Be prepared for the end of the world

Columns like Alli Fox’s (Sept. 18) about the 2012 apocalypse are well placed in the Opinion section of your paper. Ms. Fox rails on about the end of the Mayan long count calendar and likens it to the Y2K scare, without even once referencing any knowledgeable sources. Naysayers like Ms. Fox can create a warm fuzzy sense of security by spouting their comforting disbelief in controversial theories put forth by more knowledgeable people than she.

“The world is flat,” “the universe revolves around the Earth,” “nuclear fusion is impossible,” “man can’t go into space,” are but a few examples of other unsubstantiated notions through the centuries. As for Dec. 21, 2012, this exact point in time is notable in several ways: the Mayan calendar ends, the I-Ching ends, the web bot project suggests a major event that day, Planet X (if you believe in Nibaru) will be at it’s closest point to Earth that day, a magnetic pole shift, Hopi and other Native American prophecies, the Bible code, Edgar Cayce, Merlin to name just a few predictions for that day.

Ms. Fox states, “There is no actual scientific theory or evidence that anything unusual is going to happen in 2012.”

Scientific fact: Our solar system will cross the center line of the galaxy at a time when our sun is at the height of its 11 year activity cycle. This coincides with the scientific fact that the Earth’s magnetic fields will be at a very weak point as North and South are swapping polarity.

I’m not a “Doomsayer,” only someone who believes in being prepared. One cannot prepare for all possibilities. But if you deny any possibilities for disaster, you will assuredly be ill-prepared for whatever happens and may not survive. Our own Homeland Security Agency as well as the state of Michigan recommends disaster preparedness for self-sufficient survival for the period of 72 hours to two weeks. This is in case we have a natural or man-made disaster, the result of which we might be without electric power, food, water and maybe heat and shelter. I know we aren’t in a hurricane danger zone here in the wonderful U.P., but we could have a blizzard bad enough to knock out electricity for a time. No one on Earth is safe from a possible solar flare knocking down the power grid as happened in the northeast in 1987.

In conclusion, public figures and journalists like Alli Fox must not lead us into a sense of public well-being in the status quo. The best I can hope for with this letter is everyone will do some research into issues of concern like 2012. I hope they do this before they make up their minds and not just say “OK” when someone else tells us all things are normal and not to worry. College students will be our next leaders and must make informed decisions of their own. A good place to start your 2012 research is www.december212012.com. This is a non-profit site with many links of information.

“Be prepared.” The Boy Scout motto.

Rex Martens

Negaunee, MI