REPORT ON Y2K COMMUNITY MEETING LAST NITE

Here are the salient points:

1) Town of 25k, county of 75k, 1000 people at the meeting.

2) There were 3-minute speeches by prominent civic leaders from: 31 entities, 12 were banks, including FRB and FDIC reps. Others were such as police, sherriff, electric, electric coop, gas, hospital, EMA, SS, Telco, computers.

3) Main tune being played: "Everything's either fixed or gonna be fixed -- I personally am not doing ANY preps for my family." Almost NO one talked anything specific, with two exceptions.

4) First exception: head of a bank said he'd been a programmer back decades ago, wrote in FORTRAN, PL/1, COBOL, and a few other vintage languages. The gist of his msg: Our bank has it all handled -- there will be no problems -- we use the windowing technique -- it will allow us to tell good from bad input no question. He spoke nothing about data files (It would have been over everyone's head anyway.)

5) Second exception: Chief of Detectives (filling in for Police Chief.) The gist of his msg: Y2k will be a non-event. But there's two things I want to warn you about:

a) If you know of anybody building a bunker or erecting a fence we want to know about it -- please call us and let us know -- we are going to be checking into those kinds of people, you can be sure.

b) Do not buy anything from anybody who is selling you something as a prep for Y2K -- they are in it to make money pure and simple.

For the benefit of all Trolls: before you flame me in CAP LETTERS THAT ALL THIS IS PURE URBAN MYTH, UNDOCUMENTED RUMOR -- the city is Cullman in Cullman County, AL, the meeting was at Cullman Regional Med Ctr at 6 PM, June 17th.

It was all very reassuring ---

Bill

P.S. Will someone report me when I build our underground tornado cellar next month? B.

-- William J. Schenker, MD (wjs@linkfast.net), June 18, 1999

Answers

Sir, I don't see why anyone would need to troll your post. Everything seems true and nothing is ridiculous.

P.S. I won't report you for taking precautions against tornadoes if you don't reort me for my fetish of drinking Mt. Dew straight from the bottle.

-- Joe Six-Pack (Average@Joe.Blow), June 18, 1999.

:::Sigh::: Sad thing is, someone probably *will* report you.

I have wondered for awhile whether the smaller towns and cities are, in fact, the *best* places to be for the coming times. Yes, one tends to 'know their neighbors' maybe a little better than in a larger city, but I'm not entirely certain that that will be to one's advantage if the community 'sentiment' runs the way of the Polly.

Were you able to talk or visit with any of the other people in attendance? What was their 'take' on the meeting? Any other like- minded individuals? Or were there just more 'in-DUH-viduals' who took the "remain calm -- all's well" party line seriously?

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), June 18, 1999.

1000 people! Thats almost unheard of.

All the "experts" (real I mean --- Yourdon, Yardeni, fund managers whose articles have been posted here) (the GIs or just astute observers) say this is the way it'll be 'till fall --- September - November.

Little news of Korea, India, Iran (we bombed something again last night) and little on Kososvo Yeaterday, today. Y2K denial until fall or 12/31/99 0r 1/2/2000. You have a hard time finding Bill Gertzs book (Betrayal)in bookstores (specifying how the US was betrayed to China)--- hidden under "The Sex Lives of Pigs" or other such charming titles. So "Y2K" --- I still can't believe they got 1000 people.

But, "Will Hilary run?" Thats what our country lives and dies by, apparently.

-- Jon Johnson (narnia4@usa.net), June 18, 1999.

Vas? You are building a Fence? Vould you please come vis us? Vee haf some qvestions vee vould like to ask you...

Vait a moment, YOUR PAPERS ARE *NOT* IN ORDER.....

Seig Heil Mine law enforcement Furhers !!!!

Good thing I'm getting those thousand rounds of tungsten-cored light armor-piercing .223's.

You betcha, Mr. Police chief. Come right on in, AS LONG AS YOU HAVE A WARRANT. What, don't HAVE ONE? BANG BANG BANG! Conversation over.

(euphemistically speaking, of COURSE!)

-- Dennis (djolson@pressenter.com), June 18, 1999.

ah so, arrest all GI,s && protect all looters rioters etc. man if i lived in your town bill;; i, d be re-locating. i,m glad i live in the good ole' so.-west where the attitude is'you come on my ranch' with an attitude?? bang your dead' and buried in hills.

-- al-d. (catt@zianet.com), June 18, 1999.

Can't believe the policeman's response. Since when is it against the law to build a fence or any building (better be sure you get a building permit for a building or they may get you for that!) I live a small town of 4K folks...hope it doesn't come to this.

-- 'tucky (sjaros@pop.uky.edu), June 18, 1999.

It is sad that the GI's are treated like outlaws while the pollys (temporarily) live like kings. Wait until 1/1/00!!!!!!!!

-- Jammy (wesleyan@dog.com), June 18, 1999.

And Flint wonders why I'm alarmist. *sigh*

-- a (a@a.a), June 18, 1999.

a) If you know of anybody building a bunker or erecting a fence we want to know about it -- please call us and let us know -- we are going to be checking into those kinds of people, you can be sure.

Bah there is an easy way to check:

Chuck people into a Lake one at a time, if they float then they are building a bunker, if they sink then they're not.

Regards, Simon

-- Simon Richards (simon@wair.com.au), June 19, 1999.

Well geez! since we got the permit to build our fence, wonder if we're on the list? and darn...that storage building was a sure give away. Already had a storm cellar. Several neighbors have asked what we are putting in the storage building. I told the truth: all the junk I have nowhere else to put (I didn't add: cause it's been displaced by all the preps in my house).

-- Shelia (Shelia@active-stream.com), June 19, 1999.

Good one Simon. I hear you can also just set them on fire. If they shriek in pain and begin to smell like burning flesh -- bunker builders.

-- a (a@a.a), June 19, 1999.