Happy New Year? - We can hope so, but in the meantime let's prepare for the worst!

As I write this, the year 2011 is rapidly coming to a close and soon we can breathe a sight of relief and exclaim, “We made it through another one.” As we head into 2012, a look into the crystal ball reveals it will really be a very eventful, turbulent and potentially dangerous year.

Politics will certainly occupy center stage, commencing with the Iowa caucuses this week and continuing through Election Day on Nov. 6. In my view, this will be the most important election since the Lincoln presidency and the beginning of the Civil War. We can’t afford to get it wrong, as too much is at stake. We need a president and Congress who can bring us together and who can face up to and devise solutions to the myriad complex problems that confront us, some of which are potentially catastrophic. Our very survival as a free democratic nation will be at risk, and we can no longer tolerate politics as usual.

The greatest immediate threat to the security of our nation and the welfare of the population will come into play this year when Iran achieves its nuclear weapons capability. This is a done deal unless we or Israel exercise the military option. I don’t believe the current administration and Congress have the resolve to eliminate Iran as a nuclear threat. What I foresee is the downplaying of Iran’s possession of only a few nuclear weapons as of little consequence, as the retaliation by us or Israel would be massive and would destroy Iran completely. Well, we can no longer count on a strategy of absorbing a few nuclear detonations before responding.

Iran has already developed a mid-range nuclear missile delivery system that has a range in excess of 1,000 miles. This missile system could be covertly loaded onto innocent-looking merchant ships and they could ply the waters off our coastlines.

The big danger, and one the government is not telling us about, is that Iran is working on developing an electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) warfare capability. Basically an EMP attack would consist of specially designed nuclear warheads that when detonated at a high altitude would emit a series of dense and highly charged electro-magnetic impulses that would attack all electrical facilities and systems over hundreds of miles and fry them. In short, much of our power grid and everything with a computer chip would be wiped out. Some but not all of our military facilities and weaponry have been EMP-hardened. None of our vital civilian facilities and systems are protected from EMP. In summary, with two or three well-placed nuclear EMP weapons, Iran can put us back into the Model-T age. We must get them before they get us.

On a quite different front, scientists are warning us that in 2012 we will experience a higher rate of sunspot activity than that of 1958, when the earth was bombarded with enormous amounts of electro-magnetic energy. Potentially this could severely degrade our communications and electrical systems. It perhaps will create catastrophic storms and trigger earthquakes and volcanic activity as well. This is not good news for us, as we sit astride the largest super-volcano hot spot ever discovered. It lies in Yellowstone Park and possesses the highest magnitude 8 potential. The ground under the lake has been expanding and the soil around the lake has been rising in temperature since 2004.

To make matters worse, over time large accumulations of uranium have taken place under this hot spot. When this volcano erupts it will spew radioactive lava over Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska and parts of Canada. Scientists have stated it isn’t a question of whether it will erupt, it’s a matter of when.

The strong sunspot activity which we will undergo, coupled with the current weakening of the earth’s magnetic field, can have some serious effects. A few scientists state that the potential for a polar reversal will exist. Evidence proves that polar reversals have taken place on the Earth in the past. The good news is that most authorities on the subject believe it will happen slowly, possibly over 1,000 years and not be a fast reversal, as some predict for 2012. Patrick Geryl in his book “How to Survive in 2012” predicts that a polar reversal will stop the earth rotating eastward and it will begin spinning westward with devastating effects on the earth and its population. He predicts this will happen on Dec. 21, 2012, which conveniently coincides with the end of the Mayan calendar. I’m in the camp of those who believe that when the Mayan Calendar ends, it will merely turn over and start again.

I am not going to say much about the economic problems we face, except to say that the possible demise of the European Union would be felt worldwide and certainly will create a deeper recession or perhaps a global depression. I’m not trying to be a fearmonger or a “Chicken Little” and proclaim the sky is falling, but I do feel it’s prudent to prepare for the potential natural and manmade disasters that could occur. It’s just good insurance to do planning and preparation.

For starters, I would recommend everyone download a FEMA publication titled, “Are You Ready?,” an in-depth guide to citizen preparedness (IS-22). This publication provides a step-by-step approach to disaster preparedness. Secondly, develop a family emergency plan and put together an emergency kit, along with at least a 30-day food and water supply. Lastly, get to know your neighbors. Learn what each of you have to offer and who will need extra help in an emergency. In times of severe difficulty we will neeBy JACK HELLER

As I write this, the year 2011 is rapidly coming to a close and soon we can breathe a sight of relief and exclaim, “We made it through another one.” As we head into 2012, a look into the crystal ball reveals it will really be a very eventful, turbulent and potentially dangerous year.

Politics will certainly occupy center stage, commencing with the Iowa caucuses this week and continuing through Election Day on Nov. 6. In my view, this will be the most important election since the Lincoln presidency and the beginning of the Civil War. We can’t afford to get it wrong, as too much is at stake. We need a president and Congress who can bring us together and who can face up to and devise solutions to the myriad complex problems that confront us, some of which are potentially catastrophic. Our very survival as a free democratic nation will be at risk, and we can no longer tolerate politics as usual.

The greatest immediate threat to the security of our nation and the welfare of the population will come into play this year when Iran achieves its nuclear weapons capability. This is a done deal unless we or Israel exercise the military option. I don’t believe the current administration and Congress have the resolve to eliminate Iran as a nuclear threat. What I foresee is the downplaying of Iran’s possession of only a few nuclear weapons as of little consequence, as the retaliation by us or Israel would be massive and would destroy Iran completely. Well, we can no longer count on a strategy of absorbing a few nuclear detonations before responding.

Iran has already developed a mid-range nuclear missile delivery system that has a range in excess of 1,000 miles. This missile system could be covertly loaded onto innocent-looking merchant ships and they could ply the waters off our coastlines.

The big danger, and one the government is not telling us about, is that Iran is working on developing an electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) warfare capability. Basically an EMP attack would consist of specially designed nuclear warheads that when detonated at a high altitude would emit a series of dense and highly charged electro-magnetic impulses that would attack all electrical facilities and systems over hundreds of miles and fry them. In short, much of our power grid and everything with a computer chip would be wiped out. Some but not all of our military facilities and weaponry have been EMP-hardened. None of our vital civilian facilities and systems are protected from EMP. In summary, with two or three well-placed nuclear EMP weapons, Iran can put us back into the Model-T age. We must get them before they get us.

On a quite different front, scientists are warning us that in 2012 we will experience a higher rate of sunspot activity than that of 1958, when the earth was bombarded with enormous amounts of electro-magnetic energy. Potentially this could severely degrade our communications and electrical systems. It perhaps will create catastrophic storms and trigger earthquakes and volcanic activity as well. This is not good news for us, as we sit astride the largest super-volcano hot spot ever discovered. It lies in Yellowstone Park and possesses the highest magnitude 8 potential. The ground under the lake has been expanding and the soil around the lake has been rising in temperature since 2004.

To make matters worse, over time large accumulations of uranium have taken place under this hot spot. When this volcano erupts it will spew radioactive lava over Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska and parts of Canada. Scientists have stated it isn’t a question of whether it will erupt, it’s a matter of when.

The strong sunspot activity which we will undergo, coupled with the current weakening of the earth’s magnetic field, can have some serious effects. A few scientists state that the potential for a polar reversal will exist. Evidence proves that polar reversals have taken place on the Earth in the past. The good news is that most authorities on the subject believe it will happen slowly, possibly over 1,000 years and not be a fast reversal, as some predict for 2012. Patrick Geryl in his book “How to Survive in 2012” predicts that a polar reversal will stop the earth rotating eastward and it will begin spinning westward with devastating effects on the earth and its population. He predicts this will happen on Dec. 21, 2012, which conveniently coincides with the end of the Mayan calendar. I’m in the camp of those who believe that when the Mayan Calendar ends, it will merely turn over and start again.

I am not going to say much about the economic problems we face, except to say that the possible demise of the European Union would be felt worldwide and certainly will create a deeper recession or perhaps a global depression. I’m not trying to be a fearmonger or a “Chicken Little” and proclaim the sky is falling, but I do feel it’s prudent to prepare for the potential natural and manmade disasters that could occur. It’s just good insurance to do planning and preparation.

For starters, I would recommend everyone download a FEMA publication titled, “Are You Ready?,” an in-depth guide to citizen preparedness (IS-22). This publication provides a step-by-step approach to disaster preparedness. Secondly, develop a family emergency plan and put together an emergency kit, along with at least a 30-day food and water supply. Lastly, get to know your neighbors. Learn what each of you have to offer and who will need extra help in an emergency. In times of severe difficulty we will need to pool our resources and expertise in order to survive.

What happens when individuals and the community are unprepared was evidenced by the city of New Orleans during hurricane “Katrina.” That example also proves that you cannot rely on the government or other entities in times of emergency. Let’s all heed that adage, “God helps them who help themselves.”

Hopefully 2012 will turn out to be just another normal year and at its end we can again sigh and exclaim, “We made it through another one.”

Jack Heller is a resident of Lakeside.