I work nights and my wife works days. I don't worry about myself getting home. If for some reason, I need to get to her during the day, we have communication and we have a plan. This all may sound crazy to some, but does it hurt anyone to have a plan of action if and when things go south?
Self Reliant/Survivalist ping list
Mr. Jefferson would never willingly live in one of those hell-holes but if he had to, you can bet he’d have HIS bag ready to go. He fully understood that when the guano starts to move, it’s going straight into the rotating air handling device.
An astute student of history and human nature, Thomas Jefferson, predicted what we see happening here in America. As ambassador in France, he witnessed the run up to the FIRST socialist/communist revolution there. He penned the following observations concerning what would happen HERE should that socialism come to the United States. He CORRECTLY predicted that we would become an increasingly contentious and litigious people as we shouldered one another out of the way to get OURS from the public trough and the trough would soon be empty.
He also knew where the bulk of the problem would originate.
That whirring noise you may hear coming from that mountain in Charlottesville, Virginia is Mr. Jefferson getting up to around 3600 RPM.
(A 6 minute video with this information may be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypLu49pq3bI)
As I understand it, at the time of the drafting of the Declaration, Mr. Jefferson originally wrote “…Life, Liberty and PROPERTY…” (meaning that one’s right to freely acquire, use and dispose of his property – to the extent doing so did not violate the same to others – was a Creator endowed right. Because slavery viewed humans as property, the phrase “Pursuit of Happiness” was adopted instead to avoid – at least for the time being — the inevitable debate on that subject.
“The mobs of the great cities add just so much to the support of pure government as sores do to the strength of the human body. It is the manners and spirit of a people which preserve a republic in vigor. A degeneracy in these is a canker which soon eats to the heart of its laws and constitution.” —Thomas Jefferson: Notes on Virginia Q.XIX, 1782. ME 2:230
“I think our governments will remain virtuous for many centuries as long as they are chiefly agricultural; and this will be as long as there shall be vacant lands in any part of America. When they get piled upon one another in large cities as in Europe, they will become corrupt as in Europe.” —Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1787. Papers 12:442
“I view great cities as pestilential to the morals, the health and the liberties of man. True, they nourish some of the elegant arts; but the useful ones can thrive elsewhere; and less perfection in the others, with more health, virtue and freedom, would be my choice.” —Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Rush, 1800. ME 10:173
“Our cities... exhibit specimens of London only; our country is a different nation.” —Thomas Jefferson to Andre de Daschkoff, 1809. ME 12:304
“Everyone, by his property or by his satisfactory situation, is interested in the support of law and order. And such men may safely and advantageously reserve to themselves a wholesome control over their public affairs and a degree of freedom which, in the hands of the canaille of the cities of Europe, would be instantly perverted to the demolition and destruction of everything public and private.” —Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, 1813. ME 13:401
“An insurrection... of science, talents, and courage, against rank and birth... has failed in its first effort, because the mobs of the cities, the instrument used for its accomplishment, debased by ignorance, poverty, and vice, could not be restrained to rational action. But the world will recover from the panic of this first catastrophe.” —Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, 1813. ME 13:402
“I fear nothing for our liberty from the assaults of force; but I have seen and felt much, and fear more from English books, English prejudices, English manners, and the apes, the dupes, and designs among our professional crafts. When I look around me for security against these seductions, I find it in the wide spread of our agricultural citizens, in their unsophisticated minds, their independence and their power, if called on, to crush the Humists of our cities, and to maintain the principles which severed us from England.” —Thomas Jefferson to Horatio G. Spafford, 1814. ME 14:120
ping
We have a code word with our daughter who is away at school. If she ever is in danger but is unable to speak freely, she has something she is supposed to say to us that would not sound odd to anyone but us - and she knows we would say goodbye and immediately call her local police. Not a bad idea for all families to have something similar.
Dittos
We always learn the backroads routes when going somewhere. It's so much less aggravation.
I’m going to stay put and just kill and eat whoever comes after me. Any pork recipe will do.
Having all the requisite bug-out tools is no good if you can't escape.
If I’m at my real house (and not down where I work) my first indication of any problem would be FR anyway. JimRob starts posting “John has a long mustache” and I’m gonna know I got houseguests on the way. Eat up the froze food first and then start on the venison. Note to self: stock up on beer.
IF I have to evacuate San Jose, it wont be pretty. I’m planning on going up through the mountains,,, dont know where , but away from the savages.
Katrina made it obvious that the feds intend to corral (and disarm) people into holding areas in the event of an emergency.
The government would likely confiscate and redistribute private stockpiles. This will be unproductive but blaming “the rich” who “hoarded” necessities will make the masses feel better. More important the government will be seen as “doing something because doing nothing is not an option.”
Thankfully we work at home here, but in the vehicle I have what I call a “Get home bag” It can last the wife and I a good day or two to get us home if we are away.. and the only real reason would be visiting someone in a nearby state or a vacation... in our vehicle.
In the home, in my store room I have 2 other BOBS packed as well as food and supplies in Rubbermaid tubs. It will ALL fit into my vehicle. We also store gas and keep the vehicle topped off most of the time.
Its easy once you make a plan.. now that said, I would ONLY bug out in extreme emergency.. I am pretty well isolated out here in Pahrump Nevada (and no.. I am not Art Bell.. lol) so I tend to think about getting HOME to my supplies and not bugging out to who knows where.
Remember if you plan to bug out PLAN alternate routes, and have a place to go.
You may think that place that “no one knows about in the woods” is a good place.. but trust me.. so do about 200 other people. Stake your Bug out location out well.. know its surroundings and plan everything you can. No one wants to plan while TSHTF
Good advice, but I hate thinking about it because the worst enemy when the SHTF will be the unlawful citizens, like in Katrina, that will use the event to murder, rape, rob, etc.
I have a packed BOB/72 Hour Kit that I keep in the back of our Tahoe all the time. As much driving around that I do with the kids, anything could happen at any time, and I want to be at least minimally prepared.
I think people underestimate the difficulty of getting out of a city. Picture the traffic jam after a large concert or sporting event, multiply that by ten (at least) and you get a pretty good idea. The thought of trying to get out of the Phoenix area scares the crap out of me. If such an evacuation happened in the summer, there would be an enormous number of casualties just from heat exposure.
For this reason alone I’d love to be living in Texas. Have you seen their road system? It’s incredible. Hundreds of roads leading to just about every nook and cranny.
I do have an article about the Vehicle 72 Hour Kit on my blog, which I think is helpful. thesurvivalmom.com
bflr
ty for the pin as!
Many Freepers live in rural areas. You might want to check and see who’s already in the direction you’re planning to head in advance.
All you city folks who think that escape into the countryside is a good survival plan should think about what those already living in the country will be doing in anticipation of the hordes of looters from the cities coming in.
I can assure you that those already living in the back woods will be far better prepared to fend you off than you will be to trespass on their properties.
Even in civil times, city folk don’t have much success in dealing with the challenges of the woods.
Example: we had a city guy come visit our farm to deliver some building supplies.
After he unloaded the truck, he decided to take a walk in the woods around our home.
Three hours later, a neighbor called and asked if we knew anything about the crazy naked guy in their tool shed pouring gasoline over his body.
Seems like the city guy had never heard of ticks or chiggers and during his little stroll through the woods he became covered with them.
His solution - run to the closest farm, strip off his clothes and pour gasoline on his body to rid himself of the ticks.
Our neighbor normally would have shot a trespasser breaking into his barn - but in this case, he called the sheriff and then called other neighbors to see if they knew who the guy was.
If you live in the city, don’t assume those who live in the country or woods will welcome you with open arms.
Most won’t.
PING
Great post appleseed!
If the SHTF, the cities and suburbs would become one giant Charlie Foxtrot.
IMHO, the optimal situation would be to already be living at the bug out location. If the SHTF, traveling would be extremely dangerous.
What I’m trying to figure out is how to transition from currently living in a city, working at a 9 to 5 job, to moving to a rural area off the grid.