Tag: disasters

Da virus in Florida

We Floridians are lucky. We are pretty much in tune with preparations for disasters. We prepare for hurricane disasters, tornado disasters, drought disasters, flooding and fire disasters. This virus disaster nestles before our hurricane season which runs from June to the end of November, which starts “snowbird season” which runs until mid April.

So with the new Carina virus we have started our hurricane prep now. Of course this prep focuses on only plywood for windows, blue tarps, visqueen, generators, batteries, first aid kit, emergency food, water and medical supplies. Medical concerns are mostly about rattle and other venomous snakes, being hit by lightening and heat stroke.

Inventory of property placed along with insurance policies and other legal documents in water tight containers. Those who went through the anarchy after hurricane Andrew will also clean and check weapons and stock more ammunition.

With this virus it has become more complicated. Realize that Floridians don’t like being told what to do especially for their own good. They don’t like rules. They don’t like laws. And they especially don’t like edicts like quarantines. They will also be glad to cut off their noses to spite their faces.

If Floridians act true to form, they will pretty much ignore the CDC regarding this disease. These are the people who will fight evacuating for a hurricane and print with their names and phone numbers of their next of kin with indelible sharpies on their arms just in case they die.

At this point on the calendar, the population consists of seasonal snowbirds, retirees, Canadians gambling they can get home to universal health insurance before getting infected, kids out of school because of declared state of emergency and the rest of us Floridians who are trying to survive this insanity till one of our two love bug seasons.

Why The Secret?

We are educated in our traffic laws.  We must stop at “Stop” signs.  We must stop when a traffic light turns red.  We had to know these aspects of traffic law before we could get a license.

Why then is the public not informed or educated as to when the police may use force or “deadly” force.  Why are these protocols kept secret.  For that matter shouldn’t they be taught as well as traffic laws.

If I know that asking an officer why I am being detained means that he may use force, shouldn’t that be information that would be helpful to both me and the officer trying to do his duty.

Do you as a non law inforcement citizen know the protocol of you local policle, sheriff, and highway patrol for the following:

– a citizen demands to know why he is being detained,

– a citizen asks for an officer’s badge number or name,

– a citizen refuses to get face down on the ground,

– a citizen puts his hand in his pocket while being questioned,

– a citizen runs away,

– a citizen flees the scene in a non-violent incident,

– in which situations may an officer engage in a high speed chase and in what kind of places such as residential neighborhoods, highly congested areas, etc.,

– in which situations may an officer draw his weapon,

– under what circumstances may he fire that weapoon,

– is an officer required to use other means of resolving a conflict before he resorts to physical force?

I remind you that the question was whether you “know” not whether you think, guess, or have heard.

If you don’t know, does government and its law enforcement officers share in the responsibility of keeping you informed?

Please feel free to share your comments.

Some things are just true!

I recently went to the grocerie store to buy some shrimp.  You know how you can pick out the Gulf shrimp which are the freshest that you can get in Florida?  They are shiny and have black streaks in the shell from the oil spilled in the Gulf.

There is no such thing as being a little pregnant.

AND

There is no such thing as little oil spill.

Now, the scientists say that the tar sands oil from Canada cannot leak into the aquifer because oil will not mix with water.  So, in case of a major leak or an amalgum of smaller leaks, we will have a lake of oil sittiing on top of the water in the aquafer.  How do we get to the water in the aquafer without getting oil with the water?  Is anyone asking about the chemicals being used to help the oil flow in the pipeline?

Another argument that the pro pipeline people use is that we already have hundreds of pipelines crisscrossing the U.S.  They are all leaking.  I suggest that a better course of action would be to either start eliminating those pipe lines or force the companis that use them to develop double walled pipes that could eliminae leaks.

Why isn’t anyone taking about the fact that this pipeline runs across geographic fault lines and tornado alley?

Who benefits?  Canada and the Kock brothers who will process the tar sands at the end of the line for sale to foreign countries like China.

Please contact you representative at the state and federal level to share your opinion on this issue.  What do you think?

Now you see me; now you don’t

The primaary justification for the XL Pipeline is jobs.  There are jobs to build the pipeline, then what?

What do the Canadians get?

What does the U.S. get?

Yes, the sand oil is coming out of the earth no matter what.  Fine, let that be Canada’s problem.  It is their gain; let them have the risk along with the profits.

Currently they get the profits and we get the risks.

What happens when the sands oil is no longer profitable?  Will they still spend the money to properly maintain it?

Who pays if there is an accident?

So soon we forget the Gulf spill.  Gulf shrimp now come with their own cooking oil.

So soon we forget the Exxon Valdez.  Is that cleaned up yet?

Will there be federal regulation?  Will the money to support regulation be forthcoming in the future?  Not according to what we have seen under Republican administrations in the last six years.