Why I Worry About You

By Kellene Bishop

Last night I was begrudgingly up until 1:45 a.m. Finally I resorted to a sleeping aid so that I could get some much needed rest. (Thank goodness it kicked in at 2:00 a.m.) In spite of being reasonably comfortable in my personal preparedness efforts to be independent and thrive regardless of the scenario, I do have a nagging thought that plagues me and won’t let me sleep at night. What keeps the Preparedness Pro awake at night? It’s YOU.

I’m sincerely worried about you. If I’ve ever smiled at you in a grocery store, communicated with you via letter or e-mail, attended church with you, or seen you in one of my classes, I worry about you. In fact, even when I get a solicitation call and hear a human voice, I worry about that person. Here they are going on in their life conducting a mundane task and they aren’t the least bit aware just how vulnerable they are. When I sit down for a meal in a public place and watch people walk by, I genuinely worry about them. I find myself very aware of the human connections in nearly every aspect of my life. My postal worker, my doctor, the tellers at the bank, the TV news anchors and even the kids who left an empty beer bottle on my lawn—these are real human beings to me, not just an interaction. I worry because the vast majority of the people are completely unaware as to what I believe is coming soon that will alter their lives tremendously. I worry not that trouble will come, but that when it does, real human beings will needlessly suffer because they failed to take action now. It’s as if they are seeing the rows and rows of beautiful harvest but assuming it will always be there, never spoil, and thus they leave the reaping for another day. There will be much suffering of real people as a result. This is why I worry.

You don’t have to be a Christian to see innumerable evidences that our nation is ripe for a bumpy ride. You don’t have to believe in global warming to notice that our weather patterns have been peculiar as of late and devastating to many. (For the record I am a Christian and don’t believe in the global warming rhetoric.) A person’s political affiliation does not exempt them from cause for concern. An earthquake or tornado does not set its boundaries of damage by voting precincts. Clearly this year’s wheat infestations are no respecter of religion, income level, or astrological sign.

The fact is, our nation’s currency is only one courageous expose away from being worthless. The performers are stoically committed to their charade, but commitment does nothing to alter reality.

I clearly expect Iran and Israel to be involved in a widely prophesied war within the next 3 months, the ramifications of which will be undeniable to our nation.

Our nation’s enemies are merely emboldened in their evil intents as they watch our economy fail, our leaders bumble, and our citizens do nothing noteworthy in response.

The swine flu may fall short of its mainstream media billing, but considering the alarming increase in the numbers of tuberculosis and other diseases which we had previously eradicated from our nation, H1N1 is simply a dress rehearsal of what is legitimately to come, in my opinion.

Regardless what the talking heads say, we are about to see a food shortage unlike any since the days of Joseph in Egypt. Even the wealthy will find themselves in want for wheat and sugar in due time. These are just a FEW of the obvious concerns that make up a perfect storm for the unaware and unprepared. This is why I worry about you.

There are at least 12 different studies which I’ve read over the last month which conclude that less than 2% of the homes in our nation are prepared any differently than those persons were who were involved in Hurricane Katrina—even after we all witnessed their suffering as a result of a lack of preparation. To me, it’s just as ludicrous as watching the 10th season of Survivor and seeing that they STILL can’t start a fire. You would think after a couple of seasons these so-called ardent fans who find themselves as contestants would have had enough time to figure out how to build a fire in the wild! The majority of the homes in this nation do not even have two weeks worth of food and water. In fact, some of you mistakenly believe that the water in the nearby lake is your own personal answer to water storage. That’s why I worry about you.

Some of you refuse to prepare for your own defense, thinking that the military or law enforcement will be miraculously available and trustworthy to aid you in your moment of despair. Over half of the homes that own firearms for self-defense do not have more than a round of ammo to go with them. I worry not only about you in this regard, but for our nation as a whole. No defenseless people have ever been able to obtain freedom and independence.

Some of you are working feverishly at a late hour to get prepared. But in your haste will you remember it all? Will there be enough time before you have to rely on what you have right now? For those of you who have seen a smidgen of light, don’t you wish you had started sooner in your preparedness efforts? I stay up at night wondering if you’ll be ready for what’s coming.

Some of you may have “stuff” but no sense. The solar oven has been sitting in your basement and you’ve never used it. The empty water barrels in your backyard are now an accepted part of the scenery. I once had a gal tell me that she LOVES her pressure cooker but she’s never used it with the lid on it. Some don’t know what a mortar and pestle is for, what to do with a shovel, how to ensure heat remains in a home, or how to filter their water safely.

Some of you have no plan for how to reunite with your family if you are ever separated. I’m sure there are lots of families who lived through those awful hours following 9/11 wishing they’d had a plan.

A wise friend once told me “People who stop living the way they believe, start believing the way they live.” In other words, I hear hollow excuses from countless individuals as to why being prepared in any capacity is “categorically crazy, unrealistic, impossible, irresponsible, and futile.” But these excuses will be inconsequential when the real turmoil manifests itself in their lives. This is why I worry about you.

Unfortunately, the problem is that none of you are reading this. Surely your loved ones have pleaded with you to get prepared, but you’re not inclined your comfort zone and fluffy state of mind to do so. Perhaps they will share this with you in another futile effort to calm their fretful minds. That’s why I worry about you. But that’s also why I do this every day. While I may not know your name, your history, or your dreams, I do know that there exists a beating heart and a soul beyond all of those formalities. I know that you are important to someone. And as such, I feel like you’re important to me. I may not ever benefit or change a single person through my knowledge and passion, but it won’t be because I did not give my all. I can answer to God with clean hands. May you go and do the same.

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

Subscribe to Preparedness Pro today and never miss a thing!

3 Reasons to Pay Attention to the Swine Flu

By Kellene Bishop

Is the Swine flu just something on the news, or should you actually be concerned about it from a preparation standpoint? The answer is yes, you should indeed be concerned about the Swine Flu—here are three important reasons why.

First of all, understand the virus itself and you will understand why informed concern is appropriate in this case. It is a mutation which has components of the Avian flu, the regular flu, and Swine flu. Avian flu is dangerous only in that it is transported from birds to people. It cannot be transferred from people to people. However, this strain of the Swine Flu can. So, if it continues to mutate, you can have a virus strain that not only transfers from person to person, but also from birds to people. As you know, birds have very little borders. They are able to spread their disease via the dust and any other airborne particles easily. Because this virus has already demonstrated a successful mutation of 3 different strains, it shows that it will clearly continue to do so. A mutated virus makes creating antigens in your body very difficult. And if YOU can’t even create the antigens, then a scientist cannot do so either. Additionally, this particular strain of flu is very different. Instead of simply attaching to cells in our body, it is actually able to penetrate the cell wall, thus making exposure to antigens much more challenging. This particular strain of influenza, because it is compromised of H1N1 (Swine) and H5N1 (Avian) makes it an extremely penetrable and deadly virus which is rapidly adaptable and virulent. These two strains combined produce a killing potential at a cellular level.

Another reason to be concerned is that the confirmed cases of Swine flu that we have been told by the media to date have been done so through the very limited availability of test kits from the CDC (Center for Disease Control). Understand that only the CDC can “confirm” a case of this type of virus. And the CDC only this week began sending out test kits to parts of the U.S. and to other parts of the world as well. We already have cases which have spread to New Zealand, Scotland, Brazil, Australia, and Canada. What all of this means is that we haven’t even begun to see the real numbers of people affected this flu epidemic. Keep in mind that viruses in general are not living organisms, rather they are protein structures whose only goal is to replicate themselves.

The third reason why we should indeed be concerned is because even if this isn’t “the big one” it is certainly an incident which should wake us from our slumber of apathy. There is much to be learned from this outbreak that can literally save our lives. Looking at this outbreak and analyzing how we can better be prepared in the event that a pandemic affects our country and even the world, is the best way to prepare. However, having said that, I would prefer that you not underestimate the efficacy of this particular outbreak. To do so would be sugarcoating a situation with strychnine. Let’s not forget that facts thus far here. Schools are being shut down. DHS is taking action to be prepared for a possible pandemic. (Compare this to the fact that FEMA can’t even take action until after a serious crisis has occurred—this should tell you something.) The World Health Organization is NOT closing the borders because they state that such an act would be futile since the virus is already established widespread. (Remember what I said about not even having the real numbers yet?) One case of the Swine flu on a plane headed to JFK, La Guardia, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, the San Francisco international airport and you can easily have a pandemic. (Come on. Think about it. You know how incredibly dirty the air on the airplanes are. Do you actually think that the air filtration systems on board will filter out this virus from traveling from one host to another?) Keep in mind that individuals who are carrying the virus may simply be a host. They may carry it to others without necessarily manifesting symptoms of it themselves. So you may assume that you are interacting with a perfectly healthy person, but still contract the virus strain.

I’m not being a fear monger here. As someone who tends to get emotionally involved in the well-being of others, I’m trying to get you to be fully aware of how fast this or other strains like it can spread. It will be incredibly difficult for me to see so many that I know and love exposed to such an illness such as the swine flu. So, given that I do believe you have need to be cautious in this situation and most definitely to learn from it, allow me to share with you how your behavior must change in the event of a full-spread outbreak. Review the following steps so that you can truly be prepared for such an event:

1) Always use a breathing mask outside of your home.
2) Wash your hands constantly and do not remove or put on your breathing mask without having just washed your hands
3) Keep your hands away from your eyes and mouth under all circumstances. (Use a fork even to eat your French fries with.)
4) Do not eat any food which you have not personally prepared
5) Regularly ingest immune system building vitamins and herbs so that you can create a true, non-chemical immunity. Don’t wait until symptoms appear. While viruses tend to mutate and get stronger under chemical attacks, they respond completely differently to non-chemical, strong environments. This is the very kind of culture you can create in your body if you start partaking now of quality herbs, vitamins, and minerals. I STRONGLY suggest that you ingest sublingual (taken under the tongue) or colloidal versions of your nutrition supplements as such methods are actually able to permeate the cells. Taking pills does not have this effect on your body and thus is useless to attacking a strain such as this that burrows into your cell.
I highly recommend you use a colloidal version of minerals. Bacteria simply cannot grow in a mineral environment. (By the way, colloidal silver is another good remedy to have on hand for fighting a myriad of illnesses as well—see my other suggestions in yesterday’s article.)
6) Be sure you wash ALL of your vegetables (even the ones with skins) and meats very well prior to storing or cooking them. Also be sure to wipe off your cans of food prior to opening them. When you do follow these steps also be sure that you keep your hands washed afterwards as well. Here’s a natural wash for your meats and vegetables that you can make yourself.
· 1/4 cup Vinegar
· 2 Tablespoons salt
Fill a clean sink with cold water, (a plastic dish pan also works wonders) add vinegar and salt and let sit 15 minutes, rinse. (The vinegar cleans the fruits and vegetables, while the salt draws out any maggots and such, dirt and other undesirable components. This wash does not adversely affect the flavor at all and vinegar helps take care of the sprays and wax they tend to use.
7) Use a germicide (not a sanitizer) on high-traffic areas in your home such as door and cabinet knobs, telephones, and table edges. I highly recommend the one that Shaklee makes. It’s 100% biodegradable, concentrated, affordable, and incredibly EFFECTIVE. (No, I don’t sell it, but recommend you go here to obtain some www.shaklee.net/earlene)
8) Use Latex gloves when handling items from outside of your home or when assisting other individuals (whether they manifest symptoms or not) outside of your home.
9) Eliminate contact with other people outside of your home as much as is truly possible.
10)Don’t leave your home unless you absolutely have to. In such an instance, be sure that you are adorned with a breathing mask and have latex gloves. (If this particular strain were able to mutate into a flu strain that cannot only be transferred from person to person, but also from birds to person, then it’s critical that you leave your home only at night, not during the day as birds typically only fly during the day light hours.)

I hope this piece gives you further insight into your own preparedness efforts. And I truly wish you well in your goals of becoming more prepared.

Preparedness Pro Note: If you would like Kellene Bishop to present an Emergency Preparedness message for your community or church group, please contact us at 801-788-4133. Ms. Bishop is an experienced speaker on Emergency Preparedness topics and also has created a great “Preparedness Party” platform which makes the learning of such a topic more enjoyable for all.

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.
You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.