World With Out Oil Story

From: Fathead-Americano
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 4:30 AM
To: wwo@worldwithoutoil.org
Subject: World With Out Oil Story

I can't even believe how lucky I've been through out this whole thing. A friend of mine lost everything: his home, his business, even his family. My friend wasn't the only one to lose everything. I don't know how accurate this is but I heard nearly a third of the town lost their job and, or moved away. As unemployment soared people began to become desperate. Many, like my immediate family, left the city and moved to more rural areas. My family explained to me that they just couldn't handle the "new stresses" of the city. Many people in their desperation directed their efforts toward more violent ambitions. Throughout the city there have been reports of random acts of violence, theft, and vandalism.

The government has been doing its best to combat and suppress some of these crimes. I am a little uneasy with some of the new laws that have been getting passed but my worries have been vetoed by the other citizen's votes. The city has been under martial law with a strict 10:00 P.M. curfew. Also it seems as though warrants are a thing of the past around here. Guns are now illegal to possess in this area, and all of the previously registered firearms were rounded up some time ago. The police raided my neighbor's home and found and illegal shotgun on his premises. I haven't heard from him for months. With the new extreme crimes occurring daily, I don't blame the police for their new policies. I do, however, feel as though I am sacrificing most of my civil liberties for security. Despite the government's attempts, I still don't really feel completely safe. I mean all these new regulations haven't really slowed down the random acts of violence and vandalism. The criminals have been making improvised bombs and weapons to use against the newly unarmed people. I actually heard a squad car was bombed the other day, and the criminal had the guts to attempt to steal the officer's firearm from the burning wreck. The government has been enforcing a strict rationing on all of the gas. They seem to be hording it for police and local military vehicles. Another problem is the food scares we have. The local government has been working on that problem; unfortunately sometime all we get is the local corn or the "veggie of the day." I've heard 5 servings a day but this is ridicules. I guess it's better than starving. One can't but feel sorry for the local farmers. I've been told by many people that the police will just take their crops with little or no compensation.

I will admit though this new world isn't all bad though. The voter turnout last month was the highest it's ever been for a local election (nearly 80 %.) The politicians are finally talking about the real issues that concern us and working through party lines to fix the community's problems. We have now doubled the amount of public transit vehicles. I was forced to sell my car and ride the public bus. Unfortunately, I had to leave an hour and a half early just to make it on time to for work. Now with this new transportation it only takes 35 minutes. I've also noticed there is a lot less over weight people around too; I think this is attributed to all the walking and biking that is required to survive. Even though there are a lot negative aspects to our community I think we are making a difference and moving forward towards a common goal.

*Fathead-Americano