[Noumenon]

The original poster makes some very disturbing observations and the scenarios that he outlines here are all too plausible. We've seen this and worse play out in other parts of the world. As we descend into the sort of third world tribalism and savagery that will be the inevitable consequences of the very bad ideas that inform our alleged leadership, we need to think about just these sorts of possibilities.

Strong community amongst ourselves and a willingness to take the fight back to the enemy is what's required here. My frank assessment of my local 'hood is that less than half of us can be counted upon. And we're nowhere nearly as organized as we should be in order to deal effectively and decisively with the threats outlined here.

There's work to be done.

[chris37]

It’s coming, and what’s worse is they planned this and they want this.

Prepare.

[robowombat]

OPSEC is not quite what is presented here which is more basic intel gathering.
But that is nit picking.
More to the point is Women are the absolute biggest stumbling block to doing just some common sense preparation for any disruption, even here in the Gulf South, hurricanes. See what your wife or significant other does if you propose stockpiling food, water, batteries, and energy bars. Let alone buying a lot of ammo, junk silver, expensive heavy duty flashlights, etc. The push back you will get will be intense. Most American women have been effectively brainwashed to (a) rely on the gubmint in any emergency (b) reflexively oppose any survivalist a gena as ‘racist macho male chauvinism (c) be terrified of ‘violence’ and hate guns as the cause of ‘violence’ not the tool that will protect one when officer friendly is non existent. If you doubt this assessment print this article, give it to the woman in your life and try and have a rational discussion of preparing for the worst.

[reed13]

bfl

[davius]

Ping that.

[Gene Eric]

Fascinating.

bttt

[familyop]

"I am the leader of a band of 8-to-12 looters. I have some basic military training."

LOL!

"It should have a weapon capable of reaching to the edges of your vision."

LOL!

"I will infiltrate my team into concealed positions around your retreat within 50 to 75 yards."

LOL! Thanks. That was pretty funny.

[PieterCasparzen]

“Head for the hills” does not work very well for very long.

Virtually everything we have or use today requires a machine shop.

Can you live without these things:

paint and paintbrushes
bandages and medicines
shaving razors
brass shell casings
rubber
plastic
metal knives
glass
spark plugs
motor oil
auto oil filter
fishing line
metal components of tack for horses
clothing, cloth, thread, sewing needles
underwear
flour to make bread
shoes
canned food
concrete
hammers and nails
well pump
irrigation pipe
writing implement
countless other things

As all their possessions, clothing, trucks, cars, guns, knives, hammers, pitchforks, generators, gears, etc., wear out and eventually become useless, a familiy that had “escaped into the hills” would find their camping trip becoming far less comfortable than living in a city 4,000 years ago. Anyone who can’t make their own shoes will be required to trade for them or go barefoot, for example. If one is going to drill every hole in the wood of one’s fort with a HAND DRILL, the simplest kind of drill that will last the longest - what to do if it breaks ? New hand drills have to be made.

All farming products must be created on farms. Unfortunately, farms can’t be picked up and moved about, they’re pretty darn stationary. They’re also very hard to defend. If an enemy wants to destroy a farm, they simply need to fight the farmer - they can even lose and run away - they will have messed up the crops for that year.

All manufactured products have to be made in some kind of shop. The shop may be ever so humble, but a shop must be used. A lathe can’t be carted about on one’s back in the woods and set up outside. It needs a concrete floor, it needs climate control. Or it simply will not produce accurate parts. And eventually, the lathe will need repair.

Now if one has a vacation or hunting cabin near a nice little town way up in the woods, say NE Pennsylvania - well, that’s a little different. One could have one’s stockpiles there and set things up so that with a little trading with nearby people and a nearby small town that the everyday comforts of life could be maintained while costing a minimal amount. The town would be small enough and far enough from big cities that the “evil warlord” would not want to waste their time “attacking the cabins up by the lake”. That kind of situation would perhaps work as a peaceful area some folks could run to if their city/suburb had some big public safety problems. Any “attack” way out in the boonies will make everyone else who lives out there band together to repel the “band of thieves”.

The U.S. has vast tracts of land where the population is spread thin. And millions of people concentrated in cities and suburbs who couldn’t survive on their own in the woods beyond a few weeks.

Hence, the “big battle” of some “big chaos” would be decided very quickly, within a year or two. The more “chaos” there is, the more uncomfortable everyone gets. Groups of harassed citizens, living in a city or town, if things got really bad, would hire and recruit fighters to defend their area, and rather ruthlessly and unceremoniously execute intruders - so they could go on about their lives. One only has to attend a town meeting and see the typical nastiness to imagine how long societal breakdown would be tolerated; simple property changes can cause hatred and grudges that last for decades.

If the “run to the hills” is viewed only as temporary, until some “battle of warlords” is settled and the “escapees” then plan on rejoining a more stable society, then perhaps the creature comforts will be in a tolerable state long enough to make it practical. But a permanent “run to the hills” is simply a lot more uncomfortable than most imagine.

If there is widespread “chaos”, someone or some group would rise to the top and take control through physical force. Whoever has the most military and ex-military at their command stands the best chance of being that person - about 99% chance. And if I’m living alone in a cave, and there are millions back in the city - why would anyone waste time coming out to my cave to steal my last few cans of beans, with a whole city of rubes to rob.

In any struggle, supplies eventually become the deciding factor. The survivalist idea is romantic, but civilization has advanced to the point where most people can’t come close to being able to achieve any sort of decent life completely on their own. Anyone who wants to survive completely on their own should be making their own bows and arrows and learning how to use them, practicing up on making knives, hand tools and farming implements. It’s the blacksmith who will be hold the keys to prosperity.

So for most of the survivalists and the rest of the 300 million Americans who can’t run to the hills, they need to trade with each other for their everyday needs.

300 million starving Americans - I’d hate to be the one standing between them and their supper. How to survive in the city may be the best knowledge of all.

[NELSON111]

BFL

[Travis McGee]

A sniper ambush is a deadly threat. Isolated multi-acre properties may be in greater danger than some subdivisions, due to the lack of manpower to put out a guard force and man a QRF.

[Thank You Rush]

bttt

[stephenjohnbanker]

Thanks for an eye opening report.

[bgill]

I am the leader of a band of 8-to-12 looters.

US Congress?

[andy58-in-nh]

Bump

[papertyger]

ping for later

[Nachoman]

I have a variety of weapons I could use to kill myself.

[Lancey Howard]

"Remain calm! All is well!"

[familyop]

Thanks after all, for letting us know the plans of suburbanites, should we see the TEOTWAWKI. Botulism happens in improper canning for food preservation, and such treats will be waiting for criminal invaders.

[danielmryan]

A thought-provoking article...but it misses the fact that criminals, not matter how well trained they are, think like criminals.

There are two obvious defenses that don't rely upon military tactics and training:

1. Poverty: crying poor. Look like you're on the edge of subsistence, or even on the edge of starvation. In the inner city, it's the Mercedes that gets jacked. A beaten-up old Ford blends in, and it's not worth the effort of jacking, so it's left alone. Using insecure radio to complain about lack of goods, offering prayers that clearly ask for deliverance from hunger, etc. gives off a clear signal that there's nothing worth stealing in your place. In this sense, felt privation (regardless of what you really have) is a help.
   
   One side note: if something like a machine shop is a prize to the community, it'll be a prize to looters too. Taking the machine shop means gaining real leverage over the community. The same thing applies, I should add, to the local moonshining operation.
   
   
2. An unlikely location. Organized criminals smart enough to use what's left of the Internet will figure out where to send the big batallions. Even a city dweller like me knows full well that there are a lot of preppers in Idaho. Just as bank robbers go to where the money is, chancing the sophisticated detection and alarm system for a chance at the big score, looters will try their luck where the well-stocked preppers are. The best-trained ones will use books like Rawles' Patriots as a reverse training manual. If there are lots of flush preppers in a certain area, the time and expense of pre-training will pay off. It won't for other areas.
   
   Despite the aggravation entailed, the shrewdest place to go might well be a red outpost in a blue State - the kind of high-tax, high-regulation State that preppers normally eschew. Who would expect to see preppers dotting (say) the state of New York or California? The names of those two states are anathema to the patriot movement. Being in places that are the farthest from the stereotypical prepper's esteem is the kind of camo few people consider.
   
   A variant on this idea is to stay in a big city, in a safe but relatively poor area, and making sure to crash diet when TSHTF. If you look and act hungry, then you'll look and act like you've got nothing to steal.
   
   It's also good for that oversized gut :)

[RobRoy]

This describes a “Road Warrior” Scenario. If it gets that bad. I’ll be looking for the Lord to appear as the lightning flashes from the east to the west.

[Ellendra]

I’m often forced to wonder how tough-guy thugs like these would react to a simple “quarantined” sign?