Sunday, August 5, 2012

Standoff

I've been going on at length the last few days; this post is by necessity much shorter. Our scouts did manage to intercept the caravans from Louisville yesterday and stopped them from getting closer than a few miles away. The team, composed of four scouts and an eight-man squad pulled from the assault teams, gave them our terms. Accept quarantine with no contact or direct aid, with food and water provided, or turn around and go home.

The Louisville folks knew the unspoken third option was force. Instead they opted for option four. They pointed guns at our people and took them captive.

It's a desperate gambit, one made with the idea that we'd have to take our own people in, and logic would follow that since we'd be exposing ourselves in the process we might as well take in the rest of them.

The reason I'm keeping it short is that the council has been in session off and on for the last twelve hours trying to decide what our next move is going to be. There are several ways forward on the table, but Will insisted that all of them--none of them pleasant--be put up for a community-wide majority vote. Four plans, four actions to take. We'll pair them off and take two votes. One will end up winning.

I should point out in the limited time I have to write this post that yes, one of the options is full acceptance of the Louisville group into New Haven. They'd become full citizens and receive as much treatment and care as we can provide. As bad an idea as that is, I can't fault Will or the council for making it an option. We've had enough heartache dealing with enemies. No one wants to leave any option off the table. If we're going to get sick and die, no matter how stupid or wasteful that may be, then we'll choose to do it as a majority.

I'm not going to lie: if that option is picked, I'm out. If the people around me want to expose themselves to a very infectious and deadly illness, I can't stop them. This is my home, but it's theirs as well. I can't fault people for doing something I consider suicidal in its altruism, but just like any citizen of New Haven I have the right to leave at any time. I'll risk a lot, but I won't accept near certain death (especially a slow and painful one) because other people tell me I should. If the vote goes that way then I'll leave. Jess has already said the same.

The votes begin in less than half an hour, and I'm helping run things. I have to go. Keep us in your thoughts.

3 comments:

  1. It seems like its coming to a head in New Haven. If you decide to leave you will be welcom in our community in wyoming. Any comunity would only prosper with you and Jess with them. I hope it all works out for the best but I find it astonishing that its come to this and another community might be wiped out by the actions of another friendly community

    ReplyDelete
  2. How many people are in the Louisville group? What did they do with their sick?

    You are all in my thoughts New Haven. I hope this will work out without killing the majority of both groups. Right now I have a lot less sympathy for Louisville.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow-that is a very shady move by the Louisville crew. Their choice of actions make me feel guilty for advocating for New Haven to find some way to help them in spite of the risks. Even when I urged you to find some way to help, I never would have suggested bringing the folks in directly, especially without imposing some sort of quarantine first! Your quarantine proposal was quite appropriate and fair, given the high percentage of contagion and low survival rate. The Louisville group is either so desperate they are not thinking clearly, or they have even more nefarious intentions in mind for when they are behind the New Haven gates. They have to realize that even if you let them in, there would have to be serious repercussions for their behavior and actions. The situation is very concerning-I'm worried for you all! Good luck, and may your people come back safely. I'm assuming they've been exposed now by the Louisville crew, so they would accept quarantine upon their return? What a horrible situation. :(

    ReplyDelete