[camle]

OK, so we were without power for a few hours. that is hardly a lifde threatening event. in the grand scheme of things it's ahrdly a blip. shall we get over this, and quit trying to build ourselves up by being survivors?

it's not like anybody's gonna die if they can't watch TV for a few hours, or even (shudder) lose their A/C!

a little perspective, please

[bets]

I own a bike, extra food, propane for a small camp cook stove, a small water filter system, paperplates and the like, small propane lantern, candle lanterns, oil for oil lanterns, wind up radio, wind up flashlight, solar recharger for rechargeable batteries. Did I miss anything? (I used to live in FL where hurricanes were a constant issue)

[milemark]

Here in Michigan we lose power for several days at least once each spring/summer storm season. The recent blackout was short and only notable for the large area it covered. Just about anywhere one lives, there is some type of possible natural disaster (tornados, earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes, etc...) in addition to terrorism or war. It is just good common sense to have a weeks supply of non-perishable food, fresh water, batteries and a flashlite and transisitor radio. This was reasonable preparation even before 9-11.

[Hatteras]

Usually what happens in our neck of the woods is that you re-introduce yourself to your neighbors. The first week is kinda fun. You pull everything out of the freezer and slap it on the grill. During the feast you find out what the neighbor across the way has been working on in his shop 'til all hours of the night and you find out what new tools he has and how wonderful HIS wife is that she let him buy some really great stuff. A great way to bring the neighborhood together and make your wife feel guilty enough to buy you something neat for your birthday!.

[Quix]

I agree with you.

I believe a major natural disaster is around the shorter corner.

I suppose it could be another big terrorist attack. But something is looming closer than I'd prefer, by far.

I think the timing is hanging on a variety of variables related to Christians and the population in general as well as how we treat Israel. Will see.

Thanks for your post.

[MissAmericanPie]

Gee, it was only a little power blackout. But I'll do like I did in Y2K and horde revlon and maxfactor cosmetics. I still have ton's left from Y2K anyway, that stuff is hard to move when there isn't an emergency.

[Carry_Okie]

All those who turn a blind eye to the loss of American family farms take note: Where will you run in time of crisis? Will there be anybody there with tillable land, seed, tools, and knowledge? Do you prefer to be held hostage to foreign suppliers? Is it worth keeping farmers in business or should we keep witlessly putting them out of business over bogus environmental concerns so that "investors" can make a profit overseas?

Think about it.

[atomic conspiracy]

On another string several posters and I have addressed the possibility that massive warfare, including nuclear warfare, could break out in the Middle East at any time. I brought up the need for psychological and physical preparedness in response to this.

If Israel loses patience and launches a genuine war of extermination against terrorists and their supporters, we will probably see terrorist attacks on our infra-structure, and some of these could possibly succeed on a massive scale. There are just too many points of vulnerability for every possibility to be covered.

Beyond that, the left-wing Fifth Column would go absolutely berserk in the event of a large-scale Israeli assault on the Islamo-fascists. During the Iraq war, we saw a lot of violence and disruption, and many attempts at outright sabotage, from the "peace movement".

The peace thugs took note when the media soft-peddled this treasonous conduct, and this would only incite them to much worse disruption and violence if, say, an Israeli nuclear strike destroys Iranian and Pakistani nuclear facilities, or if a very large number of Hizbollah are killed in a sudden assault on their Lebanese sanctuary.

Every Mumia-cong fantasist, anarchist wannabe, and pop-culture radical in the country would pour into the street in support of professional agitators; the mob mentality would take over, and we would have an extremely violent, if short-lived, insurrection on our hands.

This possibility, essentially domestic warfare, introduces a significant issue of personal security into the equation. Do you live in an area where rampaging anarchist mobs could become dangerous? Do you know how to protect yourself and your family if a rioting mob spills over into your neighborhood? Can you deal with blocked roads and massive sabotage of utilities? Do you know how to cope with fallout, and how dangerous it actually is, or is not, when it originates on the other side of the world?

There are a lot of resources on the web, and elsewhere, for these questions. My site, Nuclear Space, addresses some of the radiological questions. FAS and Global Security also have some excellent material on these issues, some of it quite surprising to those who are only familiar with the media (ie luddite panic-monger) line on radiological hazards. There are many general survival sites, varying in quality from rigorously scientific to certifiably insane. Learn to tell the difference, your life may depend on it.

[MiddleVillager]

Your absolutely correct. It seems that if low-lifes are patted on the back for exercising common sense and behaving in a lawful manner, the next time they'll be "wilding".

[Centurion2000]

heh ... survivalism goes mainstream :)

[boris]

During the aftermath of the 1994 earthquake, I learned the Secret of Civilization: hot running water.

I can do without electricity, TV, computer.

By the third day I was like Neanderthal Man. A friend of mine who lives in Simi Valley (and had services) allowed me to drive 15 miles for a hot shower.

Heaven!

--Boris

[MD_Willington_1976]

Run...Run to the hills and hide, the power has gone out...I bet the next time the power goes out that this guy will be hiding in his crawlspace under his house with a shotgun in one hand and his last roll of toilet paer in the other screaming "you'll have to kill me to get my last roll of Charmin".

[MD_Willington_1976]

As we get more advance the more ignorant we become...we live in a day and age where pushing a button on a control console can wipe out a major city or small country, but what amazes me is the fact that most people do not posses the means of everyday survival without electricity. When the power goes out we have to live like our Grand or Great Grand parents did, i.e. no power, go to the well, use a wood stove, walk to your destination, ride a horse, or stay put etc.. they lived like that and we are proof that people can survive that way...