After my last post, I had a question come from a friend who reads this blog. He asked what I was talking about with my mention of some preppers thinking they're "Patriots". I figured I would jot down my thoughts on the subject in a follow-up post.
So, I read a lot of different survival blogs, a couple of different forums, and follow multiple Youtube channels. One subject I see discussed quite often is this idea that people who are prepared should naturally consider themselves Patriots. These discussions usually have the same sort of theme behind them, things like "having to take a stand against the Gubmint!" or "It's time we take our country back!" or "You have to be ready to stand up and lead your community and restore order!".
I don't understand what any of those things has to do with prepping. In fact, most of the preppers I know, or have read posts/blogs by, all talk about things like "When SHTF, I'm bugging out to my BOL and hiding out until the worst is over!" or "When the zombies come, I'm totally holing up in my fortified home!" or "My family and I are going to be covered, and screw everyone else!" So, when you have people who prep in order to survive...well, insert your disaster scenario of choice here, what is this assumption from internet people that preppers are supposed to take up arms and fight against the Government, or defend the populace?
I've since noticed that forum posts on this subject tend to become inflammatory as the Patriot chestbeaters argue with people who are asking this same question. It's not unusual to see responses of "Well, if you aren't ready to do what's right for AMERICA, then you're just a coward, so go run and hide like one!" The inference here is that the self-claimed "Patriot" is going to rise up and form an army with thousands of other like-minded individuals and...I don't know, march on Washington? Skirmish with law enforcement, National Guard, or whoever is trying to restore order after a disaster? I don't know, but the more I hear these "Patriots" talk, I'm pretty sure that they aren't any sort of patriot as I know the term from early American history.
And really, that's what kills me about the whole idea of "fighting back". It seems to me these days that there's this huge culture based around the ownership and use of firearms and knives (and tomahawks, mustn't forget those) in the prepper community. There are countless videos on YT about how to fight with a knife, or how to properly conceal carry a gun, or the best mods for your AR-15 combat-rifle lookalike. There are countless posts on the forums like "What guns do I need for SHTF???!1?" or "What Rifle is most accurate at 1,000 yards!" or "Do swords make good SHTF close combat weapons?" and on and on and on. All these people are so concerned with weapons, and fighting, and shooting, and blowing "zombies" or "looters" away. Some even talk about how they can't wait for someone to break into their homes. You know, I get it, I do. I get that the idea of being an action hero like in a movie or video game is cool, where you have to duck for cover and fight an attacking wave of bad-guys with your AR, or engage an enemy in close-up martial arts knife/sword/axe fighting. I understand that all of those things are exciting to people who lead lives that are boring or dull otherwise. It's neat to day-dream about being an action hero right out of a video game or summer blockbuster flick.
But you know, I think that's what our problem is. In today's convenience filled world of shopping malls, cell-phones, cheap computers, stores full of cheaply made imported luxury goods, video games, and a constant barrage of entertainment media, there's no real fighting, strife, or conflict anymore (at least not in most of the country, if you live in a harsh ghetto urban area, your view might be understandably different). In 99% of this country, you don't have to fight an enemy in order to survive. Life is more easy for Americans than it has ever been in the entire history of this country. Hungry at 3:00AM? No worries, hit up a drivethrough somewhere. Decide you want to buy a new Bluray player for that 62' TV you just bought? Just run down to Best Buy, I'm sure they have what you need. Decide you need some beef jerky, bottled water, and some cheap Chinese-made running shoes? There's a Wal-Mart on your way home, how nice.
And that's the problem, I think. Yes, I'm aware that I am speaking from a "pampered middle class suburbanite" viewpoint. But the basic premise is the same. Even poor people don't have to knife-fight their way out of a store with a bag of potatoes so their family can eat that night. They swipe their EBT card, and walk out, and get into their big SUV with the $12,000 whe...sorry, rant for another time.
But seriously. Think about it. Human Beings spent thousands of years living in caves, and not being at the top of the food chain. There was a real fight for survival. Hell, even a hundred years ago, survival was a struggle for many people. But today? There is no real fight to survive. Most Americans grow up having enough to eat, getting a free education (such as it is) from a public school before taking out loans to go to college, after which they graduate, and work a variety of jobs, none of which involve them having to fight for their lives. If you lose your job, there's unemployment. At the worst, you move back in with your parents, and you look for another job. Life goes on...but you haven't had to fight anyone, or claw your way up from the muck. Consider this. Our poorest person is still in the 1% of the world's wealthiest as
compared to the rest of the world. That's right. The poorest person in this country, there are literally billions of people who are worse off than you. It's all a matter of perspective. A homeless person can walk up to the side of a house or building, and use the faucet there, and BAM, instant access to clean water. All that poor guy can drink, at least until he gets chased off. There are places in this world who would literally do anything to have access to clean water, just spilling out of the house onto the ground like that.
Anyway, it just seems like the majority of preppers and survivalists have
painted this romantic, dramatic idea of being armed and "ready for the
fight". So, I think that's why so many people on survival boards talk about being a Patriot who will "fight for their country" (and yet oddly, they don't join the armed forces, huh). It's because their real, actual, day-to-day lives are so easy, and conflict-free. Frankly, if you even own a (lawfully obtained) firearm, then an easy assumption to make might be that your life isn't that hard. People generally do not think about firearms costing hundreds of dollars (along with ammunition that costs nearly the same these days) when they don't even have money for rent, or food. So, most people posting online (internet access being another luxury that people in actual dire straights wouldn't have) really crack me up with this blatant cry for attention, with their fantasies of a life full of gunfire against a backdrop of explosions and a tense summer blockbuster soundtrack.
I think a lot of people spend so much time on the Internet preparing for the wrong thing. But hey, that's just me. In the end, make sure you are keeping both feet firmly on the ground with your prepping plans.
Stay safe out there.
Unnamed Prepper
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Monday, June 3, 2013
Preppers, Please Stop with the Mall Ninja Mindset:
Hello, friends. Hope this post finds you well. As before, Life got in the way of regular updates, and so I haven't kept up with this blog as I thought I would when I began it. There are a multitude of factors that have kept me from posting besides realworld concerns such as spending time with my family and friends. One major reason is that I have found so, so many competent, worthy survival blogs out there, all written by people who claim extreme survival knowledge and experience. That said, as I DO find topics I feel compelled to write about, I will continue to do so. One of those topics is about to be discussed right now, in fact.
I'd like to preface this with a warning that I may offend some of you with the following, and also, pardon my language. I'm about to get on a long-winded roll. You were warned. If you disagree, I do not care. Sorry.
Anyway, on with it. So, me. I love knives. I do. Always have. I collect them when funds allow, and I have a pretty decent collection. Some of them have seen years of camping use, others are shiny show pieces I keep and only take out every now and then. Well, I had the itch, and some funds, so it was time to buy a few new pieces for the collection. Not really knowing what all was available, I visited knife sites, I watched Youtube video reviews, I scoured Amazon and Ebay for the best prices, and so on. So, I made some pretty neat choices, and picked them up. That said, one additional resource I used was a large Prepper/Survivalist forum I frequent. It was there (as well as many Youtube videos) where I was reading a lot of threads with titles like "Best Self Defense knife!" or "Best survival knife!" or "Which fighting knife is best for SHTF?".
Uh....what? Ok. Folks. I need to just lay it out, just need to get it out there. I'm not going to be polite or nonspecific, because this is no joking matter. I really, really don't understand where this idea is coming from that in SHTF or the zombie apocalypse, or economic collapse, or whatever other end of the world scenerio of your choice, that people are suddenly going to be defending themselves in hand to hand combat. Let me say it candidly. Preppers. Survivalists. If you find yourself in a knife struggle or any other form of close-up fighting, you have FUCKED UP. You have made a grievous tactical decision based around poor planning. No other way to say it, period. Period.
If there is a chance your house is easily stormed; you should have left the minute the news started talking about lines at the gas pumps. If you are in a place where you could encounter an attack from others, you shouldn't be there, you and your loved ones should be elsewhere. I am really not understanding, or respecting this mindset I'm seeing on various survival pages talking about how Preppers/Survivalists are all "Patriots" and need to stand ready. What? NO. A prepper prepares to survive. A survivalist trains and plans to survive. And surviving is not a goal that aligns with all this "Patriot" talk where people talk about armed resistance towards a Tyrannical Government, or talking about actively engaging other people in either a gunfight, or hand to hand. A true prepper/survivalist is going to take his preps, and get the fuck out of dodge.
Also, let's just be straight. Buying a big scary "fighting" knife (you know, one with a non-functional "sawtooth" back of the blade or whatever) or some tacticool mall ninja bullshit like a Tanto blade knife or any other design whose description talks about how it was designed by some well-known knife-fighter is stupid. It's stupid. Period. Unless, like me, you just like cool looking knives. Hey, if that's the case, good for you. I myself have a few tanto blades. But I will be the first to tell you that the bullshit marketing hype about how they're "specially designed for stabbing" is just that, marketing hype, and only idiots buy into marketing hype. Buying a knife with the expectation that you'll use it to defend yourself at some point, well, it's a bad idea. Worse, it's a stupid idea.
Now that you're offended, let me give you some things to think about.
Firstly, ask anyone who has actual training in a knife-fighting martial art. "What would you rather do, defend yourself from multiple determined attackers in a desperate situation, all of whom will certainly be armed, or would you rather deal with those same determined attackers from a distance armed with a firearm?" Any martial artist (who isn't a mall ninja who has watched so many Shaw Brothers or Bruce Lee movies that they're living in a fantasy world) will tell you flatly that they prefer the latter. I myself have extensive martial arts experience, and knives are one weapon I'm trained in.
Secondly, let me mention another fact that most of the internet keyboard Ranger Spec-ops SEAL commando badasses you see posting clearly aren't considering: knife design. As I said, I have actually trained in knife fighting, yet you won't find a single knife in any of my go-bags that are billed as fighting knives or "combat knives". The reason for that is that many "fighting/combat knives" are worthless in a true survival situation, in my estimation. They aren't good woods knives, as most don't have the right blade design to clean game, chop wood, or any number of other tasks. Most of them are made for stabbing and slashing. The balance is wrong, the weight is usually wrong, and so on. If you are looking for a survival knife you can depend on, leave the mall ninja bullshit (like most of the TOPS knives with their "Designed by Navy SEALs!" noise, it's a marketing gimmick) to the mall ninjas and get yourself a knife that's made to do some actual work. Something like a bushcraft knife, a camp knife, a kuhkri, something that's made to do actual work, not something that was designed to look like knives that Rambo might carry. Most knives made to look wicked are made to look that way at the expense of useful design features. They are a marketing gimmick.
Thirdly, back to the martial arts aspect. There are literally hundreds of books out there on knife-fighting techniques, and every "I can teach you to street fight in two hours!" video tape guy will tell you that they can teach you to defend yourself against someone else with a knife, as well as teach you to be a master of the blade yourself. Do not be fooled. Let me tell you something. Real world fights are not like martial arts movie fights, where the good guy has been surrounded, and yet the bad guys all attack only one at a time, so the good guy can do some fancy kick, or sweet-looking punch/elbow combo. Reading these threads I've read, it's clear to me that people haven't actually sat down and thought things through. They haven't taken the time to really concentrate and envision what will actually happen in a desperate situation. And it's clear that they don't watch the news, and see some of these riots in other parts of the world. Well, they really need to. And so should you. In the real world, if you are approached by multiple aggressors who see you with a knife in your hand, they're going to (if they're smart) rap a jacket or towel around their off-arm, and come at you...all at once. Your plan of "Well, I bought this sweet TOPS fighting knife on Ebay, so I'm set" is going to go out the fucking window in a hurry, and your wife and children watching from cover will get to watch as your knife is taken from you, and used to disembowel you on the spot. Graphic?
So are desperate, hungry, determined people.
Fourthly, most knife-using martial arts practitioners will tell you one thing almost universally. If you engage in a knife fight with someone else, you are almost certainly getting cut. They may also have a knife. You may be physically overpowered, and your knife turned on you. In any case, it's a serious factor to consider in a dangerous situation. If a hurricane has swept through and destroyed your town, or power is out all over the city and trees are down on your street, or it's full-on SHTF and people are Rodney-King-Rioting in the streets, trust me, you do NOT have easy access to medical care. So, wounds inflicted by a bladed weapon are something to be avoided at all costs.
Lastly, listen, there is a silver lining here, something that should put your mind somewhat at ease. So far, I have counseled that knife-fights are going to be bad, even for those trained in knife self-defense. I've also said that fighting knives make poor work/survival knives. So, you're probably thinking "Listen, man. There could be SOME point where I'm jumped out of nowhere, and so what do I do? You didn't want me to buy a cool specwar Rambo knife, so I just went and bought this nice Benchmade assist-open folder!" First off, great knife choice. Secondly, look, I know there could be some slim chance that you end up needing to protect yourself with a knife. Hell, probably better than "slim". You're walking out of the side door at the office late one night, and someone grabs you from behind and you don't have your firearm because they aren't allowed in your workplace. If your folder is all you got, it's all you got. But here's something to keep in mind, most of the knives used to kill or stab people in the 19th, 20th, and into the 21st century haven't been super-duper Rambo combat Marine killer SEAL Ranger Spec-Ops designed (OMG, so cool!) for killing. Most knife murders are committed with kitchen knives or hunting knives. And in a desperate situation, your pocket knife, jammed into the right spot will work just fine and allow you to hopefully stop the attacker, or at least give him something to think about while you get away, preferably to your car where your firearm is locked in a car safe. If you find yourself jumped and your camp knife is all you got, the absolute fact of the matter is, you wouldn't have been any better off with a super expensive Busse, TOPS, or Strider attack fighting combat bad-ass killer knife. That is a fact.
So, in conclusion, if you have fantasies of defending yourself from zombies with a sweet knife after being deluded by marketing hype talking about super hard steel designed to hold up to being stabbed through a car door, or "OMG designed by famed knife fighter Joe Schmoe" or "Designed with input from SEALs and DELTA force!", slap yourself in the face, and come back to reality. You aren't a specwarrior. Many of those knives are designed for guys in actual combat situations, such as our military personnel currently stationed in the Middle East. In other words: not your average suburban prepper. They're also generally designed for those who have years of knife-fighting training experience. If you're a prepper, or survivalist, your job is ensure that you and those you care about survive, through a combination of good planning, and making sure you are gone from the situation before it erupts into chaos. One last thing to consider, I've seen used HiPoint pistols go for what some of these "fighting/combat" knives go for. Yes, they're heavy and cheaply made. But by all accounts, they're reliable! And, between you and me, I'd much rather have the pistol than a knife in a fight.
Stay safe out there.
Unnamed Prepper
I'd like to preface this with a warning that I may offend some of you with the following, and also, pardon my language. I'm about to get on a long-winded roll. You were warned. If you disagree, I do not care. Sorry.
Anyway, on with it. So, me. I love knives. I do. Always have. I collect them when funds allow, and I have a pretty decent collection. Some of them have seen years of camping use, others are shiny show pieces I keep and only take out every now and then. Well, I had the itch, and some funds, so it was time to buy a few new pieces for the collection. Not really knowing what all was available, I visited knife sites, I watched Youtube video reviews, I scoured Amazon and Ebay for the best prices, and so on. So, I made some pretty neat choices, and picked them up. That said, one additional resource I used was a large Prepper/Survivalist forum I frequent. It was there (as well as many Youtube videos) where I was reading a lot of threads with titles like "Best Self Defense knife!" or "Best survival knife!" or "Which fighting knife is best for SHTF?".
Uh....what? Ok. Folks. I need to just lay it out, just need to get it out there. I'm not going to be polite or nonspecific, because this is no joking matter. I really, really don't understand where this idea is coming from that in SHTF or the zombie apocalypse, or economic collapse, or whatever other end of the world scenerio of your choice, that people are suddenly going to be defending themselves in hand to hand combat. Let me say it candidly. Preppers. Survivalists. If you find yourself in a knife struggle or any other form of close-up fighting, you have FUCKED UP. You have made a grievous tactical decision based around poor planning. No other way to say it, period. Period.
If there is a chance your house is easily stormed; you should have left the minute the news started talking about lines at the gas pumps. If you are in a place where you could encounter an attack from others, you shouldn't be there, you and your loved ones should be elsewhere. I am really not understanding, or respecting this mindset I'm seeing on various survival pages talking about how Preppers/Survivalists are all "Patriots" and need to stand ready. What? NO. A prepper prepares to survive. A survivalist trains and plans to survive. And surviving is not a goal that aligns with all this "Patriot" talk where people talk about armed resistance towards a Tyrannical Government, or talking about actively engaging other people in either a gunfight, or hand to hand. A true prepper/survivalist is going to take his preps, and get the fuck out of dodge.
Also, let's just be straight. Buying a big scary "fighting" knife (you know, one with a non-functional "sawtooth" back of the blade or whatever) or some tacticool mall ninja bullshit like a Tanto blade knife or any other design whose description talks about how it was designed by some well-known knife-fighter is stupid. It's stupid. Period. Unless, like me, you just like cool looking knives. Hey, if that's the case, good for you. I myself have a few tanto blades. But I will be the first to tell you that the bullshit marketing hype about how they're "specially designed for stabbing" is just that, marketing hype, and only idiots buy into marketing hype. Buying a knife with the expectation that you'll use it to defend yourself at some point, well, it's a bad idea. Worse, it's a stupid idea.
Now that you're offended, let me give you some things to think about.
Firstly, ask anyone who has actual training in a knife-fighting martial art. "What would you rather do, defend yourself from multiple determined attackers in a desperate situation, all of whom will certainly be armed, or would you rather deal with those same determined attackers from a distance armed with a firearm?" Any martial artist (who isn't a mall ninja who has watched so many Shaw Brothers or Bruce Lee movies that they're living in a fantasy world) will tell you flatly that they prefer the latter. I myself have extensive martial arts experience, and knives are one weapon I'm trained in.
Secondly, let me mention another fact that most of the internet keyboard Ranger Spec-ops SEAL commando badasses you see posting clearly aren't considering: knife design. As I said, I have actually trained in knife fighting, yet you won't find a single knife in any of my go-bags that are billed as fighting knives or "combat knives". The reason for that is that many "fighting/combat knives" are worthless in a true survival situation, in my estimation. They aren't good woods knives, as most don't have the right blade design to clean game, chop wood, or any number of other tasks. Most of them are made for stabbing and slashing. The balance is wrong, the weight is usually wrong, and so on. If you are looking for a survival knife you can depend on, leave the mall ninja bullshit (like most of the TOPS knives with their "Designed by Navy SEALs!" noise, it's a marketing gimmick) to the mall ninjas and get yourself a knife that's made to do some actual work. Something like a bushcraft knife, a camp knife, a kuhkri, something that's made to do actual work, not something that was designed to look like knives that Rambo might carry. Most knives made to look wicked are made to look that way at the expense of useful design features. They are a marketing gimmick.
Thirdly, back to the martial arts aspect. There are literally hundreds of books out there on knife-fighting techniques, and every "I can teach you to street fight in two hours!" video tape guy will tell you that they can teach you to defend yourself against someone else with a knife, as well as teach you to be a master of the blade yourself. Do not be fooled. Let me tell you something. Real world fights are not like martial arts movie fights, where the good guy has been surrounded, and yet the bad guys all attack only one at a time, so the good guy can do some fancy kick, or sweet-looking punch/elbow combo. Reading these threads I've read, it's clear to me that people haven't actually sat down and thought things through. They haven't taken the time to really concentrate and envision what will actually happen in a desperate situation. And it's clear that they don't watch the news, and see some of these riots in other parts of the world. Well, they really need to. And so should you. In the real world, if you are approached by multiple aggressors who see you with a knife in your hand, they're going to (if they're smart) rap a jacket or towel around their off-arm, and come at you...all at once. Your plan of "Well, I bought this sweet TOPS fighting knife on Ebay, so I'm set" is going to go out the fucking window in a hurry, and your wife and children watching from cover will get to watch as your knife is taken from you, and used to disembowel you on the spot. Graphic?
So are desperate, hungry, determined people.
Fourthly, most knife-using martial arts practitioners will tell you one thing almost universally. If you engage in a knife fight with someone else, you are almost certainly getting cut. They may also have a knife. You may be physically overpowered, and your knife turned on you. In any case, it's a serious factor to consider in a dangerous situation. If a hurricane has swept through and destroyed your town, or power is out all over the city and trees are down on your street, or it's full-on SHTF and people are Rodney-King-Rioting in the streets, trust me, you do NOT have easy access to medical care. So, wounds inflicted by a bladed weapon are something to be avoided at all costs.
Lastly, listen, there is a silver lining here, something that should put your mind somewhat at ease. So far, I have counseled that knife-fights are going to be bad, even for those trained in knife self-defense. I've also said that fighting knives make poor work/survival knives. So, you're probably thinking "Listen, man. There could be SOME point where I'm jumped out of nowhere, and so what do I do? You didn't want me to buy a cool specwar Rambo knife, so I just went and bought this nice Benchmade assist-open folder!" First off, great knife choice. Secondly, look, I know there could be some slim chance that you end up needing to protect yourself with a knife. Hell, probably better than "slim". You're walking out of the side door at the office late one night, and someone grabs you from behind and you don't have your firearm because they aren't allowed in your workplace. If your folder is all you got, it's all you got. But here's something to keep in mind, most of the knives used to kill or stab people in the 19th, 20th, and into the 21st century haven't been super-duper Rambo combat Marine killer SEAL Ranger Spec-Ops designed (OMG, so cool!) for killing. Most knife murders are committed with kitchen knives or hunting knives. And in a desperate situation, your pocket knife, jammed into the right spot will work just fine and allow you to hopefully stop the attacker, or at least give him something to think about while you get away, preferably to your car where your firearm is locked in a car safe. If you find yourself jumped and your camp knife is all you got, the absolute fact of the matter is, you wouldn't have been any better off with a super expensive Busse, TOPS, or Strider attack fighting combat bad-ass killer knife. That is a fact.
So, in conclusion, if you have fantasies of defending yourself from zombies with a sweet knife after being deluded by marketing hype talking about super hard steel designed to hold up to being stabbed through a car door, or "OMG designed by famed knife fighter Joe Schmoe" or "Designed with input from SEALs and DELTA force!", slap yourself in the face, and come back to reality. You aren't a specwarrior. Many of those knives are designed for guys in actual combat situations, such as our military personnel currently stationed in the Middle East. In other words: not your average suburban prepper. They're also generally designed for those who have years of knife-fighting training experience. If you're a prepper, or survivalist, your job is ensure that you and those you care about survive, through a combination of good planning, and making sure you are gone from the situation before it erupts into chaos. One last thing to consider, I've seen used HiPoint pistols go for what some of these "fighting/combat" knives go for. Yes, they're heavy and cheaply made. But by all accounts, they're reliable! And, between you and me, I'd much rather have the pistol than a knife in a fight.
Stay safe out there.
Unnamed Prepper
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Long Overdue Update:
Greetings, friends! I realize it has been several months since I have
updated, and multiple things have happened that have inspired me to make
an update post for those of you who are reading this from around the
world (according to my statistics!). I generally do not cover subjects
of a political or dramatic nature here if I can help it, but I feel that
a few things have transpired that demand it. I am unable to make the
comments I'm about to make on my normal social media channels, so I am
left with writing them here. This is going to be a fairly negative
post, and for that I apologize. In fact, if you are not interested in
negative, pragmatic talk, I'd recommend skipping this post altogether, I
won't hold it against you.
Firstly, President Obama was reelected. I myself voted for Romney, even though I knew it was a lost cause. I knew it was going to happen. I'm not calling that from the position of 20/20 hindsight. I knew it was going to happen. In fact, any general observer of this country and its swiftly changing moral attitudes would have known that Obama was going to win. Let me briefly cover a few key points, but as I do, remember that these are my opinions only. You may have a different view, and that's just fine. You know what, instead of points, I'll just point out the groups that Romney and Ryan alienated in their quest for the White House:
- Atheists, Agnostics, and Other Religions: Romney and Ryan made it very clear where they were on the Religion subject (which is one of the most polarizing of all subjects, next to Politics itself). They got up on stage and spoke directly into the camera when they referred to their religion, and plainly stated that their religious beliefs did (and would) factor into their political designs made. I knew right away that they were in trouble after doing so. I myself am not very religious, what leanings I do have are private and thus not up for discussion. However, in my online wanderings, it sure does seem that there are more Atheists and Agnostics running around than ever before. The amount of bashing that they took (Romney especially for being Mormon) was insane, and it definitely did not endear them to many people. There are millions and millions of Christians in America, but many of them are in that "I believe in what I believe, but don't go around pushing it on people, because I understand that this would alienate me to others." camp. Too bad Romney and Ryan didn't follow that particular view.
- Women: This was probably the turning moment for me as to when I knew it was over. Paul Ryan was debating Vice President Biden, and when asked about Abortion, Ryan looked right at the camera and (I'm paraphrasing), made it clear that Abortion was going to be an active target they were going to work to abolish. As I am pro-choice, this was one of the problems I myself had with them. I'll just say this, frankly, Abortion shouldn't have even been on the discussion sheet. It should have been three things: the Economy, Jobs, and the National Debt. Nothing else is remotely on the same level, sorry but it isn't. Anyway, after getting on television and bluntly stating that they would try to overturn legislation that have allowed women the right to do what they will with their bodies, is it any wonder that women turned out in droves for Obama? I won't even go into all the soundbites by various top-level Republicans as to their views on rape and Abortion.
- Minorities: Romney and Ryan are wealthy Caucasian men, and in every respect, looked as though they would return the Presidency to the pinstripe suit wearing, heel-rocking, pocket-change jingling, rich White Good Ole Boy network era of Washington politics. Romney with his slick, polished, perfectly styled silver hair, mouthful of perfectly capped teeth, and an ingratiating smile as he spoke to "the Middle Class" as though he understood what any of them go through each day. Most minorities I spoke with all believed one thing, without deviation: Romney and Ryan would be leadership concerned with doing things for rich White people, and no one else. Is that true? I don't know, but Romney's campaign strategist should have been fired for allowing people to form that opinion.
- The Gay/Lesbian Community: They made their stance on same-sex marriage clear, and in effect instantly lost the vote of many LGBT community members.
- The Poor/Out of Work: I don't need to go over Mr. Romney's famous (infamous) 47% speech, do I? Telling people that they're worthless is never a good way to win their vote.
All that said, I voted for Romney because there were things he promised to do, which in this election were all I cared about: namely add jobs, shrink the debt, and strengthen the economy. These are key areas that Obama is a failure at, in my educated opinion, and I won't bore you with the details at how badly he has failed at all three things. It is also my opinion that many people who voted for Romney were like me, they disagreed with one or more of his stances as outlined above, but voted for him because he wasn't Obama. Ah well. In any case, I expect we'll now have four more years of failure from Mr. Obama's policies of overspending as a result of this election. It is my sole hope that our country's economy will survive it.
The Sandy Hook Elementary Tragedy Ok. I just want to state for the record that I am not a tin-foil-hat wearing conspiracy theorist. I do not visit sites like www.abovetopsecret.com or www.infowars.com because I think a lot of what those sites post is hilarious nonsense. Our Government is so inept, it can barely tie its own shoes, much less be involved in as many conspiracies as people like to talk about. "9/11 was an inside job!" or "We never landed on the Moon!" or that whole aliens at Roswell thing. But I just have to say, this tragedy at Sandy Hook is really, really fucking suspicious.
I will explain.
It is already common knowledge that Operation: Fast and Furious failed. If you don't know what this is, please minimize this page right now, and go Google it. Nevermind, here's a decent Wiki explanation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
The US Government was behind that debacle, and there have been multiple pieces of information that point to Fast and Furious's true purpose: to enact new gun legislation here in the US. This was just last year! And now, this tragedy at Sandy Hook. Now, here's what I find so suspicious about it. First of all, the timing. Right after Obama is re-elected, and right before he's to start his second term, we have this terrible mass shooting. Secondly, the media. That day, all of the major news outlets were running the story, and constantly updating as "new information" was fed to them. The total and constant confusion and contradictions are glaring. First it was two shooters. Then just Adam Lanza. Some news outlets report that he killed all the children with a Bushmaster "assault rifle" (italics because frankly, semi-automatic AR-15's are NOT "assault rifles). Then it was reported that he had two handguns that he used instead, and that the Bushmaster was actually discovered in the trunk of his car and hadn't been used at all. Still other articles claim that he had the Bushmaster and the two handguns on his person and used them (a Glock and a SIG, respectively) and had a fourth firearm in the trunk. Lanza shot his mother. First it was reported that he'd used an "assault rifle" that she had legally owned, then it was changed to a .22 rifle (again, reports vary). And all the while this is going on, every outlet had articles online with giant, abnormal sized pictures of AR-15 sporting rifles with the headlines "ASSAULT RIFLE USED IN MASS CHILD SHOOTING!!!!!!11!" screaming across the page, with an article talking about how the gunman had a bunch of "high-capacity" magazines which allowed him to shoot all those people so quickly. The hysterics were both obscene, and every single motherfucking journalist who fed it, or bought into it should be tarred, feathered, and their unobjective asses run out of town.
I digress.
What followed was a mass hysteria of panic buying both online and at gunshops nationwide, as people desperately snapped up everything they felt would be immediately banned January 1st:
- AR-15 and AK-47 style sporting rifles
- 30 round AR-15 and AK-47 magazines
- Magazines for any other rifle with what could be construed as "high-capacity" such as the Ruger BX-25 25 rounders for the Ruger 10/22 rifle
- Ammunition of ANY type, or weight in .223, 5.56, 7.62, 9mm, .45, etc. calibers
- AR-15 spare parts of any kind (lowers, uppers, BCGs, etc.)
- Glock 18 33 round magazines (as these were allegedly used by Lanza in his Glock 9mm handgun he used to commit his murders)
And so on. We also saw a lot of companies make moves that left a lot of the shooting community feeling betrayed or angry. Companies like Wal-Mart, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Gander Mountain pulled all AR-15 sporting rifles from their shelves immediately. Some online companies made some really shady moves, like CheaperThanDirt.com, where they would cancel orders that had already been placed, citing "out of stock" as the reason, and then the next day, items were mysteriously back IN stock, but at much higher prices. They have (rightfully) been roasted on the various gun/survival forums, and have lost a lot of business permanently. I hope it was worth it, you fucking scumbags. Auction sites like Ebay yanked all auctions for "high-capacity" (they consider anything beyond ten rounds "high-capacity") magazines, and some of the gunbroker type sites ended all firearms-for-sale postings.
On top of that, Dianne Feinstein has introduced new, highly restrictive "assault-rifle ban" legislation that would seek to place very strict regulations on gunowners everywhere in the country. Think California-style gun regulation. The NRA has the details of this proposed bill already on their website for your viewing pleasure.
So, back to the whole "suspicious" thing. All of this seems to be playing right into the hands of the gungrabbers in Government. These are the people who do not want the American people to have guns. And that's what concerns me. What was that saying about the Devil about his greatest trick being that he'd convinced people he didn't exist? Well, that's what we're looking at right now. The Government is seeking to take away Americans' Second Amendment rights, and there are millions of blind Americans out there...SHOUTING FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. That's the insidious nature of what our "elected officials" are trying to do. They want to disarm us, only instead of being forthright "We are going to oppress you, the American citizenry, by making it impossible for you to defend yourself against us"; they are shaking their heads sadly like "Well, if this is what you want, so that we can stop this tragedy from happening again...we're doing it for the children". THAT'S what the concern should be. They are riding this wave of (typical) emotions-overriding-
Now, if you don't know why I'm concerned, and why all gun-owners are (or should be) concerned, I'd recommend reading up in the Second Amendment. Hint: it wasn't to ensure people had the right to hunt, or plink paper targets at the range.
I won't come right out and say "The Government perpetrated Sandy Hook", because I just don't know, and again, I'm not a tinfoil-hat guy. But everything about this was extraordinarily convenient in timing, and it just blew up WAY too fast, and the anti-gun rumbling is highly emotionally supercharged. And whenever you have people running hot, no common sense will come of it.
"The Fiscal Cliff" Folks, this game is rigged. It's either that, or else the politicians really are that stupid. Actually, it's most likely both. You'd think that possessing skills in basic mathematics would be part of the job description for being a Congressman or Senator. The fact of the matter is that our current monetary system is in huge trouble. America currently owes more money than it can possibly repay, our Economy is stumbling along in one of the slowest recoveries in history, and what do we have? Republicans and Democrats fighting over what to do in order to avert fiscal disaster in this country two days after the deadline. At this point, it should be clear to everyone that no one in the White House, the House, or the Senate have your best interests in mind. None of them. It's also clear to me that none of them have any inkling of the way the money system (rigged as it is) works. Well, here's a hint, folks. You simply cannot keep printing money that's not backed by anything. Prices are constantly going up on everything, NOT because everything is becoming more expensive, but because our dollar buys less. Keep that in mind the next time someone complains that milk and bread cost more. They don't, your devalued dollar is buying less milk and bread, that's all. That's what's happening.
The real fact of the matter is that Politicians like being extremely well-paid. They love their cushy jobs, and their armies of aids, assistant undersecretaries, and go-fers that do their every bidding, and power steak lunches and lobster dinners on the Taxpayers' dime. They love their cadillac health plans, and being able to vote themselves lavish raises. They love having the authority to push their personal beliefs on the American people (see Feinstein and her rabid anti-gun legislation). So, NONE of them will work towards, or even say anything that will get them kicked out of their job. That's why they don't want to sit down and have a real, frank discussion about this country's problems. The vast amount of spending, the waste, the pork, the crushing debt, changes that need to be made, the belt-tightening that needs to happen. Their main goal is to remain in power. Period. Understand that fact. Make no mistake, it IS a fact.
Obama's Call for Another AWB
This of course just happened yesterday, and all I can say to that is this: I'll be very surprised if we see another AWB. There are a ton of reasons why not, but the biggest one is this. Remember what I just said about scumbag worthless politicians wanting to remain in power? Same applies here. There are already articles all over the news with quotes from DEMOCRAT representatives shaking their heads saying "Just don't think it's going to happen, not enough of us will vote for it." Know why? Because it'd be a career killer, and those scumbags are at least aware of it. Another thing to consider. Frankly, we aren't the America we were in '93/'94 when Clinton's AWB1 passed. These days, there are millions of AR-15s and tens of millions of 30 round magazines in the hands of citizens. What are you going to do, make millions of people criminals overnight? Well, for one thing, you can't. It's Unconstitutional, you see. Oops:
Article 1, Section 9, Clause 3: No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.
Roughly translated, it means the Government can't take something that was legal, make it illegal to own, and then consider all the citizens who own that item to be criminals in possession of illegal goods.
Do I think we'll see some sort of attempt on a magazine capacity restriction? Possibly. But an outright AWB? I am keeping my fingers crossed that it won't happen.
So, I hate to end this on a doom and gloom note. I will just say that I have purchased more ammunition, and have really stepped up my food storage and water purchases. I am working to pay down my debts, and am working to get into better shape. I am hoping to end 2013 in a much better place than I ended 2012, and will be working to post more consistently this year.
So, that's about all I have right now. I have no quote prepared at this time for a closer. Just this advice: I strongly urge you to keep on prepping. Stack it back, stack it deep. There are a lot of things leveraged against the American people right now, and it's on us to be ready to take care of ourselves. Our Government won't do it for us, and if you are one of the "Middle Class", you are directly in the Government's sites. The wealthy and the poor are not going to prop up this country's failed policies and obscene debt. We are.
Take care,
Unnamed Prepper
Firstly, President Obama was reelected. I myself voted for Romney, even though I knew it was a lost cause. I knew it was going to happen. I'm not calling that from the position of 20/20 hindsight. I knew it was going to happen. In fact, any general observer of this country and its swiftly changing moral attitudes would have known that Obama was going to win. Let me briefly cover a few key points, but as I do, remember that these are my opinions only. You may have a different view, and that's just fine. You know what, instead of points, I'll just point out the groups that Romney and Ryan alienated in their quest for the White House:
- Atheists, Agnostics, and Other Religions: Romney and Ryan made it very clear where they were on the Religion subject (which is one of the most polarizing of all subjects, next to Politics itself). They got up on stage and spoke directly into the camera when they referred to their religion, and plainly stated that their religious beliefs did (and would) factor into their political designs made. I knew right away that they were in trouble after doing so. I myself am not very religious, what leanings I do have are private and thus not up for discussion. However, in my online wanderings, it sure does seem that there are more Atheists and Agnostics running around than ever before. The amount of bashing that they took (Romney especially for being Mormon) was insane, and it definitely did not endear them to many people. There are millions and millions of Christians in America, but many of them are in that "I believe in what I believe, but don't go around pushing it on people, because I understand that this would alienate me to others." camp. Too bad Romney and Ryan didn't follow that particular view.
- Women: This was probably the turning moment for me as to when I knew it was over. Paul Ryan was debating Vice President Biden, and when asked about Abortion, Ryan looked right at the camera and (I'm paraphrasing), made it clear that Abortion was going to be an active target they were going to work to abolish. As I am pro-choice, this was one of the problems I myself had with them. I'll just say this, frankly, Abortion shouldn't have even been on the discussion sheet. It should have been three things: the Economy, Jobs, and the National Debt. Nothing else is remotely on the same level, sorry but it isn't. Anyway, after getting on television and bluntly stating that they would try to overturn legislation that have allowed women the right to do what they will with their bodies, is it any wonder that women turned out in droves for Obama? I won't even go into all the soundbites by various top-level Republicans as to their views on rape and Abortion.
- Minorities: Romney and Ryan are wealthy Caucasian men, and in every respect, looked as though they would return the Presidency to the pinstripe suit wearing, heel-rocking, pocket-change jingling, rich White Good Ole Boy network era of Washington politics. Romney with his slick, polished, perfectly styled silver hair, mouthful of perfectly capped teeth, and an ingratiating smile as he spoke to "the Middle Class" as though he understood what any of them go through each day. Most minorities I spoke with all believed one thing, without deviation: Romney and Ryan would be leadership concerned with doing things for rich White people, and no one else. Is that true? I don't know, but Romney's campaign strategist should have been fired for allowing people to form that opinion.
- The Gay/Lesbian Community: They made their stance on same-sex marriage clear, and in effect instantly lost the vote of many LGBT community members.
- The Poor/Out of Work: I don't need to go over Mr. Romney's famous (infamous) 47% speech, do I? Telling people that they're worthless is never a good way to win their vote.
All that said, I voted for Romney because there were things he promised to do, which in this election were all I cared about: namely add jobs, shrink the debt, and strengthen the economy. These are key areas that Obama is a failure at, in my educated opinion, and I won't bore you with the details at how badly he has failed at all three things. It is also my opinion that many people who voted for Romney were like me, they disagreed with one or more of his stances as outlined above, but voted for him because he wasn't Obama. Ah well. In any case, I expect we'll now have four more years of failure from Mr. Obama's policies of overspending as a result of this election. It is my sole hope that our country's economy will survive it.
The Sandy Hook Elementary Tragedy Ok. I just want to state for the record that I am not a tin-foil-hat wearing conspiracy theorist. I do not visit sites like www.abovetopsecret.com or www.infowars.com because I think a lot of what those sites post is hilarious nonsense. Our Government is so inept, it can barely tie its own shoes, much less be involved in as many conspiracies as people like to talk about. "9/11 was an inside job!" or "We never landed on the Moon!" or that whole aliens at Roswell thing. But I just have to say, this tragedy at Sandy Hook is really, really fucking suspicious.
I will explain.
It is already common knowledge that Operation: Fast and Furious failed. If you don't know what this is, please minimize this page right now, and go Google it. Nevermind, here's a decent Wiki explanation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
The US Government was behind that debacle, and there have been multiple pieces of information that point to Fast and Furious's true purpose: to enact new gun legislation here in the US. This was just last year! And now, this tragedy at Sandy Hook. Now, here's what I find so suspicious about it. First of all, the timing. Right after Obama is re-elected, and right before he's to start his second term, we have this terrible mass shooting. Secondly, the media. That day, all of the major news outlets were running the story, and constantly updating as "new information" was fed to them. The total and constant confusion and contradictions are glaring. First it was two shooters. Then just Adam Lanza. Some news outlets report that he killed all the children with a Bushmaster "assault rifle" (italics because frankly, semi-automatic AR-15's are NOT "assault rifles). Then it was reported that he had two handguns that he used instead, and that the Bushmaster was actually discovered in the trunk of his car and hadn't been used at all. Still other articles claim that he had the Bushmaster and the two handguns on his person and used them (a Glock and a SIG, respectively) and had a fourth firearm in the trunk. Lanza shot his mother. First it was reported that he'd used an "assault rifle" that she had legally owned, then it was changed to a .22 rifle (again, reports vary). And all the while this is going on, every outlet had articles online with giant, abnormal sized pictures of AR-15 sporting rifles with the headlines "ASSAULT RIFLE USED IN MASS CHILD SHOOTING!!!!!!11!" screaming across the page, with an article talking about how the gunman had a bunch of "high-capacity" magazines which allowed him to shoot all those people so quickly. The hysterics were both obscene, and every single motherfucking journalist who fed it, or bought into it should be tarred, feathered, and their unobjective asses run out of town.
I digress.
What followed was a mass hysteria of panic buying both online and at gunshops nationwide, as people desperately snapped up everything they felt would be immediately banned January 1st:
- AR-15 and AK-47 style sporting rifles
- 30 round AR-15 and AK-47 magazines
- Magazines for any other rifle with what could be construed as "high-capacity" such as the Ruger BX-25 25 rounders for the Ruger 10/22 rifle
- Ammunition of ANY type, or weight in .223, 5.56, 7.62, 9mm, .45, etc. calibers
- AR-15 spare parts of any kind (lowers, uppers, BCGs, etc.)
- Glock 18 33 round magazines (as these were allegedly used by Lanza in his Glock 9mm handgun he used to commit his murders)
And so on. We also saw a lot of companies make moves that left a lot of the shooting community feeling betrayed or angry. Companies like Wal-Mart, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Gander Mountain pulled all AR-15 sporting rifles from their shelves immediately. Some online companies made some really shady moves, like CheaperThanDirt.com, where they would cancel orders that had already been placed, citing "out of stock" as the reason, and then the next day, items were mysteriously back IN stock, but at much higher prices. They have (rightfully) been roasted on the various gun/survival forums, and have lost a lot of business permanently. I hope it was worth it, you fucking scumbags. Auction sites like Ebay yanked all auctions for "high-capacity" (they consider anything beyond ten rounds "high-capacity") magazines, and some of the gunbroker type sites ended all firearms-for-sale postings.
On top of that, Dianne Feinstein has introduced new, highly restrictive "assault-rifle ban" legislation that would seek to place very strict regulations on gunowners everywhere in the country. Think California-style gun regulation. The NRA has the details of this proposed bill already on their website for your viewing pleasure.
So, back to the whole "suspicious" thing. All of this seems to be playing right into the hands of the gungrabbers in Government. These are the people who do not want the American people to have guns. And that's what concerns me. What was that saying about the Devil about his greatest trick being that he'd convinced people he didn't exist? Well, that's what we're looking at right now. The Government is seeking to take away Americans' Second Amendment rights, and there are millions of blind Americans out there...SHOUTING FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. That's the insidious nature of what our "elected officials" are trying to do. They want to disarm us, only instead of being forthright "We are going to oppress you, the American citizenry, by making it impossible for you to defend yourself against us"; they are shaking their heads sadly like "Well, if this is what you want, so that we can stop this tragedy from happening again...we're doing it for the children". THAT'S what the concern should be. They are riding this wave of (typical) emotions-overriding-
Now, if you don't know why I'm concerned, and why all gun-owners are (or should be) concerned, I'd recommend reading up in the Second Amendment. Hint: it wasn't to ensure people had the right to hunt, or plink paper targets at the range.
I won't come right out and say "The Government perpetrated Sandy Hook", because I just don't know, and again, I'm not a tinfoil-hat guy. But everything about this was extraordinarily convenient in timing, and it just blew up WAY too fast, and the anti-gun rumbling is highly emotionally supercharged. And whenever you have people running hot, no common sense will come of it.
"The Fiscal Cliff" Folks, this game is rigged. It's either that, or else the politicians really are that stupid. Actually, it's most likely both. You'd think that possessing skills in basic mathematics would be part of the job description for being a Congressman or Senator. The fact of the matter is that our current monetary system is in huge trouble. America currently owes more money than it can possibly repay, our Economy is stumbling along in one of the slowest recoveries in history, and what do we have? Republicans and Democrats fighting over what to do in order to avert fiscal disaster in this country two days after the deadline. At this point, it should be clear to everyone that no one in the White House, the House, or the Senate have your best interests in mind. None of them. It's also clear to me that none of them have any inkling of the way the money system (rigged as it is) works. Well, here's a hint, folks. You simply cannot keep printing money that's not backed by anything. Prices are constantly going up on everything, NOT because everything is becoming more expensive, but because our dollar buys less. Keep that in mind the next time someone complains that milk and bread cost more. They don't, your devalued dollar is buying less milk and bread, that's all. That's what's happening.
The real fact of the matter is that Politicians like being extremely well-paid. They love their cushy jobs, and their armies of aids, assistant undersecretaries, and go-fers that do their every bidding, and power steak lunches and lobster dinners on the Taxpayers' dime. They love their cadillac health plans, and being able to vote themselves lavish raises. They love having the authority to push their personal beliefs on the American people (see Feinstein and her rabid anti-gun legislation). So, NONE of them will work towards, or even say anything that will get them kicked out of their job. That's why they don't want to sit down and have a real, frank discussion about this country's problems. The vast amount of spending, the waste, the pork, the crushing debt, changes that need to be made, the belt-tightening that needs to happen. Their main goal is to remain in power. Period. Understand that fact. Make no mistake, it IS a fact.
Obama's Call for Another AWB
This of course just happened yesterday, and all I can say to that is this: I'll be very surprised if we see another AWB. There are a ton of reasons why not, but the biggest one is this. Remember what I just said about scumbag worthless politicians wanting to remain in power? Same applies here. There are already articles all over the news with quotes from DEMOCRAT representatives shaking their heads saying "Just don't think it's going to happen, not enough of us will vote for it." Know why? Because it'd be a career killer, and those scumbags are at least aware of it. Another thing to consider. Frankly, we aren't the America we were in '93/'94 when Clinton's AWB1 passed. These days, there are millions of AR-15s and tens of millions of 30 round magazines in the hands of citizens. What are you going to do, make millions of people criminals overnight? Well, for one thing, you can't. It's Unconstitutional, you see. Oops:
Article 1, Section 9, Clause 3: No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.
Roughly translated, it means the Government can't take something that was legal, make it illegal to own, and then consider all the citizens who own that item to be criminals in possession of illegal goods.
Do I think we'll see some sort of attempt on a magazine capacity restriction? Possibly. But an outright AWB? I am keeping my fingers crossed that it won't happen.
So, I hate to end this on a doom and gloom note. I will just say that I have purchased more ammunition, and have really stepped up my food storage and water purchases. I am working to pay down my debts, and am working to get into better shape. I am hoping to end 2013 in a much better place than I ended 2012, and will be working to post more consistently this year.
So, that's about all I have right now. I have no quote prepared at this time for a closer. Just this advice: I strongly urge you to keep on prepping. Stack it back, stack it deep. There are a lot of things leveraged against the American people right now, and it's on us to be ready to take care of ourselves. Our Government won't do it for us, and if you are one of the "Middle Class", you are directly in the Government's sites. The wealthy and the poor are not going to prop up this country's failed policies and obscene debt. We are.
Take care,
Unnamed Prepper
Monday, July 30, 2012
Quick Update: My Progress
Hello friends, hope life is treating you well. I have been quite busy with work, and so of course my personal time and this blog have suffered. So, today, I figured instead of talking about any specific prepping topic (I have multiple posts in various stages of completion), I figured I would give a short rundown of where I am personally in my preps right now.
As you may have been reading, I consider preps to be a bit more than just going out, buying some things, and stuffing them in a bag, or in a pantry and calling it good. There are multiple facets, and for me, some are in what I consider "the real world", and some in the "survival world". I do not mean that distinction as any sort of insult, or that I don't consider prepping and/or survival to be a means of living in the real world. For me, the "real world" refers more to my everyday life. Work, bills, time with my family, that sort of thing. So, in my case, my biggest area of advancement in my preps has been in my physical condition. I am well aware that I need to lose a few lbs, and after I created this blog, I actually began earnest effort to that end. I am glad to say I've dropped about 15 lbs and I'm continuing to make the effort to get out more, and be more physically active. A body at rest tends to stay at rest, and in any sort of survival situation, I don't want to be the weak link in the group I'm in. I have seen entirely too many short 450lb guys on Youtube making videos of themselves crammed into a 5XL tactical vest, breathing hard as they're walking through the woods on the way to their shooting spot. I mean, that's just you walking to the range? Come on, now. You know what you need to do.
So, that's my positive advancement in one area. Sadly, in another area, I've been getting kicked around lately. My personal finances recently took a huge hit as my home's air conditioning unit died, and I've also gotten bad news from my dentist that I will have to have some costly dental work done. I'm trying my best to keep a positive outlook, but I would be lying if I said that I hadn't had a couple restless nights lately thinking about my personal money situation.
Of course, before all this happened, I had been working on some of my situational preps. I have had some good help in both the food supplies area, as well as the information/advice area from some of my close family members who are avid (and highly advanced) preppers themselves. They are much farther along than I am, and my plans definitely take this into account. Their home would almost certainly be an ultimate backup location in the event of a longstanding natural disaster that leveled the area I live in. They live far enough away that their home might survive whatever that disaster is. So, it's a good thing. Since I have started this blog, I have been putting together a true bug-out plan, as well as some different routes we might take in the event we have to leave. I have also bought more food to store, as well as making up a list of things our BOBs don't currently have. In the last few months or so, I've started acquiring items as I either find them, or have the money to buy them. In no particular order:
- I finally purchased a decent oil storm lantern for the house to use in the event of a power outage, along with a few containers of the oil it uses.
- I purchased some pairs of work gloves for our BOBs, which was a tip I picked up from some video on outdoor survival I watched, where in every scene, the guy was wearing those leather palmed mechanic's gloves. I think it's a great item to have in every BOB, especially if your plan includes hiking through the woods. Keeping your hands safe, and undamaged will be absolutely vital. All it would take is one bad scratch to get infected, or a bad splinter, or a couple fingers broken when you threw your hand out to catch yourself as you slipped down a short hill in the woods to really slow you down, or worse, make you a burden on the rest of your party.
- I have purchased small car first-aid kits for both household cars, as well as another larger first aid kit, along with multiple other first aid type items to go in them.
- I have gotten my hands on multiple 100ft long bunchs of 550 cord. The things you can do with 550 cord are nearly limitless.
- I obtained two small "throwaway" grills for something like four bucks each. These little things are fantastic! I stumbled onto these when a local grocery store actually had the forethought to put together a "Bad Weather Survival" endcap in a prominant place. They are these small tin pans full of charcoal that have a grate and two little fold-down arms that the thing sits on. Sure, I keep my grill at home always stocked with propane, as well as a spare tank in the garage, but if we had to leave, we could take these with us, and at least have a hot meal two of the nights we were on the lam. I don't need to go into what a huge moral booster a hot meal can be in times of stress.
- Numerous different flashlights and flashlights, as these things ALWAYS come in handy, and honestly, you can never have too many.
- I have been able to find some decent bottles of water purification tablets, as well as several packs of completely waterproof matches. These are both must-have items in my geographical location since it's one of the more humid parts of the country. Your matches have to be kept dry, and any water you find might not be potable.
- Two 5 gallon water jugs to serve as water storage.
That's about all that comes to mind, but of course, I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things here and there. Right now, my current plans include getting my hands on the following:
- Sleeping bags matched to the local climate for my family and I. This is an obvious need in the event of an on-foot leaving the area. We have multiple possible backup locations, and might need our own sleeping accommodations in any pretty much any of them.
- A small camp stove for use inside my home in the event of a bunker-in situation where stepping out back of my home is not an ideal situation. This might be for any number of reasons, but of course, one of the primary reasons is that the rear of my home is visible from the road. In the event that we have a power outage, my primary concern will be in making sure I don't draw any attention to my house in any way, and the sight (and smell) of me possibly cooking a hot meal on my grill out back would be a detriment to that goal.
- Some means of shelter for our BOBs. I am mulling over whether a small tent might work, or possibly a couple of tarps. At present, I am considering the multiple tarp idea, that way we could both carry one, and should we somehow get separated, we'd at least both be able to shelter ourselves from rain or elements with some rope, and that single tarp we'd each be carrying. With a tent, if my pack were somehow lost, we'd be without shelter.
There are of course many more odds and ends that I want to pick up, but right now, with those items, I'll have our most basic needs covered in the event of a short term bunkering in, as well as a short term bugging out. I am working on my plans, I'm working on my preps. I have not forgotten. I will write more soon. Until then, stay safe out there, and keep working your way forward.
- Unnamed Prepper
“Survival justifies any means.”
― Toba Beta, My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut
As you may have been reading, I consider preps to be a bit more than just going out, buying some things, and stuffing them in a bag, or in a pantry and calling it good. There are multiple facets, and for me, some are in what I consider "the real world", and some in the "survival world". I do not mean that distinction as any sort of insult, or that I don't consider prepping and/or survival to be a means of living in the real world. For me, the "real world" refers more to my everyday life. Work, bills, time with my family, that sort of thing. So, in my case, my biggest area of advancement in my preps has been in my physical condition. I am well aware that I need to lose a few lbs, and after I created this blog, I actually began earnest effort to that end. I am glad to say I've dropped about 15 lbs and I'm continuing to make the effort to get out more, and be more physically active. A body at rest tends to stay at rest, and in any sort of survival situation, I don't want to be the weak link in the group I'm in. I have seen entirely too many short 450lb guys on Youtube making videos of themselves crammed into a 5XL tactical vest, breathing hard as they're walking through the woods on the way to their shooting spot. I mean, that's just you walking to the range? Come on, now. You know what you need to do.
So, that's my positive advancement in one area. Sadly, in another area, I've been getting kicked around lately. My personal finances recently took a huge hit as my home's air conditioning unit died, and I've also gotten bad news from my dentist that I will have to have some costly dental work done. I'm trying my best to keep a positive outlook, but I would be lying if I said that I hadn't had a couple restless nights lately thinking about my personal money situation.
Of course, before all this happened, I had been working on some of my situational preps. I have had some good help in both the food supplies area, as well as the information/advice area from some of my close family members who are avid (and highly advanced) preppers themselves. They are much farther along than I am, and my plans definitely take this into account. Their home would almost certainly be an ultimate backup location in the event of a longstanding natural disaster that leveled the area I live in. They live far enough away that their home might survive whatever that disaster is. So, it's a good thing. Since I have started this blog, I have been putting together a true bug-out plan, as well as some different routes we might take in the event we have to leave. I have also bought more food to store, as well as making up a list of things our BOBs don't currently have. In the last few months or so, I've started acquiring items as I either find them, or have the money to buy them. In no particular order:
- I finally purchased a decent oil storm lantern for the house to use in the event of a power outage, along with a few containers of the oil it uses.
- I purchased some pairs of work gloves for our BOBs, which was a tip I picked up from some video on outdoor survival I watched, where in every scene, the guy was wearing those leather palmed mechanic's gloves. I think it's a great item to have in every BOB, especially if your plan includes hiking through the woods. Keeping your hands safe, and undamaged will be absolutely vital. All it would take is one bad scratch to get infected, or a bad splinter, or a couple fingers broken when you threw your hand out to catch yourself as you slipped down a short hill in the woods to really slow you down, or worse, make you a burden on the rest of your party.
- I have purchased small car first-aid kits for both household cars, as well as another larger first aid kit, along with multiple other first aid type items to go in them.
- I have gotten my hands on multiple 100ft long bunchs of 550 cord. The things you can do with 550 cord are nearly limitless.
- I obtained two small "throwaway" grills for something like four bucks each. These little things are fantastic! I stumbled onto these when a local grocery store actually had the forethought to put together a "Bad Weather Survival" endcap in a prominant place. They are these small tin pans full of charcoal that have a grate and two little fold-down arms that the thing sits on. Sure, I keep my grill at home always stocked with propane, as well as a spare tank in the garage, but if we had to leave, we could take these with us, and at least have a hot meal two of the nights we were on the lam. I don't need to go into what a huge moral booster a hot meal can be in times of stress.
- Numerous different flashlights and flashlights, as these things ALWAYS come in handy, and honestly, you can never have too many.
- I have been able to find some decent bottles of water purification tablets, as well as several packs of completely waterproof matches. These are both must-have items in my geographical location since it's one of the more humid parts of the country. Your matches have to be kept dry, and any water you find might not be potable.
- Two 5 gallon water jugs to serve as water storage.
That's about all that comes to mind, but of course, I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things here and there. Right now, my current plans include getting my hands on the following:
- Sleeping bags matched to the local climate for my family and I. This is an obvious need in the event of an on-foot leaving the area. We have multiple possible backup locations, and might need our own sleeping accommodations in any pretty much any of them.
- A small camp stove for use inside my home in the event of a bunker-in situation where stepping out back of my home is not an ideal situation. This might be for any number of reasons, but of course, one of the primary reasons is that the rear of my home is visible from the road. In the event that we have a power outage, my primary concern will be in making sure I don't draw any attention to my house in any way, and the sight (and smell) of me possibly cooking a hot meal on my grill out back would be a detriment to that goal.
- Some means of shelter for our BOBs. I am mulling over whether a small tent might work, or possibly a couple of tarps. At present, I am considering the multiple tarp idea, that way we could both carry one, and should we somehow get separated, we'd at least both be able to shelter ourselves from rain or elements with some rope, and that single tarp we'd each be carrying. With a tent, if my pack were somehow lost, we'd be without shelter.
There are of course many more odds and ends that I want to pick up, but right now, with those items, I'll have our most basic needs covered in the event of a short term bunkering in, as well as a short term bugging out. I am working on my plans, I'm working on my preps. I have not forgotten. I will write more soon. Until then, stay safe out there, and keep working your way forward.
- Unnamed Prepper
“Survival justifies any means.”
― Toba Beta, My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Doomsday Preppers and SHTF Ruminations:
I have watched the latest episode of Doomsday Preppers and I had some ideas jumbling around in my head that I wanted to get down in writing. If it comes to too much rambling, I'll probably cut it short at that point. You've been warned.
First off, let me say that I think Doomsday Preppers has run its course. In my opinion, they should have cut that show off after the first four or five episodes. The problem for me is that they seem to have shot their wad early in the season by showing guys like Southernprepper1, that one guy whose entire family is all trained in a different skillset, and that guy who turned his entire backyard and pool into a self-sustaining mini-biosphere. I mean, seriously, how cool was that? Now, each episode is starting to feel like they're scraping the barrel. I mean, each episode just seems to be getting worse and worse. As an example, I hold up the thug looking guy with three kids who was some shopkeeper in the middle of town. "In a SHTF situation, I'm going to bring my family to the shop where I have all my preps stashed, and we'll hide out in the basement*!" and then it repeatedly shows a scene where they're interviewing his wife and she's crying because she's upset that this guy has been taking all the family money and spending on preps, instead of the lifestyle they used to have. I was surprised they showed it, honestly because for some reason they tend not to. There have been other episodes where you could tell the spouse absolutely was not into prepping, and they would make a point at some point in the episode of showing a scene where the skeptical spouse is suddenly all "I am totally onboard with it, now!" Staged? What? Nooooo. Never! It's no secret that NatGeo has been creatively editing the show to sell the agenda that preppers are crazy, so you'd think they'd LOVE showing people who DON'T agree with their spouse spending every cent the household brings in on preps because it's "just so crazy". Guess I'll keep watching and find out how much farther down the hole they can go.
That said...
If you've been reading, you'll note that I tend to treat the prepper/survival subject with an entire bag of salt. What this means is that while I DO think prepping is practical, and just an all-around good idea, I don't think some peoples' ideas for doing so have been very well thought out. I've mentioned my BS Detector, and nowhere does it buzz harder than while watching some of these videos and blogs talking about "OMG when SHTF!" or "When America collapses..." or "When the dollar collapses..." or "When martial law is enacted, REMEMBER KATRINA!" and so on. I feel like these people just aren't things through completely, and I'll tell you why.
You know, a hundred years ago, prepping wouldn't have even been a hobby, or term used to describe a hobby (or for many, a lifestyle). Back then, and into the early to mid 1900s, people generally did not live extravagantly. They put money aside when they could, and stored all the food and household necessities they could, just in case bad things happened. Which, of course they did on Black Tuesday (the major stock market crash) which kicked off the Great Depression which lasted the entirety of the 1930s until WWII showed up to get the country back to work. People who lived through that time period were generally very frugal all throughout the rest of their lives. I have had several elderly relatives who, when I was younger, I remember them telling me stories about that time. Clearly, these folks were preppers in every sense of the word.
Fast forward to today. You have millions of Americans who aren't frugal. They live paycheck to paycheck, and often, not by necessity. New cars every couple of years, a house full of electronics, closets full of nice clothes, personal hobbies based around the collection of items instead of experiences, "We only eat name-brand food", and so on, all lead to a three-fourths of the country that is only moments away from personal financial disaster at any given time. I have plenty of firsthand observational examples of this in my personal life. I knew a guy in college who had to let a car sit in his driveway for six months (that he was still making payments on) because he had modified it and damaged his engine and had to save up for a new one. What a young guy making $15 an hour (something like that, if I recall) was doing with a car that cost him $600+ a month, I have no idea. I knew a girl who graduated and got a job after college and then ran up all her credit cards buying a lifestyle she thought a college graduate should have, instead of the one her $20 an hour salary afforded her. The housing market bubble bursting hit our area pretty hard, leading to steep devaluation of homes and plenty of people either declaring bankruptcy or going into foreclosure because they had bought more house than they could afford, or took undesirable loan terms because they just figured things would keep going like they always had. The problem is that in the long term, a lifestyle of excess is NEVER sustainable. Fuel costs, food costs, housing costs, amenities (such as clothing) costs, all are going up, and yearly raises don't keep up with them. At some point, people need to wake up and realize that they need to make some changes. If you are a paycheck away from your children not being able to eat, or you not having a warm, dry place to sleep tonight, then something is fundamentally wrong.
So, here's my issue with the whole "SHTF!!" as a preparation goal. People who generally use this term (a term I'm sure you can tell that I detest, at this point) aren't using it to describe something well within the realm of feasibility. They are using it to describe something that realistically won't happen. SWAT team storm troopers aren't going to march down Main Street America and start clubbing people. The President isn't going to declare nation-wide martial law. "They" aren't coming fer yer gunz!
Because frankly, if we're being absolutely honest, America's decline is happening already. It's already everywhere around us. Ignorance, racism, civil unrest in urban areas, people having no problem breaking into other peoples' homes, the economy hasn't bounced back, bad news on TV every day, entirely incompetent government leadership at every level, everything from a gallon of gas to a gallon of milk is approaching record levels of cost and a dollar doesn't buy nearly what it used to, people everywhere are on edge, the whole SHTF scenerio? It's happening right now. Problem is, there was no sudden moment which alerted us to the situation. There was no specific moment where it was suddenly time to grab your BOB, AR-15, and race out the door to your backup location. There wasn't a singular instance where you knew it was time to lock the doors, turn off the lights, and start eating canned Spam and freeze-dried food from a five-gallon bucket. So, when I hear people talking about what they'll do when "SHTF!!!", I have a private laugh to myself. I mean, what you will do? What you should be thinking about is: what are you doing right now?
See, the fact of the matter is this. It's been happening right under our noses for years now. The signs are everywhere for the person using common sense and a view of the "Big Picture" to see. The skyrocketing prices of college educations have young people graduating with debt levels that ensure they'll never build any meaningful wealth nor get ahead in life**. Fuel costs ensure that everything else goes up also (since most items in stores get there by truck, which runs on what?), while oil companies continue to post absolutely mindblowing profits. At every turn, our politicians pass bills, or try to vote legislation the American people do not support into law. And that's not party-specific. They are ALL dirty. Obamacare? The news channels were FULL of outrage against that bill. It passed. Another example? The whole "Fast and the Furious" debacle, where it was discovered that Attorney General Eric Holder in efforts to sell Mexican drug cartels weapons (which were then used to kill Americans!!!), so that the incident could be used as incentive to get more stringent, more anti-Second Amendment gun control laws passed. A third example? How about this latest Trayvon Martin case? The New Black Panther Party put out a bounty on George Zimmerman's head, which is absolutely illegal. Know how many Black Panther party members have thus far been arrested? None. No one else has been arrested over what is essentially a wide-open, clear death threat either. And of course, can't forget the Illegal issue. The state of Arizona issues laws that were based entirely on Federal laws already on the books in an attempt to get a handle on the issue of all the illegals who were bleeding the state dry, and what happens? The Federal Government actually SUED Arizona!!! WHAT? So, let me get this straight, the state has decided to enforce laws the Fed won't enforce, and now you're going to sue them to ensure they don't carry out those laws YOU'RE supposed to be carrying out? What?! What sort of surreal Bizarro-land BS is that??
With all these examples, it then becomes clear that what they want, is Americans engaging in things like endless divisive arguments over topics like Abortion, religion, class warfare, or gay marriage, because quite frankly, those topics don't actually mean anything. If any of those topics are a huge issue for you , (the reader) above and beyond issues like the economy, the dollar, skyrocketing prices, and politicians doing whatever they want, then I'm sorry. There's something wrong with you, and you are doing exactly what the Government wants you to be doing. It all boils down to this for me, people who talk about what they'll do when "SHTF!!!" are comical, because the fan blades are already covered in so much, it's a wonder the damn thing is still spinning. Time to wake up, folks. Stay safe out there.
- Unnamed Prepper
"Politics, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage."
*Really a crap plan when the only way down into the basement is a set of farmhouse double-doors located on the outside of the building right next to a busy street. Yeah, really discreet.
**An example: you learn in Finance class about how if you utilize the power of Compound Interest and start investing $500-$1000 a month in your early twenties, you'll have a millions of dollars come retirement time. And then you graduate from college with $35,000 (or more!) in educational debt. How are you supposed to have $500-$1000 free a month to invest when you have the price of a car hanging over your head, and you don't make that much for the first several years of your working life? Absurd.
First off, let me say that I think Doomsday Preppers has run its course. In my opinion, they should have cut that show off after the first four or five episodes. The problem for me is that they seem to have shot their wad early in the season by showing guys like Southernprepper1, that one guy whose entire family is all trained in a different skillset, and that guy who turned his entire backyard and pool into a self-sustaining mini-biosphere. I mean, seriously, how cool was that? Now, each episode is starting to feel like they're scraping the barrel. I mean, each episode just seems to be getting worse and worse. As an example, I hold up the thug looking guy with three kids who was some shopkeeper in the middle of town. "In a SHTF situation, I'm going to bring my family to the shop where I have all my preps stashed, and we'll hide out in the basement*!" and then it repeatedly shows a scene where they're interviewing his wife and she's crying because she's upset that this guy has been taking all the family money and spending on preps, instead of the lifestyle they used to have. I was surprised they showed it, honestly because for some reason they tend not to. There have been other episodes where you could tell the spouse absolutely was not into prepping, and they would make a point at some point in the episode of showing a scene where the skeptical spouse is suddenly all "I am totally onboard with it, now!" Staged? What? Nooooo. Never! It's no secret that NatGeo has been creatively editing the show to sell the agenda that preppers are crazy, so you'd think they'd LOVE showing people who DON'T agree with their spouse spending every cent the household brings in on preps because it's "just so crazy". Guess I'll keep watching and find out how much farther down the hole they can go.
That said...
If you've been reading, you'll note that I tend to treat the prepper/survival subject with an entire bag of salt. What this means is that while I DO think prepping is practical, and just an all-around good idea, I don't think some peoples' ideas for doing so have been very well thought out. I've mentioned my BS Detector, and nowhere does it buzz harder than while watching some of these videos and blogs talking about "OMG when SHTF!" or "When America collapses..." or "When the dollar collapses..." or "When martial law is enacted, REMEMBER KATRINA!" and so on. I feel like these people just aren't things through completely, and I'll tell you why.
You know, a hundred years ago, prepping wouldn't have even been a hobby, or term used to describe a hobby (or for many, a lifestyle). Back then, and into the early to mid 1900s, people generally did not live extravagantly. They put money aside when they could, and stored all the food and household necessities they could, just in case bad things happened. Which, of course they did on Black Tuesday (the major stock market crash) which kicked off the Great Depression which lasted the entirety of the 1930s until WWII showed up to get the country back to work. People who lived through that time period were generally very frugal all throughout the rest of their lives. I have had several elderly relatives who, when I was younger, I remember them telling me stories about that time. Clearly, these folks were preppers in every sense of the word.
Fast forward to today. You have millions of Americans who aren't frugal. They live paycheck to paycheck, and often, not by necessity. New cars every couple of years, a house full of electronics, closets full of nice clothes, personal hobbies based around the collection of items instead of experiences, "We only eat name-brand food", and so on, all lead to a three-fourths of the country that is only moments away from personal financial disaster at any given time. I have plenty of firsthand observational examples of this in my personal life. I knew a guy in college who had to let a car sit in his driveway for six months (that he was still making payments on) because he had modified it and damaged his engine and had to save up for a new one. What a young guy making $15 an hour (something like that, if I recall) was doing with a car that cost him $600+ a month, I have no idea. I knew a girl who graduated and got a job after college and then ran up all her credit cards buying a lifestyle she thought a college graduate should have, instead of the one her $20 an hour salary afforded her. The housing market bubble bursting hit our area pretty hard, leading to steep devaluation of homes and plenty of people either declaring bankruptcy or going into foreclosure because they had bought more house than they could afford, or took undesirable loan terms because they just figured things would keep going like they always had. The problem is that in the long term, a lifestyle of excess is NEVER sustainable. Fuel costs, food costs, housing costs, amenities (such as clothing) costs, all are going up, and yearly raises don't keep up with them. At some point, people need to wake up and realize that they need to make some changes. If you are a paycheck away from your children not being able to eat, or you not having a warm, dry place to sleep tonight, then something is fundamentally wrong.
So, here's my issue with the whole "SHTF!!" as a preparation goal. People who generally use this term (a term I'm sure you can tell that I detest, at this point) aren't using it to describe something well within the realm of feasibility. They are using it to describe something that realistically won't happen. SWAT team storm troopers aren't going to march down Main Street America and start clubbing people. The President isn't going to declare nation-wide martial law. "They" aren't coming fer yer gunz!
Because frankly, if we're being absolutely honest, America's decline is happening already. It's already everywhere around us. Ignorance, racism, civil unrest in urban areas, people having no problem breaking into other peoples' homes, the economy hasn't bounced back, bad news on TV every day, entirely incompetent government leadership at every level, everything from a gallon of gas to a gallon of milk is approaching record levels of cost and a dollar doesn't buy nearly what it used to, people everywhere are on edge, the whole SHTF scenerio? It's happening right now. Problem is, there was no sudden moment which alerted us to the situation. There was no specific moment where it was suddenly time to grab your BOB, AR-15, and race out the door to your backup location. There wasn't a singular instance where you knew it was time to lock the doors, turn off the lights, and start eating canned Spam and freeze-dried food from a five-gallon bucket. So, when I hear people talking about what they'll do when "SHTF!!!", I have a private laugh to myself. I mean, what you will do? What you should be thinking about is: what are you doing right now?
See, the fact of the matter is this. It's been happening right under our noses for years now. The signs are everywhere for the person using common sense and a view of the "Big Picture" to see. The skyrocketing prices of college educations have young people graduating with debt levels that ensure they'll never build any meaningful wealth nor get ahead in life**. Fuel costs ensure that everything else goes up also (since most items in stores get there by truck, which runs on what?), while oil companies continue to post absolutely mindblowing profits. At every turn, our politicians pass bills, or try to vote legislation the American people do not support into law. And that's not party-specific. They are ALL dirty. Obamacare? The news channels were FULL of outrage against that bill. It passed. Another example? The whole "Fast and the Furious" debacle, where it was discovered that Attorney General Eric Holder in efforts to sell Mexican drug cartels weapons (which were then used to kill Americans!!!), so that the incident could be used as incentive to get more stringent, more anti-Second Amendment gun control laws passed. A third example? How about this latest Trayvon Martin case? The New Black Panther Party put out a bounty on George Zimmerman's head, which is absolutely illegal. Know how many Black Panther party members have thus far been arrested? None. No one else has been arrested over what is essentially a wide-open, clear death threat either. And of course, can't forget the Illegal issue. The state of Arizona issues laws that were based entirely on Federal laws already on the books in an attempt to get a handle on the issue of all the illegals who were bleeding the state dry, and what happens? The Federal Government actually SUED Arizona!!! WHAT? So, let me get this straight, the state has decided to enforce laws the Fed won't enforce, and now you're going to sue them to ensure they don't carry out those laws YOU'RE supposed to be carrying out? What?! What sort of surreal Bizarro-land BS is that??
With all these examples, it then becomes clear that what they want, is Americans engaging in things like endless divisive arguments over topics like Abortion, religion, class warfare, or gay marriage, because quite frankly, those topics don't actually mean anything. If any of those topics are a huge issue for you , (the reader) above and beyond issues like the economy, the dollar, skyrocketing prices, and politicians doing whatever they want, then I'm sorry. There's something wrong with you, and you are doing exactly what the Government wants you to be doing. It all boils down to this for me, people who talk about what they'll do when "SHTF!!!" are comical, because the fan blades are already covered in so much, it's a wonder the damn thing is still spinning. Time to wake up, folks. Stay safe out there.
- Unnamed Prepper
"Politics, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage."
AMBROSE BIERCE, The Devil's Dictionary
*Really a crap plan when the only way down into the basement is a set of farmhouse double-doors located on the outside of the building right next to a busy street. Yeah, really discreet.
**An example: you learn in Finance class about how if you utilize the power of Compound Interest and start investing $500-$1000 a month in your early twenties, you'll have a millions of dollars come retirement time. And then you graduate from college with $35,000 (or more!) in educational debt. How are you supposed to have $500-$1000 free a month to invest when you have the price of a car hanging over your head, and you don't make that much for the first several years of your working life? Absurd.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The Inevitable EDC Post:
Survival can mean a lot of different things in a lot of situations. In a bad natural disaster situation, it can reference you surviving as you fight your way home through clogged streets and damaged urban areas to meet up with your wife because you were at work when a tornado landed in your part of town and started causing massive property damage. It can mean you surviving as you and your family bug out to your backup location in the event of social unrest that happens to take over your area of town where your apartment is. It can even mean you continuing to have a life in the event of total social chaos where the entire structure of civilization breaks down. Survival.
Today, I'm talking about a different type of survival: every day survival. That's right, welcome to my every-day-carry post. Before I begin, I'd like to make a recommendation. If you ever find yourself bored and want to be entertained, might I suggest doing a search of "EDC" on Youtube? I promise you it's worth the time because some of those geniuses crack me right up. In fact, a lot of those videos are actually a good example of what not to do. I will now explain how so, in my typical fashion. Please try not to be offended. Remember, in reality, you want to be doing pretty much the OPPOSITE of what a lot of those internet spec-warriors are doing:
1. Why carry one concealed firearm when you can carry two? After all, during the course of the day in your quiet everyday life, you might find yourself suddenly embroiled in a major shoot-out showdown with several gang members. So you need to be prepared! Also, be sure to carry two different firearms made by two different manufacturers. That way you'll also need to carry twice the number of magazines, because you have to carry a magazine and at least one spare (true internet SWAT spec-ops sheepdogs carry two or three) for each gun you have. So be smart, make things more difficult for yourself and carry guns that feature magazines that aren't compatible.
2. Carrying a knife? An excellent idea, so given that logic, carrying two or even three knives would be even more excellent! Hey, you never know when one might break or be lost during that inevitable hand-to-hand combat you find yourself in, so that backup folder (on your non-dominant hand side, of course) will really come in handy.
3. Keychain? Real survivalists carry a keychain that has eight or nine different survival tools on it. Mini-flashlights, screwdrivers, can-openers, Swiss Army knives, back-up rings with spare keys in case one of the keys on the main ring breaks, and one of those cool kubaton keychains that nobody knows how to correctly use, all this and more is found on a real EDC keychain. If you can use your keychain as a bludgeon in your time of need, so much the better! That way you're never without a way to defend yourself!
4. Know what you need? You need to carry multiple writing pads on your person along with multiple writing instruments at all times, because you never know when you might need to jot down an idea during a gunfight and need to rewrite it on the backup pad after your main pad is shot out of your hand Wild-West style during that mall shoot-out with that mad-dog street gang you found yourself pulled into, you know, doing your sheep-dog duty and all.
Ok, I think you get the idea. Essentially, what I'm saying is that there are a lot of Youtube preppers out there who apparently wear cargo pants every day, and you've got to hear these guys coming with the way they're rattling and clanking around every step they take. I mean, I myself have cargo pants that I wear on occasion, but these guys apparently have the room to stow several lbs of stuff on their person at any given time. It is not uncommon to see a guy's EDC video laid out just as I have (sarcastically) described it: multiple handguns, multiple knives, multiple writing instruments, multiple pads, a huge keychain, and more, all that they swear they carry on their person every single day. These are usually the same mouthbreathers who spend a great many posts or videos talking about the need to be ever vigilant every moment of every day, even when asleep, because you never know when the balloon will go up, and you, Joe Citizen will be called upon to "do your part" and "protect the sheep". (Does the Meet the Fockers two fingers pointed at my eyes, then I swivel the hand to point the two fingers at you) Youtube poster Nutnfancy* has done a really good job of fomenting a lot of this mindset in people like that, and frankly, it's both frightening and disgusting. Here's a hint. If you fancy yourself some protector of the public, get off your ass and join the Military, or else become a police officer. Any other scenario (like the ones you fantasize about where you "save the day" by taking down the bad guy with your conceal carry weapon by staging a shoot-out in a public place) is only going to land you in jail. The real world is not Youtube-land. Sorry.
To put it candidly, I'm going to call bullshit (I usually get my comments deleted and banned from that particular channel whenever I do) on carrying all that stuff in your pants pockets and on your belt every single day. Listen, part of my job is working with the Military in a capacity that I won't speak about, but one of the things I can say is that a lot of active duty guys are carrying a ton of stuff around at any given time in their pockets, and when they do, you hear it. Do you remember what I've said in the past about not attracting attention to yourself? Right. Therefore, I tend to do things a bit differently. So, at this time we'll move past the always entertaining "making fun of internet SEAL team SWAT warriors" section of the festivities and get to the actual rundown of my own every day carry. Like many others, I have various different preparedness methodologies either planned out, or are under way. Our BOBs and my GHB** do not serve normal EDC functions, so bear that in mind. I will cover these other systems in a future post***.
For every day carry, I don't actually carry much more than the average guy on my person. What I carry is as follows:
1. A good quality folding knife. Usually, it's a Benchmade. I consider a good pocket-knife the bare minimum of every day carry. There may be days or times when I don't have any of my other gear on me, but you can bet I have my knife. I am never without it. But alas, I am not a super SWAT specwar commando, so I only carry the one. I would advise you get into the habit. Knives come in vast array of sizes, steels, and blade types and configurations. I am a big fan of half-serrated blades, because even if your knife is dull (sharpen that thing before you hurt yourself, man!! Come on!), a half-serrated blade will almost always perform the deed. For example, find yourself in a car wreck and need to cut your seat-belt so you can get out of the car? A good half-serrated knife will get it done whereas a dull straight blade might not. The knife I carry is also big enough to serve as a self-defense knife in a pinch, and you may consider carrying one large enough to perform that function for you as well (although I don't recommend trying to use a knife if you don't have to).
2. A small pen-light that I keep slid into the same pants pocket that holds my knife. The light I currently carry is about the size of a Sharpie marker. Made by 5.11, if I recall correctly. I used to scoff at people who actually carried a flashlight, because hey, I work in a lit office, who needs to carry a flashlight around. But a good prepper buddy (one of the guys I talked about last post, in fact) made a good case for carrying one, so I went and bought one. Once I started carrying this light, I have used it a million times it seems like. If I need to step into a darkened room at home to get something from my desk, instead of flipping on the lights, I just use my flashlight. When out walking in the evenings with my wife, I will sometimes use it to look into dark areas between buildings. I have used it to find things that rolled off the table in a dimly lit local bar we were at. The light I have produces 130 lumens, which is more than up to the task. I generally do not go out without it these days.
3. Wallet. I think this is a given.
4. Cell-phone. I have gone one step further and purchased a Lifeproof (look 'em up) case for my iPhone. Boasts mil-spec level protection, plus is completely waterproof. Protecting your phone just makes good sense.
5. Key-ring that generally only carries my car, house, office, and mail key, along with a metal tag shaped like the badge of the brand of car I own. I am a fan of many of the neat little keychain survival tools out there, however I am a bigger fan of being able to put my keys in my pants pocket. I work in an office environment pretty much all of the time, so a huge jangling keychain with several fob-shaped/sized tools on it just isn't practical or convenient.
6. A good pen. Currently I am in favor of the stainless steel metal bodied pens from Zebra. They are only several dollars, but in a pinch they make good stabbing tools. Also, I have had various martial arts training courses, and can actually use a kubaton type instrument effectively if required. Both this pen, and my flashlight could serve that purpose if needed, and neither telegraph themselves as useful for that purpose, which I like. I have actually seen people get pulled aside for an in-depth "examination" by TSA authorities at airports because people had those aforementioned kubaton keychains in their carry-on. Whereas, I breeze by with multiple Zebra pens in my carry-on bag with no problems. The logic to take from this? It doesn't have to look like a weapon in order to be a weapon.
And that's about it. However. I also carry a large messenger laptop type bag. The one I have is a
Targus brand model I picked up fairly inexpensively at Target. It is in this bag that I carry a good deal of my EDC survival-type gear. I have this bag with me every day, and have relied on its contents many, many times in the past at one point or another. I won't list out explanations for the following items unless deemed necessary, but will give you a full rundown of what I actually have full access to at any given time (not necessarily in any logical order):
- small "first aid" kit that contains: spare pair of contacts, band-aids, pain-reliever pills, decongestant pills, chapstick, eye-drops
- several pens
- two spare batteries for my pocket flashlight
- a subcompact .40 caliber pistol (Kahr) with a second magazine. I have my conceal carry license and am thus legally allowed to carry this firearm.
- multiple charge cables for my iPhone and other miscellaneous electronics (even if I am not carrying those electronics at the time. Cables weigh nothing, and a great many devices use the same adaptors. Never know when a friend's cell phone might need charging)
- two or three energy bars
- a small ziplock baggie of diet/energy pills
- a large Brita squeeze bottle. Not only do I have a bottle of water, but I have Brita's (somewhat limited) filtering capabilities to act on any other water I might source throughout the day
- a solar powered charger that all my USB charger cables can plug into
- an air pillow
- spare pair of socks
- spare pair of undershorts
- deodorant stick
- breath-mints and gum packs
- digital camera
- iPod
- iPad
- large Write-in-the-Rain pad (with a pencil)
- a large 550 paracord bracelet that I sometimes wear (contains 25 ft of paracord when unraveled)
- a USB car charging plug (anything with a USB cable can then be plugged into a car's power outlet)
- stamps
- two pairs of headphones
- a pair of foam ear plugs
This is what I currently have. Some of these items may seem puzzling ("I mean, who carries around spare underwear in their bag, UP??") but the way this bag is currently configured, I can remove the firearm and spare magazine, and be ready to board the plane. Knife and flashlight (which looks somewhat tactical because it's black) go into my checked luggage, and I'm on my way with no hassles. And frankly, if you have ever traveled, then you know why I carry some of the stuff I do. I have been very grateful to have clean undergarments to put on once or twice when my bag was lost in transit, and I was able to rely on those when my bag wasn't delivered until the next morning. I also add a toothbrush to my bag before traveling for this purpose.
So, as you can see, I generally use this as my EDC bag, and my system has been working quite well for some time, now. I have had opportunities to use most of the stuff in this bag, and the best part that all told, it weighs several lbs, a far cry from the backpacks I used to carry in my college days. There is even room for my laptop when required. Hopefully, this gives you a few ideas for things to start having with you, and if you have any suggestions for me, please feel free to leave them in the comments section. Thank you for sticking with me through another short novel of a post, and we'll talk again here in a few days. Stay safe out there.
- Unnamed Prepper
"Be prepared."
- Boy Scout Motto
*I won't be surprised if I get a comment or two from people defending this guy. His zombie followers are pretty loyal.
**Get Home Bag
***Yes, I'm aware that I've promised you posts on a couple other topics as well. I'll get to 'em, I promise!
Today, I'm talking about a different type of survival: every day survival. That's right, welcome to my every-day-carry post. Before I begin, I'd like to make a recommendation. If you ever find yourself bored and want to be entertained, might I suggest doing a search of "EDC" on Youtube? I promise you it's worth the time because some of those geniuses crack me right up. In fact, a lot of those videos are actually a good example of what not to do. I will now explain how so, in my typical fashion. Please try not to be offended. Remember, in reality, you want to be doing pretty much the OPPOSITE of what a lot of those internet spec-warriors are doing:
1. Why carry one concealed firearm when you can carry two? After all, during the course of the day in your quiet everyday life, you might find yourself suddenly embroiled in a major shoot-out showdown with several gang members. So you need to be prepared! Also, be sure to carry two different firearms made by two different manufacturers. That way you'll also need to carry twice the number of magazines, because you have to carry a magazine and at least one spare (true internet SWAT spec-ops sheepdogs carry two or three) for each gun you have. So be smart, make things more difficult for yourself and carry guns that feature magazines that aren't compatible.
2. Carrying a knife? An excellent idea, so given that logic, carrying two or even three knives would be even more excellent! Hey, you never know when one might break or be lost during that inevitable hand-to-hand combat you find yourself in, so that backup folder (on your non-dominant hand side, of course) will really come in handy.
3. Keychain? Real survivalists carry a keychain that has eight or nine different survival tools on it. Mini-flashlights, screwdrivers, can-openers, Swiss Army knives, back-up rings with spare keys in case one of the keys on the main ring breaks, and one of those cool kubaton keychains that nobody knows how to correctly use, all this and more is found on a real EDC keychain. If you can use your keychain as a bludgeon in your time of need, so much the better! That way you're never without a way to defend yourself!
4. Know what you need? You need to carry multiple writing pads on your person along with multiple writing instruments at all times, because you never know when you might need to jot down an idea during a gunfight and need to rewrite it on the backup pad after your main pad is shot out of your hand Wild-West style during that mall shoot-out with that mad-dog street gang you found yourself pulled into, you know, doing your sheep-dog duty and all.
Ok, I think you get the idea. Essentially, what I'm saying is that there are a lot of Youtube preppers out there who apparently wear cargo pants every day, and you've got to hear these guys coming with the way they're rattling and clanking around every step they take. I mean, I myself have cargo pants that I wear on occasion, but these guys apparently have the room to stow several lbs of stuff on their person at any given time. It is not uncommon to see a guy's EDC video laid out just as I have (sarcastically) described it: multiple handguns, multiple knives, multiple writing instruments, multiple pads, a huge keychain, and more, all that they swear they carry on their person every single day. These are usually the same mouthbreathers who spend a great many posts or videos talking about the need to be ever vigilant every moment of every day, even when asleep, because you never know when the balloon will go up, and you, Joe Citizen will be called upon to "do your part" and "protect the sheep". (Does the Meet the Fockers two fingers pointed at my eyes, then I swivel the hand to point the two fingers at you) Youtube poster Nutnfancy* has done a really good job of fomenting a lot of this mindset in people like that, and frankly, it's both frightening and disgusting. Here's a hint. If you fancy yourself some protector of the public, get off your ass and join the Military, or else become a police officer. Any other scenario (like the ones you fantasize about where you "save the day" by taking down the bad guy with your conceal carry weapon by staging a shoot-out in a public place) is only going to land you in jail. The real world is not Youtube-land. Sorry.
To put it candidly, I'm going to call bullshit (I usually get my comments deleted and banned from that particular channel whenever I do) on carrying all that stuff in your pants pockets and on your belt every single day. Listen, part of my job is working with the Military in a capacity that I won't speak about, but one of the things I can say is that a lot of active duty guys are carrying a ton of stuff around at any given time in their pockets, and when they do, you hear it. Do you remember what I've said in the past about not attracting attention to yourself? Right. Therefore, I tend to do things a bit differently. So, at this time we'll move past the always entertaining "making fun of internet SEAL team SWAT warriors" section of the festivities and get to the actual rundown of my own every day carry. Like many others, I have various different preparedness methodologies either planned out, or are under way. Our BOBs and my GHB** do not serve normal EDC functions, so bear that in mind. I will cover these other systems in a future post***.
For every day carry, I don't actually carry much more than the average guy on my person. What I carry is as follows:
1. A good quality folding knife. Usually, it's a Benchmade. I consider a good pocket-knife the bare minimum of every day carry. There may be days or times when I don't have any of my other gear on me, but you can bet I have my knife. I am never without it. But alas, I am not a super SWAT specwar commando, so I only carry the one. I would advise you get into the habit. Knives come in vast array of sizes, steels, and blade types and configurations. I am a big fan of half-serrated blades, because even if your knife is dull (sharpen that thing before you hurt yourself, man!! Come on!), a half-serrated blade will almost always perform the deed. For example, find yourself in a car wreck and need to cut your seat-belt so you can get out of the car? A good half-serrated knife will get it done whereas a dull straight blade might not. The knife I carry is also big enough to serve as a self-defense knife in a pinch, and you may consider carrying one large enough to perform that function for you as well (although I don't recommend trying to use a knife if you don't have to).
2. A small pen-light that I keep slid into the same pants pocket that holds my knife. The light I currently carry is about the size of a Sharpie marker. Made by 5.11, if I recall correctly. I used to scoff at people who actually carried a flashlight, because hey, I work in a lit office, who needs to carry a flashlight around. But a good prepper buddy (one of the guys I talked about last post, in fact) made a good case for carrying one, so I went and bought one. Once I started carrying this light, I have used it a million times it seems like. If I need to step into a darkened room at home to get something from my desk, instead of flipping on the lights, I just use my flashlight. When out walking in the evenings with my wife, I will sometimes use it to look into dark areas between buildings. I have used it to find things that rolled off the table in a dimly lit local bar we were at. The light I have produces 130 lumens, which is more than up to the task. I generally do not go out without it these days.
3. Wallet. I think this is a given.
4. Cell-phone. I have gone one step further and purchased a Lifeproof (look 'em up) case for my iPhone. Boasts mil-spec level protection, plus is completely waterproof. Protecting your phone just makes good sense.
5. Key-ring that generally only carries my car, house, office, and mail key, along with a metal tag shaped like the badge of the brand of car I own. I am a fan of many of the neat little keychain survival tools out there, however I am a bigger fan of being able to put my keys in my pants pocket. I work in an office environment pretty much all of the time, so a huge jangling keychain with several fob-shaped/sized tools on it just isn't practical or convenient.
6. A good pen. Currently I am in favor of the stainless steel metal bodied pens from Zebra. They are only several dollars, but in a pinch they make good stabbing tools. Also, I have had various martial arts training courses, and can actually use a kubaton type instrument effectively if required. Both this pen, and my flashlight could serve that purpose if needed, and neither telegraph themselves as useful for that purpose, which I like. I have actually seen people get pulled aside for an in-depth "examination" by TSA authorities at airports because people had those aforementioned kubaton keychains in their carry-on. Whereas, I breeze by with multiple Zebra pens in my carry-on bag with no problems. The logic to take from this? It doesn't have to look like a weapon in order to be a weapon.
And that's about it. However. I also carry a large messenger laptop type bag. The one I have is a
Targus brand model I picked up fairly inexpensively at Target. It is in this bag that I carry a good deal of my EDC survival-type gear. I have this bag with me every day, and have relied on its contents many, many times in the past at one point or another. I won't list out explanations for the following items unless deemed necessary, but will give you a full rundown of what I actually have full access to at any given time (not necessarily in any logical order):
- small "first aid" kit that contains: spare pair of contacts, band-aids, pain-reliever pills, decongestant pills, chapstick, eye-drops
- several pens
- two spare batteries for my pocket flashlight
- a subcompact .40 caliber pistol (Kahr) with a second magazine. I have my conceal carry license and am thus legally allowed to carry this firearm.
- multiple charge cables for my iPhone and other miscellaneous electronics (even if I am not carrying those electronics at the time. Cables weigh nothing, and a great many devices use the same adaptors. Never know when a friend's cell phone might need charging)
- two or three energy bars
- a small ziplock baggie of diet/energy pills
- a large Brita squeeze bottle. Not only do I have a bottle of water, but I have Brita's (somewhat limited) filtering capabilities to act on any other water I might source throughout the day
- a solar powered charger that all my USB charger cables can plug into
- an air pillow
- spare pair of socks
- spare pair of undershorts
- deodorant stick
- breath-mints and gum packs
- digital camera
- iPod
- iPad
- large Write-in-the-Rain pad (with a pencil)
- a large 550 paracord bracelet that I sometimes wear (contains 25 ft of paracord when unraveled)
- a USB car charging plug (anything with a USB cable can then be plugged into a car's power outlet)
- stamps
- two pairs of headphones
- a pair of foam ear plugs
This is what I currently have. Some of these items may seem puzzling ("I mean, who carries around spare underwear in their bag, UP??") but the way this bag is currently configured, I can remove the firearm and spare magazine, and be ready to board the plane. Knife and flashlight (which looks somewhat tactical because it's black) go into my checked luggage, and I'm on my way with no hassles. And frankly, if you have ever traveled, then you know why I carry some of the stuff I do. I have been very grateful to have clean undergarments to put on once or twice when my bag was lost in transit, and I was able to rely on those when my bag wasn't delivered until the next morning. I also add a toothbrush to my bag before traveling for this purpose.
So, as you can see, I generally use this as my EDC bag, and my system has been working quite well for some time, now. I have had opportunities to use most of the stuff in this bag, and the best part that all told, it weighs several lbs, a far cry from the backpacks I used to carry in my college days. There is even room for my laptop when required. Hopefully, this gives you a few ideas for things to start having with you, and if you have any suggestions for me, please feel free to leave them in the comments section. Thank you for sticking with me through another short novel of a post, and we'll talk again here in a few days. Stay safe out there.
- Unnamed Prepper
"Be prepared."
- Boy Scout Motto
*I won't be surprised if I get a comment or two from people defending this guy. His zombie followers are pretty loyal.
**Get Home Bag
***Yes, I'm aware that I've promised you posts on a couple other topics as well. I'll get to 'em, I promise!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Quick Update: Friends
Hello fellow Internet citizens, wanted to discuss a topic near to my heart and mind today. Right now, I have a very close friend working on a post or two, which I will be putting up for your perusal and information here really soon. The guy's as sharp as they come, and not only is he a prepper himself, but has various other experiences (both educational and Life) that have helped him to get to where he is today, and where he continues to go. He has some various training that compliments what I have, so he's not only a great friend, but a really good resource to have around for information, and just to bounce ideas off of. So, be on the look-out, that will be up soon.
And that brings up a good point of discussion to mind, which I'd like to go into here. Like many of you reading this, I am very fortunate, and blessed to have several friends who I know I could count on in times of need. A few of those, they are preppers also* and are definitely included in any longterm plans that I may make. Now, I naturally would help my non-prepper friends to the best of my ability, that goes without needing to be clarified. But, that said, it's great that I do have a few friends who really "get it" and so those become assets instead of liabilities (in the strictest of terms). Like myself, they are like-minded preppers, and I count them as staunch allies. And really, those of you reading this really, really need to keep this in mind. I have only seen a few internet preppers discuss this topic. The fact of the matter is this: you will need friends in pretty much every survival situation. Think about it for a moment. A lot of preppers talk about stockpiling food, guns, ammo, home fortifications and so on, and that's all great. But the fact is, having friends to call on, whether it be as using their home as a BOL**, having them around in a disaster situation as an extra pair of hands to help, and an extra sense of judgement, or even putting a shotgun in their hand and having them to help you repel attempted home intrusion in the even of a total WROL situation; ALL of these situations can be made easier with your friends being there. But online, I have seen some preppers saying things like "Well, I wouldn't call my friends because then they'd want to come stay with us, and use our generator power, or eat from our food stores, or drink some of our water." or "Well, I don't really want to have to look after extra people." Frankly, I find that mindset disgusting.
Listen. Here's the fact of the matter. As usual, I'll skip right to the common sense. First thought in my head? You can't stay up forever. It's that simple. That's just one simple example. If power is out in your neighborhood after a bad natural disaster, it's a given that looters may come prowling your neighborhood to see if there are any easy pickings. If that happens, and it's just your wife and yourself, what will you do? "Simple UP, I'll stand watch while my wife sleeps, and then she'll stand watch while I get some rest." Hey, that is fantastic. In a situation where your wife has trained, prepped, and studied to the point where she has a similar threat-response skillset to yours, that is just great. But fact is, most preppers don't have that. Hell, I myself don't have that. My wife is intensely intelligent, fierce, beautiful, and tenacious. But do I think she'd have the same ability to repel an attempted break-in with overwhelming force and terminal finality? No, I don't think so. For one thing, I am physically much, much larger and stronger than she is. I will meet an attempted break-in with terminal force, no other way to say it. In my state of residence, this is allowed per our laws (thankfully).
And to be clear, there are no surprises here, she reads this blog. She has an array of skillsets that highly compliment mine, and she does train periodically with firearms and is a great shot. When I travel for work, I am comfortable in my knowledge that she would be able to defend herself from a standard break-in. But in a serious, disaster-type extended situation, people are going to be desperate. An alarm sounding (most alarms won't even be working in the case of a power outage!) or a present homeowner won't deter a determined perpetrator. I can readily admit that I would most likely move her, our supplies/preps, to another more fortified location if the need was there, or else I would call on one or more of my friends to come stay with us. Primarily I would do this to provide the best protection for her that I could. And frankly, that means another big burly guy with experience in firearms, such as one of my close friends, or another prepper friend of mine who's really good with a shotgun. It's that simple.
And hey, let me touch on the "Friends will want to eat my food, drink my water, need my ammo!" mindset. You know what? First of all, you should be taking a couple extra people into account anyway. What's the worst outcome? Alright, so you saved up enough water supplies to last five people for two months in the event of a major natural disaster. Excellent. Well, hey, the disaster happens, and one of your friends is able to make it to your location. So, it's you, your wife, and your friend. Well, that two month supply of water for five people can now be stretched out even further because it's just the three of you. Hey, you saved up a year's worth of food for two people, and you have two friends (a good buddy and his wife) make it to your house, and all they brought was their water supplies, guns, and some ammo? Well, a year's worth of food for two people is still going to be able to last four people well past any natural disaster being put to rights by local government infrastructure. What? You have enough ammo to outlast any horde of zombies, and your buddy and his wife who brought their guns only have a few boxes each? Well, so what? If they're helping watch your home, than dammit, give 'em some damn ammo from your stores!!! Use your head, here. I will end the rant by saying I don't understand the "It's just me and my family against the world" mindset. In any truly end-of-society situation, you are going to want as many dependable friends around you as possible, simple as that. Because bad guys? Yeah, they have friends too, and you can bet they're going to band together. So, it's on you to even the odds.
As a last note, please understand that when I say "friends", I am talking about close personal friends, not friendly acquaintances such as Steve the Mailroom clerk at your place of employment. I do not disclose my preps to anyone outside of my immediate close circle of friends as a general rule, and I would suggest that you inact the same security mindset, which I have talked about before. It sounds silly when you first think about it, but honestly? Having a beer at a company function and talking about your shared enjoyment in sports isn't the same thing as seeing how people will truly act in their personal lives. And the last thing you need in your immediate vicinity in a tense survival situation is an unknown quantity like people you don't know that well. So, don't risk the headache (or worse). Only allow like-minded close friends to know about your preparations. Include them in your plans. Be included in theirs. Understand up front that you may be called on to help support them with your supplies, just as they understand they may need to support you with theirs.
At the end of the day, human beings work together better, and can accomplish more than they can on their own. This is the basis of any strong, stable society. Don't discount it. Stay safe out there.
- Unnamed Prepper
"If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself."
- Henry Ford
*Amazingly, they were preppers independently of any urgings on my part. Always great to find out you have a shared interest beyond the usual fare.
** Bug Out Location
And that brings up a good point of discussion to mind, which I'd like to go into here. Like many of you reading this, I am very fortunate, and blessed to have several friends who I know I could count on in times of need. A few of those, they are preppers also* and are definitely included in any longterm plans that I may make. Now, I naturally would help my non-prepper friends to the best of my ability, that goes without needing to be clarified. But, that said, it's great that I do have a few friends who really "get it" and so those become assets instead of liabilities (in the strictest of terms). Like myself, they are like-minded preppers, and I count them as staunch allies. And really, those of you reading this really, really need to keep this in mind. I have only seen a few internet preppers discuss this topic. The fact of the matter is this: you will need friends in pretty much every survival situation. Think about it for a moment. A lot of preppers talk about stockpiling food, guns, ammo, home fortifications and so on, and that's all great. But the fact is, having friends to call on, whether it be as using their home as a BOL**, having them around in a disaster situation as an extra pair of hands to help, and an extra sense of judgement, or even putting a shotgun in their hand and having them to help you repel attempted home intrusion in the even of a total WROL situation; ALL of these situations can be made easier with your friends being there. But online, I have seen some preppers saying things like "Well, I wouldn't call my friends because then they'd want to come stay with us, and use our generator power, or eat from our food stores, or drink some of our water." or "Well, I don't really want to have to look after extra people." Frankly, I find that mindset disgusting.
Listen. Here's the fact of the matter. As usual, I'll skip right to the common sense. First thought in my head? You can't stay up forever. It's that simple. That's just one simple example. If power is out in your neighborhood after a bad natural disaster, it's a given that looters may come prowling your neighborhood to see if there are any easy pickings. If that happens, and it's just your wife and yourself, what will you do? "Simple UP, I'll stand watch while my wife sleeps, and then she'll stand watch while I get some rest." Hey, that is fantastic. In a situation where your wife has trained, prepped, and studied to the point where she has a similar threat-response skillset to yours, that is just great. But fact is, most preppers don't have that. Hell, I myself don't have that. My wife is intensely intelligent, fierce, beautiful, and tenacious. But do I think she'd have the same ability to repel an attempted break-in with overwhelming force and terminal finality? No, I don't think so. For one thing, I am physically much, much larger and stronger than she is. I will meet an attempted break-in with terminal force, no other way to say it. In my state of residence, this is allowed per our laws (thankfully).
And to be clear, there are no surprises here, she reads this blog. She has an array of skillsets that highly compliment mine, and she does train periodically with firearms and is a great shot. When I travel for work, I am comfortable in my knowledge that she would be able to defend herself from a standard break-in. But in a serious, disaster-type extended situation, people are going to be desperate. An alarm sounding (most alarms won't even be working in the case of a power outage!) or a present homeowner won't deter a determined perpetrator. I can readily admit that I would most likely move her, our supplies/preps, to another more fortified location if the need was there, or else I would call on one or more of my friends to come stay with us. Primarily I would do this to provide the best protection for her that I could. And frankly, that means another big burly guy with experience in firearms, such as one of my close friends, or another prepper friend of mine who's really good with a shotgun. It's that simple.
And hey, let me touch on the "Friends will want to eat my food, drink my water, need my ammo!" mindset. You know what? First of all, you should be taking a couple extra people into account anyway. What's the worst outcome? Alright, so you saved up enough water supplies to last five people for two months in the event of a major natural disaster. Excellent. Well, hey, the disaster happens, and one of your friends is able to make it to your location. So, it's you, your wife, and your friend. Well, that two month supply of water for five people can now be stretched out even further because it's just the three of you. Hey, you saved up a year's worth of food for two people, and you have two friends (a good buddy and his wife) make it to your house, and all they brought was their water supplies, guns, and some ammo? Well, a year's worth of food for two people is still going to be able to last four people well past any natural disaster being put to rights by local government infrastructure. What? You have enough ammo to outlast any horde of zombies, and your buddy and his wife who brought their guns only have a few boxes each? Well, so what? If they're helping watch your home, than dammit, give 'em some damn ammo from your stores!!! Use your head, here. I will end the rant by saying I don't understand the "It's just me and my family against the world" mindset. In any truly end-of-society situation, you are going to want as many dependable friends around you as possible, simple as that. Because bad guys? Yeah, they have friends too, and you can bet they're going to band together. So, it's on you to even the odds.
As a last note, please understand that when I say "friends", I am talking about close personal friends, not friendly acquaintances such as Steve the Mailroom clerk at your place of employment. I do not disclose my preps to anyone outside of my immediate close circle of friends as a general rule, and I would suggest that you inact the same security mindset, which I have talked about before. It sounds silly when you first think about it, but honestly? Having a beer at a company function and talking about your shared enjoyment in sports isn't the same thing as seeing how people will truly act in their personal lives. And the last thing you need in your immediate vicinity in a tense survival situation is an unknown quantity like people you don't know that well. So, don't risk the headache (or worse). Only allow like-minded close friends to know about your preparations. Include them in your plans. Be included in theirs. Understand up front that you may be called on to help support them with your supplies, just as they understand they may need to support you with theirs.
At the end of the day, human beings work together better, and can accomplish more than they can on their own. This is the basis of any strong, stable society. Don't discount it. Stay safe out there.
- Unnamed Prepper
"If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself."
- Henry Ford
*Amazingly, they were preppers independently of any urgings on my part. Always great to find out you have a shared interest beyond the usual fare.
** Bug Out Location
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