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Guest Post: Take These Steps Today To Survive An International Crisis

Tyler Durden's picture




 

Submitted by Brandon Smith of Alt-Market blog,

With the Crimea referendum passed and Russia ready to annex the region, the United States and the European Union have threatened sanctions. The full extent of these sanctions is not yet known, and announcements are pending for the end of March. If these measures are concrete, they will of course be followed inevitably by economic warfare, including a reduction of natural gas exports to the EU and the eventually full dump of the U.S. dollar by Russia and China. As I have discussed in recent articles, the result of these actions will be disastrous.

For those of us in the liberty movement, it is now impossible to ignore the potential threat to our economy. No longer can people claim that “perhaps” there will be a crisis someday, that perhaps “five or 10 years” down the road we will have to face the music. No, the threat is here now, and it is very real.

The loss of the dollar’s world reserve status will destroy the only thread holding up its value, namely, investor faith. There are only two possible outcomes from that point onward:

A) The U.S. will be forced to default because no nation will purchase our Treasury bonds and support our debt spending, causing the dollar’s value to implode.

B) The Fed will choose to restart and expand quantitative easing measures, confiscate pension funds, raid bank accounts or issue new taxes in order to keep the system afloat; this will also end in the eventual collapse of dollar value and hyperinflation.

The consequences will lead to an explosion in prices — first in commodities and necessities like petroleum, imported raw materials, food, electricity, etc. and then in all other goods and services. Austerity measures will be instituted by Federal and State governments. Cuts to social welfare programs, including food stamps, are probable. Civil infrastructure will suffer. The cost effectiveness of maintaining public utilities could become unrealistic. Anyone relying on such services may find themselves cut off for days, weeks or indefinitely. Public suffering will invariably rise, along with public crime.

If events like Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans are any indication, the Federal government’s response will be inadequate, to say the least. The Federal Emergency Management Agency clearly cannot be relied upon to provide food, shelter, medical care or protection for communities. In fact, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Feds did far more harm than good, corralling people into camps where death was rampant and disarming outlying neighborhoods so that they could not defend themselves. Tens of millions of dollars in donated and Federally purchased necessities were never delivered to aid survivors. Trucks were turned away, and help from civilian sources was denied.

The point is, if you find yourself in the midst of a national or international catastrophe, you should assume that you will be on your own with whatever preparations you made beforehand. To assume otherwise would be foolish, given our government’s track record.

There are some people who will argue that during an international crisis, such as an economic war or a world war, there is no purpose to preparedness. They will argue that there is nothing an individual or family can do to weather the storm or fight back, because the scale of the threat would be “too great.” There is no place for such defeatism in the life of the liberty-minded. The scale of the threat is irrelevant, and only cowards give up a fight before it even begins. Survival and freedom require an unwavering conviction. Nihilists will fulfill their own prophecies, suffering a fate exactly as they imagine for the rest of us; living in fear, slavery, and obscurity.

That said, it is also important to acknowledge the truth that the majority of Americans today are utterly unready for a minor localized disaster, let alone a national or global crisis. This problem, though, could be easily remedied with a few simple beginning steps. I find that most people are not averse to the idea of preparedness, but many have trouble taking the first steps in the right direction. For longtime preparedness champions, the information listed here might seem like old-hat. However, I challenge each liberty movement member to approach at least one friend or family member who could benefit from the steps below. Prepping appears daunting to the uninitiated; show them how simple it can actually be.

Below is a list of goals that every liberty movement member and American can easily achieve starting today and continuing over the course of the next month. If enough citizens were to take the initiative to do these things, all threats — no matter how imposing — could be overcome.

Buy Three Months Of Food Stock

Food supply is the greatest Achilles’ heel of the American populace. Most homes store less than one week’s worth of food items at any given time. The average person needs between 2,000 and 3,000 calories per day to maintain sufficient energy for survival. It takes around four to six weeks for a person to die of starvation and malnutrition. In a collapse scenario, most deaths will likely occur within the first few months, either by weakness and illness, or by looting and violence. The idea is to at least get through this first catastrophic phase without becoming a villain, or falling victim to one. One person removed from starvation is one possible threat removed from the equation.

Three months of supply is not ideal by any means, but it will buy you precious time. Start with 2,000 calories per day per person. Bulk foods can be purchased cheaply (for now) and can at the very least provide sustenance during emergencies. A 20-pound bag of rice, for instance, can be had for less than $15 and provides about 30,000 calories, or 2,000 calories per day for 15 days for one person. Supplement with beans, canned vegetables and meats, honey for sugar, or freeze-dried goods, and you will be living more comfortably than 90 percent of the population.

Food stockpiling is one of the easiest and most vital measures a person could take. Yet, sadly, it is one of the last preparations on people’s minds.

Buy A Water Filter

Do not count on city water to remain functional. Even during a drawn-out economic downturn rather than an immediate crisis, there is a good chance that some utilities will be sporadic and unreliable. This means you will have to focus on rainwater collection, as well as water from unclean sources. Boiling the water will kill any bacteria, but it will not kill the taste of sediments and other materials floating around. A high-grade survival filter is the best way to get clean water that tastes good.

The average person needs about a gallon of water per day to remain healthy and hydrated. I highly recommend the Sawyer Mini Water Filter, which is a compact washable filter that can cleanse up to 100,000 gallons of water. It uses no moving parts, making it harder to break; and it costs only $20.

Buy A Small Solar Kit

Try going a week or two without electricity, and you may find how dismal life can truly be. The very absence of light at night reduces one’s productivity time drastically, and using fuel for lanterns is not practical in the long term. Solar power is truly the way to go for a grid-collapse scenario.

I’ve heard much whining about the cost of solar power, but small systems that will serve most electrical needs can be set up for less than $1,000. Two 100-watt panels, a power inverter, charge controller and four to six 12-volt deep-cycle batteries are enough to deal with most electrical needs in a survival situation; and all these items can be contained in a portable foot locker for minimal cost. New solar panels are much more effective in low-light conditions and winter weather as well, making solar a must-have prep item.

Store A Fuel Source

Twenty gallons of gasoline treated with fuel saver is not expensive to purchase today, but in the midst of hyperinflation, it may be impossible to obtain tomorrow. Kerosene is useful for heating and cooking. Propane can be stored for decades and runs numerous appliances. If you live in a forested area, dried wood can be had for free, and can keep you warm throughout the winter months (keep in mind the your local danger factor when using fire). It is vital to have a means to stay warm and fed during the most difficult seasonal changes, especially during a grid down scenario.

Find Alternative Shelter

There are no guarantees during a full-spectrum disaster. Having all your eggs in one basket is not only stupid, but unnecessary. Always have a plan B. That means scouting an alternative location for you and your family in the event that your current shelter comes under threat. This location should be far enough away from large population centers but still within a practical range for you to reach them. It should also have a nearby water source, and be defensible. Establishing supply caches near this site is imperative. Do not assume that you will be able to take all of your survival supplies with you from your home. Expect that surprises of a frightening variety will arise.

Buy One Semi-Automatic Rifle

At this point I really don’t care what model of rifle people purchase, as long as they have one, preferably in high capacity and semi-automatic. AR-15, AK-47, Saiga, SKS, M1A: just get one! Every American should be armed with a military-grade rifle. If you are not, you are not only negligent in your duty as a free citizen, but you are also at a distinct disadvantage against the kind of opponents you are likely to face in a collapse situation.

Buy 1,000 Rounds Of Ammunition

Again, this is by no means an ideal stockpile, but it is enough to get you through a couple rough patches if you train furiously. Cheap AK-47 ammo can be had for $5 for a box of 20 rounds. Get what you can while you can, because the prices are only going to skyrocket in the near term.

Approach One Friend Or Neighbor

Community is what will make the difference between life and death during a SHTF collapse. I challenge everyone in the liberty movement to find at least ONE other person to work with in the event of disaster. Lone-wolf operations may be strategically practical for short periods of time; but everyone needs rest, and everyone needs someone else to watch his back. Do not fall into the delusion that you will be able to handle everything on your own.

Learn One Barter Skill

Learn how to fix one vital thing or provide one vital service. Try emergency medical training, gunsmithing or metal working, as long as it is an ability that people will value. You have to be able to produce something that people want in order to sustain yourself beyond the point at which your survival stockpile runs out. Be sure that you are seen as indispensable to those around you.

Grow A Garden

Spring is upon us, and now is the perfect opportunity to grow your own food supply. If you have even a small yard, use that space to grow produce. Focus on high-protein and high-vitamin foods. Buy a dehydrator or canning supplies and save everything. Use heirloom seeds so that you can collect new seed from each crop to replant in the future. If every American had a garden in his backyard, I wouldn’t be half as worried about our survival as I am today.

Prepare Your Mind For Calamity

The most valuable resource you will ever have is your own mind. The information held within it and the speed at which you adapt will determine your survival, whether you have massive preparations or minimal preparations. Most people are not trained psychologically to handle severe stress, and this is why they die. Panic equals extinction. Calm readiness equals greater success.

The state of our financial system is one of perpetual tension. The structure is so weak that any catalyst or trigger event could send it tumbling into the abyss. Make no mistake; time is running out. We may witness a terrifying breakdown tomorrow, in a year, or if we are lucky, a little longer. The path, though, has been set and there is no turning back. All of the items above can be undertaken with minimal cash flow. If you receive a regular paycheck, you can establish a survival supply for yourself and your family. There are no excuses.

Take the steps above seriously. Set your goals for the next four weeks and see how many of them you can accomplish. Do what you can today, or curse yourself tomorrow. What’s it going to be?

 

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Thu, 03/20/2014 - 22:28 | 4575423 h0oS
h0oS's picture

I intend to take a slow long shit when this situation occurs.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 00:47 | 4575759 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

Mine will be a shart.

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 22:35 | 4575435 windcatcher
windcatcher's picture

 

Sage advice indeed, at least one 20 lb bag of rice, when gas hits $8 a gallon; it will be to late to stock up.

 

The manipulators of American markets and commodities can make $8 a gallon happen overnight, real supply and demand has nothing to do with it.

 

If the monopoly manipulators want to keep the population calm while they are committing their atrocities, they keep the price of gas down to keep people quiet.

 

If the monody manipulators want to invade an oil potential country, they increase the price of gas to aggravate the people for support and blame the increase in price as being cut off from supply.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 05:47 | 4576042 Flux
Flux's picture

Its already $5/gallon in Canada. It could double or triple and we still wouldn't be eating bugs and squirrels.

Unless, of course, you're already eating bugs and squirrels.

I dunno. Zero Hedge is kinda paranoid, and it appeals to those sorts of folk that have little money, and secretly pine away for the end of times because their current life is shitty. Truth is, though, it would get much worse. And the 1% would just helicopter off to their island communities.

Sucks, sorry.

My suggestion:

Enjoy what you have, don't take anything here too seriously. If prepping looks like a fun hobby, go to it. Zero Hedge is simply another product to buy into. This site is worth $80 million dollars. No one is eating rice and beans here.

(not sure about the bugs and squirrels)

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 12:35 | 4577408 general ambivalent
general ambivalent's picture

Haven't you seen Zombi? They learn to walk on the bottom of the ocean. On the bottom of the ocean...

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 22:37 | 4575439 chindit13
chindit13's picture

"eventually full dump of the U.S. dollar by Russia and China"

So Brandon can see some parts of China from his Montana redoubt, eh? Knows what China will do, does he?  China and Russia are, like, Facebook friends?

Remember that thing called the Cold War, Brandon?  It was in all the papers.  Books, too.  Hard to believe as it might be, it was a little more tense than this current tiff.  Granted, if Putin moves to take Estonia and the other Baltics, "to protect ethnic Russians" (how much danger did the majority ethnic Russians in Crimea face ?), it could heat up a little, but in case you didn't notice, the world did not go Mad Max even during the worst of the Cold War.

It's always a minute before Armageddon in Brandon's World.  And everybody is wrong, except Brandon.

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 22:55 | 4575499 zionhead
zionhead's picture

Chindit your like a lone voice of reason in the ZH wilderness. :)

You really think that GW is going to start linking to my bile? :)

Love ya,

 

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 23:07 | 4575531 Soul Glow
Soul Glow's picture

One thing you likely miss, and Brandon too, is oil production has peaked, and since everyone appears to be freaking out all of a sudden, is likely falling.  It's a new cold war chindit, not your old one from the history books.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 00:15 | 4575706 nightshiftsucks
nightshiftsucks's picture

Really so what period is 2014 comparable to ? It's a whole new ugly world.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 01:01 | 4575788 Arkadaba
Arkadaba's picture

" ... the world did not go Mad Max even during the worst of the Cold War"

The world is a very different place now - as is the US - so not sure this analogy is valid. 

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 22:37 | 4575442 RevRex
RevRex's picture

He missed a big one.....get into shape!

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 22:42 | 4575457 deerhunter
deerhunter's picture

remington 870 pump gun with slug barrel,   also with a long barrel with variable choke.  Slugs can hit a dinner plate at 75 yard s and buckshot at close range in the slug barrel, well,  you will need a clean up crew if you hit someone inside your house.  With birdhot,,, pigeons are incredible eating,  squirrels,  rabbits,  etc.  
When it comes to rifles I have a muzzle loader 50 call with scope I am good to 125 yards.  One shot one kill.  I will not make my stand if it comes to that in a NW suburb of Chicago as anywhere in these 6 counties when the EBT cards quit,  the cities will burn to the ground.  It will be highway time with gas stored in cans in the trunk.  In case of EMP,  lock and load in the house til I run out of ammo.  That my friends will not be pretty.  I think Americans are so Fing spoiled that  a traffic jam in rush hour is a major inconvienance.  If most truly had to go without for very long you will find the true character of your neighbors.  You better sure as hell know your neighbors.  I was thinking of having a neighbor hood meeting but only one other family on my street for sure are gun owners.  If you make known you own guns in a city or big suburb and don't know your neighbors well you become a target for theft.  It is a walk of wisdom.  Most things that people claim will kill you don't.  I have a 20000 gallon pool that is half full all winter.  I got water,, want to barter?  

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 00:15 | 4575707 pickupthatcan
pickupthatcan's picture

What a difference there is in latitudes between IL and TX. You use a pump shotgun and a muzzleloader for home defense, I use a full auto FAL, the wife uses the M16.

In Texas, "He needed killin" is a defense to prosecution.

We have solar w/battery backup, deep well, goats, chickens, rabbits, greenhouse, food and fuel stores and the means to really, really protect them.  Fuck the Commerce Clause.

 

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 10:52 | 4576892 zuuma
zuuma's picture

Your point is well taken, pickupthatcan,

But it's worth remembering that an 870 with an 7+1 shot tube puts more lead in the air, faster then your FAL.

7 pumps sends 96 .32 cal balls down the hallway or into some windsheild.

You could do much worse than having only shotgun

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 14:08 | 4577829 Bad Attitude
Bad Attitude's picture

In my ammo shopping, 12 GA ammo is consistently more plentiful than just about anything else.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 00:17 | 4575710 nightshiftsucks
nightshiftsucks's picture

I'll have to worry about the clowns in Oakland,want to trade ?

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 22:53 | 4575493 zionhead
zionhead's picture

GO SHOPPING that will solve all the problems.

Become a PREPPER, go into DEBT support the United Slavery Amalgamated.

Remember every $1 you spend with your visa card, it $100 for the ZIO-BANKERS.

*

Buy all kinds of shit and let it rot, ... pay special attention to those 1,000's of bottle of water, with a one year expiration  date.

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 23:01 | 4575515 BooMushroom
BooMushroom's picture

Or instead of buying $100 worth of cheap shit from china and $100 worth of shit food from the drive through each month, spend that money on water FILTERS that can purify water without an expiration date, food that will store for decades, and the like.

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 23:57 | 4575668 zionhead
zionhead's picture

I was being sarcastic about the water,

All prepper shit has expiration dates, ... once your a prepper you become the utiimate consumption debt slave that the system loves to fuck.

*

Want to PREP?

Get the fuck out of the USA, go live somewhere semi-equatorial, live off the land, and live like a king, fuck a woman 1/3 your age and enjoy your fucking life.

Live on $300/month or less almost anywhere in the world.

Stay in the USA for what? Cannibalism or camp FEMA?

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 00:19 | 4575715 nightshiftsucks
nightshiftsucks's picture

Expiration dates are for dumb fucks like you,go ahead and throw away perfectly good stuff just so the mfg can sell you more.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 00:58 | 4575783 zionhead
zionhead's picture

I agree, but most preppers by definition are dumb shit, and they do as they're told and trash and restock yearly,...

Use your prepper coin to escape dodge, that's a better way to waste your coin.

Prepping is a lot like buying bitcoin.

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 22:59 | 4575497 ConManipulation
ConManipulation's picture

All this, and not ONE WORD about:

Waste disposal.  Shitty times are even shittier with no way to properly dispose of your shit!

Communications.  Ham Radio, folks.  LEARN IT, OWN IT, PRACTICE IT.  Bunch of other stuff missing...too long to list

A PLAN.  Where & when will you meet if separated.  What to do if someone doesn't show.  A list of what to grab, where they are located, where the caches are located, etc etc.

A good start, folks, is to get yourselves a copy of Cody Lundin's book:  When All Hell Breaks Loose.  It's all about living comfortably with less, and the real essentials that you need to get through any disaster.  Trust me on this, folks....every single news story of the hardships faced after a disaster can be read line for line and referenced back to his book.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 01:17 | 4575804 El Vaquero
El Vaquero's picture

In SHTF, if you want to prosper, you'll learn how to recycle almost everything, including your shit.  Outhouse -> hot compost -> let it sit for another year just to be sure -> into the field for crops.  And piss on your compost pile as well.  Without man made NPK fertilizers, you'll find that the natural phosphorous cycle is a bitch without taking these kinds of steps. 

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 09:42 | 4576577 SubjectivObject
SubjectivObject's picture

"Farmers of Forty Centuries"

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 22:58 | 4575500 CrashisOptimistic
CrashisOptimistic's picture

These articles are always about temporary.

They aren't about permanent.  When life becomes 1890.  No oil.  Still some down there, but too hard to get.  So no oil.  Ever again.

Then you have modern knowledge and 19th century tools. You can spin a generator in some moving water, but the ball bearings are going to wear out, and the manufacturer is 3000 miles away.  Sailboats with knowledge of the very best sail configuration, but no more satellite data about weather, so shipping becomes doubtful.

The hordes coming out of the city will be range limited to foot blisters, call it 40 miles.  A bike will be an immediate target.  Riding one will be suicide.

Tetanus vaccine (and all others) will run out or die for lack of fridge.  The pharm plant is 5000 miles away.  Your children, if they don't stave, will never be vaccinated.

So overall, every single one of you prepping to survive in your house has no chance to survive the permanent scenario.  You'll be overrun and/or your water will be gone.

Life will return to walking behind a plow.  Grandiose plans . . . won't be made.  There will be no time to plan.  Only time to plow.

 

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 23:19 | 4575572 Bloodstock
Bloodstock's picture

So shitbrick, in your humble opinion just carry a tube of ky jelly to ease the pain for a short time and get over it. 

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 23:38 | 4575627 CrashisOptimistic
CrashisOptimistic's picture

Don't know what that means.  What I meant is 99.9% of everyone planning to survive in place is dead.  You have to have a destination prepared and a plan to get there, on foot.

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 23:40 | 4575638 A Lunatic
A Lunatic's picture

Should you get there before the meltdown or after? Because if you get there before you will end up trying to survive in place, but if you wait to get there until after you really won't need to be there at all.......

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 00:27 | 4575726 CrashisOptimistic
CrashisOptimistic's picture

The primary value of the destination, chosen for this quality above all others, is no one knows it's there.  All other aspects are secondary.

Humans are your greatest threat.  More than water.  More than food.  More than disease. 

You have to last a winter.  Winter will kill your primary threat, but only if they don't know you're there.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 09:46 | 4576598 SubjectivObject
SubjectivObject's picture

Git behind the mule, yeah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue5eM2q3rOI

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 19:38 | 4578944 ConManipulation
ConManipulation's picture

This is a good point...learn LONG TERM living off the grid skills!

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 23:21 | 4575580 samsara
samsara's picture

Some good suggestions regardless.  

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 23:24 | 4575588 elwind45
elwind45's picture

Red barcetta

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 23:29 | 4575606 The Wisp
The Wisp's picture

The Mouse lives longer than the Lion, Learn How to Be sneaky.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 00:56 | 4575775 AgentScruffy
AgentScruffy's picture

...and "quiet" --meaning not to be in the habit of attracting attention to yourself. If shtf really does happen, I'd hate to be already known as Mr. or Ms. "Flash"...

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 23:37 | 4575626 are we there yet
are we there yet's picture

If perhaps the US one day falls into survival prep mode, the rest of the world will be in even greater trouble.

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 23:44 | 4575648 Ban KKiller
Ban KKiller's picture

Eat the rich. 

Being prepared won't hurt. Do you ever get storms or lose power? Preppers in Venezuela are doing fine. Black market barter takes over very quickly, what do you have to trade? 

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 23:55 | 4575665 Obama_4_Dictator
Obama_4_Dictator's picture

I'm beginning to think it's never going to happen

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 00:24 | 4575721 nightshiftsucks
nightshiftsucks's picture

Yep know what you're saying but things aren't looking good now.At some point in time it may not collapse but it will be much more difficult.The govt needs to get rid of the useless eaters,I wonder what the plan is ?

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 00:54 | 4575768 AgentScruffy
AgentScruffy's picture

Had dinner with someone high up in an investment bank--someone who adheres to the Austrian School. This person believes currency collapse will defintely happen, but stated it could be as far away as 20 years. (So sometime within our lifetime.) And they stated that at absolute minimum, it was a few years off. Just some food for thought. Victor Sperandeo throws out the time span of a decade--so no on can say for sure. But I think for this reason, it would be very unfortunate if people didn't make a point of "living" now and enjoying their lives. You can prepare and "live" now. (Otherwise, think of the fallout if the said event never happens, and people spent 3,5,10 years "hunkering" down?) Expect the worst, but don't "fail" to live and thrive NOW. (This brings to mind the "Doomsday Preppers" who teach their children to fear everything and be in a constant state of mental emergency, but utterly fail to teach them how to "live" and enjoy life.)

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 01:01 | 4575787 nightshiftsucks
nightshiftsucks's picture

No one knows,agree for living for today.There are so many things that could go wrong in the short term I'm sure one of them will happen.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 01:23 | 4575813 El Vaquero
El Vaquero's picture

That's the way shit goes.  You'll see all of the problems on the horizon, and they'll continue to look like they're on the horizon.  You'll get doom fatigue, then all of a sudden and seemingly out of the blue, BAM!  You just got fucked in the ass by a global financial meltdown. 

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 01:00 | 4575785 TheRideNeverEnds
TheRideNeverEnds's picture

Rifle: Check

Ammo: Check

Prepare mind for calamity:  hmm, well I have been short Tesla with size since 150, does that count? 

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 01:28 | 4575822 shinobi-7
shinobi-7's picture

LOL, thankfully the comments are good and fortunately much more funny than all this nonsense. Collapse is by nature unpredictable. This reminds me of the guy who saw WW2 comming and decides to go as far away as possible... to a small island in the Pacific called "Midway"!

Short of a nuclear war, nukular for our less educated American friends, social collapse will be gradual. So much so the many people argue that it has already been ongoing for over 40 years. Man on the Moon and peak energy use per capita in 1969 marking the peak.

Prepers are paranoid fools! If they were not, the best place to be a preper would the highlands of Papua New Guinea. (or some remote islands over there.) Please, go and have a look. That is how you will living "after"!

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 01:57 | 4575850 Notarocketscientist
Notarocketscientist's picture

Here's a prep:  Down 3 bottles of family sized sleeping pills.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 02:23 | 4575872 First There Is ...
First There Is A Mountain's picture

I have a 5-year-old Type 1 Diabetic daughter. Insulin, under optimal conditions, i.e. refrigerated or otherwise kept at lower temps, may last for up to two years. This is nothing to say about test strips, meters, syringes, pump supplies, etc.

Quite simply my daughter has a matter of 2 weeks at the outside if the grid goes down. Yes, it's as essential to her as food and water. You think you have things to worry about? Have you ever considered how you would "put down" your own child to prevent their suffering if you couldn't attain insulin or another drug upon which their lives depend. I am haunted by this every fucking night of my life.....

I can tell you this.....don't be the fucking .gov goon standing between me and Walgreens at the corner of Dead and Bloated when I come looking for Humalog the night the lights go out......

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 03:27 | 4575920 Serenity Now
Serenity Now's picture

First There Is,

I'm sorry you have to contemplate that scenario with your daughter.  It's one of the story lines in the book, "One Second After" that a few of us mentioned in this thread.  (I don't think you should read it.)  

Please don't agonize over something that hasn't happened.  Control the things you can control, and pray for the strength to handle the things outside of your control.  I said a prayer for you and your daughter, for what it's worth to you.  :)

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 03:52 | 4575939 First There Is ...
First There Is A Mountain's picture

Thank you... Saw this post because I'm up tending to unusually high blood glucose numbers and checking for ketones. KDA would be what  would cause her suffering and demise.  

Very kind words indeed, but mentally we've all got to prepare ourselves for such eventualities. Mine is just more agonizing than most care to imagine.  Night.....

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 08:34 | 4576319 Cloud9.5
Cloud9.5's picture

I tell my local pharmacists that when the zombie apocalypse hits that I will show up with $1000 in cash.  I just need all the captopril they have on hand.  They laugh it off, but some of them listen.

 

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 02:41 | 4575885 Serenity Now
Serenity Now's picture

I don't think prepping is stupid or paranoid.  It's self sufficiency.  A form of insurance.

Food:  Most people don't have three days' worth, much less three months' worth.  Disaster after disaster (common ones, like floods, hurricanes, etc.) show that people routinely line up for FEMA to bring them a hot meal.  Even those who have plenty of time to evacuate only take their cigarettes and cell phones.  They don't even bother to make a few peanut butter sandwiches on the way out the door.  Do you want to be in the FEMA line with those people?  I don't.

Water:  I have never heard of the water filter mentioned in the article.  I recommend Katadyn (they make all kinds, for backpackers to sailboats) and also the LifeStraw.  I have both.

Solar kit:  I highly recommend this as well.  Solar technology is not cheap, but for as little as $75 - $100 you can get a kit to charge a AA (4) battery pack, which will charge your phone and maybe a tablet.  If you can't afford that, at least get a 12v charger for your phone/tablet for the car.

Fuel source:  Most of us can't store a lot of fuel, but on the other hand, most of us have gas grills outside.  It's not difficult to store a few extra 20-lb propane bottles, or even the little camping size bottles (a lot of preps are simply camping supplies that you might already have).

Alternative shelter:  This could range from a relative to a bug-out farm to a sailboat.  Who knows?  At least have a plan of some sort.  My house got flooded when I was a little girl.  My parents had just a few hours to get us out of there.  We lived with my aunt for weeks while my parents found a new place to live.  THOUSANDS of people got flooded out of their homes and were vying for the same limited number of rentals.

Guns, ammo, friends, skills, gardens:  All common sense.  No need to expound on that.

I think I would just add medical supplies and lots of batteries.

You know, Amazon and Costco are a Godsend if you think about it.  We have the ability to get absolutely EVERYTHING that we need.  Take advantage of that.  Non-preppers call us stupid and paranoid, and I think it's mostly because we haven't figured out a way to solve every single disaster scenario that they can throw at us.  That's fine.  There's no way to truly cover all the bases.  But I think it's important to do something to be prepared.  I may or may not make it through a real crisis, but I won't be in the FEMA line on day one.  

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 04:15 | 4575973 firestarter_916
firestarter_916's picture

Good advice, but a few changes:

Buy more than one semi auto rifle and buy handguns as well.  If you don't use or need them you can always trade them for food and water. You never know if your firearm will jam or become defective. Relying on one of anything is not good.  Take the boy scout motto: Be Prepared.

Buy 5k-10k rounds.  See above as to why.

Keep some currency on hand, and not just USD.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 04:53 | 4576012 the tower
the tower's picture

"No longer can people claim that “perhaps” there will be a crisis someday, that perhaps “five or 10 years” down the road we will have to face the music. No, the threat is here now, and it is very real."

Threats are always everywhere. Are they real? Sometimes. Will a crisis result from a real threat? Rarely.

Any big time event will drag down all of us, and no-one wants this. Therefore, it won't happen.

Shit happens, sure, but not big time shit like nuclear war, total collapse of society and stuff.

Try not to visit this site for a week or so, and notice you feel happier and less worried. Seriously, try it.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 06:26 | 4576076 Setarcos
Setarcos's picture

Sorry but this is delusional.

Back in the 1930s there was still a sizeable rural population, with ready access to open spaces (and the overall population was a lot smaller + natural resources were not as diminished) but now the majority of the population lives either in cities, or sprawling suburbs, with no access at all to open spaces.  And virtually no one now has any real knowledge about how to grow crops, nor husband live-stock.

I personally do have sufficient knowledge to hypothetically be "self-sufficient" in multiple ways, including the above, building skills, mechanical skills and more; BUT I am now 71 and all that is now redundant ... in fact it always was.

Back in the 1960/70s I did go for a kinda libertarian life, such as building my own house and growing my own crops on a small scale, but I quickly realized that I could not have done any of it without extended supply chains, such as those who milled the timber I used, the copper I did my plumbing and electrical supplies with, the cement I made concrete from, the steel I used for re-inforcement. the alumunium and glass my windows were made of.

Libertarians, including all here, Alex Jones, Ron Paul, etc. will tell you that you can make it on your own, but I am here to tell you that we are the weakest species on this planet and the only way we have survived (so far) is by co-oporating.

At birth we are more helpless than any other animal and we remain thus for at least 16 years, during which period VERY MANY THINGS can go wrong, such as comimng to imagine that an individual can survive on his/her own.

Libertarianism has to be the most naive ideology ever.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 06:34 | 4576080 falak pema
falak pema's picture

Yes, six years down the road the US "libertarian" community has woken up to the political implications of Pax Americana's thirty years of arrogant, hegemonical hubris that is incarnated on the economic and financial front by "Reaganonmics" and on the geopolitcal front by the Bushist NWO.

The political and MIC packaging of the new financial order that was initiated in 1971 by the past leaders of Pax Americana, now having lost its "benevolent leader" facade-- under the combined strains of "Great society" reforms, Nam war expenditure and peak US oil roll back-- with cataclysmic BW revoke suddenly imposed on a global world gone ape shit mad for ME black gold to sustain the consumerista model of the post 1945 Pax Americana model.

"Our money your problem" was their cynical legacy hoisted on a world, California dreaming on US initiated cheap oil, the motor car and petrochemical boom of plastics appliances and washing machines; all heading to the moon like the Apollo program. 

Now its payout time for 70 years of a three pronged model based on control of ME cum US oil energy; the fuel to the bonfire of Pax Americana vanities; the  petrodollar currency that greased it industrial wheels-- more and more to the benefit of the bubble FIRE economy  stoked on derivatives soup-- not to that of genuine entrepreneurial wealth creation; the MIC big stick that quelled all rebellion within the hearts of the Spartacus type underlings, eternal victims of imperial hubris; General Giap being its iconic representation.

All this concocted under the "big bang" ideology of supply side mayhem by the new catholic kings of capitalism : RR/MT. Its core political mantra gone iredeemably elitist and neo-feudal to kill the Welfare state model legacy of past wisdom.

Its Jerusalem of stolen wealth being the FIRE economy of a tentacular reach made possible by the Internet financial spider's web;  with WS as its Nexus and DC as its political Temple on its radiant hill, all alit with the spirit of the founding fathers' faith in One nation created to serve the cause of humanity under the torch of the Enlightenment. 

The NWO made that construct, over the period 1991-2008, into a GLOBAL club using the WTO mechanism (all the while forgetting the social legacy of the ILO --the other creation of the BW/UN Rooseveltian multilateral global vision-- to level the social global construct; aka to avoid Ricardian slave labour arb. competitive social darwinism).

Now the Oligarchs of the world had their "gold card" membership to the electronically controlled wealth which celebrated its annual shareholders meeting at Davos. "Brave new world of the Happy Few". As they blatantly used the WTO to achieve via "outsourcing" the slave labour arb. mechanism, singing globalisation was inevitable and industrially efficient and the ILO brake a socialist concoction to serve the interests of the "assisted" classes in the first world.

Yep, "greed is good" had its ideological antidote well in place! 

And then the inevitable happened and Pax Americana had its Lehman moment and Minsky logic became the dirty skunk in the cupboard.

"Run run run" behind Tarp and socialisation of debt to Caymanista tax free havens as fast as you can -- print print print-- Let the devil take the hindmost-- its every Oligarch for himself and we all know what happens to Universal Empires when rogue Senators, their crony speculator friends and ambitious generals commanding the legions, ALL FALL OUT OF STEP.

Ah, when thieves fall out Rome then burns; eternal lesson of past hubris. 

The four horsemen are now not far away as the Titanic heads for troubled waters and more and more people find themselves on the Medusa Raft! 

Play on Oligarchs while we stay sons of Sisyphus ! 

Let the History record the ongoing saga of the US dollar's dying gasps.

One day, the world or whats left of it, will have to come back to BW type financial logic; using gold and/or Bancor type money backup;  and Glass Steagall type regulation of predatory financially fueled hubris, the current syphilis of our decadent elites. 

But it won't change human nature! 

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 07:21 | 4576134 Proofreder
Proofreder's picture

Consider a little less coffee before keyboarding.

Speed kills.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 10:05 | 4576668 falak pema
falak pema's picture

In fact life kills once it has been fully lived. But I do admit to liking the coffee without milk. 

Just remember to record the history of your times and life; the big picture, so that others may benefit from it; while you live out the small personal picture in private, hopefully in pursuit of H. 

Thats why I come her : for the big picture, not for spilling the beans of my personal H or its contrary. 

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 06:30 | 4576082 BlackVoid
BlackVoid's picture

Belgium can buy UST bonds in unlimited quantities.

 

Problem solved.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 06:46 | 4576095 jagercali
jagercali's picture

Anyone realize how similar Putin and Hitler are.....just after the Olympics are held in both countries years apart....Putin makes his move....Hitler made his....how come not one news agency has drawn this correlation...it's so obvious that a blind man could see it...Poland or Crimea...what's to follow ?? Kerry...McCain...Obama...Pelosi...Boxer...look at the mess that's guiding our ship....get ready for the dogs of war....someone is def crying havoc....

 

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 06:46 | 4576096 jagercali
jagercali's picture

Anyone realize how similar Putin and Hitler are.....just after the Olympics are held in both countries years apart....Putin makes his move....Hitler made his....how come not one news agency has drawn this correlation...it's so obvious that a blind man could see it...Poland or Crimea...what's to follow ?? Kerry...McCain...Obama...Pelosi...Boxer...look at the mess that's guiding our ship....get ready for the dogs of war....someone is def crying havoc....

 

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 06:55 | 4576103 jagercali
jagercali's picture

Anyone realize how similar Putin and Hitler are.....just after the Olympics are held in both countries years apart....Putin makes his move....Hitler made his....how come not one news agency has drawn this correlation...it's so obvious that a blind man could see it...Poland or Crimea...what's to follow ?? Kerry...McCain...Obama...Pelosi...Boxer...look at the mess that's guiding our ship....get ready for the dogs of war....someone is def crying havoc....

 

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 06:55 | 4576104 jagercali
jagercali's picture

Anyone realize how similar Putin and Hitler are.....just after the Olympics are held in both countries years apart....Putin makes his move....Hitler made his....how come not one news agency has drawn this correlation...it's so obvious that a blind man could see it...Poland or Crimea...what's to follow ?? Kerry...McCain...Obama...Pelosi...Boxer...look at the mess that's guiding our ship....get ready for the dogs of war....someone is def crying havoc....

 

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 09:14 | 4576470 Setarcos
Setarcos's picture

Idiot.  Putin is nothing like Hitler.

When did you see him leading mass rallies and spouting that Russians are a "chosen/exceptional people" entitled to rule the world?

Apparently you have him confused with US/Zionist propagandists, who do actually preach fasciist/NAZI doctrines, such as the PNAC and American Exceptionalism..

Usans like you disgust me.  You project all of your foul and insane ideas onto others, whilst a few global leaders try to preserve sanity.

As for you and insane others?  Go Cretinyahoo. Go Obomber. Go McQaida. Go Ziggy. Go Kissinger.  Go PNAC.

Heck Amerikkka is g-d's very own country and destined to rule from sea to shining sea - as the nonsense patriotic song goes, starting with, "This land is my land, this land is your land, from the Red Wood forests ..."

Utter nonsense.

All of the Americas once belonged to indigenous people who lived in concert with the environment for thousands of years, whereas you and your kind have destroyed everything within two brief centuries.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 07:14 | 4576124 Proofreder
Proofreder's picture

An essential part of prepping is often misunderstood - after you have aquired the means, use them - for practice, for teaching, and for debugging your personal survival system.

A number of weekends spent actually using your gear will help to uncover inevitable issues that only a shakedown will bring to light.

Plan, acquire, use, readjust plan to be fully prepared.  Buy and read One Second After - then readjust your plan accordingly.

One great exercise involves pulling the main circuit breaker on Saturday morning and seeing how the family reacts to a real-life situation.

Good Luck, and may the force be with you and the odds forever in your favor ...

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 07:36 | 4576159 Jstanley011
Jstanley011's picture

I dunno why everybody expects hyperinflation. It's not like a comet that just falls out of the sky. Hyperinflation would be an intentional act, and furthermore, one that would go against the interests of the banksters who control the money supply. Inflation via artificially supressed interest rates has served them well over the last 30 years, and ongoing now. Because it enables them to pump up asset prices even faster than the rate, keep the bull market in bonds going, and rake in the spreads. But once the music on that game stops, they'll have long-before fled to cash equivilents. And people really think that they're then going to take a gun and shoot themselves in the head? I doubt it.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 07:56 | 4576203 esum
esum's picture

if we have oil and gas why would the dollar collapse? china and russia better think it through. both countries are poised for a revolt, moreso than the docile ebt ussa cit. aside from rare earth minerals what do we need from china? or russia? except mail order pussy... i mean bride. 

if the libtards hadn't stopped or delayed LNG terminal construction and refineries and pipelines, we could supply EU and china and cut russia at the knees. we can still do this. just need to get rid of the libtard weak think and global warming retards and put a leader in place.. 

of course the ass clown and his puppet regime still have enough time to totally fuck things up, and they are trying really hard to do so. we should focus inwards and impeach the idiot child (not that slow joe is any better) and start getting our hosue in order. 

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 09:56 | 4576641 SubjectivObject
SubjectivObject's picture

Go for the Good Times while they're here.

Call the Police:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b82Qt3STlIU

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 11:29 | 4577090 general ambivalent
general ambivalent's picture

May be an oversight for some if you haven't spent lots of time in the woods. Bugs and mosquitoes.

http://youtu.be/HNYxl4Mta2Q

The first part is on chemicals, basically you want the creams instead of sprays. But more importantly after the ten-minute mark he discusses what materials you want for a smoke can. That is your best bet for the bugs.

Or stockpile cigars.

Fri, 03/21/2014 - 18:28 | 4578739 tomcat1762
tomcat1762's picture

in response to A & B above:

"A) The U.S. will be forced to default because no nation will purchase our Treasury bonds and support our debt spending, causing the dollar’s value to implode.

B) The Fed will choose to restart and expand quantitative easing measures, confiscate pension funds, raid bank accounts or issue new taxes in order to keep the system afloat; this will also end in the eventual collapse of dollar value and hyperinflation."

 

A) If the banks can print money out of thin air without even any deposits to back them up, what kind of printing is the Fed, the big daddy of central banks, capable of doing?  Quite a bit I am guessing, even if no one buys our debt, they will just make up numbers and print away!

B) They already have new taxes and introduce more all the time.  The only thing propping up the dollar now is a gun.  That will have to be taken away before any collapse.  And from all the ammunition purchases, it sounds like they are ready for a fight!  (and a cheeseburger from McD's!)

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