defenceless
March 17, 2026
Defenceless
CD. Compact disc? Nope. CD. Certificate of deposit? Try again. How about Civil Defense?
Back in the Fifties when Russia had launched sputnik and we all had visions of Russian atomic bombs raining down on everywhere, even a remote corner of upstate New York, four miles from the Canadian border,, the federal government created Civil Defense, a program that encouraged citizen watch dogs and measures to protect us all from attack. Children had classroom safety drills where they all huddled under their desks and covered their heads with a book. Oh the innocence!
Our little town had a Civil Defense Day, and at the siren going off, all citizens were supposed to head for the designated safe area, a downstairs room in the local library. Twenty three people showed up. Most, myself included, just looked up, wondered where was the fire, and continued on with the day.
Civil Defense eventually got eaten up by the Dept. Of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency So much for the Russian Threat, It turns out we have more to fear from our own government.
Tally Harwood 