Surviving an EMP Attack: Part Two of Three Parts

After an EMP attack, life will not be the same.  Society will begin to crumble and law enforcement will no longer be available to help with emergency situations.  One of the most important survival strategies following an EMP event is evacuation.  This could be to a secure bug out location you have previously designated or to an area of the country not affected by the EMP.

Transportation Following an EMP Event

Getting to either your bug out location or even to just a less-populated area can prove to be a difficult challenge.  All modern cars rely heavily on electronic components to operate and will be completely useless after an EMP event.  Older vehicles are not as susceptible to complete failure because they rely more on mechanical processes for operation.  An older model vehicle is defined as a vehicle manufactured in the1970s or before.  The simpler the engine, the better your chances of being able to use that vehicle for travel.

If you are fortunate enough to have one of these vehicles on your property, it may be ready to go right away.  Worst case scenario, the battery and starter solenoid are damaged.  These items are only used for starting the vehicle and can be bypassed by pop-starting the vehicle.  If it is a manual transmission, simply hold in the clutch and push the vehicle until it reaches 5 to 10 mph before rapidly releasing the clutch.  In an automatic, keep the gear selector in neutral while gaining speed and then quickly switch it into to drive.  Once the engine on one of these older vehicles is started, the process is self-sustaining.

Even in older vehicles, an EMP could disable the few electronic components that are necessary for operation.  Specifically, these include the spark plugs and the distributor.  These parts are inexpensive and small so it is advisable to keep an extra set of spark plugs and a distributor cap in your survival bag just in case.

If an older vehicle is not present, other modes of transportation might include tractors, gas powered golf carts, or older model ATVs.  Following an EMP it is not guaranteed that any of these machines will be fully functional but there is a good chance that they can help you travel faster than you would be able to on foot.

Food and Water

The technological advances made by society during the Information Age will become serious drawbacks following an EMP event.  Computers, the Internet, manufacturing facilities, and communications all rely on the power grid to function.  Once the power grid has been disabled, all these operations will cease to function.  That means no food on the shelves, no public water purification services, and no law enforcement to keep order.

Scientists have estimated that most humans will only survive for 12 to 18 months after a large scale EMP.  Society has become so dependent on technology that without it, very few necessities are going to be available.  The mass population is not preparing; even the U.S. government is not prepared for the devastating effects of a large scale EMP.

Supply lanes will be halted as they also rely on the power grid.  Unfortunately, society has become so dependent on importing food that many areas cannot sustain themselves for even a week without food from outside sources.  Think about a large city like New York or Los Angeles.  These places have huge populations of people and no agricultural production of their own.  Stores are 100 percent reliant on trucks to keep the shelves full of food and supplies.  Potable water is usually transported from hundreds of miles away into these large metropolitan areas.  These transportation systems require the power grid and without it, millions of people will instantly feel the effects.

Storing your own non-perishable food supplies is an excellent way to avoid the immediate effects of the EMP.  Although your supplies are finite, a couple months supply of food puts you in a position where you can carefully plan your long-term survival strategy.

Water is another concern.  The human body can only survive approximately three days without water.  Without public water supplies, you need to have a large supply of potable water on hand or have methods for purifying your own water.  Boiling, iodine treatments, and constructing a still are all excellent ways to purify water.  Iodine treatment should be considered a short term solution because excessive exposure to iodine is harmful, especially to children and women who may be pregnant.

Heating

Every modern home relies on either electricity or fossil fuels for heating.  Some homes even use a combination of both to maintain a constant temperature throughout the structure.  These services are not going to be available following an EMP.  Air conditioning is a luxury that did not become mainstream until about 50 years ago.  It is certainly not a necessity.  Cold weather, however, is responsible for thousands of deaths each year.  Exposure to freezing temperatures can bring the human body to its knees within hours.  Even in desert climate zones, nighttime temperatures can often fall below the freezing point.

Heating your home in a world devoid of modern conveniences is paramount.  You have to look for heating methods that do not require electricity or fossil fuels.  The single best option is to use wood.  In most areas of the country, wood is a plentiful resource and can be used to efficiently heat a home.

The wood stove is the easiest and most cost effective method of home heating.  Available in a variety of sizes and styles, a wood stove provides heat and a hot surface perfect for cooking.  Wood stoves have been used to provide reliable heating for centuries and in some parts of the country are still used as a primary heat source.

In more moderate climates where temperatures remain relatively stable, a wood stove may not be required.  Passive solar heating is often all that is required to maintain a constant temperature.  Solar heating harnesses the power of the sun by allowing as much sunlight as possible into the home through windows during the day.  The insulation of the home holds the heat in during the night.  This type of heating can be used anywhere but in colder climates it should be considered a supplement to a wood stove or other heating source.

THE FAMILY... A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD

WE, THE FIRST PRESIDENCY and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

WE DECLARE the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

WE WARN that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

WE CALL UPON responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

How do I prepare myself and my family for general conference?

General conference is intended to be a revelatory experience as participants learn from living prophets and apostles through the power and influence of the Holy Ghost. Proper preparation will help ensure that you get the most out of your conference experience.

Read about why we need prophets today.
Read President Uchtdorf's three basic steps of preparation.
Review the highlights from last conference.
Read how to prepare your children.
Review the blessings of general conference.
Learn how general conference addresses individual circumstances.
Ponder and record what concerns and questions you need inspiration for.

Preparedness Fair - Friday, September 27, 2013 - 11:00am to 3:00pm Saturday, September 28, 2013 - 11:00am to 3:00pm

Preparedness Fair

Friday, September 27, 2013 - 11:00am to 3:00pm

Saturday, September 28, 2013 - 11:00am to 3:00pm

Natural History Museum of Utah -- The Canyon

Do you have a plan? The emergency supplies? The basic training you and your family would need in case of a disaster?

• Get face-to-grille with disaster recovery equipment - a wheel loader and a portable generator - from Wheeler Machinery.

• Learn how first responders train in disaster medicine and see tools they use, like a computerized patient simulator, with the Intermountain Center for Disaster Preparedness.

• See a Rocky Mountain Power line truck used to restore power after a diaster and meet Slim, the Lineman, Rocky Mountain Power's mascot, Friday only. Take part in a demonstration of the hazards of fallen power lines both days of the Fair.

• Explore a firetruck and learn about fire safety SLC Fire Department, Friday only, between 1pm -3pm.

• Practice turning off your gas with Questar Gas and learn the right and wrong time to turn off the gas to protect your home.

• Learn about the hazards of unreinforced masonry and find out how the buildings in your neighborhood are likely to withstand an earthquake. Salt Lake City Emergency Management will be on hand with building inspectors and structural engineers to answer your questions.

• Check out avalanche safety equipment and learn how to prepare a winter back-country excursion with Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. Find out how you can have fun in the mountains and avoid avalanches at a Know Before you Gopresentation on Saturday only at 1 pm.

• Ask scientists from the University of Utah Seismograph Station your questions about Utah’s earthquake hazards.

• Preview KUED's Preparing for Disaster: Starting Now, a film Deseret News calls "required viewing for all Utahns." Win a copy in KUED's raffles throughout the day! 

• Discover how the Bingham Canyon Mine landslide unfolded and learn how preparedness allowed Rio Tinto to prevent loss of life. Try on safety gear and visit the photo booth for a lasting memory!

• Get started on your water storage plan with the help of Disaster Discovery Center.

• See how solid ground turns into quicksand with NHMU's liquefaction demo. Simulate different seismic waves with a slinky and find out how they impact buildings.

• Create your own structure, test its performance in a quake and improve your design with the Museum's shake table activity.

• You never know when disaster will strike. Don't miss this opportunity to gather resources and information from our other partners including American Red Cross, University of Utah Emergency Management, Emergency Essentials, and Be Ready Utah. In case of the worst, you'll be ready.

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Preparedness Fair is a Free Event!

Entrance to the Museum's galleries and Nature Unleashed exhibition requires admission.

Surviving an EMP Attack: Part One of Three Parts

An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a very real threat.  Not only have EMPs been weaponized, meaning that a rival military force could use one against the United States, terrorist organizations have also adopted the technology.  If that weren’t enough, scientists acknowledge that a large solar flare could produce a natural EMP powerful enough to disable electronics around the world simultaneously.  Although an EMP event may seem more like a science fiction movie, it could very likely be the event that catapults the world into an apocalyptic frenzy.

What is an EMP?

An EMP is typically characterized by short bursts of electromagnetic energy across a range of frequencies.  Although not an exact comparison, the range of frequencies experienced during an EMP is most comparable to the difference between very low frequency AM radio transmissions and the much higher FM spectrum.  This means that EMPs are capable of disrupting a large number of devices across a broad spectrum of frequencies.  The source of the EMP can be radiological, electrical, or magnetic.  EMPs are actually a common occurrence; however, most of them are very weak in nature and do not affect surrounding electronic equipment.  For the purposes of this guide EMPs refer to large scale pulse events that have the potential to permanently disable electrical and electronic devices.

Natural EMPs are created by lightning discharges and by solar flares.  Lightning is a very powerful natural event but the electromagnetic pulse created is relatively localized.  Lights may flicker in the presence of a large lightning discharge but the effects are usually not much more severe than that.  A massive solar flare could produce an EMP so powerful that every electronic device in the world could be disabled instantly.  No solar flares have ever been recorded that are even close to the size required to generate an EMP of this magnitude but the possibility is greater than ever based on studies of the sun.

Weaponized EMPs come in three forms.  Nuclear, high altitude, and non-nuclear.  Whenever a nuclear blast occurs a very powerful EMP is generated.  Some nuclear weapons are currently being manufactured for the sole purpose of generating an EMP blast instead of physical damage caused by the explosion.  A high altitude EMP is created when a nuclear device is detonated at a high altitude.  These are the most powerful man-made EMPs as the EMP waves are made stronger by interactions with the Earth’s magnetic field.  Non-nuclear EMPs are a more recent development and are used more as a localized solution during battle than a large scale weapon.

Although the effects of a man-made EMP are very serious, it is considered a somewhat localized event.  A high-altitude EMP blast could knock out the electrical grid in large areas of a country but it is not a global phenomenon.  This increases the likelihood that the effects will not be permanent as unaffected areas try to help.  However, the effects of fallout from a high-altitude nuclear detonation have not been studied in great detail.  Radiated debris could add another dangerous facet to this already devastating attack.

Consequences of an EMP

Depending on the strength and intensity of an EMP blast, the world could be sent into the dark ages in an instant.  A solar flare, for instance, could disable electronics and communications devices around the world indefinitely.  Even a more localized event could leave entire states or even countries without power or any other form of technology.

Once the lights go out, the real consequences of an EMP begin.  Like any other apocalyptic event, riots and widespread violence will follow.  People will begin to realize the gravity of the situation within a few days.  At first, many people will shrug off the power outage as a temporary setback akin to a bad storm damaging the local power grid.  It won’t take long for society to comprehend the seriousness of the situation at which time things will quickly deteriorate.

Every electronic device you have will be destroyed following an EMP unless you have taken steps to protect them from the pulse.  A common method to protect electronics is discussed in Part 3.  Even if you protect some things, it is impossible to protect everything; especially large items like vehicles.  All modern vehicles rely on complex electronics to run.  Without them the vehicle will not start or run.  Any electronic devices you have set aside for survival are going to be inoperable.  This includes GPS units, radios, electronic fire starters, and every appliance in your home.

The power grid will not come back on for months if it does at all.  There will be no media, no TV, no radio broadcasts.  Essentially, there will be no way for you to find out new information about what is going on.  The best course of action is to assume the worst and put your survival plan into action.  Waiting for something bad to happen usually doesn’t end well.

Just about every manufacturing process currently used relies on electricity meaning that new products cannot be made instantly.  Picture a world similar to when electricity was first introduced to general public and massive infrastructure projects began to create the grid as you know it today.  A similar phenomenon will occur following an EMP assuming that societal breakdown does not destroy any chance of overcoming the disaster.

People everywhere will begin searching for anything that can help them survive.  Since the majority of people have not made preparations for post-apocalyptic survival, they will be frantically searching for answers and solutions for their circumstances.  The world will be an exceptionally dangerous place as everyone struggles to survive.

Now that you have an understanding of the many far-reaching consequences possible in the wake of a massive EMP, the next step is learning tactics that allow you to survive in these conditions without the assistance of technology while avoiding the droves of people that are not equipped with this knowledge that have resorted to violence as a means of survival.  Parts 2 and 3 discuss tactics you can use to increase your chances of survival during this chaotic time.

Autumn Composting Tips

The key to successful composting is maintaining a balance between carbon and nitrogen materials in the compost bin. A healthy compost pile should have about two-thirds carbon (brown) materials and one-third nitrogen (green) materials. The carbon-rich materials provide aeration to speed up the composting process, eliminate foul odors and help produce a light, fluffy finished compost.

Families who maintain backyard composters usually have plenty of nitrogen materials to add throughout the year - kitchen scraps, fruit and vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, grass clippings and other fresh materials. However, the carbon-based materials are more difficult to gather during the winter, spring and summer months. These include leaves, vines, shrub prunings, straw, dried garden waste and other items which are plentiful in autumn but less available the rest of the year.

The following tips will help you make the most of autumn's offerings. These simple practices will keep you in steady supply of compost all year, and by starting now you'll have finished compost for early spring gardening. Visit our main composting page to learn more about the basics of composting at home, including a list of compostable materials.

~ gather leaves and grass clippings
Leaves are one of the most valued compost materials because they are carbon-rich and small enough to be easily incorporated into the compost.. Deciduous leaves are best; do not use evergreen leaves such as holly, laurel and conifers. Wait until the leaves start turning brown before raking them up. (Some leaves can be left under trees and shrubs where they will compost themselves. This helps to reduce the amount of new mulch needed to cover the areas surrounding your trees and shrubbery.)
Fresh grass clippings are nitrogen rich and serve as compost activators. Add grass clippings to your compost in thin layers to prevent matting. Then add twice the volume in brown materials to balance the carbon-nitrogen ratio.

~ too many leaves? try 'leaf composting'
If you have too many leaves to incorporate into the compost bin, you can simply compost the pile of leaves by itself. The leaf pile should be at least 4' in diameter and 3' in height. Include a layer of dirt between each foot of leaves. The pile should be damp enough that when a sample taken from the interior is squeezed by hand, a few drops of moisture will appear. A piece of plastic sheeting over the pile will keep it from getting waterlogged. Weight the sheet down at the edges with rocks, but try not to compress the leaves too much. The pile will compost in 4 - 6 months, with the material being dark and crumbly.
Leaf compost is best used as an organic soil amendment and conditioner; it is not normally used as a fertilizer because it is low in nutrients.

~ collect the skeletons of finished annuals
Annuals from your vegetable garden which have finished fruiting and are now dying back can be set aside for composting. Large-bodied plants like tomatoes and brocolli can be chopped a bit smaller to make it easier to compost, but it is not advisable to put the root mass into the compost. Also, avoid composting any plants which have disease or mold problems. In theory, the heat from the composting process will kill disease spores, but in practice not all compost piles attain maximum heat potential.
Thick stems and branches should be left out of the compost. They can be tossed into any low areas of your yard as 'landfill', as they will eventually break down.
Flowers also contain many nutrients that are ideal for composting. If your annuals have gotten "leggy," pull them up and toss them in the compost pile and till the bed. Leave the fall perennials while the leaves are green, and then trim them back once they turn brown and compost the leaves.

~ place different materials in two separate piles for layering
Set the materials you've gathered into two separate piles alongside your compost bin. One pile is for coarse materials such as stalks, finished annuals from the garden, branches and shrub prunings. The other pile is for finer material such as leaves, grass clippings and smaller garden debris.
As you begin to fill your compost bin, remember to keep combining the “green” ingredients like kitchen peelings and the “brown” ingredients like leaves, twigs and shredded paper to ensure you get a good quality compost.

~ add leaves in small batches to avoid matting
The composting process speeds up when the materials are well mixed. Add just a few handfuls of leaves at a time to the compost bin; if you add too many leaves they will mat together into a soggy mass and slow down the process.

~ store extra material for future composting
We store dry autumn leaves in burlap sacks and keep one sack next to the compost bin. As kitchen scraps and other 'green' materials are added during the winter months, a layer of leaves can be tossed on top. This helps balance the green materials and areate the compost for faster results.

~ save wood ash
If you have a wood-burning stove or heater, autumn is the time for cleaning out the ash box and chimney. Save the ashes from the stove box (but don't use the chimney sweepings) add them to the compost bin. Use only ash from clean materials and sprinkle onto compost to avoid clumping.

~ cover the pile or use an enclosed composter
The compost pile should be moist but not sodden. Any open compost pile should be covered with a tarp to shed excess rain. Ideally, enclosed composters should be used because they retain the moisture from the materials being composted, deter pests such as raccoons and mice, and speed up the composting process.

How much is enough?
The short answer is: There's never enough. Our family of four can easily fill a 9 cu. ft. backyard composter three or more times in a year. It may seem that 20 - 30 cubic feet of compost is a lot, but once applied to the vegetable patch and the shrub beds, there's little left to top-dress the lawn.

Now that we are aware of the problems associated with lawn care chemicals, using compost for lawn fertilizer is an ideal organic substitute, provided there is a ready and ample supply. You can appy compost directly on established lawns once a year, adding about a 1/2" layer. (You can also apply corn gluten at the same time, effectively making your own organic 'weed n feed'.) To prepare soil for a new lawn, apply 2" of compost to 6-8 inches of soil. Compost tea, a liquid form of compost which you can make, is especially effective on lawns and can be uniformly applied using a sprayer.

We are adding a second compost bin for this purpose. So even a small home with approx. 3500 sq ft of lawn, shrub beds, vegetable garden (combined) can use two compost bins, each cycling twice a year. 

Listen to the Prophet's Voice - Elder Kimball 1961

Listen to the Prophet's Voice

Elder Spencer W. Kimball

Of the Council of the Twelve Apostles

Spencer W. Kimball, Conference Report, October 1961, pp. 29-34

My beloved brothers and sisters, I hope that of the estimated million who may have been listening this morning, there may have been many among them who might have been kings and their courts, presidents and their cabinets, prime ministers and their associates, editors, commanders of armies and navies and air forces, and all others in the world, particularly our fellow men of the Americas from Tierra del Fuego to Point Barrow—for the prophet of the Lord spoke in stirring tones of warning to all the people of this world.

Our world is in turmoil. It is aging toward senility. It is very ill. Long ago it was born with brilliant prospects. It was baptized by water, and its sins were washed away. It was never baptized by fire, for that is still to come. It has had shorter periods of good health, but longer ones of ailing. Most of the time there have been pains and aches in some parts of its anatomy, but now that it is growing old, complications have set in, and all the ailments seem to be everywhere.

The world has been "cliniced," and the complex diseases have been catalogued. The physicians have had summit consultations, and temporary salve has been rubbed on afflicted parts, but it has only postponed the fatal day and never cured it. It seems that while remedies have been applied, staph infection has set in, and the patient's suffering intensified. His mind is wandering. It cannot remember its previous illnesses nor the cure which was applied. The political physicians through the ages have rejected suggested remedies as unprofessional since they came from lowly prophets. Man being what he is with tendencies such as he has, results can be prognosticated with some degree of accuracy.

In an ancient situation somewhat comparable to our own, there was a great destruction, and when the quiet came, those who were spared were wailing:

". . . O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and then would our brethren have been spared . . . and our mothers and our fair daughters, and our children . . . not have been buried" (3 Ne. 8:24-25).

Today is another day, but history repeats itself. We read the headlines. The great powers warn and threaten. Bombs are detonated. Terror is substituted for reason. Defense stockpiles increase. Nuclear races get swifter. The radios whine. The newspapers carry glaring headlines, politicians wrangle, students and authorities harangue. Everybody expresses opinions, but few approach the real cause or the real cure.

What is the illness? Its symptoms are manifested in every corner of the globe. They are found among men in high places, in hut and mansion. Its symptoms are carelessness, casualness, covetousness, slothfulness, selfishness, dishonesty, disobedience, immorality, uncleanness, unfaithfulness, ungodliness.

Our national and international authorities should know that men have ". . . been destroyed from generation to generation according to their iniquities; and never hath any of them been destroyed save it were foretold them by the prophets of the Lord" (2 Ne. 25:9). And modern prophets are warning frequently, constantly. People are destroyed by their own acts.

"There is one principle," a modern prophet said, "(that we should) understand:—that is of blessings and cursings. For instance, we read that war, pestilence, plagues, famine, etc., will be visited upon the inhabitants of the earth, but if distress through the judgments of God comes upon this people, it will be because the majority have turned away from the Lord."

The world's living prophet has warned and pleaded that the people return to God, who has said again: "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise" (D&C 82:10).

This America is no ordinary country. It is a choice land, "choice above all other lands" (1 Ne. 2:20). It has a tragic and bloody past, but a glorious and peaceful future if its inhabitants really learn to serve their God. It was consecrated as a land of promise to the people of the Americas, to whom God gave these great promises:

"It will be a land of liberty to its people" (2 Ne. 1:7).

"They shall never be brought down into captivity" (2 Ne. 1:7).

"And there shall be none to molest them" (2 Ne. 1:9).

"It is a land of promise" (1 Ne. 2:20).

"It shall be free from all nations under heaven."

"There shall be no enemies come into this land."

"It shall be free from bondage" (Ether 2:12).

"There shall be no kings upon the land" (2 Ne. 10:11).

"I will fortify this land against all other nations" (2 Ne. 10:12).

"He that fighteth against Zion shall perish" (2 Ne. 10:13).

But these promises, glorious though they be, desirable as they are, can come only ". . . if they will but serve the God of this land who is Jesus Christ" (Ether 2:12). There is only one way. That infallible cure is simply righteousness, obedience, Godliness, honor, and integrity. There is no other cure. Mountains of arms and ammunitions will not guarantee safety, for enemies can also build fortifications and missiles and bomb shelters. If we would but believe the prophets! For they have warned that if the "inhabitants of this land are ever brought down into captivity and enslaved, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land" (see 2 Ne. 1:7).

The prophet exclaims again with fervor: "And now we . . . behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity" (Ether 2:9).

O that men would listen! Why should there be spiritual blindness in the day of brightest material vision? Why must men rely on fortifications and armaments when the God of heaven yearns to bless them? One stroke of his omnipotent hand could make powerless all nations who oppose and save a world even in its death throes.

Jesus Christ our Lord is under no obligation to save this world. The people have ignored him, disbelieved him, failed to follow him. They stand at his mercy which will be extended only if they repent. But to what extent have we repented? Another prophet said, "We call evil good, and good evil" (Isa. 5:20). Men have rationalized themselves into thinking that they are "not so bad." Are they fully ripe? Has the rot of age and flabbiness set in? Can they change? They see evil in their enemies, but none in themselves. Even in the true Church numerous of its people fail to attend their meetings, to tithe their incomes, to have their regular prayers, to keep all the commandments. We can transform, but will we? It seems that we would rather tax ourselves into slavery than to pay our tithes; rather build protections and walls than drop to our knees with our families in solemn prayers night and morning.

It seems that rather than fast and pray, we prefer to gorge ourselves at the banquet tables and drink cocktails. Instead of disciplining ourselves, we yield to urges and carnal desires. Numerous billions we spend on liquor and tobacco. A Sabbath show or a game or a race replaces solemn worship. Numerous mothers prefer the added luxuries of two incomes to the satisfactions of seeing children grow up in the fear of God (Deut. 31:13). Men golf and boat and hunt and fish rather than to solemnize the Sabbath. Old man rationalization is with us. Because we are not vicious enough to be confined in penitentiaries, we rationalize that we are pretty good people; that we are not doing so badly. The masses of the people are much like those who escaped destruction in the ancient days of this continent. The Lord said to them:

"O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they [the slain ones], will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?" (3 Ne. 9:13).

The Great Wall of China with its 1,500 miles of unbreakable walls, with its twenty-five feet high impregnableness, with its innumerable watchman towers, was breached by the treachery of men.

The Maginot Line in France, these forts thought to be so strong and impassable, were violated as though they were not there. Strength is not in concrete and re-enforcing steel. Protection is not in walls nor mountains nor cliffs, yet foolish men still lean on "the arm of flesh."

The walls of Babylon were too high to be scaled, too thick to be broken, too strong to be crumbled, but not too deep to be undermined when the human element failed (Dan. 5:1-31). When the protectors sleep and the leaders are incapacitated with banqueting and drunkenness and immorality, an invading enemy can turn a river from its course and enter through a river bed (Isa. 44:27-28; Isa. 45:1).

The precipitous walls on the high hills of Jerusalem deflected for a time the arrows and spears of enemies, the catapults and firebrands. But even then wickedness did not lessen, men did not learn lessons. Hunger scaled the walls; thirst broke down the gates; immorality, cannibalism, idolatry, godlessness stalked about till destruction came.

"Experience is a dear teacher but fools will learn by no other." But we continue on in our godlessness. While the iron curtains rise and thicken, we eat, drink, and make merry. While armies are marshaled and march and drill and officers teach men how to kill, we continue to drink and carouse as usual. While bombs are detonated and tested, and fallout settles on the already sick world, we continue in idolatry and adultery. While corridors are threatened and concessions are made, we live riotously and divorce and marry in cycles like the seasons. While leaders quarrel, and editors write, and authorities analyze and prognosticate, we break the Sabbath as though no command had ever been given. While enemies filter into our nation to subvert us and intimidate us and soften us, we continue with our destructive thinking: "It can't happen here."

Will we ever turn wholly to God? Fear envelops the world which could be at ease and peace. In God is protection, safety, peace. He has said, "I will fight your battles" (D&C 105:14). But his commitment is on condition of our faithfulness. He promised to the children of Israel:

"I will give you rain in due season,"

The land shall yield her increase and trees their fruit.

Granaries and barns will bulge in seed time and harvest.

Ye shall eat your bread in abundance.

Ye shall dwell in your land safely and none shall make you afraid.

Neither shall the sword go through your land.

And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight (see Lev. 26:4-6,8).

But if you fail to serve me:

The land will be barren, (perhaps radioactive or dry from drought.)

The trees will be without fruit and the fields without verdure.

There will be rationing and a scarcity of food and hunger sore.

No traffic will jam your desolate highways.

Famine will stalk rudely through your doors and the ogre cannibalism will rob you of your children and your remaining virtues.

There will be pestilence uncontrollable.

Your dead bodies will be piled upon the materialistic things you sought so hard to accumulate and save.

I will give no protection against enemies.

They that hate you shall reign over you.

There will be faintness of heart "and the sound of a shaken leaf" shall chase you into flight and you will fall when none pursueth.

Your power—your supremacy—your pride in superiority—will be broken.

Your heaven shall be as iron and your earth as brass. Heaven will not hear your pleadings nor earth bring forth her harvest.

Your strength will be spent in vain as you plow and plant and cultivate.

Your cities will be shambles, your churches in ruins.

Your enemies will be astonished at the barrenness, sterility, desolation of the land they had been told was so choice, so beautiful, so fruitful.

Then shall the land enjoy her Sabbaths under compulsion.

And ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies.

And your people will be scattered among the nations as slaves and bondsmen.

You will pay tribute and bondage and fetters shall bind you (see Lev. 26:14-43).

What a bleak prediction! Yet "These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the Lord made between him and the children of Israel in Mt. Sinai by the hand of Moses" (Lev. 26:46). The Israelites failed to heed the warning. They ignored the prophets. They suffered the fulfillment of every dire prophecy.

Do we twentieth century people have reason to think that we can be immune from the same tragic consequences when we ignore the same divine laws?

With such innumerable blessings as are available to godly people of this land, how can any sane one continue in his careless patterns of life?

There is a cure for the earth's illness, an infallible one.

War clouds gather, fear heightens; tenseness increases, yet there need be no fear and worry and sleepless nights.

Our God rules in the heavens. He lives. He loves. He desires the happiness and well being of all his children. He has a prophet on the earth today who receives his revelations. He is a prophet to all the world. He has on numerous occasions outlined the cure for all international as well as local ills. The diagnosis is sure, and the remedy certain. Today's prophet stands in the same position between God and the people as did Isaiah, Samuel, and even Moses who gave to the world the ten commandments.

But a controlling majority of the people of this world have relegated them to the past.

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Ex. 20:3, italics added). Yet today we worship the gods of wood and stone and metal. Not always are they in the form of a golden calf, but equally real as objects of protection and worship. They are houses, lands, bank accounts, leisure. They are boats, cars, and luxuries. They are bombs and ships and armaments. We bow down to the god of mammon, the god of luxuries, the god of dissipation.

"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" (Ex. 20:7, italics added). Yet on the corner, in public places, on work projects, at banquet tables, there come ringing into our ears the sacred names of Deity without solemnity.

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Ex. 20:8, italics added). Yet work goes on, merchandise is sold, athletic entertainments, fishing, hunting go forward without regard to commandments. Conventions, unnecessary travel, family picnics, the Sabbath is violated generally. A relatively few people attend their church services, pay their tithing, serve their fellow men. Few live up to the truth they know. The taverns are full, the beaches crowded, the grandstands packed, man servants, and maid servants hired to duty, the ski lifts busy, canyon picnic tables loaded. Scriptures are read little, and the holy day becomes a holiday.

"Six days shalt thou labour" (Ex. 20:9, italics added). Yet ever-increasing hours of leisure provide ever increasing opportunities for Sabbath breaking and commandment ignoring, and strikes and lobbying go on to increase damaging leisure and decrease work hours further.

"Thou shalt not commit adultery" (Ex. 20:14, italics added). Yet this common sin and idolatry run hand in hand. Free love and indiscretions and deviations of every nature are common in our day. Illegitimate births are said to reach as high as one in ten, yet promiscuity far exceeds illegitimacy. This ugly deviation is found among youth and married people. Divorce, ever on the increase, jumping from one divorce for thirty-six weddings in Civil War days now has reached somewhere near one to four. Flirtations, rationalized to be innocent ones, are the root of numerous of the divorces and other ills.

"Thou shalt not steal" (Ex. 20:15, italics added). Yet in high places and in low, in government office and in business, in everyday life, men have rationalized until consciences seem to have been seared in the matter of honesty. Yet here are bribery, fraud, deceit, theft, padding of expense accounts, tax evasion, installment buying beyond ability to pay, and gambling running into the billions.

The outlook is bleak, but the impending tragedy can be averted. But it can be only through a great repentance and transformation.

"What can I do?" asks the fearful one. I can transform my own life till it is perfected and then influence others when thus transformed. I am prepared to live or die and need not fear. The righteous were saved in Enoch's day and the wicked were drowned in the flood. Other rebellious people were destroyed in the convulsions of the earth in the meridian of time, and they who were more righteous were saved.

Concerning Jerusalem the Lord said: "I will defend this city" (2 Kgs. 19:34) when the powerful, invincible Assyrian army camped at the gates. That night the Lord saved Jerusalem from Sennacherib and his 185,000 troops who did not live the night through to attack (2 Kgs. 19:35-37). Three hundred soldiers and God and Gideon routed the powerful army of the Midianites (Judg. 7:1-25). The thirteen colonies gained a permanent victory over superior forces, and America was born. The Lord and David slew Goliath (1 Sam. 17:45-47), and Israel won many battles when they were righteous. God will fight our battles if we honor him and serve him with all our hearts, might, mind, and strength.

This I know, for the Lord has so declared it through the ages, and I know he lives and is all powerful.

The cause is not lost. If race tracks were closed on the Sabbath, if gambling ceased, drinking eliminated, work and play confined to week days; if stores were closed and all people went to their sanctuaries truly to worship even as best they know; if taverns never opened, and transgressors all repented, and broken homes were mended, and children were trained in uprightness; if families all knelt in prayer night and morning, if tithes were paid and integrity and worship reigned in the lives of men, the era of total peace would be ushered in. Fear would vanish, and enemies would be subdued.

"I will fight your battles," says the Lord God Omnipotent (D&C 105:14). He never fails his promises.

If we are of the masses who are casual, passive, irreligious, irreverent, unholy, immoral, ungodly, then we must "repent or suffer" (D&C 19:4).

Of course, a one-sided disarmament could be madness if worldliness and materialism continued, but a serious turn of the masses could forestall all military conquests, all tragedies of conflict. God is all powerful.

I plead with men everywhere to "Come, listen to a prophet's voice" and hear the word of God from our living prophet who sits with us here today. I know he is God's recognized prophet. I beg of you to listen and act, in the name of Jesus Christ. 

Amen.

GO-BAG • A HAM Radio Go-Kit for Yaesu VX8-R

Water: Making A Difference

Water is by far the most important substance on Earth. Water covers over 75 percent of the planet and makes up approximately 70 percent of the human body. It is needed for life on earth, as well as other planets. When scientists look for the existence of life on other planets, they look for water first. Humans can only survive about three days without water, compared to nearly three weeks without food. The human body can lose up to a gallon of water a day through both urine and perspiration. Even the simple act of exhaling, causes us to lose precious amounts of water vapor. If you add in factors such as living in a hot climate and doing exercise, then water loss increases dramatically. Water helps every organ functioning properly. The average person, I believe, should drink close to a gallon of water a day.

It is amazing how much water is used to ‘support’ our lives, in addition to drinking. Sewage disposal is very necessary for long term survival, so it cannot be completely eliminated. The average household in America uses 70- 80 gallons of water per day for flushing toilets. That is 25,000 to 29,000 gallons of clean drinking water used every year just to flush toilets in every household. Clean water is being converted toblack water with one flush of the toilet.

The average ten minute shower uses between 25 and 50 gallons of water, depending upon the shower head and water pressure. The average sized household in America will use 75 to 100 gallons of water each day for showering. Yearly water usage for showering, per household, is between 27,000 and 36,000 gallons. The waste water produced from showering, sinks, and clothes washing is called grey water. Grey waterdoesn’t have human waste in it, whereas black water does.

The gap between water needed for drinking and water for supporting daily life can be narrowed significantly by recycling grey water. This water, after a quick cleaning is perfectly suitable for use in flushing toilets, washing clothes, and irrigating the yard or garden. The process is quite simple, and saves the average household nearly half the water they would normally use in a year. The water used in the shower alone is enough to offset toilet flushing. Estimating the number of households in America at 110 million, that would mean if one third of all households began recycling grey water , there would be a savings of one trillion gallons of water each year! Just imagine the amount of electricity saved by not pumping a trillion gallons of water, both ways, or the amount of chemicals needed for a trillion gallons of water!!