"Farewell, Tranquil Mind"

In D&C 38: 30 the Lord promises us that "if ye are prepared ye shall not fear." Without such a promise we might well fear the disasters of the world in which we live. Andrew F. Krepinevich has written about some of the awful possibilities in 7 Deadly Scenarios, which Bret Stephens reviews in "Farewell, Tranquil Mind" in a recent edition of The Wall Street Journal.

"Mr. Krepinevich's concern is with the worst that can plausibly happen to the U.S. . . . within the next decade. What's plausible?" He spins out possible scenarios involving nuclear bombs being detonated in U.S. cities, a global avian-flu pandemic that "sends a desperate human tide coming up from Mexico" and others.

The Lord has counseled us to prepare both spiritually and temporally. "Prepare ye, prepare ye, for that which is to come . . . ." (D&C 1: 12)

Danger to the Food Supply

A February 10 article by Jim Carlton in The Wall Street Journal documents that "Shrinking Water Supplies Imperil California Farmers." This is not good news for any of us who rely on California to produce much of our fresh produce. The article reports that "California is locked in the third year of one of its worst droughts on record, with reservoirs holding as little as 22% of capacity." As a result, "managers said they plan to sideline 9,000 of 11,000 acres they used to plant with tomatoes, onions, broccoli, and other vegetables."

This is the time to put a little food supply away in our homes if we have not done so already. Begin now to put aside the food your family normally eats until you have a three-month supply of those items. Then begin to think about longer-term storage items.