Posted on 08/15/2012 5:55:42 PM PDT by Kartographer
1. It’s just like camping.
2. You can buy enough food and supplies for forever.
3. Your neighbors will gather around and help each other.
4. If I buy enough gadgets (mini washing machine, generator, solar tracker) I’ll be OK
5. I can get to my survival location when TSHTF.
6. I can convince my “significant other” that this is the right move.
7. I don’t need to prepare a place. I’ll just grab my Bug-Out-Bag and find a cave somewhere.
8. My kids will be bored.
"The most common of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind." -- H L Mencken, A Mencken Chrestomathy ...
And with this I bid you good night.
I’m in agreement with you. I think most people rule out the EMP by nucs or extreme solar flares as being too far fetched. EMP is one of the only things that will send our civilization back 200 years in an instant. If people read “One Second After” I think they would understand better the suddenness of the change in an instant. Besides, the same scenario is applicable for a catastrophic financial collapse, a modern all-out no-holds barred world war, or catastrophic environmental disaster.
I’ve talked to hundreds of preppers over the last two years and many people who like me try and provide guidance to those who prep or starting to and the one comment I hear the most is that they have a ‘feeling’. These people are from all social, education and financial backgrounds. They say that there are demonstrable statistic that show that the number of people missing airline flights that end up crashing is higher than the average number of people that miss flights. I know myself there have been times when I have putted around doing this and that in the morning, which is unusual for me only to leave and find that a big wreck has taken place along my route to work. I say listen to that little voice in the back of you head, because there’s a good chance it knows what its’ talking about.
Something wicked this way comes, are you ready?
For those who are just starting or are old hands at prepping you may find my Preparedness Manual helpfull. You can download it at:
http://tomeaker.com/kart/Preparedness1j.pdf
NOTE! THIS IS A FREE DOWNLOAD. I DO NOT MAKE ONE CENT OFF MY PREPAREDNESS MANUAL!
For those of you who haven’t started already it’s time to prepare almost past time maybe. You needed to be stocking up on food guns, ammo, basic household supplies like soap, papergoods, cleaning supplies, good sturdy clothes including extra socks, underwear and extra shoes and boots, a extra couple changes of oil and filters for your car, tools, things you buy everyday start buying two and put one up.
As the LDS say “When the emergency is upon us the time for preparedness has past.”
Or as the bible says: A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
NIV Proverbs 22:3
Lastly this for the doubters and the scoffers.
“There is no greater disaster than to underestimate danger.
Underestimation can be fatal.”
whatever. Do you actually have a point you’re trying to make?
Me? No you are one with all the answers I was asking a fair question.
Another interesting book is “The Great Influenza” about the spanish flu. Warning - the first ~ 75 pages are a boring medical history of the US. After that, it is a gripping read. The fun/scary part is to extrapolate the effects caused by a 30% morbidity / 2% mortality sickness on an agrarian, self reliant society to our modern, inter dependent one. How often do grocery stores or gas stations need re-supply and how many ventilators and trained personnel does the local hospital have are questions without fun answers...
SSKI is an old world medicine. Long forgotten by many. I’ve used it on everything from horses to chickens, hulking cowboys and anxious children. Iodine, Isopropyl, and H202 will cure a lot of problems for pennies.
Just getting around to reading this. I spent the day on the web looking for a women’s tactical vest - finally found one that is just right for my purpose. Right now, my gun is in one place, the speed loaders are in another place, and the bullets are in another place. It will be altogether in that vest and that’s a good thing.
Unfortunately, I think that list is very much what people think. However, my sister-in-law and her husband are worse than that. They think things are fine now but there will be trouble later due to global warming and then they will go to California where crops will grow better (they don’t grow anything now). So, they are worse than the people who believe what’s on that list. If TSHTF, I will take care of those two crazy people because they have been a great help to me.
“9. You and your wife will be able to hold off a dozen or so angry, armed, and very hungry neighbors.”
They won’t know I have anything.
Maybe later, but not at first.
Some people who can’t get dates estimate various populations of wild animals over history, and the number of wild deer in the US hit an all-time low during the depression.
Since this is a "Deadly Myth" list, that's my point.
They won't last long at all. If things get to that point of deperation, anything wild and moving will be targetted as dinner, get cleaned out in neighborhoods like mine, and then will be hunted further out. I could fill my small freezer now with all the squirrel and rabbit meat running around out there now, and yet not naive' enough to think when others are starving, the squirrels and rabbits will still be out there for me and my family. And all those happy deer people pour corn into their yards for so the kiddies can see Bambi? Sayonara.
Oh. OK. Gotcha.
Another myth is the whole “well, I got some seeds, I’ll start a garden...”
Seriously, folks, unless you have farmed before, you’re pipe dreaming! People have no idea exactly HOW MUCH physical labor it takes to farm, and that’s with modern equipment and fuel.
Early this spring I turned over a large part of my back yard BY HAND and it took me days - almost a week.
Some seeds were planted, some starter plants were planted, and even now, at what is normally the peak of harvest, I have alot of squash and beans, but no wheres near enough to live on.
And even assuming you could get enough plants to make a vegan diet, alot of people who’ve lived vegan will tell you they couldn’t do it - they couldn’t get the calories and proteins.
And that doesn’t cover the fact that when you do heavy physical exercise, it’s easy for your appetite to DOUBLE from normal levels.
You aren’t kidding. Where my sister rents, the owner decided not to garden in the plot behind the house. She asked and we started a garden there this year. She’s had a bit of experience with exs’ who knew what they were doing and I’m a rookie at it. We’re having some success, so flops, fighting the fight with rabbits (I really should be learning how to make a snare) but not nearly the amount of produce we were hoping for, even as rookies.
But I’ll tell you what - we learned a LOT this year from our attempt.
BTW, another FReeper posted this last week. I’m so fascinated with this I bought a copy and want to give this a try. Planning on taking a small chunk of the backyard to start one and see how it goes. http://vimeo.com/28055108
I would much recommend trying to find a book about what wild plants are edible FOR YOUR LOCAL AREA.
There are about four “weeds” that grow in my lawn that are edible. But there are also two or three that if you took one bite, it would be your last!
Bump for later...
not according to them
not at all
I asked those questions
not on passed their muster
they suggested to be 500 feet underground to avoid the emp
You have a survival stash? You didn’t earn that........
You have a survival stash? You didn’t earn that........
“Little lobsters.”
Heh. Yeah, but you have to use a magnifying glass. It takes quite a few crawdads to substitute for a lobster.:o)
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