"I can't believe it would happen here." Really?

You probably heard the news about the attempted bombing in Oregon. A Somali-born, naturalized US citizen named Mohamed Osman Mohamud plotted to blow up a car bomb at a tree-lighting ceremony in Portland, OR. As I watched the news coverage on Sunday morning, I was struck by the comments of several of the "people on the street" that were interviewed. They all said something to the effect of, "I can't believe it would happen here."

I couldn't believe my ears. Really? People think they are safe from terrorism just because they don't live in one of the top five metropolitan areas in the US?

In case you forgot, this happened in OKC.

Maybe those people interviewed had forgotten the Timothy McVeigh bombing in Oklahoma City in 1995. Last time I checked, OKC wasn't exactly vying with New York City for population bragging rights.

Check out this quote from the same CNN article I linked at the top of my post:

           Officials said Mohamud also stated, "... it's in Oregon;
           and Oregon like you know, nobody ever thinks about  it."                                           


The terrorists are catching on to this head-in-the-sand mindset, and you can bet that this failed terrorist attempt in Portland will not be the last. Thank goodness the FBI intercepted this jihadist lunatic before he hurt a lot of innocent people.

This kind of thing can happen, even in places like Orgeon or America's Heartland. Wake up, people!



What I've learned from those Chilean miners

If you don't know about the 33 men trapped in a mine in Chile, read this first:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1305894/So-Chilean-miners-survive-months-half-mile-underground.html

Now, what I've learned:

1. Miracles can happen. I sometimes need to be reminded of this. Who would have thought that all 33 men would still be alive after 17 days?
2. Prior planning and training makes a huge difference. Miners train for these kind of accidents. This enabled them to make it to their prearranged and supplied Safe Room. Once they made it there, the two days' worth of rations were carefully managed.  As preppers, we need to practice various emergency scenarios and have our supplies in place before we need them.
3. Leadership matters. The miners apparently have selected 54-year old Luis Urzua as a leader. In a leadership vacuum, chaos reigns. You need to have someone who take the reins. Urzua was someone all the miners knew and trusted ahead of time.
4. Sanitation is key. Prior to their discovery, the miners used an area outside of their safe room as a bathroom. The experts above ground are now instructing the miners on how to divide their safe room into different areas - for sanitation, eating, sleeping, etc. In order to survive the next few months, they've got to devise some solution to the sanitation problem. This is one area in which my prepping falls far short.
5. You'd better be fit. The miners' waists cannot measure over 35" to fit through the rescue tunnel they are drilling. Survival is very physically taxing. You better be in shape before a crisis starts.

6. You've got to keep your head in the game. The miners didn't give up hope during those 17 days when  rescue was slow in coming. Now they have been found but it may be Christmas before they can get out. Can you even imagine? You've got to be both physically and mentally tough to survive that. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few months.