I am wondering if all the political nonsense emerging in the wake of this event will make most level-headed citizens of the USA and Canada quietly and calmly start hoarding generators, batteries, propane, etc.

I for one am going to renew my candle supply...but I needed to do that anyway.

I heard an interesting comment from an analyst/energy expert the other night...he was on the news (maybe Fox? I kept switching around to see what everyone was saying because I was not sure when we'd lose power and the TV would go out) and mentioned that three weeks ago, and agreement was signed between several of the larger grid systems (I believe it was the Northeast, Northwest and Texas), to implement a new security system which would prevent electrical outages or failures due to security problems with the   software   in the data colection system (the "nervous system," of the grid as another expert explained it). This guy said that the agreement was signed but no measures had yet been implemented. His implication was that the software had failed, and perhaps further, that the security had been interfered with (hackers?).

I found it all a bit cloak and dagger but then I got thinking; what other logical explanation exists for such a pervasive, but also selective, blackout? The word "cascading" kept being used, but Detroit, NYC and Toronto all lost power AT THE SAME TIME. I also wondered at how quickly the suits wanted to assure everyone no "terrorism" was behind it. Perhaps not, but malicious sabotage from a small group of individuals seems a possibility, particularly in the wake of a public meeting where the security of the grid's data system was being discussed. I also speculated that, if "terrorists" were looking for a way to disable the grid so that other mesaures could be employed (the release of bio-agents or spores in crowded, paralyzed subway tunnels, for example), this would be a good testing ground...

What I am saying is, as Henny-Penny as it sounds, this may just have been a drill.