The Stories and Novels By Derek Ward
Tampa means Sticks Of Fire, due to our inordinate amount of lightning. Most of the time, it’s just pretty bolts arching across the sky. Then there are times it reaches down and destroys a perfectly good computer. And router.
I’m pissed, but I was planning on building a new one soon anyway. Still, damn it.
Florida summer has returned with its normal blazing heat combined with enough humidity to make you think you’re breathing through a wet towel. Okay, I’ve lived here since I was four. I’m kind of used to it.
Here’s the fun part. Apparently, this summer wave has made someone in the office think the remedy is to turn up the A/C to extreme levels. Outside, furnace. Inside, it’s cold enough I need to turn on my heater just to make my office comfortable.
Where’s my pack of feral chihuahuas when I need them?
This morning, my phone asked me if I wanted to update my carrier settings. My first thought was “Great, now I can control a Nimitz-class!”
One of my friends related a situation that happened to her. She was at a conference when an alarm sounds instructing everyone to evacuate the hotel. No siren, just flashing fire alarms and the voice telling the guests to evacuate.
Not one of the attendees at this professional conference moved until the speaker told them to evacuate.
We discussed this on the Book of Face as to why no one moved or reacted. There was some discussion that we’ve become so inured to alarms, our reactions are muted. That may be part of it, but I wonder if because it wasn’t a traditional alarm, there wasn’t the automatic reflex to evacuate.
What are the lessons?
1. Plan. “Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.” No matter where you are or who you’re with, you need to plan. If I need to leave in a hurry, where are the exits? Where are the most likely areas an attack could come from, and what actions can I take to deter and what tools do I need to protect myself and those under my care? Don’t just make one plan. Try to have at least three for the most common situations. Planning also means having the tools available. Do you have a gun, knife, flashlight, lighter, and/or first-aid kit? If you can’t carry some of these items, do you have something that can substitute for them? Have you trained in shooting, fighting, first-aid? These are all parts of planning for emergencies before they happen.
2. Be aware. When something unusual appears in your environment, you can’t just brush it off. It may be an unlocked door, a suspicious person, or an unfamiliar alarm. If it sets off your “spidey-sense,” it did so for a reason.
3. Act. All of your planning and awareness is useless if you don’t act. It can be hard to be the first one in a professional conference to stand up and walk out while everyone stands there. It may be difficult to call about a suspicious person because of fear of falsely accusing someone. Don’t be afraid to act, and don’t be afraid to tell other people to act. They may be thinking the same as you, but need that small kick in the pants to get moving.
4. React, Adapt, and Overcome. “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” You can’t plan for everything. There will be something that your plan didn’t take into account. This is where a level head and constant evaluation is necessary. In many ways, this is Plan, Be Aware, and Act at light speed. I know, “How do you plan for the unexpected?” Some of this will be helped by planning, it may just not be a plan you had for the original situation. Having a large “database” of plans and reactions can help when confronted with new situations. Also, being aware of alternate uses for the tools you have and the items in the environment is extremely helpful. The most important component of this is still to keep thinking. The situation doesn’t end when you put your plan into action, it ends when you are out of harm’s way.
5. Evaluation. Once the emergency is passed and everyone is safe, you have to evaluate the incident. Best to start as soon as possible, when the details are fresh. Try to have as many sources as possible to overcome your own perception issues. Ask “What went wrong/right?”; “Was there a better way?”; “What tools/training would have made this easier?”
6. Communicate. Talk with your friends and family so they can learn from your experience. Post it on Facebook, your blog, whatever. Don’t just keep it to yourself. Most of what I’ve learned isn’t because I’ve been in those situations, but because I’ve studied what others have done.
To help kick start this process, I would highly recommend the Practical Defense podcast.
Breda had this on her Facebook, and of course, I had to put my two cents worth.
One thing I noticed immediately was how often Florida, particularly South Florida, matched northern speech patterns. Damn Yankees. First they screw up the traffic, now they’re trying to make us sound like them. Damn Yankees.
Business Insider has an article about a speech given by General John Kelly about two Marines who died defending their post against a suicide truck bomb. You really need to read the whole thing. Here’s an excerpt:
They were from two completely different worlds. Had they not joined the Marines they would never have met each other, or understood that multiple America’s exist simultaneously depending on one’s race, education level, economic status, and where you might have been born. But they were Marines, combat Marines, forged in the same crucible of Marine training, and because of this bond they were brothers as close, or closer, than if they were born of the same woman.
The mission orders they received from the sergeant squad leader I am sure went something like: “Okay you two clowns, stand this post and let no unauthorized personnel or vehicles pass.†“You clear?†I am also sure Yale and Haerter then rolled their eyes and said in unison something like: “Yes Sergeant,†with just enough attitude that made the point without saying the words, “No kidding sweetheart, we know what we’re doing.†They then relieved two other Marines on watch and took up their post at the entry control point of Joint Security Station Nasser, in the Sophia section of Ramadi, al Anbar, Iraq.
A few minutes later a large blue truck turned down the alley way—perhaps 60-70 yards in length—and sped its way through the serpentine of concrete jersey walls. The truck stopped just short of where the two were posted and detonated, killing them both catastrophically. Twenty-four brick masonry houses were damaged or destroyed. A mosque 100 yards away collapsed. The truck’s engine came to rest two hundred yards away knocking most of a house down before it stopped.
These two Marines didn’t hesitate, but engaged the target threatening their brother Marines.
H/t Miguel
Condolescences to the families of the slain, and best wishes goes to the injured.
Now comes the waiting as the FBI and other law enforcement agencies do the hard work of investigating what exactly happened and who did it. Already the opportunists are coming out to blame their political opponents and/or give uninformed opinions for pay/screen time. To my knowledge, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack. There are approximately 12 million people in this nation who believe the world is being run by shapeshifting reptiles. For all we know right now, it could have been one of them trying to liberate us from our reptilian overlords. We just don’t know.
Like most people, I have a burning need to find the person(s) behind this and do horrific things to them. I also know that I am a skeptic, which means I will wait until the evidence is there to make a decision. Right now, the chattering class is busily filling the airwaves and Internet with noise.
I will wait patiently for the evidence, and deal with the frustration of not knowing. I would urge everyone else to do the same.
When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade, without further introduction.
Mark Twain, author
I’m using this quote mainly because of the newest addition to my family.
This is EBC, or Evil Black Cat. He even has a little tuft of white on his chest where his soul escaped.
A charging armadillo can be deterred by an opening umbrella.