Political Shenanigans - "States of Emergency"

Many of the readers of these Dispatches have a history with dealing with urgent matters.  I am proud to call them my brothers and sisters.  They understand that losing your cool means you cannot handle an emergency and that, in the words of John Hess, an old friend, “in an emergency, you will only do what you have been trained to do.”  In other words, emergencies inhibit creativity.

But “states of emergency” have become a meaningless political device.  By declaring a “state of emergency,” unqualified politicos are declaring that they care DEEPLY and are doing something.  It’s only an act.  They don’t know how to handle emergencies unless they have past experiences learning that particular craft.

San Francisco has just declared a “state of emergency” to respond to the coronavirus.  

Let’s be clear:  An epidemic or pandemic is always a possibility.  If you don’t prepare for it prior to it happening, you will be perpetually behind what it requires.  That is why California has detailed earthquake preparations; West Virginia has detailed flash flood preparations; Florida and Louisiana have detailed hurricane preparations; and so forth.  All of those emergency services people have learned HARD lessons from the Loma Prieta Earthquake, the “Killing Waters Flood,” and Hurricane Katrina. 

What San Francisco has done adds nothing to the effort at this point.  It is amateurs pretending to care deeply. 

What a “state of emergency” does primarily is to suspend work rules so that necessary employees can be forced to work overtime.  In unheard of cases of revolution, states of emergency can suspend habeas Corpus and posse comitatus.  That hasn’t happened in a long, long time. 

For a number of years, I worked as a part-time Emergency Services director or deputy in a small county.  We had the codes to activate the Emergency Broadcast System.  (I still remember them – I hope they have changed them I case I get weird and decide to activate the EBS.)  But we have several opportunities where we considered declaring a state of emergency.  And we NEVER did.  It was never necessary.  We could invoke any necessary services, spend emergency budgets, ask for cooperation and make honest and calm public statements without declaring a state of emergency.  (Once, I made a statement along the lines of “Relax, this too shall pass,” and USA Today said something like “that was strange.”  True.  I can live with that.)

So – Relax.  Be prepared.  Plan on the worst and count on the best.  That’s all we can do. 

Mizpah!