Get This Country A Second Chance? ‘I Doubt That’

By Major Van Harl USAF Ret

Wisconsin –-(Ammoland.com)-  “Can’t see this as a bad thing, the liberals would die off and us “gun nuts”,”preppers” and “looneys” would survive and we could get this country a second chance.” ~ Kenneth 

I wrote a review of the book Gridlock and the column was on- line at ammoland.com. One of the readers of my column wrote the above comment in response to my article.

Gridlock is a fictional story about a terrorist attack by computer virus on our nationwide electrical grid and how the country suffers when the electricity goes out. I am assuming that the commenting reader believes that if we have an extended power outage in the US, somehow the weak and unprepared liberals will die off, because they are not ready for the realities of losing our labor saving devices. However, the strongly prepared, right of center, conservatives will magically blossom during such a devastating total shutdown of the business and production side of American commerce.

I continue to say we in North America live in a 9-1-1 society and we expect to be able to call for help for any problem, until the phones are gone. People are not prepared. When I lived out west and got into conversations about being ready for a long term emergency the “comical” answer I would get was, “I will just go over to my Mormon neighbors home-they have a house full of supplies.”

One of my oldest retired Air Force friends is a former Mormon Bishop. When I asked him about the one year supply of food they are expected to have in their home for each family member I was actually a little surprised at the answer. Yes the members are encouraged to have the reserve food supply but in reality, money and space are the two big issues. A young Mormon couple with four children would be hard press to come up with the money it takes to buy a year’s worth of food for six family members. Even if they could afford it, you will volume-out your area to store these supplies in a middle class suburban home in Colorado Springs.

A year’s supply of food takes up a lot of space.

In Wisconsin where I live the answer is the Amish. When the electricity goes out we will go down the road to the Amish farm–they are always ready. What the Amish are ready for is not to panic the first few days of a nationwide power outage. If you do not normally have electricity you will not miss it in the beginning when your “English” neighbor’s home goes dark.

The Amish like me, cannot survive without the outside world being there to resupply both of us with consumable needs and wants. If electricity goes, so goes gasoline. Without gas, vehicles stop running and if you live in the country how do you get to town to buy (if anything is left) needed supplies? In Wisconsin we have what is called the “Amish Taxi.” This is where the Amish hire a local “English” person to drive them to town to shop. Like us “English,” Amish folks need store bought food, tools, toilet paper, medicine, feminine hygiene products, kerosene for lamps and gasoline to run their generators and chainsaws.

There is that gasoline thing again. I was talking with an “English” farmer out in western Wisconsin about this issue. His concern was the loss of gasoline. He heats his farm house with wood and could not fathom undertaking the hard back-breaking work it would require to acquire enough firewood for a Wisconsin winter like we just had and do this work without his gas operated chainsaw. Yes he has electric space heaters and a propane furnace that has an electric blower system on it to heat his home, but then again we are talking about a long term power outage.

Life in North America without electricity will kill off the weak liberals but it will also kill off the alleged strong conservatives. The other issue is, if only the US is without power and the rest of the world still has their electricity do you not think someone will get the wild idea it would be a great time to prey on America?

I am an old man and even as a conservative, right of center person, I do not want to lose my power and water just to prove a point about the weak minded political party I do not support.

When there is no flush toilet it is hell walking your dog as an equal. ~ Major Van Harl USAF Ret.

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About Major Van Harl USAF Ret.:Major Van E. Harl USAF Ret., a career Police Officer in the U.S. Air Force was born in Burlington, Iowa, USA, in 1955. He was the Deputy Chief of police at two Air Force Bases and the Commander of Law Enforcement Operations at another. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Infantry School.  A retired Colorado Ranger and currently is an Auxiliary Police Officer with the Cudahy PD in Milwaukee County, WI.  His efforts now are directed at church campus safely and security training.  He believes “evil hates organization.”  [email protected]