Survivalists worry ‘preppers’ will be scapegoated for Newtown shooting

Yahoo! News | The Lookout ^ | 12/19/12 | Liz Goodwino

[Kartographer]

Ever since a relative of Newtown, Conn., shooter Adam Lanza suggested that his mother, Nancy Lanza, was a "survivalist" who stockpiled food and weapons, "preppers" have gone online to express concern that they may become targets of unwelcome attention. "She prepared for the worst," Nancy Lanza's sister-in-law, Marsha Lanza, told reporters last weekend. "Last time we visited her in person, we talked about prepping—are you ready for what could happen down the line, when the economy collapses?"

[jersey117]

Only of they allow themselves to be. Our side really needs to learn to speak out more. What better case to make for prepping than the recent Hurricane Sandy.

[JRandomFreeper]

LOL! In my case, life itself has been a survival drill. So far, I've passed the test.

What people do everyday in this country is prepare to survive. That's why seed is grown and saved by seed companies and planted by farmers, that's why miners stockpile coal, that's why calves get turned out onto pasture, so we can have steaks in a couple of years. It's also why there are grain elevators, and warehouses across this great land of ours, well, in fly-over country, anyway.

The whole 'prepper' and 'survivalist' label is a recent phenomenon. Mainly used by leftists to denigrate self-sufficient people. Like Americans.

/johnny

[yorkiemom]

Place an armed guard or concealed carry personnel in every school – NO MORE MASS KILLINGS.

But I'm not willing to pay one more penny in school taxes to go to our failing schools.

If every parent home schooled, not only would killings like this not be an issue - but children would actually learn something for a change.

[yorkiemom]

As the lefties would say, a little nuance is important there. Kartographer, Marcella, and others here and elsewhere have done a lot of good by posting anonymously about preparedness, and I imagine some people in NJ are glad they listened to those posts. JRandomFreeper and others live in areas where there is enough support that they can make themselves and others safer by openly advocating for personal responsibility. I live in an area where I am almost as concerned about many of my rich but parasitic neighbors as I am about zombies from the city 20 miles away. Whether one should talk about Fight Club is an individual decision - I don't talk.

Those are great distinctions.

I find it odd here how not mentioning prepping to a single soul is advocated; and then finding like-minded folks to form a community is also advocated. Can't have one without the other.

Here in the city where I am most of the time, I tell no one what I'm up to. But in the mountains where we have a cabin, there's a few people that I've cautiously talked about storing food, the possibility of economic collapse, etc. Seems we all concur and are prepping, although the extent to which we are individually ready is never discussed. But I know I can count on them when the time comes and vice versa.

[Marcella]

“But I’m not willing to pay one more penny in school taxes to go to our failing schools.”

Not to worry - we’ll let go 10 asst. superintendents who have nothing to do anyway and use those slots for trained Freepers to kill anyone who needs it.

[Marcella]

“But I’m not willing to pay one more penny in school taxes to go to our failing schools.”

Not to worry - we’ll let go 10 asst. superintendents who have nothing to do anyway and use those slots for trained Freepers to kill anyone who needs it.

[yorkiemom]

My 5 lb. Yorkie figured out we were prepping when she saw large bags of her expensive dog food recently stored. She eats better than I do - Blue Buffalo for her has chicken, brown rice, carrots, sweet potatoes, blueberries, cranberries and additional vitamins. No, you can't take her place and sleep in her pink doggy bed and eat healthy doggie food.

LOL! I have a 5 pounder too, and I think he's the perfect size. Sturdy enough to go for 5 mile hikes but little enough to cuddle really well. Better than the cats.

Blue Buffalo is good stuff. Mine prefers cheap food but is stuck with Natural Balance most of the time. Must be like dog potato chips - the cheap stuff tastes good but is not good for you.

BTW, 'suicide by prepper' - LOVE that!

[yorkiemom]

Not to worry - we’ll let go 10 asst. superintendents who have nothing to do anyway and use those slots for trained Freepers to kill anyone who needs it.

Now THAT is a perfect solution! I'm not at all against armed guards in schools - only how the libs will use it as an excuse to drain more money from the taxpayers.

Requiring each teacher to carry a weapon is another option. But since most are whiny, entitlement-teaching, liberals, I'd worry more if they were armed with my student in their class.

[nitzy]

I was under the impression that those who self identify as "preppers" are preparing for some big eventuality or set of eventualities that they anticipate may occur in the near future. The people I have spoken with or hear about think that everything is going to come undone in a cataclysmic event. (economic collapse, solar storm, pandemic, meteor, foreign invasion, nuclear war, zombies, etc...)

Other than a meteor, I just don't see any of that happening or having a long term effect more than a couple months.

I am on board with planning for any eventuality but I think the effort you put in should be proportional to the likelyhood of the event occurring and the impact it would ultimately have.

That is why I don't self identify as a "prepper". Although I feel I am reasonably self sufficient and prepared for anything that is likely to happen.

[JRandomFreeper]

I was under the impression that those who self identify as "preppers" are preparing for some big eventuality or set of eventualities that they anticipate may occur in the near future.

You must own a television.

I prepare for things that will happen in the future, just like they have happened in the past.

I've been under a National Weather Service wind advisory all day. Sometimes that means trees down, open roofs, broken windows. Thankfully, not today, so far. But if it did happen, you would bet I would consider it a major event in my life.

I try not to pick up sterotypes from the media. They can be very, very wrong and simple-minded.

/johnny

[Marcella]

“I was under the impression that those who self identify as “preppers” are preparing for some big eventuality or set of eventualities that they anticipate may occur in the near future.”

I may have a hurricane any time from the middle of June through October. There definitely will be hurricanes - whether they come my way is not known. The last one was Ike barreling through here. I have to be prepared to go many days without power and all that entails. People who don't do that end up waiting in line for water and MREs. No, thanks, I'll take care of myself. My preparing for a period of time without power puts me in the “prepper” category - I don't care.

[greeneyes]

was under the impression that those who self identify as “preppers” are preparing for some big eventuality or set of eventualities that they anticipate may occur in the near future. The people I have spoken with or hear about think that everything is going to come undone in a cataclysmic event. (economic collapse, solar storm, pandemic, meteor, foreign invasion, nuclear war, zombies, etc...)
******************************************************

Now see, that there is what they call a stereo type. Just how many “preppers” do you know? Did you per chance “hear” about them from TV?

There ain't no such thing as a prepper - that's just some fancy word made up that some people like to use to sneer at people.

I won't speak for others, but me I'm just a farm gal at heart. Practicing things I learned from Granny and Grandpa, passing it on to my kids and grandkids. It just so happens that we have tornadoes all the time, and storms that regularly interrupt electrical service.

We have even had snow so deep and often that school was called off for 2 months, because the buses couldn't run. Now we either have to be able to deal with that or curl up in a fetal position, suck our thumbs, and succumb, or we can deal with it in the same spirit as our ancestors.

Brave people who faced danger to come to the new world, and moved west and dealt with the hand they drew. That ain't prepping, that's living.

Now that we are all so much more scientific, someone may believe that there's an asteroid in their future. Those people worried about financial collapse-it has happened to many countries. Think the USA is immune?

Did you know that the US Government went broke(had a cash flow problem whatever you want to call it)? Yep they did. JP Morgan bailed out the USA government(after he bought out Carnegie's Company).

That's why U.S. Steel didn't get the same trust-busting treatment that Standard Oil got. Of course there was that little problem FDR had too.

He confiscated the gold gave every one some US Dollars in exchange. Then immediately devalued the dollar by about 40%-can you say screwed the USA citizens?

Now, all my life I have said don't bet against the US economy, companies, and workers. I still say that-bet on the USA. On the other hand, it just wouldn't be intelligent not to hedge that bet.

Can't blame people for wanting to figure out ahead of time what's coming and how to deal with life's little curve balls. At least you have covered some of your bases.

Well, that's how I see it. It's still a pretty free country out here in the rural areas of flyover country. And we still have a lot of people who like to be self sufficient and independent. Don't want to deal with certain problems cause you think it won't or can't happen?.

Well study a little bit about normalcy bias, and make sure you really want to take the chance that nothing like some of those problems will ever happen.

If you are 100% convinced it is not a problem, then don't, but somewhere down the line, you may hear the words “I told you so, grasshopper”.

[Smokin' Joe]

bfl

[Old Sarge]

[MayflowerMadam]

“Word.”

I never knew what that meant. I still don’t know. What the hell does it mean, and why do ghetto people say it?

[MayflowerMadam]

“allow teachers/administrators to obtain concealed carry permits.”

Even smarter: Mandate all teachers and administratiors to carry guns. Idiots with guns don’t target venues where they know without a doubt they’ll be met with weapons. You’d think parents would demand that. It’s like sending their kids to the community pool where the lifeguards are prohibited from knowing how to swim. I don’t have kids myself but if I did I’d like the assurance of knowing my kids were protected from danger.

[MWestMom]

From the Urban Dictionary: “Word” is the shortened form of the phrase: “my word is my bond” which was originated by inmates in U.S. prisons. The longer phrase was shortened to “word is bond” before becoming “word,” which is most commonly used. It basically means “truth.” Or “to speak the truth.”

As far as your second question goes, I don’t know....Affirmative action, lack of intellect, “No child left behind... Word.

[Indy Pendance]

I live 50 some miles away from Milwaukee, WI. The sheriff of Milwaukee county, on a local talk radio show today, suggested for those businesses with no CC weapons allowed should remove those signs. They are sitting ducks.

Every incident of mass killings was in a gun free zone. The media doesn’t report those killings that were stopped, like recently at the mall in Portland Oregon.

Just shortly after Wisconsin passed CC, an armed citizen stopped a killing spree at a Milwaukee inner city Aldi’s by killing the crook.

[greeneyes]

LOL. I must have missed that episode.

[greeneyes]

This is so true.