Is Recession Preparing a New Breed of Survivalist? [Survival Today - an On going Thread #2]

May 05th,2008

[nw_arizona_granny]

Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? It’s an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel? Survivalist in Training

I’ve been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe that’s why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations. Survivalist in the Neighborhood

[nw_arizona_granny]

You know what I mean. The physical discomforts IN THE EVENT OF SYSTEM COLLAPSE are nothing compared to the mental extremes people will be pushed to.<<<

Yes, I do know exactly what you mean and few have a clue as to how it will go.

My husband always said to get guns that would take the ammunition the military uses, as there would be lots of bullets in the battle fields around your house.

I think that Americans may be waking up, I was laughed at for years, because I said that America could be attacked on their own soil.

They forget how Germany and Japan tried in WW2.

[JDoutrider]

AHHH!

The new thread is here! I was wondering what you were going to name it... Good choice. I vote you just keep on with an ongoing thread like the original!

Are we going to keep the original going as well? Hope so... it is truly a Treasure chest. Many who will see this can go to it (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?q=1&;page=1) and wonder how they missed it after all this time!

[hattend]

BTTT

[familyop]

"Where I live, near Kingman, Arizona, there is no food grown of any type and few gardens, as they do not do well here in the constant wind."

I'm in CO at over 9,000 feet with an air-freezing index of about 2,500 (snows in July, sometimes, 110 mph wind loads in building codes, 120 for commercial), and we'll try to get the first of several greenhouses up before next winter. ...did some testing with a smaller one a couple of years ago, while designing the next one for low cost, more durability and more warmth (both passive and active solar). Oh...and there are bears.

Where there's a will, there's a way.

[familyop]

Forestry did a mean annual temperature study here, and it turned out to be about 35 degrees, F.

[djf]

Well, there is endless debate and finger pointing here about the economic crisis and who’s to blame etc. etc. etc. yada yada.

I say that is all water under the bridge and won’t truly fix anything.

I have asked this question on other threads, and no one ever answered it.

What would happen if:

Everybody gets up this morning to go to work. It’s not a national or state holiday.
None of the banks open their doors and no ATM’s work, or electronic money transfers.

Think about it. What would happen? How quick?

[kalee]

self ping

[nw_arizona_granny]

Lessons from Argentina’s economic collapse

http://www.powerswitch.org.uk/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2079&Itemid=2

This is a powerful and important article, TAC has been posting on thread #1 from a different Argentina’s blog and they do indeed understand what it appears we are soon to learn.

On the Police Scanners, I had noticed that there a more serious break in’s early the morning and way too many children being shot on the streets.

Thank you for the link, I am glad that I read the article.

[nw_arizona_granny]

What most people don’t know is that in many places, there is a sort of universal easement that goes along with the public roads.<<<

If it is not a main road, so that the plants are affected by the chemicals given off by the cars gas and oil, that would work.

If you stay as far from the poles as is possible, then the crews will still drive the power line road and miss the plants.

It is sure worth trying, as is mustards, and other greens, even some of the Amaranths will grow wild.

I eat weeds, or some of them, but the officials would have a fit if you spread weed seeds.

Keep in mind that the amaranth is also good animal feed and will grow tall if given the right conditions, I bought seeds that went to 6’.

Do it, at least you will have done your part and you may want to go digging one of these days.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Yes, I will leave thread #1 open.

Glad you found me, LOL, have not had time to send out pings to the readers.....later.

LOL, guess it is a good name, I didn’t consider it, wanted the article that went with it.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Thank you for the bump, I hope you will continue to read and share your knowledge too.

[djf]

Plantain.
Highly prolific, in most parts of the world, it's a weed.

A weed that has nutritional qualities almost as good as spinach, the young leaves go very well into salads, the older ones work in soups or stews.

I have eaten it often. Far more palatable than dandelion. I harvested a ton of seeds last year.

Added bonus: Still does very well in depleted soils, even if fairly dry

[nw_arizona_granny]

I posted greenhouse plans several times on the last thread, check out these:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=9919#9919

See also post 9913.

I prefer a solar greenhouse, that is attached to the house, but would rather have a free standing greenhouse than none.

You will love being able to garden the year around.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Forestry did a mean annual temperature study here, and it turned out to be about 35 degrees, F.<<<

Too cold for me.

Why do the trees grow in that cold?

Would the cabbage family?

Or find a clearing to plant the vegetables in?

[familyop]

"Well, there is endless debate and finger pointing here about the economic crisis and who’s to blame etc. etc. etc. yada yada.

I say that is all water under the bridge and won’t truly fix anything.

I have asked this question on other threads, and no one ever answered it.

What would happen if:

Everybody gets up this morning to go to work. It’s not a national or state holiday.
None of the banks open their doors and no ATM’s work, or electronic money transfers.

Think about it. What would happen? How quick?"

I've seen such situations firsthand, as nearly as your proposed scenario has been to reality (re. "none," "no"). But from your first two sentences, it doesn't appear that you want an honest answer. You see, I've also looked the primary instigators of such economic crashes in their hateful and apathetic eyes.

[Caipirabob]

When Wilma hit us in SoFlo in 2005, we were blessed to have been prepared. We had everything ready and even though the roof had been shredded and a side window shattered (we didn't think a protected side window would be threatened...last time that happens) we were in a relatively comfortable situation. No power for 11 days that time. We had all our scouting camp gear ready, and prior to the storm I roasted enough coffee and ground it to last two weeks.

So every day I'd get up like I always do, but instead of reading FR, I'd go to the patio and fire up the gas stove and make my coffee, read a book until sun-up and then cook breakfast. My neighbors had worse damage so I spent the days helping them patch roofs and stuff. Made some very good friends with folks I hadn't really spent much time around previously. We had a generator that we eventually worked out a run schedule for. We had "family movie night" for the kids and an AC unit in the master bedroom where everyone slept. We had want for nothing. It was a good couple of weeks.

We are grateful to God it wasn't worse than it was.

Next time around, who knows...

These threads are great. Always best to help FReepers remember to keep on their toes. I am in debt to God and the FReepers who made this info available over the years.

[djf]

I do want an honest answer.
What would happen?

Stop playing the blame game, just try to hypothetically think about it.

I’ll tell ya what.

By noon the next day there would be reports of people being murdered at gas stations, that’s what.

[NRA1776]

Here you go...

http://www.survivalblog.com/

http://www.urbansurvival.com/week.htm

[nw_arizona_granny]

What would happen if:

Everybody gets up this morning to go to work. It’s not a national or state holiday.
None of the banks open their doors and no ATM’s work, or electronic money transfers.

Think about it. What would happen? How quick?<<<

24 hours, when they sober up.

You and I will do what my friend Mary did, “carry on”.

In the 1930’s, Jay went to open the banks door, they needed money to pay the cotton pickers on their small farm.

The door was locked and and a hand hung a sign in the window that said “This Bank is Closed”.

It was rough on them, one baby died, there was not a choice of foods or medicines available to feed it.

Jay finally had to ask for gov food and was told “NO, not until you eat the cow”......which they needed to keep the other baby alive, as Mary’s diet did allow her to produce milk.

This was Yuma County, in Wellton, Arizona.

Times were difficult, they couldn’t afford to work the fields and would go the mile to the river bottom, cut branches off the Cottonwood trees and feed them to the cow.

On the morning that Jay killed his last chicken and Mary used the last flour, a rancher came and got Jay for a day’s work, paid him one dollar.

And they managed to survive.

My parents were sharecroppers in Texas, the dustbowl hit and there were not crops, they lived on wild gourds and cooked them with dried cow manure.

Then we went to California as fruit tramps.

That is real life.

If it is sudden, it will be as they said it would be in San Diego during the cold war, that there was enough food in the stores and warehouses, that the gov would take instant controll of all food and in time dole it out.

Will it be like Jay and Mary, eat the dog and cat, then talk to us about beans and flour?

It would take an honest gov a month or more, to get/dole out food, if they really tried.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Smiling, glad you found us.