Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Be prepared.....

Oh, but be prepared for WHAT???

I live not 1/4 mile (as the crow flies, slightly more if driven) from a fuel refinery. I also live between 2 military bases: an Air Force Base, and an Army Post. I'd say that approx. 40% of the inhabitants in my borough happen to be associated with the military. Maybe (probably) more.

So many people did not express suprise when we woke up on Monday and found that the military was conducting an "exercise" just down the road from our house (my neighbourhood) that involved stopping motorists as they passed & asking to see their license. MILITARY, not police. This is NOT a random police search for alcohol. This is the military stopping each & every vehical to pass their way, and request ID. They happen to be performing this exercise in front of the local refinery, and it's being passed off as an exercise to ascertain the safety of the refinery, and get some idea of how massive the danger to that property could be.

Today, the road leading past my subdivision is closed off to all but those of us who live here and military & medical & police officials. They're conducting a M*A*S*H* drill as part of a north-western (region of the country, that is) training process to ready the hospitals & police forces for any potential terrorist activity that may take place in our area.

Ok, I can somewhat understand the preparedness issue for medical & even police..... But, why are the military preparing ME for being stopped just outside MY neighbourhood??? I hate feeling like a conspiracy theorist. I really do. I don't like to think the worst of people. But this feels more like we're being prepared for a crack-down on our civil liberties. We're being conditioned to think "oh, this is just another exercise." Or "oh, if I don't have anything to hide, I shouldn't be worried about crossing that line." Or "Oh, they're just doing their job, just making sure we're safe."

I don't like feeling unsafe, but I don't like feeling like every move I make is being watched, either. I don't feel like I may have to watch what I say or do on my own property, in my own neighbourhood, in case it's deemed subversive or deviant. As a pagan in a primarily christian town, I don't like the thought of being closely monitored, being followed, or being stopped for no apparent reason. I know that some of the people I associate with every day would have no problem with claiming that paganism is deviant & should be suppressed. Hell, I think my dad would say as much. There are neighbours, of course, who are willing to look the other way on some of my idiocyncrasies, if I'll do the same for them. Those neighbours I like. It's the ones give me looks as if I'm crazy as I hang crystals to refract light from the trees outside my house (they're pretty, what can I say).

And it's knowing that some of those people who occasionally look at me as if I'm off my rocker, are the same who are likely to say "well, if you don't have anything to hide, then you shouldn't be worried." Who are likely to say "well, it's just a drill in case we DO get bombed." The ones who are likely to feel that when the military bring down force upon a person (or household, community, or town) then that person/household/community/town deserved it, without consideration of the facts. Guilty unless proven otherwise.

And I hate the fact that the military is doing this drill just outside my neighbourhood is making me nervous of conspiracies to subjugate the public.

I hope you have had a peaceful day, vacant of the constant sound of military helicopters flying back & forth overhead. I hope you have had a peaceful day, free of stops by police officers asking what my destination is. I hope you have had a peaceful day, free of the constant sound of ambulance & fire-engine sirens.

And, I hope you have a Blessed Day tomorrow!

7 comments:

whimsical brainpan said...

I'm so sorry Kati. I hope they go away and leave you in peace. (((hugs)))

heather said...

That sounds awful!

Ella said...

Oh gosh, how awful. I hope today is better. I'm a New Yorker(Long Island), I know what all the policing can be like.

Thanks for stopping by. Come around whenever you like.
BB
Ella
http://luna-chyck.blogspot.com/

Bardouble29 said...

I know they have to train and the best way to do it is with real communities, but htey could make it feel a little less like you are all hostages and evil people trying to blow up the world.

HUGS!!!

Connie Peterson said...

Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Isn't that the way Germany started in the 30s????? Oh, we are here to make sure you are safe. Safe from WHAT???????

Hope they go away and it truly IS an exercise. But how hard is it to learn to stop cars and ask questions?

Blessings and PEACH

Allan said...

They recently did this in my city too- it was conducted in low-income primarily black neighborhoods and wasn't well- publicized (understatement)
The next day at work, there were all sorts of rumours about large scale robberies/murder/mayhem that were so bad the Army came out...apparently the DHS didn't notify the citizens it was a drill. Perhaps it's not a drill- one of Halliburton's tentacles (Kellog,et al.)has already built the domestic internment camps to be used during such events as simulated recently.

Until the last several years, I thought this line of thinking- a looming state pf martial law- was playful paranoia, crackpot conspiracy amusement. Now? Not so sure.

FoxTayle said...

How horrible! How could anyone possibly feel comfortable with an atmosphere like that, training or no training. Hope things change for the better!