Letter COM:1850049 (81 lines)

From: Internet: Charles P. Cooksey <Dasarath@compuserve.com>

Date: 13-Nov-98 18:49

To: Kaunteya (das) JPS (Mayapur - IN) [12286]

For: Apocalypse 1999? (Are you ready?)

Cc: Akhandadhi ACBSP

Subject: ISKCON Y2K AWARENESS & PREPAREDNESS - from Akhandadi ACBSP

------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Akhandadi prabhu,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I just read your letter to kaunteya in regards tom Y2K and thought

that I would write some suggestions. i have been following the Y2k issue

since April of this year, and even had a formal presentation for the GBC -

Temple Presidents meeting in Houston, stock full of pertinant information

and proposals of how to prepare the Iskcon community. Unfortunately, a

certain mataji who was arranging the agenda for the meetings saw no

importance of my presentation, so I had to have little meetings with

various leaders on the sidelines. Needless to say, very few reacted

positively. I can briefly state some of those ideas, and you can give me

your feed-back if you like, However, to be quite truthful, anyone who knows

about the Y2K problem in depth will probably agree with me, that if you

wait until the Mayapur meetings to begin to formally discuss the issue at

the GBC level, you are

taking a great risk of beginning WAY TOO LATE! The effects of this Y2K

phenomenon will start to take hold long before the date of January 1st,

1998.

For example, many computer systems are built to "think" a year ahead,

and will start behaving as if it is year 2000 in the beginning of 1999!

Another point of information, Japan, Canada, and the state of New York,

begin their fiscal year for the year 2000 April 1st, 1999! Many Y2K

specialists believe that sometime in the summer of 1999, "the party is

over"!

I have a copy of a seminar on Y2K which was shown on a C-SPAN cable

show called the "Power Lunch" at the end of this past June. The panelists

include Senator Bennett from the state of Utah, who is the chairman of the

Y2K subcommitte for the U.S. government and also chairman of government

banking; the chief scientist of the U.S.; the number one economic forcaster

for the U.S. in 1997 (according to the Wall Street Journal); four Y2K

specialists (one from the UK) who coach government and industry world wide

about the problem; and a few others. They are addressing 100 CEO's and some

"Pentagon Brass". They send a very powerful and informative message that it

is time for everyone to take IMMEDIATE measures for contingency plans as

the whole infrastructure of the entire Western world is at risk -

telecommunications, utilities (including electricity), food distribution

and water resources, and national defense systems - all are at extreme

risks of coming to a freezing and grinding halt! Such a situation would

make living in the cities impossible.

My humble analysis on our pro-active position, is that an

International committe for Y2K & ISKCON should be formed IMMEDIATELY, by

the GBC through the e-mail. (We do not have time to waste! It would have

been more timely and a better idea to have had this as a Mayapur GBC

meeting discussion LAST YEAR!) There should be a very quick education on

the Y2K problem that is sent to all temples worldwide (although places like

India will not be much affected). City temples and the local (if there are

any) ISKCON farm should begin communication about the possibilty and

probability of having to move devotees and Deities to the farm, discussing

about living arrangements, etc. Extra buildings may have to be built right

away (and this is another reason why I don't think this can wait until

Mayapur). Ham radios should be established right away on all farms and some

city temples. That will be our future means of communication (sorry, no

more lap-tops!).

And finally, temples and farms should begin storing food grains to

last at least a year for all the devotees and whoever else they think they

may be feeding. here in Tucson, we have already begun to store food grains

(oats, rice, dahl, and wheat berries) for one years supply for 50 people.

we only have 25 devotees, but we are counting on more people showing up on

the farm. This supply of food will be periodically transferred to a safe

and maybe hidden place on the farm we recently acquired in New Mexico. We

are also storing a two year supply of spices and personal necessities such

as clothing, etc. I am permanently moving to the farm to organize

construction, etc., the beginning of January.

If the leadership of this Movement does not act to prepare for this

calamity expeditiously, we may be endangering unnecessarily, lives and

property.

Hoping this meets you well.

Your servant,

Dasarath das.

Temple President &

Y2K Co-ordinator for the Southwest U.S.

(Text COM:1850049) -----------------------------------------

(Text COM:1852365) -----------------------------------------