Have you seen the new series on Nat Geo?
Doomsday Preppers is an interesting look at people around America who have initiated preparations for themselves and their family to be able to ride out the coming end of the world. Wait, what? End of the world? Yep, we are talking about the literal end of the world as we know it. No more fast food, no NFL, government troops in black helicopters, zombie Mayan kind of end of the world.
The show has some interesting folks who frankly seem to go against stereotype when it comes to personal preparedness. They are actually willing to talk about what they are doing and share some of their stories about what they are getting ready to do.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/doomsday-preppers/
I get the feeling watching it that there must have been a kind of tongue in cheek approach to the project. I have to admit that seeing a four hundred pound guy doing combat arms moves seems a bit out of place. But hey, I am not exactly Navy weight anymore myself so pot, meet kettle.
The show goes into a lot of detail on food storage, EMP counter-tactics on a small scale basis, weapons and tools you might need and on and on. There are three hundred thousand or so web sites on the name “Preppers” all by itself but of course the first one that popped up on Google today was www.prepper.org
From their front page:
Mission Statement
Prepper.org is a public information site for those who wish:
- to learn about what preppers are and
- to learn about the prepper movement,
- to promote the prepper networks and their supporters
We provide a resource of links and information available to anyone who wants to prepare for and survive the hard times we are facing.
Definition of a prepper:
Prepper (noun): An individual or group that prepares or makes preparations in advance of, or prior to, any change in normal circumstances or lifestyle without significant reliance on other persons (i.e., being self-reliant), or without substantial assistance from outside resources (govt., etc.) in order to minimize the effects of that change on their current lifestyle.
by Riverwalker
There are links to other people interested in this activity and lots of tips on what to do to be prepared. There are links to State sites as well as National and Canadian sites.
Now I know that some of you are probably chuckling a bit now. But I would challenge you with one relevant fact: The Federal Government through the Homeland Security web page as well as FEMA and the CDC all have web instructions on what every family is expected to do. Have you been there? Do you have a plan? Do you know how long you are supposed to self sustain?
Now add the logic that many people have been seeing come to pass. The dollar is out of control, spending is crazy, Greece could fall at any moment, and on and on. Are you still chuckling? If you live in one of our very large cities, where exactly do you think you are going to get food, fresh water, and electricity? I have watched a lot of TV over the years showing New York apartments and I don’t recall seeing a lot of generators on the fire escapes.
The real question about Preppers is this: Why are they willing to spend so much time and energy on food, equipment, firearms, training, ammunition, shelters and so on?
Why are so many people convinced that this is their only real hope of having something close to a normal existence?
You can chalk it up to mass hysteria. Or you can chalk it up to a public growing tired of watching a government take away more and more liberty in exchange for security. Then when that firewall is shown to be weak and have more holes in it than tolerable, people with common sense and a desire to survive get concerned. I am fairly certain that the President and his close administrative people have already been provided with short and long term accommodations. It would not surprise me to find out that people in congress have something similar although not as opulent. Even the wealthiest surely have a panic room or safe spot to travel to.
You can also chalk it up to an entire administration that feels they can bow and smile their way through any negotiation with enemies. They are so conceited that they actually believe people hate us because of George W. Bush. They have sat around drinking chocolate martinis and eating sushi in exclusive clubs isolated from the real world for so long that they actually believe that a well spoken Harvard man (who happens to have some other unique characteristics) will charm the crap out of everybody who hates us (obviously because of GWB).
Finally, its one thing to lie to your own people about what you are going to do.
They can be conned by the mainstream media that blue rhymes with orange and your previous statements are all subject to do-overs. But when you lie to all of the rest of the world’s people, they get a bit cranky. They have their own press and sooner or later the truth makes itself known. The White House Press department of the administration actually can’t shut stories out and eventually (at least for now) American’s can still access the foreign press.
Did you know many of the foreign countries still don’t like us?
Some would actually like to see us destroyed. No amount of campaign cash can wipe away the fact that we are probably less secure now than at any time in our history. You can either believe that or you can be one of the many people who will wake up one morning and not be able to have a cup of coffee to smell or drink.
Well, off to target practice. Mrs. Mac is getting pretty good with her pistol and I like it when we share hobbies. My friend Harry told me last night that Texas is still taking applications but you have to be able to shoot apparently
Mister Mac
By the way, I do not belong to any Prepper Networks. When the Zombie Wars start, I am pretty sure that the Government is going to have all of the Preppers hideouts mapped out. No use making it any easier for them.
theleansubmariner 