‘Ol Remus at Woodpile Report brings up an interesting view of the great depression of the 1930’s and today:
Again, there’s the intimation of timing. Now we’re all in, we’ve bet the farm, we’ve drained every account, foreclosed every option. There is no Plan B, nor the means for one. What if they’re disastrously wrong in propping up the economy to “get us through”, what if there is no possibility of recovery? What if the default story of the Great Depression is wrong not because it compresses events, but because it suggests events can be drawn out for years? Perhaps the long slide into the Great Depression is not a cautionary tale but a comforting tale. What if it doesn’t go on and on this time? What if the slide happens in weeks? What if it’s days?
The doomers were right about the first phase, give ’em that, but perhaps the’re wrong about the next phase—wrong because they’re not pessimistic enough. That’s right, think about it. The doomer’s scenarios of currency meldowns, debt blowups, Enron-like budget disasters, realization of defacto collapses, sovereign debt implosions and civilizational Armageddons may be understating things. Even they don’t imagine a doomsweek or a doomsday. If the nation were an aircraft flying on instruments we’d be bracing for impact about now because the warnings just keep on a-comin’, the indicators are steadying up and pointing to the center of the earth. Terrain. Terrain.
Last year everyone was predicting something: bank holidays, RFID bracelets at swine flu checkpoints, mass graves, nukes in DC, troops on the streets and whatnot. Now everyone’s trying to be rational and have pushed their predictions back 2, 5, or 10 years; so now I’m pretty sure the S will HTF within a few weeks.
The paranoia lets you know you’re still alive.
There are still people who don’t have a clue.
What happens to them?
What could we do to help them?
Should we help them at all? (It’s their own fault…)
If I share my food, my cellar will be empty in 2 days.
I believe lots of people will die, because they are not prepared for a collapse of the economy.
SHTF=BULLSHIT
LOL. Slavo, another dumb Pollack posting bullshit. I thought Hitler gassed all the Pollacks. Did your fat mama get away?
Eddy, I believe the proper spelling for the Polish slur is “Polak”, but you’re the genius, so we’ll go with your spelling.
And no, I am not a Polak.
And no, Hitler didn’t gas all the Polaks.
And no, Mom is actually a good looking thin lady who, incidentally, was not alive during WWII.
But we sincerely thank you for your substantive argument about this post being bullshit.
Comments…..Mac I like your style. For the almighty says “When the ignorant address you salute them with peace and move on”.
heh. Thanks Sam. I should say the same to you. I noticed some of the attacks upon you on other comment strings (had to delete some, actually, hope i got most of them), and I appreciate you looking past much of the childish gibberish.
If one speaks the truth, he need not personally attack another, nor defend his position…. it’s one thing to be fired up about issues, but when someone’s color or religion or culture is used to incite a response, in most cases, it yields very little constructive dialogue.
Mac, I like your style too. No matter what your mama looks like, she raised you right! The folk who think and speak as the other “contributors” (I use the term loosly since they didn’t contribute much!) are missing what’s important, and WTSHTF will probably be found in the first group of rioters who are desperately trying to take what they lack from those who prepared. There are so many more important things to focus on…I’m reminded of what my mama said: if you have to cuss to discuss, you lack vocabulary. If you have to denigrate to discuss, you lack concern, compassion and respect for your fellow man.  Â
Thanks for your hard work here, Mac. Keep up the good work!!!!!!
Mac.: I agree with some if not most of what you say, But in the worst case senario,and tshtf, There will be millions of desperate people out to take what you have away from you,including small armies that work for the wealthy eliets.Guns may help but reinforced strong holds are just as important.with more than one entrance .a place that you cannot be burned out smoked out or flooded out,prefferably built over a well,then back filled,But before back filling lay out your septic pipes and make sure it is way away from your well.then put in your tunnels to come and go. then back fill everything up to the roof. before you back fill over the roof install no glare windows that will not break,and camoflage vents ,Next fill it all in, and plant thorn bushes or some other undesireable foilage.to conceal the windows and vents.If you make this place large enough you could put in a small fishery and garden.But i wouldn’t hold much faith in a place in florida, most of florida is at sea level and i think the highest is about 150 feet,unless you have the hill then it will be flooded,if you do have the hill then your set,because it would then be an island in the sea of dispare.as far as the doubters, those will be the folks you have to worry about, a couple good books like the left behind series or Island in the sea of time,will give you a general idea of what to expect.your own brothers and sisters will turn against you for a bite to eat.and don’t worry about the folks that don’t believe in gold and silver, if you have it it can be used,as barter or lead.or bribes to the armies that do find and capture your stronghold,Thats why i say out of sight out of mind…..Â
Comments….. Wow !! that makes sense ..
I pray it never comes to that.
Wow, when I read the title of the article I was gearing up for a response that wouldn’t have been appropriate before reading the actual article!
There are branches of science that specifically address sudden, rapid change to ecosystems and also to biological lifeforms. For instance, conventional wisdom is that according to Darwin’s Theory on Evolution, adaptation takes millions of years and thousands upon thousands of generations to hone in order to produce a more robust lifeform suitable for a changing environment. There are new theories on adaptation that suggest such changes can potentially occur over much shorter timeframes, perhaps in a generation or two. Maybe some readers know what this is called but I have come across it before.
Conventionally we are also taught that Pangea broke into the continents slowly over millions of years, drifting apart until they came to where they are today. The alternative theory is that they broke apart due to some cataclysmic event and this may have happened over a period of weeks or even days. The film 2012 comes to mind if one believes in magnetic pole reversals and crustal shifts and the like.
The point of all this is that there is some science/pseudo-science out there that says sudden rapid changes are real and that we’d best prepare if we can.
Just think how awful it would be if one morning you woke up and the sky was on fire, or there was a 100-foot wall of water headed toward your home. What would you do?
Chris: The best you can do is prepare .and what will be will be. You can Work to make sure you stand a chance then ,hope and pray for the best, And you might want to wear a baggy pair of pants, if worse comes to worse at least you can bend over and kiss your a** goodby.There are some things you got to do for your self, thats one of them….
Hi Kids,
Sorry I’m so late to the discussion.
FWIW, my teens are half polak and they know everything.
Now more on-point…
In the late 80s when I first started to make an effort towards more self-sufficiency, it was along the lines of having enough for my family & me in the unlikely, but nevertheless inevitable, instance of some sort of disaster.
As my view has evolved, while I still believe that each of us should take personal responsibility for our own survival to the extent possible, and make some preparation for whatever scenario may come our way, I am convinced that the only viable long-term response to a true SHTF incident is via a ‘Resilient Community’.
This idea exemplifies the adage ‘united we stand, divided we fall.’ A community that has infrastructure for energy production, food production, water resources, manufacturing capabilities, medical arts, and so forth, coupled with a cooperative, productive citizenry, stands the best chance of thriving.
My thinking is that several dozen is a minimum size for a marginally resilient community if the SHTF. Perhaps you should be accumulating your fellow resilient community members as well as your freeze dried stores. Something to think about anyways…..
Here’s one resilient community link I spotted:
http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrillas/2010/02/turning-resilient-communities-into-a-business-opportunity.html
Best,
– TOTN
Comments…..Chris, As far  as God is concerned, the future already happened, it is through faith, which leads to cultivation of proper knowledge that leads to planning right. Foresight is one of the greatest gifts given to man.Noah knew that exact timing of the flood and made sure he was done in time.Lot left the day before the brimstone shower. It is the heart that goes blind not the eyes.