In a previous post we shared a story from SHTF School founder Selco in which he discussed his experience of Living Through SHTF In the Middle of A War Zone during the conflict in Bosnia in the 1990’s. This yielded an extensive discussion from our community about preparations, strategies, and the reality of what it’s like when the system around you collapses into conflict.
In the following post we present another experience, this time from Cairo, from someone who was there at the height of the riots and violence that would eventually lead to the collapse of the entire political structure of Egypt and imposition of military rule.
As is generally the case, first hand experiences offer an often informative and realistic view of what you can really expect, the challenges you’ll face, the thoughts that will be running through your mind, and actionable steps to take in the midst of crisis.
Via John Rolls, pierrelegrand.net, M4Carbine.net
Originally published at The AK Forum by Eightbore
From the somewhat guilt filled comforts of Greece, I have been thinking about what I learned from the recent Cairo SHTF experience. I am not putting myself forth as an expert of any sort and, frankly, many or even most items on the list below might be flat out wrong….who the hell knows. We were in Cairo from Jan 25th until late Feb 3rd when the neighborhood gunfire became full-auto and regularly occurring. At that point, we decided that Friday prayers (the next day) might not yield a pleasant experience. We had no way of knowing that we had already seen the worst.
Lesson #1….the best weapon for SHTF is truly whatever F*&$ING firearm you can lay your hands on and it does not matter the slightest bit what it is! I had a borrowed three shot semi-auto Beretta 26″ bbl trap grade shotgun. I LOVED IT. It was my baby and I truly miss it now!. That said, I would have given my left nut for my Yugo underfolder or SGL-21. Frankly, I am now of the opinion that if, in the moment, you are being AT ALL picky about firearms then by definition the shit has NOT truly hit the fan. One guy on our street only had a nice little S&W J-frame .22 and he seemed a lot more relaxed than the guys with baseball bats I can tell you that!
Lesson #2…..Good will with one’s friends and neighbors has the power to greatly enhance or even make unnecessary ABSOLUTELY ANY prep you can make (including having money). Bad will with ones neighbors similarly has the ability to completely nullify any prep (again, including having money). I am and was the lucky beneficiary and supplier of the former. As an example, one night on the street a local young cop who lived in the neighborhood asked me “where did you get that shotgun”. I winked and said, “I found it”. He just smirked and said, “Oh…OK”. End of conversation. That’s what is achieved by six years of being the “Cool American” who takes the time to chat with everyone from street vendors, doormen, and neighborhood kids to villa owners and businessmen.
Lesson #3….Bugging out is really only an option if you are lucky enough to be psychic and see the shit BEFORE it truly hits the fan. The bug out plans you have will almost certainly physically be blocked when SHTF. Good luck getting to Alexandria after SHTF in Tahrir square or to Aswan when the government shuts down the rail network! Frankly, we almost realized we had those options before they were blocked off but by they might have been more dangerous than bugging in with our friends and neighbors and banding together to protect the neighborhood. Further, I did not want to be a “refugee” so bugging in was perfectly fine since we prepped wisely. That said, and in spite of the above, when you see an escape route, RUN (see Lesson #4 and #11)!
Lesson #4….Do NOT be too proud to become a “refugee” if you can manage it comfortably. There is a world of difference between being a penniless “refugee” and taking a “strategic vacation” (new term I just invented!) on a commercial flight with a fat wad of cash (see Lesson #13).
Lesson #5…People are stupid. There MAY (repeat…MAY) still be time to prep the very day and even the second or third day the shit is “kinda” hitting the fan (SKHTF! another new term!). Grocery stores MAY still be open and things MAY be as normal for a short time. Now is the time to stock up on little things you may need more of or on comfort items. I saw this happen in Cairo even the first days of the worst rioting. Stores were open even a couple blocks from Tahrir strangely enough….for a while. Day three of the revolution, when Tahrir looked like a legitimate war-zone, the Souq two blocks from the square was selling us vegetables and canned goods and, amazingly, was not all that busy! We cleaned them out and distributed surplus to those in our building who could not or would not go out (See Lesson #2)
Lesson #6….Murphy’s law applies. Preps will fail or break or prove impractical when you least expect. For example, the sat phone I just replaced worked just fine for all of the last five years. I wanted to upgrade and bought the new model that arrived in Cairo a week before the riots when my wife returned from the US. The brand new com equipment that would have totally bailed us out when the govt cut cell and internet….you guessed it….had a bad battery shipped with it!! Moral of the story: Invest in MULTIPLE redundancies! I am now also buying a handheld HAM system.
Lesson #7….Marry well! Perhaps this should be Lesson #1. My wife was calm and collected for the 10 days we were in Cairo during SHTF. She was organizing things around the house and with neighbors and even making improvised weaponry (clubs) even better with the addition of protruding nails etc. She rocks! She also cooked for the “neighborhood watch” and is now absolutely LOVED by the people around us! She helped with Lesson #2 immensely because NO other wives in the neighborhood were bringing tea and food to the guys on the street.
Lesson #8….You don’t have to “bug out” to MOVE and make things a great deal easier for yourself! Just because the shit is hitting the fan where you are does NOT mean it is hitting the fan even 10 miles away. This is not bugging out…just moving. When we were driving to the airport on day ten or eleven, I was amazed that a short 10 minute drive away there were no tanks or APCs and people were calm. The whole vibe was so different that it kinda made me suspect that something was wrong. SHTF had become “normal” for me to the point that “normal” now looked scary and suspicious. We even passed a wedding that was taking place where everyone looked totally calm. We didn’t realize for 10 days that all we really had to do was find a new apartment or take a nice hotel room 20 miles away from our current location. Lesson learned! Don’t become married to your “role” in SHTF.
Lesson #9…When the players in a conflict become ill-defined, it’s time to step aside. If you know who the bad guys are, you can play this game but when it becomes a war of all against all, it becomes imperative to stay out of the game where EVERYONE loses. The Feb 2 riots that took place the night before we left were a perfect example of this. It was no longer just looters we were worried about, it was EVERYONE. Buildings were being occupied in Tahrir presumably by both sides of the conflict and I didn’t want to wait for this phenomenon to come 5 blocks south to us. If SHTF starts to look too much like civil war, it’s “game over” and time to make a change.
Lesson #10…Stockpiling is 100% rational. Even if you wind up bugging out or SHTF is short enough to not use everything you have stashed, your foresight will help others and will contribute greatly to your ability to adhere to Lesson #2. Just because you are able to bug out does not mean others will have the same luxury and these people WILL need your help.
Lesson #11…People WILL sell you out. Be prepared for it and know that it might come from anywhere….”Friends”, Relatives, or employers. Someone will almost assuredly ditch you or put you in a tight spot while covering their own ass. The toughest part of this lesson is coming to terms with the fact that at some point, it’s totally justifiable and yes even forgivable. Understand that at some point your OWN family will be the priority and that you will be the one who is selling out people you know and likely care for. I know that this is not at all a comfortable thought, but it is realistic.
Lesson #12…Some people will surprise you. People from whom you might expect animosity, will sometimes provide you with the help you need and incur substantial risk or personal cost to do it. Just like you will at some point very likely be embodying Lesson #11, you will (or definitely F($**ING should) be embodying Lesson #12 as well.
Lesson #13….Diverisfy your financial position. Gold will not buy groceries (but see Lesson #14) and cash won’t buy an emergency flight over the internet. Similarly, your big neighborhood Christian grocer will get freaked out over the religious implications of SHTF and close. Guess what, he is the only guy in a 10 mile radius who takes credit cards…so have cash! Further, diversify your currencies in international terms by holding foreign currency for the place you intend to bug out too (and maybe even one or two others since you never know where you might be going). From now on I will hold Egyptian Pounds, Dollars, Euros, and Jordanian Dinar….at a minimum.
Lesson #14…Gold….OWN IT! It may not work with the grocer you barely know as a medium of exchange but it damn sure makes great collateral eg. “OK…you keep this gold sovereign and I will buy it back from you for the 200 Egyptian pounds I owe you as soon as the ATMs start working”. It’s great bribe material too, though I didn’t have to resort to it, when you want to get your beloved dog on a “no-pets” flight.
Lesson #15….Silver….Keep some but only buy it in major quantity with your gold when things have calmed down and you know you wont be bugging out! Silver had taken a good dip about a week before SHTF and I was this close to buying a few kg bars the day or two before the protests started. I didn’t and am VERY glad. Silver is of course bulky and heavy and I would not have needed those extra kgs when we were finally on the move ten or eleven days later. Silver is a great medium of exchange when things have settled down after SHTF but it is not a great prep UNLESS you keep it confined to maybe a single kg of junk silver or small rounds.
Lesson #16….Be flexible and creative. SHTF will be unique to the surroundings and people and cause thus necessitating quick thinking that is outside the box and the formulation of solutions to problems that may work today but not tomorrow. Do NOT become married to a situation, your role in it, or the solution to a problem that may not work for you tomorrow.
Lesson #17….Be intimidating when you think it will work. Develop a war face! Be loud and fearless and look like someone capable of anything…it minimizes negotiation and whining in other parties. 
Simultaneously, know when to fly under the radar and when to say “Katy bar the door!” The nature of SHTF changes over time and necessitates that YOU change who you are to a very substantial degree.
Lesson #18….Stock your liquor cabinet. Do so partially for barter and good will purposes, but also understand that when a curfew is imposed during SHTF, the impromptu “revolution party” will become common. I was teargassed on day 3 or 4 and scooped up six random study abroad journalism students who were literally trapped by police in my neighborhood. The police had blocked off all entrances and exits so these red-eyed kids could literally not get home. We all went back to my apartment where, over the next 6 hours or so, my wife, these kids, and I did some serious damage to a bottle of red label. On top of that, the realistic reason for stocking up is that after a few days of staying up all night enjoying what SHTF has to offer, you will have trouble sleeping and a wee dram never hurts.
Lesson #19…When SHTF is over, be prepared for a LOT of odd behavior on the part of people you know. There will be lots of unnecessary crap about “who did what” during SHTF and arguments about how we can avoid SHTF in the future or how we can rebuild or “unify” in the wake of SHTF. Everyone will think their ideas are the best and the very real conflict between people you know will push you and those around you back toward a SHTF situation to some degree. The moral of this story is, if you are a foreigner, keep your damned mouth shut. Even if you are a local, the arguments are just not worth it.
Lesson #20…You learned who your friends are during SHTF…now treat them that way! For example, I no longer visit my big neighborhood grocer who closed and locked sh!t up tighter than a drum for the FULL DURATION of SHTF. I do, however, now regularly frequent the tiny-a$$ little grocery store with the mediocre selection around the corner. Why? Because it is owned and operated by a 50 year old guy who was open every single day of SHTF and I saw him regularly at 2:00am guarding the front of his store (and others) armed with nothing more than a hippo-hide whip (sjambok). He was doing this when the very reliable rumor was that looters had stolen police vehicles, uniforms, and guns. I don’t care that this guy doesn’t have the shampoo my wife likes, I am buying my groceries from him!
#1?
Time wise, I was first. I should have known better, my posts usually take hours to show up. Oh well, I tried.
Great advice! This gave me lots to think about.
Yeah, it does give you lots to think about. This mans story reminds me that I need to be prepared for just about anything. #11 is especially true, I have been stabbed in the back before and its usually from an unexpected source. I can see my neighbor ratting me out just to stay alive.
I enjoy wit! Wait for it, wait…… I think that’s sarcasm. YES, YEs, Yes, yes. With a dollop of KY.
Trying is for loosers. Winners get to go home and screw the prom queen.
See if you at least make a point even if it is in an childish way. It get read and has some merit. You are still an ass. but this better than your normal BS.
I was & am the prom queen. I don’t need compliments from you, but thanks.
Drag Queen if anything!!!
Talk about paranoid. Not gonna happen like this at all.
Since your the expert on it Soco….please enlighten us then on how its gonna happen.
Oh and I’m not paranoid…they really are out to get me!
Yes boy, you are the number one idiot in today’s post.
Anybody that that is un-american (American living in Canada) is an idiot.
Here is a paper of interest that talks about chemtrails… http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2BKdTq/www.cftc.gov/ucm/groups/public/%40lrfederalregister/documents/frcomment/08-004c002.pdf
Check it out!
rio was great Mac. off to Chili. am I first?
It’s odd that you a can’ spell the countries you visit
Junk silver dimes are the way to go. I wouldn’t accept silver rounds or bars as being real.
silver…balance it on your finger and strike it with something hard…it will ringggggggg if its real silver. Also…Plan for kidnapping and ransom. I keep silver, ammo, extra food and even booze and medical supplies. They take your kid….they will take a nice trunk full of stuff like that I hope. They will view it as better something than nothing. Those that do not stock metals with the classic “you cannot eat metals” don’t understand about the kidnapping that went down in south America. Better be ready. Final point. When SHTF hits and martial law. You have little time to move your shit. You’ll need to place some super pails of beans and rice at all your relatives. Most folks are boneheads, including me who bragged about a few buckets of preps. Now everyone knows. So my learned game plan is to move the shit when I need to. Lesson learned. America is in slow steady decline. Be ready for folks to wig out who have not gone through the metal exercise of shtf planning. Thanks for the site Mac. You are a patriot. Note to the UN and martial law boys. Remember this…folks will remember if you mistreat them and after it is all done…they will come after you in the middle of the night. Better be nice to folks. Americans have this mentality that they are free. Once they realize they are not….and if mistreated…it will be payback time. This is just my speculation. Personally I don’t care about the NWO shit. I’ll make a nice living off it. I just want to keep my shotgun to prevent any Hitler concentration camp shit again in history if it goes down. It will be interesting to see how the FEMA camps are used.
If you NWO boys think you can repeat history and wack folks….many will sniper your asses I think. My latest prep is a 22 10 ruger. A nice little gun the wife and kid can handle. The Remington 870 is a fucking cannon. Better to hit with 10 shots than miss with one big one. Hey…get shot with a 22 in the face….about 5 times and you won’t be going home. Regards to all. Be sure to join the NRA and other gun groups. We need to always keep guns legal.
You had me until you said join. My plan is to lay low and not make the big mistake so I don’t join anything, have a concealed carry or HAM radio license, or even disclose the location of my retreat to anyone but my wife. I support them anonymously and even completed their instructor training course, but threw away the application. One of my 22s is a pimped out 10/22 and it is the best one I have. Sturdy and reliable.
I get a lot of flack about silver too, but with my armory and food storage full what am I going to do with all this money? I keep only enough in dollars to spend at the last minute on more of the same.
I think the general idea behind silver and gold is to ensure your personal financial bounce back once all gets put back together. If the dollar goes bust, PMs tend to at least hold some value (less the fluctuations).
I agree that it’s beans bullets and band aids but it at least may help to have some financial assets tied to some form of stability on the other side of the tunnel.
You had me all the way.
Your lack of support of the NRA will let the UN win…and you can kiss your guns good buy. Folks, don’t fall for this bull shit. You need to join the NRA so we can fucking OWN congress to keep guns legal forever. This “hide your head in the sand” shit is for pussies. You are a fucking coward and everyone that gave this “Prepared Pastor” thumbs up CAN MOVE OUT OF AMERICA NOW. DEFEND IT OR LEAVE. Time to lead the flock. Yeah…I always new that many did not have a spine.
JOIN THE FUCKING NRA OR BE A SLAVE AND YOUR CHILDREN WILL BE SLAVES.
On my tombstone one day: NRA MEMBER FOR A FREE AMERICA.
Uh, I used to be an NRA member. They’re simply peddling magazines and insurance. If you want a nice magazine and some gun insurance, they’re tops. …they’re also tops when it comes to compromise. The 1968 gun screw over was because the NRA compromised against the wishes of its membership. I dropped out of the NRA 20 years ago.
The GOA or the CCRKBA are good groups. (I’m a double life member of the CCRKBA. A direct result of their litigation was the lifting of the DC gun ban.) Even they’re getting a little to “slick” for me.
The best thing to keep guns legal is to own them *AND* shoot them. …and teach the neighborhood kids how to shoot and reload, etc. You never know who the next Bill Ruger is gonna be!
Strange response, you “don’t join anything” but you have a CCL. Did I read that correctly? Since that places you on a big target list.
You talked about Scooter!
You’ve got some good ideas.
Who knows how it will all play out in the end. I suspect not like any of us expect. I’m out in the “hinterlands” so it will be different than it is in the ‘burbs and city. While the population isn’t really sparse, it makes a city look like a beehive.
Anyway, just as long as you’re thinking. Keep that up. If you’re wrong about some assumptions, you’ll adjust.
The FEMA camps are for Christians and any other “trouble makers.”
Guns won’t help you in what’s coming. God’s judgement on America:
1. His House (the Church) ALWAYS gets it first.
2. Everybody else gets it much worse (than the FEMA camps. Nuke and Bio-warfare. Good luck.
Too bad it’s not the God you are expecting. Cthulhu will not have any mercy for you. You will wish there were FEMA camps then.
Chinese don’t either on fleabay.
This is sound advice. I think I’ll be printing this one as well and placing it in my SHTF reference guide.
Totally agree….excellent advice!
As far as Eightbore being concerned that his advice “MIGHT be flat out wrong,” you can never go wrong sharing what worked and didn’t work in your own personal SHTF experience.
I’ve never been through a SHTF experience. That said, Eightbore & Selco’s insights a wealth of information. All SHTF experiences are bound to be different, but redundancy is the mantra of ALL preppers. This advice may save my life (and my family’s life) some day. You can NEVER be TOO informed.
A MILLION THANKS!!! 🙂
Fantastic post, especially points 7, 11, and 12!
This may be the best article yet! I will not be getting on a plane and flying anywhere so prefer silver over gold. I would rather have someone hold a Silver Eagle as collateral for my grocery purchase than a Gold Eagle because of the vast disperity between what I owe and the value of the collateral.
I know what you mean, you may never see that again and you gotta be dumb to think your going to get it back. exactly. I don’t think people will be going to work if a full blown SHTF hits america and everything will be getting broken into. My tip of the day is that if you see some concrete re-bar around collect it, it can be a good barrier to put in your windows with some 2×4’s of wood drill holes in the 2×4’s and put solid steel or rebar mulitple one so cant be bent into window frames so help blockade your entry ways. For weapons, have multiple weapons placed in different rooms in case you have to move around or get overpowered in one area nad have to take cover, you have the advantage in your home because nobody knows corners or good shooting spots inside a home or apt.
I like the piece of plywood on the floor just inside the most likely entrance points with a bunch of nails sticking up for unwanted guests.
Do they make sinkers with barbs?
That’s cool, but don’t have an Alamo fantasy.
you can’t defend a wood framed house
7.62 will go rite on in & kill everything living.
http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/offbeat/men-arrested-for-smuggling-gold-in-rectums-011612
I totally agree!! One the very best I have read. I have given much thought to 11,12, and 16. I especially liked 7. A needy and whiny woman can cause so much grief…but strong, cool, and collected can be a huge asset. Mentally prepared is just as important as all of the other “prep measures”. And DO NOT get stuck on one idea or plan.
This IS coming to the US. The illuminati are debasing the currency until it will force a global collapse. Then they can usher in their NWO. For those who are spiritually awake we understand that the NWO is the last empire in Daniel ch7 that is ruled by the Antichrist. We are the last generation, the generation to see Israel come back after 2,500 years.
If you read 1 Thessalonians 5:3 it says that sudden destruction comes upon “them”. I believe the global collapse is the sudden destruction and it will happen after the Rapture. If you read Isaiah 17:1 it describes Damascus being destroyed. I think that will happen in the next few months. Damascus is 10% Christian, which is 170,000 people. Using the destruction of Sodom (Genesis 18-19) as a corollary I believe the Rapture will occur before the destruction of Damascus.
Prepping is good and I suggest weapons, food, water filtration, survival gear, and silver. But if you leave spiritual prepping out you have missed the whole what behind the why. This is a spiritual war, primarily, and we are only seeing a small part of it play out in our dimension.
@ Nitdiver, I was with you all the way up to the Rapture part. That word’s not even in the bible. People expecting to be taken up before TSHTF will have a rude awakening when they’re still here as the Antichrist appears pretending to be Jesus. The rapture theory was created only 200 years ago by a fruitloop.
People PLEASE wake up to this!
You reference 1st Thess., try reading 2nd Thess.chapter 2 where he warns about the first letter being taken out of context and that Christ WILL NOT COME until after the fake one comes pretending to be Christ.
The term sheeple can apply to those asleep in our world
and in our churches.
You think the politicians are the only ones out to deceive? The devil uses the pulpit, also. He tried to temp Christ with scripture. How many of us are ready for that?
The Bible teaches a pre-trib Rapture. Jesus talked about it. The early church believed it.
(Mat 24:37-44 NIV) As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. {38} For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; {39} and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. {40} Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. {41} Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. {42} “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. {43} But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. {44} So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
(Rev 1:7 NIV) Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.
How does he come as a thief when no one expects him and also at the end of the tribulation when everyone expects him? He has to come back twice.
Barn Cat, I’m gonna keep this short because like any good religious argument we can go on forever & never agree.
I kept A LOT out of my post which would’ve supported my
reason, because this is not what everyone likes to hear.
But I have to say that the Bible is why I’m a prepper.
If I believed I wouldn’t be here when TSHTF then why all the prepping?
As brief as possible, because that’s hard to do, the one taken is lured away by the Antichrist. Jesus comes like a thief when no one expects him because they think he’s already here.
Antichrist comes on the 6th vial, 6th seal, 6th trump.
Jesus returns on the 7th trump. Furthest one out.
ALL are changed instantly. That’s when we enter the millennium.
Hey, just keep in mind, if someone comes claiming to be Christ (and performing miracles)and you are still in the flesh, it’s not him.
I have studied this in depth for years with the guidance of one who has passed on.
The 2Thess can be confused as to mean all three at once: Pre-trib, Mid-trib and Post-trib. How can this be, you say? Its simple.
Basically if you know about this stuff you know 3 things for sure:
1. There is a rapture.
2. The Tribulation period lasts for 7 years.
3. Mr. AC gets revealed after the first 3.5 years, in effect splitting the 7 year event into two 3.5 year events.
Things that everyone seems to forget is that the Bible refers to the first 3.5 years and the second 3.5 years almost as SEPARATE events. 2Thess is clear: what keeps him kept is taken out of the way after he is revealed and he is revealed 3.5 years after the beginning of the 7 year event.
Essentially the Bible refers to tribulation as the first half and The Tribulation as the second half. Its obvious to those who study and know what keeps him kept that the rapture occurs right *BEFORE* “The Tribulation” (…pre trib) but after the tributation, the first part (post trib). In reality, its mid-trib because it really is in the middle between the “really bad part” and the “REALLY, REALLY BAD PART”.
But! Don’t forget! There is also evidence that the new believers, those that became faithful and weathered the second half, will be gathered up after the entire 7 year event is over. Them, and those who asked to stay.
Doesn’t matter to some. Well, I guess it does. They’ll want to see as many people as possible be spared the pain. But, I’m confident many will be staying. Not because they aren’t faithful but because they asked to stay. Can you imagine the itch you just can’t scratch? The sliver so deep you just can’t dig it out? The monkey on your back that you just can’t get off? To the beast some will be these things. They’ll be called The Knights of Christ, The Warriors of God and they’ll be endless torment to Mr. AC as they pester and torture him until he’s chained in the pit.
Shoot, we know what the outcome is. We just have to do it. So, lets get to it!
😉
You want to hear something really freaky? While reading this our printer kicked on….out came something. It was the lyrics to “Jesus Is Coming Soon” by the Oakridge Boys. Apparently I thought I had printed only one copy…but the second one came out just now.
Sandy, great come back. Yes the deception is very heavy behind the pulpit. And no, the bible (Mr.Barn Cat) does not teach pre-trib rapture. I have spent the past 16 years proving to people in the ministry that pre-trib is deception. When they get caught with their only defense being: “well there is room for disagrement” they are defeated.
Two words are misrepresented by pre-trib.
1) Wrath; I Thess.5:9, it doesn’t say ..we are not destine for tribulation.
2) Tribulation; John 16:33, In this world you will have tribulation.. Great tribulation isn’t about intensity but density: every tribe,nation, people and tongue(Rev.7:9).
Wrath is God’s anger
Tribulation is God’s way of refining our faith.
Christian have been persecuted since the apostles (read the book: Fox’s Book of Martyrs.
If you would like more facts on the desception of pre-trib rapture, I’d gladly answer your questions and ask you the same 4 that pre-trib teachers have failed to answer.
Live like Christ is returning this afternoon…prep like hes never going to return…then youll be okay!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protocols_of_the_Elders_of_Zion
Sandy,
It is AWESOME that some on this site have eyes to see.
The antichrist does come first. The rapture doctrine is part of the great deception and “strong delusion” used to test God’s children in these end times. And those working in the field, and the one taken first is taken out of season. That is, worshiping the fake christ first.
Look it up for yourselves people. In the Greek lang. it is not antichrist, it is instead of Christ.
You will not fly out of here, we must stand for Christ in these latter days. Spoon fed baby Christians always want the easy way out. Remember what that great, and very smart Apostle Paul said about what we would be up against in this end of the age,to us he said, “For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against the powers, against world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual host of wickedness in heavenly places” The antichrist is not a man, but a fallen spiritual being with supernatural powers.He will look like whatever you think Jesus looked like.(DECEPTION, satan’s last trick.) He will not win the war. The tool of evil has always been deception. The very first thing Christ warned about was deception. We must stay alert.Get ready to stand for the true Messiah.
For anyone in the cities and may need to get out when SHTF happens, remember we will need some help on the farm here in Maine. We will be able to take care of ourselves with the right amount of people. If you’d like to visit this summer email me.
stay prayed up and keep prepping.God loves you. Lynda
Thanks Lynda! I’m in a town surrounded by churches that teach the rapture theory. I wish more people would open their bibles and read how many times it pleads with us not to be deceived. Nice to know your eyes are open!
Stay in His word and keep on prepping….
Even though Christianity is a copy of a copy of a copy of various earlier religions, the Damascus getting nuked thing has always struck a chord with me.
…a friend and I that have, together, studied this for a very long time have agreed that the nuking (or utter destruction) of Damascus is the “Its On!” sign and would indicated we’re still in the first 3.5 years.
My first worry, in realtion to the list, is the exact timing of the bye bye scenario.
Especially for some of us who live in big cities, it will be a real struggle to manage to escape all kinds of dangers.
Just imagine how roads in L.A., San Fransisko, and N.Y. look like in mass moves of population (vacation, emergency, athletic events etc). Now multiply that image to the despair, fear, anxiety, stress, and instict of survival of thousand of people at the same time.
My best choice would be a good piece, and strong bonds with the neighboors.
Let’s hope that we don’t face such a case
Be safe
My neighbors are liberals.
Sorry for your luck. 🙁 I would move.
Not until they pass.
Their political views do not tell us what kind of people your neighbors are.
I know several conservatives that would NOT make good neighbors in SHTF scenario as they are panicky stupid armchair commandos. Too much talk, not much work.
On the other hand, I know a liberal lady who is an avid gardener and is not in your face with her political/personal believes. She would be a great addition to any SHTF team.
As I see it, when it comes to hard times, one shouldn’t care about people’s political or religious believes (that’s right, free your mind from brainwashing about who to like and who to hate) and care about what this person can bring to the table.
In tough times, I’d rather have a helping hand than a big mouth, either conservative or liberal.
ZM, you bring out some good points.
It more depends on your honesty and integrity than it does who you voted for.
I find that liberals and conservatives alike have much common ground. Personally, I see good and bad in both camps and have attempted to gather the good ideas from both.
Guess what? Now the liberals still call me a right wing wack job, just like they always did when I considered myself “conservative” but now all the conservatives accuse me of being a liberal because I won’t buy into some of the “acceptable conservative talking points”.
Folks, bullcrap is bullcrap, regardless of its origination. And, believe me, the libs and the cons have plenty.
Cut the crap. Some ideas work. Here are to sample ideas that make both camps hate you:
Liberal Idea: Charity works. When someone is down and out, give to them. You have no idea how much you’ll get back. YOU will feel guilty when it comes full circle. (many conservatives believe these people are just lazy)
Conservative Idea: Too much charity and on a continual basis makes people dependent. Know that you must draw the line to ensure they’re continued progress. (libs hate this idea. cutting off charity? who do you think you are? we must give, give give give! …forever.)
Ugh! I hate libs and cons. They’ve gotten it all screwed up. Honesty and integrity and get the government off my back.
Just go here and realize that there is only one man, currently, that can really turn down the speed of the F in SHTF. He can’t stop it but he can at least keep the S from flinging at warp speed!
Ignore the media’s soundbite brainwashing. Read about him here:
http://tinyurl.com/6pq7mth
Honesty. Integrity. The others will say whatever they have to to get votes. This man only tells you what you need to hear.
your screwed : (
So caught up in labels… Jesus was a Liberal.
mans,
How are you my friend? Well I hope.
Take care
Manos sorry lol
Only six ways in/out of the Bay Area and Los Angeles. 14 million in the Bay Area and roughly 20 million in L.A.-Orange County.
“Only six ways in/out of the Bay Area and Los Angeles. 14 million in the Bay Area and roughly 20 million in L.A.-Orange County.”
Yep… and they’re already f***ing zoos. I have a pretty good imagination but cannot imagine the level of depravity that people will sink to in those cities when the SHTF.
Everybody must prep in their own way. As the article proves, most preparing for what they think they see coming, but what is coming can not be seen.
Make sure you can eat, sleep, and shoot, and you will be fine.
“but what is coming can not be seen”. “Make sure you can eat, sleep, and shoot, and you will be fine.” 100% agree!
I was prepped for surgery the other day. Had all the hair shaved off my butt and balls.
Good to know tom, send copper wire to Daisy.
Rich99 I suspect you know better than anyone that I didn’t make that comment.
I hear porn stars make it big.
Yes they do.
Daisy cracked a funny. Keep it up.
“Make sure you can eat, sleep, and shoot, and you will be fine.”
Yes,those are definitely necessities but also give some thought to what we will do when the plumbing stops working. That’s a vital part of living too and diseases from human waste can be a very serious problem.
3 days without modern sewage disposal and your own human waste is a health hazard! How many have planned for this?
Few. People and by that term I mean 99% of Uhmericans, have never had to take responsibility for their own shit, and completely wig out when called upon to do so.
You need a balanced SHTFPlan. Look up “The 7Gs of Modern Survival” and spread out your plan and look at it closely.
If you’re just “prepping” with out a thought out plan, you may be headed for a point where you’re hurting.
Good luck everyone.
Mac,
Thanks for this great insight as prepping is not just about food and water it also includes our abilities to work with people as situations evolve.
Y’all Beware!
Excellent essay, Mac. Thanks for this (and for all of ’em…).
btw, printing this out to share with the wife… 😉
Interesting
The two points that stood out for me was;
1. (#2) have friends and be friends with your neighbors. How many times have we seen lists of things to have for SHTF, but those things like friends were never included. It could be just as valuable a resource, just like food, water and shelter , because your friend might be able to help you out with all three.
2. Don’t be married to the idea of SHTF, I understand this fully, but concerned for others that might be to deep into this marriage. It could possibly cut your own throat.
Great article !!!! 🙂
Eagledove, I agree with you. Point #2, there can come a time when the focus can become unhealthy…trust me I know.
NSBf :
Can you elaborate on your experience. Maybe I can learn something from you. 🙂
Gave you thumbs up. 🙂
EagleDove,
Would be happy to…but will have to elaborate later this evening (pct,) as it is off to work I go. 🙂
Hi EagleDove,
Let me start first by saying,I have lived a some what prepared lifestyle for along time now. A preparedness for natural disasters, weather, and even man-made. In ’08, we had a historical snow storm followed by severe flooding. (my front yard was under water in a matter of hours). I didn’t leave my home for 12 days. I had livestock to care for, trudging through 2′ of snow mixed with several layers of ice carrying buckets of water, shoveling snow from roofs that were threatening to cave in etc. I had everything I needed to manage. I had a bit of warning and picked up the last of what I need the day before the storm hit. About 8 months ago, my husband started looking at many different sites, as we had both been concerned about the state of the country for quite sometime. He started sharing things he was reading with me. We quickly came to the conclusion that we were far behind the 8-ball for a HUGE SHTF scenario. I started reading more and more and more. Every night was filled with conversations about articles, blog posts, market analysis, what do with our investments, what to buy, internet news sources etc. We felt like we couldn’t do things fast enough, read enough, decide and plan enough. I honestly don’t know how some people on here do it. Sometimes 2-3 articles a day, then all the comments and that is just one sight. About 2 months ago, I started having episodes of stomach pain, heatburn, etc. I think it is probably an ulcer. I wasn’t sleeping sound either, found myself waking up in the middle of the night and reading articles on the internet. Lots of headaches. About 4 weeks ago, I started having muscle spasms in one eyelid and then the other started (makes it difficult to target practice when your eyes are twitching…lol) I figure it is a combination of stress and too much time on the computer. I think it has effected me more than my husband because he works 10 hours a day and has distractions…I on the other hand have very little to distract me. Sometimes distractions are a good thing. 🙂 Stress and obsession can do strange things to a body (ie.eye twitching). I finally told my husband that we need to take a break from reading blogs, analyzing everything we heard, read and did. It is OK to watch a little TV (even American Idol if that gives you peace), go to a movie, spend the day out in the woods. We spent a day hiking around on 20 acres of land…not talking about preps, the economy etc. It was energizing and rejuvenating…that is when I knew that what we (I) had been doing was too much. For people that are just becoming aware…it must be so overwhelming and terrifying. I at least had awareness just not prepared to the level that most on here are. People need to try and find a healthy balance between the “day to day living” and “preparedness”. You can’t stop living, you can’t do it all at once, and you should listen to your body. I don’t want to “prepare” myself to death or illness. My attitude now is, we can only do the best we can with the resources we have, so if it happens tomorrow at least we will have something and the rest I must trust that the Lord will provide. Take care, God bless and just remember to enjoy life along the way… ~D
NSBF:
Thank you for the insightful post…, you were truly married to a SHTF idea.
So glad to hear the you and your husband turned out all right health wise.
I also went thru some heavy flooding last year and it surrounded my whole house, thank goodness everything turned out ok. Only lost a few things.
But nothing compared to your experience.
Thank you again for sharing. Thumbs up ! + 100 🙂
I am fortunate to be living in a small valley where neighbor helps neighbor.
Having neighbors that you can depend on and that they can depend on you are as valuable as your preps.
Great article.
God bless and keep on prepping.
All these points would apply in a similar scenario here, however different estimation and intensity here. All aspects of a conflict here, by all involved, would make that scene in Cairo pale in comparison. Just point #2 would change the whole thing; How many of you guys and gals would be using a club?
Oh, meant #2! LOL!!!
S..t, meant #1.
I think that being on good terms with folks you are surrounded by piece was especially important. I also thought it was great to be reminded that people WILL sell you out if it saves their own ass. The last thing that resonated with me was not to get rigid about plans and roles -flexibility being a big key to survival. Great write up.
Excellent, excellent article! The best yet.
I, also, will be saving and printing off this article.
Was so anticipating readers’ responses, but the first bunch were: Am I first? Am I first? Am I first?
WTF!! Get over yourselves.
Diana,
It’s just fun and not hurting anyone. I lucked out today, and I love the thumbs down. Ha ha ha…
How about a thumb up you ass
Looks like manny has never gotten to go out with any prom queens.
Anticipate this!
ya but its fun
the ‘am-i-first’ trolls ought to be banned from posting.
YES, let’s put them up against the wall and shoot them first!
No you first Rich
Good article, but the last thing I would be doing while the streets were burning would be to get drunk. Not when you need all your eyes ears and senses to make split second decisions that might save your life. Save it for a celebratory, “Wow, we lived” shot when things have calmed down.
I don’t think you get it.
Oh you’re going to get it all right. Just wait and see!! The shit will hit the fan one day and you’ll be caught off guard with your pants down and then you’ll be crying like a baby for somebody to come wipe your butt. But it will be too late for you and away you’ll go to the booty house.
Different people deal with stress differently. Don’t swear that you wouldn’t drink until you lived through such scenario and didn’t drink.
How we THINK we would behave and how we actually BEHAVE under severe stress maybe very different things.
As much as it pains me to agree with you commrad,
I’l drink to that.
I’ll join you and I’ll have a double Jameson with a touch of spring water.
Cheers! 🙂
“Lesson #2…..Good will with one’s friends and neighbors has the power to greatly enhance or even make unnecessary ABSOLUTELY ANY prep you can make”
Great advice if you can make it work. Hard to do in California as people here do not even LOOK at each other let alone want to be friendly.
Seriously, it’s like a total chore for them just to look at you to say hi…I’ve never seen so many unhappy people in one state. I guess they are burnt out from paying all the high taxes here.
I’m in a rural area, but still counting the days until I can leave here.
Nun, I’ve been here for four years.
26,000 in the county; 6500 in the city; there are 10 houses on this street.
It’s no better here than downtown Nashville…you might even call this a part of California from your descriptions.
I’ve never seen so many occupied, unhappy people on one street!!!
For you retirement and living the life of the poor peasant farmer the stinking UN wants you to live…better brush up on your farm skills. That’s the best shtf planning….having a place to live in peace and then just watch it all go down on the news. Plan well, but don’t let is consume your life. As for kids…level with them…don’t try and “preserver” their childhood. Better to have a wise kid who won’t be fucked with than an ignorant democrat type ban the guns fuck head. This spring I train the kid on her own gun. America is done. Get ready for the pre-socialist shit that will go down. Also…I buy used books off of Amazon on how to do shit…farming and such. Before I die I will leave the kid a hidden vault that will sustain life for up to one year. Teach your children well. ps. The bees are still disappearing. Better stock up. You might not be able to grow shit.
“the bees are still disappearing.”
They are but you can still self pollinate your plants. That would be a good thing to learn incase the bees do go away.
i once lived for 3 months on nothing but water and boiled toilet paper with ketchup on it. It wasn’t good, but it kept me alive. The hardest part of it was deciding whether to wipe my butt or eat, as the toilet paper wouldn’t have lasted long enough to do both. In the “End” i decided to eat the toilet paper and let my butt crust over…
Now that was funny.
If all the bees die we are died anyway! Great article, keep your mind and position flexible.
In some third world countries I have been people were so broke that they couldn’t pay attention, but they were content. I built my off-grid retreat and provisioned it without changing my standard of living at all. Six more months before this job is over and I’m sitting on the screened porch watching the leaves change. My daughter is not even one and she already has her first BB gun.
U2 PP! thumbs up. The one down vote is probably a lib.
By the way, was just thinking about the neighbors and friends thing should the SHTF just yesterday. We’ve lived in this house since Sept 2011 and have only spoke to a handful of neighbors here. They never come out! I dont see a real cohesive bond with many of them if things went south…real sad, because with my prepper knowledge I could do a lot to help them if they’d only let me, but I don’t think it’s even on their radar!
Great article Mac ! Will print & add to my SHTF binder.
It is true that you can prep all you want & think you have a great plan….but the dynamics will be different & changing when it happens. In SAR we do all kinds of training….& find things that we can do better or did not anticipate before the exercise….such as communication breakdown, or our planned route was blocked. Then the real situation happens there are different challenges that you never considered. For example after Hurricane IKE, when we were on Bolivar there were alligators & snakes in places you would never expect. Also, after the flooding….all thevegetationn was killed & very dry in a couple days. Wild fire was a major concern…& if it started the entirepeninsulaa would have burnt to a crisp. My point being is that it is correct that you can’t get married to a plan. You will need to be flexible & deal with the situation at hand. All of this will be made easier with team work…so make friends with your neighbors & it will help everyone when the SHTF !
Montgomery County Texas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M539PgDjbas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n9yDI1wRTE&feature=related
After watching this…it’s why I will pass on the heritage of the NRA and being armed. If these punks messed me us…. I would unleash hell upon them. With more people on the planet…it will be very important to buy some land deep in the country for your grand kids to retreat to one day. Plan for it. 22 bullet to this guy if he blinked at me. Right in the ass. I am not anti Jewish. I am anti zionism. The banker fucks are enslaving us. Make sure your children do not live in debt.
Heard rumors that Italy is on revolutionary fire. Supposedly five million people in the streets. Can someone confim or deny this rumor? Supposedly there is total media blackout of it.
As for the article, that’s a lot of insight from someone who has walked throuth the fire. Thanks.
Yes, most of them are young muslims without a job but that has always been the case where jobs are guaranteed. Most legal’s are pissed about the illegal aliens out of Africa. Kalifornians can at least move.
See you made a real statement. Didn’t that feel good.
I know what feels good. Have you even been to Italy or that shit hole Cairo with the the beautiful geometric shapes in the desert.
Sadly no reply button for Rich, yes been to both and I really love Cairo…you should get out there and see it for yourself
As Slim says “I don’t think you get it.” Burt, you must feel at home in the slums with maggot steaming trash piled two stories high on the streets down by the Cairo Museum during the winter and stained headrest covers on the tour buses and taxis that have ac. Did you see security whipping the child panhandler/pickpockets away from the tourists getting off of the busses out in the desert. The pyramid night laser light show is worth while if you have a bodyguard. I guess that’s better than the tube on a cloudy day.
Thanks, RICH99. So it’s the illegal immigrants and not the Italian people who are revolting. Interesting…I thought maybe the Italians had kicked of a world wide resistance to Tyranny. Oh well. Maybe later…
Thanks for the article, DPS. Maybe there is hope. Not the kind of hope Soetoro promised.
I just Hope that we can Change what he has done to our country. I’m sure willing to try.
James,
You did not just use hope and change in the same sentence did you?
Rich…did you see the Uk police cracking an innocent passerby so hard he died? USA police shooting people. Come on mate, good and bad everywhere. I would like to see the things you describe, The Egytians know people would not go back if it were constantly the cess pit you describe. Yes the place is different to the West, and what? That’s why people travel to see other places Rich.
Talking of slums, there are some very undesirable places in most cities in your country and mine.
Get out of your glass house Rich, the next brick thrown may well shatter it
James T.,
I did some digging into Italy and here is what I found.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_pEoEfaquw
called the ‘Pitchfork Movement’…’Movimento Dei Forconi’.
There are shades of the Occupy movement within it, but the core is not dissatisfied unemployed youth with no property or businesses to lose.
They are middle aged and older. They know that what they have left has been targeted by their own elites to bear the economic pain.
The other difference is size. Sicily’s five million people, their grass roots people, have occupied themselves.
So of course the story caught my eye and I then checked the mainstream media sites to look at what I was sure to be some great video. Wrong! So far, there is almost nothing.
I went back to check my date…and yes it started on the 16th and took two days to shut the island down, nothing going in or out. That was almost two weeks ago and I just learned today, and I can assure you I am not a hermit.
Can you image the Occupy Wall street people having shut Manhattan down of two weeks with no European coverage? Sure, it’s Sicily and not Manhattan…but it’s big, 25,000 sq km. That is what I used the space station feature photo.
What could corporate media possibly be afraid of? Well grab your seats, and here it is:
Sicily is Rising.
The arrest of all corrupt politicians
Reduction in the number of Parliamentarians
Removal of the provincial bureaucracy (local crooks), as most of these politicians have been there for over forty years
Drastic cuts in the salaries and privileges of Parliamentarians and Senators
Restricting politicians to only two terms in office.
Now there are some radical ideas. They must have come from some Anarchist Aliens that landed in Sicily during the night. Or…it sounds like we all have a common problem, that requires a common solution, which requires that we might want to start working together. That sounds like another radical idea, but Veterans Today would be happy to over a platform for such an exchange.
Here is one YouTube video that I found with only a whopping 47 views. Now that’s what I call getting the word out. I mean, really…is Sicily on everybody’s hate list or something? Did they do something REALLY bad? Maybe I am a hermit and just don’t know it. You might need to turn me in to Gordon!!
This article was on DProgram today about the media blackout of the Pitchfork Movement.
http://dprogram.net/2012/02/01/sicily-pitchfork-movement-in-revolt-western-media-blackout/
There’s very little information out there.
Watched it DPS .., it could be like watching the future of America ! 🙂
~EAGLEDOVE~
Agreed…..but I think our version will be “orders of magnitude” greater in intensity and later….violence!
Good post!
James, nothing about it in the British news but some stunning photos of Italy and some of the islands covered in snow…football cancelled no trucks on motorways etc, Italians like heat, I doubt many of them will be out in the snow.
Take are
James:
Part of it is the “pitchfork revolution” of Sicily.It was a complete strike and shutdown of the ports and other parts of the economy.Found it on a alt site.
Nowhere in the “mainline liberal media”.MSNBC,Con-youcastic ABC and Foxy News are too busy kissing the Republican “Clown circus pre-party show” butts.
As an aside,
What happens when J.C. reveals his presence to all will be a eye-opener to be sure.THE CHANGE means just that.Christians should be checking themselves that they are following his example and teachings as closely as possible.It will be most interesting and perhaps entertaining to see who really were the “sheep and goats” according to J.C.’s standards on Judgment Day.
Karma says we don’t get away with ANYTHING!!
Best to All
GFG
This is a great article. Our bug out property is about 30 miles from our home. I need to get out there and get to know the neighbors. I think they can help me as much as I can help them (if not more, they are used to rural living).
Good luck to all of you and pray daily that this does not come to pass (though sadly, more & more it seems inevitable).
the ability to maintain your own integrity and decency (the wife taking a cuppa to the lookouts!) while at the same time keeping a beady eye out for types that might sell you out was what jumped out at me most in this piece. That’s NOT always an easy balance to maintain when scared, stressed, possibly overtired & cold etc. However it seemed to be the KEY lesson learned.
The other was that the “decent” people might not turn out to be “them wot is most like you” in a true shtf situation (he used the example of the grocer he had previously patronised for being a fellow christian). One to think about before shtf for those who are in danger of only interacting which a small group of friends from Church or whatever. There may be more integrity in the little finger of the homeless bum on the corner than in some of your best friends when everyone has their back against the wall.
Long shtf – can’t agree enough re both the books and kids. I’m gradually building up (and practicing from!) a nice selection of books on all kinds of topics – latest order was The little house on the Prairie cook book. Coping without modern stuff like washing machines and constant hot water is harder than it sounds if you’ve never done it.
A fun thing to do with kids is to pick an “era” and then try and live for a week as true to that era as you can manage in terms of technology/food etc. Our family have loved the WW11 British Xmas (rationing so managing those food supplies) & the Victorian Xmas (can you make vinegar from apple cores to bottle the veggies you grew over summer for the Xmas table?). It also acclimatises them to tub baths, cooking over wood, repairing and using non-electric tools so they don’t suffer the awful culture shock some of the X-box generation are gonna go through.
In the process the kids get life skills that could some day save their lives. They learn in a way that’s a helluva lot of fun too. Get the oldies in your neghourhood to teach em too! Oldies’ll pass on some of those “decent values” missing in a lot of the under 60’s nowadays like community spirit – at least here in the UK those that lived thru WW11 have already seen shtf in their lifetimes – let your kids tap that knowledge before it’s gone forever.
Its an accurate case study for the fall of a dictator, pretty much par for the coarse. That’s not what will happen in America.
The problem is no body really knows how it will shake out in America. Egyptians are used to surviving on $2 a day. I don’t think we even have elementary school children who spend less then $2 a day.
In Egypt you have a 7th. century mentality with some modern conveniences. I America we have no clue what the 7th. century was like and if the power goes out for a few hours we have looting in the streets.
So what does really happen in America when police and fire don’t respond and 911 is busy? What happens when the governor can’t muster the National Guard? What happens when the WalMart is empty? Who really knows?
My advice; be flexible and adaptable, so you can adapt and overcome. Have the ability to go heavy, but have a cache plan in case you have to go light.
I don’t think its all going to come down at once, but it will spiral out of control through a chain of failures. A plan, any plan will increase your odds of survival 1000%.
What I can tell you is we won’t be Egypt. We won’t be throwing rocks at tanks.
Great post.
I honestly thing the straw that breaks the camels back for America is the petro dollar. When enough nations move off of the dollar as a standard for trade, things in this country are going to get bad very quickly. When OPEC won’t take dollars for oil, we can’t import ~66% of our needs. Commerce stops. Supplies stop. Unrest begins. Just my 2 cents.
The only thing holding us up it that there is nothing better then the dollar at this time. When fuel cost go over $4/ gallon we are toast!!
P1 ~
In Ontario gas is at roughly $5.20 per gallon. It has definitely affected our driving habits – we really limit unnecessary outings theses days.
God save the queen and her paintings on the walls. I have writings of animals on my wall.
The paintings belong to the people. My pictures belong to me. I figure I own a few important ones that weren’t imported at the white house too.
I still say the BE ALL, END ALL of the overall collapse will be petroleum, which is several years past peak production. When everything in your ever-expanding 7-billion person civilization depends on more plastics, more petroleum products, more petrochemicals/fertilizers… and supply is past peak production, CIVILIZATION AS YOU KNOW IT IS GOING TO BE TOAST NO MATTER WHAT.
It’s not the gas in your tank or the oil in your machines that matters as much as it’s everything else that comes from oil, which is EVERYTHING. Watch “Beyond The Peak” which is part of the latest Zeitgeist movie… all cued up on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=4Z9WVZddH9w#t=8623s
Is anybody actually watching this and paying attention?
What an amazing and informative article; thank you so much.
Very cool article – some points I hadn’t thought of!
Great article, another printout for the file. I am lucky to be living in an “old world” neighbourhood and know almost half the people on our street…#2 check. I think working on #18 could also make you a good neighbour 🙂 as some like to drown it out. I’ll stay sober thanks in that scenario.
Where in Ontario are you? I’m in Northern Ontario with the Blackflies and still only pay 4.52/gallon. Much better price! 😉
I’m near Buffalo – the gas is outrageous here.
Lucky you – it’s gorgeous in blackfly country! 🙂 We spend time near North Bay/Parry Sound every summer.
Daisy
Communism, Fascism, Socialism in industrialized nations generally have very high gas prices. Last time I was in Italy with the exchange rate and the fuel cost it was $12.80 USD. The government would have you believe it’s the greedy oil company making all the profits, but it’s not, the company makes 3 to 5 cents per gallon profit after tax. The governments even the US government get 27 cents to $3 dollars a gallon and they did nothing but take your money. The government takes the most and produced nothing and took no risk.
The last number I saw was it takes $2 a barrel to get the oil out of the ground. If you break down the pure cost to produce 1 gallon of gas you really see that government is the problem no matter where you live.
You are absolutely right P1 – here the tax is approximately 80 cents per gallon….I’m converting from metric but that’s fairly close.
And this is why I walk as much as possible! 🙂
That’s good if you live in a city and close to work, shopping and recreation, but I’m 49 miles from the office.
Do some research I think you will find the tax on your gas is a lot more then 80 cents. My best guess would be over $2.80 per gallon.
Helping others?…i know this is going to get some sh*t started but here it goes…….prepping for my family and me and know exactly how long my provisions will last. My number one job as a father is to protect my kids at all cost and to provide for them. So with that being said why should i give my food to someone that brings nothing to the table whether it be provisions or skills? I guess ill have to make that call if or when it happens.
you stingy good for nothing so and so!!!
If you think that is stingy, you should try to climb into my lifeboat when it is already maxed out. You’d get a paddle over the head in a microsecond.
you wouldn’t dare
If this isn’t a rhetorical question Crash and Burn, I’d like to give you my answer. 🙂
“…why should I give my food to someone that brings nothing to the table….”
I think that we should do what we can to help others for a few different reasons.
~ One day you or your family could be the ones in need – consider how you would want to be treated or how you would want your children to be treated
~ It serves as good example to your kids
~ When we do the right thing we are blessed – or if you don’t look at it from a faith-based viewpoint, you receive good karma. Rarely does it seem like people suffer for doing the right thing.
I’m certainly not suggesting that you give to the detriment of your family – just that you remain open to the idea of helping others.
Daisy ; I have a question for you.
If an unknown or known family would come to your house would you :
1. Feed them and take them in or
2. Feed them and send them on there way or
3. ?
I would probably give them all a little bit of something and politely send them on there way. But this could be dangerous too….. because you do have food.
Have a nice evening Daisy. 🙂
The plan would be to give them food and send them on their way. I also have some minor medical and herbal knowledge as well as supplies and would be willing to help that way as well.
Clearly, it all depends on the situation and you have to be as safe as possible. And of course we all know how the best-laid plans can go awry.
I have ziploc bags of dried veggies, beans and rice intended for charity.
This is always the great moral dilemma. And I don’t think there’s one correct answer. Personally, I am single, live alone and have been prepping for a good while. I can probably spare some supplies, and they keep growing so I’d be in better shape as time passes.
It goes without saying to exercise extreme caution answering any door once SHTF. I’ve heard stories of people sending women or children up to doors while a gang of men hide nearby watching your response. I also know that it may be just as it looks, and someone with a small child really needs help. I’d ask the person to back up from my 2nd floor deck to where I could see them and also scan the area for anyone with them. I’d be clearly armed to present a show of force to whomever may be watching and I’d lower something down only after they promised to take it and be on their way as there is no more. I’d make it clear that my house is not the gravy train.
Now, if someone passing by happens to be a nurse or doctor or other useful profession, we may have to talk…
if people are so desperate for food they are knocking on doors and property gates… i suggest those who are in such a predicament, pause… think… if they are weak from hunger they are easy prey to bugged in folks… and might end up in the stew pot!
long pork tastes just like regular pork… a lil’ bar b que sauce goes a long way come shtf… within 3 or 4 weeks of the last can of spam bein’ finished off most folks will eat anything… hunger turns folks feral very quickly!
beware – who you turn to for help!
You seem to be back tracking.
Daisy
Never let them in your house and see your stash; 1)that being said, the pro preppers say to direct them to the nearest church, that you donated food there.
Which is why I have 2 liter bottles filled with rice.
2)when you give at your home, they will return, or even worse, bring their entire family and friends.
I prepared for dh and me…not the community.
I Timothy 5:8…If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Why should this only apply to me???
Invite them in…feed them…if shtf blows over….say good by. If not….and you run out of food….eat them. ha ha
~Arkaden~
You’ve nailed it, sir! As we say here in Dixie….your momma didn’t raise a fool!!!!!!!!!!!
***********************************************************
~EAGLEDOVE & Daisy~
Compassion is indeed a virtue & its universally accepted, the female side of our species are(usually) genetically hard-wired w/ an abundance of the stuff…for good reason, thank GOD!
But I caution you…always maintain a situational awareness about you…& remember, your progeny(blood)…come first!!!
No one knows precisely, the depths of depravity & suffering that may result from a global economic collapse. Our only reference may be the dark ages after the fall of ROME, which spanned centuries….nor do we possess a crystal ball to forecast its duration!
The “WORST” case scenario in my opinion, revolves around the total collapse/loss of the electric grid. If such were to occur, you’re looking at 2-5 years(minimum) before its restoration…that’s a long time for one to squeak thru a survival situation based upon previously stocked provisions & what one can grow/raise/can/smoke/salt & hunt/trap.
I will say this, in my neck of the woods there is a strong mindset that goes thus:….
***…”hell-fire Bubba, if things get that bad…I’ll just hunt deer/hogs/squirrel & rabbits year round! Yep, me ‘n mine is gonna eat”…***
———-Wrong Answer in these parts———-!!!
Within 3-4 months-(if that)-successful hunting endeavors will be akin to a chicken attempting to peck corn after drinking a 1/2 gallon of “beak softener”!!! Ain’t gonna happen, folks!
Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance in each situation…its part of his job title/responsibilities…don’t worry, he can multitask like you wouldn’t believe!!!
Daiay–I’m with crash and burn; if I had to take preps from my children top feed someone who reads the same s**t I do every day but still entertains like there’s no tomorrow, buys the latest gadgets, drives the latest high dollar car, etc…hell, no…failure on their part to prep does not institute an emergency on my part.
It’s a very good point, JJ, and I see where you’re coming from. 🙂
I just feel strongly about helping the less fortunate, even if they are less fortunate because they’re stupid.
If we, as preppers, are the people who survive when the SHTF, then we are the face of the new civilization. I want the new civilization to be a place that I want to live.
This isn’t to discredit or disagree with the opinions of the others answering this question – just my view.
You covered your 6 so well (not).
Helping others would be very difficult because you would give away your “secret”. After all, if you have food to give for charity, you must have more. You’d be raided within the week. I will offer charity – but it will be anonymous.
The only thing I would say to your comment is that you will need help beyond your immediate family. If things REALLY break down, it would be impossible for you all to guard your place 24-7. In that case, you would need to have food to help the 2 or 3 extra “guards” you have living with you. They can also help with the garden, the washing, the animals, the cooking, the hunting, etc.
If I take people in (even family), I plan to explain the rules to them and tell them that I am the boss. You can’t have two chiefs. They live by my rules or they go.
None of us are used to negotiating like this – when our lives and families lives are on the line. It would be very difficult and I’m sure lots of costly mistakes will be made by many.
@ crash and burn I don’t think you are stirring the pot on this one. Your statement “I guess I’ll have to make that call if or when it happens.” sounds like you have an open mind. I too share the sentiment that my job is caring for my family first and foremost.
I think my decision to help someone who appears to bring nothing to the table will greatly depend on the specifics of the situation. In a long term shtf, those folks might end up being great workers and allies.
We won’t know until we are standing there even if we give it great amounts of thought today. I can’t predict the future (the antenne on my foil hat seem to be out of wack) so I’ll have to wait until I’m in that situation to make that kind of a call.
Your are correct Fed Up…..my statement was open because i wanted to get a real feel for what people would do……made Dotty really mad…sorry.
Because you can’t stay awake for ever and you need someone to watch your back. If you think about it, it really is protecting your own family.
Use extreme caution though as it says in the Bible all humans will let you down at some point, including family.
If we have a financial collapse its not going to be like a camping trip or as the writers says a strategic vacation. Its going to ware you down emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually no matter how strong or well prepared you are.
it also says in the bible that God helps those who help themselves….well ive helped myself.
Crash and Burn: I think this is a great topic for people to think about. I completely understand your point of view and I agree with it. I think everyone has some skill that will be needed (We all know some pretty worthless people) if even for an extra body. If I am the only person to protect my family, what happens when I go to a nieghbors or to town to gather information about events. If I take them with me then the home is unprotected. You cannot live in isolation, there will be a strong desire to communicate with the outside, to know what is happening. Especially in times of crisis. That guy who shows up is another body to gather intelligence from town or protect your family while you are there. Or just sit on a hilltop with binos keeping watch.
Be careful about measuring food supplies. In times of crisis when stressed and over worked you can go through many many more calories and still drop weight. I will probably catch hell for saying this, but I look at a food storage and something to get me over short term situations. Gardening and hunting will be needed for long term sustaining.
I have ___ years of supplies, food, and water reserved and am still buying food…..because this question always puzzled me—if you can’t guard your house???? how can you guard a garden??
Lifeboat analogy… if I’m in a maxed-out lifeboat and people floating in the water keep coming onboard, at some point I’m going to club or shoot anyone trying to board because the whole boat will go under. If someone on the boat refuses to stop helping more people get on board, he or she will get clubbed or shot next. Survival isn’t about being fair, or being kind, or being emotional, it’s about doing what it takes to not being dead.
That’s what many don’t realize, survival is serious business, life and death. It not pretty and just the smell of it all will gag you. Even if you have been in war and survival situations you just don’t get use to it. If it doesn’t bother you, I wouldn’t want to be any where near you.
I’ve always like the life boat scenario, but I don’t think it has relevance in Egypt where most of the country is desert.
i’ll bet you voted for obama if the truth be known!
We all want to be human but deep down inside we are all still animals.
I read this website nonstop and this article was my favorite. I always said that bugging out was not a viable option. I live NW of Atlanta and while I seldom if ever use the interstates here they are always backed up. The city of Atlanta would be in ruins in a SHTF scenario for sure. I opened a small restaurant literally 1.9 miles from my house so if anything were to happen, getting home would be easy. My only concern is for my wife to be able to get home from her job as she needs to drive on 400 and 285 to get here. My neighborhood is pretty close knit and open and having good relationships with them is vital. I have a great and inexpensive way to store dry goods for long term if anyone is interested.
~Captain Nunzio~
Please elaborate, sir! I’m here to learn for the most part…although I enjoy passing on what little knowledge I possess onto other interested parties as well…
Honestly, clue me in & thanks beforehand!!!!!!
this “problem” of deciding whether to help others who were not prepared is really addressed in one of my favorite books
THE JAKARTA PANDEMIC by Steve Konkoly
the protagonist of the story is a prepper,
a world wide flu pandemic reduces his middle class suburban world to chaos
he’s provided for his family,numerous others in his neighborhood have not,they come begging
it presents quite the moral dilemma
if you have food for your family of 4 for a year
what happens when you start dividing it up to feed
another dozen people?? what about 2 dozen ???
Keep hamsters, guinea pigs or other small critters that breed fast. Hand pairs out to people looking for help. They can breed their own meat sources using grass and simple plants. If they eat them right away- then that’s their choice. (The Aztecs used chihuahuas as portable snacks but I don’t think they would work as well.) Consider packs of edible insects. If you had out nutritious grubs or grasshoppers, you will be providing help, but who would be anxious to come back and raid your site? These problems just require a little creativity.
Exactly!!! how do i know that if i start helping others that my children will go hungry sooner…..no one here knows real hunger……and i can only imagine.
@ crash and burn: The simple fact is that #2 and #10, especially if followed long before SHTF, will carry you a lot farther than everything else combined. There are two things people you come across do not forget: unsolicited kindness, and selfish or uncaring injuries. And I can assure you, no matter how well you think you are prepped, you don’t have everything you will need.
That is not to say you give your provisions away foolishly. But in my community, there are two dozen people I could trust to protect my kids with their lives, most of whom have never met them. And that is not based on WHERE I live, but HOW I live.
#7…Loved his kudos to his wife! She inspired me.
Hope I’m more SARAH CONNOR than ROSIE O’DONNELL when my DH needs me the most!
😉
FIIIIIIIIRRRRSSSSSSTTTTTTTT . HAHA! First Suckers! oh, wait.. oh shit nevermind.
suck this
Interesting points, I married well so that’s a +1 for me. Neighbors here are all live in TV land with heads in the sand. I need to move.
I read #1 and have to go back, but wanted to comment on it. If we were “rioting” in the streets and out with a crowd the last thing I’d want to be hoisting is a big ole bird gun; yeah for home that’d be great but out in a crowd – no thanks……#1 = Hand Gun in that situation so you can conceal it, use it quickly if needed, and carry plenty of ammo (or loaded magazines). Hi Cap 9mm would make sense but I prefer a 1911 A1 45 ACP…RIA Tactical is $525 in California with all taxes and fees if ordered right.
getting in good with God.. SHOULD BE THE 1ST STEP..
hey!! all is well!!
I agree that I will not prep the same way as someone living in the southwest for example. For example, here in East Tennessee, we get over 40 inches of rain a year so i do not need 6 months of water in my basement compared to someone in Phoenix. So whereever you live makes a big determining factor on your preps.
The one thing that disgust me here on this site sometimes is one person makes fun of another for how they prepare. The main point is that you prepare. We all mostly agree that something is coming whether it be an act of God or man or a combination. Let us all agree to disagree on what the best knife, rifle, pistol, water filter, etc etc is and just agree that you having these things whatever make and model they may be will be a handy to thing to have. Some folks on here probaly makes 6 figures or better while others are unemployed. Some are old, single, have families, etc and we must prepare accordingly to our own situation. What is right for me may be dead wrong for you and vice versa. The more we argue with one another the more divided we become and easier to overcome. Let us stand strongly together and united.
Ok, I vented, Hope you all have a good day
Well said and thanks for saying it, I agree fully. There is no 1 right way to prep in general as their are so many variables for each individual.
Another thing to consider is that if the grocery stores become inudated with people, think of secondary places and supplies. For instance, swing by auto zone and buy some 12 volt deep cell batteries, and tractor supply or northern supply to buy solar panels to charge your batteries for instance. Just walk around those stores and they have alot of good stuff.
For instance, as an emergency ration, you could buy a 25lb bag of calf milk replacer for $40 at tractor supply and use it. It makes several gallons of milk that would be safe to drink and have plenty of nutrients. Be sure not to get the medicated kind. If your curious, I am bottle feeding a calf right now.
Popular Science had an article a few months ago that showed you how to take charcoal,salt-peater(aka stump removal)Spelling?, and sulfer for roses all aquired from some place like lowe’s and make gun powder. Maybe not the best stuff but usuable.
So there is alot of stuff that would be needed or usefull that the majority of sheeple would overlook. Anyway, if you do buy milk replacer and dont need it, just take it to work as coffee creamer:)
East Tenn…..with respect I have to question using milk replacer as human food,even in emergencies…heres why…once upon a time milk replacer was a wholesome product used to feed calves when milk was scarce or not available…nowdays thats not the case(in most cases)
As milk protein has gotten more expensive,manufacturers began to look to “cheaper” sources and the big one they turned to is Red blood cell proteins (RBCP)(Red blood cell protein is very high in protein
(>85%) and has an excellent amino acid profile
The RBCP can be derived from
bovine or porcine blood and is produced as a
co-product of plasma production(See http://www.calfnotes.com/pdffiles/CN049.pdf)and(www.merricks.com/tech_milkreplacerguide.htm) for a couple quick examples…type in “blood in milk replacers” and youll find a lot of info.
…..most of this comes off the kill floor at slaughterhouses and contains some bad stuff like “brain juices,manure and other stuff that gets leaked or blown into the blood pits( I worked in a slaughterhouse years ago)we had to get into the pits sometimes and stir them up to get them to drain…all kinds of “nasties” in there.(used to be shipped to fertilizer plants)
Anyhow…can anyone say”BSE” or Mad Cow disease or God only knows disease?…not good stuff to have in your food supply(it might beat starving) but never the less it could cause you problems…even if it simply violates ones food code.
As a farmer myself I never feed MR anymore simply because of the “I dont know “factor…Im sure you mean well but I had to put the info out there because most people just dont know how crazy these corporations are getting…hope this helps!
~REB~
Great post! Thanks for the info!
Thanks Gunsmith… forgive me I accidently clicked the thumbs down button,didnt intend to hit it 🙁
Lesson number 13
Translated. =. Save some new crisp uncirculated ten dollar federal reserve notes
In a #10 Can?
Cairo was not a typical case of what you are expecting in USA.
There the police was intentionnally pulled out of streets to let chaos reign to force Mobarak to resign.
The same events happened in Tunisia.
And they will happen in the USA in similar fashion, just as police Assets were used to start trouble at the g20, Seattle and a host of other protests in the past… Like Egypt, they will pull the police, bring in the live cameras, alert the American people to the nationwide crisis, and deploy military to quell the uprising… Same play book, different country.
Thanks Moze!
Mac is sugar coating it. It will that and more, much more. Thanks Mac.
Manos et all,
Here is a little humor for y’all.
Manos, you might not know about these two comedians and you can surely get a good taste on YouTube by typing in Abbott and Costello. These two are classics during the black and white days of movies and TV.
Remember Bud Abbott and Lou Costello?
COSTELLO: I want to talk about the unemployment rate in America.
ABBOTT: Good Subject. Terrible Times. It’s 9%.
COSTELLO: That many people are out of work?
ABBOTT: No, that’s 16%.
COSTELLO: You just said 9%.
ABBOTT: 9% Unemployed.
COSTELLO: Right 9% out of work.
ABBOTT: No, that’s 16%.
COSTELLO: Okay, so it’s 16% unemployed.
ABBOTT: No, that’s 9%…
COSTELLO: WAIT A MINUTE. Is it 9% or 16%?
ABBOTT: 9% are unemployed. 16% are out of work.
COSTELLO: IF you are out of work you are unemployed.
ABBOTT: No, you can’t count the “Out of Work” as the unemployed. You have to look for work to be unemployed.
COSTELLO: BUT THEY ARE OUT OF WORK!!!
ABBOTT: No, you miss my point.
COSTELLO: What point?
ABBOTT: Someone who doesn’t look for work, can’t be counted with those who look for work. It wouldn’t be fair.
COSTELLO: To who?
ABBOTT: The unemployed.
COSTELLO: But they are ALL out of work.
ABBOTT: No, the unemployed are actively looking for work… Those who are out of work stopped looking. They gave up. And, if you give up, you are no longer in the ranks of the unemployed.
COSTELLO: So if you’re off the unemployment roles, that would count as less unemployment?
ABBOTT: Unemployment would go down. Absolutely!
COSTELLO: The unemployment just goes down because you don’t look for work?
ABBOTT: Absolutely it goes down. That’s how you get to 9%. Otherwise it would be 16%. You don’t want to read about 16% unemployment do ya?
COSTELLO: That would be frightening.
ABBOTT: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: Wait, I got a question for you. That means they’re two ways to bring down the unemployment number?
ABBOTT: Two ways is correct.
COSTELLO: Unemployment can go down if someone gets a job?
ABBOTT: Correct.
COSTELLO: And unemployment can also go down if you stop looking for a job?
ABBOTT: Bingo.
COSTELLO: So there are two ways to bring unemployment down, and the easier of the two is to just stop looking for work.
ABBOTT: Now you’re thinking like an economist.
COSTELLO: I don’t even know what the hell I just said!
Now you know why Obama’s unemployment figures are improving, and you should be able to understand the State of the Union.
Credit is due to Barry Levinson, the famed Academy Award winning director, screenwriter, and producer who created and first published this months ago in the Huffington Post.
Y’all Beware! Who’s on first. Send him to the minors!
Big lesson is that AMMO counts more than another gun!!
It’s much more effective to have a second case of ammo than to have a second “assault rifle” and one 20-rd. box of ammo for it.
He got it right: #1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPDpSsp5Rxs&feature=related
Y’all Beware
Jack Webb (Dragnet) schools Obama on Democracy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khkjq7drGsM
Y’all Beware! Goodnight!
from the two first hand accounts of a shtf situation I take away the lesson that your friends, family, and close community are all important. A single family, even well prepared is screwed unless they are connected to larger group. this is why first the first communities began: mutual defence. you cannot run and hide in your “bug out location” and hope to survive. sharing with others will create a bond. gung-ho means (strive for harmony). by yourself you are dust, together the “dust” combines to create rock. start finding like minded people now while there is time. together you will live, selfishly taking care of only your own will turn your bug out spot into your own grave.for there will always be those who band together for destruction. band together for the good of your group. let God and charity be your creed. or become a trapped rat in a maze
We have Farris Survival in Denver for a place to buy long-term storeable chow. The owner said in a radio show recently how he believes that once the SHTF, one will have an hour to get to the bank, the gas station and the grocery store before there are long lines and bank/store closures. That’s a good case for keeping cash and food onhand at home.
One hour. That’s a very small window.
Winning the war necessitates knowing the REAL enemy. No peace, no justice.
http://youtu.be/6_RvhvGZVkk
Bin Laden death photos may be released after all; U.S. renews warning of backlash…
heads up everyone… “cause and effect nwo cia massod FALSE-FLAG warning!”
our illustrious illegal nwo cia prez osama barack obama/ barry soetoro is about to kick off another 9/11 false-flag with FAKE OSAMA BIN LADEN cia doctored wag the dog photo’s.
… and please everyone lets keep in mind the AL-CIA-DUH rag heads, ARAB SPRING towel heads are american CIA israeli MASSOD employee’s and WORK for you the AMERICAN TAX PAYER!
so basically YOU ALL ARE PAYIN’ these alleged terrorist to terrorize you and your children…
TAKE A BOW AMERIKA!
Think about this, if SHTF there are going to be fires buring out of control, a lot and i mean a lot of homes are going to be destroyed when multiple homes close to each other start fire, it will be a chain reaction and it could be so bad that more that half the united states could be on fire next to homes that are next to each other, once 2-3 go they will burn many more down, temps will increase and cause massive fires, so take this into consideration when keeping your supples in a secured area, 2nd the religious thing, I believe in a man such as jesus that was sent her to save people and help, but I think god wants you to take care of yourself and gives you the courage to survive, i dont think anyone will be swept away so prep and stay cool mentally. 3rd a post was on here about little kids sent to doors for help while gangs waited to scope. dont answer the door if a total SHTF happens, you dont want anyone to know who is in the home where you are or any clues!!! That is important we know something is comming so prep and be ready and god take care of the people that can’t. Dont trust any new people because a lot of people will let you down, dont be paraniod but use some common sense. why are they comming to your home? what do they want? why are they here? People will rat you out I believe that.
I agree on what you said about Jesus. I am a believer, but I know based on Old Testament studies that God will not do for man what he can do for himself. So it is incumbent upon us as a people to take steps to prepare. God will provide the resources, but we have to act on them.
Yes exactly, that is what exactly is going on ScoutMotto. Totally agree with you on how you said that. I just wonder if Obama who I hate, will start a war with Iran before his election or not and how that will effect his relection efforts. Its going to be interesting,
Indeed, it will be interesting. That war has been planned for quite some time, so I suffer to say it is only a matter of time.
The good news is that people are waking up more than ever before, and are catching the government in all types of skulduggery. The government in my opinion is getting desperate. The US is still an armed nation, so they can’t just incite martial law and expect the people to cave in.
Keep on a-preppin’ – both spiritually and physically.
I love freaking people out that knock on my door.
I can tell when someone crosses my propertys perimeter..(not gonna say how)
I slide out the back door and come around from behind them just about the time they get to my porch..
its fun with family and friends.(but they catch on quick and you cant do it too many times).I bet to a home stalker it would make them shit their pants, especially when Im behind them and ask “can I help you” for them to turn around and see me standing there with my .40 and 870..heheheh
This was a great article, one of the best I’ve ever read. I already knew most of the items covered having been a contingency planner, but ….I needed some reminders. I truely believe in the maxim “a friend in need is a friend indeed.” or know who your real friends are and who you can truely depend on. I believe, it since I’ve been there ….in a few life or death situations where a friend, partner, co worker, whatever made the difference between living and dying. On another note, I’m rather surprised at some of the comments made to this article. Some had nothing to do with the topic at hand. I don’t think some of those would be so blithe or act like the situation depicted was a joke if they’d been there in Cairo. You have been in real SHTF situation, with everything on the line, to really appreciate the article. Don’t think these people have. Will say this in closing as advice.A friend, very street wise in the sense of the word, gave me some advice I’ve never forgotten that is true: help that person in need…. because sooner or later you could be in the same situation. For example, many years ago, I used to take food, etc to the needy as a charity organization volunteer. My friend told me take care of a neighbor and his family two doors down, a rather rough group, people you would not want to tangle with. Well a couple moved in next to me one day and a month later their back window was smashed out. The next day, I found a set of footprints going across my yard from that group’s house to the couple’s next door. The morale to the story is:they never touched my property because of that food, yet went out of their way to damage property in the neighborhood. In short,it isn’t a matter of just being a Christian and doing the right thing; it’s a matter of doing what you need to do to survive. No man is an island.
i love reading all the reactions and comments on here hope none of this comes to pass but not lookin good is it! any of youall in arkansas?
iowa and Pa
Lesson #21 Don’t have an Alamo fantasy. There is nothing glorious about dying in battle or making your last stand at a place of your choosing. It does you no good to form a “bunker mentality” and think of your castle, or house, or your spider hole as a place where some final, cataclysmic battle might take place.
Don’t get me wrong, there is a place for completely sandbagged homes… like you’ve seen on TV in East LA. There is also a place for things like escape tunnels, safe rooms, and knowing where advantageous firing positions are in the event of a home invasion or property invasion. Just don’t get it in your mind that it’s 1836 and you don’t have much of a choice in the matter.
good point on that. you are totally right and that is the truth.
Excellent points. I’m about half way through “Holding Your Ground” by Joe Nobody. Good book. Solidifies a lot of what I’ve been planning/thinking. It mentions this also.
This is not Hollywood. While we all have to keep our self respect, one thing the book mentions is that there is no shame in a fighting retreat. You can come back later and get whats left. Even if its not much, you still have YOU.
Who says you have to practice at the range to hit your target?
http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/technology/sandia-labs-bullet-doesnt-miss
Anyone know anything about buying stock or shares? I want to buy FB stock when it goes public this summer and I have no idea how to do it or who the best (least ripoff in fees) company to go through?
Thanks
Scottrade. But, I wouldn’t buy it unless you could get it like the congressmen and the senators do.
I’d wait for it to top out and short it on a spike. It will retrace 30%, at least once the bubble bursts.
Hey Net, care to translate that to English please…LoL 😉
~~~I have a great and inexpensive way to store dry goods for long term if anyone is interested.~~~
So, Captain…I’m all ears; or on here I guess I’m all eyes??
Speak…or, uh, type!
ok. forget buying 5 gallon buckets of food like rice, oats, beans and what not for the super high price of some of the survival website and stores. I have seen 5 gallon buckets of beans and lentils and rice sell for 75 to 100 bucks!!!! THAT IS CRAZY EXPENSIVE!! All of the dried goods that are sold prepackaged in 5 gallon containers is sold on a mark up. I own a little take out restaurant. We can buy stuff for uber cheap in bulk with our tax i.d. number. Compile that with my sure fire way of packaging it and you will be super surprised what it actually costs to do it yourself. I will go on in detail how to do it and show you the mark up that people are doing not for any monetary gain on my end just for you to take care of your family. 100 bucks for some sealed up rice or 120 bucks for lentils that hae a long shelf life is ridiculous. I have a long enough post but I will go on. I want to help my fellow preppers. Not make a buck off of you all.
He’s in Greece now? Does he LIKE SHTF?
my thoughts exactly
While this list lacks some details, it might be a good idea to print this out, laminate it, and put it in between your copy of “When There’s No Doctor” and “Where There’s No Dentist”. Then, all three of them would be between “Surviving TEOWAWKI” and “Holding Your Ground”.
Thanks again, Mac, for bringing us the best! BTW, Santa brought me “Holding Your Ground”. I think Santa shops at Amazon, don’t you?
😉
I have been thinking about the whole “who do you help scenerio” all day and this is what I came up with: #1: There are a lot of variables. If there is some neighbor that cannot afford to prep but is a good person otherwise then I will help that person and his/her family, on the other hand if the said person is of ill refute and would try to milk the most out of me as long as they could than that would be the situation that I would say “take this and leave”. #2 Having as many hands on deck in a shtf scenerio would be great. Why wouldn’t I share my food with people who would in turn share security, chores, etc with me and mine throught out a shtf scenerio. #3 Not to get religious at all but didn’t Jesus say something along the lines of “If he asks you for your tunic, give him your cloak” and “if he asks you to carry something for one mile then carry it for two miles.” Trust me, I do not read this as being submissive but there is a point there. Also, power in numbers is a big deal. I will take care of my wife, house, dogs and imediate neighbors first but after that is taken care of I will do my best to take care of others. We are lucky to have a couple of acres out here in NW Ga and I wil share my wealth as much as I can as long as I can for the mutual benefit of my houshold first and my community second. You never know, when you give a cup of water to a thirsty angel when you do it. It is after the fact that you find out.
@JJ
I have been reading this website for a long time now and only posted my first three posts today, this one being my third. I guess it takes am inute to upload but I want to share how I package my dried goods. I hang out at our local “survival store” and see people buy prepackages goods because they dont understand the simplicity and inexpensivity (if thats a word) to doing it yourself. Like I said, once I figure out how long it takes a post to upload I will tell you. ANy prepper out there in the Atlanta area that wants to get dried goods, #10 cans of anything you can imagine (with the exception of #10 cans of crisp ten dollar bills) and anything that a restaurant gets, let me know and we will go on a field trip. Like I said, I want to help you guys how ever I can.
My dry goods are mostly in 5 gallon buckets…no absorbers, no dessicants, no mylar bags; just D.E. and bay leaf for parasites and preventing moisture.
I had cases and cases of ‘on sale’ canning jars; I read an article of a granny that heated her dry goods (and other foods) in the oven @ 250 degrees for 2 hours, removed, cleaned the rim, put on lid and ring.
This made short term goods become long term goods.
I have 62 quart jars of pancake mix, flour, and cornmeal; and still have a few 5 gallon buckets full.
Looking forward to hearing how you store long term dry goods.
Peace…JayJay
And, yes, for over 3 years, I have prepared all my preps by myself; only bought powdered buttermilk and eggs online.
Point 2 in this guys article is summat you need to be doing LONG before shtf for it to be effective.
Examples of this I can think of for people to google are “Incredible Edible Todmorden” & some of the community gardening schemes that are going on in Detroit. People are ALREADY used to working together in ways that can help them survive shtf or post peak oil. Projects like this mean the communities KNOW who is a slacker (non of us can help unemployment to the corp in this climate, however we can choose whether we use the time not on compnay dollar productively). Come SHTF time the community grafters alread KNOW each others foibles strengths and weaknesses to gather together for survival and protect their community. That’s prep proper folks!
I’ve indentified a couple of older bods who know about metal work (non-electric), gardening, home protection & other useful skills for my son to learn that I won’t see go to the wall come shtf time their KNOWLEDGE has a value that could be lifesaving. I also intend to band together with another family from a totally different culture to mine as we get on very well, have similar core values (kids come first!) and they have the real life shtf shooting and nursing skills I don’t. (My son & I have skills to offer them such as a LOT of knowledge of edible plants). As a group I think we can make it, alone I honestly think we’d be prolonging the invitable.
This article hghlights the fact that lone rangerism won’t cut it. I watched very carefully how things went down in the UK riots this summer, & adapted my plans accordngly.
The aftermath and the “snitches” in my community was a useful thing to watch as it’s important to note the youth were protesting the deaths of 300 young people in police custody in 2010 – not summat the msm mentioned. I didn’t agree with the violent method of rioting but I could see the rampaging mob’s point – the young know they are being screwed – they just haven’t worked out what to do about it. The msm twisted the message totally so the young “lost” that round.
Unlike the UK riots the Sicily uprising is not being given any airtime at all. It’s older, more articulate people making a point. So we get slence. Icelanders went through a rocky time but things have gone back to normal for them now – something rarely mentioned. The ptb win so often just be using ye old “divide and conquer” but around the world just a few communities have woken up to this.
Open mindedness & adaptability seems to be critical from all the accounts of shtf I’ve read from places like the Balkans, Somalia, Argentina, Greece etc.
Personally I think the PTB have selected frog boiling as the method to bring down the west – especially for the US where Joe six pack has a gun. With this in mind you have time to prepare.
Seeds can be sprouted for a long term bug in OR planted out when it’s safe to do so. As many heirloom seeds as I can gather is therefore an important part of my prep as I think kids esp need access to fresh food for as long as possible. Just as you need to be open-minded about people, so I think material preps should be as versatile as possible. Buy stuff that can serve more than one purpose/situation whenever possible.
Those of you who have young children need to seriously think about how you will educate your children during this time….public schools will be very unreliable..(ok..not that they are that great now..LOL.)..in any event, having educational materials, good books, drawing and coloring supplies, etc. will help your children find a sense of calm. Passing on your wisdom and family traditions has been what was sorely lacking until i began to prep. My grandparents left me with a legacy of how they endured the depression….and that sense of self reliance has carried me and my family throughout our lives. I am now awaiting the time when my grandchildren are old enough to understand so that i can along with their parents pass on the knowledge that will help them weather the coming storm…
one final thought….i truly enjoy this blog and the sharing of ideas and opinions…but i get a little tired of the personal attacks and profanity that some seem to think represent “intelligent thought”…the time to prep is quickly disappearing…i hope we all can commit to bringing the best to this blog so that we can support and sustain those who find it truly inspiring…..
Well said my fellow Oregonian! Take care!
Slightly off topic but Oregon Preppers post made me want to share this:-
Look for educational materials for the 3R’s from before the gubberment reduced education to mere propaganda –
For great educational materials for kids check ths out:-
http://www.amblesideonline.org/curriculum.shtml#years
It’s based on a curriculum from the days when kids were expected to be literate and numerate by 14. (Including the lost art of mental arithmetic & critical literary thinking etc). Lots of the texts are available to download for free from varios online sources.
I’m gradually collecting it in hardcopy format as fast as I can, partly to supplement the “school” education my son is getting so he doesn’t turn out another X-box generational fool but also because it’ll be worth gold to parents in a post -electronic shtf situation.
The literary texts aren’t the PC crap kids are fed in schools, heros depend on bravery & self reliance etc so you are conteracting some of the gubberment propaganda by reading and discussing the texts with your kids at weekends as we prep.
Rays arithmetic is great for maths and not too expensive to purchase in hard copy format. Again it’s from the days BEFORE education got dumbed down to mere propaganda. The ability to think for oneself, problem solve and mental arithmetic are key components of this curriculum.
For our kids to survive long term mindset is gonna mean everything. This is a free resource that we can all use NOW to help give our kids a chance.
Everyone relax.. (Me included)
If you cannot see it the most important thing you can bring to the game is an open and flexible mind. Improvise Adapt Overcome more than just a slogan.. I see people give up all the time.. while others who ought to quit… just cannot.. Look at some old guy dragging himself down the road or fixing his car.. An old women her think white hair… Crap that’s courage.
Get up and go to work or go looking for a job today..
That’s courageous..
So just be yourself.
Nothing wrong with a 22 but keep in mind even cheap body armor will defeat it.
Nothing wrong with a 12 gauge but keep in mind most have a limited ammo capacity and take considerable time to reload.
Do not try to Rambo your way thru things in when softly softly will work..It takes much less effort and risk…
The object is survival and if you manage that your get to tell tales of your daring do.. those who did not survive for what ever reason will not.
Die with dignity if at all possible..
We are all going to die in the end.. So it really is better to go down fighting if that is required than to gain but a few more moments of life in suffering and pain.
Get to be Friends with God.. talk with him privately.. He listens and (at least his Son) has a sense of humor.
To me, the most important lesson is that conditions and situations can deteriorate rapidly and with little warning.
Aloha everyone
Awesome article, Im on a rock in the middle of the pacific called Hawaii, most goods come to us shipped from California and im afraid once the the shipping dock unions get involve in some major altercation, aka strike, w/ the government, the doo-doo really hits the commercial grade fans for us, it happened before, even this pass tsunami from Japan sucked dry the grocery stores and if they had any(rice), price was so bloated Rockeefailer would have him assasinated, some guy was selling a case of bottled water on craigslist for wait for it…wait for it, 100.00 dollars!! I’ ve done some prepping, but not where i should be yet, something that stuck with me was from another article regarding Haiti earthquake, the most prominent items right after the event were, and its
variant, tarp/container/machete, i got them covered. thank you for posting and Aloha
Shocking… domestic grocery stores running on fumes because of a foreign disaster? If that is all it takes my friends, what would (will) a real shooting war do to the shelves at your local grocery store??
Hi usa,
All I can say is, wow…I thought I had problems. I have never been to Hawaii and never gave it much thought but yeah, you are pretty isolated over there. I suspect anything that did make it over there would go directly to the military bases. Keep prepp’n my friend and take care.
Good article on the same topic…
Henry David Thoreau Survival Insights that You Can Use Now in the Erratic, Government Interventionist Economy
(www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2012/01/henry-david-thoreau-survival-insights.html)
(www.survivalblog.se/2012/01/survival-insights-of-an-americ.html)
@Toomanyfakeconservatives we are mentally prepared for such a scenario, which does include grabbing(hoarding lol)everything and anything to sustain our livelihood, we have to be, its about close to 3000 miles in every direction before any real help can get here, we’ve all seen the aftermath of major disasters either by msm or on the net, if it does come to a gun fight(war), oil price will sky rocket(it just made 4.05 a gal for regular 2 days ago), major industries will have no choice but to streamline operation, effecting commerce, right down to not goin to the beach for a picnic due to high price of gas and food.
With regards to #1, its the first item i started to pursue and had gotton one 2 years ago, boy am i glad i was able to get one (springfieldxd tactical fullsize 45 acp), it just seems to even out the playingfield just a little bit, if it never gets real usage i’ll past it on to my son or daughter.
Great article, and its no reality show, anyone living distant from any help, start prepping now.
People really are stupid. I remember during the prep for Hurricane Katrina here in Houston the likes at the grocery store reached around the block; so bad they were only letting in three people at a time…
Meanwhile, the Walgreens and CVS stores were wide open with huge selections of canned foods, batteries, meds, wines etc.
Didn’t have to be Rambo to figure that out quick.
http://ncrenegade.com/editorial/muslim-brotherhood-has-infiltrated-homeland-security/
Thanks to those above for the constructive comments and occasional compliments. To answer just one question or two regarding the comments that were made….
1) No I do NOT like SHTF. My wife and I left Cairo for Greece as it was closer than flying all the way back to the US. It was just easier and we were out of Athens to more comfortable beach climes very quickly. We then returned to Cairo for several months, are now in the US. We will return to Cairo just after the upcoming elections. Yes, there is a bit of insanity in that but that’s where the job is.
2) Regarding the Liquor Cabinet Rule…I was trying to be a bit lighthearted. I was not implying that one should be drunk. For practical purposes however…it is IMPOSSIBLE to be “on point” 24/7 and you will also have trouble sleeping with a military helicopter circling overhead even after staying up all night on “neighborhood watch”. A shot late at night is a decent idea under those circumstances and with those “study abroad” kids it was a nice responsible way to maintain their sanity too.
3) Regarding the shotgun. No, I was not carrying the shotgun during riots. Actually a few guys (maybe 1/4 of the guys on our street) had their shotguns come out on the 28th. It was, quite frankly, what people had and it was purely defensive of the neighborhood if people strayed into the vicinity on foot or in their cars after curfew. We also had a big rack of molotov coctails, bats, clubs. and believe it or not, swords. In a strange way, the shotguns were ideal because the military saw them as being defensive. Had they been rifles of any sort I don’t think the Army would have been quite so understanding.
4) As to the above question of why the prisons were opened up to generate chaos…it is not AT ALL clear that it was done to push Mubarak from power. Most speculation on the street was that the police and Mubarak (Jan 25 is the “police day” holiday) collaborated to generate enough chaos that people would go home and realize they desired “security” more than “political change”. I believe one high ranking police officer who refused to open the jail/prison where he worked under those circumstances was killed and is often presented as a Martyr of the revolution.
[Just discovered your blog, Mac. Here’s an intriguing bit I found on the net. Enjoy!]
Pretrib Rapture Pride
Pretrib rapture promoters like Thomas Ice give the impression they know more than the early Church Fathers, the Reformers, the greatest Greek New Testament scholars including those who produced the KJV Bible, the founders of their favorite Bible schools, and even their own mentors!
Ice’s mentor, Dallas Sem. president John Walvoord, couldn’t find anyone holding to pretrib before 1830 – and Walvoord called John Darby and his Brethren followers “the early pretribulationists” (RQ, pp. 160-62). Ice belittles Walvoord and claims that several pre-1830 persons, including “Pseudo-Ephraem” and a “Rev. Morgan Edwards,” taught a pretrib rapture. Even though the first one viewed Antichrist’s arrival as the only “imminent” event, Ice (and Grant Jeffrey) audaciously claim he expected an “imminent” pretrib rapture! And Ice (and John Bray) have covered up Edwards’ historicism which made a pretrib rapture impossible! Google “Morgan Edwards’ Rapture View” and journalist/historian Dave MacPherson’s “Deceiving and Being Deceived” for documentation on these and similar historical distortions.
The same pretrib defenders, when combing ancient books, deviously read “pretrib” into phrases like “before Armageddon,” “before the final conflagration,” and “escape all these things”!
BTW, the KJV translators’ other writings found in London’s famed British Library (where MacPherson has researched) don’t have even a hint of pretrib rapturism. Is it possible that Ice etc. have found pretrib “proof” in the KJV that its translators never found?
Pretrib merchandisers like Ice claim that nothing is better pretrib proof than Rev. 3:10. They also cover up “Famous Rapture Watchers” (on Google) which shows how the greatest Greek NT scholars of all time interpreted it.
Pretrib didn’t flourish in America much before the 1909 Scofield Bible which has pretribby “explanatory notes” in its margins. Not seen in the margins was jailed forger Scofield’s criminal record throughout his life that David Lutzweiler has documented in his recent book “The Praise of Folly” which is available online.
Biola University’s doctrinal statement says Christ’s return is “premillennial” and “before the Tribulation.” Although universities stand for “academic freedom,” Biola has added these narrow, restrictive phrases – non-essentials the founders purposely didn’t include in their original doctrinal statement when Biola was just a small Bible institute! And other Christian schools have also belittled their founders.
Ice, BTW, has a “Ph.D” issued by a tiny Texas school that wasn’t authorized to issue degrees! Ice now says that he’s working on another “Ph.D” via the University of Wales in Britain. For light on the degrees of Ice’s scholarliness, Google “Bogus degree scandal prompts calls to wind up University of Wales,” “Thomas Ice (Bloopers),” “be careful in polemics – Peripatetic Learning,” and “Walvoord Melts Ice.” Also Google “Thomas Ice (Hired Gun)” – featured by media luminary Joe Ortiz on his Jan. 30, 2013 “End Times Passover” blog.
Other fascinating Google articles include “The Unoriginal John Darby,” “X-raying Margaret,” “Margaret Macdonald’s Rapture Chart,” “Pretrib Rapture’s Missing Lines,” “Edward Irving is Unnerving,” “Pretrib Rapture Politics,” “Pretrib Rapture Secrets,” “Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty,” “Pretrib Hypocrisy,” “Pretrib Rapture Secrecy,” and “Roots of Warlike Christian Zionism” – most from the author of “The Rapture Plot” (the most accurate documentation on pretrib rapture history) which can be obtained by calling 800.643.4645.
Can anyone guess who the last proud pretrib rapture holdout will be?
(Postscript: For another jolt or two Google “The Background Obama Can’t Cover Up.”)