Great metaphor of the current political situation Elliot. You left off one important component in
surviving an earthquake, cooperation. There were so many stories after the huge Alaska quake of people forming human chains, arms and hand, pulling others from danger, helping each other stay on their feet so they had mobility, etc, etc.
I don’t want to over do my welcome here, Elliot, but I am sure there are few readers who have experienced a huge physical earthquake… the feelings of instability… why I think your use of an earthquake as a metaphor is so appropriate.
You are just living your day, suddenly everything starts moving, the building is creaking and groaning, things a falling all around you. You grab the sofa, but it slides across the room. There is nothing to hold on to, because everything is sliding. You finally get outdoors, grab your arms around a small tree. As each wave (like swells move through water) moves across the land the tree bends over to the ground, then down to the ground on the other side. The tall buildings half a block apart are swaying so much, that in the trough of the wave, the tops crash together. The asphalt street opens in a crevasse then closes. The face of buildings smash onto cars, many which are upside down. You are screaming, but you don’t notice until later when your throat burns and you remember hearing your voice. After 4 minutes the movement stops, but the city you know is destroyed. People are helping each other or walking in dazed quiet. Then the aftershocks start. If 45 gets reelected the aftershocks will surprise people with how hard they are to deal with.
Brilliant. Very well described. Having been born in Chile and lived in CA 32 years, I know how correct you are. In 1960 I was 12. We felt it as about a 6.2 . But the epicenter, 530 miles away, got 9.5. The earthquake and tsuname were felt in Hawaii. Approximately 1600 people died and 3000 were injured. I remember the US sent 2 or three mobile hospitales and personnel, as well as supplies: blankets, clothing , food.
(I will give this to the US people and government. In the event of a catastrophe, they do come together. As they did during the height of 9.11. I do not understand why, now, the repugnants cannot see Baltimore as a catastrophe!!)
Then I was in California in 1971, during the 6.5 Sylmar Earthquake, about 30 miles from the epicenter, and in 1984, a 6.2 was felt in LA, but the epicenter was East of San Jose, about 300 milrs away. In California there is sysmic activity daily. Most of it can only be perceived by specialized technological instruments.
People who have never experienced even a Trefort, have no idea what it feels likecor what to do.
Your comments really ilustrated it very well. I applaude you.
I first learned about global warming in a college ecology class I took in 1970. The Earth showed a steady, if small increase in temperature. Our teacher thought we might have about 100 years to "fix things" to forego the worst consequences. Wrong!!! here we are a mere 54 years later and we've already reached the disastrous increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius, last year. 2.0 degrees Celsius increase has been the predicted point of no return. AND the United States of America, until Joe Biden, has done bloody little.
If the trumpster is elected he has promised to undo everything Biden accomplished. Why not, at 78, overweight, with a crappy diet, and no exercise what the hell does he care - he'll be dead anyway, screw his kids and grandkids.
Some of us, including me when I was a homeowner, did what little we could. I put solar hot water and solar voltaic on my roof. I drove a Prius, but that's a grain of sand compared to what needs to be done.
If we want our grandchildren to survive, we need to stop coddling the billionaire class, Make extreme cuts to fossil fuels. Switch globally to green replaceable energy, reduce our use of plastics to very little; for instance instead of single use plastic bags, bring and use reusable bags. What plastics we do use must be reusable (at least as reusable as glass) or permanent - like plexiglas.
Thank you Elliot for your story about earthquakes and how strict building codes help us prepare for them. As a native of Chile, I know that very strict building codes enabled Santiago Chile to suffer minimal damage from the 2010 earthquake that measured 8.8 on the Richter scale. Unfortunately, I don’t think building codes as strict as Chile’s have been applied in Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, or Seattle. Therefore, I hope that they avoid an earthquake of the same magnitude. If a severe earthquake does strike those cities, buildings with foundations to bedrock and not fill land will survive.
Usted és de origen Croata? He ido a Croacia 4 veces. Es un país muy bello. Yo regresé a Chile por primera vez en 2001 y desde entonces cinco veces más. En qué Estado vive Usted? Yo viví 32 años en CA y 20 en MA. Ahora soy trotamundos, nómade. Gusto de conocerlo, aunque sea aquí.
Mi padre es de origen Croata y mi madre de origen Ruso. Se casaron en Chile antes de emigrar a Philadelphia. Yo vivo en Oregon pero he vivido en WA, MA, CT, y CA.
The huge loss of life and property in the big San Fransisco earthquake, many years ago, was due to the fires that were started, not so much the shaking.
Great advice! Living across the street from your parents has provided good lessons in preparedness. They are always on top of important safety measures.
Retrofitting for stability and constructing for stability happen with regularity when the folks with power take seriously the threats of earthquakes. In some parts of our earthquake vulnerable world there would seem to be a scarcity of resources to do so. In the US resources are available but folks seem unwilling until there is an actual earthquake. The bottom line may be that, apart from "out of sight, out of mind, other priorities clamor, and the bottom line may be money.
Beautifully and diplomatically stated. The MAGA republicans ONLY care for themselves. I do not think they give a damn about future generations. One thousand billionairs. They can never spend their money. Some are philantropists. But most only care about themselves. Not even their families. (Ask Mary Trump if you do not believe me. What her grandfather did to her father is heinous!)
I would love to be a fly on the wall 50 years from now and see what history books say about the orange monster and his cohorts.
Great metaphor of the current political situation Elliot. You left off one important component in
surviving an earthquake, cooperation. There were so many stories after the huge Alaska quake of people forming human chains, arms and hand, pulling others from danger, helping each other stay on their feet so they had mobility, etc, etc.
This is a great point. The importance of community. Another aspect of civic life imperiled by our toxic political divisiveness.
I don’t want to over do my welcome here, Elliot, but I am sure there are few readers who have experienced a huge physical earthquake… the feelings of instability… why I think your use of an earthquake as a metaphor is so appropriate.
You are just living your day, suddenly everything starts moving, the building is creaking and groaning, things a falling all around you. You grab the sofa, but it slides across the room. There is nothing to hold on to, because everything is sliding. You finally get outdoors, grab your arms around a small tree. As each wave (like swells move through water) moves across the land the tree bends over to the ground, then down to the ground on the other side. The tall buildings half a block apart are swaying so much, that in the trough of the wave, the tops crash together. The asphalt street opens in a crevasse then closes. The face of buildings smash onto cars, many which are upside down. You are screaming, but you don’t notice until later when your throat burns and you remember hearing your voice. After 4 minutes the movement stops, but the city you know is destroyed. People are helping each other or walking in dazed quiet. Then the aftershocks start. If 45 gets reelected the aftershocks will surprise people with how hard they are to deal with.
Brilliant. Very well described. Having been born in Chile and lived in CA 32 years, I know how correct you are. In 1960 I was 12. We felt it as about a 6.2 . But the epicenter, 530 miles away, got 9.5. The earthquake and tsuname were felt in Hawaii. Approximately 1600 people died and 3000 were injured. I remember the US sent 2 or three mobile hospitales and personnel, as well as supplies: blankets, clothing , food.
(I will give this to the US people and government. In the event of a catastrophe, they do come together. As they did during the height of 9.11. I do not understand why, now, the repugnants cannot see Baltimore as a catastrophe!!)
Then I was in California in 1971, during the 6.5 Sylmar Earthquake, about 30 miles from the epicenter, and in 1984, a 6.2 was felt in LA, but the epicenter was East of San Jose, about 300 milrs away. In California there is sysmic activity daily. Most of it can only be perceived by specialized technological instruments.
People who have never experienced even a Trefort, have no idea what it feels likecor what to do.
Your comments really ilustrated it very well. I applaude you.
Great analogy and thought provoking.
I first learned about global warming in a college ecology class I took in 1970. The Earth showed a steady, if small increase in temperature. Our teacher thought we might have about 100 years to "fix things" to forego the worst consequences. Wrong!!! here we are a mere 54 years later and we've already reached the disastrous increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius, last year. 2.0 degrees Celsius increase has been the predicted point of no return. AND the United States of America, until Joe Biden, has done bloody little.
If the trumpster is elected he has promised to undo everything Biden accomplished. Why not, at 78, overweight, with a crappy diet, and no exercise what the hell does he care - he'll be dead anyway, screw his kids and grandkids.
Some of us, including me when I was a homeowner, did what little we could. I put solar hot water and solar voltaic on my roof. I drove a Prius, but that's a grain of sand compared to what needs to be done.
If we want our grandchildren to survive, we need to stop coddling the billionaire class, Make extreme cuts to fossil fuels. Switch globally to green replaceable energy, reduce our use of plastics to very little; for instance instead of single use plastic bags, bring and use reusable bags. What plastics we do use must be reusable (at least as reusable as glass) or permanent - like plexiglas.
Thank you Elliot for your story about earthquakes and how strict building codes help us prepare for them. As a native of Chile, I know that very strict building codes enabled Santiago Chile to suffer minimal damage from the 2010 earthquake that measured 8.8 on the Richter scale. Unfortunately, I don’t think building codes as strict as Chile’s have been applied in Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, or Seattle. Therefore, I hope that they avoid an earthquake of the same magnitude. If a severe earthquake does strike those cities, buildings with foundations to bedrock and not fill land will survive.
Hola, compatriota! Yo salí én 1966...
Yo salí de Chile en 1965, pero regreso para visitar familia.
Usted és de origen Croata? He ido a Croacia 4 veces. Es un país muy bello. Yo regresé a Chile por primera vez en 2001 y desde entonces cinco veces más. En qué Estado vive Usted? Yo viví 32 años en CA y 20 en MA. Ahora soy trotamundos, nómade. Gusto de conocerlo, aunque sea aquí.
Mi padre es de origen Croata y mi madre de origen Ruso. Se casaron en Chile antes de emigrar a Philadelphia. Yo vivo en Oregon pero he vivido en WA, MA, CT, y CA.
Gracias por contestar.
Un saludos cálido.
Luck favors the prepared.
~Edna Moe, The Incredibles
'Be prepared, have a plan in place, educate all in your sphere, and give the rest to God' is my motto.
The huge loss of life and property in the big San Fransisco earthquake, many years ago, was due to the fires that were started, not so much the shaking.
Great advice! Living across the street from your parents has provided good lessons in preparedness. They are always on top of important safety measures.
Retrofitting for stability and constructing for stability happen with regularity when the folks with power take seriously the threats of earthquakes. In some parts of our earthquake vulnerable world there would seem to be a scarcity of resources to do so. In the US resources are available but folks seem unwilling until there is an actual earthquake. The bottom line may be that, apart from "out of sight, out of mind, other priorities clamor, and the bottom line may be money.
Very wise words.
Beautifully and diplomatically stated. The MAGA republicans ONLY care for themselves. I do not think they give a damn about future generations. One thousand billionairs. They can never spend their money. Some are philantropists. But most only care about themselves. Not even their families. (Ask Mary Trump if you do not believe me. What her grandfather did to her father is heinous!)
I would love to be a fly on the wall 50 years from now and see what history books say about the orange monster and his cohorts.
Thank you Elliot, for your eloquence and wisdom.
For shure, hindsight can only be better than foresight, if it has foresight to be compared to!