Government loves a good fairy tale, and the 911 system is their crown jewel. They never shut up about it. Slick brochures, patriotic commercials, smiling dispatchers wearing headsets. “Just call 911,” they tell you, as if that phrase itself were some sacred incantation that bends time and space. Here is the harsh truth. 911 is not a force field. It is a phone call. The best it can do is send people who are not there yet and will not be there when you actually need them. By the time they arrive, the stabbing is over, the fire is roaring, and the body is cooling. There is exactly one person guaranteed to be on-scene at the critical moment. You. Government hates that reality, because it ruins their favorite fantasy where you are a helpless dependent and they are the noble saviors. People call 911 because they need men with guns to stop monsters, and men with training to keep people alive and put out fires. That is fine, as long as you understand those men are incoming, not present. You ar...