A "few" more thoughts for you...YOU HAD BETTER PAY ATTENTION FOLKS!!! <TABLE class=D_boardThread><TBODY><TR class="bdMsgHead D_header"><TD class="D_member first"></TD><TD class=last id=25411990></TD></TR><TR class="bdMsgBody D_body"><TD class=D_member> </TD><TD class="last main">Most of you that have lived in the Phoenix area, can remember when WE had power outtages when there were some heavy rainstorms, winds, and micro-bursts.... Where I live, we were without power 2 times: once was for 3 days the other was for 4 days... Now what does one do? Well there was a simple answer, OR so it seemed at the time! We, a neighbor and I, hooked up his small gas run generator he used for work in construction.... We ran 1 line to my home, and 1 line to his... Now we live in trailers and don't require a lot of electricity. We figured we could run a light and a fan, or just the refrigerator, or 1-2 small appliances, each. No problem. Well,... We were sitting there with a fan running, and listening to a small battery operated am/fm radio, when there was a sudden shot! The generator died and the lights went out (so to speak,....I was on a 12 volt system I rigged up from my truck battery!) He and I met up at the same time at the generator... It had a 9mm bullet hole in the cylinder. When you are dealing with people, remember this: "PEOPLE ARE DANGEROUS"! Jealousy and their rage over the "Have's-vs-the Have Nots" was NEVER more apparent to me at that point, than ever before in my life. They were laughing, and cheering, and calling us names, as we stood there in the dark....! The generator was of course destroyed and useless.... It was in a 10 foot space, between the two of our trailers! They came right up to it, over the fence, shot it, and jumped back over and ran away! People JUST cannot stand the idea that YOU had the FORESIGHT and the KNOWLEDGE to PREPARE and to ADAPT and to simply OVERCOME the minor tragedies in life! That was the first incident! I moved 1200 feet south to another park. Then, we had the second severe storm hit us! IF you are NOT wise, you and your LOVED ONE'S, WILL "suffer"! I had kerosene lamps/hurricane lamps, flashlights, candles, oil lamps, and battery operated devices! Lots of fuel, as I learned from the prior incident! I'd purchased a small 9 inch B&W tv set,....($19.00 at the grocery store!), that would plug into my van's cigarette lighter. So, I went out as the weather allowed, opened the "street side" drivers door, plugged in the tv and tuned it to channel 3, as we could see their helicopter flying around Honeywell at Rose Garden lane, and 19th ave. So far, so good! They were televising (to those with power) what they could see, all the downed power poles, and power lines in the area. Great at least we know what's happening...right? After 15 minutes, I turned the tv off...... Oh boy! I heard a LOT of growling and swearing, going on behind my back! I turned around and saw no less than 30 or more, (who's gonna count?), people that were really PO'd at me for turning off "MY" tv in "MY" van! No one offered to buy gas to charge the battery! I had an elderly lady, ( that should have known better, or at the LEAST, had some manners) yelling at me that she was going to MISS her SOAPS! CAN YOU EVEN BELIEVE THAT CRAP!??? I ran back into my house and bolted the freakin' doors! Those people stood there for at least another hour or more, yelling all the obscenities they had ever heard, or learned, in their miserable little existances! So, the MORAL of this is simple: OPSEC! (LOOK IT UP!) "Loose lips-sink ships", for you of my generation! People WILL turn on you in a split-second, "IF" you have something they don't have, and they want! Now, on another note: There are sone really obstinate and ignorant people out there, as I am sure some of you have had to deal with at some time.... My neighbor is a manger at a convenience store, and during this time he was at the store, TRYING to fend off the HOARDES of idiots, trying to get in...some wanted batteries, most wanted to buy gas, some wanted to buy ice... NOT one of them could GRASP the reality of: NO ELECTRICITY= the gas pumps don't run! The cash registers will NOT open, so they can't even give you change! People became frighteningly DESPERATE! They tried to push the doors open and were throwing dollar bills into the store, "begging" to buy "just 1 thing"! This is a sad and ALL TOO TRUE story.... Whether or not ONE of you even choose to believe it, I was there, and saw these people, going stark raving crazy! The local PPD, tried to help, and decided they were only making a bad thing MUCH worse! Some were nearly run down in the parking lot by angry "people". They had to leave the store! Consider this, HEED the warnings! DO NOT ALLOW yourself to become a victim! Stay away from anyone you do not now in a situation such as this! (Try barbecueing when no one has electricty, and I had people in lines waiting to be "SERVED"!!!???) I had to call the police and the fire department as they were like starving anmals, and a few were even trampled, in the process of getting to my front yard!) (Oh, and don't let us anyone forget about those sweet wonderful drunks...! I had one go into my home, and open my refrigerator, to see what I had for him to DRINK!) THINK about that PEOPLE! JUST THINK ABOUT IT! WAKE UP AND GET READY NOW! WE are, because WE have seen it happen, on a tiny scale, of what you can expect, IF something were to happen to stop electricity from flowing for say: a WEEK? A MONTH? Honestly, MOST of you will die, either from simple starvation, your lack of preparations, or at the hands of others! The result is "YOU REAP WHAT YOU HAVE SOWN"! IF "you fail to plan, you've planned to fail"! WE have various stoves, that utilise various fuels, various lights with varied power supplies, bags; ready to BUG-OUT in case of: TSTHF. Water, food, medical supplies, stoves, lights, clothing for all types of weather, tools, and "hardware". What is your life, you wife's life, your daughter's or son's lives worth? What would you PAY to save them, from what WE all know is COMING, and SOON!??? -------------------------------------------------------------------- </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> Onerous things are afoot, and not just the economy, or actually, a lack thereof....! Many people are now in the process of moving into rural areas, and going back to having mini farms and ranches..... They are setting up areas for their families and friends as well.... Personally, I think the time to prepare has nearly passed, food and gas prices are rising,... again...and it won't stop this time, NO reversals! It will be costly and difficult to start, but you have to at least try to help yourselves, and each other... Failure is............., well................, it's just not acceptable. ( to me anyway!) Land can still be had, even if only a single acre,...it's something! Get several people together and you could get 10-20-40 acres............ The real problems you may face won't be just your loss of pollution and noise, and all the trappings of big city life.... You may have to get up with the sun rise and go to bed when the sun sets...... You may not have all those wonderful little electronic gadgets you have acquired in the past few years.... Cell phones, dvd players, mp-3's and all that, will be hard for you to operate UNLESS you can afford an elaborate solar/wind generation system..... You'd be better off using that energy for real needs...... A "decent" system would cost you about $6,000.00, "IF" you can do it all yourselves! Something to consider: Mother Earth will NOT feed you, and it's up to you to plant the seeds, and tend to your food supplies! (gardening is not as easy as dropping some seeds and kicking dirt over them and now and then toss in some water!) Remember, it can take 'months' before you get a "CROP" of any edibles grown! You will starve to death, LONG before you get a garden growing... It should be an ongoing project, from say: 9 months ago!??? There are some of you that will try to stay in your homes and be safe and live.... I understand. Not everyone can just up and move, especially due to your school, jobs, etc. BUT, having tried to have a small garden on the outskirts of the city of Phoenix, I learned a valuable lesson, really fast! No matter the fencing, the locked gates, even a dog, there are those that will exploit your hard work and costs to grow a garden.... I had to go to work, and so, I was gone from 6 am to 3 pm each day, 5 days a week.... I returned to find a destroyed garden on several occassions... Some people had jumped the fence, one even rammed the gate with his old truck to break it down, so they could EAT my crops! What they did not steal, they stomped into the ground in pure rage and jealousy! 1 person went as far as to place their pot belied pig and 4 domestic rabbits in my garden, so they could feed on my plants. I ate the rabbits! (yup, them's gooood eatin') Bows are silent, but quite deadly! (in the "wilderness", you'll have to deal with all kinds of vermin, rabbits, and even the Javelina, that will destroy all of your hard work in minutes, digging under your fence/s to get to the roots of every plant you have!) (BTW: they are NOT pigs, or from the pig family! They are RATS folks!) "IF" you decide NOT to move from the cities, and stay in your homes, I'd suggest you have a LOT of stored foods on hand and not let a single person know, NOT even your own kids in school, as they WILL tell their friends.... Then you will have a real problem when they come knocking on your doors, to get some free food! Hungry and starving peope are VICIOUS! You WILL NOT be able to stop them. Growing a small backyard garden is possible, but you have to determine what the possibilities are, of it being discovered and ransacked. Corn would NOT be a safe crop to grow for certain, as the height alone, will be a red flag! "COME AND GET IT !!!" That's what you'll be saying! To everyone that sees it! May as well set the table and get the butter and salt ready! Now, some of you may trying to grow a small garden in a garage, with really expensive "gro-lamps", that require a LOT of energy.... Unless you have electricity, you're in trouble..... "IF" you decide to do this, more than likely you will be "raided" when the electric company sees your energy consumption suddenly triple or quadruple, as they figure you are growing marijuana. They do contact the "authorities"! (maybe a bunch of "sun roof/skylight panels" ???) Now, there are some that think they can grow plants and maybe even a garden in a hydroponics system..... Great! Do you "Know" how to do that? The costs? Be prepared for a real shocker! Yes, there are ways to do it, but are you a 'horticulturist', know what minerals and supplements need to be dissolved into your irrigation/feed system/s? Not me! Not a single, solitary clue! Takes research and money, and again, energy, to run the lights, and pumps, if you use them! Plus, you'll have to have an ample supply of EXPENSIVE supplements for the hydroponics system! Face it, you can get a place far away from others, and the cities for as little as $2,000 an acre! Works out to about $150.00 a month! Now, again you have another problem, ( No, I am not a defeatist, I am a REALIST!) You will have to secure the land, that requires SOMEONE to go out there and set-up a place for you to go to, in certain scenario's, which I won't go into..... That person has to have some real knowledge of: Security, gardening, and if you intend to "raise chickens and rabbits" (which I suggest!), you'll have to know ALL about them: raising, feeding, recognizing and curing diseases..... They, being 1 person, ( 2 are better!), will NOT be able to do it all, 24/7... You can lose your garden, and livestock overnight, and you have to sleep sometime! What "IF" that person gets sick or injured? Then what? What happens IF they leave the area to go to the nearest town for any reason at all? You can LOSE it ALL! Not a simple thing, and it takes people with a willigness to live solitary, and be able to cope with WHAT happens, "IF", no one ever shows up? They'll also need: a place/shelter to live in, some sort of energy resources, water, food, and communications, IF only, to monitor the airwaves....and a place to store all your supplies..... Plus, a reliable means of transportation, perhaps a dog, and a cat (is handy for mice and rats), but they both have to be contained, or you'll have more coyotes and wild dogs than you can count, much less shoot! One important thing I haven't mentioned, (saved the BEST for last?) You MUST, ( and NO arguments accepted to the contrary), have a waste disposal system! Not your garbage disposal system, a 'SEPTIC' system... OR, you are going to get really sick, really fast, and may infect a lot more than you can imagine! People, and the ground, the water, your gardens, etc. Don't even think you can avoid the subject! IT is a "fact of life" and you have to deal with it, fast! The chances of 'anyone', leaving a city and making it any REAL distance's to a safe haven, regardless of it's locale or size, in a SHTF scenario, is at best.....minimal. So, consider that your chances of "bugging out" are not all that great, BUT, your chances of "BUGGING IN" are near zero for a safe place to retreat to. Note: I did not go into lists, they are all over the internet today, hundreds and hundreds of them..... I did not go into any discussion, or in any way advocate what types, or why you should have any weapons. ( self explanatory!) I am simply dealing with the absolute basics NEEDED to live/survive. ( I wrote this simply to get people motivated, instead, it has illicited a round of being: an "alarmist", a reactionary", "inciting" people, and so forth...(Some have called me delusionary and a nut!) That was never my intent, BUT, I told the TRUTH, and as such, it SCARED people...Maybe, just maybe, it will shake some of them enough, to make them understand this is as real as it gets?) Bill
Thanks for sharing your experiences. Some very good points. That's one more cavet of humans, they typically can't handle the truth and when they get the truth they get mad and then call you names.
WOW Thanks for sharing, and it definatly does make one think of just what can happen when those without go after those that have something. Thanks
Excellent post Dragonfly. We all need reminders, and your personal experiences are more than welcome. Thank you for sharing them with us. Now I am going to make a trip to Sam's, order that disc I have been looking at, and some seed.
