Posted on 05/17/2012 3:51:40 PM PDT by Kartographer
It is crucial to understand when SHTF starts. I think it is one of the most important things, to recognize that, in some cases it is more important to recognize that event and correct moment than to be prepared for that, no matter how strange this sounds.
I believe this is the truth because knowing when things turn bad can give you chance of escape.
But even if it is too late for escape, if you know this is a survival situation you think different. Make different decisions, think twice when dealing with strangers in need or accepting help from stranger who “want your best” or at least say so.
How do I prepare to know when survival mode has to kick in? Here are 5 symptoms that show that you might have a terrible disease in your area that can kill and that disease is called SHTF, society collapse or fight to survive. It comes with many names but if you know the first symptoms you can fight it better, earlier and smarter or avoid it.
(Excerpt) Read more at shtfschool.com ...
8. It suddenly dawns on you why all your neighbors are getting up earlier now...they’re trying to beat each other to the nights road kill.
Ahem. Me to my kids ...”Well, the locals ain’t facining starvation.”
“How do you know that, Dad?”
“We have passed twenty-seven free racoons, a couple of free deer, and and least three free cats...”
Road kill.
It has evolved into a road-trip game. “Free...”, the boys blurt out,” ummmm... what was that?”
“I dunno. I hope it was a gopher.”
I would imagine that being the time when the value of a dollar had deteriorated 75% off the highs.
I’m reading Thomas Sowell’s “Economic Facts and Fallacies”. Businesses and factories moving out of the inner cities is blamed for their decline. He brought up how the moving of factories and businesses from the inner cities happened AFTER the 1960s riots, not before. Businesses don’t shut down a thriving factory or business unless you don’t have a choice, economically.
He brings up the point that the societal decline happened BEFORE the riots, allowing the riots to take place. Areas with an intact social fabric didn’t riot. Those that had already frayed fell apart with the riots, forcing the major employers to leave.
Not everywhere will riot. But those that do will become slums as Chicago’s and LA’s inner cities have.
And as Thomas Sowell points out, moving government dependents to the suburbs increases crime and lowers test scores - you can take the family from the ghetto, but that doesn’t take the ghetto out of the family.
Pick a place to live that doesn’t have a frayed social fabric nor prone to accepting a lot of them (Section 8, for example).
The police will levy their own 'special' law-enforcement fee.
You would be amazed at the number of law-enforcement personnel who participate in our preparedness group - at all levels.
But, after SHTF, a badge will be the biggest asset many LEO's possess, and they'll certainly take advantage of that in many cases.
less produce, bread, milk at the stores....if there are bank runs, possible, trucking strikes, possible due to the huge fuel increase during bamey (but vote for him anyway), atms not working...credit card not working....
but to hope for SHTF???....I have children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, sister, brothers, friends and all their children....
we have to hope and pray for this country, this world to get a grip....
granted, we could all see changes even if a major SHTF event doesn't happen....
we're going to have to be better people, smarter people, more spiritual, less wasteful, more frugal, and probably we'll all be in better shape and thinner too....
SO BRING ON THE GOOD CHANGES....
I somewhat disagree with the article, at least as far as here in the US.
It describes a kind of “slow unwinding” or breakdown, almost from a psychological or social perspective, a doom and gloom mentality.
Here in America, I don’t see it. Maybe two weeks of it or so, but not a prolonged period.
If the ATM’s stop working, we’re in deep.
If the cell phones stop, possibly the same.
If you see lines at the gas station, wait it out in line and buy as much as you can.
If a “bank holiday” is declared...
If elections are suspended...
If certain prescription drugs become very rare (antibiotics, etc)...
Any talk of curfews.
Sudden announcements about things out of the ordinary, like school closures, power outages announced in advance, that kind of thing...
A decline in the trucker index, the movements of goods across the main corridors
Oil changing +/- 20 percent or so in one session
There are probably a few I missed.
Some or possibly most of these would precede chaos in US.
Without these types of events, most will just stay fat, dumb, and happy.
I watch financial news, especially anything that affects banks, but I stay aware of general conditions that could affect this area. Next January there are multiple financial deadlines to meet by govn. and banks, so that’s a time for extra watch.
I started to write how small I can make myself to be unnoticed, but decided not to write that. I’ll just say I will be fine and am not concerned about bad guys.
With all due respect to the OP, that seems somewhat to have been the intention.
Sure there are wolves out there.
Sure it’s wise to know what to do, when there is a wolf.
There’s not a wolf right now.
I’m predicting, there will be no wolf, in the next 170 days. No way, (unless the world somehow ends up in some out of the blue middle east conflagration)
Day 171, depending on the results, of the US election ... things have the potential to get weird.
That's encouraging.
Right now, I'd say... in 35 years of marriage, I've never seen grocery stores like they are now: out of stuff, stuff spread out to look like more, prices insane, and people's baskets nowhere near full. Worksmanship on nearly everything is terrible. I don't care where I go, somebody is talking about how "crazy" things are... one way or another.
I'd say that's at least symptom #1.
This is an attempt to deal with feral Black males:
City Of Mobile Juvenile Curfew.
Announced or unannounced rolling blackouts or sporadic electricity.
People ought to be thinking of water and how they’ll deal with excrement.
Everywhere I go too.
Everyone I know packs a gun these days. I have one in my pocket and one in my truck...all the time, legally.
I was commenting to a friend when we went grocery shopping...I consistently walk out of the store without getting about 20% of what is on my list because they're out...the last time I was at the store I complained to the manager about it. She seemed helpless.
Same here. Plus, they quit carrying it or it's gone up 700%
All the stores are "out" of stuff; not just the grocers. I noticed it first at the grocery stores, but it's crossing over. And that spreading stuff out to make it look like more is getting old.
One grocery store in town is celebrating it's 90th anniversary; mom & pop grocer. They completely did away with most all the freezer sections and put up 2 chest freezers... one full of Blue Bell!? seriously?? Blue Bell warrants it's own chest freezer?? They started carrying squirrel, rabbit, elk, and bunch of critter stuff... and an entire double row aisle section to canning products! One area where they pulled out freezers has been converted to double aisle of cast iron cookware, all kinds of grinders, and even hand cranked Ice Cream freezers (they are apparently concerned about ice cream!). I'm taking that as a "clue"... not the ice cream stuff, but all the other conversions.
We had that here last summer during the drought. Announced "brown outs" they called them; to conserve energy b/c it was so hot. Plus the unannounced stuff. That was an eye opener.
Worse? Burn ban that lasted forever. Think about that... all the things you'd do with fire: cook, boil, heat, burn debris. Making a fire had always been part of our "plan". That was a real kicker... the never-ending-burn-ban. When it lifted, it looked like a Viking community... everybody burning. AND... the dump typically costs $35 for low boy & pick up truck full; during ban, low boy alone was $75! It was creepy as all get-out... planes & helicopters checking for "fires"; signs up all over the place, even in places way out in middle of nowhere BURN BAN NO FIRES listing all that fine stuff. It was just creepy. I know it was bad, but it still was just creepy.
Just don’t be an impatient inpatient.
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