If you’ve missed the commercials, there stands a group of people, presumably Oklahomans, arms crossed defiantly in front of their chests. Hard-hats, doctors, teachers, businessmen, housewives. The voiceover is a familiar voice that asks if we are “Red Dirt Ready.”
Red Dirt Threat Level
One thing about the voice of Morgan Freeman. He makes subtle authority an art form. “Let’s make Oklahoma Red Dirt Ready,” he says.
Ok. I’ll bite.
Went to the website (sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, the terrorist people) and found a scary-looking chart that reads backwards (Farsi?), where the safe and fuzzy green tones are on the right and the threatening reds and yellows are on the left. Currently, (according to the graphic) we are in elevated threat levels at both the local and national level, and “general aviation” is under “High” alert.
What do we do about it? How do we get “Red Dirt Ready?” I’ll save you the trip. From the website:
1. Be sure to schedule a tune-up for your vehicle to ensure everything is working correctly.
2. Invest in good winter tires, and always keep your gas tank at least half full.
3. Pack a windshield scraper and other snow removal tools.
4. Dress warmly in layers of loose-fitting, lightweight clothing.
5. Keep an emergency supply kit in your car at all times, and include items such as a flashlight (with extra batteries), cell phone (with charger), First Aid Kit, water and food, blankets and extra clothing, a small shovel, and booster cables.
How those steps keep us safe in the general aviation airliner is beyond me, but if I can lower our local threat level by stashing some booster cables, so be it.
As for the red dirt part – a little research provided the information that the red soil found primarily in western Oklahoma is due to the presence of iron oxide. On the other hand, red dirt – when applied to music – is “described as a mix of folk, rock, country, bluegrass, blues, Western swing, and honky tonk, with even a few Mexican influences.
So. There you have it. Are you Red Dirt Ready?
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