Posted on 11/30/2010 5:47:13 AM PST by Kartographer
In the opening article of this series I painted the following picture:
Close your eyes and imagine a world without electricity: no Fox News, no facebook, no email, no Blackberry, no cold drinks, no heat in the winter, no automobiles, no food and no way to cook it even if you had it. It’s the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI) and you and your family are going to die.
That’s a pretty bleak picture. But I left you with a little hope.
I clarified it by saying: “Unless, of course, you are prepared.”
(Excerpt) Read more at humanevents.com ...
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Yep, I've had these for a long time. They are critical long-term living guides.
I also have Biology, Chemistry, Math, and Physics books on hand. I even have machining & woodworking books galore.
It would be really hard to resurrect civilization, but we can all take a shot at it neverless.
What domain name?
BTW,
Do you have a pile of rationalizations and excuses ready for your family when the chickens come home to roost and
TEOTWAWKI
is in full swing?
Take a look at this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRiILStjZWE&NR=1
Now imagine what would have immediately after a EMP Attack.
If I'm so far off the mark, why would you feel the need to include utterly empty, unverifiable, juvenile boasts as if they provided you with some sort of credentials?
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
That misperception, lack of discernment thing seems to be getting the best of you again.
(rolling eyes)....the name of your link.
Do you have a pile of rationalizations and excuses ready for your family when the chickens come home to roost and TEOTWAWKI is in full swing?
Oh, don't misunderstand: I've been a prepper for years.
My objection to your original post is the idea you've spent your time as a FReeper engaged in anything much more than preening.
So why tell me your room mate is a genius?
My opinions—
1. I am not against preparedness. In fact I think it is wise and prudent.
2. while I believe “lay up your treasures in heaven” I also like the sentiment of an old WW1-era song — ‘praise the Lord and pass the ammunition’ This is not about fate, this is about being smart. There is lesson after lesson in the Old Testament about saving up for hard times.
3. “Have Americans becomes so soft that we can not match the sacrifices of those who gave us so much?” 80% yes. They are fodder for the barbarians. 10% will resort to ruthless, barbaric plunder. 10% are honorable pioneers, <50% of them will make it *IF* TSHTF.
4. Survival in place anywhere near ‘civilisation’ is preposterous if TSHTF. Surviving in place for longer than 2 weeks means you’d better live in and be prepared to defend (or abandon) your fortress. To wit, we have Mormon neighbors, nice people, who have a year’s worth of food and materials. They also have no defensive firearms. Targets, sadly.
NET: being prepared is a multi-faceted state of materiel, mindset, mobility and survival/defensive tactics..
I like what you wrote.
Too many preppers also have a Maginot Line view as well.
No realistic view of how to control the order of battle, or adapt to the aggressors’ unexpected and/or irrational/unconventional tactics, and no experience with the ‘shakes’ brought on by REAL conflict.
IMHO, and hopefully I'm not belaboring the point, there's a huge difference between preparing for the worst (which it sounds like most people on this thread are doing, to varying degrees), and feverently wishing, hoping, praying, that the worst will happen. I picture the author of this article (or a couple of the other posters on this thread) waking up in the morning, walking up the rampart of their bunker to the outside, and cursing the sun for coming up that day. "Another day without a nuclear attack/terrorist invasion/zombie holocaust? @#$%$%%$!@!!!!"
I put aside enough "stuff" so that my family and I will be fine for a good bit, certainly enough to get through most any natural disaster. Once the kids are old enough, I'll teach them how to hunt, and fish, and raise a garden, and "fix stuff", because they're good skills to have and because they're generally fun, when done for enjoyment.
But, I don't think that I'll be teaching my kids to walk the midnight-to-2am sentry post on my roof, like the article suggests. And, as for "bullying my wife into submission" - again, as the author posits - well, I guess that he's never met Mrs WBill. :-)
“... we thought about global thermonuclear war...”
You’re right. We lived close to D.C. and sort of thought we would just drive to the strike zone rather than die horribly later. We also had the movies/fear about a second ice age. I remember being a little thing and crying and crying because the earth would be covered by ice. Probably the same moronic scientists who now spout the earth has a fever. Just a thought.
Lord Jesus, help us, show us how to keep our lamps filled with oil, watching and praying.
In the 1970s I had two steel drums packed with wheat, beans, rice, etc. sealed w/ a CO2 purge.
Lugged them around through several moves.
Finally sold the stuff when I moved to LA in 1982 because the apartment was too small.
Found out years later that Andropov seriously considered a nuke first strike on us in March 1982. Reagan sent him a memo that made Andropov and the Politburo have second thoughts, i.e., something like, “If you launch a nuclear war we will never stop bombing you until we cannot find any more Russians to kill”. God bless Ronnie!
Now I am better prepared with supplies. In addition, I have taken the most important step to survival: I have engaged my neighbors and we will act as a unit in the event of TEOTWAWKI.
To hell with “every man for himself”. A group will ALWAYS be more effective than some prepper hiding in the boonies, IMHO.
You definitely have a plan and I believe that is the most important. A group is always more stable and self reliant in the sense they work together. Perhaps you live in a very good/close knit area with religious morals. I, however, live in an area where people will literally fight over the last loaf of bread before a snow storm.
That was intent of my post, agree on all points. Yet too many think prepping is a TEOTWAWKI sort of thing. I look at prepping as a form of frugal living, ready for hard times be they illness, unemployment, pandemic that lets us stay at home for a few months if need be, etc .... Doesn’t have to be Civil War, Nuclear Attack, Riots in the streets etc .....just self reliant. Heck we lost power a few winters ago for 7+ days during a real cold spell. We did fine. Fired up the fireplace and a small wood stove, read a lot of books by oil lamp or candles. Baked and cooked using dutch ovens in the fireplace, kept a kettle of hot water on the wood stove for soups, oatmeal and drinks etc . Brought our solar powered yard lights indoors at night for use and to preserve our oil lamps and candles etc .
Ate good, had all we needed, even listened to the news and tunes on a Sirrus Sat radio we had that could be used in the vehicle or it’s aftermarket boom box attachment that had D cell battery compartments.
Our trucks have 70 plus gallon bed tanks on em and are kept full so we went to work as if nothing were different.
... Just no appliances or central air and electric lighting.
Prepping is way more than just end of the world scenarios IMO.
Stay safe !
I gather it’s difficult to recall what you’ve said longer than a few microseconds.
DOH!
The point was, I have excellent oversight and accountability.
INDEED.
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