OWS, checkpoints: Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste

Several years ago, while watching a movie on a random rainy summer afternoon, I was hit with the need to WRITE. I ran upstairs and grabbed my story-ideas journal and started scribbling.  The words flowed through my pen like it was possessed, describing a future America torn apart by civil war and economic disaster.  It was the summer of 2009; the world I described was set in the year 2014.

A little freaked out by what I had written, I put the journal away, but couldn't release the images of ruin from my mind.  As time passed, I went back to the journal and added bits and pieces as they came to me: plot lines flowed from my pen as easily as syrup sometimes, other times, it was work to get a word on the page.  Some of the scenarios flowed from earlier thoughts - ideas that had come when driving into the State Fair a few years prior, or when driving through rural Minnesota on the way to hockey tournaments.

I do not claim to be prophetic with the things I wrote down; I believe that anyone who has been paying attention to our country's (and the world's) current events could possibly see what I've seen and written down regarding our future.  However, it is quite scary when things I wrote back in '09 start actually occurring, such as the checkpoints on Tennessee highways or in Michigan, the increase in civil unrest through the Occupy movements around the world, the class warfare encouraged by President Obama and the rest of his ilk, etc. and has been the cause of many panic attacks, until I grab hold of the one thing that can keep the panic away: God.

The Patriots of America need to stand up to the forces that would destroy the country.  We need to search for leaders who will hold true to the Constitution and who have the best intentions for our country.  We need to share with others the corruption occurring in DC and around our country, shedding light upon the darkness that threatens to spread and conquer our land.  But we also need to remember that whatever happens is part of God's Plan and only He knows what the future holds, and whatever happens, it is what He has decided to happen.  The "whys" or "hows" of His plan may not be revealed to us during our lifetimes.  Our job is to wait on Him, wait for His direction and then do the "What" He asks of us.  If we stand like Esther, praying and waiting for His call, He will answer us.

As it says in Romans 8:28-38: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.  Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persectuiion or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' no in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (NIV, emphasis mine.)

In all things, pray unceasingly and time will show who will be conquerors.  Do not lose heart, Patriots, but know that things will work out according to His Plan.  Do not be afraid, but plan for whatever may happen. Make sure you and your family has a contingency plan in place, pay attention to the signs and prepare.  There may be those who are claiming to know the day of the end of the world , but no one knows the time of the end but God.  (Besides that, our personal "end of time" can happen anytime - so we must always be prepared for that, right?)

Have faith and one way or another, we shall be conquerors.

Update on Linework in NorthEast

Heard from lineman today in Long Island. Apparently the utility has brought in 3500 linemen to restore power to the remaining 80,000 or so still without power in that particular area.  The number of linemen for that small amount of outages is astounding.  Nevada has about 700 linemen in total for the entire state to take care of the grid - so that number is almost equal to the total number of linemen from about 5 states.

Why the hoopla for Long Island? There were several hundred people without power for over 2 weeks in NW ND last spring when the temps were about 20 degrees during the day, but no one seemed worried enough to send/request additional crews to help those North Dakotans in need at that time.  Is it because the people on Long Island are more important than those in ND? Or do they just have louder voices?

The questions swirling around the utilities' efficiency is pretty ridiculous when you realize that over 8 million people who lost power during Irene have had it restored in less than a week.  Most people in Texas during the aftermath of Ike went around 3 weeks without power, but there was no investigations forthcoming to find out the whys of the situation.  Why is that now that the Northeast has been hit that the speed with which power is being restored is being questioned?

My lineman has been told by his superiors that he isn't to talk to customers while he's working the job, and to keep an eye out for the media - apparently they have been sending reporters in to photograph the situation.  Unfortunately, part of the issue stems from the fact that the linemen drive 13' high trucks and many of the "parkways" in the affected areas only allow for a 8' clearance.  This means the equipment can't get through and the linemen have to be creative when figuring how to bring in new poles.  This on top of the fact that they must hand dig all the holes for the replacement poles - something that obviously adds additional time to power restoration.

If there is an investigation that needs to be done, perhaps it should be on the Long Island regulations that allow for 8' clearance on roads and the rules mandating hand-dug holes, not to mention the fact that it took, for one particular job, no less than 4 different people to sign off before the work could even begin.  The linemen are there.  They are trying to get the power restored.  The bureaucracy needs to step back and let the guys do their work.