Here is the third part of the series, i hope you liked it. I hope you understand i don't agree with 100% of what this person purposes, but i hope it makes you think a little. If you have read this blog, then you understand where i'm at on this. We are in some troubled times, bordering on Badtimes. A regular person had nothing to do with it, but that does not mean that we should put our head in the sand and hope it goes away. There are steps to take to help you continue on. It is up to you if you want to do them. The economy is tight and going to get tighter, so be wise and prudent in what ever you do. I would encourage you to do something.
RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBORS
I've already mentioned the importance of getting along with your
neighbors. It really is crucial to your city-based survival plan. The best
situation to be in, as mentioned before, is to have neighbors & other church
members who are aware of the issue and who are getting ready for it by
stocking their own food, water, and other supplies. Every neighbor & member
that becomes self-reliant is one less neighbor or member you'll have to
support.
The range of neighbor situations, from best to worst, is as follows:
* Best case: your neighbor is current Recommend holder, is aware of and
both temporally & Spiritually prepared for an emergency with their own
supplies and training.
* Good case: your neighbor is aware of a potential crisis, and even though
they don't have their own supplies, they're willing to help defend yours as
long as you share
* Bad case: your neighbor is a non-member that didn't prepare for it,
figuring they would just steal from you if things got bad. They are aware of
YOUR supplies but don't have their own.
* Worst case: your neighbor isn't aware of anything, he is anti-mormon and
he's a violent, angry neighbor just released from prison. He is going to be
caught off guard by the ensuing events and will likely attempt to use
violence to get what he needs or wants.
Your decision on whether to stay in the city may depend greatly on the
quality and quantity of your neighbors. If you do live in a bad
neighborhood, do what you can to relocate. If you live in a good
neighborhood, do the best you can to educate and inform your neighbors. This
might well be the most important missionary work you ever do for your own
temporal salvation!
GUN CONTROL IN THE CITIES
No matter how you felt or thought about gun control in the past, it's time
to face disaster-induced reality. The gun-control politicians (and the
people who supported them) have placed Americans in a situation where not
only can the police not protect us in a timely manner, but we cannot
lawfully defend ourselves. Criminals unlawfully have firearms; citizens
lawfully don't. Intentionally or otherwise, gun-control supporters have
created a situation where an unfortunate number of innocent men, women and
children are going to be in danger during a crisis simply because they could
not obtain the tools of self-defense.
It also happens that the cities where the rioting will likely be the worst
are precisely the cities where firearms are most likely to be banned from
lawful ownership (and where criminals may wield near-absolute power for a
while.). Perhaps when society recovers from it, we can review the fallacy in
the cause / effect logic that keeps people voting for gun-control laws, but
in the mean time, millions of people are going to have to resort to breaking
the law in order to protect their families. And yes, you too will have to
resort to breaking the law if you are to acquire a firearm in an area where
guns are entirely banned from private citizens (like New York, Los Angeles,
etc.).
After the disaster hits, if the rioting gets really bad, we're going to
see local police begging law-abiding citizens for help. Your firearm will be
a welcome addition to the force of law and order, believe me. No local cop
is going to mind you having a handgun if you're manning a roadblock
protecting a neighborhood of families with children. Act responsibly, tell
them what you're doing, and they'll probably give you a big thanks. But if
you're carrying a gun while you smash a window of the Wal-Mart and walk off
with a stereo; well that's a different story. Be prepare to get shot.
See, cops don't mind private ownership nearly as much as we've all been
led to believe. I know, I work with law enforcement officers in a small
town, and I ask them about topics like this. When the crisis hits, they'll
be more than happy to have your cooperation. We're all going to need as many
law-abiding gun-toting citizens as possible in order to fend off the
criminals and establish some degree of order.
ONE MORE REASON TO MOVE OUT
If you really feel you need a firearm to protect yourself and your family,
your best bet may be to move to a city or state where people are a lot more
accepting of firearms. You'd be surprised what a difference the locale
makes. Check the gun laws in any state you're considering moving to.
Obviously, "cowboy" states like Arizona, Texas and Wyoming will have fewer
restrictions on firearms (and, interestingly, they have less of a problem
with gun violence). States where the population is more dense (like
California & New York) tend to have much greater restrictions on private
ownership of firearms.
BUGGING OUT
Suppose it's July 14, 2006, and you've changed your mind about this city
thing. You happened to be right smack in the middle of one of the worst-hit
cities in the country. The looting is getting worse, the power has been out
for two weeks, and your water supplies are running low. You still have
enough gas in your truck to make it out of town if you can get past the
gangs, that is. You've decided to BUG OUT!
SOME BASIC POINTERS:
* Don't try to bug out in a Chevy Geo. You will likely need a big heavy
4x4 truck in order to go off-road and around stalled vehicles
* Get something that can carry at least 1000 pounds of supplies. A big 4x4
pickup will do nicely! Yes, it requires more fuel, but you can carry the
fuel as cargo.
* Don't bug out unless you can have someone ride shotgun, literally. You
will need an armed passenger in case you run into not-so-nice people
WHAT TO TAKE
Ahh, the bug-out supply list. All this will fit in your truck. Here's what
you should take if you're preparing to bug out with two people:
* Your 96 hour kits for each person in the vehicle
* 20 gallons of water
* 40 gallons of extra fuel or more (and a full gas tank)
WHERE TO GO
As mentioned earlier, if you have a designated place of refuge (Grandma's
house, a cabin in the woods, etc.), head straight for it. If not, you're
basically driving anywhere you can go, so try to head for an area that
forested and near a creek or river where you can get some water.
CONCLUSION
Choosing to remain in the city is a rational choice for many people in
many situations. However, as you have seen from the dangers described here,
the further away you can get from the population centers in general, the
better your chances of surviving.
Most people, perhaps yourself included, have a difficult time actually
accepting that a major disaster is going to be as bad as described in this
report. And after all, if you leave the city, sell out, quit your job, move
to the country, and then nothing bad happens? You will have disrupted your
life, and you may find yourself broke, jobless, and homeless. You COULD
assume it will be a mild event, which I suppose is also a credible
possibility. In that case, surviving in the city will be quite feasible,
especially if you have neighbors that can support your efforts and you don't
live in a dangerous city with high racial tensions. However, the very nature
of a major disaster means that if only one or two major infrastructure
components goes down, the ripple effect will quickly create a much worse
scenario. It seems there is very little room for "mild" effects unless they
are miniscule. The most likely scenario at this point clearly points to
massive disruptions, severe shortages in food and water, loss of power in
some areas, and a breakdown of social order in certain areas where the
population density is high.
But you can survive anything with good planning, an open mind, and plenty
of practice. Why not start now?
http://www.pilleriin.ee/h5n1/2006/03/radikaalsed_mormoonid.html
Additional Insight
The article Surviving in the City is basically a good plan. I do have some
comments that I wish to send along, particularly about the bug out phase of
potential relief from chaos.
The assumption that people in the rural areas are going to be friendly and
accept hoards of people from the cities is false. I live 15 miles as the
crow flies from the closed metropolitan area of about 20,000 people. Only
the disillusioned and stupid in this area will be across-the-board friendly.
The assumption that the people in the rural areas are not as dangerous as
people in the cities is also untrue.
Many rural areas have a large population of people who are at the poverty
level. They control no land; do not have access to water wells; do not hunt
and drive cheap run down automobiles. Most rural areas are saturated with
meth heads and other drug users as well as a thick frosting of alcoholics. A
certain group is on welfare and are dependents to a wealth redistribution
system.
If you live in a rural area and want to stay isolated you can take
positive actions.
Round up 10 to 15 vehicles that can be towed or run to a narrow spot on
the state hi-way.
Place them across the road and burn them.... Or get a bulldozer and
operator and push up a dirt bank across the road...
I once talked to a local crew of people in Montana while on vacation. They
had a plan to block the roads at each end of the valley and stay isolated.
This was 14 years ago.....so I am not alone in these thoughts......
In a just in time mercantile starvation with overtones of diminished food
supplies these people will be equally as dangerous or more so than the
criminal city dweller.
You miss an important point in not telling people to bug out to state
parks, public hunting areas and lakes. Soon the local ranger will not even
attempt to enter these area to tell people to leave. He will be home taking
care of his family.
You also miss out on the point of having people get proper maps. The
DeLorme maps sold at Wal-Mart are very detailed.
You tell people to get a 4X4 pickup to drive around abandoned vehicles and
make it across country. With a 1000+ lbs of gear in the rear your truck will
be a wallowing hog off the road.
Cross-countrying is BS if you do not have a planned track...which you
cannot get without a good map. You must also have more than a smattering of
knowledge of microtopograpy to be able to drive across country. You will
soon have that 4x4 bogged down in soft soil, wet areas or in a 2 foot deep
cow path covered by grass.
I worked for 20 years as a District Conservationist with the Soil
Conservation Service. I drove all over God's green earth in a 1/2 ton 2
wheel drive pickup in all kinds of weather and seldom if ever needed 4 wheel
drive. Very seldom got stuck or high centered. I learned to read the
topography and where to drive. You do not get this information and awareness
by driving down a paved road to the local big box store. I recommend that
you have a state wide DeLorme Map for every state that surrounds the state
you live in.
You must understand the road system in the area that you live. They are
not all the same. The Plains states have a section and township layout of
roads. In most areas there are roads nearly every mile. It is possible to
drive from 30 miles east of Denver clear to Salina, Kansas on dirt roads.
Crossing or traveling down paved roads only a few miles in crossovers. I
have done this twice in my life time. The Plains states have a network of
roads that makes living in that area particularly favorable for some kind of
bugout.
If you live in the hogback areas of steep hills snaking ridges your roads
will follow the tops of the ridges. Crossovers are only at bridging points
of the streams and rivers to the far ridge line. Your access potential is
very limited to a few roads. Same thing applies to the mountains....highly
restricted roads....death traps....
You do not talk about how to read maps which is critical. The DeLorme maps
do not have contour lines on them, but I can look at them and visualize the
topography in a very general fashion that most people cannot do. A GPS unit
is going to do you less good than map skills if you cannot get from point A
to point B just 1/2 mile away without getting stuck.
All land is cut through with rivers, creeks and streams. The stem river
system in America is the Mississippi. From the eastern foot hills of the
Rockies all the rivers flow east and south. The farther you go east and
south from the mountains the bigger the stream valleys become. And the more
difficult to cross. They become great barriers that compress traffic to
certain roads between river systems. They are crossed north to south only on
the bridges. Many counties have only 1 to 3 bridges crossing these rivers in
a 30 to 40 mile area. You must have maps to show where the choke points are.
All bridges are death traps that will be controlled by the local brigands
with a BA in Beer and Meth.
An alternative: the railroad bridges...what say? Yes you can drive on the
rails and you do not have to let out air from your tires. All you need is
the guts to do it...drive across 1/4 to 1/2 mile of track high up... But you
need to send someone to reconnoiter the other side with a radio to watch and
listen for approaching trains. You cannot drive fast on the rails, 10 mph is
about tops...but with a 1000+ lbs in the back you might have to go even
slower. I have driven miles and miles of tracks even crossing the mighty
Arkansas river bed on a bridge at Larned, Kansas...but my buddy's father was
the railroad agent for that section of track and we knew exactly what the
train schedules were all the time.
You need tools to travel across country. A chain saw to take down a tree.
Or a manual bow saw. Leave the axes at home they are just weight. A good
machete is better. Also critical to a tool kit is a set of bolt cutters. One
24" and one 36" to cut fence, chains on gates and padlocks. Fencing pliers,
standard pliers and smaller set of wire cutters are essential.
Additional land surface information is available in the Natural Resource
Service's soil surveys. They are free if you can get them to give you one as
a non landowner in the county. They are a complete set of aerial photos of a
county delineated with the soil types and their distribution on them. The
are invaluable because the show nearly all of the local windmills and ponds.
Water sources. And they show many of the agricultural access roads that
snake through the private range and pasture lands.
You also need a good set of binoculars to see... reconnoiter by eye.....
A good 22 rifle and 10,000 rounds of ammo. So you find some of the local
fellas with a BA in beer blocking your way... Get your rig in defilade and
then pepper them from 1/4 to 1/3 mile away with 20 to 50 rounds of 22 ammo.
Having never been shot at they will certainly try to get at least out of
range when even a few bullets impact in their area. You will have registered
your intent to not be messed with....
You must establish some rules for your defensive actions and stick to
them. Mine are that if people are within 1/4 mile and are menacing with
rifles, blocking a road and show intent to issue a power summons to you and
your party, you shoot one of them center of mass with no warning whatsoever.
Pick out the leader if you can. If you happen to have someone trip up on you
unexpectedly and are under 20 to 30 yards you bring a weapon to bear on the
person and give only one verbal warning [of your choice] and you then shoot
in five seconds if they do not respond to your warning. No counting off
seconds; you warn then shoot. If someone confronts you really close [under
10 yards], no warning you bring a weapon to bear and shoot. Execute the
Mozambique drill, two in the chest and one in the head..
Think I am a bloodthirsty kind....no, but I am an ex-commissioned police
officer and have dealt with the vermin of the planet. I have seen some of
the third world up close and know just how animalistic humans can get when
unfettered with a conscious and no moral restrictions....
Ugly is ugly but survival has no second place winners...... If you cannot
win at the mind game you just as well stay home, wait for your fate to show
up and pray....
JW, Oklahoma
USAF, retired
USDA, Soil Conservation Service, retired
US Dept of State, Peace Corps, Niger West Africa
Educator, USA public, private and reservation schools
Educator, Egyptian and Ecuadorian private American schools
NM Mounted Patrol, commissioned police officer
Minute Man Civil Defense Corps, April/October 2006 expeditionary unit to
Columbus, NM
NRA member
Rifleman
Free American.. .. .. so far
Booze, lipstick big sellers in hard times
Americans are not buying new cars or homes in this nose-diving economy, but how about low-price-point instant-gratification items such as booze and makeup?
Yes, indeedy.
According to a recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau, liquor and personal care products are faring well in this credit-strangled environment.
Marcia Mogelonsky, senior research analyst with the market-research group Mintel International in Chicago, is not surprised.
"Yes, we still keep buying these products even in a recession," Ms. Mogelonsky says. "What we see are changes within these product categories."
Meaning we might opt for a store-brand cosmetic instead of the high-end versions, and we might buy that bottle of Glenfiddich at a liquor store to serve at home rather than
ordering a couple of drinks on the rocks at a bar or restaurant, where the markup can be astronomical.
"The on-premise sales will flatten out, but people will entertain more at home instead," says David Ozgo, chief economist for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
Mr. Ozgo says he doesn't regard liquor as a "recession proof" category, but it's certainly not in the same league as the car or housing market.
Not recession proof? Even though sales of liquor are predicted to increase this year?
"Yes, but the growth is slowing," he says.
That sounds like the car industry during good times.
In the alcoholic beverage segment, beer is the most recession proof, says Jie Zhang, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Maryland at College Park.
"Products that make people feel good without costing a lot of money will do well in this economy," Ms. Zhang says, adding that cosmetics fit into this category as well.
Also, Ms. Mogelonsky says, there is so much variety in each product category that consumers most likely will find something that fits the particular constraints of their pocketbook.
"There are so many inexpensive varieties of lipstick nowadays," Ms. Mogelonsky says. "Many women are just moving from a high-end brand to something cheaper."
A quick search on Amazon.com showed lipsticks varying in price from $2.25 to $52. In the beer category, a 12-pack of something a la Miller Lite could be $9.99 or less.
So, there it is: instant gratification for $12.25.
Throw in a Netflix movie (as little as $5.95 a month) and some microwave popcorn (usually less than $1 a pack) and you're up to $19.20.
However, will this make us as happy as buying an expensive pair of shoes or sipping cocktails at a swanky bar?
"Shopping is pleasurable. There's no doubt about that," says Kit Yarrow, professor of psychology and business at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. "And that's not American.
It's cross-cultural and across time. Shopping gives us a boost." Now that we don't get the boost?
"We'll get used to it, and I think something good will come out of it in the end," says Ms. Yarrow, the chairwoman of her department. "It's hard to talk about the bright spots when so many people are hurting, but maybe this will allow us to become more appreciative of what we do get."
It also may help us lower our ever-escalating standards on beauty and fashion.
"And that can only be healthy," Ms. Yarrow says. "Maybe get some department-store nail polish instead of a pedicure; and there's nothing wrong with getting your fashion at H&M."
While times are tough, though, we're not facing the Great Depression, Ms. Mogelonsky says. There are no food shortages or gas rationing.
"It's all about putting things in perspective," Ms. Mogelonsky says. "You have to figure out what is your personal recession. What are you willing to bear?"
Some might be willing to give up the Godiva chocolate, but not the L'Oreal lipstick. Others might give up the brand-name and organic groceries but not a favored facial product.
Most of us, though, are making adjustments somewhere, somehow, Ms. Mogelonsky says.
In the end, we won't have the full story on 2008 until after the all-important holiday season - in the liquor industry, for example, about a third of the year's sales happen in
November and December.
Ms. Zhang predicts that discount retailers such as TJ Maxx and Marshalls will do very well.
Other segments?
"The holidays are going to be very challenging," Ms. Zhang says, adding that this recession is affecting even the upper crust's willingness to spend.
"Frankly, I think all groups are affected because of the psychological effect of this economic downturn," she says. "No one feels like spending a lot of money.
"It's not going to be pretty," she says of holiday sales.
In other words, let's party like it's 2008 on $2.25 lipstick and a $9.99 12-pack of brewskis.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/29/less-costly-luxuries-big-in-hard-times/
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