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SAFE Ark Two Newsletter
November 11th, 2012
A Solution For Sandy
I have looked at catastrophes for decades and noted the problem in
solving the aftermath. I think that I have one solution that would help.
Let me first say that many Americans are very generous and well
intentioned but that our present solutions often just don't work.
Immense contributions to the Red Cross and other established
institutions often just never get to the intended recipients - or at
best a dribble does.
Donating into announced bank accounts often leaves one wondering who is
actually collecting the money and where it goes? Collections of goods,
clothing, books, food most often never make it to the intended
recipients. Transportation is just too expensive and there is no truly
workable method of distribution.
What then can be done? My solution, if you want to really help in a
situation is to set a local goal of collecting tens of thousands of
dollars to be given to a local individual that you know and trust - and
then send that individual to the catastrophe situation with a free hand
to do whatever they can do.
Sometimes - they can do nothing. I have had personal experience in that
way. At one time when I had resources I went to another country to give
assistance. The first thing that I ran into were the import duties. If
we were going to bring this assistance and gift into the country we had
to pay duty. The second thing that we ran into was corrupt government
officials. The first problem could be surmounted by bribes - which I
refused to give. The third problem was simply the bureaucracy of getting
permits to do anything. We ended up sticking our hands in our pockets
and coming home and the country did not get what would have been
hundreds of thousands of dollars of assistance.
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I have heard of others making the same attempt. Simply taking planes
loaded with supplies and flying into Haiti for example. End result -
often the same horror stories. Not just one, but several such incidences
that I am personally aware of in that particular situation.
And it is not just in other countries. We had a bad tornado in Canada
and I took our trucks and employees, formed a convoy and headed to the
disaster scene. We managed to make it through the disaster barricades.
But there was resistance and anger. I was then, as I am now, a rather
notorious individual. People who were not damaged were sitting on their
porches doing nothing. Still, I asked them if there was some way we
could assist them. No, but they complained to police.
We went to the town community center. But the local officials were
swamped and had no idea how or where to use what we were offering. I
had brought along a couple of big bags of candy bars and went about
offering them to the emergency workers. Finally ran onto a couple of
families that welcomed our assistance and our workers helped them pull
their belongings out of the rubble and to put it onto our trucks for
transport to where they had storage.
It was at this point that I heard a loud speaker on a Provincial police
car driving through saying my name and ordering me to report to them. I
responded and was told that I would have to leave the area immediately.
Back to the local officials with one of the families we were assisting
and the local officials told the Provincial police to stuff it. But you
can see the difficulty.
So - I know what I am suggesting is not a cure all and sometimes won't
work, but I think it is the better idea. The question most asked in the
neighborhoods devastated by Sandy is, "Where is the Red Cross? Where is
FEMA?" What those organizations, or anyone with lots of money, could do,
is give money to a trusted individual, who can then go there and help
resolve problems. If it were myself, what would I do? Well, one can
always buy tons of blankets. They are in warehouses elsewhere. Load them
on rental truck and drive there to hand them out. There are many, many
such needed items. I would just like to buy thousands of pairs of socks
and some back packs. Go into the crushed neighborhoods without
electricity, no laundry facilities and such, and fill the back packs
with socks and tell kids to go out and hand them out.
Some people are worried about someone ripping them off. Well, some may -
but most won't. The real rip off comes in the present response methods.
The people doing the ripping off are the bureaucrats, the accountants,
lawyers (concerned about liability), the highly paid government
officials (wife of a politician who has gotten millions for heading the
Red Cross) while the old lady needing food on the 13th floor - now a
walk up - gets nothing. And I can tell you that society lady from the
Red Cross is NOT going to walk up there.
There may be a little rip off at the lower levels in my system but
nothing like those are doing at the higher levels now. How many dollars
collected in insurance actually gets back to those suffering losses? Let
us not talk about that. Or tax dollars paid into FEMA that get into the
hands of the destitute?
When The Other Shoe Drops
The election is over but suspense remains about many things. Sandy has
passed but the destruction remains. Wilf watching the news with me
remarked that they will NEVER recover. Just like New Orleans never
recovered and if there is going to be an increase in the number of these
types of events - then we are going to see non-recovery as an
increasing mode.
And what are we witnessing? Local catastrophes. This particular one was
relatively sudden. The results lengthily remaining. I am particularly
saddened about the old folks and incapacitated individuals on the 13th
stories without elevators, water, or heat. There are other disasters
that are creeping. Loss of jobs, falling behind on payments,
foreclosures. Some of these have been endemic for decades in some
neighborhoods and cities. Still others are environmental, reminiscent of
the dustbowl of my youth.
Just as in the Great Depression - times were great if you had money.
Prices were low and workers were eager. We hear about the difficulty of
people on fixed incomes, but for many it is not all that bad. They have
incomes. It is those that are without income that are seriously
impacted. Families are broken, lives discouraged. But, the Princeton
survey showed this week that consumer confidence has risen to the
highest point in the last couple of years. Just in time for Christmas.
I don't really know what to make of all that. Does that mean for most?
Does it mean that we are just walking away from greater and greater
bunches on Long Island, in New Orleans, in the black ghettos of the
major cities, in the campgrounds and parking lots where people are
sleeping in their cars - but for most we can say - "Hey, this is the new
norm - and I am okay"?
There are other signs. I have never before seen so much talk in the
financial news about the stock market being about to undertake a
'correction'. Almost as if they were willing or wanting it. I do think
it is controlled so nothing will surprise me. There are other major
pressures that aren't exactly making headline news - such an the
European Central Bank rejecting the Greek solution. There may be no
solution for many of these things. Nice of it to held off until after
the election. And then there is the FINANCIAL CLIFF scheduled for
January. Almost coincides with the election in Israel which some as
seeing clearing the way for Netanyahu to go after Iran.
Lots of rumor and speculation about MANY things. Shades of Major General
Smedley Butler in the year that I was born. He testified before the US
Congress regarding a military plot for a coup to overthrow the President
of the United States. It wasn't the first or last time. It is called
"Crossing the Rubicon" because way back in Roman times - that was the
act of Julius Caesar. It is a question that I raised last week about to
people who were supporting the generals disobeying the Commander in
Chief.
Have you noticed how many generals have been fired in the last couple of
months? The American way, from the time of Lincoln, through those
exposed by Smedley Butler, to Truman and MacArthur, to perhaps Petreaus,
has been to allow them to resign. I heard lots of rumor about Petreaus
and the CIA for two weeks before the sudden announcement. It was about
an October surprise to get Obama before the election. If you are Obama
you would be rather naive not to be watching your back. You would need
some good black brothers that you trusted in the FBI to get the goods on
the plotters. That was the Hoover way of control. He tapped MLK, JFK,
and the works. It was the reason none dared to fire Hoover. Swords cut
both ways. Just sayin. I don't know anything. But then neither do any
others who will take a stance on one thing or another - in this day.
But the big issues are still with us - whether or not you are confident
about what the stock market is going to do in the morning.
It made no difference who was elected - there is going to be:
increasing world hunger
increasing world unemployment
increasing riots and terrorism
increasing suicides
increasing violence and crime
increasing deterioration of social services
as evidence of:
world monetary instability/disruption/collapse
world economic instability/disruption/collapse
world political instability/disruption/collapse
world diplomatic instability/disruption/collapse
which are all apparent effects of:
serious environmental/weather deterioration
world trade
arms races
cultural conflicts
but the world root causes across cultures remains:
materialism
selfishness/greed
immorality
prejudices - religious/patriotic/racial/political
which reflect a world that has turned away from the Divine -
and which is going to suffer the consequences.
In my view of course -
the consequences will be
nuclear WW3 as a precursor of the Great Catastrophe
This is why people call me a doomsayer -
although I style myself as a DawnSayer -
because I view this not as the End -
but rather the Beginning of humanity -
and for which we must reconstruct a new and better world.
No tinkering with:
political systems -
educational systems -
environmental systems -
economic systems -
financial systems -
will now even ameliorate the situation.
The only solution is complete RESET.
How few that understand that -
are willing to consider that -
are willing to examine alternatives -
or can even imagine alternatives.
But the eventual situation may change all that.
We can hope.
All this - and I never even mentioned the Mayan Calendar thingie next
month. Sorry, that one just sorta dropped off my radar, but I do think
that by this time in February, which is just 90 days off - that there
will have been enough events to give you something to talk about over
your morning coffee.
The next big news item besides the Financial Cliff that is already on
the calendar (although others may intervene) is the early election in
Israel which is widely seen as a referendum of approval for Netanyahu to
strike Iran. Always something of interest.
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