In the autumn of 2008, as Presidential hopefuls sparred over whether we had entered a recession or not and well before the onset of the most serious global crisis since the 1930’s, trend forecaster Gerald Celente advised his Trends Journal subscribers to prepare for the worst and plan for the best. “It will be,” warned Celente, “like nothing weâve ever seen in our lifetime.”
The aware and prepared ⌠those understanding just how out of control society would become, and those who had acquired the skills for survival would stand the best chance of navigating the chaos safely.
But Americans were not prepared. Not by a long shot
Very few had the foresight to predict that the economic system and social fabric of our nation would be threatened with upheaval and disarray.  But some, whether through independent education or through intuition, deduced that there was a real possibility of a system shock so significant that life as we know it could be on the verge of a major paradigm shift – perhaps even a complete collapse of our economy and resource infrastructure.
As natural disasters around the world took the lives of hundreds of thousands, space agencies warned of solar disruptions that threaten our power grid, the economies of the world slid further into depression, and tensions between the world’s financial and resource super powers grew, more and more people began to realize that the stability we have come to depend on to live our daily lives was nothing but illusion.
With very few places to turn for support, most headed for the internet, where communities had popped up to discuss possible disaster and collapse scenarios, and ways to minimize the impact on oneself and family. That it was happening or could happen was no longer the question.
The real question was how to survive it when it finally came to pass.
With none of us ever having experienced (or even imagined) such a possibility before, many turned to guidance from experts in their fields – people  like Gerald Celente or Marc ‘Dr. Doom’ Faber, who had an uncanny ability to see developing trends, and authors like survival expert James Rawles who wrote the popular economic collapse and survival cult classic Patriots and William Forstchen who penned One Second After, a frighteningly realistic look at what life without the grid might look like. First it was thousands, then tens of thousands of concerned Americans who began learning the essentials of survival by learning from each other with resources offered at web destinations like the American Preppers Network, Doctor Prepper, Survival Mom, Off Grid Survival and Ready Nutrition.
Those who chose to insulate themselves against coming disaster were often vilified or dismissed as lunatics by friends and family alike. And while many chose to ignore the trend which had become quite apparent, those who had the willingness to consider a different reality than had been painted by the powers that be just kept on preppin’.
As global malaise continued and the people began to lose confidence in political platitudes and corporatist solutions, the movement towards preparedness, survival and self reliance grew. After having seen what took place in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, many came to the conclusion that if the worst were to happen there would be no government to help, no 9-1-1 to call, and no emergency management agency to distribute food or water.
Today, at the cusp of possibly the most trying times in human history, more Americans than ever before are preparing for the possibility of disaster.
As many as three million Americans now fall into the category dubbed ‘preppers’ – people who are making detailed plans for the end of the world as we know it.
The preppers are an ever-growing group of survivalists who take extreme measures to prepare for a major catastrophic event.
…
More than 300,000 people a month visit the movement’s website, survivalblog.com, which catalogues how people are preparing for the worst.
The website has been set up by James Rawles, a former US Army intelligence officer, who is one of the movement’s leading figures.
Speaking to The Times, he said: ‘Should the worst happen, it’s become apparent that the Government can’t provide for everybody. And now that realisation is becoming more widespread.‘
…
âPeople invest so much money in life insurance,â Mr Ralston told National Geographic. âThis is life assurance.â
He is like some of the people featured on National Geographicâs new show Doomsday Preppers, which chronicles a new prepper each week, delving into their conceptions of the end and what theyâre doing to prepare for it.
âItâs not a hobby, itâs a lifestyle,â Gloria Haswell told National Geographic. She and her husband spend 50 hours a week getting ready for a climate shift in the poles.
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âThese are not just a handful of people living in the mountains,â National Geographic Channelâs executive vice president of programming Michael Cascio told the Wall Street Journal. âTheyâre everywhere.â
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The Journal notes that Nat Geo has begun appealing to a growing subculture that has seen the past disasters â from last yearâs tsunami and earthquake in Japan to riots to economic uncertainty â and have wanted to prepare the best they can.
âThe last few years have probably exacerbated the doomsday fear,â Mr Cascio told the Journal. âThe world is changing.’
Source: UK Daily Mail
This week the National Geographic series Doomsday Preppers debuted to an audience of four million, a testament to the fact that preparing for disasters – regardless of the kind – is a growing trend, and one that’s popular even among those that have been affectionately dubbed the sheeple. No doubt some of those watching the show, who never considered the possibility of far-from equilibrium events, will take to preparing right away.
Most seasoned preppers will agree that those first few weeks and months of preparedness are the most stressful, with emotions being described by newbies as anxiety and panic. For those just getting started, you should feel better knowing that it’s better late than never.
What you may be experiencing today isn’t panic. It’s a sense of urgency, and that’s a positive motivator that can, with focus, drive you to quickly and effectively achieve your goals.
Panic is what we’ll see from those remaining 99% of Americans who have failed to take measures to protect themselves from the coming devastation.Â
(*Note: The preparedness books and websites mentioned in this article are only a handful of fantastic destinations you can visit to read articles and guides, join communities, and download resources. Check out the Web Destinations at SHTFplan.com and The Prepper Website for an extensive list of excellent resources.)
Hat tip Red Leader
Three million–and one
Take names and numbers.
When we come up for sunshine and air, let’s not make the same mistakes. Do not allow the same monsters loot and kill us.
Prosecute the guilty; leave the innocent alone.
JQP…look “hard” at who lives in your community…”real hard”…you will have an advantage by knowing who is for the lack of a better term, “threat” to you, your family and friends.
They are easy to pick out with some research…especially if you want to survive.
Mac already did an article awhile back, this should help:
https://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-preparedness/after-the-collapse-who-will-your-neighbors-be_11042011
thats not really true
you can’t tell just by looking
for example: would you look at your normal young black male that is near poverty as a prepper?
probably not
and i just described someone i know
It’s going to take more than just looking…
Get to know them and figure down their personalities. It ain’t perfect, but at least you’ll be closer than if you just eyeballed them.
No research needed. Easy. Just observe those in the community who, when you try to explain the problem(s) of things going “south,” and they look at you funny or made a ridiculous remark. Those are the ones you need to catalogue as possible future threats.
“Take names and numbers”
Don’t worry John Q., DHS (Demonic Hitmen Squad) and FEMA (Federal Extermination Minion Agency), judging from the article’s title probably already have about 3MM names and numbers…. Sorry for the cynical sarcasm… I agree whole heartedly with your assesment. After the proverbial fanblades are cleaned of doodoo, , it’s essential that we recognize our past shortcomings and not repeat them.
~John Q~
Listen up, brother….its all inside the “LEXICON”!!!
Do your research, pal…you’re smart! You’ll get it, I’m sure!
Ya wanna go to ground? Ping me at [email protected]…ditto for AHAB.
Watch your six, guys!!!
It is important to note that one of the subjects in the Nat Geo series has been judged mentally defective by the government and his guns have been seized. There is no evidence that he has ever committed a crime.
http://offgridsurvival.com/doomsdayprepperdeclaredmentaldefective/
OPSEC is important. Appearing on one of these shows may get them their 15 minutes of fame but it is very foolish amd makes you a target of the government as well as the Unprepared when the SHTF.
RL ~ OPSEC is important but so is spreading the word. I wouldn’t want to be on a show like that, but I think that if more people who came across as rationaly stepped up and did it, it could help to wake people up.
I feel really badly for that guy. He was obviously targeted to make the whole movement look nuts. I’m glad he isn’t being quiet about what was done to him.
more likely than a conspiracy is that heâs a loudmouth provocateur who didnât ahve the sense to shut up to a doctor who has a duty (via liability concerns, and possibly by law) to report dangerous dudes.
the police arrested him based on the statements he made to his doctor. the emergency room doctor and the psychiatrist on staff signed off on the involuntary commitment. a local judge (likely elected) approved all the activity.
if you watch the guyâs other videos, heâs a loudmouth attention whore. none of this is surprising, except in its overall rarity of gun confiscation.
We watched the first episode. Frankly, we felt National Geographic chose people that would make preppers look nuts. This man, unfortunately, chose to share with the world what he has prepped. He broke the first rule of prepping. Never let strangers know what you have. Period! My wife and I have confided in our children because they would be with us when the SHTF plus a few relatives and close friends. That’s it. Of course, our guns are registered but there was no way around that where we live. I feel for him. I really do, but he has served as a good lesson to those just coming into prepping. Lay low, advise people you care about to prep, but don’t reveal anything you wouldn’t want spoken about to others. Remember, you don’t know who those people will talk to.
Open your mouth, expect to get scrutiny.
My wife once told me that spreading the word is a bit like getting laid (from the female perspective mind you, not the male)… you have to get to know the person first, insure that they’re worth the risks and effort, and that they’re willing and able to maintain the relationship as well as show some discretion about it.
ROFLMAO
OQ, your wife must be a gem, a real keeper!!!!!!!!!
Your wife and mine must be related⌠she was very slow at coming on board, but since sheâs adjusted her attitude to the very real possibilities of what is coming⌠time and again, sheâs given me things to consider from a womanâs perspective that have really made me stop and think â and Iâd say Iâve readjusted my directives about 60% of the time â thanks to her⌠Plus, not only is she a much better shot than I am, sheâs quicker on the draw and I promise you, she wonât hesitate⌠â..I pity the fool that tries to take her onâŚâ
This page and every other page that talks about preps and government activity is being watched now. Low profile is best.
They can watch all they want; no skin offa mine. All they’re going to see is common sense.
I have no fear of government when things go splat… they’re going to be too busy as it is to bother with random, scattered people who stock up on canned food and bullets.
re: ..too busy to bother with people who stocked up on canned food and bullets…
Unless that’s the very thing that they are busy doing.
I remember reading Jim Rawles’s post about this show on his blog. He pretty much said he turned NGC down when they asked him to be on the show and he was glad he did, because he even saw they were intentionally making preppers look like nut jobs. Their intent was clearly to make a show that was the modern day equivalent of a circus freak show and not to truly educate people about why it is important to prep.
Could be Beefcake. I watched a couple of episodes of this show tonight and they were my first. I actually liked the show and plan to watch it again. NGC may suck but the people they showed came across to me as being genuine, concerned, and committed to prepping. I liked that… a lot. It was interesting to see what others were doing to prep and their reasons for doing so. We all have our own reasons for prepping or not. My bottom line is that it is better to have and not need then to need and not have. As an older person, a lot of my preps are for my kids and grand kids. They may be sheeple in this regard but I love them deeply nonetheless. I hope that my preps will never be needed but if they ever are, there will be some deeply grateful people in my family because of it. A lot of us prep in the same way that we might have once purchased life insurance. Many of the things that we prep for have a small chance of occurring but if they ever did would be totally devastating to those who are not prepared for anything. Whatever happens is likely to be a really big surprise when it does happen. Many of us may not have prepped for the particular thing that happens but being prepped in general will be a good thing for us and our families. Let those who are completely unprepared laugh and make fun of us. They laughed and derided Noah too… until it started to rain. Those laughs soon turned to sobs and then to gurgles as they drowned. Oh, well. S**t happens.
As you already know speaking about guns and showing them to people is a bad idea. As things get worse it may be a good idea to stop taking them to the ranges even or to even fire them. I suspect folks will start reporting others. Watch out, it going to to crazy. If you know how shoot you know how to shoot, don’t need any negative attention do we. This proves it what guys said.
Have a good night, can’t type any more.
“If you know how shoot you know how to shoot…”
True enough but shooting well is a skill that must be practiced if we are to keep those skills honed and sharp. In a gun fight the difference between 1st and 2nd place is HUGE. IMHO, it is better to practice regularly than it is to worry about who may or may not be watching you do it.
The preppers shown on the show were picked to make preppers look like loons. Just another hit piece by the Govt. Why would any real prepper want to draw attention to themselves and their families? This is a thinly disguised hit piece on the prepper outlook.
The more the merrier. Come on in all you wanabe preppers, the water is fine. More preppers means less shooting of desperate, hungry, violent, non-preppers. Besides, since when did it become cool to trust the gobment.
Well, for what it’s worth, 3 million is less than one percent of the US population of 308 million.
I don’t think they counted kids, so let’s call it 1.5% at most. Sadly, that still leaves a ratio of 1:98.5
Oh. so it’s WE who are the one percent !
Well, for what itâs worth, 3 million is less than one percent of the US population of 308 million.
I donât think they counted kids, so letâs call it 1.5% at most. Sadly, that still leaves a ratio of 1:98.5
Thats why we have Extra Magazines. Fully Loaded.
Where are “THEY” gathering the sats on who is a prepper? a scary thought if youask me, trolling these sites our debit cards where are the peeking now. Hmmmm?
Yep, it’s not many. The population is 6.7 million in the general area where I live. If 1.5% were preppers that sounds about right.
Boy do I agree. Prepping = a combination of Boy/Girl Scouts and Home Economics, bit of 4-H, etc think of every good old American, wholesome, thing they had you learn in High School or club you’d join, and that’s it.
And it’s certainly a lifestyle. Who would wish for Armageddon? We wish for a relatively uneventful transition to life with more resiliency, more local production of food and goods, etc.
If it’s Three Million preppers I guess that makes us the One Percenters. The 99 percent will be unprepared.
…and if they find out you’re a “one percenter” post-SHTF, they’re all gonna camp on your yard like it were a public park.
Yes, Silverfox, they will. And when the SHTF, they will be the desperate hordes who steal and kill to get what they need when a little prepping would have accomplished the same goal without all the muss and fuss. Prepping is for those of us who are independent minded and who want to find ways to become more independent. Those who are dependent will not see the value in disturbing the status quo of the government teat… until the milk stops flowing, of course. They will then scream and cry at us and call us “hoarders” instead of just crazy.
Mac: Greece is in the news again. And I have not noticed any posts from Manos. How is he doing? Any word?
C, thanks for asking. I sent Manos an email on Friday and he replied after he returned from the protests. He’s doing OK, but remains concerned about the situation, not just in Greece, but the whole of Europe and the United States.
None of us are immune to what’s coming – and Manos stresses that now is the time to get prepared. For most Greeks it’s too late. Here in America we still have time (but none of us really know how long).
The latest from MSM:
The basic fabric of life is unraveling. Suicides are up 40%, homicide and violent crime up almost 100%, and cuts in social services so deep itâs making Greeks sick, literally….This is Greeceâs great depression. This is the meltdown that every economy dreads.
Link: http://www.thedailysheeple.com/the-basic-fabric-of-life-is-unraveling_022012
In Manos’ words — hopefully he won’t mind me sharing this from the email he sent:
I don’t want to depress you guys. You already have your own problems. Your proud nation is experiencing its own via dolorossa. I feel compassion and sadness. Thanks for the concern. I know you are here, and i’m proud to have you all as support.
I’m sure he’ll get in touch with us here when he finds time. As he always does, he send his best to not just me, but everyone here at SHTFplan.
Thx
Mac
mac
Thank you..please extend my support to Manos
He is an inspiration..
I will forward my email to you and please forward to Manos
if acceptable..by him.
Will send via the submit articles/links..
possee
Ditto here.
Seeing Athens literally burning brought him to mind immediately. I hope that one, he gets out of it in good shape, and two, civilization permitting, he would be willing to share any lessons learned, because I get the feeling we’re going to have to face ’em here.
Thanks for the Manos update, Mac. I find it incredibly inspiring that someone who is as deep in the s**t at he is still finds the time and the inclination to bless us with his posts. I have known a few Greeks in my life and I almost always liked them. They are a good and proud people with a long and glorious history. It is absolutely shameful and disgusting what the EU banksters are doing to Greece now. Yes, they did borrow and spend too much and now cannot pay it back but there are a lot of countries that are in that same condition now. We might not be as far along in the process as Greece is but we are surely following in their footsteps. We can all see our future in their present and it is terrible. Blessings to Manos and his family. I hope and pray that they will be able to come through these very hard times.
If there is any collection taken up for him, I will be happy to contribute to it. He may be far from us but he is our brother and a kindred spirit.
The 3 mil can only be a guess. I’ll bet there are alot more that have flown under the radar. Whether it’s one per cent or not, don’t care because if 10.8 million guns were sold in one year and the past 4 year average is above 9 mil., it tells me there are alot more preppers than the 1%. If millions are buying weapons, that may be the first stage of prepping for many.
@ DRD5508 : I agree. The numbers sighted only cover publicized sales from stores & such. I have a friend who never buys anything but from individuals he finds in the paper & such. All by private sale. So, Big Brother does not see any of it. I personally have not purchased a firearm in years. Built my collection 20 years ago.
Wouldlikek a Barrett 50….but that may never happen.
I believe that loose lips sink ships. At this point in the game just do your preppin & keep out of the lime light.
Montgomery County Texas
three million and two
I hate how most people don’t think kids care about the government or a SHTF scenario. I actually am a teenage kid who understands the need to be ready for emergencys or economic meltdowns. I help make food storage at home, help make emergency kits for the community and try to learn basic skills like rationing food and storing money. I just hope that people can stop for a minute and think for a second at what we are able to accomplish.
Although I’m sure I will have no impact on those of you have already convinced yourself that this time, the doomesday scenario is true (unlike all the countless thousands of times they haven’t been for hundreds of years), but what will you do on Dec. 22 when the world is still here? Why invest your lives in the foolish prophecies of others? Keep this in mind, of all the apocalyptic prophecies to date, not one has been accurate. What makes you think this next one won’t be?
Â
Finally, some actual numbers on how many of us there are. i for one fall into the better late then never category, but any preparation once tshtf will leave me and my family much better off then those around us!
I am not doing anything different than I did before although perhaps to a deeper level. A wilderness survival and firearms instructor, I have always had a deep pantry, three ways to heat my home, etc. I even took my guns, generator, and kerosine heater to college in the 80s. I have a solar cabin in the deep woods not because I fear the future, but because I enjoy the trees.
I am not doing much more than I was before I woke up this last year. I always bought a lot of items when they went on sale, always believed in keeping extra on hand, I hunted, fished, gardened, canned most of my own food. Probably the biggestt wo changes have been what I have been stocking up on and how much I have been saving up on. I have always been interested in solar and wind power, this has just prompted me to get off my lazy keister and actually work on those projects. And I started stockpiling wood and bought a wood stove. So if I am considered to be a nut now, I guess I always have been. Grin
“I have a solar cabin in the deep woods not because I fear the future, but because I enjoy the trees.”
Bless you, Pastor. I feel the same way about the forest lands and the sea coast as well. There is a vitality and a calmness there that refreshes the soul. Any time that I can spend there is a real treat and much enjoyed.
It was almost a year ago for me. Up until that point, I merely kept a 2-3 week pantry (in the Ozarks, it becomes a habit) and a couple of guns around (because I enjoyed hunting, and prefer to defend and protect myself should the need arise).
It was about then that I began to look around and notice a lot of bad mojo underlying the current structure of civilization. There were trends and changes occurring that are certainly not for the better.
Kicking my preps into higher gear meant a few changes, but not that many. My wife and I are very close, and we discuss everything together. She knew my thought processes during my little epiphany, and we discussed it in great detail. She came to the same conclusions, so prepping together happened almost from the start.
Once I get moved, I’ll be putting out feelers in my community. I had already stumbled across a gent a couple of towns away who was well into prepping, and he gave me a lot of great tips for local foraging and survival in my soon-to-be new neighborhood. It was quite accidental. We went to a local eatery and it was a slow day – just him, myself, and the missus. We began chatting,and the subject drifted towards government and politics. He kept near-perfect OPSEC, and went no further than discussing preps, though not in detail. The look in his eyes told me the rest.
My next project once I get settled in is to put out feelers in the new parish.
For those among you who belong to men’s societies (IOOF, Masons, KofC, Grange, etc), I am curious if you have started working towards getting your fellow members to start prepping. As a member of one (should be an easy guess if you’ve read my writings enough), I’m considering much the same thing once I get moved and settled in.
Freemasons are Satanic and Directly Responsible FOR These Financial crimes of our nation, along with Zionist Jews.
Mens organizatns..as in secret socieities?
Youve got to be Kidding?
All need to be tried for crimes againstt humanity
Conspiracy theories aside, there are quite a few out there who aren’t hell-bent on conquering anything. They can also form the nucleus of a small town’s efforts to fend off raiders, keep cohesion, and eventually build a new community.
Join a “gun club”. Or create one.
You are truly delusional!
Odd
All i can say is yes I have.
DPS
No need for particulars. Were you successful?
Odd,
Yes but only with 2 and they are much older then myself,1 of the men owns a very large ranch and has all his ducks in a roll. The rest will come around I hope.
I have been talking to these guyes for awhile and they are waking up fast.
DPS
Good to hear… it’ll be interesting to see how many are already there, as opposed to not even started, as the area is rather rural.
OQ, Very glad to hear you are getting out of the apartment!! Hope you picked a close-knit rural community. If it is not too far, check out Douglas Ridge Rifle Club off 224. =) We have been looking at short sales/foreclosures…even though we have some land, we are not that secluded. Hubby would like to reset,if at all possible…I am a bit more reluctant. Not sure if there is time and we have been here for 12 years…built some good relationships. I like my road!!! It would be hard to leave and quite possibly go it alone somewhere new. I have a long time neighbor friend who is starting to come around…she has been concerned for a long time but not as aware of the daily issues. I am her info source. Together, she & I have a lot of skills…she is a master food preserver and has done so much canning…but can’t hardly grow a radish. I on the other hand have tons of hort. knowledge. I know we would make a great team. There are few people I would trust with my child’s life, and she is one…vice/verse. It would be very hard to move away. I hope you find like minded people in your new area…support will be very important in the future. Take care~D
“There are few people I would trust with my childâs life, and she is oneâŚvice/verse.”
That is one of the greatest preps we can have, NSBF. I am not at all surprised that you cherish this friend. I would too in your place. Such relationships are rare, incredibly valuable, and well worth maintaining.
Being prepared wasn’t always thought of as a bad thing – the Boy and Girl Scouts have taught the principle for years.
I like the phrase – “aware and prepared”…sounds a whole lot better than “prepper” or “survivalist”, said with that demeaning tone and the curled lip and the rolled eyes!
Not that I care what anyone else thinks…I know who and what I am, and I know that what I’ve taken steps to have, know and do, will give my family a huge advantage for surviving the awful times that are coming. God gave me a brain and some financial wherewithal…I’ve used them the best I can. The rest is up to Him.
The best way to show and convince other people to prepare is to show that we aren’t completely consumed by prepping….. the best argument I’ve come up against is what is the point of life after the party ends???? So prep now and have a ton of fun!!!
Agreed, hence my user name.
I was a scout for a short time in the 70s. They taught me some pretty good stuff.
“I was a scout for a short time in the 70s.”
I think a lot of us were to some extent (I was until the age of 16, then the pursuit of girls began to eat all of my time đ ). It forms a great foundation for survival later on).
Scout in the 70’s as well…all the way to Eagle (and God and Country). Leader through the 80’s into the 90’s. Left when BSA became Babysitters of America. I still have freinds who are leaders, even district executives, and they’ve been telling me it’s improved. Still, the Scouts taught a very good message, “Be physically Strong, Mentally Awake and Morally Straight”…and Always, “Be Prepared”. At 50 years old, I’m not afraid the say I still try to live by the Scout Oath and Laws…they were that good a foundation for a healthy life. The scouts gave me my initial training about camping, shooting Rifle, Shotgun bow and arrow (including making your own bowstrings and arrows!), wilderness survival, hiking, self reliance, team building, knife and axe skills, fire building, cooking over a fire with and without pots/pans/utensils, dutch over cooking, water purification, fishing, canoeing, geez…most of the essential skills, eh? I wish my scout leaders were still alive, I’d like to thank the “Dirty Old Man” Heck, I even learned to plug a watermelon in the scouts!
I was in Viet Nam for a short time in the 70’s. The Marine Corp taught me some pretty good stuff.
Lock and load.
Ooh Rah!!
I prefer to call myself an “assurance agent”. đ
The Mormons are going to be laughing their asses off if things do turn bad. If everyone would just set a goal of two to three weeks of emergency food stores that would be a good start. No one in their right mind would want to be anywhere near a food store when things go South.
Dunno how else to say it, but having lived in Utah, I can tell you that most don’t do much more than (maybe) go on their mission, get their requisite Temple Wedding, then show up on Sunday mornings. Some may do a bit more (Relief Society, Church Basketball, etc), but I’m willing to wager that maybe 20% of Utah’s population have their required two-year pantry stocked. Perhaps you could tack on about 15% more that have more than two weeks of food stored away.
To be honest, if you were in a smaller Utah town (Salina, Logan, Kanab, etc) you’d do okay. Salt Lake Metro or Ogden? Not a chance… they’re likely as prepared as the typical LA resident would be.
Thank you, OQ! I live in the middle between Ogden and Salt Lake and most people only are interested in gas prices and the newest tech on the market. I am happy because my ward (yes I am Mormon) has put preparedness at a high priority. My family has a good year and a half of food storage at a full 3 meal day. Scouts has taught me a lot about emergencys and other survival skills. But most people I know have no desire to stalk up on food or have any emergency supplies. Just think of Mormons storing food as a stereotype and not fact.
“Not that I care what anyone else thinksâŚI know who and what I am, and I know that what Iâve taken steps to have, know and do, will give my family a huge advantage for surviving the awful times that are coming. God gave me a brain and some financial wherewithalâŚIâve used them the best I can. The rest is up to Him.”
Outstanding, TxGranny! It is words like this that inspire a lot of us out here to do more and better with our preps. đ
Preppers take extreme measures? How is storing food and water extreme.
Howdy Reginald!
Speaking of extreme measures — I totally dropped the ball on posting your video “Ten Ideas For Emergency Food Storage!”
I’m thinking this is a perfect time for that!
Another great place for beginners and enthusiasts alike: Reginald’s Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/DEMCAD
Storing food and water is considered extreme by the established powers because you aren’t pledging your faith or reliance upon them. In essence, you aren’t playing by their rules and that makes you an enemy of the “state” Govt. This form of Govt. wants a dependency-minded citizenry who NEED the Govt. or at least think they do in their minds. The “need” for Govt. “help” assistance is what the powers are counting on, people who will do whatever they are told to do and believe all they are being fed in order to maintain their lifestyles, keep themselves fed, etc. Makes for a lot of instant snitches too by having people so dependant on authority as well. I can sell my gun owning/food storing neighbor down the street out for how much money/food/protection? Look for A LOT of that.
I have heard that some National Security Act states that hording food is illegal? Can anyone clarify on the subject?
Reginald! I’ve caught some of your videos before. You’re one of the good guys!
Whats extreme about storing food and water? I’ll tell you what: the government and its indoctrination centers have said there is not worry. The ingenuity of Americans has made food so cheap and so available that the two conditions have lulled the sheople into a daze about thinking about their survival. They have lost touch with nature and they have lost touch with history.
Those who are trying to get back in touch (preppers) are seen as extreme because the people have NORMALCY BIAS. Its a mental illness that, in most cases causes inconveniences. In some cases (as in SHTF) normalcy bias can get you killed. Basically, people just don’t want to expend the resources. It might cost them a few hundred dollars and they just dont’ want to come to grips with the fact that they may need it. …all the while the government is trying to portray the preppers as terrorists or nut cases. Mis-information, dis-information and outright lies with a complicit media makes it easy.
People have been brainwashed by the government that government loves the and wants them to be happy and wants to keep them safe. Poor, poor misguided sheople. At the first provocation, the government will slaughter the masses for the “greater good”, you know, THEIRS!!! There is an evil undertow in this government. We can see it when they are doing stuff overseas and in their insidious legislation like the NDAA.
I think this show took the extreme of the preppers and paraded them on national television in an attempt to discredit them (us). I, however, think it is doing the opposite.
Myself, I’ve never taken an extreme position. I’ve built my stock of food, guns, ammo and supplies over time. …and, not extreme amounts. No one would look at my larder and say it was extreme except the most ardent sheople among us. Besides, its not for doomsday. My wife just finds stuff on sale and buys it! Its a method of saving money. đ
Our extreme nature stems from the fact that we are unwilling to live on the pablum that the MSM and the government put out. Most of us are carnivores, not grazers. Just as a sheep views a wolf as an “extreme” life form, so too are we.
Two, more here…My wife and me….
I also fall into the better late than never category. The more I study and prep and as I think things through, I am believing that it is going to be essential not to be a loner and to have some type of community in order to have security. I know there are groups out there but they don’t want to advertise themselves (and for good reason), but it’ would be good to try to add a networking aspect to this site. I am not too interesting in joining the zombie squad. Not to knock them but it just isn’t for me.
Helping others in time of need is paramount. Not clinging to personal survival at any cost.
Matthew 35-40
I absolutely agree concerning helping others. Some of the things I am getting are to give away and seek good will with those around me and to try to open a door to present the Gospel. However, do to where I live being (semi) rural it is the traveling marauders that I am concerned about. I have to sleep and long term I think I will need somewhere else to take my family.
My personal survival isn’t important anymore; I’m to old, On the other hand No way am I going to help the scum suckers that have whinned: give me, give me, and brought the “Last great hope of mankind” to this mess. I’ll watch them starve and Matthew can bite it.
Thank you for your sentiments there. I pretty much agree concerning the societal parasites. I am trying to approach this from a balanced perspective though. I want to be able to help those I can but in a time of lawlessness there will be those that are simply unappeasable and will have to either be avoided or dispatched. I have a wife and 4 young children. If the equivalent of the hells angels or whatever homeboy gang comes down my street, I have no delusions of grandure that me and one or two good neighbors could take them. Given the terrain where I live they would have to be avoided, but I would need to protect my family’s provisions. Personal survival for me is paramount b/c I don’t want my family killed or becoming someone else’s property. Right now I am thinking through and beginning to look for an evac place (small community) where I would not have to worry about these things by myself. My main goal for now is for my family to still be alive after the gangs and people that will that will resort to lawlessness have mostly killed each other. In that process a lot of people trying to fend for themselves are obviously going to die or become someone else’s property.
Sorry for the length here. I should probably move this to a forum. Anyone with suggestions for networking sites or exsisting forums on this topic please comment.
Being paranoid is no fun at all
Grey-Haired Brigade
Grey-Haired Brigade
They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, geezers, and in some cases dinosaurs. Some of us are “Baby Boomers” getting ready to retire. Others have been retired for some time. We walk a little slower these days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once were. We have worked hard, raised our children, worshiped our God, and grown old together. Yes, we are the ones some refer to as being over the hill, and that is probably true. But before writing us off completely, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration.
In school we studied English, history, math, and science which enabled us to lead America into the technological age. Most of us remember what outhouses were, many of us with firsthand experience. We remember the days of telephone party-lines, 25 cent gasoline, and milk and ice being delivered to our homes. For those of you who don’t know what an icebox is, today they are electric and referred to as refrigerators. A few even remember when cars were started with a crank. Yes, we lived those days.
We are probably considered old fashioned and out-dated by many. But there are a few things you need to remember before completely writing us off. We won World War II, fought in Korea and Viet Nam . We can quote The Pledge of Allegiance, and know where to place our hand while doing so. We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many friends on the battlefield. We didn’t fight for the Socialist States of America ; we fought for the “Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.” We wore different uniforms but carried the same flag. We know the words to the Star Spangled Banner, America , and America the Beautiful by heart and you may even see some tears running down our cheeks as we sing. We have lived what many of you have only read about in history books and we feel no obligation to apologize to anyone for America.
Yes, we are old and slow these days but rest assured, we have at least one good fight left in us. We have loved this country, fought for it, and died for it, and now we are going to save it. It is our country and nobody is going to take it away from us. We took oaths to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath we plan to keep. There are those who want to destroy this land we love but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.
It was mostly the young people of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic Congress. You fell for the “Hope and Change” which in reality was nothing but “Hype and Lies.” You have tasted socialism and seen evil face to face, and have found you don’t like it after all. You make a lot of noise, but most are all too interested in their careers or “Climbing the Social Ladder” to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting. Many of those who fell for the “Great Lie” in 2008 are now having buyer’s remorse. With all the education we gave you, you didn’t have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the ‘Kool-Aid.’ Now you’re paying the price and complaining about it. No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes, and less freedom. This is what you voted for and this is what you got. We entrusted you with the Torch of Liberty and you traded it for a paycheck and a fancy house.
Well, don’t worry youngsters, the Grey-Haired Brigade is here, and in 2012 we are going to take back our nation. We may drive a little slower than you would like but we get where we’re going, and in 2012 we’re going to the polls by the millions. This land does not belong to the man in the White House nor to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. It belongs to “We the People” and “We the People” plan to reclaim our land and our freedom. We hope this time you will do a better job of preserving it and passing it along to our grandchildren. So the next time you have the chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance, Stand up, put your hand over your heart, honor our country, and thank God for the old geezers of the “Grey-Haired Brigade.”
Author, Anon.
Grey-Haired Brigade Member
I disagree with your conclusion that you’re too old and your survival isn’t important. Your life experiences are a very valuable resource for your family particularly when TSHTF. Even if they don’t listen to your advice now, they’ll definitely start to listen when the balloon goes up.
Prepare for everyone you can afford to help. You can only help so many, but we have a responsibility to help our loved ones, even the ones that call us crazy.
http://codgerville.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/first-things-first/
Grey Haired Brigade
Don’t undervalue yourself! I have a 7 year old with autism – the senior citizens in my area have helped us so much!
They’ve taken the time to show him all kinds of things from gardening to helping me teach him essential social skills far better than the professional therapists we’ve seen.He’s very good with his hands and they just don’t teach proper craft in schools anymore.
Knowledge is power and thanks to them I’m not raising and ijeet but a boy with decent values, a can-do attitude who now stands a chance of survival. He’s a firm believer in fairness so shares his crop with those who have given the tips to get a bumper crop & I don’t see that changing.
We are surrounded by entitlement clowns on all sides and the senior citizens we know are a major buffer to preventing the young from being infected with that attitude.
Charity isn’t just a nice thing to do: your immortal soul depends on it.
Always set aside *at least* the 10% biblical minimum, and if you can do more, do more.
Those Costco 275-meal emergency food buckets go for $99 still (I think? it’s been awhile). That one bucket can feed 3 people for a month at 3 meals a day, or feed those same 3 people for 45 days at 2 meals a day. Sure, it’ll be a bit bland eating the same things day after day, but at least they’ll get to eat (and at the same time they’ll be a bit more eager to help defend you so long as you’re willing to return that favor as well).
I totally agree. If you’re hungry things don’t taste as bad. Costco has offered more variety now and recently ordered some freeze dried fruit in a 5-gal bucket. I grew up in the Ozarks as well and yes being prepared for ice storms and such was part of life. I got real serious after Hurricane Katrina and seeing the effects on people. I decided I wasn’t going to sit on my roof and wait for FEMA to rescue me. Blessings.
Charity kills… and in a welfare state it only serves to take pressure off the government.
Depends on how you do it.
If you just give stuff randomly out to people who demand it, then yeah, expect trouble. Besides, that isn’t charity – it’s a demand, and can be ignored.
OTOH, if you discreetly help out a neighbor going through hard times, then that neighbor may stick around to help you out when it’s your turn to endure a bit of rough luck.
Or, you just help someone out who actually needs it because it is the right thing to do.
If you don’t participate in helping to keep your community alive, why should they return the favor if you come across any bad luck?
I agree why?. I have been stocking up because I have an extended church family that I need to look out for. I have tried to talk to some of them about what is going on, but most agree to a point and then dont do anything about it. I will help as much as I can. I hope they like beans and rice. Grin
“Or, you just help someone out who actually needs it because it is the right thing to do.”
Exactly so, OQ. My son told me a story about his neighbors that I want to pass along to others on this site. He is a great gardener and routinely gives away quite a bit of it. One family he knows was having some really hard times. The wife was ill and the husband lost his job. He brought them a big load of tomatoes, carrots, corn, green beans, beets, and squash from his garden. They were thrilled and happy to get it. A few weeks later, the husband from that family stopped by his house with a truck load of firewood and 2 nice salmon that he had caught. Things are looking up for those neighbors and they have become good friends. A little kindness and charity goes a long way in this sick world of ours. Maybe this is just the medicine it needs.
Just keep preppin’ brothers. Probably more important now than ever.
Scored 1lb bags of dry mixed beans at Walmart for 75 cents each!
Q: Has anybody ever been in a position where they could eat very little, if anything, for weeks?
I was in that position when I got really ill…and it was personally interesting to note that I lost 10-12 pounds EACH week for five weeks as I could only eat a bit of oatmeal and a bite or two of banana per day and nothing else until I finally started to get well again…and I was not even physically exerting myself.
For the non-preppers to this site: How long would YOU, could YOU last without food? And isn’t it smarter to be prepared?
I’m sorry you had to go through that ordeal KB. But that is not exactly like really STARVING. Please excuse me, but your case sounds similar to someone who has alot of money but is told that he must refrain from spending it until a specific time. However, I remember starving and wishing for at least ONE meal, when my friends at school were wishing for a new video game system. Sad indeed…..but hardly the same. Your point is VALID, but I feel, dis-proportionate to others. So sad your “weeks” eqivocate to many other’s “months”. I also know that you didn’t post to show any difference, but true poverty speaks just the same.
I appreciate your sympathy, Sea Bass, but how is it different? I could not eat food. I wanted it and I was ravenous, but could not eat it. The only difference between what I experienced and what YOU consider actually starving is the availability of food. But if you cannot eat, what’s the difference?
Well, I hate to say it, but mental frame of mind is the big difference. Having medical help nearby (or on hand) to insure that you don’t actually starve is a whole lot different than facing actual starvation, with little or no reassurance of having someone around to insure that you get enough nutrients into your body.
Sea Bass you sound like another veteran of the Starving Seventies.
I went weeks, months, years, undernourished and one thing I can chip in here is, a big fat person will indeed lose a couple of lbs a day because it costs energy for the body to maintain that much mass. As they get lighter, the loss will go down to a lb a day, 1/2 lb a day …. a little oatmeal and a bit of a banana is extreme, I’ll hand ’em that. I got by better on foraging, fishing, I’d nibble on grass tips, etc. I used to filch some dry cat or dog food, and if someone had large animals, “calf manna” was like candy. Some of that in my pocket and I was set for the day.
~DT~
I don’t know your background, but judging from your prior posts & this one…..I’d bet money that you’d make the cut in the USAF/US Army’s (pilot) E & E(escape and evasion) survival course. Kudos to you!
My first year at university was a bad one. I was self-exiled from my folks, 17 and flat broke. I would eat one meal a day (if lucky). Many times I’d go 2-3 days without eating – just drinking lots of water. When I could splurge, it was 3 Ramen noodle packs in a day with some meat bought off the discount rack (you know, the meat that was already turning brown and the package was starting to inflate). Made me really appreciate pretty much any food, as long as it wasn’t still moving. I think I won’t have too much of a problem getting back to less food per day. However, I’m not looking forward to it if the time ever comes….
I ate Doritos for a week at 17 and shit kitty litter for a few days…
I know I can go four days without food, since I’ve experienced it. So chances are I can go longer without if needed.
~Scout Motto!
4 days???
Hmmmmm…..you know it was probably 4 weeks ago, where I asked on a given thread(can’t recall which one)…what folks’ impression of a worst-case collapse/survival scenario would be/look like. I recall there were a mere 7 responses! Only 2 were information specific, the rest were emotion based responses/replies.
I live in a rural area…& already I’m seeing something I attribute to the slow-motion collapse phase….that being the abandonment of “dogs” by city-folk, as the number of legal foreclosure notices increase in the local country-seat fish wrap newspaper!
I’m talking about big breeds too…Pitts, Labs, Collies, Hounds, Rottweilers etc…they form feral packs & have raised havoc with livestock around here. I don’t enjoy killing animals I do not intend to eat…yet I & other livestock owners, on my road have been forced to cull them when possible.
My past deer season was a miserable affair. I saw harvested/fewer deer, than at any point in recent memory & the deer-cams set up around my property, all showed numerous nocturnal dog-packs close to my tree stands!
Which begs the question….in a TEOTWAWKI situation, how many city fleeing folks will fall prey to packs of feral dogs? Or worse, children of preppers in remote locations?
I believe I’m going to see an increase in pet abandonment around here & their offspring will be one generation removed from domestication…& thus utterly wild & completely predatory!
Has anyone else noticed this………….???
Well, if those wealthy British folks have any room left after adopting all those abandoned Greek donkeys, maybe they can help with the pet adandonment thing in the U.S.
In October of 2011 I read that North St. Louis, Mo., was being invaded by wild dog packs running the city streets…10-15 in number attacking people. It was so bad that parents were having to walk their children to school. The city animal shelter had been closed due to lack of available funding. Horses in some parts of west Washington state are being turned loose and have been found starving. Many horse lovers are having to sell their animals as hay is a luxury item in this economy. Many forgo pet food if they can’t feed themselves or their families.
Dogs will be an issue in the UK. Our “chavs” adore the staff and already the shelters are full as the economy has nosedived. Having had rescue dogs for the last 20 years I’ll be looking out for a young alsatian cross from the strays when shtf.
Right now we have a lovely lil whippet bitch with superb hunting skills that’s as cheap as chips to keep. She’s too timid to guard anyone except my son (who she WILL protect with her life) so if shtf I’ll be on the look out for a guarding breed to take along the way. She’s trained to take food from noone except myself and my son so would train a yearling fast to do the same.
We don’t yet have roving packs as our cities put strays down if they are not picked up in 7 days. The big charity shelters give them 6 weeks. It means you are a complete fool if your dog is not microchipped. If this policy stopped we’d have loose packs within a month in major cties. What scares me is that the Akita has become the chav breed of choice as pitbulls are a breed banned by law and staffs have got too common. Akita’s in packs will be v. dangerous as they so fearless and stubborn.
Most preppers know the rule of 3’s (Air, water, food / mins/ days/weeks). Despite the lethargic feeling one gets from not eating after a while, you’ll reach a point where you are no longer hungry and crave food. That’s when your body starts breaking down fat and muscle at about the same rate. In relation to the topic about testing yourself, if you’re trying this, and you still feel hungry the entire time, you’re not starving. Note: I’m not advocating that you push yourself that far as it’s obviously not healthy, but I’m just laying the facts out there about true starvation and hunger.
Arkaden and Scout Motto,
As part of my faith I have gone 40 days (once) and 28-30 several times without eating. After the fourth of fifth day you experience a high and you no longer have hunger pains. Once you feel hungry again, you should start eating again, slowly. Start with a liquid diet for one week and then move up to slightly more dense food for a week and then one week later you can tackle meats.
It is important to drink only water when you fast and drink nothing with sugar or caffiene. Both of these stimulate your appetite. Also, no alcohol during this period of time. You will experience an average weight loss of 1 lb./day (average). You lose more in the beginning and less toward the end. One thing for sure your mind will begin working faster than you have ever experienced two to three weeks into your fast. Good luck and God Bless and STAY PREPARED.
I can’t help but feel offended by Sea Bass…as he knows nothing of my life or the poverty I have endured…but that is typical arrogance that is so prevalent nowadays.
I realize that most people think you don’t have hunger after weeks of not eating, but many accounts I have read regarding the Holodomor and my own experience indicates that this may not be true for everyone. Eating just a bite or two a day…which is what most likely will happen if the SHTF…changes that equation.
I remember reading about a little boy in the Holodomor who was starving and got caught trying to steal a few green shoots from the neighbor. She scolded him and sent him on his way. She found him dead on the sidewalk the next day.
And, Sea Bass, if they were truly your friends, they would have recognized your dilemma and shared what they had with you
My husband keeps asking me why I waste my time on sites like this trying to help. I finally have to agree with him. Good luck to y’all.
KB, I had a similar experience in high school, I was crushed underneath a car when the jack slipped, I awoke in ICU several days later. A 10 day stay in the hospital, 9 days fed by IV, last day solid food, I lost nearly 25#!
I was also not allowed anything but a damp sponge in my mouth, and although I was receiving adequate fluid through the IV, my tongue swelled up, dried out, and basicly felt like a brick in my mouth. Water is unbelievably important, everyone needs multiple ways to acquire fresh water!
I normally eat two meals a day (sometimes just one), and have done so for around a decade now. As I age and my metabolism slows, it’s easier to do. My grandmother only bothered with a light snack in the morning and a normal meal in the evening, a trait I suspect that she picked up during the Great Depression.
A caveat: Eating one meal a day for long periods will push many folks’ triglycerides up into the stratosphere (and turn your blood into mud), so be extremely careful about that if your metabolism isn’t built for it.
I could probably go about a week if I had to, but it would be a miserable experience, and I’d have smoked two cartons by the end of it (nicotine suppresses hunger).
“Eating one meal a day for long periods will push many folksâ triglycerides up into the stratosphere (and turn your blood into mud), so be extremely careful ”
Not true. In fact eating two, or one meals a day is perfectly fine as long as you are getting enough food energy and water.
I get the feeling that we’re all going to be in a situation where pulling in enough calories each day may be problematic for most folks… even if they are prepared.
Strange you should post this as I am on day 5 of a water only fast. Dropped from 151 to 144 so far; no real hunger. Key is water only. No diet drinks, no stimulants-caffeine, nicotine for instance.
I’ll continue till I get bored or until I’ve done it for a week.
Broke fast today, and had one egg and a small spinach salad to start off. You should eat small meals to come off the fast.
Anyway, FYI, ended up at 140 lbs, after a 5 1/2 day fast. Would have been trivial to keep going, but I’m going out to dinner on Thursday and you cannot go from fast to big meal.
I read this book for the proper fasting techniques. Interesting. Fasting and Eating for Health: A Medical Doctor’s Program for Conquering Disease by Fuhrman.
I probably shouldn’t reveal this, but fuck it, not like it matters anymore. I’m not proud to admit this, yet, looking back, maybe it was good for me now. So, anyway, here’s a sample of my childhood. I’m not going into painful details, just the relevant stuff.
When I was 8 we lived pretty far out in the middle of the boondocks. My father left my mother when I was 5 and the last time I saw the bastard I was 6. We moved very far away from where I was born and my mother had me, my brother and a very young sister to take care of. She did the best she could and I’ll leave it at that.
Looking back, some of the things that happened were useful. The pain, anguish and near starvation at times were horrible suffering then, but now, I think it may be useful experience if shit goes ugly today.
There were several times when I was between the ages of 8 to 13 when food was very scarce. Instead of completely starving, my brother and I foraged out in the woods near the house, which was really many square miles of forest. Many times we ran barefoot through those woods and damn near died a few times from a vast number of different hazards. Please understand, this was our normal, we knew nothing else. It wasn’t until I grew up, found some success in life and had a family of my own that I realized how screwed up my childhood really was.
Now back to the point of starvation. We went several weeks at one point living on very little more than some peanut butter, black berries we foraged and some wild citrus trees. As a child this didn’t even seem abnormal because this was just the way it was. Sometimes it was even fun, as twisted as that may sound. Sure, we were half starved, but we were running loose in the woods finding food to bring home. It was almost like a game to us.
Anyway, you can be starving, life can get really fucking shitty, yet somehow you can adapt and make it work. I could write volumes on this. One day I will. The hardships of some of the things that happened when I was a kid makes much of the most fucked up fiction sound tame. Yet, here I am.
We all made it out of that fairly undamaged. Well, maybe I’m the only one, but that is another story. Bottom line, we’re all alive, healthy and far displaced from those days of anguish. So, starvation isn’t an all bad thing. I’ve lived it and can attest that all starvation did was make us more motivated to find reliable food. Eventually, we grew a large garden, got some livestock and food never became a problem ever again. I think I wouldn’t be the person I am today without such a completely and utterly fucked childhood. Starvation can also be a positive motivator if you’re willing to get off your ass and do something about it.
Alright, that’s enough of that. You get the idea. The skills you develop now can help you eat later. Even if you don’t have a single prep, all you need is your mind and motivation. Those are your most important tools no matter what anyone says. With a strong mind, desire to live and a little knowledge, you can move fucking mountains. Don’t let fear be your mind killer.
Congratulations on being a survivor and not a victim! I never went through anything as extreme as what you experienced but I had enough childhood poverty and deprivation to empathize. It does make you stronger and better able to handle the emergencies.
When one of my sisters’ husband lost all of their retirement and kid’s college funds in the Enron debacle, she managed to say “poor? I can handle poor!” and start digging in to recover. I’m sure that you and many others will have the same resiliency. And maybe with some preparation, you will be better able to handle what’s coming and not repeat past problems.
That was quite an ordeal, KB. It’s definitely not the kind of thing that many of us wants to experience. A few years ago, though, I discovered fasting as a way to clean out the poisons and other junk that accumulate in the body. 3-4 times each year, I will fast for up to 10 days at a time. During this time, I will only drink water and fruit juice. I usually lose about 6-7 lbs per week during this time. The first 2 days are the worst. After that, it gets a lot easier to handle. I haven’t fasted for weeks at a time and would not willingly do so unless there was an extreme need for it. It is possible to damage the body via malnutrition, so I don’t want to risk that.
Well, I suppose then it’s 3,000,005 with my wife and me added among the “extremists”. We have a supply that will last us a year, as well as give charity to those deserving of our help.
May God help us all when this inevitable day arrives (and probably sooner than later!)
Just canned 14 Qts. of asparagus today. Planting seeds tommorow. Can not work fast enough. Watched the show and have learned something from every person and their scenario. Always thinking ahead. Worst come to worst, I have a bunch of food that I bought at cheaper prices and I am not hungry.
Where do you live? Wish I could start seeds this early.I took over one of the wifeys flower beds out back last year and turned it into an asparagus patch. I will get my first good harvest from it this year. Home canning (if you can swing it) is the way to go. I’ve eaten 20 year old canned peaches here . Delicious.
Finally–someone with common sense–I visited a blog just yesterday and there was talk of canned tomatoes spoiling after one year or two.
I HAD to give input; my gosh; I’ve eaten home canned tomatoes AND tomato juice that was over 15 years old…and green beans almost as old.
Geeze!!
“I visited a blog just yesterday and there was talk of canned tomatoes spoiling after one year or two.”
Sounds like sure signs of lousy canning or storage techniques to me. I’ve eaten a lot of home canned foods, both fruits and veggies, that were at least 5-6 years old and were very good. They still had good color, texture, and taste. With folks reporting such short shelf life for their canned goods, they seem to have a serious problem to resolve. Maybe they better stop trying to reuse those canning lids. lol
Now if you urinate around your house after consuming the asparagus, you at least wont have varmets and vermin runnin amuck around your crib because of the high ammonia content.
Me and the dog each take a leak on the compost in the mornin but never on the asparagus. Ammonia is great for the compost.
Great Salvador,
We have been putting up greens and next week we put up carrots. Every year we put up about 1500 jars (pints and quarts) and it feeds my whole family. Anytime we make a large pot of chile, gumbo or fricasse we can the extra. Keep it up.
Right now aparagus is starting to come into season, in some areas of the US. So I will be canning and pickling a bunch for the coming year.
I, also, added another 25 asparagus roots to my expanded garden. It will be a couple of years before they come on real good, but well worth the wait.
God bless and keep on prepping.
This really bums me out. My garden is covered with snow today and my asspergrass won’t come up for a few months. đ
DPS
DPS: Here a link for you:
http://www.omegagarden.com/
DK,
Thanks dude, Now how cool is that, I’ll check it out tomorrow since the snow shut down work again. It looks like this could be done with a old washing machine tub, but i will check it out. Thanks again.
DPS
Have you taken a look at the old 17th Century Parisian winter market gardens?
http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/history-of-winter-gardening-the-17th-century-french-garden-system/
They managed to produce enough fresh winter veg through the winter to export! The secret seems to have been lots of horse manure. It’s worth reading the book and seeing if there’s anything there you can adapt to your own environment.
My son’s expermental patch worked through the snow in the UK last winter.
has anyone worked out a way to store carrot seeds for more than about 12 months – this currently is my biggest failure?
Three million preppers. That number is rising and it sounds good, but still, thats just 1% of the overall population. I am happy to be included in this 1 % but, I would be a lot more comfortable with 25%.
Recently, I left the shtfplan web address and a few of my other favorites on little 3×5 note cards in my local post office on one of the little tables provided for the customers. I left 25 cards and last I checked there were still a few there. At least no one threw them away. For me it is a quiet way to wake people up without alerting them to my efforts. The more people who are prepared in your area, the better off you will be.
I regret some good will not make it, butI don’t think there’s 25% out there with the brains to get out of the rain.
Earnest Hemmingway said of bankruptcy that is started slowly at first and then quickly. I think that applies to alot of scenarios, such as collapse and sheeple waking up.
I think prepping, a survival strategy, has just gotten into the public mind–especially with the new TV show. also, consider that costco has been stocking ‘survival food’ for a while now. A major food supplier like that won’t do that type of thing unless there is demand. Just anecdotal examples. My point is if we’re at 3M now, a short year from now we should be at 25M or more. It’s gone into the mainstream public consciousness.
Another anecdotal point: my boss knows I like to shoot and mentioned he needs a rifle and a pistol, as well as a CCW license b/c things are starting to look pretty bad. I recommended the bushie car15 from buds gunshop, and he went out and bought one. Now he wants to go shooting, and has been toying around with the purchase of metals.
I don’t regard myself a completely prepared for a collapse, but I”m definitely willing to talk to people who give me indications they’re getting ready for something like a systemic failure of a civilization. Point is, I really think that 3M number will be very much higher a year from now, and even higher two years from now.
I certainly hope you are right Neo. 1/4 of the population being prepared for collapse seems like a fair amount of people. If I thought there were that many preppers in my community I’d be thrilled.
My math skills suck. But still, I’d like to see 25 million prepped.
So, that’s 1 of 100 and with a county of 26,000, that’s 260 preppers in my county–oh, voy!!
Are we in trouble.
Wouldn’t an ink stamp for every FRN that passes through your hands be more effective?
Now I like THAT idea
To be honest, I wish it was only about 3,000. Seriously, where the f$#k are these numbers coming from? The same people that say “all is well”? Why wouldn’t they want you to think there are more preppers? If you believe there are more preppers, then why would you prep more? Honestly, I would prep more if I was “TOLD” that alot less were prepping. Come on peeps….I’ve been in the U.S. Military for 10 yrs. One of our greatest strengths is the power is dis-information. “It’s easy for a sheep to call a sheep a sheep when he believes he is not”….Me.
power *of dis-information
@ Durango KIdd
Much is wrong with your exegesis. I’ll highlight your four most egregious errors.
(Error #1) You confuse and conflate the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants. They are TWO DIFFERENT COVENANTS, the irrevocable Abrahamic Covenant made with the GENTILE Abram and the REVOCABLE, CONDITIONAL (see Deuteronomy 28, Leviticus 26) Mosaic Covenant with the Israelites that God said would be superseded because the Israelites VOIDED it (Jeremias 31:31).
(Error #2)âMy point was that as a âChristian Zionistâ, which I defined for ME [gotta love Protestantism, every bonehead his own little pope]; was the Return of Christ to Mt Zion (where the name of God is written in the land) and the granting of the land of Israel to the Jews according to the Promise given by God to Abraham.â
Two important points expose your error:
(a) The Abrahamic Covenant was given to Abram when he was a GENTILE. St. Paul affirms in Galatians 3:6-8 that Godâs covenant with Abram, later Abraham, was made to him as a GENTILE. That Covenant was not with Israelites, but with the GENTILE Abram.
(b) The CHURCH is the New Israel. WE are today’s true Jews, the true heairs of Abraham. The rest are as Jesus said, “…the synagogue of Satan, those who SAY they are Jews, and are NOT, but do LIE.”
Galatians 3:29. âAnd if you be Christ’s, then are you the seed of Abraham, heirs according to the promise.â
1 Peter 2:9-10 âBut you are a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people: that you may declare his virtues, who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Who in time past were not a people: but are now the people of God.â
(Error #3) âHowever, a thorough reading of the Bible also suggests that the Gentiles are âgraftedâ onto the Old Covenant by faith in JC (the new Covenant); while the Jews are also included in the new vine, into the New Covenant.â
Exposing your error:
When one grafts tree, the old top is cut off; the new top is grafted on.
Hebrews 7:18 There is indeed a SETTING ASIDE of the former commandment, because of the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.
Hebrews 10:9 Then said I: Behold, I come to do thy will, O God: he TAKETH AWAY the first, that he may establish that which followeth.
What part of âsetting asideâ and âtaken awayâ don’t you understand? The Mosaic Covenant was VOIDED by the Israelites.
(Error #4) âPlease do not try to justify the Catholic Church to me by posting its Doctrine. I have seen enough. It has become the Mother of Harlots and is clearly defined within the Bible as such.â
No, what is clear is that in the End Times a ârevoltâ would precede the appearance of the âman of sinâ (2 Thessalonians 2:1-16). The homosexualization, the Judaizing, and the Protestantizing of the Novus Ordo âCatholicâ Church is certainly such a revolt. It is not the Church that is the harlot, but the Novus Ordo that is the harlot and the âNovus Ordo Missaeâ (New Order of Mass) that is the âabomination of desolationâ prophesied in Daniel 9:27; Daniel 11:31; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14. The defection of the Pharisees from the Mosaic Covenant (Mark 7:9) and the defection of the Protestants from the New Covenant were precursors, types, of the Great Revolt. The revolt is not the Church, but the enemy of the Church.
that was a giant waste of time considering that there is no god, never has been a god, and humans who believe in god are delusional.
@ ferndale
You are a godless troll, why do you even come to this site? Go beat off to your pedophilia and leave the nig boy talk to the adults. I will always squash your ignorant posts. Miscreant!
shouldn’t you forgive me? isn’t that what jesus commanded?
@ferndale, if you are going to invoke Jesus’ teachings, you should live by them too.
You’re perfectly free to think what you wish, but I’ve done that kind of life before, only to have the truth plainly brought to my attention, with no human intervention whatsoever.
I just hope that when your epiphany comes, it isn’t under dire circumstances.
I’m trying to figure how he’s posting this when Durango Kid hasn’t posted anything on this thread yet. . .
Clairvoyance? Is THAT what the tinfoil hats do for you ?
My Hat came with rabbit ears and so yes I can read and send thoughts… Can you tell what I am thinking now?… LOL Peace..
The day I want info on how to diddle little boys I’ll ask the Church. If God needs help He can ask me; I’ll be glad to give him a hand. I have no liking for Evil; but: And As for me and my house, I’ll trust in Sam Colt.
JQP: You seem to suggest that the “catholic” church is the only “church”. That’s not the way this protestant bonehead reads the bible.
I have a right to read and interpret the Bible for myself; with the light that God gives me to see His light.
I do not have to accept the catholic Pope’s interpretation of the Gospel, OR YOURS, as THE definitive interpretation of Scripture, any more than Martin Luther did.
Neither do I see any profit in arguing Scripture with you or anyone else. Arguing Scripture with a fool is the biggest waste of time since the Fall of Rome.
I understand clearly that there are two covenants: the old and the new. I don’t see anything about a “catholic church” in the New Testament.
The “top” was not cut off, the gentiles as a branch were grafted in through Christ, that the two groups (branches) might grow together as one church.
You are free to read Scripture and interpret it anyway you like. So am I.
There are many churches. Which one is right or wrong is for God to decide, not man. I have made my own decision on the matter, but it is something I alone will have to bear the burden/benefit of.
I can only hope to persuade, not to force – Christ Himself operated on the same principle, and it did pretty good for Him.
“There are many churches. Which one is right or wrong is for God to decide, not man.”
I disagree, since I don’t see how the church of Satan could possibly be right in God’s sight.
Man has the right and the duty to decide which church is not in alignment with God’s Word. Otherwise, you may find yourself worshipping with a rebelious group. Also, Paul wrote to the church in Corinth and instructed them to change their behaviors, because they were wrong. Paul was not God obviously, but he had authority delegated to him as an apostle of Jesus Christ.
wait… i thought the best church was the one with the most members and the fanciest sounding preacher, right? isn’t the best church the one that most effectively separates its attendees from their cash while eliciting the highest degree of free labor?
@Scout: You do realize that the whole Anton LaVey thing was based on a joke, right? It’s not even an actual religion. I mean, they adopted as part of their symbology an upside-down cross – in their ignorance, they never realized that the Pope has one of those on his chair in Rome (Why? because the first Pope, St. Peter, was crucified in that manner upon request, since he didn’t think himself worthy enough to die as Jesus had).
As for which is right and wrong, it sorts out to most reasonably intelligent adults who are willing to go look. Some of it is obviously way out in left field (e.g. Mormon precepts), while others differ by small theological degrees that only God will properly sort out (Catholic and Orthodox).
Incidentally, yes Paul instructed Corinth to shape up… but he had the luxury of being a whole lot closer to the folks who were with Christ. Even still, there are questions surrounding him as well… Christ ate Kosher and observed Jewish holidays (he was a Jew, after all), yet Paul tossed a lot of that out. Personally, I think it to be a minor matter, but it remains.
“I can only hope to persuade, not to force â Christ Himself operated on the same principle, and it did pretty good for Him.”
Indeed so, OQ, and I agree with you. That said, though, even Christ got fed up and kicked ass when the money changers (ancient banksters) defiled the temple with their nefarious activities. Jesus was a patient man but even his patience had its limits.
There are at least 4 Covenants, Durango:
Abrahamic (irrevocable and fulfills din the Church)
Mosaic (conditional, revocable, and ACCORDING TO GOD, voided by the Israelites themselves by their behavior)
Davidic (done deal, fulfilled)
New (fulfilled in the Church)
Some Bible Believer you areâone who doesn’t believe the Bible.
Jesus founded ONE Church, a visible Church to govern (Matthew 18:18), teach (Matthew 28:19-20), and sanctify (Matthew 28:18-19; John 20:23). See the singular for Church in Matthew 16:18. He didn’t found PLURAL 32,000+ Protestant cults with each bonehead his own Pope. Jesus insisted on ONENESS of DOCTRINE (John 17:11, 21). God is not an idiot. He did not intend to found thousands of cults with conflicting doctrines.
God founded ONE Church with ONE true doctrine. God gave us TRUTH, not lies of conflicting doctrines.
Get the memo. You are “free” to make any mistake you wantâas long as you are willing to pay with your eternal soul.
JQP: Why put your faith in the catholic church which is your interpretation of the “one true church”, when it is one of the most corrupt and perverted organizations in the world on par with the GB’s, UN, and US Congress?
I mean, really. Read your Bible JPQ: its says that, “by their fruits you will know them”.
Why has the “One True Church” paid out many billions of USD to many tens of thousands of child abuse victims all over the globe? That sounds pretty “fruity” to me, don’t you agree?
And this from the “One True Church”? LMFAO!
These liars, hypocrites, thieves, and perverts present themselves as Ambassadors of Christ, and the Pope says he is the “Vicar of Christ”, God’s chosen representative on earth.
Yet,I have never seen any Pope in my lifetime, heal the sick, give sight to the blind, make the lame to walk, or so much as raise the dead. Why not?
On the contrary, the only thing I have seen the “One True Catholic Church” do is raise money from all of US to support their perverted organization, while they encourage the ignorant and poor of the third world to have more kids and pledge their absolute fealty to an all powerful dictatorship, while consigning both the parents and kids, generation after generation, to a life of poverty and ignorance.
Follow the money JQP and follow the trail bread crumbs that have lured Hanzel and Gretal in acts of sodomy, child pornography, and perversion from these ‘Ambassadors of Christ”.
Yet every true Apostle of Christ, up to and including Peter, has healed the sick, given sight to the blind, and made the lame to walk.
Has God’s arm shortened over the ages? Has HE grow old and weak, without power and authority in His hand or by His word?
If you believe that the Pope IS God’s representative on earth it would seem so, because the Pope does not demonstrate the power of God unto life; but the power of Satan unto death.
Maybe the lack of the demonstration of the power of God in the catholic church is the fault of the Satanic Catholic Priesthood.
Take your “One True Church” and stick it where the sun don’t shine. đ
“the Protestantizing of the Novus Ordo âCatholicâ Church is certainly such a revolt.”
Err, Novus Ordo is (too slowly but still) getting a good hard strangling, with last Advent being just the start.
So… are the thumbs down because you “Bible Believing” Protestants don’t really believe the Bible at all?
Great idea
Thanx
My wife and I had a conversation the other night about what possibly is to come. And we both agreed, the way to approach this is to look at like an adventure. We see it coming and we are preparing. I asked her, what would you miss the most? She had a list. Grocery stores, fresh veggies, connivance of food in general. Me. Fresh cold milk. Thatâs all I could think of. I wonder if I ought to buy a cow.
By the way, three million are prepping? Sounds a little light to me, and I can bet there isnât, not one Obama supporter amongst them. Sorry Obie youâre stuck with the Lammers.
Live near a dairy farmer? Make friends with them and your milk can be free or next to it. And don’t let the MSM tell you it will kill you. People have been drinking raw milk for centuries.It works for me . Shovel some s–t for your garden or throw some hay in your spare time and you don’t have to pay $4.00 a gallon for milk
Condensed milk… born out necessity during the civil war.. and the post-SHTF creamer for my bricks vacuum packed coffee.
Thank god for a respectable number….. I thought there were few if any….. if only you can convince one …… add five for me ….. đ
KB, we’re all “Nine meals from anarchy.”
Okay now everyone sing along….I was preppin when preppin wasnt cool….YEE HAWW!(to the tune of Barbra Mandrels song “I was country when country wasnt cool”)
đ
I always think of the dr pepper comercial when buying my preps
Wouldnt you like to be a prepper to?
Three million?!?!
Geez it’s gonna be crowded in the FEMA camps.
Wonder what a license for selling deodorant would cost?
Add some more in there somewhere for me and mine. I, personally, have never been one of the sheeple because I was a boy scout. That, and my father taught me to fish and hunt. Always be prepared. Anyway I think there are several more people waking up than is beleived. I still have much to do but better late than never.
I started writing a blog at http://www.survivalist.zzn.com a few years ago and now have a following at http://www.facebook.com/the.survival.chic of over 3000. I have made a ton of friends in the prepper community and more important have shared a great deal of what I have learned with others. I don’t know how all this will end… but my community has a sense of preparedness now … our farmers markets are thriving and a lot of people “get it”. Love this site matt… barb
i’m thinking that there are far more than 3 million “preppers”… the first 9/12 DC gathering(which my wife, a grandchild and i took part in) drew an excess of 2 million alone… how many of that number were/are preppers…?? my wife and i started when we returned home from DC that year… i think 3 million is a conservative estimate with the idea of not wanting to scare the demonazilibtard leftists too much… i know for fact that in the region i live in there are so many who have been prepping for a long time and haven’t the slightest desire to have the public know it… by average, that puts only 60,000 in each of the 50 states… regardless of the actual number, we will have a core group of 10 souls who will be doing all we can to restore a Constitutionally governed Republic once again… liars, bribe-takers and power-hungry beware: things aren’t going to be the same anymore… we will have true representatives or they will be removed and replaced…
Yea, many are “preppers” and dont even know it.
I thinking 30 to 45 million
Woooh hooh!
I can’t stop grinning at this news.
My reasoning?
That’s only the numbers of those so slack on their OPSEC so they are able to be counted y’all.
The American revolution was won with an active population of 1 in 10.
Devout Christians and Muslims obey their scriptures which has always forbidden Usery. For these guys “prepping” is a way of life unlike the Johnny come lately’s from mainstream society that has been “prepping” since the 199o’s. South Aisian cultural customs are similar with their food stored, and their gold inherited from their Grandmas. See there’s another group that are “prepped” that won’t be on any official figures.
Somehow this has got big enough for the msm to be bothering to mount an open attack on. 1st they ignore, then they ridicule, then…………
So long as we unite when shtf instead of allowing divide and conquer, times’ll be hard for a while (I’ll missing auto hot running water and my washing machine the most) & they’ll sure be different – BUT we’ll be OK!
Add another to the 3 million plus. I started a slow prep climb back in 1993 when I first woke-up politically. Got into metals and other facets of prepping. After the house was paid off in 2010 (another prep step – pay off all debt), I went into high gear. I doubt I’m finished or completely ready by any stretch, but there is still time.
Keep on preppin’!
Even if this is a long-term problem we prepare so we can ride out the violent transition to the new paradigm. I store three years food storage which can easily be rotated out over seven years. I do not yet own a farm, but come from a farming family and have the skills, equipment, and seeds etc. to farm when the time comes. There will be plenty of opportunities for those with the necessary skills once the herd is thinned.
It’s like running from a bear. I do not have to be faster than the bear. I only have to be faster than you.
Just bought my first shotgun yesterday.. Mossberg model 535 cant wait to shoot it at some targets. This is an add on to other defense mechanisms in place. Prep-on
Sweet Real, Practice, Practice, Practice. Peace
First shotgun… one designed to handle 3.5 inch mega-loads? Enjoy. I’m getting a red dot for my 590A1.
most people are probably smart or gray preppers, can’t help but notice the people portrayed on doomsday preppers aren’t the most articulate, but they are intuitive..but they do have balls which most americans don’t have anymore..being military(which i am) we know just how vunlerable society is, I wish they gave guided tours to somalia or mideast, that’s an experience no one should go without…good luck, preppin’s good but it also has to do with alot of luck (diseases, radom shooting, acidents, etc…etc…etc…) it’s goin to suck.
Hey Jack. I know what you mean. I have not had a chance to see it yet (Doomsday Preppers I mean) The only thing I thought about when I first heard about the show is so much for op-sec. Did they show the preppers faces?
ya they not only showed faces, city and state, along with all their assets…a common technique for survival is to blend in…these guys got solar panels/windmills/etc. nothing says i seen this coming more than a bunch of windmills on top your suburban home..everyone has to go outside your compound at some point, some of these guys think their just gonna live off the grid forever…i was hoping my wife was right an this was just some ptsd psychosis in my head, but too many people are coming to the same conclusion, this is for real…and there’s a real chance we might be in for some very bad times…my military buddies comin home from overseas see it too. I usually don’t talk about this with guys on the internet, but it’s gettin close: you can tell by how many so called normal people are now talking about economic collapse as if they discoved it…take care.
Thanks Jack, You 100% correct IMHO things are starting to gain inertia here in the US. Anyone who says they have not been warned at this point, whether they want to believe it or not, has been living under a rock. Peace
” itâs goin to suck.”
Indeed it is… but… it’s going to suck a lot more for those who go into a SHTF situation with only that deer-in-the-headlights look for company. Prepping may not guarantee success but not prepping WILL sure as hell guarantee failure.
beans bullet’s and bandade’s,my brothers.i prey to god it does not happen,but if it come’s down to it,i thank god my wife and children are prepping with me.god bless you all.
Didn’t the bible say we(the prepared) would inherient the earth, of something like that.
And soes my wife count as a prepper? If she thinks its stupid? đ
I believe in 2 Thes. 3:10, Paul said, If you don’t work, you don’t eat. In other words, hunger is a great motivator to work. However, those in congress has decided to enslave a large majority of our population of our society with freebies and they do not even know they are enslaved. At the very least, when you had a master with a whip telling you what to do you knew that you was a slave and would plan to escape. This enslavement of society to welfare and food stamps and free housing is far worse. Idle hands are the devil’s workshop and look at the crime rates in public housing for instance to see what happens when people do not work. It destroys not only their dreams and crushes their freedom, but destroys us that are working to keep them up. That is why folks like Hermain Cain are so villified by the majority of blacks becuase he rose to the top, he educated himself, and made something of himself. Whether or not you agree with him is not the point.
So, will I help those in need? Maybe. It depends if they are looking for a handout or they are willing to work. No work, no food. Also, if I have to decide between my family needs and yours, I will point you water and say go fish.
i have been blasted for that same attitude..and i have been told that making a child work for his supper is cruel…by daisy from here no less. but, this is how i was raised and this is how i shall remain. ya wanna eat, then plan on doing something to earn it…even if it is washing and drying the dishes or taking out the trash. people who raise themselves up from the pits of hell are my greatest inspiration…yesterday i watched a video/you tube of a woman blind from glaucoma, making quilts for a living…makes me wonder about all those sitting around collecting disability checks while they take money for working off the payrolls.
Not taking that conversation out of context much, are you, carynverell?
carnyvell–it’s all about personal responsibility…and without that, there is no pride; and without pride, no feeling of accomplishment; therefore, no feeling of self-worth.
Does that make sense??
A little off topic, but I wanted to pose a question for the readers. As preppers we try and anticipate our needs for an unknown event. Personally, I believe that an economic collapse or global war are the front runners at this moment. I was thinking the other day, let’s say the dollar collapses, obviously there’s short term chaos and interruptions in services, but realistically, how long do you think it would take to institute a new currency? I’m not asking what it’s based on, and I’m not even saying that it’s better or worse than the old (current) system is/was. I’m just pondering how long it would take for our gov’t to print, distribute, and prop itself back up if the dollar collapsed.
Let’s say that March 1st, the dollar collapses, doesn’t matter the reason. Hyperinflation sets in, things go crazy. Civil unrest, etc. All current fiat currency is deemed junk and the Fed starts printing the new currency and claims that it’s backed by (let’s just say for this example) gold. By the end of March, banks have the new currency in hand and are distributing it.
So with that scenario in hand, I’m thinking to myself, that 99% of the American people (the non-prepared) have just been put through the wringer for month. They’d do anything, vote for anything, comply with anything to never have to do that again and the government has a bank check to further destroy the constitution. The powers that be get even stronger and tyranny chokes that last breath of what was America.
Point is, that I’m worried that whatever happens down the road, the same players will come right back to “help” restore the status quo after the “chaos”. I really hate to say it but in order to completely reset this country, I think it almost has to get to the point where chaos is long enough to really make an impact and actually be able to reset the problems.
Wow, that was longer than I planned. Sorry.
I believe you are definitely on to something considering that anyone with half a brain should be able to discern that our looming financial crisis is manufactured. Can anyone say Amero?
Trouble is, a dollar collapse will create a worldwide event, not just here in the US.
A month without! People have a a problem when their cell phone or internet dies for a day. Chaos, you betcha!!!
My internet was recently down for half a day. I slept through part of that outage, was awake for a few hours. It didn’t drive me nuts, but it took some getting used to. You raise a good point. We should try and imagine life without the following:
Phone service of any kind
TV of any kind
Running water
Fuel for cars
Gas for heat
Electricity
Internet
Radio
Consider using a bucket with a toilet seat on it for a terlet.
Inconvenient??–no doubt..I bought 32 books for $1 each last month; this month I got 25 for .50 cents each.
And picture puzzles..don’t forget those.
We have board games and playing cards but there are only the two of us.
Don’t even start with the neighbor/community jargon–if they don’t associate with us now, why would I want to share my preps with them??
Ever slept in a tent on frozen ground for 30 days? I ahve. Not fun… but it’s possible to get used to it.
I have a shooting buddy who is a commissioned police officer in a municipality north of seattle. We have discussed prepping at length. He told me that once the ”low-lifes” can’t use their ”quest” card to buy cigarettes and schmidt ”ice”,or when their cable tv goes out and they cannot slither down to mc donalds to get something to eat, they will turn their limited attention spans to those who have been preparing and storing what is needed to survive…and they will not be charitably knocking on the front door to ask for a can of beans…I once heard that ”hunger is the worst political adviser in the world”..We are indeed living in interesting times. Along with physical preparations one would be wise to cultivate mental toughness and attitudes….
Arkaden…I agree with you. The scum in power is going to usher in a new currency but it will probably have even more debt attached to it than we have now. I think it all boils down to Agenda 21. The “elite” have deemed that there are too many of us useless eaters and its time to thin the herd. The gov never does anything without a plan and all of this has been on the drawing board for awhile. When the SHTF they will let it ride for awhile so that a lot of people die, by various means and then they will restore order. By us killing each other off, that relieves them of the blame. Just consider only the people in bad health in this country. There are millions who rely on meds. Those will be the first to go. If you think about it, this could be a long list of vulnerable people. The gov doesn’t have to fire a shot and the herd will be reduced dramatically. I know we all talk about the roving bands of looters but I don’t think it will be as bad as we think. Most people today are timid and will not fight no matter what they are faced with so, to me, instead of forming bands, alot will probably just starve or kill themselves. There will be bands of looters and they will take their toll as well but eventually the pickings will become slim and they will fight amongst themselves and kill each other off too. Whatever happens, it will not last forever. It will last long enough to thin the herd to acceptable numbers and then the gov will intervene. I really don’t think the gov is going to wantedly exterminate people. They will let us do it to ourselves. I also don’t think they want to enslave us as what would be the point? They would have to house and feed us and we would not have any money for them to steal. Why would the rich, who worship the dollar, spend their money to nanny us? The ONLY way out of this mess is for good to conquer and exterminate evil once and for all.
Good and evil is a fairly tale. There is only order and disorder.
Good and Evil only a fairy tale ?……Are you kidding ? Are you prepared to utter that crass absurdity to the grieving and broken parents of a murdered child…C’mon, man, rinse out the head gear and THINK about what you just said……
Arkaden, I agree.
The complications could be worse than a financial collapse. Most experts I have read think the chaos from economic crisis will last six weeks to six months. However, once there is chaos, those who believe they will profit from it have opportunities to destroy even more of our infrastructure, up to and including EMP. Even a localized EMP could give us up to a year of very hard times, including many deaths that would have been preventable with technology prior to any event.
The PTB don’t have as much control as we (and they) might believe. Battle plans always change after the first shot. There are so many bad actors out there, from random opportunists to governments, that any perceived or actual weaknesses will be exploited.
That only covers man-made events. Add in weather catastrophes or epidemics in a time of confusion and shortages, lack of infrastructure and communication and who knows what could result? Parts of Europe right this minute are suffering from cold and snow that the average American in the Northern Tier faces most winters. People are dying from lack of available heating sources and transport is curtailed. Preparation would have helped them a lot.
I think we prep to have a transition period available. A short-lived situation is just that and many of us have experienced 3 weeks w/o power, for example. In some cases, just having gasoline stored meant you could drive out of the affected area and find help and supplies. In a more severe event that encompassed a larger area for a longer time, we hope to be able to survive while transitioning to a sustainable lifestyle.
Even then, we would see a lot of deaths from different sources.
Six months? That certainly isn’t true of Argentina. Six hundred years, more likely.
Ark…They already have bllions of dollars worth of new $100 dollar bills printed and stored in a warehouse. There was a “problem” with them so they couldn’t be released yet. Putting my tinfoil hat on, I think these will be carted out as the new currency(maybe backed in part by gold).Also, one of the countries across the pond has also printed up new currency with a “problem”( can’t recall which one).If you look at the new $100 bill half is gold highlighted while the other half retains the green hue of fiat.
Ever wonder why the denomination of 100? Perhaps they feel after hyperinflation that will be the new $10 bill – or worse yet, $1 bill.
I’ve pondered the same thing Arkaden, I could easily see the same crooks, back in power.
Arkaden – regarding:
“So with that scenario in hand, Iâm thinking to myself, that 99% of the American people (the non-prepared) have just been put through the wringer for month. Theyâd do anything, vote for anything, comply with anything to never have to do that again and the government has a bank check to further destroy the constitution”
Can you say, “Rise of the Third Reich”?
I knew that you could.
Google “Hegelian Dialectic” – what you ponder, Ark, is what is already in the works.
I don’t think it will be a month before a new currency is printed. It will be more like 6 to 8 months…….
Remember the population of the world has to be decreased by 5 billion or so, just to get to a population that will be an easy number to be manupulated by the elite.
The more of your family/friends and strangers you see go hungery and get sick and die, the more you will be willing to follow the Anti Christ.
God bless and keep on prepping.
Hey Arkaden, Have you studied Argentina at all. Many times when a currency collapses the unit Dollar, Peso, Ptas, it does the name of the currency, it tends to stem from the under confidence of the consumer in that currency. In Argentina they actually had both currency in circulation and published an exchange rate each day in the local newspapers. The consumer would pay for products in the old currency and receive change in the new currency with the local merchant to figure out exchange rate. I believe this is a case they call Good money chasing out bad money (or something like that.)
Now take the case here in the US. We have a lack of consumer confidence as well as the lack of industrial confidence and high un/underemploy. The US prints money at the drop of a hat, anyone’s hat. The US redistributes money not theirs and gives it to entitlements minded toads. Oh yeah We are soooo Screwed! Peace Clay
I have been researching currency melt-downs and how they affect populations and there seems to be a few consistent effects.
First of all, hyperinflation occurs when the population begins to panic as the currency declines and inflation accelerates. It does not appear to be a monetary problem as much as a faith in currency problem by the masses.
Once hyperinflation starts, society spins out of control rapidly. The Powers that be consistently move in and take drastic actions that occur quickly. Often they do serial interventions as they find their initial attempts fail. But for the most part they act quickly but not necessarily intelligently.
Eventually the chaos leads to the placement of a strong arm dictator in charge of the government. The majority of the population are happy because there is an aura of stability.
It takes a long time to recover from the dictatorship but some countries spring back faster than others.
In the case of the collapse of the dollar we will see some additional factors that I think will make the situation worse.
This is the first global collapse of a currency. In addition, most other currencies are also inflating their money supply so the collapse of one currency will have a domino effect that cannot be completely predicted because it is impossible to thread out all of the complex economic interconnections in place today.
Another concern is the demographics of the populations involved. According to some anthropologists, the biggest indications of whether a country will go to war is the number of males between the ages of 15 and 30 who are not employed and married. (Getting guys settled down with families to care for tends to stabilize a population.)Look at the massive number of males who are unemployed world wide, and the gender gap in many countries due to long standing abortion of female infants.
I suspect that eventually one small event, “the straw that broke the camel’s back”, will send things into a rapid cascade of disaster.
The question that remains is what will be the recovery time after the disaster? I expect a minimum of ten years of chaos (based on the previous world wars and other global events) followed by decades of recovery. But things will never go back to the way they are now.
What do you folks think?
So, you ask what we think? I think that yours was a pretty good post!
You said: “First of all, hyperinflation occurs when the population begins to panic as the currency declines and inflation accelerates. It does not appear to be a monetary problem as much as a faith in currency problem by the masses”.
Merree, I respectfully disagree. I do not think that general population causes inflation or hyperinflation.
And IT IS a monetary problem. All known hyperinflations were caused by overproduction of local currency (read printing TOO much money), which in turn were always caused by run away debt a country was unable to repay.
I disagree with demographics consensus as well.
I’ve never heard of bunch of single guys declaring war.
Goverments make such decision. Single guys usually end up paying the price.
I don’t know how you do your research and what are your sources, but please consider taking a look at multiple points of view. That’s the only way to get it right đ
I have looked a lot of sources. I have investigated hyperinflation patterns in historical times and in at least a dozen modern situations. It has been a hobby of mine.
Inflation starts as a monetary problem, I agree with that. I agree that it starts from an increased production of currency. But increased production of currency alone does not always lead to hyperinflation. Why is this?
Right now, we have inflation but we have not reached hyperinflation because the newly printed dollars are not yet cycling within the economy in sufficient amounts. However, once people begin believing that they need to buy things because the price is going to go up, the dollars begin cycling at an ever increasing rate. The velocity of the money in circulation increases and this has an impact as well as the total amount of money in circulation.
A vicious cycle occurs because people spend money as quickly as they can and the governments usually need to print money to feed demand. It is like the feedback cycle that causes a cyclone to build- increasing velocity pulling in increasing substance. We should be thankful for the sheeple. The more they remain calm, the more time we have to prep.
The societies that have done the best job of shutting down this cycle are the ones that take action decisively and rapidly restore confidence that prices will remain stable.
As far as war correlating to the males in society, there are a number of academic studies that support this. One classic study was done by Mesquida and Weiner. Various studies have compared the number of males ages 15-30 (as a percentage of the entire population) before the Civil War in the US, and in countries involved in both World Wars. There is enough of an agreement from a wide spectrum of studies that I tend to give this idea some credence.
Merree: Like your stuff. Particularly appreciate your recognition that it is not so much the amount of money is “produced”, but how that money is deployed.
Currently, the money that has been printed has only replaced the losses by the banks and strengthened their balance sheets; while preparing them for additional losses, which is why Bernanke expects the “recovery to take five years.
I have no doubts in my mind that he expects it to take five years to “deleverage” and work through the old, new, and on-going losses to the banks.
If my dog finds my #10 cans filled with $100 bills, manages to get the lid off, and eats my money …. those are losses and fewer dollars in the system.
If I go to the printer and reprint those dollars, I have only replaced them. I haven’t created additional dollars.
Double digit inflation is not hyperinflation.
I agree with DK, When hyperinflation does hit you will know it!
Excellent Treatise on currency devaluations and resultant collapse. I think that we are ALL in a world of hurt and it’s a fixin’ ta get a lot worse…I am 55 now and I often muse on how the world and the nation I served as a Marine has gone into the toilet. Somehow along the line we neglected the hard-earned lessons of history that you can NOT spend more than you earn forever, whether you are an individual or a nation. Eventually the bill will come due. Somehow as a culture we got it ”ass-backwards” that those who work hard and plan and are responsible are villified and marginalized while those who leech off the system are not reprimanded or shunned….Where we will be as a people ten years from now is not going to be a pretty sight…I hate to see that…
Look at another side of the coin, Take the big cities; They only have about a week’s supply of food, If it all goes down do you think the Gov is smart enough to get food delivery going in 6 days? . All over the country? When Big complex systems fail they FAIL. 2 million people in jail. Feed them? Shoot them, turn them loose? What trucker is going to NY,LA, Chi, down to the Ghetto to deliver food? If they do fine, If they don’t–How long until it’s a burned out hole that cannot be fixed; 2 more days? If it’s winter, power goes down Ist day, no water by 3rd day, no police, no fire. food stores are empty, no gasoline, Traffic jams as never seen.NO Street lights, no stop lights.. out of gas cars everywhere. I don’t say it’s going to be. But if it is, the big cities are beyond help in a week
People don’t even know what to do with their poop.
It’s gonna be ugly.
Excellent point DT. Then comes massive diease and that is the ugly part.
Still strong on TP!
Of course they do. They will just keep going into the same bathrooms, pooping in the same toilets until it flows over the top. Then they will bitch that the landlord should get over here and fix it.
DT You don’t know how right you are. A buddy of mine was just starting out in his plumbing contracting business and I rode along once in awhile to give him a hand until he could afford some help. We got a job at a trailer park. When we got to the trailer they said the toilet wouldn’t work. When we got in the bathroom, the tenants had been bailing the toilet and putting in the bath tub, when that filled up they crawled under the trailer and knocked the main sewer pip off of the toilet and proceeded to flush it with a bucket, it all ended up on the ground under the trailer. When we removed the skirting from the trailer to see underneath the raw filth just came pouring out like a huge mudslide. The landlord of the trailer paid my buddy and I huge to clean it up. The worst job I ever had, but the best money I ever had been paid. Now if you will excuse me the thought of it, just makes me feel like I need a shower now. Peace
Re: big cities are beyond help in a week… yeah, the surburbs will be where a lot of homes are defended and battle lines drawn.
They create problems and then the fix them. That is how they stay employed. As far as the part where they have an open free day on your rights………..That my friend is what they call the end game. You hit the nail on the head Arkaden!
Arkaden: You pose some thoughtful questions!! Allow me to pose a response to one of them. Your comment”… the new currency would be in the bank at the end of March”. The thirty day period just would not be enough time for a replacement paper currency.
Two possibilities here for you and others to consider would be: electronic currency which the government can keep track of your income: the other thought I have had for the last year is this. Do you remember we were told there was trouble in the printing of the new $100 dollar bill. I have checked frequently and have been unable to find ANY comments to when it would become available. My thought then; the new paper currency in all denominations has been printed ready to be distributed.
Just the opinion of this old man. Arkaden, please keep bring your thoughts and comment here
(MM)
The new hundreds are partly defective. Because of security features in the paper, sheets of paper wrinkled going through the press. Many of the finished bills have a wrinkle. When you straighten the bill, you have a white streak across it. The government is still trying to find a cheap way to remove the defective bills so they can distribute the good ones. In the meantime, they have warehoused them.
Its a valid question/concern….as far as the PTB establishing themselves anew,it could happen…very likely could,but if that happens and enough Americans get PoED about it… it could backfire on the PTB…it could cause certain states or regions to break away(secede) if they did and enough people moved there intending to make it happen then some type of 1776/1861 could happen again.
There will be a portion of the people who flock to govt when hell breaks loose…there will be another who flock to where liberty has gone…hope to see yo there!
Re: 1861… the South was right!
toomanyblahblah—- “the South was right”…. ONLY if you weren’t a SLAVE!! get a life! hope I’m nowheres near you when SHTF! seems to me you’re part of the problem.
@LRD
Please expand your horizons and think a bit. The Civil War simply created over 100 years of hate and horror for black folks and helped turn us all into wage slaves. Slavery would have ended in the south by the stroke of a pen within 10-20 years if the war didn’t happen and everyone, especially black folks, would have been a lot better off.
Re: completely reset this country… tried that in 1861. The world would have been far better off with two Americas. Now the big breakup is coming.
” I was thinking the other day, letâs say the dollar collapses, obviously thereâs short term chaos and interruptions in services, but realistically, how long do you think it would take to institute a new currency?”
That is an issue to consider but perhaps a better question is, “How long will it take for a new currency to be trusted and accepted?”. Without trust in it, any new currency would be just as bad as the old one. If they have not learned that REAL money HAS to be backed by REAL assets, such as silver and gold, copper and nickel, wheat and corn, etc., then they will just trash the new currency and repeat the errors of the past over and over until they do.
If you have a farm and are healthy enough to work it you might be ok if this is not a short term problem. If your just storing and it’s long term you done. You might have stores for a year; then what? You can’t mimic the movie “Blast From The Past” (which was real funny).
We prepare like it’s a hurricane on steroids. A couple of months.
ALL, Sorry,I missed reading others comments before posting. (MM)
That is why why feel on our site, it is our duty to inform people. As a community we can survive.
By failing to prepare, we are preparing to fail.
I feel that the 2012 “the end” Bug has not really set in yet for most folks.
Once things start unfolding.. And the gov’t can’t sugar coat > and Admits The fact that “USA” Airplane has Not been able to lift up its nose.. And has crashed.. Only to fool
Us Again out of our hard earned $( with the introduction of a new currency) is finaly when you will see a syria scenerio here on Us soil.
I guess it has to happen.. Since 99% of the people who reside in the Usa have their head up their Ass!!
Except of course my fellow preppers!
3 million is a low number based on a population of 300 million. I suspect the numbers are actually much higher. There are different levels of prepping for emergencies. I suspect the 3 million would be the number of heavy preppers. People with a years supply of food, huge amounts of supplies and lots and lots of weapons.
If you factor in the “Prepper Lites” such as myself, I believe the numbers would be double digit. Possibly 50% of the population.
I’m afraid that’s wishful thinking rachel, I can’t imagine that 50% of households could last even 7-10 days without the grocery stores/ wally world. In particular if there is any mass loss of power, most wouldn’t even make it to day 3 without losing their minds.
I know the MAJORITY of people I work with aren’t prepared for much of anything
they eat at fast food joints for the majority of their meals
and any disposable income is spent on the newest iPhone
i have beighbors that buy thier food day to day infact during a hurricane last year they forgot to get water….yea we are in trouble
My Family has rentals, I’ve been in hundreds of peoples homes over the years, watched them move. Most people have NOTHING, their pantry consists of two cardboard boxes of stuff. In the cities most people shop every day, for that day. Three million is likely close. That’s also about the number of National Rifle Members. You look at the Places you can buy a number ten can of Vac Packed Eggs, darn few. How much of that kind of stuff do you see at sales? Almost none. No we are less than 2-3%, That’s OK, average is pretty stupid.
“Average is pretty stupid”
I love it…LOL
I agree with you Rachel. 50% might be a little high, but the number is clearly in double digits and there are many more celebrities and others of that “ilk” that are clued into “prepping”.
Even if they are slow on the uptick now that its on TV and in the news, many have found this site and others like it by chance while surfing the web. Because they have capital they can move quickly to “catch up”.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Queen herself didn’t know about US, if only by accident while surfing the Web, and not by reports.
For the PTB, understand that articles, posts, and comments that are made across the net are being categorized, collated, and analyzed every day to measure public sentiment. Give them a “thumbs down”. Be loud, be vocal. Your voice IS heard even if it is just a statistic.
OWTFH!!!! Just saying ….. đ
Not only that, Rachel, but we need to consider the source of these numbers. I mean, really… are we gonna trust the numbers put out by the same yo-yos who keep telling us that there is 8.3% unemployment and 3.5% inflation, no matter how they have to cook the books to produce such fictions? Not hardly!
maybe these numbers are like the numbers we get for Ron Paul votes, whatever the status quo and the MSM think we should hear.
Only 3 million people prepped out of 305 million people, is there really 302 million brain dead people living in the America? I wonder what they(who ever they is)call a fully prepped family? We’ve alway grew a garden,canned food,burnt and cut firewood,when no one for miles around did it,we fish, never hunted or owned a gun except for an old black powder.50 cal.It just always seemed to easy to shoot something with sights and challenge to catch a fish under water, now age has caught up and if I shot a 22,my shoulder would probably go out of joint.
I grew up in SoCal, earthquake country. Starting prepping back in the late 70’s. Not so much for economic upheaval as it was more for natural disaster. Then the Rodney King riots happened in L.A. and woke me up to the possible situations that could arise from a social breakdown. A couple years later we had over 100mph winds blow through the area which isolated us for three days without power or a way to get in or out of town. Sure was glad I didnât have to worry about it.
Prepping, as was stated by people in the NetGeo feature is a lifestyle? Nah, itâs insurance against lifeâs obstacles that get thrown your way, only today those obstacles are larger and much more threatening.
For those new to this, donât stress over it. Make a list, and it will be long, and start to do something, anything! You are now a thousand steps ahead of the 99% that are not. Ask as many questions as needed of those on here and elsewhere. You will get great advice from here and on other sites. Some of us disagree with each other, thatâs normal human behavior but I for one know that if my life depended on it, I would prefer to hang with this bunch here than to go it alone.
Itâs better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it!
Five here, been at it a long time. No one’s business but mine, but I do try to educate those around me that have any willingness to listen.
Lots of garden, seeds, stores put away, defense capabilities, surveillance capabilities.
Prep and pray you don’t need it are my marching orders.
Beside the essentials, what are you going to do for entertainment? Think about picking up some FUN stuff now.
(Used shops are great for quite a few items)
Books, Puzzles (Jig Saw), Cards, Poker Chips, Games…
For Kids: Books, Special Stuffed Animal (saved for the occasion), Toys, coloring books and crayons.
Think about a weekly game night now, to ease into off grid activities.
Living should also include some enjoyment and stress relief also.
Love and Blessings and Good Luck to U.S. all.
Last time I tried to color in my book I couldn’t stay in the lines. Maybe I’m too young to try that.
Good thought there, Annie. When the SHTF, even a tiny taste of normalcy will be incredibly valuable. Another thought is to have a musical instrument of some kind, like a guitar, banjo, or even just a harmonica. Learn to play it and learn some songs that go along with your music. Mending broken hearts and spirits will become just as valuable as mending broken bodies.
I just don’t believe in the; “The End Of The World As We Know It.” I am more of a believer of; The End Of Our Life Style AS WE Know It.”
Maybe considered one and the same. đ
I have been preparing since 1999, when Y2K was a big thing. That non-event has opened my eyes to the possible bigger things that could come.
So.., with Y2K being a non-event., it possibly could have been a Godsmack or wake up call for all of us to prepare and so it does have an importance in our lives.
We prepare for the worst, pray for the best. Those people on natgeo seem a little kooky, they have, or at least voice on camera very specific scenarios. Most of those perceptions are based on their unique experiences. Shifting poles, oil crisis, financial collapse, nuclear attack, hard to take them serious on the face of it. Then again, that may be the point of the show, show these ridiculous caractures of peppers so the average joe and Jane dismiss them as loons, this remaining compliant whenever tshtf. That the experts state that should the worse occurs, the govt can’t help. Duh. How is uncle sugar going to assist 300,000,000 people? Impossible. Even just helping the dependent class is an impossible task in a disaster situation. All they can do,is attempt to control, sorry, assist, urban areas with concentrated populations. They’ll use these numbers to claim legitimacy for their unjust actions against the people everywhere. Be prepared, but focus on what will probably be the larger threat, the federal reaction to the disaster. The Katrina fiasco, lumping tens of thousands into an enclosed space quickly turned into the law of the jungle, is a typical ham handed federal response. It met federal needs: put everyone one in a controllable space, while ignoring the liberty and safety of the individual. Disarm citizens, remove them from safe areas so that they could pen the cattle in, to control them. Remove the means of defense for their own safety? Whose safety exactly? Certainly not the citizens. The only persons protected are the criminals and law enforcement. We aren’t a collective with one aligned mindset. The majority of us could live in relative harmony. That is the problem, there is a minority that has no,self control, no boundaries except doing what they want. Sorry for the rant.
…………and don’t forget prep stage I includes some united states federal reserve crisp uncirculated brand new ten dollar notes securely sealed in a half full old messy #10 paint can near the bottom of an equally ugly heap….
……it’s properly called life assurance….
( please note that john williams, a gentleman looked up to by all world class economists, agreed with this point in a previous post)
An odd place to be storing toilet paper. . . .
I agree on keeping some FRNs on hand, but where do you get your crisp new uncirculated ones? Do you have your own printing press? All I get are old wrinkled bills.
Mushie, better to store old silver dimes. Silver dimes and quarters will be “gold”.
Mushroom: At my local bank and credit union, I have asked for crisp ‘new’ paks of ones, fives, could not afford the tens. They always comes in used paks. Any ideas from you and others how to get the ones?? Enjoy your posts. (MM)
You want new bills; go to the main branch and tell them ahead. They will order them. Tell them you are going to Africa or someplace overseas and have been told they only want new money (True). For ones just tell them you have grand kids and you are going to do some fancy paper folding. There is even a book out about paper folding money. Gave it and some new ones to a GK last Xmas.
Given the worst case scenario of say three months of anarchy in every city in the country before the rule of law is restored and the new dollar is issued, back by gold and silver. I am not too optimistic about the country being better off than before the collapse. People who have just lost everything they owned, including their money, home, cars, cdâs IRAâs Mutual Funds, checking accounts, saving accounts, and their lifestyle and standard of living; and are now starving and living like animals to survive, in my opinion will take anything the government hands out to them just to stop the pain. That includes their freedom. They will be worse off than before. We must remember that the same scum bags that perpetrated this economic collapse the central banks (the Federal Reserve) are the same people who will now issue to the masses the solution. They create the disease and now they give you the medicine which you must purchase from them. Talk about a Ponzi scheme.
So we have a new dollar backed by gold and silver big deal. Ask yourself who is controlling it? (The Fed) If anybody believes that these people are going to go quietly into the night just because the country collapsed and the people are pissed off, better think again. These people are in it for the long haul. They have been trying to take control of this country since 1776. The New World Order was formed then. As a citizen and veteran I fear for my country as never before.
Bingo. A new money backed by gold or silver will work.What we can’t have is fractional banking. One dollar of gold deposited for one dollar lent out is fine for banking. No leverage. However the PTB will not willingly let that go as you said.
Well I guess if 3 million preppers survive, or even double that, let’s say six million survive, at least it’ll be a another two centuries before the US can reach a population level that becomes threatening to the rest of the world again.
You guys make up just 3% of the total world population. Yet you cause most of the problems and misery for everyone else on our planet. Hopefully, all the peppers that do survive can rebuild your country again to become something to be proud of. I sure as heck hope that you learn from your lessons now, so you don’t f…..k it up again.
Y’know, it’s been reasonably well established that people who survived the Black Death in Europe lived quite well for the ensuing century or so. Lots of wealth left behind.
I hope we do survive. As for you, you probably won’t. Funny how the rest of the world looks to the US for help when times get tough, then shoot their mouths off about how evil the US is. Eat shit and ide mother f…er!
No. Many of us just want the US to sit down and shut up. The US is like a big fat kid in the school yard, who picks on and beats other kids up and steals lunches. Unfortunately there’s a group of kids getting ready to retaliate to take out Fat Boy and his side kicks. But worst of all both groups are prepared to throw the other kids under the bus first and drag the whole school yard down with them.
So shut up you dicks and stop trying to destroy the rest of us with your bad behavior and bullshit bullying tactics
Yeah, but remember we are the big fat kid who in his time has given trillions of dollars to the other kids in the school yard only to have little turds like you cry foul when the fat kid doesn’t live up to your expectations. From the sounds of your little rants here, your hatred of America is more akin to penis envy.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Go fuk yourself
Watch and wait, I agree with you in part. The federal government is running the US into the ground. However, the other nations of the planet are not beyond reproach of their own, many of which are communist totalitarian regimes. Most other nations are varieties of socialist oppression. I hope that you are looking in your own back yard for those issues needing local resolution.
So you are saying that all americans are to blame, you are wrong. I have no control over what the stupid government of the us does. We are all caught in a jail.
Anyone know how trolls taste? Might be a good supply of food since we have so many of them available!
They probably taste a little muddy after hanging out under their bridges!
@Watch and wait
I understand your frustration with USA. I do not like USofA myself… and truth to be told, I literally hate USA policies and wars. BUT…
people here are different then your average amerikan. people here (overwhelming majority) dislike USA’s wars and policies of their government just like you do. having said that, you should bear in mind that it is bad call to insult people.
and yes, I know that all people are responsible for what their gooberment does, but these preppers here are good people. they are old fashioned Americans, and that says it all. if they were majority in USA, we wouldn’t have all those wars and stories about Abu Ghraib etc… I would support your statement in any other forum or blog, but here, here it’s different. here are different people.
so ease up a little, and you might learn something from these folks here instead of just alienating everyone.
Thank you, Giurza.
Indeed most of the people on here disagree with the Federal government in the highest extreme, but we are nothing to the feds. They do as they wish because they can. I cannot speak for all here, but at this point I don’t expect the feds to listen to me. I feel resigned to the idea that now it is damage control for myself and loved ones. Hopefully civil war will not become the court of public opinion, with bullets being the verdict.
Giurza. Awesome post. I appreciate your honesty and forthrightness. Your right, I should make an effort not to alienate myself. I know exactly what you mean when you say ‘old fashioned Americans are good people’ though. I’ve met many good and old fashioned Americans when I lived in the PNW, Montana and elsewhere. Met some complete morons there too, but that’s another story for some other blog. (Darwin awards or Worlds Dimist maybe) Generally speaking Americans (the average ones and those not full of themselves) are OK by me.
Even the ones who don’t realize, that not every country has taken money or aid from the US. Ever!! And that some of us have been doing just fine on our own, with our own laws and economics for decades.(Not everyone owes the US a debt of gratitude. Some of us have no reason to.) and I guess that’s why I get a little antsey when I see people pounding us foreigners from time to time. I always fight back.
So, my apologies to anyone I offended. Ease up, will do.
And Giurza, I probably would learn a thing or two from folks on here. I often do. But it goes both ways. I’m pretty sure when/if the SHTF I’m quite confident that I’ll out last most.
My rules for surviving, are move fast, stay low, and never stay put in the same place.
Watch and wait, out
That’s the way to talk around here! My good man, I hear what you say, and I feel for you. My stance towards USA’s militarism and expansionism is the same. that’s is why I quit so many forums and blogs – people over there are shmucks and mostly warmongers. Folks around here are simple patriots, and patriots not by the taste of federalist gooberment! that’s is also why I like it here so much.
and I have no doubt that we all can learn from you just as much as you could from us.
we are all on the same boat here. I for one have no quarrels with Americans, it’s their govmen and their actions that @$%#^ me off. despite the fact that many here are indeed antigovernment they are also patriots. just like me – I can bash my countries involvement in occupation of Afghanistan, and other war acts on other sovereign nations (disregarding their state of affairs – it’s the business of those said nations, not ours) but it is always hard for patriots to hear harsh and sometimes generalized comments on their homeland… it puts people on the defensive…
we should all understand that it isn’t people that do those things around the globe or in their own countries, it’s their governments. and that is the government/power that is doing all those acts of violence and reduction of freedom.
I would very much like to recommend to you to watch “The Land of The Blind” with D. Sutherland and R. Fiennes it explains how it works – no matter who is in power, it is always the government that is doing the evil. ELEPHANT!
If you think USA is evil, good luck with whatever replaces USA after a fall. Na
Touche!!!
What happens turns largely on SGT Smith and LT Jones. Does the average soldier and his officer lead troops to support what Leviathan must do upon collapse, or do they lead troops out of the military and back to their homes (to help save their own families)? If the former, then order will be maintained through totalitarian measures and force. If not, then all hell will break loose for a time but, in the end, liberty could possibly be restored. I would like to think that blood is thicker than camo, but I wonder.
Coming to a town near you!!!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/46348218#46348218
Specifically listen closely at 55sec to 1:15 and think about the U.S.
Itâs Coming!!! God Bless Preppers!!!
Mac,
Another fine article however I think you missed the most important issue here. As a loyal reader of your great site you didn’t point out the obvious. That is after airing they come and took one mans guns. This is a direct volition of our 2nd amendment rights.
I have been reading your site for over year now and every time this subject comes up everybody says “When they come for my guns that is when they cross the line”. Well guess what they have crossed the line so now what???? Do we sit back and do nothing but bitch? Do we sit back and say glad it wasn’t me? Do we sit back and say if they did that to me I shoot there asses?
Or do we make a stand and tell them enough is enough, National Geographic should be defending this man instead of looking at rating. Not sure how the SHTF family feels but I will boycott N.G.C., I will write the NRA demanding the take up the legal defense for this man.
As many of you have noticed I have stopped posting on this site, however I will continue to read it. Keep up the good work Mac, But we owe it to at least try to make a difference.
Sincerely,
DPS
I’m in full agreement with you DPS. Nat Geo should be offering to assist this gentleman with his legal defense instead of allowing him to be put-down by the system since it was probably their program that drew attention to him in the first place.
The NRA would do well to stand up for him as well, and as one of his fellow preppers, we each need to be writing and encouraging the NRA to take up his case as well.
I sent mine out, anyone else willing to take up the cause?
P.S. My post below is somewhat related. A person I know can’t own guns because of conviction that happened nearly 14 years ago, and there is nothing that can be done to change it the way the laws are currently. The groups with some political sway need to get off their cushions and start pushing for more rights!!
Fed Up,
Thank you sir for taking the time to send a few e-mails.
Most people will not take up this cause because the are afraid to get involed, but the truth be told we are involed if we do nothing to help a fellow prepper then we are worse then corp that is taking our rights away every single day. I myself belive that we are doomed to fail and my reasoning for this is we are not united. Last night I took the time out to go get a movie. I had to watch it twice because it moved me.
The movie has been around for a long time its ” V for Vendetta”. What I got out of it was If we do not stand together as a nation then all will be lost. I just don’t see Americans standing together like the ending of this movie.
Once again thank you sir for showing some guts.
DPS
DPS-I often have read here and other places how many preppers would like to unite together, keep the government from abusing the people of this land, etc. and I think this is a perfect opportunity for some unity. Standing up together with righteous indignitity against the abuse of this man seems like a great way to begin -regardless of like or dislike of his personality, he is still a person who has been abused by the government!
I see what happened to this man as an abuse of power and if something like this happened to me I would hope that my fellow preppers would stand shoulder to shoulder with me to rally whatever support and legal action could be taken on my behalf.
Silence and inaction are the insidious ways we consent to abuse. I refuse to consent to anyone abusing me, or anyone else.
Not true… convicted murderers can get exemptions from the ATF to own guns. Also, some states will expunge felonies in just 5 years.
@ toomanyfakeconservatives In some states, there are ways to petition the courts for expunction, not here in Wisconsin. Here in the great state of Wisconsin, unless a judge orders expungement AT THE TIME OF SENTENCING there is no recourse in the law for anyone -misdemeanors or felonies, to get their record cleared.
So, in the case of the individual who got a disorderly conduct 14 years ago (was a fight with a drunk room-mate who attacked them and they fought back making it domestic violence, there is NO LEGAL RECOURSE. The Lautenberg Amendment prohibits them from the purchase, ownership, etc. of all weapons and ammo. Period. This person cannot pass a background check through the handgun hotline.
I have checked with my attorney on this matter and my friend with their attorney; as it stands unless the laws are changed -Launtenberg repealed or the state statute for expunction, this person may not own a firearm, ammo, or get a concealed carry.
Also, the gentleman that we are discussing had his gun rights taken away because he was involuntarily commited on a mental health issue. The law is writtten that those who have been commited for this reason lose their right to have weapons. I think what they did to him was an abuse of power -liability concerns my arse. He was sarcastic and they took his sarcastic remarks, twisted them, and used those remarks to lock him up. Abuse is abuse, and this was, in my assessment so far, the doctors and folks in the legal system abusing power.
DPS, just sent out an email to the NRA. Good suggestion dude!
AZ,
Thank you sir for taking the time out to help this man. The thing that worries me is this, out of the some 300 people that post here only 3 have taking any action.
1% that number sure doesn’t shine. If this is what we can expect after the crunch things will get very ugly FAST. Thank you again Fed Up and AZ
DPS
Plus one.
great suggestion and i will be writting also I am the squeeky wheel that needs the oil I will also write the TN reps of that state as that is where he lives snyone else want to writ besedes the nra write TM state reps
Excellent proposal DPS!!! in fact it is an obligation that all the others on this site from USA have! if you don’t support this guy (even though he is kinda stupid to go on air with NatGeo) then all the blubbery about “…from my cold fingers” is worth exactly zippo.
I read Turner’s Diaries (disregarding all the uber emphasized racism) and I thought that the GunGrab described in there was very likely. I thought that despite the loud posture it would come to nothing when GunGrab would be legalized, enthroned with law and executed step by step with considerable propaganda campaign. Now, don’t take it as an offence but you guys are already a ROL beasts. if the law passes, you will feel obliged to comply and you will feel uncomfortable breaking it. It is different here in Lithuania. even though our people are sheep when talk comes about the constitutional rights and conceptions, they are very good at “avoiding” and “circumnavigating” the laws. older generation over here are very adept in that. they spent their entire lives circumventing soviet laws, and now large part of population is living on the other side of the law, be it simple tax evasion, black market or illegal jobs. and I talk about regular sheeple here. if there were that many guns in Lithuania as it is in USA, I would spit on legalities and get a black market gun at my leisure. I don’t care. sure thing it is much more convenient to have a legal gun, but hey, if i can’t have one, I’m still getting one. however, in Lithuania, guns are as difficult to obtain in black market as they are in legal waters…
but I digress – get up ya’ll and start a writing campaign to save that dude from his own stupidity. do as DPS says – write to NatGeo to NRA, to whatever and whomever, just do it! unless you do this, I will treat every following comment about “…from my cold fingers” with extreme prejudice….
Giuza,
You hit it right on the head brother “obligation”. My grammer and writing skills suck but this is what I have sent to N.G.C.
Dear National Geographic,
I recently watched your new series on doomsday peepers and I found it to be very interesting. I have always enjoyed you shows they are very informative. But that came to an end today; I recently found out that the state of Tennessee declared David Sarti mentally defective in most part for being a guest on your show. The state has seen fit to remove Mr. Sarti firearms for his residence.
This is an outrage and an act against our 2nd amendment right! I also have been told that your station has not even offered to help this poor man with legal defense. And sir or maam that is even more of an outrage. By your actions or more to the point your non-actions to this mater tells me that you are simply interested in your own company and are willing to exploit anybody for profits!!
I for one am sick and tired of companies that donât t stand behind or for that matter beside their customers. Therefore I am boycotting your channel until this matter is resolved. If you people are smart you will help this man out.
Because you helped get David into this mess. And as Iâm sure you know that word of mouth advertising is something you can buy, it must be earned. I myself will be talking to everybody I know about this subject, lets see how those ratings go after the word to
3 million prepers hear about this.
Sincerely,
DPS
PS, This e-mail will also be sent to the NRA As well as the Oath Keepers web site and every damn prepers website I can dig up!!!!
Oh man! so very well put!
Giurza puts on Caparzo’s (from Private Ryan) fedora:
– I love this guy – pointing towards DPS
I applaud you! And I call to all the others here – follow the lead! do the same, do more if you can!
Remember, I am an outside guy… it is you in USA that are under attack. We here are already bought, paid for and packaged… but you can still do something. and if you don’t rally around this poor guy, you WILL be next! there is no question about ifs or whens… this is happening. strike back, at least with letters, or you will go down like they did in Turner’s diaries!
One by one they fell, and all the brave talk was for nothing – See to it that this passage is not about you!
If you haven’t noticed, National Geographic has been hijacked by Jews. And they are more than pleased to hear that White Gentiles are losing their weapons.
DPS, I emailed a tweaked version of what you posted, so I hope it’s ok that I borrowed some of your verbage. I put in some of my own verbage as well.
right on!
This is my email that I sent to NatGeo (even despite the fact that I’m not American)(and I know it’s not as good as the one DPS wrote, but this is to show that I’m doing my part too :))
To whom it may concern
I’ve just read the story of one David Sarti. And even though I am from
the other side of Atlantic, I must stand by the side of my fellow
prepper. The fate that has befallen David Sarti is despicable, and
the fact that he came on the governmental radar because of his
participation in your show makes it even worse.
I always thought very highly of National Geographic. I always thought
that you are one of the most serious and respectable information
company. It is quite disappointing to hear that you offered no
assistance to a man who agreed to be on your show and by doing that he
endangered his own property.
I hope you will take heed of this – it is a bad business alienating
one’s own auditorium, and since numbers show preppers up in 3 mln
heights it would be wise to show moral fairness and compassion and
help for one of this huge crowd
DPS, do you have any info about WHY his guns were taken?
Did this man have a criminal history not allowing him to have guns? Certain mental issues?
Just curious.
Before we say “they” violated his rights, we should know if he violated any laws.
I found this :”Some say Dsarti1 had talked about poisoning his food supply should he be invaded and then anyone who ate his food storage would die”.
Copied from here http://thenewsunit.blogspot.com/2012/02/prepper-david-sarti-sparks-mental.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=H0pFCVw39cI
Anonymous,
Been digging around for a few hrs now, not much out there on this man yet, just what has been posted on youtube. but I contunue my search.. The only history of mental health was a hospital record giving by his heart Dr.
DPS
I dont understand why he gave them his guns? with out a trial to remove him of his 2nd amend. rights.. We gave them those rights , not the other way around..they cant just take them away from anyone with out due process.
everyone needs to be sued for this..Nat Geo.. the police and that city
and I would never ever give them all of my guns..period. They have no rights to them, therefore they wont get them.
as it is, any of them they do get from me , I expect payment for them before they leave my home..I earned the money to buy them, they cannot remove my property without comphensation..
I will not be un armed..by anyone
he was put into a meta; hosp for a 72 hour evalustion. He was released without findings of instability. they took his guns. you can not have guns taken without a court order of judgment finding you insane he was not so i am not sure why the gubs were taken…
That’s not true, I know a guy who had an argument with his wife,the cops came and he was not arrested, the cops took his guns for their safty and the county judge will not sign a release form for him to get them back.this happened 3 yrs ago.
Survivor…Unfortunately this is the case where I live also. It may be a state by state “law”,but here if you have any mental issues or any arrests for drugs you cannot even get a CCP.You can be admitted involuntarily for 72 hours by anyone who claims you are a danger to yourself or others. They will immediately take your firearms. Best to fly below the radar and not even consider talking about “doomsday prepping” with anyone you are not sure of.
Great plan – glad you shared it.
I’m in, DPS….look for it tomorrow – I need some time to do some research.
We miss you around here.
Daisy,
I know you will write this up on your blog, and thats great. I have sent mac a e-mail reguarding another subject that was brought to my attention today. I hope he post it. It will knock your socks off.
And thanks i really miss posting here,guess I made up some lost time today…LOL
DPS
After reading through all of the posts so far, I must agree I question the “numbers” of folks who prep. I also wonder how many folks would like to prep, but don’t have the means or are prevented from doing everything that would be prudent.
One such case comes to mind of an individual I know who began preppin only to find they cannot own a firearm due to a Disorderly Conduct charge they got when they were 19 years old and there is nothing that can be done to expunge the record! Nevermind this person has been a “model citizen” since. It is hard enough for people to come to grips with all that needs to be done for their situation, but to find that self-defense/defense of their home and property has been taken off the list? Horrible.
Pepper spray, baseball bats with nails knives, martial arts of any sort . Now if things do un-hing who’s gonna know If said person “owns” a firearm? I’m just saying.
Never underestimate the power of a BB gun.
To the newbie don’t get overwhelmed. First plan to survive till tomorrow, then 2 days, then 3 and so on. I guess I and many my age started long, long ago in a different world. One where we had Cub Scouts, Royal Rangers and Boy Scouts. Many of us moved to the Military.
Here are some basics, know what can kill you. You can die without security in 1 second, without air 3 minutes, without water 3 days without food 3 weeks and shelter depends on climate.
Im not replying to my own comment but adding to it to illustrate how fast sentiment toward prepping is changing. While I was writing the first part there was a knock at my door and my wife called me down. It was my Dentist and his wife. While that’s not unusual, the conversation was.
Today he came for a weapons list and to ask for training, that was unusual. For me this was a fantastic opportunity from a prepping stand point and force multiplyer. I was actually getting the opportunity to arm a future member of my tribe and standardize the weapons and calibers.
So what changed his mind after all these years? Contraception! Can you believe that? The whole thing with the administration and church last week opened his eyes to the lawlessness of our very own government and it rocked him to the core.
Over the years we have always talked and he thought I was just a little nutty and wore a Tin Fiol Hat. Today I made him his very own Tin Foil Hat.
Don’t write off your family, friends and nieghbors, there is an awakening happening in America one Citizen at a time.
Does anybody know the word that we all dread hearing???? Our friend Manos has been using this word alot. It is a word that we Americans thought we would never hear. This word is crushing the people all over the world as we speak. The word is “austerity”.
I have heard manos using this word and thought I would never see it used in the USA, but I just had my head in the sand. So here it is. Read and and ask yourself when is the time for austerity measures.
http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-defends-deficit-154530053.html
DPS
There are other ways to defend yourself without a factory made gun ffs! Take a look round your kitchen/workshop and DIY!
Look at the riots the Brits couldn’t control last summer. Look at the world around you, read how people catch food & protect themselves without fireams.
Talk to people from regions of the world where shtf in their life and they didn’t have the amenities of the west but they are able to share a cup of coffee with you now – HOW? How did the Somalians get rid of American troops? You think the afghans have access to the latest weapons? The gun wasn’t the weapon of terror in Sierra Leone – (America is a melting pot – you have access to the knowledge from the survivors of these events – listen and LEARN from them. They are prepped (& not included in that 3m tally I’ll bet!).
Even with a gun there are lots of potential shtf situations where to be frank you don’t wanna be attracting attention with the noise of a gunshot. OPSEC isn’t Hollywood.
YOU gonna be asking for gubberment “paperwork” from a decent individual known to you before you loan him a spare gun when shtf so you can better protect your group?
Individuals in groups of cooperative likeminded groups’ll be OK so long as they use the greatest weapon of all in an emergency – the human mind!!!!!!
We don’t use our grey matter then all the guns in the world won’t save us, during or after shtf. The brains to unit & never to allow these charlatans to take control again is our only hope – lets use them!
Verry good points!
Your gonna be waiting a very long time.
I read one of your posts awhile back that states you believe it will be five years,(I think that is what you said)still sticking by that Rich?
In regards to people having their 15 minutes of fame especially regrading David Sarti (the man declared mentally defective after Tuesday’s Doomsday Preppers);
While I am hesitant to use language like “attentiom whore” several thing need to be said.
1. The man is a ham radio operator, he should have known that by openly giving out his call sign on that show and he did, everyone would be able to look up his call sign and find his address. He knew better and did it anyway. Now everyone can get his address and he has no firearms to protect himself.
2. He’s been doing this prepping thing long enough to know that people or groups like those from NatGeo can’t help themselves, but to twist things and edit things around so that you WILL END UP LOOKING STUPID. They simply can’t help it. It’s the nature of the beast.
3. I’m calling BS on anyone claiming to be on this show merely for the idea of exposing others to the world of prepping. Most, if not all of those the other night in both episodes came off looking silly and weird.
4. We as a culture have been exposed long enough now to the idea of Reality of TV that many have forgotten the good advice our elders taught us:
“Fools’ names and fools’ faces are always seen in public places.”
David Sarti knew better, and let his better judgement lapse. Unfortunately, he raised his head up and got whacked. Yes the state of TN screwed him, but he set himself up for it anyway you choose to look at it.
Divide and conquer, thank you you just reaffirmed my belief that we are doomed to fail due to no unity.
DPS. If you have a way to unite all the Patriots of this country, I am all ears. I don’t mean to be disrespectful and I hope I don’t sound that way but what you are proposing is exactly what needs to happen. How is the big question. Until the day comes when people place the future of our country above their own asses, we cannot form in any significant numbers. We sit on this site and all we talk about is how we are going to survive. What kind of survival will it be when after the SHTF, we can one day surface to find what? The same assholes running the same dog and pony show! I am with you believe me. Unless we rise up we are doomed no matter how you slice it. Imagine the life we would have after TEOTWAWKI. Sorry everyone but DPS is correct. The only unity we have is exchanging our bitches and prep ideas on this site. The truth is, we can’t unite and TPTB know it. Now I challenge everyone to ask themselves a hard question. Would you lay down your life for your children and others you love if an intruder broke into your home? We know we would, but we have a far more menacing intruder who is outside our home and has every intention of taking your loved ones lives away, whether it be physically or financially or emotionally and we are basically discussing how we are going to hide. We might survive a SHTF scenario and then what? More of the same or will our all intelligent gov decide to be a little kinder and give us all a big hug? We all admire the Patriots who fought and died for this country and its because of them that we are here today. We are trampling their graves. Where would we be if the Founders decided to stock up and hide from the Brittish, hoping they would just go away. I have never run from a fight in my life and I have the scars to prove it but no one can do it alone. I remember being there when my first son was born and holding him in my arms and realizing that I finally knew what true love was. Now how do I show my sons I love them? I have prepped for them. I am teaching them to be a coward like myself. Sorry for the rant everyone but I want my country back and feel helpless to get it. I hope you can all understand. Peace.
Blackriflewarrior,
You sir have what is called integrity and I’m still looking for the disrespect in your post.
I just seems like to me with all the bright people on this and many other sites we could find away to unite. It must be done for the sake of our childrenâs future. If we do nothing this will leave them to do it alone and that is unacceptable.
I may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but even I can see that not being united will be our down fall.
DPS
I’ve often posted similar sentiments blackriflewarrior, teaching your boys to be self sufficient is certainly not teaching them to be cowards, btw.
I don’t see our country ever getting back on track without a lot of blood shed.
We do need to unite but the all-seeing eye is watching. I guess what I meant to say about cowardice is that I can’t remember in my life ever being one and I kinda feel like one now because I can’t make a stand. Its so frusterating. I just wanted my boys to have a better life than me and I don’t want them to have to fight for something that I should have fought for. It just floors me as to how far down this country has fallen. Its like the movie Groundhog Day…I just keep waking up to more bad news and the noose getting tighter. I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed either DPS but I do have balls and an iron will and I have been waiting years for some sort of leadership and it never comes. Its been a long time since I woke up and felt good about the world and some days it wears me down. I’m glad I have people like you all here to cheer me up a bit. I’m glad I found this site because at least, in spirit, I have blood brothers.
The average prepper won’t be in any position to stike at the vitals of the corporation after the fall of the republic. I don’t forsee preppers enjoying any David v. Goliath moments. It’s going to take some brave souls inside the corporation to blow it up.
a good way to start reuniting people would be for them to get behing Ron Paul and put him is office before it’s too late.Even with RP, things are going to get real bad for a while, but the country and world probably will not wind up being under a dictatorship.
It won’t matter BRW, we will all be put to the test soon enough. I wouldn’t say anyone is coward just yet. Plenty opportunities to prove it still to come or not. Thus far you have shown great will and strength to do what you have already done.
Matt is correct on the call sign. The FCC’s website has a user’s address information readily available to anyone who knows how to navigate the site.
This is why I would reccomend using cb based radio instead of ham radio for local communication.No license needed. Cheap to pick up.You can keep in touch locally, plus where I live, I have line of sight with a trucking route about 5 miles as the crow flies. Who knows better about what is going on than a long hauler?
To help keep things in perspective:
3,000,000 preppers in the US.
And according to this article, 1,400,000 gang members.
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/1-4-million-gang-members-and-more-pour-into-the-united-states-every-single-day
One gangbanger for every two preppers? Not a cheery thought.
Wonder which group is growing faster?
That’s true? nuts. I’ve been figuring Ave gang member a 150#. 75# cleaned and dressed, make 10# good jerky, Just for my extended family I’m going to need 40-50 of them and you say we only got less than one each. IT’S JUST NOT FAIR I’M COUNTING ON THEM! Oh well there’s others
How does it compare to rat jerky?
Preppers are probably a little better trained them gang members, but the later have more “experience” I’m guessing in real combat….
Trained vs experience hmm….at least we outnumber them. It is a concern where I live.
Experience in the City stealing ladies purses isn’t going to help them. How many got a 25-06 and can hit a rock chuck at 300 yds?
LOL..they don’t even know how to hold a pistol right. Thats too bad because if they worked on it, they could kill each other better and save us some ammo.
BRW…I always wondered how it feels to have those hot casings ejecting right in their faces.
There are over 6 million mormans in the US alone. They all prep. There has to be at least twice as many people total who prep.
i wish that was true…..even in our community, we have a lot of non-prepared…and thats with an organization that will help anyone get prepared…
Oregon Prepper, Just curious, what organization are you referring to? I live in the country and I know that there are a lot of prepared in the rural areas. Cities like P-town and Eugene will be in serious trouble though. Gun & ammo sales are through the roof where I live, and the other day I stopped by Wally’s to look around. Several people looking at Auguson Farms stuff…one mid-aged man there with some 20-somethings and they were loading up 5g buckets. Older man appeared to be coaching the younger two and helping them get set up. The coach pointed out the shelf life of something and the young woman said that is gross. Coach replied, if the crap hits the fan and you are hungry, you will eat it. My husband said, that is right and the two exchanged grins. Also went through sporting goods and it was so BUSY…people buying firearms and ammo…city people. It isn’t really hunting season…Every time I go to the local (small town) gun shop they are busy…even on Sunday, 3-4 customers in there, day or night. I am seeing the signs on a daily basis that people are waking up to the uncertainty of the future, even if they aren’t sure what is coming or why.
Don’t forget the Amish and Mennonites!
Ky. has many.
JJ…Many Amish here too. The original “preppers”!!
They are all over Missouri too
most of the “gangbangers” won’t make it out of the cities alive. don’t worry about them until you see them in your driveway. turkey shoot.
I’d agree that most gang members, at least around here, would try to take out members of their own communities before they fanned out and tried to coordinate attacks on us dusty country folks. If your preps include livestock, crops, or some type of farm setup, I’m not sure that you’d make the best target because most city/town dwellers and bangers have no idea what to do with real food. I mean, envision those golden hordes of people traipsing over fields of potatoes because they don’t know what they’re walking on as they’re looking for cans of ravioli and boxes of mac and cheese. Those who are unfortunate enough to live in towns or close to cities will, in my opinion, make better targets than some farmer/homesteader out in the sticks.
We’ve already imposed austerity measures in my home. I’m sure many preppers have as we sacrifice conveniences and luxury items for our preps. I’ve probably spent in the neighborhood of 5 thousand dollars this year getting ready for collapse or whatever may come. This is money I would have spent on fishing trips and fun stuff like that.
Sat.tv-gone
entertainment- chess and checkers instead of movies and shows.
No more expensive landscaping except for fruit trees and gardens.
Leading an austere life now will help the future be less painful.
We do a lot of the same. Our local library has DVDs to lend. Many of those DVDs are pretty current. A few years ago I might have gone and rented a movie on Friday night, now we take the kids to the library and Fridays are still movie night and a heck of alot less expensive. Peace
thanks for the article mac- this is the kind of ammo i need to try and convince my wife, family and close friends that i am not a paranoic doom n gloom psycho. me and my 4 million plus broethers and sisters see with our own eyes, think with our own mind and feel something bad coming. to say all of us is nuts is just well, NUTS,lol.
The things we are talking about today were known 20+ years ago, only it was easier for for people to silence those who were already awake.
It is likely there are more than 3 million “preppers”, just many who have always considered it prudent to have more than 3 days worth of food and a means to defend themselves.
It is hard to forsee what will trigger the coming chnanges, but the looming war in Iran may be all it takes. The best we can do is brace ourselves, steel ourselves to get ready to make the tough descisions, and do the hard things.
Keep your preps orginized in tiers:
1) What you can live on if you are relatively safe in your home.
2) What you can live off of if you can evauate in your vehicle.
3) What you can survive with if you end up on foot.
Above all, prepare to defend yourselves…
Re: on foot… after the SHTF wheelbarrows and wagons will be in great demand.
Some day I’ll be sitting in a room and some govt. fuck will have a print out of all my posts and rants on this site… They will say, “Did you type all that?” I’ll say, No…it was the crazy prepper who used my computer. haaaaaa
I do hope the guy from Youtube who got busted calls the NRA and they step in. It’s why I donate to the NRA to keep the govt. from turning us all into socialist slaves.
WHAT I AM DOING…
I’m writing out the check to the NRA and sending them a letter in this gents name as his legal defense fund. I encourage you all to do the same. It could be you.
I OFFICIALLY MOBILIZE THE PREPPER COMMUNITY WITH THIS TASK.
CONSIDER THIS A PREP FOR LIBERTY!!!!
SAVE YOUTUBE DSART1!!!!
Sup Nina you crazy MF. lol this is what I sent to the NRA
National Rifle Association,
I recently read an article that involved a prepper by the name of David Sarti where the state of Tennessee had declared him to be mentally defective and took away his firearms.
As a member of the NRA I would like to know why nothing has been done for this man.
He claims that the Lawyer for the NRA has rejected helping him? Is this something the NRA turns their back on? Is this not a clear threat to our 2nd amendment right? I understand I am a newer member but I thought this is why I joined the NRA.
I hope and pray the NRA will do the right thing and fight this battle, and if not well just enjoy the member feeâs this year it will be the last. I will find a different organization to join.
Sincerely,
DPS
Source http://www.infowars.com/doomsday-preppers-guns-taken-after-declared-a-mental-defective/
@DPS – I agree that’s a really cool idea but that’s not NinaO.
He got another of his names banned and isn’t coming around here anymore.
DPS…I am posting the info for Gun Owners of America here too…cant hurt to get a couple groups helping this guy out.
http://gunowners.org/
Gun owners of America 8001 Forbes PI Suite 102 Springfield Va 22151 Phone 703-321-8585 Fax 703-321-8408
They have a contact place on their front page…hope this helps in some way.
REB,
Very cool brother the more groups the better. I have spent a few hrs now sending out all this info. I sure can’t hurt anything, besides that it snow here all day so I have a lot of time on my hands
DPS
REB,
Thanks again for the info, The gun owners of America just got a new member..LOL. I mean really only $20 to join.
DPS
PS they recieved a e-mail as well…
You all glad my heart! You people are what I imagined an American to be – integrity, unity against power perversions, and above all – freedom loving to the point of giving ones life for it! don’t stop! keep on helping that poor sod until it is done. and even after that you should not stop. you should unite. I mean – there are 3 million of you!!! if you just stood united you could change the ways of your country, and maybe even the ways of entire world. remember – people just need an example to follow. get every prepper site to publish indignant articles about this single gungrab act. rally rally rally!!! forget about your political differences. besides, most of you already know that there is no real “left politicians – right politicians” paradigm! most of you are already way past that huge threshold which is a major stopper for any unity movement!
draw red line! if you all don’t agree on one red line then government will cross all those individual red lines one by one silently, and you will succumb individually.
red line – RP for president or else…
red line – GunGrab in any form (ammo ban, calibre reduction, full auto ban, you name it, and in any quantity!
red line – forceful vaccination (against whatever disease)
red line – Chipping of the humans (might be quite too late)
red line – relocation to FEMA camp (waaaay to late)
just come up with one unifying red line, one major one that fits everyone. and hold to it!
Kudos Mac Slavo: Outstanding !
Chairman Obama has facilitated the Muslim Brotherhood control of Libya and Egypt. The MB is on-a-roll throughout North Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere in the world.
The current and past 4 US president’s have assured the gullible citizens of the “peaceful, tolerant religion – Islam.
It is impossible to underestimate the depths to which we American’s bury our heads in the sand denying and repressing real threats to our lifestyle, even our very existence. We blithely tune in to Monday Night Football or With the Stars and hope nothing bad will happen.
Based on decades of experience in the crisis management business worldwide, my current analysis reveals that something super disruptive is coming our way soon. No one of course knows exactly what will happen what but it is indeed a question of soon
The likelihood of Iran giving Hezbollah or Hamas the bomb to turn Tel Aviv and/or New York in to an uninhabitable ashtray is high. Iran can then deny-deny-deny.
http://www.magnifiedview.com/2010/09/17/yodas-little-known-tactics-to-avoid-being-a-target/
Reight on Mac Slavo – write on! Cordially, [email protected]
I’m relatively new to prepping. Last May I saw Porter Stansberry’s video “The End of America” at endofamerica66.com. It opened my eyes to everything that’s about to happen. (Stansberry made claims about his past predictions that were false but his economic predictions sound accurate). Within a few weeks I was starting to buy food and water. I didn’t sleep well for the first few weeks. I’m in my 50s and I bought my first guns, Mossberg 30 gauge shotguns. Me and my kid learned how to use them at a range.
Right now I’m over 95% prepared. There are a few more things I need. I need more kerosene at some point.
Everybody pray for manos Greece is burning as we speak..
DPS
where did you see this info, DPS? what site?
poor Manos….he said today would be the day.:(
Live feeds on Zerohedge
Daisy
Its front page news every where.Yahoo,msnbc,fox
DPS
thanks DPS….terrible.
It was on all three networks tonight. WOW!
Prayers , MANOS
Uniting starts SMALL – say good morning to your neighbour.
Shovel the snow for the elderly when it snows in an unexpected storm – their grown children with skills you may need who live an hour away in clement weather now regard you as a friend. Later on you find the old dear’s son is a doctor just when your own child falls sick.
It’s not big speeches and fancy rhetoric (Lord knows we’ve heard enough of that!). Uniting starts by being a good neighbour NOW, today and living without lemon suck faces, bitching behind closed doors or twitching at curtains.
It means being known for your word being good and gathering those around you who can say the same.
“Out of little acorns grow great Oak Trees” – that’s how my Grandma described it and that is what got the ordinary person through the blitz of WW11. She always impressed upon us the importance of those small acts of daily kindness that cost us nothing being potentially life preserving in terms of favours paid when the chips are down.
Stop blaming “the jews”, “the blacks”, or even my son’s fave “the posh” and start really looking at the individual worth of those you meet. Divide and conquer is how they usually win. You’ll find some real diamonds where you least expected it. We unite by starting small, in our own locale.
Certainly this show woke some people up. But, I think some aspect of it (if the rest of the show(s) are like the very first) did some damage. I think you’ll have a separating of the masses: those who will reject the message and laugh at the preppers and, in the end, this show made them worse. Some, however, will start thinking about it and will take to heart some lessons learned.
Just remember if you start prepping you can do it gradually. There might be a level you want to step up to immediately but then you can fill out the gaps and shave the overages later. I feel we may be short of time. But, don’t panic!
Realizing the problem and the possibility is half the battle! If you’re here and you’re reading and you’ve done NOTHING but are planning too, believe me, you’re half way home! The next time you go to the grocery store, buy a 10 or 20lb bag of rice. Then, go to the feed store and buy 2 50lb bags of shelled corn (not cracked) and 2 50lb bags of cleaned wheat. Thats 50 bucks of edible food and that gives you some slack. From there, start buying extra groceries and rotating them. One $25 shelving unit screwed to the wall will hold enough canned goods to last you for a few months. 6 months if you organize it properly.
Do not panic. Just keep adding a little each week. Before you know it, you’ll be overflowing with food and your “best by” dates will be coming up.
Also, remember, you need a balanced approach.
You need some food.
You need some water.
You need some gasoline or other energy producing fuel.
…and you need some guns to protect it all.
In “The 7Gs of Modern Survival” I outline these things. Do a search for that title and read it. Its not perfect but it will give you some ideas.
Second, don’t go overboard on the guns. I don’t know how many guys I know that have way more guns than they need and they think that will save them. “You Only Need Three Guns” is an article I wrote that gives you some ideas about what you need to protect the other 6 Gs. YONTG: You only need three guns.
In fact, don’t go overboard on ANYTHING! Extremism in any way can compromise your ability to survive now and in the future.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/12/greece-austerity-cuts-euro-bailout?newsfeed=true (This newspaper is VERY left wing/ establishment btw for all you US readers).
“A democracy? ” – the hypocrites of the political class in Greece just stun me with their arrogance. This is a culture that invented democracy and will not bow down to servitude. Please send them your prayers as the police are using nerve gas on the citizens right now.
There is a global symbolic importance to the rights of the people being preserved in the cultural birth place of democracy. Donate to “medicin sans frontiers” (non-political version of the red cross) if you are able please.
Romania’s government also fell last week and the Hungarians are accusing the EU of foreign interference as they try and resist. Romania has a lower GDP to debt ratio than most countries & it’s people are incredibly decent hardworking types. Despite the best efforts of Caescescu and the Soviets Romanians retain their decency and dignity & are next door to Hungary.
Hungary’s resistance is important as they have citizens that remember the last great hyperinflation event in Europe, & their rulers have listened to those senior citizens (it affected Germany, Hungary and Vienna).
Here in London we are nervous of a false flag at the Olympics but do not expect economic collapse till the Autumn.
Okay–this is what I read about Greece’s austerity measures.
The bailout will take place only if the lenders can take over all of Greece’s business transactions..(including govt??)
That’s like you obtaining a loan at the bank while handing over your checkbook so the bank can pay the bills they wish to pay and you spend what the bank says spend and how they wish you to spend it.
Screw that!!
Greece have been bailed out multiple times, so from lenders’ perspective I do get it.
Imagine that you lent a relative money multiple times, they keep wasting it, not paying their bills and not paying you back but asking for yet another loan. You would probably also offered to pay their bills as it seems that your relative is unable to budget and/or prioritize.
Or… you stop giving them money and they starve to death.
But from the perspective of people in Greece, yes, this sucks big time. I’ve read that their minimum wage is being eliminated (so no required minimum anymore) and taxes are going up 25%. Gas is already at about $10 per gallon.
Heard an opinion on RT last night that Greece and Portugal will be dumped by EU in a very near future.
Yikes! It sounds like WE’RE the one percenters Obama wants to loot and pillage!
But then you have people like me that would like to be prepared but are having a difficult time making supplies last from week to week. I live in a city, not a good city. I would love out but I don’t know how!!!!! Can anyone advise?????
Sorry, you’re fcuked… more because you live in the city than your lack of preps. Also, are you really trying? Walmart had 1lb bags of dry mixed beans on clearance for 75 cents and brown rice for $1/lb last time I visited. Add some rat meat and bingo… a complete meal.
MacGreat article! While not a true ‘prepper’ I am storing up canned food, water and ammo for anything that could happen in the coming year(s).
In fairness to everyone, anyone who has not gotten prepared at least in a food sense. Basic three month or so supply will become your enemy within 3-5 days once food supplies are cut off. Fear the gov’t yes, but don’t forget the hungry hoards that would rip out your throat because they are to stupid to pay attention to reality and history, etc… Help them if you want; expect to start popping caps into mofo’s to keep what you have prepped for, for your self. There are folks I have read on other posts that say and I quote ” I don’t have to do anything I have a gun and I’ll take what ever I want when I need it.” Assholes like this will be at your door in the first week of no food. Be mentally prepared to have to shoot someone else. I might suggest hunting and getting used to killing other living things to prepare for the scenario before it happens. People have no tolerance for thieves or raiders/thugs/criminals in time of life or death. They would kill you if they can, are you ready to do the same??? I feel that Cops will be busy and spread too far apart or protecting their own families to help anyone. Christ it might even be them that turn on you. Ok the point is other regular people, family or not will turn into monsters very quickly if it come to you or them; especially if they have small children to feed. Check out shows like Jerico or movies like Blindness to get a basic idea of what to expect. Everyone will act like monkeys again, from the anthropological view point. Get ready.
Birdshot for the average zombie, buck & ball for the big ones.
The show was absolutely awful, for the record. Unwatchable.
I won’t even bother watching “DP”… I watched a few episodes of Sons of Guns and American Guns and they sucked the life out of me.
Be safe! Be prepared! Be ever vigilant!
Between natural disasters , rising fuel prices, food prices, inflation, crime, soon to be food shortages ( due to colder than normal weather , and
transportation problems ) then the fuel and food riots… time is almost up
to get even your basic supplies ready and a plan of action. Equally as
important is finding other like minded people you trust as close as possible
to you. There is strength and safety in numbers. So check the below links to
find those close to you and network
Prepare by making essential preparations for yourself and your family to not just survive, but to thrive, if and when things get very difficult:
Prepare food, water, clothing (especially for growing children/grandchildren) & shoes, fuel, essential drugs & medicines/vitamins, toiletries, medical supplies, guns, ammunition (when you run out, your guns are useless, and if you don’t have enough, you can’t keep your skills honed, so buy plenty), specie (gold & silver), and other essentials. If you have the resources, acquire enough for friends, relatives, neighbors, and other peers.
Get your house in order, if it isn’t already. Prepare temporally and spiritually. Ensure that you will be part of the reason that God will side with us, because we’ve chosen to side with Him!
For more preparedness info … PLEASE check the sites i help admin… If you have ANY questions at all please ask..
http://www.the912project.us/group/preparedness
http://www.secom.spruz.com
http://modernmilitiamovement.ning.com/group/florida-state-group
http://modernmilitiamovement.ning.com/
http://connect.freedomworks.org/node/48205
All you can to is hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Of course
putting your trust and faith in God.
Good people, families , moms, dads, grandparents, normal people, just
preparing for what we see is coming. We are willing to help others, in our
communities but we have to work together. Preparing both spiritually and
phsyically. “Every Race, Every Tribe, ONE AMERICA!”
If you havent prepared for yourself and your family yet… do something
now… time is up!
Lance
support the USA and protect the Constitution! “Every Race, Every Tribe, ONE
AMERICA!”…..
Yes all the more food for me to take from you preppers and arms too đ Like taking candy from a baby đ đ đ đ and oooohhh those wives and daughters of yours will make a great after dinner desert đ đ đ
@Wanker:
Truth in naming!
Wives & daughters are armed and trained.
wanker,
Guess you come by your name for a reason. Let me enlighten you, you mess with somebody’s wife or daughter and you end up like the video below!! Dumbass
http://vimeo.com/17828284
DPS
Wanker,
I assure you that if you attempt that with MY daughters and me, we will turn your worthless hide into the only thing its good for – our next leather coat after we peel it off of you and tan it out back.
I savor the thought of your day of reckoning….lowlifes that target women and young girls are the basest kind of coward.
Of course, you’d never come to our house – you’d be looking to find someone helpless to target. You’d wilt at the concept of a challenge.
Folks, please don’t feed the trolls.
It just keeps them coming back for more.
Mac…thx for a forum to learn and grow.
DPS,Daisy,B-R-Warrior,ninaO-or not-ninaO(lol):
Thank you guys(and gals) for your passion,insight,sense of duty, and patience for all of us noob and first time preppers. Okay, no more sucking up….I SAID thank you..lol.
In our neck of the woods we run OPSEC based on the “Rules of Three”. My immediate team is myself,my girlfriend, and her father. Our second team is a co-worker, her brother, and his wife. our third team is team 2’s cousin and his friends. This forms squad “C”.
Squad “A” through “C” forms our “Company Alpha”. All other “Companies” are formed and we report to a Detachment Coordinator. I do not know the true number of preppers involved (I am just a noob), but I have seen references to squad “J”, so I know that there is at least 90. Add us to the 3mil.
When I woke up in April of 2011, it was just me. Now we, meaning my team, are networking locally with prep info, local sales, dicounts at the shooting range, and just good ole support. Part of the support includes BOB’s for two other teams, ready to go in case of a shtf (local) event.
Defense scenarios are just in the beginning stages. I do not know all the preppers in the network, but I have their back if called upon. The rest of the squad feels the same way.
Do not dispair. We are uniting. If the SHTF by TPTB, I truly believe that from “behind every blade of grass” there will be the cry of the masses in one voice to reclaim what is ours. A true RECKONING !
..be safe..stay the course…
I will no longer be the slave I’m expected to be -BadAmerican
BadAmerican,
Great post bud, consider yourself very lucky. I have managed to find 2 others that prep, and both live along ways from me. So kuddo’s dude. It sucks living in BFE.
DPS
They can have my guns when they are hot popping and empty.
@DPS : I live in earthquake alley (Loma Prieta, 1989), so preparing for one week is the norm, even for the sheeple. The trick is convincing them to extend to one,two, or three months.
With all of the layoffs (48 at my job) and reduction in weekly hour for gov’t workers more people are just plain waking up to the ralization of economic meltdown.
I live in a gun hostile area, but more and more people are buying guns. Ammo that goes on sale usually runs out.
Advertise mylars bags for sale on craigslist, then meet buyers in a public location, great way to meet preppers.
This is not my idea. This is how I met one of our Coordinators. This way you can size them up.
thanks again..be safe…B
P.S. @all ya’ll…I just emailed NRA to ask how I can help our fellow gun owners from the gun grabbers.
From My Cold Dead Hands… HELL, I’ll reload from their from their cold dead………B
Oh no we are the 1%!!! Let make sure no one tells the OWS crowd the might start occupying Cabela’s, Bass Pro an Gander.
Hi everyone,
My wife and I are recent to prepping and signed up to meet one of the preppers from the NatGeo show and work on a skill-building project the day of the filming. We had NO idea the crew would be there– we were simply just going to learn something new and useful. I found our hosts HIGHLY intelligent and multi-skilled. I can’t wait to hang out more with them and learn what they know. I don’t have that tv channel but assume the media made them into fools as usually happens for ratings sake. Personally I am very impressed with them. As a military guy, I appreciate the OPSEC breach and it certainly is a risky balancing act of desire to awaken the sleeping by leveraging the media vs keeping a low profile and maintaining the more word-of-mouth approach. Seems like someone always throws a tomato. đ
Let my first say sorry for the long post, however not to many know this and as prppers I thought you might enjoy reading it.
I was just a shotgun.You’re sound asleep when you hear a thump outside your bedroom door.
Half-awake, and nearly paralyzed with fear,
you hear muffled whispers.
At least two people have broken into your
house and are moving your way.
With your heart pumping, you reach down
beside your bed and pick up your shotgun.
You rack a shell into the chamber, then inch
toward the door and open it.
In the darkness, you make out two shadows.
One holds something that looks like a crowbar.
When the intruder brandishes it as if to strike,
you raise the shotgun and fire.
The blast knocks both thugs to the floor.
One writhes and screams while the second
man crawls to the front door and lurches outside.
As you pick up the telephone to call police,
you know you’re in trouble.
In your country, most guns were outlawed years
before, and the few that are privately owned
are so stringently regulated as to make them useless..
Yours was never registered.
Police arrive and inform you
that the second burglar has died.
They arrest you for First Degree Murder
and Illegal Possession of a Firearm.
When you talk to your attorney, he tells
you not to worry: authorities will probably
plea the case down to manslaughter.
“What kind of sentence will I get?” you ask.
“Only ten-to-twelve years,”
He replies, as if that’s nothing.
“Behave yourself, and you’ll be out in seven.”
The next day, the shooting is the lead
story in the local newspaper.
Somehow, you’re portrayed as an eccentric
vigilante while the two men you shot
are represented as choirboys.
Their friends and relatives can’t find
an unkind word to say about them..
Buried deep down in the article, authorities acknowledge that both “victims” have been arrested numerous times.
But the next day’s headline says it all:
“Lovable Rogue Son Didn’t Deserve to Die.”
The thieves have been transformed from career criminals into Robin Hood-type pranksters..
As the days wear on, the story takes wings.
The national media picks it up,
then the international media.
The surviving burglar
has become a folk hero.
Your attorney says the thief is preparing
to sue you, and he’ll probably win.
The media publishes reports that your home has been burglarized several times in the past and that you’ve been critical of local police for their lack
of effort in apprehending the suspects.
After the last break-in, you told your neighbor
that you would be prepared next time.
The District Attorney uses this to allege
that you were lying in wait for the burglars.
A few months later, you go to trial.
The charges haven’t been reduced,
as your lawyer had so confidently predicted.
When you take the stand, your anger at
the injustice of it all works against you..
Prosecutors paint a picture of you
as a mean, vengeful man.
It doesn’t take long for the jury to convict
you of all charges.
The judge sentences you to life in prison.
This case really happened.
On August 22, 1999, Tony Martin of Emneth, Norfolk, England, killed one burglar and wounded a second.
In April, 2000, he was convicted
and is now serving a life term…
How did it become a crime to defend one’s
own life in the once great British Empire ?
It started with the Pistols Act of 1903.
This seemingly reasonable law forbade selling pistols to minors or felons and established that handgun sales were to be made only to those who had a license.
The Firearms Act of 1920 expanded licensing to include not only handguns but all firearms except shotguns..
Later laws passed in 1953 and 1967 outlawed the carrying of any weapon by private citizens and mandated the registration of all shotguns.
Momentum for total handgun confiscation began in earnest after the Hungerford mass shooting in 1987.
Michael Ryan, a mentally disturbed man with a Kalashnikov rifle, walked down the streets shooting everyone he saw.
When the smoke cleared, 17 people were dead.
The British public, already de-sensitized by eighty years of “gun control”, demanded even tougher restrictions.
(The seizure of all privately owned handguns was the objective even though Ryan used a rifle.)
Nine years later, at Dunblane, Scotland,
Thomas Hamilton used a semi-automatic weapon to murder 16 children and a teacher at a public school.
For many years, the media had portrayed all gun owners as mentally unstable, or worse, criminals.
Now the press had a real kook with which to beat up law-abiding gun owners.
Day after day, week after week, the media gave up all pretense of objectivity and demanded a total ban on all handguns.
The Dunblane Inquiry, a few months later, sealed the fate of the few sidearms still owned by private citizens.
During the years in which the British government incrementally took away most gun rights, the notion that a citizen had the right to armed self-defense came to be seen as vigilantism.
Authorities refused to grant gun licenses to people who were threatened, claiming that self-defense was no longer considered a reason to own a gun.
Citizens who shot burglars or robbers or rapists were charged while the real criminals were released.
Indeed, after the Martin shooting, a police spokesman was quoted as saying,
“We cannot have people
take the law into their own hands.”
All of Martin’s neighbors
had been robbed numerous times,
and several elderly people were severely injured
in beatings by young thugs
who had no fear of the consequences.
Martin himself, a collector of antiques,
had seen most of his collection
trashed or stolen by burglars.
When the Dunblane Inquiry ended,
citizens who owned handguns
were given three months to turn them over
to local authorities.
Being good British subjects,
most people obeyed the law.
The few who didn’t were visited by police
and threatened with ten-year prison sentences
if they didn’t comply.
Police later bragged that they’d taken
nearly 200,000 handguns from private citizens.
How did the authorities know who had handguns?
The guns had been registered and licensed.
Kind of like cars. Sound familiar?
WAKE UP AMERICA ;THIS IS WHY OUR FOUNDING FATHERS PUT THE SECOND AMENDMENT IN OUR CONSTITUTION.
“…It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds..”
–Samuel Adams
You had better wake up, because this very same thing is
going on over here.
It’s happening little by little in many different places around this country. Just like the burglars are sneaky about getting your possessions, the “authorities” here will use deception, fear and propaganda to scare us into turning our guns in. When that doesn’t work, they will incarcerate us gladly!
And there are stupid people
in congress
and
on the street
that will go right along with it!
“HOME OF THE BRAVE”?
Thank you for the 2nd Amendment, Castle doctrine, the NRA, and states rights.
God save the queen and ALL the other countries that outlawed guns to the common people.
it’s disgraceful to see what the Aussies and Brits are faced with…
God damn rich 99, you’ve done it again you fuck! Shut the fuck up be-otch. Were beefing again, so put another fake pic up. You as much might think you are rich, I assure you you are that rich. You are still a mere fucking peasant and unless you look half as good as your fake picture you be sucking dick and laying taking in the ass without an armed man to protect your dumb ass to get food.
typos’s too much wine. Let me start again. You may think your rich, but your not that rich rich99. Without a dude with guns to protect your ass you will be sucking and fucking through what ever happens to survive. So shut up, Diabolical D will love you.
One thing is for sure, the average prepper will be laying low, filtering water, and warming beans over the campfire after the SHTF. It’s not going to be like the opening scenes from The Terminator. It won’t be the average prepper who strikes at the heart of the beast after the SHTF. It’s going to take some brave souls inside the corporation to blow it up from the inside.
The list of blogs to follow is not complete without Dmitry Orlov at ClubOrlov dot com. He is not equally famous, but is equally smart. Plus he already lived through what we are only heading into.
I read his “Collapse Gap” saw a couple presentations on-line, excellent work.
I feel even for those who are fully prepped,feel they have a handle on the situation(s) that may happen.. Or Will happen .. Do not actually realize how it would SUCk to live in A moden civil war..
In general people are like a domesticated animals.. But .. Turn into pack wolves due to that like trait we all have.. “self preservation” .. When that kicks in.. There isnt much ammo can do against a well organized pack..
Make sure you save a bullet for yourself if faced with the hard fact of being over-taken by them..
But take out as many as you can 1st!!
Sorry, 1. there is no such thing as: “A well org pack” People like that are everyone for themselves, get hurt you die, no help from anyone, Turn on each other for 1/2 a candybar. There is no record of a mob ever actually lynching anyone if the law stood with a gun and said no. People like that are cowards.
2. Ammo hell! first round is 3 LBs of Aircraft flechettes. from my cannon, 2 ed round is one 0z of Straight single malt Scotch over ice. While I figure out how to clean up the mess. Police will be far to busy to help.
The top echelons of the Corp are pure predators – they’ll turn on each other (cockroaches eat one another in nature too) when shtf.
Sadly the time for an “inside job” has past.
Is your dog trained NOT to take titbits from strangers under any circumstances? (this is a hard task dog training wise btw so start NOW). It’s the single most common reason why dogs fail to graduate as police/drugs/search and rescue animals. Practice perfect recall and getting your dog to only take food from YOU as the 1st step to saying you have a dog ready for shtf.
Clay cat litter – use in a bucket as a loo then bury if you have to stay in your home for any length of time without access to flushing water. (Good for city dwellers). A few bags of this can also act as sandbags if needed.
For women – have you got a few moon cups/diva cups & a milk pan for each female in your group? Moon cups pack tiny but will take care of monthly hygiene for 10 years. The personal milk pan means you can sterilise your own cup quickly and easily. Laundry is not gonna be as simple as it is today. If on a budget $20 for 10 years feminine hygiene is cheap even today.
If you see em on sale towels can be refashioned into baby diapers cheaply – cloth diapers will be a very much needed barter item if shtf. Print out the pdf from thenappylady.com to show peeps how to fold em. A bolt or two of polar fleece fabric put by may be a godsend to those of us in cooler climes for all kinds of purposes from replacing kids clothes as they grow, to blankets to nappy wraps. Grab a bolt in a neutral colour if you see it on sale. Start a button jar now too.
I can sew so not worried about my child’s clothes long term as I can fashion new garments from old, but shoes are a worry & there are some real knowledgeable peeps here.
What are people doing re kids shoes? I have a 7 year old – he’s got a LOT of growing to do and footwear is critical as we live in the UK (constantly wet from the rain and cold climate in winter). Decent fitting footwear is so important for little uns, especially in a world where car/bus use may be a real luxury. Do I just one of each size of hiking boot up from his current size to adult?
Nat Geo, cant be trusted.. I knew this when they ran the “Guns in America” show back in 08.
I think the idea behind this is to shut us up further..so that 3Mil. number stays quiet.
you never give up everything you have, never
they can be led into thinking they have you, unless your stupid, you never turn over all your cards..never
Cop, or Soldier?
http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=cop-soldier
you’ll be surprised
VRF,
Cool test I missed 4 of them.
DPS
Sad part is..soon enough all those that were shown to be “Soldier”..will end up in the cops bag of tricks, its already getting harder to tell the two apart
VRF,
Funny you brought this up. Last week we had man barricade his self in a motel room “look to be a meth head. The armed respose from the police was AR15’s and what looked to be M4a1 with gernade launchers all dressed in camo. All this from a man that throw his rifle out of the motel room. He disarmed him self.
So yepp its very hard to tel who is a cop and who is a soldier
DPS
1% is just an aberration, i.e., not normal; it is not statistically significant.
I find it interesting that over the history of the US many people grew their own gardens and canned enough for the winter, raised livestock and canned or dried the meat for the winter, and hunted to put food on the table. This was a form of prepping. Now almost everyone is dependent on the system and couldn’t make it a month if the system suddenly broke down.
Just 1% prepared means 99% unprepared. And extreme things do happen; witness Katrina. Imagine something on a much bigger scale where there is no outside help. It only makes sense to me to have “insurance” against a potential disaster if you can afford the premium.
Just wondering if I can time the crash well enough to max out on food and supplies with my paid-off credit cards before they shut down credit transactions along with ATM’s….
No, if you can see it so can others. Store will be empty in minutes. You won’t be able to pack your car others will steal it while you get more. Also no need, get the bulk now, TP, Sugar, Salt, P-nut butter, Rice, Beans, Soap, 22 ammo, TVP, Dried onions, It’s all cheap and keeps. Takes several carloads, you cannot get when balloon goes up. Take a chance on luxury goods last. If lucky fine, if no, OK
A lot of good points have been made on this blog, here’s another one. Having a new dollar backed by gold and silver or both won’t solve the problem. We must get rid of the FED, and the people who run it. They must be put in jail for their crimes. We must also get rid of the Fractional Reserve Banking System, as well as the pledging of peoples assets, known as Hypothecation and rehypothecation.Unless we do this we are back to square one. I don’t want the same people back in office who created this problem in the first place telling me how they are going to fix it. Do you?
Greece is burning…Hungary is burning stacks of money…litterally burning paper money for heat
http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/hungary-s-needy-given-money-to-burn-28246767.html#crsl=%252Fvideo%252Fworld-15749633%252Fhungary-s-needy-given-money-to-burn-28246767.html
There are Hungarians still alive who remember the horrific hyperinflation of the 1920’s in the Weimer Republic AND what followed – The rise of Hitler & the horrors of WW11.
This is a very well educated nation (far better than the average US citizen). The Hungarians are ringing the EU alarm bells – but who is listening
I started studying this about ten years ago. Being in manufacturing management, the questions about the economy (what the hell’s going on here?) started piling up and I didn’t like what I found. My wife can’t work so I support us (2 homeschooled teenagers)so it’s been tough to save.
However, I sent myself a note a couple of years ago, arbitrarily picking 1-2012 as a cutoff date, thinking people would get pretty weird this year, saying “if this and this and that doesn’t change, or gets worse: Pull out all stops and get the preps complete if they’re not already. Do not think twice. Do it.”
So, yeah, nothing changed and it in fact has gotten worse. I’m a number hound. I don’t like the numbers. I dumped some of my retirement account and have finished our preps. Now, I’m looking forward to a good spring in the garden. We’ll sit back, watch the madness unfold, and execute the plan. No need worrying about inevitability and eventualities. God help us, but it won’t be for lack of planning, training, and trying.
Children haven’t you learned to get along yet?
No, not yet.
I am practicing my patience here. So many opportunities đ
everybody sing…..i’m a prepper, you’re a prepper, he’s a prepper, she’s a prepper, don’t you want to be a prepper too? be a prepper, survive shtf, be a prepper, eat from a tin can, be a prepper, bullets on demand (dr. pepper theme used without permission, nasty soda, but cool theme)
as with any social trend, or way of life, there are probably many more people in the prep movement than is openly known. people have learned to be closed mouth. I don’t waste my time trying to convince anyone of anything. ignorance is bliss, so let the sheep be blissfull.
Sooner or later, probably later, there will a colective consciousness kind of thing, and the collective light bulb will go off above peoples’ heads. But, it will be too late then, and a mania phase will begin. That’s when preppers will stay at home, and watch the food riots broadcasted on their tv’s, at their local grocery store. We all know it’s coming. It won’t be the first, or last time this will happen.
Good luck folks.
Now i lay me down to sleep hope when i wake up the world will keep the people of the world fast asleep
438, 951, 276 or 294, 753, 618 a magic riddle. Solve. Those who figure it out are very sharp indeed. One hint build a box. A test. Anyone?
I want the complete answer not partial. No more hints.
When you’re born in the world you’re given a ticket to the freak show. When youâre born in America youâre given a front row seat.” George Carlin
The vast majority of Americans are completely unthinking, ignorant, hive-mind, Pavlovian dog, imbeciles, chasing their own tails âround and âround. This idiocy can be blamed on the nonstop brainwashing via the fascist, corporatist controlled mass media, and the intentionally dumbed down education system the American slaves have been forced to receive via the government indoctrination centers ,i.e., the compulsory public schools. When the SHTF the American idiots will act predictably, like small brained and well trained Pavlovian dogs, and fall for the fear mongering rhetoric churned out by the corporate fascist mass media machine, reacting like mindless, unthinking creatures obediently following their masters’ commands. That means gulping down a big heaping spoonful of more of the same poison that has caused the U.S. to become the very sick Nation that it has become: more police, more military, more imperial wars for the Zionist banksters and oil cartel ( Oops, I mean more war against âterrorâ to protect Americansâ âfreedomsâ ) , more government surveillance/snooping, more debt, more big government repression ,more police brutality, more big government & corporate fascism. And they will lap it up as fast as it is spooned out to them.
None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
You hit the “nail on the head” and only a small handful of commonsense “thinkers” can see it. The “vast majority” which includes most of my own family members, are stupid followers of the status quo. These are the very people that have turned on me because of my prepping beliefs; but will come with a big smirking smile when the SHTF and they are without. I’ll feed the children and those too old and feable to work, but the rest better have strong arms and backs, because mule-ing out and working up firewood all day for their two meals of rice and beans will take some muscle. They will work or they can get the hell away. “He who laughs last, laughs best”!
I’d consider myself a prepper, but when a “trend” gets its own TV show its a sign that the trend is coming to an end. Think “Flip this House” , which aired very shortly before the collapse of the housing market. Same here, there will be no world-wide economic collapse; dsepite what is happening in Greece it will not spread world-wide.
Correct you are, perhaps you will prove yourself worthy and answer the riddle. I will makw it a little more simple: 492, 357, 816. Follow the instructions.
The big advantage the US authorities have is demographics – the baby boomers are well-conditioned and older, in countries across the middle east the big population swell is in the youth. In places like Eygpt 50% of the population is under 30. It’s usually Youth that advocate for and lead rebellions historically, whereas the middle-aged will hang onto the existing status quo as long as they can.
Amazing how much money is being made off of preppers on overpriced emergency supplies, including websites like this, which make tons of passive income using Adsense and all sorts of other wonderful little online gadgets.
Fear sells big time. I recall how many people were heading for the hills in 1977 during the celestial alignment, the 1987 market crash, the Y2K bullsh*t, and people just keep making a killing off of the whole cult.
I wouldn’t say to NOT be prepared, like, have cash outside the banking system, have food, have protection in the form of weapons, have a plan, get training, yes to all the above. But do these guys heading to the woods and mountains think they will be safe because they have a mutant proof bunker, freeze dried food, and 100,000 round of 7.62mm ammo? They will be targeted, albeit as a harder target, after all the easy ones are picked clean. If things get as bad as the doomsayers claim, who would want to share the end of society with them?
Get together with like minded individuals in small communites and plan, otherwise you’ve got nothing but a bunch of neat kit which the zombies will scavenge off you, whether you think you’re safe or not. Stop catering to the fear mongers who reap small fortunes from you.
We preppers may be targeted but there will be a few less targetors left for the next preppers to deal with.
Right on WW! THe trend must be nearing the end. When the end of the World passes us by again, as it has throughout history, what will happen to all these negative, death wish fantasizing fanatics predicting the end of the world? They will extend it for another year, I guess. Cheer up and get the f&%k back to work!
scenario: i train government security forces. the shit has hit the fan. troops are patrolling the country. supplys are hard to come by. remember training. check list of preppers in area know to us by posts made on line and isp identity. thank you preppers for setting up a chain of supplys country wide.
Anal anon fag boy, Anyone who has any sense has already put their shit in the ground away from thieves like you.
Good Evening…..I been reading the posts and I would like to just add into the conversation…I been prepping for some time. I buy a few things here and there while I do my basic house shopping. Hard to collect things all at once or so. Due to money situations. Me and my girlfriend have what we say is “Buying in”. We do a few tubs at a time and store them with assorted goods. Loaded up on Ammo. Go to the range and stay sharp. Route plans and aux. back plans in case something happens and we are not together etc. We read the Net and watch the news to try and stay up with any “signs” in the system. We have a few others in the “Inner Circle” some friends that have “Bought In” we share ideas. We also read the basic survival guides and stay up with things like the PDR for meds and the Farmers Almanac. Actually for us its kinda like a past time when the kids go to bed. We sit and gathering intel and supplies. I look at this way I rather have and not need it. Then need it and not have it. If anyone has any good links for survival list hook us up. I like to compare lists with ours.
T3PO
“Behold a Pale Horse”
But here goes: Preppers PREpare, learn, train & not just to shoot well, because surviving IS about more than huddling in an armed camp. (Critical thinking instead of fear helps) I live in a high mountain valley on the frontier of eastern Washington valley, soil isn’t rich or deep- it’s not farming land, it’s long winters, short growing season, hardship for most domestic livestock unless you can store up winter feed, etc- I meet people moving here to “survive the coming collapse” (I’m starting to wonder what kind of world they’ll build after). FYI: before coming here or ANYwhere, PLEASE do some research on the topography, climate, growing season, soil quality, nature of the community, etc- large empty rural spaces don’t always = good growing land, good homestead lands (or theocratic desires). Rural people are a mixed bag of freethinkers, Bible thumpers, atheists, liberals,conservatives, conservationists, anti-environmentalists, hunters, PETA supporters. Don’t make assumptions or talk about “taking over” an area with an army of whatevers.
I’ve been concerned about surviving for over 4 decades & plan for things, can live off the land, etc.. but the way NOT to do it is move somewhere & try to spread fear (I despise fearmongers, because they tend to attract the sort who can turn into a mob.I’ve seen it happen & people get hurt. Don’t try to impose your vision for the future on everyone through political/legal action.
Because even if you survive, you still have to think about the world you’re actions NOW will create.
My prepping motto is “Prepare, Care, & Share!” I don’t want to live in a world like we have now & the only way to change it is to change the behavior behind it! From the greedy hoarding “elite” to the caring, kind & trusting community we all want to live in.
Any ideas about keeping whey protein like body builders use and TVP (textured vegetable protein) which is just dried up soy in the pantry? They seem to be items that would last a LONG time if kept cool and dry, and could be added to a lot of other foods to ramp up the protein in meals-like in soups and stews-is pretty compact-and some of the whey proteins come in different flavors. Some of the whey powders are even OK to bake with as in substituting for wheat flour. Some people rehydrate TVP and add things like taco seasoning to make a reasonably good tasting substitute for meat. I try to rotate through my canned goods which means I only buy what we eat on a regular basis–and my family doesn’t generally like things like spam and canned chicken or tuna. And the cost per serving for canned meats OMG. Great site-I could read the posts all day!
What about required-die-if-you-don’t-get-them-medications? Like insulin? You could keep a month or so on hand, but its not good forever (insulin like 45 days) and there are other meds you can’t even get your hands on without a prescription like antibiotics.
I see “survivalists” who stockpile only guns and ammo and war making devices. They don’t stockpile anything else. Either they expect to get everything else they need by bartering their war making supplies for cans of Spam or they intend to become predators. Beware of them and give them a wide birth. They are either evil minded or stupid. Whichever the outcome could become grim if they find out where you stash your goodies.
What about required-die-if-you-donât-get-them-medications? Like insulin? You could keep a month or so on hand, but its not good forever (insulin like 45 days) and there are other meds you canât even get your hands on without a prescription like antibiotics.
Sorry, Michelle, I didn’t mean to stomp on your thread.
I too am very interested in any suggestions in this area. I have a grown daughter with full blown diabetes and am concerned about her, should the whole house of cards collapse.