Posted on 06/06/2010 11:52:21 PM PDT by Windflier
Introduction
The following is just my opinion. It is nothing more than my opinion. I have nothing to substantiate or prove any aspect of my opinion. My opinion is simply the logical conclusion of a law-abiding sixty-year old Christian grandfather who has both an engineering degree and an M.B.A. degree and who has seen both good times and hard times during his life.
The Current Situation:
At the present time every nation in the entire world is facing serious financial and social stress. If only a few nations were involved then it might be possible to contain the upcoming meltdown to a few specific geographical areas. This has been successfully done in the past. However, since the entire world is currently on the edge of the cliff, when the meltdown begins it will impact almost everyone on the face of the earth.
Unless God chooses to intervene, the meltdown is no longer avoidable. Our governments and our financial institutions are no longer in control. However, to keep the system working just a little longer they must maintain the illusion that they have the system under control. But the system is broken and it can't be fixed.
There are two reasons why the system can't be fixed:
1. It has grown beyond its own capacity to support itself.
2. It has become so complex that no one can do anything significant to fix it because it is hemorrhaging in too many different places.
The average person in every nation on the face of the earth knows the meltdown is coming. The wealthy people know it. The poor people know it. Nobody wants it to happen. But almost everyone is just patiently waiting for it to begin and at the same time hoping that it doesn't begin too soon.
Nobody knows when the meltdown will actually start. It may begin one-month from now. Or a year from now. Or three-years from now.
But almost everyone knows that at some future date the meltdown will occur.
This widespread knowledge of the impending disaster is the reason that when the disaster begins it will quickly and completely spiral out-of-control in one-hour or less. In my opinion, most people do not seriously believe it could happen this quickly. Most people expect a more gradual meltdown. They may be right because nobody can predict the future, and that includes myself.
The One-Hour Meltdown
However, my personal opinion is that once the meltdown begins then in less than one-hour it will quickly escalate far beyond anyone's ability to control or manage it on a worldwide basis. The five basic assumptions that cause me to believe in my "one-hour meltdown theory" are as follows:
1. Banks: The financial institutions around the world cannot withstand a full-scale worldwide bank run. Therefore, they have already made plans to immediately shut down the instant they are told to do so. Within minutes, all across the globe, all the ATM machines will be offline, all credit card and debit card verification transactions will be halted, and all banks will have their vaults locked and their doors locked and their building emptied of all personnel, except perhaps for some special security guards. All high-level bank executives will immediately disappear to a wide variety of remote safe unknown locations. All telephone call inquiries to any of the financial institutions will be automatically answered by a computer with a pre-recorded message similar to the following: "Our system is currently experiencing an extremely high call volume and therefore we are unable to answer your call at this time. Please try again later when our call volume returns to normal."
2. Governments: The vast majority of our government leaders all over the world are relatively intelligent individuals. They completely understand the ramifications of a "bank holiday" in our computer controlled financial economy. Therefore, all government offices will also be immediately shut down, and they will empty their buildings and lock their doors. Any transaction in progress, including any trials in progress, will be immediately halted and postponed until some future date. All high-level government officials, including all judges and tax officials, will immediately disappear to a wide variety of remote safe unknown locations.
3. Retail Businesses: Since they will be unable to process even simple transactions, all retail establishments, both large and small, will immediately lock their doors to prevent anyone else from entering. If possible, they will complete any transactions for customers already inside their building if those customers have enough cash to pay for their purchases. Any customers wishing to pay by check or credit card or debit card will be told that the verification system is down and their transaction can't be completed. All customers will then be immediately escorted to the doors and the doors will be briefly opened and then immediately locked after they exit. In addition, in a manner similar to what happened during the World Trade Center meltdown, each store's management may demand that their employees remain at their stations until further notice or they will lose their jobs for leaving without management's permission. But most of the more intelligent employees will leave at the same time as the store's last few remaining customers. The store's special security guards may or may not remain behind in order to protect the store with their lives. Since most of these special security guards are not paid exceptionally well, a large number of them may decide that they should return home and protect their own families instead.
4. Criminals: Anyone and everyone who has any criminal tendencies and who has been patiently waiting for this to happen will immediately see it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve their financial situation. More than likely the vast majority of these criminals have already made very detailed plans that includes exactly which businesses they are going to rob first, second, third, and so on. Any business with a reasonable level of cash-on-hand will be very high on every criminal's list. Every jewelry store and pawn shop that has any type of silver or gold jewelry, or precious stones (diamonds, rubies, emeralds, etc.), will be very high on everyone's list. The warfare that breaks out at these establishments between competing criminals will not be pleasant.
5. Normal People: Normal average people will begin looting. Grocery stores will be broken into and they will be completely emptied from wall-to-wall, including the rear storage area, in less than one-hour. Stores that have firearms, ammunition, appliances, clothing, shoes, or anything else needed by the average citizen will be emptied in less than one-hour. In skirmishes over the few remaining resources, normal average people will begin killing one another inside the stores, and in the parking lots outside the stores, and on the streets as these fully loaded vehicles try to escape with their loot.
The above events will all happen simultaneously during the first one-hour of the meltdown. After that first hour has passed, things will really begin to get nasty. Everyone will quickly realize there are not are not enough law enforcement personnel to protect everyone and everything. Although the military will probably be ordered to protect specific high priority establishments and resources, there will simply not be enough military personnel to protect individual civilians or businesses.
More here: http://www.grandpappy.info/honehour.htm
Agreed. My BO kit stays in the car, always.
We have a place way out in the woods in northern ME as a rally point. My longer-term gear is always ready to go; all of it can be loaded into my SUV in about four minutes. This would include most of my food, which is pre-loaded into heavy-duty containers and a cartop box, and about 5K rounds of ammo.
It sounds like you’re ahead of most of the rest of the world. Don’t forget water/water purification. Pick up some more ammo, and spend an afternoon or two at a range (or a gravel pit) to get reaquainted with your guns.
You’re right... the new money will be guns and ammunition, booze, soap, and toilet paper.
I would never barter away my booze, but might ammo and toilet paper....:O)
Absolutely right!
What you said.
Any advice on those collapsible toilets? I just got one for use on my land but haven’t tried it yet.
In addition to tp, I’d suggest a few plastic spray bottles. With a little practice, you can use them to wash the “stuff” off, then just use a little tp to dry off. Sort of a low-tech bidet. Makes the tp go farther when the stores run out. Eventually, you could use cloth to dry with and just wash the cloth in REALLY hot water afterward.
“If anyone is interested, they have 223 Rem on sale. 20 cartridges for less than 10 bucks.”
WOW! And people wonder why I brough an AK74. 2160 rounds for around $200 deliveried.
Not a chance. The nobles never give up power voluntarily.
When the SHTF, all bets will be off, and a new paradigm will rise. This has happened many times throughout history, and when it does, the nobles high tail it out of Dodge just as fast as they can. Ordinarily, most of them do not survive the fall of their regime.
If things fell apart here, many of them would survive the fall, but they'd be virtual prisoners in their labyrinthine bunkers.
Do you really think our government think tanks didn't consider the possibility of widespread social breakdown when they built the underground bunkers for our elected reps? They're not just for nuclear attack, my friend.
Fortunately, we live in a semi-rural area a long way from even the suburbs. The local urban areas are even further from us.
If the The One-Hour Meltdown occurs, we'll be better off than folks further in, mostly because folks out my way would take out any marauders on sight.
That is one area where I'm seriously deficient. I've really got to handle that.
I've noticed. A couple of them have already expressed their disbelief on this thread.
“223 Rem on sale. 20 cartridges for less than 10 bucks”
$6.99 at Dick’s Sporting Goods
LOL. Guess I have a lot to learn. Thought I was getting a good deal. Don’t have an AK though so I guess it is what it is.
Cool. I have one of those near by.
Granny - you've done a disservice to your son... It's not that hard to figure out who you are - and then who he is... If you know someone with gold in their home - might be best to keep it to yourself.
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