Not to be fear mongering, but to be judiciously cautious, may I suggest moving into alert condition yellow because of Ferguson. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Better safe than sorry.  Naturally, we don’t like to think that rioting will happen in our environment, but . . . .

From a highly respected law officer friend with his ear to the ground comes the following to me this afternoon.

“Please pay close attention to the news (radio, TV, etc.) for information about the Ferguson, MO grand jury situation.

“Between now and the time the announcement comes that the officer will not face charges in Ferguson you need to watch where you are, where you are going and what resources you have with you. It will happen quickly once it is announced and organized nationwide idiocy is already being planned, fueled by social media as well as the regular media. Have alternate routes to the place you need to be. Use the buddy system. Leave as soon as you hear the news if there is even an inkling of an idea that you might encounter any kind of social unrest.

“Your race, religion, color and social status will be of no consequence if you are in the way of mob mentality. There will be no one to call and you will be required to do what is needed for your own well-being. Do not hang out in places that are likely to be targets or points of the inflammation. Do not hang around with people that will incite such illegal activities for their own personal gain. I know these seem like common sense but it seems during each riot in our lifetime we watch the same actions over and over.

“Make sure you carry means to protect yourself and family. Carry enough. Have some supplies so if you can’t get to where you need to go you can stay somewhere else. A little food, water, light, warm clothes, first aid goes a long way if you can’t get home for ten hours. Or more.

“Just like with an impending storm don’t wait until the storm hits to shop, fuel the vehicles, etc.  Prepare for that now so if you need to sit tight for a night or two it doesn’t cause undue hardship. Use the am/fm radio, TV news, etc. instead of the player or satellite radio in the vehicle so information can be obtained as it unfolds.

“Talk with the family openly and without fear mongering. Going over a situation, brain gaming, in your head is the first step. If you have children have a plan so they might know a safe secondary location to go to if you are delayed from picking them up at school or an event. Consider small, portable FRS radio communication, as cell phones will quickly jam. Text messages often get thru when calls fail.

“Tell your family and friends.