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Tuesday, June 17, 2008

FAR Future, Episode 38: Coup Coup Land

Yet another echo from the FAR Future: Suburbs de-gentrifying. It would be a shame, wouldn’t it, if those “pot houses” and the like were to catch fire? Goodbye pot house, goodbye graffiti, hello space for a community garden…

Friday, August 1, 2014
Coup Coup Land


They finally decided to start fixing some of the fuel, power, and and Internet problems. Not a moment too soon… it’s kind of hard to get food when the delivery trucks can’t run to the supermarkets, and it’s hard to get any work done without access to the office LAN. Saying these dudes have serious control issues is an understatement, and one that’s likely to get you chucked in the slammer if you say it aloud.

The junta (that seems to be the right word) has really clamped down on the media, but they’re not as airtight as they’d like — the cell networks are mostly up, and good ol’ Sammy gets the word out. Not too many people here ever heard the word samizdat, but they know Sammy (and Sammy’s Data Service). Sheets packed with text and the occasional picture, left here and there. Cutting senryu printed on stickers and slapped on doorways and other high-traffic areas at eye level. Text messages on cellphones, “from” the White House press office. Daughter Dearest was in Seattle on 7/11 when the coup hit, and there she is now. Because of that happy accident, I can confirm the “rumor” that the West Coast states (and Hawai’i) have seceded and formed the Republic of Pacifica. Alaska has reluctantly thrown in with Pacifica, seeing as they were cut off by the breakaway states and a less-than-friendly (to the junta) Canada. Rumors about New England are a little harder to substantiate, but even the junta’s approved news organs (mainly the yap radio dorks and some religious networks) have hinted at pitched battles in NYC. With the power out, they're getting radio stations up somehow, 7 to 8 p.m., to deliver the daily propaganda news. I guess they’ve got some kind of power up to the radio stations, and at least pieces of the Internet now. Sammy doesn’t have radio, unless you count the occasional staticky Canadian radio station that bounces in, but he gets his side of the story heard one way or another. People with wind-up radios or homegrown power are the only ones getting either Sammy or the junta, though.

But enough about rumors for now. What I know for sure is this: Fuel is nearly impossible to get, except for emergency services and those with connections (and money). Commerce has all but shut down, and everyone is living off their gardens and barter. Or hunting — even out of season, squirrels and rabbits have gotten really scarce lately. We butchered a cow (with Mrs. Fetched’s parents supervising, but Lord what a mess) and took the meat into town in several coolers with a little ice. It was gone in an hour, and we got everything we wanted in trade except for fuel. Except for that run, which used half a gallon of gas, we haven’t gone anywhere since.

The electrical grid, or large portions of it, collapsed a few days after the coup. The junta, of course, blames “liberal terrorists” for that and just about anything else… including the weather. Whatever. The only electricity we have is what we make ourselves, anyway. They’re going to try to bring the grid back up this month, they say, starting with the hydro plants and wind farms. I’m not sure how the nuke plants held up… maybe they ran some minimal amount of power to keep their support systems going. Supposedly, fuel deliveries will resume shortly after the power’s up.

Sammy says thousands of people have met the Four Horsemen and didn’t live to tell the tale. War, famine, pestilence, and death cleaning up behind. Daughter Dearest said that Pacifica has the power on most of the time, and is busy setting up refugee camps. I can imagine that lots of people are heading west or north (to Canada). Not a peep about either one from the “official” news source, naturally.

Closer to home… the GCM is obviously some part of the junta, but not the only part or even a major part… visibly, anyway. Col. Mustard knew what was coming, and I have to thank him for the heads-up. Sammy said there was some major chaos down in Atlanta, but now there’s food and water coming in. Barely enough, and the ’burbs get the bigger half, but it’s enough to keep the lid on. A text message came around that is supposedly a message from The Prophet: “Hold fast, Jerusalem, for you will be delivered on the Day of the Lord. Bring aid and comfort to your neighbor, that the Lord may also bring aid and comfort to you. Fear not those who say, ‘the Lord is with us, not you,’ for they will be made to confess their sin. For today, the servants of the Lord must hide away, but tomorrow they will come forth with the Holy Word. Fear not, and again I say, fear not, for in this evil time the Lord will purify his people; those who persevere will be given a crown.” I hope he’s OK. Lord knows the junta will be hunting him.

I’ve got a lot to say, but it’ll have to wait. The net is only up for a few minutes at a time, and I want to get this uploaded the first try.

continued…

5 comments:

  1. Shortages are likely coming much sooner than we'd all like to believe. Another interesting installment, Far.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hiya FAR.

    I've thought to myself before, I hope in my life time something like that doesn't happen, but........

    Another great installment.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ok Far, you have me on the edge of my seat! I'll refrain from comment on your story, until I see where you're going with this....

    Right now, you've only lost power for a few days, not a week or 10 days, right? You're a hair breath away from viewing Atlanta going up in smoke from the Manor...

    In this short period, the West has seceded. Gee, why now, especially under these circumstances? What could make them come to this commitment in such a short time?

    I'll have to hang onto my hat and see what the others have to say.....Suppose some are whistling "Dixie" at this point?

    Thanks, yooper

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey all!

    Boran, you are definitely right. It wouldn't take much right now to make things seriously ugly, and FAR Future has had 5-6 years of opportunity. ;-)

    FM, same here.

    Yooper, as always, I'll reveal more next week. I was pounding away, wondering if I'd get done in some reasonable amount of time, when I remembered "Pacing! Pace yourself!" and the sun came out… well, you know what I mean. But remember, Atlanta is getting shipments of food & water, enough to keep the lid on. For now. I hesitate to take a body count of the problems over the winter & the current trouble, but the phrase "slow motion train wreck" comes to mind.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey Far! Yup, I understand Atlanta was being supplied(with food and water), this I gave you the benefit of a doubt. With the power out perhaps food delievery would be all but impossible. I must ask you where did this food and water (why water?) come from? How was it distributed? How many live in Atlanta and surround area? How many could be considered emergency personal? Can they operate without power? How many would actually report to work, leaving their families behind under the conditions you described?

    Within a week or ten days out this would become humanly impossible. At that point backup diesel generators would have ran out of fuel with no way of being replensihed....At that point emergency personal would become useless. It takes power and (energy, food, fuel etc.) for these people to perform their jobs. Furthermore, there would be no running water, and most foods at that point would have been consumed or spoiled. Total chaos would have ensued by this time as casscading problems become unsurmountable.

    You do understand and agree with this line of thinking, eh? (This is getting very close to the little game I wanted to play with you...)

    Thanks, yooper

    ReplyDelete

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