I got this off of Cory's Listserv, This has not been verified with Rep Grindley yet (as far as I know). If anyone has the contact info and can e-mail it to me I will call for verification. If this has already been posted, I'm sorry I missed it - please provide a link to the original post.

Thanks!

______________________________-

(fair use post)

Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 16:26:57 CDT From: "Phillip Morris" Subject: Sightings... Southern Company

In the mailbox from a friend this morning.

I found George Grindley (State Representative in Geogia) to be very frank and outspoken. Most of what he said was not new information, but served as a confirmation of what I'd concluded through my own research - that there could be significant disruptions in food delivery, electricity, etc. He has been delving deeply into the Y2K problem for about 18 months and has been and continues to be in contact with people in all levels of government and private industry - his recommendations to me were based on what he had decided for himself and his family as a result of his ongoing research and information from these individuals. Here's some details:

The authorities are extremely concerned about possible sabotage of our electrical grid by outside influences during the weekend of the date change while the grid is already stressed.

His source inside the Southern Company stated that seven out of every nine Y2K tests were failing. He made the comment that "you won't hear this on the news. They'll state that everything is going well."

He believes that the natural gas distribution is in better shape than water, sewage, or electrical utilities.

He believes there is a strong possibility for a BREAKDOWN in the distribution of food supplies. I used the word "slowdown" and he interrupted me to make the correction - BREAKDOWN in food distribution.

He has determined, for himself and his family, that a three-month supply of food, water, medicine, etc. is a necessity. His preparations are complete.

I passed information on to him regarding the law enforcement in our county (near Atlanta). They (both police and sheriff's departments) have been instructed that, should the electricity go down, they will be SENT HOME. I received this information from the father of a sheriff's deputy, and I consider it absolutely reliable. Rep. Grindley said he had heard of other counties taking the same position. He further encouraged me to consider firearms for defense.

He said that if there is no electricity we can count on people NOT going to work and certainly not being able to purchase gasoline. He mentioned that John Koskinen's son is a programmer and that he has flat out told his father "it's going to be worse than you think."

As you can see, much of this is confirmation of what we've all figured out by now. However, I wish I could express to you how discouraged I felt when I hung up the phone - it was very sobering to have someone in his position confirm our assessments. I believe he has access to individuals and information I could never hope to talk to. For what it's worth, I've also been in contact with an engineer who lives in a nearby city - she initiated contact (called me at home) after reading some of my posts and realizing I was nearby. Her contention from the very beginning has been that she expects a year of disruptions with electricity. We have discussed this for many hours, and there has been no softening of her views over time. (In fact, she and her husband are purchasing a house in country this month.)

Thanks for sharing some of your prep plans with me...I need to hear this now so that I can get back on track with my own plans. The only livestock we currently have is chickens and today we got our first egg...maybe they really will provide food! We also practiced our first slaughtering and cooking of the "extras" a few weeks ago, and it turned out to go more smoothly than we thought it would. (Easier than cleaning fish, my dh said.)

Good point about the leanest times being mid-summer. I hadn't thought of that...but it would be farthest removed from the previous harvest...

Feel free to forward the Grindley info to your group if you think it would be helpful. Good luck and keep working at it...and I will too.

-- ExCop (Yinadral@juno.com), October 01, 1999

Answers

ExCop,

Thanks.

-- Stan Faryna (faryna@groupmail.com), October 01, 1999.

Wow! Some mind-bending info there.

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 01, 1999.

Lately, more and more people in-the-know have been confirming my worst fears. Confirming them!

I don't think I like the way this movie is going to end. No...I'm sure I don't...

-- mar (derigueur@aol.com), October 01, 1999.

Ask him!

;-D

Diane

Grindley, George - incumbent Republican Representative for District 35.

http:// www.friendsofgeorge.org/

Here is everything you need to know to get in touch with George:

George H. Grindley Jr.
P.O. Box 747
Marietta, GA 30061
Phone (770) 425-3999
Capitol (404) 656-0265

E-Mail: george@friendsofgeorge.org

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 01, 1999.

See also...

http://www2.state.ga.us/Legis/1997_98/house/gahm35.htm

Georgia House of Representatives
Representative George H. Grindley, Jr. (R-35)

Legislative Office Building / Room 604 / Atlanta , GA 30334
Post Office Box 747 / Marietta , GA 30061
Capitol: (404) 656-0265 ... District: (770) 425-3999 ... Fax: (770) 514-7450

Email: Grindley@atl.mindspring.com

###

Looks like a real sweetie! ;-)

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 01, 1999.

P.S. Just sent him an "e" requesting confirmation.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 01, 1999.

Is there any way to confirm this? If true, it looks as if there will be at least some who will not make it. Summer is the leanest time?

-- B (b@b.com), October 01, 1999.

I corresponded with Georgia State Rep. George Grindley (R-43rd District, Marietta) last July; his email address at that time was grindley@mindspring.com and he responded to my email within one day. He heads the Y2K committee for the Georgia State Legislature. In his email to me he did not mention his three months of preps, though I have seen that figure elsewhere with regard to Rep. Grindley. I quoted Rep. Grindley's response to me on a forum thread at the time.

Rep. Grindley's primary fear regarding power grids is not Y2K but terrorism, including cyber terrorism. He told me that a highly placed power company official showed him just how easy it would be to take down parts of the grid. Grindley claims that the feds have been privately warning state officials to prepare for up to three weeks of power disruptions--again, the fear is primarily terrorism, not Y2K. This information seems to reinforce a 1997 joint DoD/NSA/FBI study that concluded, among other unpleasant things, that it was possible for highly coordinated cells of cyber terrorists to take down the entire North American Grid. Obviously, I have no idea just what the odds of such an event occurring would be--nor, I suspect, does anybody else. I would *guess* that regional/local disruptions are more likely. In any event, it seems that the feds are sweating possible cyber terrorist attacks against U.S. core infrastructures. (Myself, I would sweat possible biochemical/suitcase nuke attacks much more, and would not be anywhere near, say, Times Square or the D.C. Mall on New Year's Eve unless I had a death wish.)

The Y2K report about Southern Company is news to me; I'd like to see some independent verification. My belief is that Y2K threats to power grids have been generally overstated.

Rep. Grindley also mentioned to me that many or most Georgia SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) are doing little or nothing for Y2K--a situation that he characterized as potentially "disastrous."

-- Don Florence (dflorence@zianet.com), October 01, 1999.

I've spoke with Rep Grindley several times, heard him on the radio and at state meeting other times. He's knowledgeable and appears thorough. For example, he sponsored a GA bill to allow people to get more prescription medicinces, validate insurance coverage etc.

(The Democrats in the GA Senate refused to even pass it through committee though - tells you who they listen to, doesn't it.)

Curiously, or perhaps not, his own district is in the middle of Marietta, Cobb County GA - one of the earliest cities to declare its remediation program to complete survey, remediation, installation, testing, and verification in the country. (Marietta completed preps in Sept 1998, and has been reviewing and updating contingency plans since. They began in 1995, and have included all city, county, and utility services in the repair effort. Their efforts have been genuine and have been audited.)

If any town can be expected to "make it" - his (which is next to mine too!) is in the best shape of almost all.

So, given that, I personally disagree with his assumption of terrorism near the y2k turnover, although I expect more "hacking" than anything else. Terrorism will be used though as an excuse for almost every action Clinton takes though. That is my real fear.

---

Atlanta (across the river a few miles further south) has completed almost nothing, and has lately said they "might not" be able to complete even writing their contingency plans.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), October 01, 1999.

Just a reminder. The last gloomy report came from Grindley in the form of an email. I asked him for confirmation and got it. Someone might link to some of these older discussions. Grindley definitely has donned his tinfoil hat with the rest of us.

-- Dave (aaa@aaa.com), October 01, 1999.

I'm confused. Please confirm, preferably with an email from him, that Rep G has in fact made such comments as were alluded to at the beginning of this post. We are all familiar with his earlier statement. These latest ones, if proven genuine, could be useful in getting others to take note and do something.....

-- walter (wskold@lazrus.org), October 01, 1999.

This is Rep. Grindley, and I fear that a few of my comments have been taken out of context. Just for clarification, I am genuinely concerned about Y2k, I am not advocating the mass storing of firearms and ammunition. Someone close to the Southern Co. did indicate they have failed some recent tests, but I couldn't confirm directly. In a nutshell, there are no Y2K experts until January 1st. As far as my own preparations, I have 4 children 5 and under and can't afford to guess wrong.

-- Rep. George Grindley (grindley@mindspring.com), October 01, 1999.

Dear Rep. Grindley,

Thank you for posting here and responding directly to our concerns.

When I spoke to you in March, you seemed truly decent and sincere.

I wish that you would actually speak out more. Please provide the national leadership that we all need so crucially. The way the potential problems have been minimized is creating more risk by increasing the probability of panic.

We can't get our extended families to prepare because they all hear that this will be no worse than a three day storm.

Stand up to Clinton's policy of silence!!

None of us can afford to "guess wrong."

Please let us make an educated guess.

-- Sylvia Klewin (kklewin@cycom.net), October 01, 1999.

Rep. Grindley,

Thank you for your response, sir. It's much appreciated!

"...there are no Y2K experts until January 1st."

Says it in a nutshell.

Diane

(BTW, I don't advocate the mass storing of firearms and ammunition, either, since I prefer not to have a gun. Try to stay out of that debate).

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 01, 1999.

As a lurker--I'd like to comment on Rep. George's predictions--I have spoken to him directly and he sounds like he is taking things MUCH more seriously than a bitr. I hope that a number of Georgians will also take him seriously. I'd be very interested in Robert Cook's assessment of Atlanta (although I live in Roswell (where I can drink the crisp cool water of the Chattahootchee---------NOT!)) Seriously,if any of you have specific information about Atlanta, I'd naturally appreciate it. I work with groups of medically fragile people and would like to give them as much of a 'heads up' as possible. God bless you all --especially in North Carolina. Thanks,,S

-- Sally Dalloway (SallyDalloway@hotmailsnotsafe.com), October 01, 1999.

Rep Grindley,

With respect, you didn't actually clarify many of the comments purportedly attributed to you. You spoke of the guns/ammo and electricity issues but not any of the other points (other than saying that you feared some of your comments had been taken out of context).

Should the comments about a "BREAKDOWN in the distribution of food supplies" and "They (both police and sheriff's departments) have been instructed that, should the electricity go down, they will be SENT HOME.... Rep. Grindley said he had heard of other counties taking the same position" (amongst others) thus stand as stated?

(Hope you don't mind questions from a foreigner)

-- Johnny Canuck (j_canuck@hotmail.com), October 02, 1999.

By 'refuting' only certain comments (perhaps) attributed to him re: guns and ammo, he has in fact confirmed the veracity of other comments attributed.

He certainly would not take the time to post here without also making it clear that he did *not* say 'x', if in fact he had not said it.

-- me (me@me.me), October 02, 1999.

In case some of you lurkers may not trust the authenticity of Grindley's response, I emailed him and asked him to post. He emailed me the confirmation that he had posted. Presumably the sysops can confirm all this if necessary as well.

Regards...

-- Dave (aaa@aaa.com), October 02, 1999.

While much of the country hears about a possible "three-day winter storm," it looks as if officially suggested prep time in Georgia was recently raised to two weeks--apparently with Washington's approval. Are officials in Georgia or Atlanta more Y2K aware, or did the area get a later start than other areas?

http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/reports/y2k/dos.html

[snip]

[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 9.19.99]

Be prepared: A list of do's

By Marilyn Geewax

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

Washington -- Don't panic, but get prepared. While the nation's basic infrastructure will function after Jan. 1, authorities say the Y2K computer bug is sure to cause some problems. The power could go out in one community, while the water system falters in another and traffic lights malfunction in still another. Because no one can say with certainty which systems might fail, "the basic message we are giving people is ... be prepared for an emergency," said Red Cross spokeswoman Leslie Credit. Start your preparations by figuring out who is going to be in your household between Dec. 31 and mid-January, and what each person's special needs will be. Then lay out a strategy for making sure everyone can stay hydrated, healthy and warm for up to two weeks. These are among the recommendations being made by mainstream agencies:

[snip]

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), October 02, 1999.

Thank you Rep. Grindley. I also live in Georgia, and yes Atlanta worries me a great deal. If the city isn't ready, most of our state government offices are in jeopardy.

I do know someone who was working Hartsfield Airport remediation. When Mayor Bill Campbell was saying everything was 100% compliant, there were two major problems with airport remediation; the runway lights, and the control tower. The same company that was to do the remediation for Atlanta was doing the work at the Airport. Atlanta fired them, because they would not hire more minorites. They were already starting late, so that just made it worse.

When the government says "local", I read "Atlanta". If Atlanta has problems, those problems will certainly influence the southeast to some extent. How much? Who knows.

-worried and prepared in Georgia

-- Dian (bdp@accessunited.com), October 03, 1999.

My e-mail to Rep Grindley:

From: yinadral To: grindley@mindspring.com Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 06:05:40 -0400 Subject: Re: Posting your message on TB2000 Message-ID: <19991002.060830.13742.0.yinadral@juno.com>

Dear Sir,

I am the one that moved the e-mail from one forum to another in order to get at the truth. I tried to make it clear that the information contained therein was unverified. If I have done you harm sir I apologize.

The problem we are having regarding Y2K is a lack of direct and honest leadership from the Government. So when we have seemingly credible information from a credible source we post it and try to verifiy it. Hence this situation.

I have been pounded with questions since your post in response to try to get verification about the statements contained in the post itself. (Lets leave the firearms issue out of this as it is a small part of what we are trying to do and has no real bearing here).

What people want to know is about the food supply - will there be problems, the power grid - is the Government expecting failures. Is the remediation efforts really not what the gov't says they are. Is martial law a reality?

The reason there seems to be such a hunger for information is that like your self, people have family members to prepare for and a good many of them are waiting for that one piece of credible information to force them to prepare.

If possible, I would like to hear your thoughts regarding the other issues that were included in that posting. I will respect your request not to re- post them if that is your desire but I am truly interested in your view.

Sincerely,

Steve

_Here is his reply:

To: Date: Sat, 2 Oct 1999 18:09:54 -0400 Subject: RE: Posting your message on TB2000 Message-ID:

Steve,

I hesitate to state many comments in the definitive because NO ONE knows exactly what will happen here. We've never had one of these before. You can pretty much find any view you seek out there in the mainstream. I do expect some food shortages due to the panic nature of y2k in general. Most stores only have 72 hours of food and can not handle a huge sudden demand change like this.

I do know that 38 states currently have their national guard on ready alert for that night. I have heard much debate on the issue of cyberterrorism. One should be concerned just by the amount of money being spent by the Feds to prepare for that contingency.

Bottom line is there are NO y2k experts until January 1st, and that also applies to myself. We must weigh the risk of preparation with the risk of non-preparation. There are many things that one can do without going into massive debt.

A good friend of mine started a distributorship of some very high quality food. I bought some and would highly recommend it. He's at www.alpinetradingco.com .

I have already been targeted in the next election because some feel that I have gone too far with my y2k stand. I want to make sure that I can responsibly encourage people to prepare without going crazy.

What causes panic is when people loose the ability to prepare. That time is soon approaching.

Feel free to post this where ever you like.

Yours in service,

George Grindley Georgia State Rep. Dist. 35 P.O.Box 747 Marietta, Ga. 30061 http://www.friendsofgeorge.org/

*******************************

-- ExCop (yinadral@juno.com), October 03, 1999.

BTW,

I've now traded a few e-mails with Rep Grindley (he IS a "sweetie") and also gave him the URL to this thread.

That IS his response.

Diane

(He also shared the URL that announces the recent birth of a son. No wonder he's so serious about being responsible for his large family! Thanks George!)

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 03, 1999.