Some novel thoughts on disaster. by Fremdfirma

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Some novel thoughts on disaster.

POSTED BY: FREMDFIRMA
UPDATED: Friday, May 7, 2010 02:48
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Friday, May 7, 2010 2:07 AM

Jesse Walker offers a different perspective on Catastrophe, and Community, well worth a read.
http://reason.com/archives/2010/04/20/disaster-utopianism/

I was thinking much the same - being an Anarchist, and quite used to being pounded over the head with the idea that if big daddy gov wasn't there to hold our little hands, everything would go to hell in an instant, something I do not quite believe - and proved out by that massive blackout and the community response to it around here, no panic, no epic freakout, no roaming gangs of barbarians, but everyone pitching in, there were a lot of BBQ's as folks decided to make the best of stuff that wouldn't keep, and help feed their neighbors at the same time, and even I was helping the local cops (all antagonism being temporarily put on hold) distribute bottled water from my little trike once I got the melted piston swapped out, cause it was remarkably efficient for the task.

And that belief was further reinforced by the FEMA response to Katrina, blocking shipments of food and water, cutting power lines, forced disarmament and relocation, hindering rescue efforts, they really did come across as a bunch of power tripping, opportunistic incompetents more interested in looking good and having all the paperwork in order than actually accomplishing anything - we saved a buncha elderly folk who wouldn't have otherwise made it by adopting an aknowledge-and-ignore policy towards them.

Depending on circumstances, LOCAL governments seem up to the task much of the time, but federal involvement in many cases just seems to compound the disaster.

That ain't to say everything's hunky dory and things don't get hairy, just that people are, once again, not the evil ravenous beasts those offering the leashes would have us believe, and that government, while in some times and places even useful, is an absolute requirement at every moment to prevent social breakdown.

One thing I also noticed, unrelated directly to this article - places that actually HAD a plan on the shelf for this or that eventuality, handled it much, MUCH better than those who did not, so today I am copying and modifying some of our planbooks, and going to offer them to the local Gov as a starting framework so that the actually have some kinda contingency plan in case of flood, power outage or what have you.

-F

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Friday, May 7, 2010 2:48 AM

DREAMTROVE

The larger the govt the less connected and more inefficient it is. Our federal govt. is a rare form of abstract imperial govt, it has no contact with anything, and basically exists solely to regulated trade, currency and to fight foreign wars. Now that it has handed over all the first two to private corporations, all it does is dig into debt to those corporations, a debt which it passes on to us, and uses that money to fight foreign wars, for which, increasing, it is hiring private contractors. It does make me wonder why anyone supports the idea at all.

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