I believe in the Peter Parker principle. Spiderman understands with great power comes great responsibility.
In other words, it's all my fault.
I tipped off the forces of evil last week while lost in my wanderlust. The call of a road trip and sharing with you gave those Russian cyberbombers the reason they needed to strike.
SJ can't go on a roadtrip if SJ can't get any gas.
The DarkSide's ransomware hit on the Colonial gas pipeline was the kind of thing superheroes like me expect from the forces of evil. Instead of keeping me off the road with something direct, like pouring sugar in my gastank, they go for the grand gesture.
Says a lot when crippling a gas pipeline from a couple thousand miles away is easier than wiring somebody a couple hundred bucks to slash some tires.
The grand gesture couldn't really work, though. No matter if the pipeline is out a few days, there's still plenty of gas out there. As long as demand stays steady, local supplies should weather the outage. It's all delivered by tanker truck, so some trucks just might have to drive further. It shouldn't be any big deal.
As long as nobody panics.
Or at least those were my thoughts on Tuesday afternoon as I headed up Elkhorn Creek toward Jenkins with way less than a quarter tank of gas in my car. Once was, I never let my car get under a quarter tank of gas.
But this car tells you how many miles it'll take to empty the tank and 35 is more than the 23 to the next gas station.
When I got to Jenkins, five of six pumps were taken. As soon as I maneuvered my car to the pump, three other cars pulled in waiting for an empty one. Next to me, a guy was pulling 5 gallon gas cans out of his trunk. He lined them up behind his crossover and checked the nozzle handle sticking out of his tank. He topped it off then stuck the nozzle into the first gascan.
I was busy getting my own gas while this was going on, so it took me a minute to notice the guy had a holstered pistol strapped to his hip. I looked at the other people getting gas. I was the only one without a spare can or three sitting there waiting to be filled. The guy next to me wasn't the only one with a weapon showing, either.
I know how social media works. There are a half dozen conspiracies about Biden declaring marshall law running rampant already. It isn't hard at all to understand why people might over react and run to the gas station with every vehicle and container they've got.
But what the heck makes someone think, when loading cans to run to the neighborhood gas station, "oh wait, I better get my gun!"
The good news is this too shall pass. The pipeline will open, the gas panic will subside. I may or may not be going on a road trip in who knows what direction.
I'd say more but I've caused enough trouble this week.