the resident Replacement Theologian and the resident [insert description of Patrick here] unite in affirming the resident Zionist, but it's warranted.

[data junkie]

LOL Markus, thank you for passing along the complement from Patrick, and for your kind words as well.

And thank you BB as well for your encouragement. You said: "I guess what I was really asking for help with was the issue of why our nation abandoned fallout shelters and civil defense." I think a better question might be: Why are the feds building shelters and not telling us about them? heh...

[TECH32]

Bergen Record? WOW! That's my 'local' paper (I was even a paper-boy for them when I was a kid). FWIW they are decidedly centrist and NOT liberal or conservative. They even occasionally run PRO-GUN articles, articles on how bad asset forfeiture is, and in-depth reports on police abuses via racial profiling, etc.

If there's one paper I would trust not to sugar coat an article on prepping it's this one.

-TECH32-

[data junkie]

Tech32, cool, I see you have been following them for a number of years. What's your take on why this reported might ask a pastor these technical questions? Can you do an off-the-cuff profile on where he might be coming from? Do you think he is sincere? I'd value your opinion.

[Patrick]

<i>"the resident [insert description of Patrick here] unite"</i>

Markus...

..... ... Thanks for passing it on...

[TECH32]

DJ,

Don't recognize the report's name (then again I never pay attention to their names) but I suspect that he's not really interested in the 'technical' answers. Rather he is using this as an entre to someone who probably has a good sense of what concerns people the most right now. He's probably looking for a response like:

"I don't know about shelters and all that but I can tell you many people are afraid and have come to me for guidance. I tell them..."

-TECH32-

[BB]

DJ: I'm sure they are building shelters for the Feds. It's just not publicized for many reasons.

My take on why our nation is not into fallout shelters or civil defense is pretty simple actually.

We were into shelters and civil defense in the 50's and early 60's until Russia and the U.S. built so many missiles Mutually Assuring Destruction so catastrophic, shelters weren't going to help anyone who survived. MAD led us into a false sense of security. Most people still think MAD is a deterrent to a nuclear exchange with Russia. That and SALT and START missile reductions as well as nuclear subs.

Reagan really went full bore building the military and announcing Star Wars missile defense. At that point, Russia threw up her hands and said, we give. We're going democratic, tearing down the wall and dissolving the Soviet Empire. Right....

So the combination of MAD and the collapse of the Soviet Union has led the U.S. to feel absolutely NO need of shelters and civil defense.

Under Clinton, all radiation detectors and shelters were destroyed and phased out. Under Clinton PD60 was issued announcing that we would no longer launch on warning but on being hit, to keep from launching on a false alert. What a stupid thing to do. It removed MAD.

But now with nuclear suitcases, we all of a sudden feel the need for shelters and civil defense so we create the Homeland Security agency. Good idea, but a little late imo. The final phase of Russia's plan to attack and destroy America has already started with these terrorist attacks. It is a perfect cover for Russian spetsnaz to attack our bases and cities and population.

The only protection for Americans will be the protection they provide for themselves.

I know a man not far from here with a 12" concrete walls underground shelter if I need it.

[Dancr]

<a NAME="dancr"></a>I believe that the reason for a lack of political interest in civil defense is that there is not an established industry to push for it. Fallout shelters are produced through the work of poorly organized local construction workers, handimen and day laborers. Economical shelters cannot be mass produced and shipped to the end user.

If a construction company were to specialize in producing fallout shelters they might generate enough revenue to make contributions to political campaigns. But, doing so wouldn't produce more business for the firm, but rather equally for them and their competitors, other construction companies. Politics can only come to into the picture after there is already enough business for the industry to band together in a professional association.

Besides money, the other political currency is votes. Most people, these days, probably live in neighborhoods where they would not be allowed to construct a shelter. Apartment and condominium dwellers and renters are clearly unable to get access to a good place to dig. Even suburban neighborhoods typically have restrictions against unapproved construction. Rural folks don't feel they're in as much danger from nuclear events.

Thus, there is not much of a political constituency.

<img align=left src="http://www.lacarte.org/images/miniminipearl.gif">From: <a href="http://www.lacarte.org/calamity/projects/fallout"><u>Fallout Shelters, à la Carte</u></a><font size=-2><a href="http://www.lacarte.org/about/copyrights/">©</a></font> by <a href="http://www.lacarte.org/tracie/"><u>Dancr</u></a> (<a href="http://www.lacarte.org/about/monalisa"><u>pic</u></a>), near <a href="http://www.monterey.com/"><u>Monterey</u></a>, <a href="http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000Hgd"> <u>California</u></a>-·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·</i></c></a></b><a NAME="dancrend"></a>