Unlikely survivalist straddles two worlds

MercuryNews.com ^ | 05/17/2009 | Susan Carpenter

[appleseed]

Neil Strauss hardly seems like a guy who'd kill a goat and gut it with his own hands. A slim intellectual in silver jewelry and designer jeans, he doesn't appear to be the kind of person who would stash food in a forest or plot an escape from his Los Angeles-area home using fire trails and a motorcycle he barely knows how to ride.

Yet that's precisely what Strauss has learned to do in the past three years in an effort to prepare himself should society collapse. It's a journey he not only chronicles in his new book, "Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life," but continues to pursue.

Strauss is a guy whose BlackBerry is constantly brimming with projects. (Get motorcycle license. Take pain-resistance training. Grind grain.) He's looking to strike a few items off his list.

"I'm here to pick up a shotgun," he says, stepping up to the counter at Gun World, a Burbank shop whose anteroom is loaded with ammo and shell cases. The shotgun is a Remington 870 Wingmaster — the third part of an unholy trinity that also includes a 9-millimeter pistol and a rifle, all of which he keeps in a hidden safe at his house.

"Three years ago, I never would have been in a gun store," says Strauss...

{Cut}

"We were born with a silver spoon in our mouths. Bad things happened to previous generations," says Strauss, explaining the original, third-person premise for "Emergency," which evolved into a first-person survivalist how-to.

"We had it all," continues Strauss, who is in his late 30s. "The Cold War was over. The Internet was bringing everybody together. Wars were a thing of the past. Then all the things that happened from 2001 to today, it was like dominoes falling over.

[appleseed]

Seems like even Hollyweird, Columbia-educated, hipster, Dobie Gillis types are starting to see the need to be prepared to fend for ones self and family.

I had to exerpt the article and further on, the description of this dude standing in the gun shop next to people like me was funny.

[appleseed]

Self Reliant/Survivalist ping list

[robomatik]

many thanks for creating this ping list apple!

[Disambiguator]

This line from the original stood out a bit:

Everything is politically strange. Half of what I'm doing is completely right-wing stuff and half is really left-wing stuff," acknowledges Strauss, leaving Gun World after paying $919 for his new shotgun.

Are Remington 870 Wingmasters really selling for almost a thousand bucks? That sounds a little steep.

[Bryanw92]

$919 for an 870?? Wow. Ya gotta love California!

The article doesn’t answer the most important question: can you kill a guy that appears threatening, but hasn’t made a move yet? Because, if the SHTF, waiting for the other guy to initiate hostilities will mean that he gets that nice shotgun you paid $919 for.

I think the flaw in his GOOD (Get out of Dodge) plan is that when the US economy collapses, the rest of the world goes with us. Rich American refugees will either become King or be dinner.

[dennisw]

Kind of metrosexual survivalist. He has written other books

[dennisw]

One review in Amazon said the book was full of Bush bashing....

[mad_as_he$$]

One theory about the collapse is that 0 will send everyone out of the cities to the country. Ala Cambodia’s killing fields. Those who believe the country is safe may be in for a rude surprise.

[Squantos]

If they would only open their eyes to political survival now........:o)

Self Reliance, Independence, Freedom, Security and mere day to day physical and fiscal survival is Conservatism IMO.

[PzLdr]

$919 for an 870? This guy needs training in survival shopping and tracking sharpies.

[Gilbo_3]

maybe if they dont get themselves too quickly, these metrolib types may 'see the light' and leave the dark side...

or maybe itll be...'yuppy, its whats fer dinner' ???

[Gilbo_3]

themselves killed that is...

[Kartographer]

First God bless him that he is preparing to take care of himself in the event of trouble! That makes one less whiny sniveling leftwing 'you should share because HORDING is evil' that I'll have to shoot when he tries to take my stuff.
Second what does it say about our present state when even leftwing progressive can see the writing on the wall even with thier 'Messiah' in charge.
Lastly I wonder what he'll say when the 'Messiah's' goons come to take his weapons away from him for the good of the state?

[Squantos]

LMAO .......its amazing how they can process thought to just breath.

[bolobaby]

Please add me to this ping list! Thank you so much!

[bolobaby]

I love how they call a pistol, rifle, and shotgun an “unholy trinity.” I call that “a trifecta.”

[appleseed]

Dude is Columbia educated and a hippie = No common sense. I haven’t checked prices in a while, but wasn’t long ago when a guy could get 2 and a case of ammo. + 2 hard cases for that price. I lived in California back in the late 80’s. Got a mini 14, .357 and an SKS at a decent price. Maybe things have gotten worse since then. After all, the state is broke and panhandling in every place they can.

[Secret Agent Man]

I call that ‘a good start’. Now you need backups.

[Disambiguator]

I love how they call a pistol, rifle, and shotgun an “unholy trinity.” I call that “a trifecta.”

I call it "a good start." :^)

[appleseed]

Done.