Free Republic

If it's the future, and the end of the world is nigh, it's probably safe to assume that things are looking grim. If all you have to eat is the survivalist food you bought from televangelist Jim Bakker in 2015, then your situation may be considerably worse. Jim Bakker and his first wife, Tammy Faye, in 1986. Bakker now sells an array of food products on the television show he co-hosts with his second wife, Lori Bakker.i You might recall Bakker's fall from grace in the '80s after a sex scandal and four-year stint in federal prison for time-share fraud....

I have read articles and posts, as well as listened to preppers discuss the use of Calcium Hypochlorite (Cal-Hypo) as a water sanitizer in The-End-Of-The-World-As-We-Know-It (TEOTWAWKI) situations. I owned a swimming pool business for over 20 years, and during that time I used Cal-Hypo, Sodium Dichloro-S-Trianzinetrione (Dichlor), and Sodium Trichloro-S-Trianzinetrione (Trichlor) extensively in both commercial and residential swimming pools. I also installed and maintained many salt-chlorine generator systems. Every time I read about someone planning to use Cal-Hypo for long-term storage to provide water sanitation in TEOTWAWKI, I cringe. Cal-Hypo has many serious shortcomings. The disadvantages are: Cal-Hypo degrades and...

We've all been part of these discussions, and we've all read a ton of them on forums and blogs over the years: "If you could have only one gun for TEOTWAWKI, what would it be?" A more enlightened-seeming variant on this same theme are discussions that start with, "If you could pick only three guns for TSHTF.." Here's what's wrong with so many of these discussions: no matter what flavor of civilization-ending apocalypse you contemplate-meteor strike, super volcano, global pandemic, EMP blast, etc.-a SHTF scenario is likely to play out in phases, and for each phase you're going to need...

In light of Friday's terrorist attacks, it seems only a matter of time before similar incidents occur in the U.S. The question many people are asking is "What would I do if suddenly in a situation like Paris??" To help answer that concern, Bearing Arms will offer a list of ten things you can do to avoid becoming a casualty in the "War on Terror." 1.Realize it WILL happen here : This isn't a paranoid statement: it is a simple unpleasant fact based upon intelligence gathering efforts, expert opinion, and common sense. At some point, it is likely there will...

The ‘Perfect’ Location I have been reading more and more lately, articles with the theme of having a ‘Perfect Bug In Location’, along with details on how to defend it, options and examples on booby traps, philosophy of defense and similar. It’s a fascinating discussion with lot of interesting points, and it gave me the idea to share some thoughts of mine. - See more at: http://shtfschool.com/security/finding-the-perfect-location/#sthash.lt9KffsZ.dpuf

A Friday night in Paris, France turned into a bloody rampage when at least two Muslim men armed with assault rifles left 160 dead and scores wounded. Some reports also indicate that suicide bombers were to blame for multiple explosions heard by witnesses. A de facto state of Martial Law now exists in France, with mandatory curfews and the country’s borders sealed for the first time since the 1962 Algerian war. Paris authorities also announced a closure of all schools and universities in the French capital. Armored vehicles have been deployed around the city. This is likely only the beginning...

In the late summer of 1859, an extreme geomagnetic storm bombarded the planet, igniting the ghostly, emerald lights of the aurora across skies as far south as Cuba. These powerful solar eruptions of magnetized plasma hitting the Earth caused telegraph wires to spark, disabled communications and set fire to several telegraph offices, according to NASA In the modern world, the threat of space weather is far greater as storms like the Carrington Event of 1859 pose a risk to interconnected power grids, airline operations, satellites and communications networks across the globe. "The overall goal is to ensure that the nation...

If the zombie apocalypse happens, scientists say you should head for the hills If - or when - the zombie apocalypse comes, those of us in big cities are in trouble, according to research presented at the American Physical Society March meeting on March 5, 2015. Starting in a big city like New York or Atlanta would mean you are basically screwed from the start if the epidemic had already hit there, according to Alex Alemi, a graduate student at Cornell University and part of the research team. You are much better off starting further away from people, they say,...

There's this thread on Reddit that stated: For as long as I've had my AR, I've kept it equipped with iron sights only, on the theory that I didn't want to rely on a battery-operated sight. That's still true, but I'm rethinking my original choices and considering a scope or fiber optic sight. So, my question is two-fold: Would you recommend iron sights, some form of fiber optic sight, a scope of whatever type, or a combination?For scopes or fiber optic sights, what model do you recommend that performs well between 100 and 300 yards and won't break the bank?Good...

Remember when, not so long ago, much of the Mainstream Media was mocking people who stocked up on emergency supplies ("preppers") in case of a catastrophe as a bunch of "rightwing" survivalist kooks wearing tinfoil hats? Well, it now appears that Ted Koppel is wearing a tinfoil hat because he is warning about a possible apocalyptic catastrophe that could knock out the nation's power grid for up to two years and is recommending that people stock up on emergency supplies. Such recommendations are made in his recently published book, Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath. We shall...

If a giant solar flare hit the Earth, it could knock out the entire power grid, meaning no more new Taylor Swift singles, no more televised presidential debates, and no more Facebook photos of babies. But it wouldn't be all good news. The Washington Postreports the elecromagnetic pulse—or EMP—created by such an event could wipe out electricity for months on end, creating a global catastrophe. That's why the White House released its National Space Weather Strategy on Thursday. According to the Houston Chronicle, the multiagency plan details how the US will prepare for—and deal with—a massive EMP from space. The six-step plan requires government...

When it comes to “prepping”, many among the elite take things to an entirely different level. As you will see below, the elite are willing to pay big money for cutting edge home security measures, luxury bomb shelters and superyacht getaway submarines. Some of the things that the elite are demanding for their own protection go beyond even what we would see in a James Bond film, and serving the prepping needs of the elite has become a multi-billion dollar business. Meanwhile, the media outlets that the elite own continue to mock the rest of us for getting prepared. All...

But little did we know that Overstock's Chairman Jonathan Johnson is as vocal an opponent of the fiat system, and Wall Street's tendency to create bubble after bubble, if not more than Byrne himself. That, and that his company actually puts its money where its gold-backed money is and in preparation for the next upcoming crash, has taken unprecedented steps to prepare for what comes next. One week ago Johnson, who is also candidate for Utah governor, spoke at the United Precious Metals Association, or UPMA, which we first profiled a month ago, and which takes advantage of Utah's special...

Some think that being poor is simple. You don’t have enough money to buy a lot of stuff, so you’re forced to buy less stuff. But that’s not really how it works. When you’re broke, you can’t do all the little things that will improve your budget over the long run. It actually costs more to be poor.When you’re poor, you can’t buy your food in bulk, buy high quality stuff that will last, or own your own tech instead of renting. It costs money up front to save money over the long run. Worse yet, being poor often comes...

The Department of Homeland Security acknowledges ISIS has been attempting to hack U.S. electrical grids. Fortunately, to date, we’ve all been very fortunate the attacks have been unsuccessful. But one day our luck will run out. That will be a very dark day for America. What keeps America alive is the electrical grid. If it goes down, for a week or longer, the devastation will be incalculable. Many will die. Some won’t be able to heat their homes. No one will be able to buy gasoline. Offices and businesses close down. Supermarket shelves will be barren. Some, who rely on...

While preppers and survivalists have grown in numbers over recent years, preparing for everything from an Electromgnetic Pulse (EMP) to a zombie apocalypse, with sites catering to those prepping on a budget, and the U.S. government continues to stock their underground facilities for an extinction level event, another segment of society is preparing for ‘doomsday’ and how to survive it in style. Billionaires are buying up space in underground bunkers, luxury bomb shelters, paying up to $35,000 just as an entry fee to the Vivos Indiana facility, but the price tag for the Vivos Europa One facility, described as a...

Sssshhhhhh. I have a secret, something I can’t let the government know about. It’s something incredibly subversive, certainly seditious, possibly traitorous, and maybe soon to be illegal. Ready? Here’s my secret: We use … gasp … cash for almost all our transactions. Shocking, I know. Oddly enough, the trigger for our rapid transition to an all-cash (as much as possible) lifestyle happened almost three years ago when we discovered a large well-known store that carried supplies we use in our home woodcraft business. But the first time I went to purchase these supplies with a check, the following conversation ensued...

1. You die of thirst or waterborne illness. 2. You die from fantasy-world planning. 3. You freeze to death. 4. You starve to death. 5. You have an accident involving major trauma. 6. You get murdered when raiders or looters come to steal your stuff. 7. You get sick. 8. You get an infection. 9. You die because you are fat and/or out of shape. 10. You die when you daily medication runs out.

There’s war in Ukraine and the Middle East. And persecution of Christians in the Holy Land and around the world. Even in the United States. Then there is a border crisis of “biblical” proportions in Europe. And the beginning of a new Shemitah cycle accompanying trouble in the American economy. Trouble looms on many fronts, but if you are just starting to prepare, says evangelist Jim Bakker, “You are awful late.” Bakker made the comment in a discussion with pastor, talk-show host and author Carl Gallups on “The Jim Bakker Show.” Gallups was discussing his new book, “Be Thou Prepared,”...

Skill #1) Standing in line for 12 hours at a timeSkill #2) Looting retail establishments for desperate suppliesSkill #3) Unintentional fasting (also known as starvation)Skill #4) Making human jerky with a solar food dehydratorSkill #5) Playing the victim and blaming someone else for your stupiditySkill #6) Begging the government to save youSkill #7) Bartering family heirlooms for mealsSkill #8) Dodging bullets from armed gang bangersSkill #9) Hiding valuable objects in your rectumSkill #10) Selling your body for food