In the Tucson, Arizona, area in the past several weeks we have been getting more on Y2k from the local county and city agencies on preparing for y2k. In Tucson, a Y2k Community Partnership has been formed, which includes the Red Cross, the city of Tucson, Pima County, Tucson Water, Electric Power, Southwest Gas, US WEst, etc.... On October 31,1999 they published a 12-page document, placed in with the advertisements, titled "Transition to 2000." However, most of my friends did not even notice it. It was a dull pale green, easy to overlook among the flashy ads for products. I almost missed it. I went to Tucson and picked up 75 copies to distribute in my church and other groups. Today, I called this document to the attention of the church women's group. Only a few had seen it, so I gave copies to those who wanted them. I pointed out that this Partnership "is encouraging individuals to take charge of their own Y2k future." So on one hand they say don't worry, on the other hand it is be prepared to fend for yourself. Since this is a church group, I pointed out that after the first of the year, the men might have to start collecting food for the food bank every week instead of once a month as they do now. I had lifted up Y2k for the attention of this group months ago. Some are preparing. I told them I would continue to be a "messenger" even tho I know what has happened to messengers in the past. I also mention the peak solar flare cycles in 2000 and 2001, which NASA expects will interfere with our satellites and power grids; also the global warming which is caus

-- Hilda Rose Zahn Spagna (Hspagna@aol.com), November 10, 1999

Answers

Hilda--yes, I have also noticed recently that after months of near-total silence, our local newspaper is running articles actually informing us what our county agencies (esp. medical, police, fire, search & rescue, 911, and communications transponders) are specifically planning to do. Very encouraging to read, they are good, sound plans that are very professionally thought out--if for one community preparing for a severe blizzard, ala Koskinen. But though minimal, at least it's something, and at least we're hearing something! Our church last winter held Y2k discussions until March, when as if by agreement, all discussion stopped. I kept expressing concern. That left me in the odd position as being hailed by the pastor and others as the brother most obssesed with y2k...I said, hey! I thought we ALL were concerned, and agreed we should keep informed, etc. Very odd. Now, however, more people are talking openly about it in the community at large. Maybe more folks are concerned, or maybe they just think it's so close now, why not talk about it? I don't really know; it's a public reaction I've never seen before. It's voluntary, near-unanimous censorship of an urgent subject that will affect us all if it affects any. Meanwhile, on the TV, no subject other than y2k seems to be so low, depressing, disgusting, that "we" cannot avoid dialogues on the urgent topic at hand. Know what I mean? If this y2k thing isn't real, why the frightened silence for so long? It's as though we can talk about it now, we have been good, we haven't "panicked", we have obeyed the Tsar's edicts, now it's too late to save ourselves from our unknown fate due to our (psychologically enforced) lack of preparation, surely the Cossacks won't punish us for daring to breathe our fears now, so close to the time. What harm can talking about it do now? It's too late to disobey the Party line in any meaningful way. ...And yet--the caveats are still in place, the qualifiers that will guard against our fellows thinking that we are certifiably nuts. The campaign of ridicule and the subtle (?) threat of being thought unpatriotic, an "enemy of the People", has worked amazingly well.

-- Ben Corson (bcorson@dmi.net), November 14, 1999.