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Sunday, June 27, 2010

The Summer of Our Discontent

Things are heating up all over the world.

The lid is blowing off in Canada.  Anarchists are being arrested left-and-right for turning peaceful protests into violent mob scenes.  So far, more than 500 have been locked up, a portion of which are peaceful protesters or simply people watching the mess and getting swooped up in a police dragnet.

Bangladesh is rioting because of the "misrule and failure" of their government (hmmmm).  Chinese workers are strikingYoung people in France are protesting because the government has told them their retirement age is going to go up.   We already know what's been going on in Greece.

Here in the good old US of A, we have had buckets-o-protest over Arizona's immigration laws.  The law goes into effect on July 29th.  Expect to see MORE protests ("National Day of Non-Compliance").

In fact, starting tomorrow, there is a "30 Days For Human Rights" deal leading up to the big crescendo on July 29.  They have a calendar on their site, but it's empty, so I've signed up for their email updates.  Should be interesting...

We're seeing protests against BP for the oil spill (great images of protest signs).  So far, they look non-violent, but I know that if I lived on the Gulf Coast, I'd be quite bent out of shape even if I weren't in the oil or fishing industry.  BP and the Federal Government have really screwed this one up quite well.

The BART cop trial is expected to wrap up very soon - perhaps going to the jury as early as this week.  As I've said before, if he's not found guilty of murder - rightly or wrongly - the protests will be wide-spread and very violent.
More than a year later, emotions still run high.

Oakland police and city leaders fear the possibility of violence when a verdict is announced.

Last week, the city's Police Department simulated a riot to help officers prepare for unrest. Meeting areas are being set up for residents to peacefully express their feelings about the verdict. And preachers have agreed to urge calm.

"Whatever the verdict, it's sure to raise a lot of emotion. It touches an issue that's very deep in the community," said city spokeswoman Karen Boyd.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department said special preparations were in the works for any post-verdict crowd gathering outside the downtown criminal courts building, but he declined to elaborate.

"We are not going to go into any sort of detail on our planning other than to confirm that we are working with court security and are prepared to handle any gathering of crowds outside of the courthouse, when a verdict is returned," said Lt. John Romero.
Accept The Challenge

Have you got an Evacuation Plan (Part 1, 2, 3) and Shelter-In-Place plan?  Unless you're one of the lucky few that live out in the boonies full-time, you need to consider each of these over the next few months.  Tighten them up, review your evacuation routes, be sure your BOBs are complete.

Don't end up a victim!

Obviously, review your Safety and Security plans as well.  A big part of that (should be) safety awareness.  Knowing or being able to anticipate problems by following the news or the Internet on potential "hot spots" will take you a long way in staying safe.

Remember:  The best way to avoid an emergency is to not be there!

Photo Credit:  REUTERS/Mark Blinch
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11 comments:

Anonymous said...

For what it's worth, watching the video of the police in Toronto it appears they are not rounding up the innocent with the guilty in a dragnet but are grabbing law breakers as they see them commit crimes

Groundhog said...

I'd have to say that if you did "inadvertently" get caught up in the police dragnet, you still were likely there on purpose. You were either a gawker, non violent protester, or press and I'd say the vast majority of these knew the risks. This is not to say there could be a very few that just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those would be the only ones I'd have any sympathy for.

As to consequences? Unless they actually caught you doing something like assault or arson, I'd wager the worst you'll experience is a few days in the pokey and being booked. Perhaps the next one should be held in Iran or North Korea. Might be much more peaceful. It really is a wonder they don't just hold the stupid thing in some secret location just to spare everyone the insanity.

Montezuma said...

I think the point of the Chief's post was to illustrate that there is a lot of unrest coming to a boil... and that WE... WE the ones that have been preparing for catastrophe should be aware of what is going on around us.

I saw a video of taxi cab that was beat in, smashed up and then lit on fire... this done by Lakers fans after the LA Lakers WON the NBA Championship. If this is the type of thing that happens when WE WIN... What is going to happen when WE LOSE??? What is going to happen if there is no solution in the Gulf? What is going to happen if a big ol' hurricane plows through there?

Be prepared people... The proverbial $#!T is looming over the fan.

Andrea said...

Thank God for the boonies.

Chief Instructor said...

Anon, yeah, the early videos I watched yesterday seemed to be pretty well targeted towards actual offenders, but some of the stuff today has been a bit more dragnet-ish. I think the police are getting overwhelmed.

Groundhog, you're probably right - those that were there knew there'd be some sort of trouble. The "innocents" are getting a lesson they'll not quickly forget!

Montezuma, that was the point exactly. There is a LOT of potential civil unrest in our very near future, and I think it will tend to be quite violent. The Arizona stuff and the BART cop trial in particular, have the potential to spread to every big city in the country.

The Gulf has a lot of ugly potential as well. If even a portion of the stuff they are saying is true - the dispersant being VERY toxic, or needing to do mass evacuations from the REGION - it could all come unglued.

Andrea - indeed! One of my brothers and I are redoubling our efforts to find a property out in the hills. The prices of raw land are not falling as rapidly as the prices for single-family homes, so we don't want to get stung (as we did with our personal residences) by buying just before another crash. We're not trying to "play the market" but we don't want to get stung again, either. Still, I think if we find the right place, we'll buy. Our intention right now is to buy it and live there with our spouse and family for the rest of our lives.

terrie said...

Have you ever thought about Texas...not so bad,I came here from Wa state when my husband retired from the military. Unfortunatly we are on the gulf not too far from the La border.Things are reasonable,can buy more home and property for the money and if you are military retired or not a lot of bennys such as land grants,hunting lic.etc.Just make sure you get a pool.

suek said...

>>if you are military retired or not a lot of bennys such as land grants,hunting lic.etc.Just make sure you get a pool.>>

I have a son and family living in SA. I've been thinking about moving there at some point, but hubby isn't done with our business yet. There's been a downturn greater than usual for summertime (we sell light bulbs - primarily commercial/industrial)and we have a vital member of our employees eligible for SS next year. She's personally debating whether to retire at that time or not. If she does, we'll be in a bind. The landlord is also offering us a "deal" for a 3 yr lease with _only_ a 3% increase in rent. My guess at the moment is that if said employee's father were to die (he's about 93), she'll retire asap. Otherwise she'll hang on till he goes.

Anyway - I've been looking at Tx online and come to the conclusion that while it's a great way to pass time, it's not the way to make any decisions. That's going to be a move and rent time, I think. So both on behalf of my son and spouse and on our own behalf, this comment interested me (on retired military) - do you have any links for me to do a bit more research on it??

Chief Instructor said...

Terrie - TX is on my short-list of places to move, but not so much on my wife's list! I spent a week at SMU a few years ago, and was struck by two things: The cost of living was significantly less (even in the Dallas area), and I was genuinely struck by how courteous people were. It reminded me how people used to act here in CA when I was a kid.

It's a bit too far from our extended families, which are all in Nor Cal. I've been looking for arable, inexpensive land in NV, but have had little luck. It's either insanely cheap - because it's in the middle of the alkaline high-desert, or insanely expensive because it's in the mountains or in some of the small swatches of farmland in the state.

suek, by SA, so you mean South America? We've also considered Costa Rica and a couple of the Ex-Pat areas in Mexico (Guadalajara), but the thought of leaving the states hurts my heart to think about.

If out-of-state were to happen, it would most likely be NV, ID or AZ. OR used to be on the list, but it's well on its way to becoming "Little California".

Anonymous said...

what I was refering to was retired military in Texas get land grants just like you get a Va home loan.My husband is also a disabled vet so gets free hunting and fishing lic. I am also a vet but not from Tx but after 2 yrs of residency I also get a land grant Disabled also get a break on car licenses and retired vets get a break on property taxes dont know a link just got to a vet website and click on a link for Texas benifits Texas was not on my list either but now I love it here

Anonymous said...

I don't live in Texas but I like Texas a lot. A couple of points: 1)Beware Houston it is a dangerous city. 2)The traffic is so bad in the major cities that it is a huge turnoff. 3)The barbecue beef, chicken and sausage are awesome. 4)Summers are long and hot.

Anonymous said...

I plan to stay where I am, in outer suburbia. There will already be massive gridlock, people weakening and no gas to get the golden horde here. Am nowhere near major evac routes. As far as "Bugging Out" I'd rather where I am be my Thermoplyae than be a refugee. Surrounded by thousands of crazed evacuees you are gonna defend yourself in your vehicle how ... .50 cal machine gun?

Two things to consider when selecting your refuge: will you personally have fresh water on your property? Is the soil good? When your supplies run out being able to grow some of your own food will be life-saving.