Most of the time I find I'm in general agreement with whatever Peter has to say. I perceive Peter to be an intelligent, erudite man with an unusual amount of life experience. He's also a Christian, with a solid set of Christian morals and ethics. So most of the time I think Peter has the right of it, but this time he's overlooking a few points. Here they are, in no general order.
For some reason I'm reminded of my school bus driver in elementary school who purported to be a Christian. His name was Lockwood, he was meaner than a nest of hornets, and he eventually quit the bus driving business to take a position as pastor of a church someplace. The day he left, he gave us a lecture about being noisy and unruly, and building a death trap for ourselves by our raucous behavior. His replacement was a man named Joe who was a whole lot nicer.
Pardon me, but I've a touch of attention deficit disorder this morning.
The idea is that due to the unprecedented amount of stable dressing that commercial media is shoving at us and calling news, and the real news being debunked by the political Left (SJWs, Moonbats, Progressives and Fascists), and conservative news and bloggers being deplatformed along with violent political protests involving ANTIFA, New Black Panthers, Black Live Matter and similar groups, the fertilizer may hit the turbine blades and government will fail. There are other factors involved, but I'm sure everyone reading this gets the general idea. About the only thing people can agree on is that this truly massive failure might or might not happen in our lifetimes.
I live in Columbus, Ohio, and have lived in many major cities east of the Mississippi. To pretend that a repeat of the civil rights riots from the 1960s couldn't happen here, or in any other major city in the US for any reason at all, is foolishness. Sections of major cities could easily see rioting and a complete breakdown of orderly civilization as we know it for a week or more. It wouldn't be the first time, and it wouldn't be permanent, but it could happen.
Around 8,000 pages or more have been written about what to do, how to prepare, and which caliber of rifle is best. I'm not going to cover any of that because it's been done to death. Here are a few things that never get mentioned.
Should this happen in my immediate area, here's what my preparations look like and why. Note that these are not in the order of importance, as importance will change with the situation you're immediately facing.
Water. What you'll likely to need above everything else is water. Lots of fresh water. One person requires one gallon per day. No water means no survival, and water is also necessary for digestion. So it doesn't matter if you have food, if you don't have water then your clock is ticking.
People. You'll need a group of people local to your area, an area that is geographically close to you, who think the same way you do, and that will accept you as a member. Try to find a group who all agree it's morally wrong to murder people in their beds, for instance.
Fire Control. You need fire control. If your home catches fire, and the fire department isn't available just now, you'd better be able to put the fire out or grab your gear and run for it.
Extended First Aid. First aid is important, but extended first aid even more so. Having one or two antibiotics on hand is a good thing, and being able to fix problems with your digestive tract is also important. Remember that the hospital ER might be full, the hospital might well be full, and you, personally, just aren't all that important. Knowing the difference between a serious illness or injury and one that can be treated by antibiotics and rest is valuable knowledge; having the supplies to treat the illness is almost as valuable.
Food. Food for you and the family, including the family goldfish. You can do better than Meal, Rejected by Enemy - and you should do so. Stash the MREs in the closet someplace where you'll only tie into them when you're sufficiently hungry and civilization still hasn't staged a return.
Guns and Ammo. I said I wasn't going to mention it, but here it is anyway. Having an AR15 is a great thing, and I wouldn't criticize anyone for stockpiling rifles or ammo. However, the fact is that no one wants to get shot, and that includes the authorities. Should a group of a dozen or so blue clad officials from the United Nations start going house to house in your neighborhood, kicking in doors and confiscating food, water, and everything else they can use, what would you like your response to be? Presumably you'll resist, because if you don't you very likely will not survive this episode.
What's your response? Is it:
- You alone with your AR and 5000 rounds of ammunition
- You and a few neighbors that you don't really know all that well, some of whom are armed
- You and a group of 30 armed men and women who have known each other for several years, and who know that they all - all 30 of them - mean business.
We all know the answers to that one.
There's no substitute for experience. If you've been there, such as sitting out a hurricane instead of evacuating like the authorities demanded, you'll know what I'm talking about. You'll deal with freeloading neighbors, looters, and heavy handed authorities (not necessarily police) who will confiscate your possessions and instruct you to report to the local processing center - for processing. They'll volunteer to shoot your dog for you. Don't take my word for it. Find a few people who have been there, done that, and have the tee-shirt.
And now, if you'll excuse me, happy hour is near at hand and I don't want to be fashionably late today.
2 comments:
Depending on where you are, your last para is on the money. Other places, not so much... But I generally agree with your statements!
Thanks Old NFO. Your geographic location and your immediate environment matter. When I wrote this I didn't take that into consideration, and I should have.
When I lived in Florida, I sat out the hurricane. I watched while authorities demanded we all evacuate (it's for your own safety!), and watched while a few left and most stayed behind. One elderly lady looked down her nose at a burly policeman that was easily twice her size and told him, "Young man, I've lived through more hurricanes than you can count. I sat through hurricanes when I was a child and sat on my daddy's knee. I can take care of myself, I'm not afraid, and I'm staying."
I liked her. She had food, water, and a 12 gauge shotgun. She didn't bother with 'luxury items' like a generator, although some young folks have 'em now, and they say they're real nice. Maybe I'll get one next year. I played canasta with her on the day after, and she beat the tar out of me.
I watched the signs go up, too. "You Loot, We Shoot" will keep looters at bay and does nothing to deter folks who have legitimate business in the neighborhood.
Thanks for reading, by the way.
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