My Father worked on the weapons delivery systems for the Defense department. He would have terrible nightmares. So I grew up with all of the information regarding what occurs in a  worst case scenario of a nuclear detonation. The knowledge acquired was probably what drove my love of Science and caused me to at one point, major in Bioscience. I have never stopped learning. None of us should.

That cold handshake was what pointed me back to nature, and my current philosophy and knowledge of God. I learned that fear is a mind killer and knowledge leads to Hope and Faith. God always brings those line items along.

In this terrible event in Japan, you have a lot of things occurring in a very fluid manner. Line items that involve risk and danger, ebb, flow and shift. Yesterday I had a conversation with a friend of ours who has a robotics factory inland of the Tsunami impact zone. It was damaged. Equipment needs recalibrating. Some walls need repair. But they can get back up and operating.

The issue in his  and adjacent Prefectures, is that the infrastructure has collapsed. “We can build things, but without roads, there is nothing that we can do. It will be a hard year for Japan. But we will be okay. The very important things are establishing food and water supply, housing, infrastructure and Military strength in maintaining a country. We will do this, and Japan will be better after”.

I have had all manner of contact from colleagues and friends in Japan. They are in the trenches. But like my friend Shin says, they will come back.

It occurs to me, that the sorrow in all of this is in what has just happened: a large number of lives snuffed out. As a culture we need to face that one down, grieve, and take a look at our own lives.

This  is via Mario Vitonne.

It is the common consensus that were this scale of a disaster to hit in the US, that anarchy would occur immediately. I see that as likely in this current environment.

In the 50’s and 60’s here, schools would require Civics courses where the tenet of preparedness and Civil Duty were taught. You saw it seeded through the entire American culture with Cub, Boy and Girl Scouting organizations etc. I remember the motto: “Be prepared”. There is a lot to be said for cognitive preparation in a life.

We have lost that in the general population base in the US and especially in California, and the loss has left us vulnerable in many ways. But the most insidious, is in the propagation of fear by a lack of hands on knowledge and preparation.

It does not need to be that way.

But in a culture grown fat, and prone to following fear based groups who continually perpetuate a Chicken Little  mentality (Insert name of PAC, Pseudo Enviro group, Political Organization or Religion here) we have gone from standing as the strong tribe of the planet, to being a bit of a spaz.

America needs to wake up. If ever we needed a return to the values espoused by our Founder’s pioneering spirit, it is in this hour. But it all starts with the individual. Me, you, us.
Our Founders knew this. It is why we safeguard individual rights in the Bill of Rights: it cedes strength and responsibility to the base of the house of State.

Here are a few links that offer some information that will allow for a certain amount of education regarding some perceived risks. Read them. Weigh them against your own knowledge base. Grow. Prepare. Spread that knowledge and stability within your community, because in so doing, you shore up the future.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=nuclear-energy-primer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fallout
http://radiationnetwork.com/
http://modernsurvivalblog.com/
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/

Here is something pretty cool that the City of Ventura has done. Code Red

An interesting and informative editorial piece, sent along by Skip Saenger.

Dr. Ed Brenegar just sent across a rather involved and remarkable piece on building for the future entitled  ” The End and The Beginning ”

We quite possibly are entering a period of time where there are going to be great challenges, that many alive have never experienced or needed to manage. So since education and preparation promote stability and an environment of peace and health, lets all just agree to not “Tilt at windmills” any more, and simply be prepared. Stop supporting people that you HOPE will do the job for you. Do it yourself. The knowledge you will gain in the process can transform your world.

Be your own hero.  You matter, and common sense needs to become common once again.