The Pain

The pain, the pain.

Took my daughter down to the doughnut shop this morning. Hadn't been here in Kansas and there for six months. Fellow says to me:

"Well, Beach, Y2K came and nothing happened." "Worked out just about as I expected", I replied. "No", says he, "I heard your speeches".

On the Internet this week, saw a posting by a pollie called Factfinder, (of some notoriety or fame, depending on your viewpoint). He was crowing about how RIGHT he was.

He said:

"The "bad guys" were those who ONLY posted myths, exagerations, and falsehoods about Y2K and NEVER allowed factual information to flow from their sites, lists, or posts. ... The Beach Bug. ...eventually forming a whole PILE of y2k dung...phew ;) This ... seeing those who weren't knowledgeable of control systems ... it angered me."

People read, see, hear - whatever it is that they want to believe. This is particularly true of the collective consciousness. Once something is lodged in the collective consciousness then that becomes TRUTH no matter the facts otherwise.

In fact, in face of the strongest facts to the contrary, they then continue to believe the collective belief.

Y2K wasn't a problem! It is just coincidence that with an oil glut and the warmest winter on record and all the pre-Y2K oil stock piling and Saudi Arabia saying they would take up any supply slack and the British Navy parking its fleet and the U.S. grounding one third of its air tankers that the price of oil shot up to $30 a barrel in February just as I had anticipated.

And while there were THOUSANDS of glitches reported at glitch central and the satellites failed and blinded the military for hours and those of the NSA collapsed for days and a number (hundreds) of planes had stabilizer problems (some people actually being killed) and there were many refinery fires and shutdowns for unscheduled maintenance and that all this happened immediately with and following Y2K - all of this, and much more, was JUST coincidence, or as they say - ABY2K - Anything But Y2K (that is those who ridicule me).

Now, people overlook that what Beach said over, and over, and over - was that the GREATEST threat from Y2K was that

People Would Think That There Hadn't Been a Problem

and would say:

"Oh, weren't we foolish preparing for something that wasn't a problem. It is just like building all those bomb shelters back in the 60's, when there wasn't a nuclear war."

And I told the story over, and over, and over about:

"The two fellows of the sharp razor culture, - one slicing at the other - and the fellow says - "Hah! You missed me", and the first fellow says - "Yeah, well just shake your head".

Aside from the fact, that they were bleeding from the high oil prices, that the refineries were having difficulties, that the truck drivers were blocking the highways, still people continued to say Y2K had missed them. And they continue to believe it is so today.

They still can't see that Russia is crippled, that gas supplies are low in the US, that oil prices are creeping back up and that the shortages are causing major social problems in Russia.

In the US this summer there will probably be power outages (brown outs or rationing) along with higher gasoline prices. Yes, Beach is still expecting $3 gas by June 15th, although that is not far off and prices are still relatively low. (He has been admittedly fearful that he kind of pushed the June date and should have been more conservative, but to be later conflicts with his July concerns).

And what is to blame for all this? Certainly not Y2K, they would say. But that was the point of the Beach Bug. The problems would appear later. Not all at once at mid-night on New Years Eve.

That was the point of the razor story. That was the point of: http:www.webpal.org/Beach2.htm and the inevitability of nuclear war. Not that the Beach Bug would be the cause, but rather one of many contributing factors. The nuclear war was (is) inevitable - with or without the Beach Bug.

And so here we are. That old doomer Beach still sticking with his story. And still no one believing him.

The local newspaper ran a cartoon of an old guy with a long white beard carrying a computer on a pole over his shoulder, like a sign, saying "The world is going to end". (I'm an old guy with a long white beard) but gee, I too can believe in coincidence.

Of course, I have never said, "The world is going to end", especially in connection with Y2K New Years eve, although I am expecting TEOTWAWKI this year - (The End Of The World As We Know It).

Y2K was more mild than I expected. When I finally quantified it so that people could know where I stood, I said power outages in some neighborhoods of 17 North American Cities for a period of 3 hours to 3 days with social disturbances in 3 cities. It was even milder than that.

But no one really knew, how mild it would be. the government and companies made LOTS of preparations, spent billions of dollars to prepare, and did LOTS of work to prevent it. And it wasn't just because crazy old Beach got everyone irrationally excited about his Beach Bug.

All the companies and governments, with abated breath, were staying up late and watching their screens and monitors, that New Year's Eve. Watching, wondering, and hoping, with fingers crossed. But now the pollies do crow, and say Beach was a nut.

I always said, that all these things are just possibilities, of greater or lesser probability and that while I assigned serious Y2K events a low probability that, nevertheless, because of the potential seriousness, I advised preparation - always a good thing in any case. For those who remember, I gave several times, the example of a hundred cups of tea, only one of which contained strychnine.

But all these caveats are forgotten. There remains only in people's minds that Beach was the doomsday prophet and Y2K was not a problem.

There is ridicule - but on my part, not remorse - because I only do that which I feel still called to do. To warn, and warn, and warn.

Flee the cities. Flee the cities. Flee the cities.

Y2K is the Year 2000. Not the computer and New Year's Eve past, but rather the events we are about to go through.

But, for now, the world still laughs on.

>From the heart, Peace and love, Bruce Beach survival@webpal.org

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