The following is an account of my personal relocation. By Daniel. After living in two countries, 5 states & cities, Daniel moved to Boise, Idaho in anticipation of y2k and the coming disasters he has anticipated in October 1998. Originally born and raised in Canada, I fled south many years ago to southern Florida to enjoy sunshine and paradise in the gulf coast city of Fort Myers. It was a hollow paradise as one might imagine; over-crowded, low wages, alarmingly high levels of crime and violence and an almost non-existent sense of community. In search of better pastures I rounded up my belongings and drove west to Las Vegas, Nevada for a brief one-month stay. Sin-city was hardly appealing (besides, it's just too damn hot) so the drive continued, arriving in Seattle, Washington. It is a very nice city--if you can tolerate the rain. Many high-tech, high-wage jobs for those with skills. Many homeless shelters for those without homes. Seattle has the best public transportation system I have seen, yet the most congested roads as well. Being a West-coast city, it is a strange combination of uppity liberalism mixed with conservatism. Being of no particular political persuasion myself (That's right: I'm neither "right-wing" or "left-wing" as I see major flaws and appeals in both sides and tend to be a combination of apathy, pragmatism--"whatever works"--and, perhaps, libertarianism), it was a refreshing change from the hard-core southern conservatism previously experienced. The whole Seattle situation and its mindset became stale, promting another move to its smaller brother down south: Portland, Oregon. Portland is a very pleasant city to live. Its moto is "The city that works." Even more socialist-minded than Seattle, (and a tacky form at that) it is a "people city." It tries to continually maintain and improve itself. Its climate is very mild: rarely dips below freezing in winter. With all the rain it gets, it's not surprising it is all called the "suicide capitol of the U.S." Talk about a depressing place to live; if you want to be constantly be in the doldrums, move to Portland! (Or read Daniel's prophecies everyday :-) By late 1997 I began to sense that a major economic recession or even depression was looming on the horizon after much research and observing the recent global crises unfold, and the vision of the Doomsday Clock was witnessed. Then after a few months of studying the y2k computer bug and its implications, with all these other variables, I was convinced: the house of cards is coming down eventually. Being a natural skeptic, it took awhile to become absolutely certain of this disaster's inevitability and magnitude. Once it sunk in I was compelled, for the first time ever to become a "survivalist." The assumption we all have that food and essentials we all take for granted will always be available dissolved as I contemplated the vast complexities of our automated economy and how y2k could bring it to a stand-still. I knew any large city would become a hellish in a hurry without power, water or sewage. Being economically tied to Portland, I decided to prepare a site near the west coast in the forest and began building a log cabin as a sanctuary to flee to and ride out any collapse, should it occur. I started stockpiling large amounts of food and supplies at this location as well. Unfortunately, in the summer of 1998, somebody found and stole the whole load of it (Oh well, at least someone has been well-fed). At this point I realized the ultra-survivalist approach, the type so often reported in the media, was simply not the way to go. The rational approach would be community awareness; your neighbors can make or break you in a crisis. However, 99% of members in most communities will not prepare, as shown by the lack of preparation by hurricane victims. Not many will listen to "those lunatics who say the sky is falling" and therefore make preparations. The dilemma I then faced was whether I should stay in the big city and risk getting caught up in a maelstrom of humanity-- 2.2 millions souls--or, once again, move. Fortunate enough to be mobile, well experienced at [moving] and without any significant ties to Portland, I headed east to Boise, Idaho. So why is this region one of the best safe havens in the continental U.S.? Community, Social Harmony This ranks as one of the top reasons Boise-- and Idaho--are so appealing. Crime is so low it seems almost non-existent in this city of 150,000 (By far the safest I've seen-- compared to all the other cities I've lived). Each year there are only two or three murders, and they were among transients (there aren't many homeless here either). One can actually walk the streets at night without fear. Even in a complete break-down situation, it is very unlikely people would riot, loot and pillage. Unlike the majority of American cities, there exists a strong sense of community. Social cohesion, stability and harmony are prevailent and be partly linked to the fact that this is one of the most conservative states in the union with a strong presence of a church-going population with such sects as the Mormons residing here as well. (You know how they love storing food) Idahoans work together and help one another out. This is the hallmark of a solid community. For example, a few months after moving there, my car broke down near downtown at 12:30 A.M. My destination was a quarter-mile away so I decided to get in a "workout" and push it by hand the rest of the way. During this 20-minute, exhaustive journey, 90% of passing cars stopped and asked if I needed help pushing it! (about 9 drivers did so) This is highly unusual in modern America, and was a delightful experience. In Florida, or any other place for that matter, I would not only have been ignored, but robbed! There is a high respect for personal differences and individuality in Idaho, contrary to its ill-founded image as an intolerant, "hate-state," with Arian Nation's neo-nazi residence up north. Generally, people seem to be happy, content and friendly Geographically Isolated In addition to being a small, undensely populated city, Boise is in the middle of nowhere. It is 500 miles from the nearest major metropolitan area (Seattle, Portland, Salt-lake City) with only small towns and wilderness in-between. With the exception of the Hanford storage facility in Washington state, there are no nuclear reactors nearby. The concern here is the potential for nuclear meltdowns in plants. There are also no significant military targets here. Aside from a standard National Guard unit, and small air force base, there are no (known) ICBM silos or anything strategic worth destroying lest WWIII were to occur. Mild Climate, Geology In the Boise river valley winter temperatures rarely go below 15 or 20 degrees F. in winter; uncomfortable, but tolerable with proper dress and minimal heating. The region is very arid, receiving only a few inches of rain per year, but is nestled next to vast, wet, forested mountains to the north that shed their moisture down south into the desert in the form of clear streams. Spring and fall are beautiful. Summer is somewhat hot, with temperatures around 90 degrees, but won't kill you (it's a dry heat). We don't have to worry about the extremes of mother nature in this region; there are no hurricanes, floods or tornadoes. The high desert sits in the intermountain region of the Rockies, well away from continental plates and major faults. There have been mild earthquakes in the past, but they are very rare. As far as critters go, there are many flies in the summer, but it beats mosquitoes.
Natural Resourses, Food, Water Surrounding Boise (aka "Cowtown") are millions of acres of potatoes and livestock (beef, pork, chicken). As the experience of the Irish illustrated, one can be nutritionally sustained for extended periods on little more than milk and potatoes (heck, throw in a good steak for good measure and you're set!) As previously mentioned, it is arid here, but through gravity fed irrigation dykes running off the mountain streams, agricultural hydration needs are naturally met. The Northwest relies heavily on hydroelectric power (dams) to supply its energy needs. Unlike coal powered plants, which require the railroad system to be functional, and nuclear power, with all the problems it can posses, hydro-power is not at risk from supply-chain problems; it is "free" and renewable. There is also lumber--lots of firewood in Idaho, having the largest forest in the continental US. Although I consciously thought the reason to move to Boise was simply its safe location, but to be angelically awakened, as I found out later it is a gathering place for angels. Moreover, God deems it necessary for Daniel to survive and be protected in order to witness his prophecies come to fruition. Is this THE safest place to live? Maybe not, but it certainly ranks at the top. Will I ever move again? Can't seem to stay still, but it sure feels like home, like Jerusalem two and a half millennia ago... |
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