What will you do?
Unless you live under a rock, it’s likely you heard about another mass shooting in America. Aurora Illinois, my thoughts and prayers are with you.
The E-mail
I recently read the following redacted E-Mail, just yesterday morning, actually. It certainly makes one think, or those that don’t, to wake up.
Our parish community has grown through the years, always attempting to meet the needs of our people of faith. In this day and age, with violence a part of our everyday lives, we find a need to upgrade our security for both of our churches.
This past weekend there was an alleged threat toward all Christian churches in XXXXX. The person of interest was identified and has been talked to by the XXXXX Police Department. Once hearing about the possible threat, we asked for the XXXXX Police to help us monitor the facility. We took the threat very seriously! There was a police presence at XXXXX Church all day on Sunday. The XXXXX Police, after a thorough investigation, has determined the rumored threat to be unfounded. We will continue to work with the XXXXX Police Department.
The rumor of threat alone was cause enough for our parish staff to take action to begin to develop procedures for future security issues. There will be individuals present at all masses who are familiar with the person of interest or credible threats on the property. Because of this incident and some previous incidents, the Parish has decided to form a security committee who can help evaluate and respond to future concerns.
What can you do?
- If you have the interest to serve on a security committee, please submit letters of interest to the parish office: drop off, mail or email to XXXXX
- Be attentive; see something, say something!
The well-being of our parishioners and guests in our churches are always a priority to us.
The following was printed in the on-line version of the Washington Post, I share with you.
A gunman opens fire in your building. What do you do?
What would you do if someone walked into the building you are in right now and started shooting? Through training programs and public awareness campaigns, law enforcement experts are asking people to consider this question so that they will be prepared to act rather than freeze if the unthinkable happens. Here are the basics of the “Run, Hide, Fight” program created by the Department of Homeland Security, with additional details from active-shooter survival trainers, law enforcement officers and a Special Forces veteran.
By Bonnie Berkowitz and Weiyi Cai March 8, 2016
RUN
The first — and best — option is to get out if you possibly can. People have been shot while they froze in place a few steps from an exit door, said Scott Zimmerman of K17 Security. Encourage others to leave with you, but don’t let their indecision keep you from going.
Choose a route carefully
Don’t run willy-nilly or blindly follow a crowd. Pause to look before you enter choke points such as stairwells, lobbies and exits to make sure you can move through them quickly and not get stuck out in the open.
Think unconventionally
Doors are not the only exits.
Open a window; if you have to break it, aim for a corner. See if the
drop ceiling conceals a stable hiding place or a way to enter another
room. You may even be able to punch through thin drywall between rooms.
Look down
If you’re trapped on the second floor, consider dropping from a window, feet first, ideally onto a soft landing area. (But if you’re higher than the second floor, the drop itself could be fatal.)
Be quiet and stealthy
Try not to attract a shooter’s attention. Remember that edges of stairs are less likely to creak than the centers. Stay low and duck when you pass windows both inside and outside the building.
HIDE
If you can’t immediately leave a building or room, you want to buy time — time to plan another way out, time to prepare in case the shooter forces his way in, time for the police to arrive.
Block doors
Don’t just lock them, barricade them with desks, chairs, bookcases — anything big and heavy. Wedge objects under them at the farthest points from the hinges. Prop or wedge something under door handles to keep them from turning all the way. Tie hinges and knobs with belts or purse straps. A shooter doesn’t want to work hard to enter a room.
Turn off lights, silence phones
Make sure someone has alerted 911
with as many details as you can about your location and anything you
know about the shooter’s whereabouts. Cover windows if you have time; if
not, make sure you can’t be seen through the glass.
Choose a hiding place
If you know you will hide and stay hidden, don’t count on particle-board furniture to stop bullets. Get behind something made of thick wood or thick metal if you can, or stack several layers of thinner material. Make yourself as small a target as possible, either curling into a ball or lying flat on the ground.
Make a plan
Don’t just get under a desk and wait. Plan how you will get out or what you and the other people who are with you will do if the shooter gets into the room.
FIGHT
This is the last resort, a dangerous option to be used only if your life is at risk and you are trapped with a gunman. Different situations call for different strategies, but all of these turn the element of surprise against the shooter.
Create chaos
Throw books, coffee mugs — anything you can grab. Make noise. Keep moving. A moving target is much harder to hit than a stationary one. Greg Crane, founder of the ALICE Training Institute, which has worked with nearly 3,000 schools, said that even children can be taught to move, make noise and distract so they can buy time to get away.
Swarm
Some experts teach a Secret Service-style
technique in which people wait beside the door and grab the shooter as
he enters. At least one person goes for the arm that holds the gun, one
wraps his legs and others push him down. Using their body weight, a group of smaller people can bring a large man to the ground and hold him there.
Move the weapon away
Once the gun is separated from the shooter, cover it with something such as a coat or a trash can. Don’t hold the weapon, because if police storm in, they may think you are the shooter.
Attack
This is last even among last-resort options. The ALICE program doesn’t even suggest this for adults, and none recommend it for children. But if you try to fight, choose a weapon and aim for vital areas such as the head, eyes, throat, and midsection. Don’t quit.
Things you should know to prepare for any emergency
Have an exit plan before you need it. Know where all the exits are in buildings you visit frequently, not just the exits you use.
Keep “real” shoes at your desk so don’t have to sprint in uncomfortable shoes.
Know how to call 911 from your building — do you need to dial out first? Should a crisis arise, make sure someone actually calls.
Don’t use code words on PA announcements, and be informative with as many details as possible, such as “A man with a gun is in the library” or “There is a fire in the third-floor utility closet.”
Let someone know once you’re safe outside.
Try to keep others from inadvertently walking into danger once you are safe.
Sources: Scott Zimmerman, chief executive of K17 Security; Patrick Twomey, formerly of Canadian Special Operations Forces; founder Greg Crane and spokesperson Victoria Shaw of the ALICE Training Institute; U.S. Department of Homeland Security; FBI. The math of mass shootings
Happy Valentine’s Day
So, 14 February is a time for lovers. Go back in time to 1954, use some of these words by the Penguins when talking to that special someone. Live Long, Love, Be Happy and be Kind. The inspiration for this post came from a friend in England, Thanks Thom. https://theimmortaljukebox.com/2019/02/14/the-penguins-earth-angel-street-corner-symphonies-subway-psalms/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuSrlboCQgc
From: Brunssum Netherlands and my granddaughter, Captain, USAF, currently serving in Geilenkirchen, Germany with NATO.
In case you ever wondered what being a mom of 4 is like…90 handmade Valentine’s complete. 2 I designed and made from scratch. 2 I used someone’s design and then made from scratch.
#momlife #cricut #adayinmylife
My (4) Great Grandchildren are collecting Box Tops for a School project and are trying to get 75,000. Should you wish to help out, collect and send them to The Rooster, no later than April 15, 2019:
The Rooster/Boxtops
P.O. Box 54
Allen, MD 21810
Sharing from North Platte
A blogging friend’s husband from down Carolina way, sent me a condensed version of a great undertaking by the folks in North Platte, Nebraska this past summer. I looked around as I often do and found this old article from the Wall Street Journal. All credit goes to Bob Greene, and the WSJ and, North Platte Telegraph for this content. Be you Red or Blue, here’s a feel-good story for you.
A Soldier Never Forgets North Platte
When service members pass through this small town in Nebraska, the community comes together to thank them.
293 Comments By Bob Greene July 22, 2018 4:01 p.m. ET
Community and service members in North Platte, Nebraska. Photo: Stephen Barkley/The North Platte Telegraph
‘We were overwhelmed,” said Lt. Col. Nick Jaskolski. “I don’t really have words to describe how surprised and moved we all were. I had never even heard of the town before.”
Col. Jaskolski, a veteran of the Iraq war, is commander of the 142nd Field Artillery Brigade of the Arkansas Army National Guard. For three weeks earlier this summer, the 142nd had been conducting an emergency deployment readiness exercise in Wyoming, training and sleeping outdoors, subsisting on field rations. Now it was time for the 700 soldiers to return to their base.
A charter bus company had been hired for the 18-hour drive back to Arkansas. The Army had budgeted for a stop to get snacks. The bus company determined that the soldiers would reach North Platte, in western Nebraska, around the time they would likely be hungry. The company placed a call to the visitors’ bureau: Was there anywhere in town that could handle a succession of 21 buses, and get 700 soldiers in and out for a quick snack?
North Platte said yes. North Platte has always said yes.
The community welcomed more than 700 service men and women, North Platte , Nebraska, June 18-19. Photo: Stephen Barkley/The North Platte Telegraph
During World War II, North Platte was a geographically isolated town of 12,000. Soldiers, sailors and aviators on their way to fight the war rode troop trains across the nation, bound for Europe via the East Coast or the Pacific via the West Coast. The Union Pacific Railroad trains that transported the soldiers always made 10-minute stops in North Platte to take on water.
The townspeople made those 10 minutes count. Starting in December 1941, they met every train: up to 23 a day, beginning at 5 a.m. and ending after midnight. Those volunteers greeted between 3,000 and 5,000 soldiers a day. They presented them with sandwiches and gifts, played music for them, danced with them, baked birthday cakes for them. Every day of the year, every day of the war, they were there at the depot. They never missed a train, never missed a soldier. They fed six million soldiers by the end of the war. Not 1 cent of government money was asked for or spent, save for a $5 bill sent by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The soldiers never forgot the kindness. Most of them, and most of the townspeople who greeted them, are dead. And now, in 2018, those 21 busloads from the 142nd Field Artillery were on their way, expecting to stop at some fast-food joint.
Photo: Stephen Barkley/The North Platte Telegraph
“We couldn’t believe what we saw when we pulled up,” Col. Jaskolski said. As each bus arrived over a two-day period, the soldiers stepped out to be greeted by lines of cheering people holding signs of thanks. They weren’t at a fast-food restaurant: They were at North Platte’s events center, which had been opened and decorated especially for them.
“People just started calling our office when they heard the soldiers were on their way,” said Lisa Burke, the director of the visitors’ bureau. “Hundreds of people, who wanted to help.”
More Images
From the North Platte Telegraph
The soldiers entered the events center to the aroma of steaks grilling and the sound of recorded music: current songs by Luke Bryan, Justin Timberlake, Florida Georgia Line; World War II songs by Glenn Miller, the Andrews Sisters, Jimmy Dorsey. They were served steak sandwiches, ham sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, deviled eggs, salads and fruit; local church groups baked pies, brownies and cookies.
Mayor Dwight Livingston stood at the door for two days and shook every soldier’s hand. Mr. Livingston served in the Air Force in Vietnam and came home to no words of thanks. Now, he said, as he shook the hands and welcomed the soldiers, “I don’t know whether those moments were more important for them, or for me. I knew I had to be there.”
“It was one soldier’s 21st birthday,” Lisa Burke said. “When I gave him his cake, he told me it was the first birthday cake he’d ever had in his life.” Not wanting to pry, she didn’t ask him how that could possibly be. “I was able to hold my emotions together,” she said. “Until later.”
When it became time to settle up—the Army, after all, had that money budgeted for snacks—the 142nd Field Artillery was told: Nope. You’re not spending a penny here. This is on us.
This is on North Platte.
Mr. Greene’s books include “Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen.”
Last Day on the JOB
I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity and ability to be a companion for my widowed Brother-in-law who had shoulder surgery this past Monday. His name is John and my wife and I were his and my sister’s next door neighbors for twenty years from the late 60’s to the late 80’s.
Since he lived alone, with his daughter in Alaska, a son needing to show up to work each day and his usual watchdogs taking care of some health issues of their own, I said, “what the hell, I’ll go up”. Up you say, Connecticut is where he lives, about seventeen miles south of the Massachusetts state line. Did I mention it’s cold up there? -1 as I press these keys on this Friday. For those of you further north and west, I know you’d like to see it that warm.
Driving would be out of the question, at least for the first week. So, he needed a driver. John is right handed and the right shoulder is what was being operated on. Getting in and out of his elaborate sling with pillow and cold water jacket would be close to impossible. Forget about the emptying and filling of the cold-water jacket from the high-tech jug of ice water. Preparation of meals would present quite a challenge as well.
My greatest attribute while being with John was being able to remind him “don’t do that”. It’s just amazing how we all think, the rules of the road, Doctor and common sense, don’t apply to us. So, after a few sessions in the time out chair, the old dog learned some new tricks. K-9 Tigger, an under-foot type whenever food is being prepared or consumed, seemed more of an issue to the caretaker than the cared for.
We’ve been to PT, the day after surgery and shall return again on this my last day. I’ve watched over him X3 each day while he went through his exercises. I’ve assisted with the Ice application, which we modified for further easiness. We’ve studied history together, had discussions on politics of the day and watched my beloved U Conn Huskies ladies basketball team get their butts kicked by Louisville for the first time ever.
1,898 miles to the south at the Island Magic Beach Resort in Belize sending this warm propaganda of the sun as it rises.
We went to PT, did a few stops to pick up some batting and material for the wife from her favorite place to spend money when we’re up here. I made a stop for Pastrami on Rye at Rein’s Deli and we headed back to the house.
I was just about to open the lunch bag when we get guests arriving. Former neighbors Ian & Lavinia. Lavinia, not being a common name and me a fanatical background and research nerd found this, just in case anyone is interested. A beautiful orange Tulip plant now adorns the house.
Borne in Roman mythology by the daughter of King Latinus. She was the last wife of Aeneas and was considered to be the mother of the Roman people. The name is a feminine form of Latinus (from Latium, the area surrounding and including ancient Rome). I must not slight Ian so:
Ian is a modern Scottish form of the name John. It was not used in Scotland until the late nineteenth century, though it has since become popular throughout the English-speaking world.
,Moments before the arrival of Ian & Lavinia came calling, John got a call from good friend Lynn. I put the Pastrami in the fridge for a Tuna Grinder ‘( that’s a Sub or Hogie up here in CT). I’ve been saying it a lot lately, “God Bless That Women.” Lynn’s food came from:https://www.georginasrestaurant.com/
After all depart, my patient does his exercises and breathing conditioning and we both get in a warm winter’s nap. Oh how I love that hour from 2:00 – 3:00 when I can sneak one in.
Grandson Tim and his girl friend Lauren came by and I hung around for a bit to catch up on things I’m one of the Ladd’s Uncles. At seven son Matthew came by and picked me up. I’ll spend tonight with him and his family three miles up the road. Tomorrow it’s BDL to PHL to SBY and home.
My Job is complete, Behave John!
As The Rooster Crows 