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To: exhaustedmomma
I think that's the point. And my point is, even if they did... and I know they are giving us all these warnings. But, I mean if they came and out said, "RED ALERT! Nuke attack is iminent. We don't know exactly who, where, how or what to look for. But it is for sure." Can you imagine. And... if it happens, I am doing all I can do. I am looking. I am watching. I am reading and trying to keep udated. Heck, I even bought some sort of hand held ham that I can operate in an emergancy like that. (Not that I know what to do with it.) And I know there are rumors of "tent cities" ready to set up if "it" should happen. [I will not go.] This is too mind boggling. I liked it better when I was a kid and city hall had nuke shelters. ;)

The night of the weak knees

The night of the weak knees

Christopher Hitchens
Wednesday December 5, 2001
The Guardian

Four weekends ago, I really did receive two Friday-night telephone calls from well-positioned Washingtonians. "Leave now," they told me. "There's a tactical nuke on the loose, and it's headed for DC." One of these callers was in a position to know, and the other was in a position where he was actually paid to know. Calls were being placed to an immediate circle of friends to which, in theory, I was flattered to belong. Those who were calling were also leaving - while not informing the rest of the citizens. Why, then, did I resolve to stay? It wasn't just British pluck, strong as that naturally is. I thought, first, that it was unlikely that al-Qaida, if it had the bomb, would have conducted a petty dress rehearsal with United Airlines. I thought, second, that the detonation of a "use it or lose it" freelance nuke could not be predicted for any given weekend. And I thought, third, that I would feel a colossal cretin if I fled and then came slithering back on Monday morning (especially if the nuclear holocaust was timed for Monday's rush hour after all). In the end, I did take the family on a pre-arranged trip to Gettysburg, leaving late and returning early.

Officially, nobody now remembers this night of the weak knees. It rated a brief and embarrassed mention in Hugh Sidey's Time column, and that was it. But I shall not forget how some of those in supposed authority decided that the end had come, and made it a point to keep it to themselves and their immediate friends, perhaps to stop the crowding of the roads. That's how it will be on the day of Armageddon, and that's why the citizen should always plan to outlive the state, rather than the other way round.


97 posted on 07/19/2004 9:53:40 PM PDT by Don Joe (We've traded the Rule of Law for the Law of Rule.)
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To: Don Joe
So, I read your about me page. I take it you have a "take" on all of this. So... what is it. (Says in the nicest cyber voice.) And, BTW, I really liked this in the article (that I did :) read:

the citizen should always plan to outlive the state, rather than the other way round

108 posted on 07/19/2004 10:33:07 PM PDT by exhaustedmomma (REtired: raising grandkids (pray for us))
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