Where To Begin?
Most of the state legislatures I track for work have ended their sessions, but that didn't result in a corresponding drop in my work load. To the contrary - the tornadoes in Oklahoma have created some challenges for the insurance industry, and the summer brings with it a full dance card of various insurance association annual meetings where my attendance is strongly encouraged. Plus, this is a month of vacations for me, adding to the cumulative time out of the office the last few weeks.
A lot has happened from a preparedness perspective, both globally and at home. The New York Times reports this evening that Syria has crossed the proverbial red line by allegedly using chemical weapons against the rebels. There's much talk about the U.S. increasing our involvement in the conflict, which would put us on the same side as Al Qaeda.
Yes, that Al Qaeda. The terror cell responsible for the burgeoning growth of the TSA with the concomitant airport gropings, naked body scanners, and large scale ammunition purchases will now be our ally of sorts in the region. You cannot make this stuff up.
The cynic in me says this Syrian issue could not be timed better if it were intentional, which raises the question if this issue is now on page A1 of the Times in large part to serve as a distraction from the crisis du jour at the White House. Perhaps.
I'll leave it to others to drill down into the case for having our military blow stuff up in Syria. We need to address a more pressing question in the preparedness community: what do Syria, the IRS scandal, the NSA scandal, and Benghazi have to do with the typical American trying to be better prepared for a wide spectrum of emergencies?
Nothing.
These events serve only as confirmation that our suspicions about the unchecked growth of government were not the stuff of overnight radio talk shows. This shouldn't come as a surprise to any of you.
Continue your preparedness efforts. Try to get others to do the same. As much as I'd like to try to get people to pay attention to the news take action, I realize things like the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup and TV shows like The Voice are far more important to the typical citizen than what's going on in our Republic. I will do what I can. I hope you will, too.
My Plans For The Summer
I gave up all sodas on May 23rd. It took a full four days to detox off of Diet Mountain Dew. I'm 21 days soda sober.
I've greatly reduced my calorie intake. I've dramatically increased my cardio workouts. I've eliminated candy bars and most other empty carbs.
And so this new effort - to clean up the diet and lose weight - is my top priority this summer. I know I've said stuff like this before, but I cannot continue on the course I was on. My body simply won't let me.
The great thing about getting in better shape as part of your preparedness strategy is that it need not cost you anything. Eating less and walking more costs you nothing, and it's one of the best things you can do to be better prepared.
My other goal is to learn more about alternative energy. I have struggled with understanding the science behind this, and if you're going to have alt energy as part of your plan, you need to understand it.
I'm hoping that by selecting two goals - and only two - it will better enable me to meet them, rather than having a long list of things I want to accomplish.
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