Ducati Monster Forum

http://green.yahoo.com/news/ap/20080524/ap_on_re_us/environmental_survivalists.html

Anybody find themselves thinking like this lately?

I read this and found myself fitting in, although to a much lesser extent than some of these folks. About all I'm missing is the giant stacks of firewood and mini-farm.

Tinfoil hat time?

Discuss.

My family is pretty big into gardening & canning anyway.  We'd not have much to change.  I already watch my fuel consumption on the 4-wheeled vehicles.  Everyone in the family buy my sister has the option of wood heat too ~

JM

The people in the story are crazy.  A little preparation is fine, but they are overreacting to a crises that won't happen. 

So there ends up being another oil shortage like in the 70's.  Do they really believe that we'll revolt this time?

Also, they talk about the oil shortage that's started.  Well, there isn't a shortage yet and prices haven't gone up due to a shortage.  Production is as high as ever, there's just more buyers.

Exactly. These people are overreacting, though I do think it is important to know about these things.

Idiots...don't they know that I will drive up in my Prius mounted  with dual 50 caliber MGs and steal everything they have.  [laugh]

My SO is a pessimist.  She thinks the economy will collapse and that people will kill for food.  We have friends in Southern Oregon that farm, can, and raise chickens and rabbits for food.  Our plan is to go there in the event of the end of the world as we know it.  They do not have guns, so my contribution will be supplying the arms.  Our friend Kelly will also be there with hunting gear and large animal experience.

Otherwise, we will stay in the city, drive, eat shipped in food, and be happy in our ignorance!

read that late last night.  Yes..was feeling a bit crazy too after I read it.  Today..feeling a bit more optimistic.

I live on Main Street in my little New Hampshire town. Even though we're not officially in the boonies, we lose power several times per year, mostly in the winter. The house is old (built in 1790) and has 3 ancient oil furnaces. We've also got 2 woodstoves and 3 fireplaces, all of which are needed for heating depending upon circumstances since not all the rooms have central heat. For those reasons alone, we always have several cords of wood in the barn in addition to what's stored outside.

We've got 4 acres and I need an excuse to have the tractor, so there's some plowing and planting going on which leads to canning, etc. The nearest well-stocked grocery store is quite a way away so it just makes sense to have lots of certain staples on hand to reduce the frequency of trips and cover the chance of getting snowed in.

There's no way I'm going to stack enough wood to last for more than a couple of winters at a time nor store gasoline/diesel or other stuff on-site. Of course, my "practical" may be your "nutcase" and vice-versa.

Those people are a little nutso, but it seems to be catching. Hell, even my parents said that the next time I sell a gun they want to buy it. They feel that because of the economy the have-nots will be targeting the comfortables out of fear and spite (my parents are not wealthy, by any means, but live in a decent neighborhood).

There are a bunch of people in China right now who wish they had a bunch of wood to burn, or spare rations to last for a few weeks, or alternate sources of fuel and energy.

Maybe they say it's for the coming energy crisis, but if there was a massive earthquake here, I'd love to have a bunch of wood, a few dozen LPG canisters, long term food supply, a fresh water source and a bunch of guns & ammo around.

Just find some  dead bodies and CANNABILIZE THEM!!!!!  [coffee] flesh and tea.  [beer] cheers!

Personally, as a NYC resident, there would need to be a zombie crisis for anyone person to own a firearm (for the sake of having one).
And what would i eat? Squirrels and city pigeons, of course that is after THE FLESH OF A THOUSAND MEN! muahaha

Kinda of reminds me of the movie "The Postman"

(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1350/561266883_0baa9a30d6.jpg)

I'm a deck builder maybe I can raise up an army and try to kill a postman? Anythings possible

I guess you didn't live in NYC during the blackout.  It was pretty scary for a while.  My building was broken into, fortunately the building sup lived there and was sitting in the hallway with a shotgun at the time. 

Oh we are defenitly heading for a big crisis. its going to affect everyone. The rich and the poor.

 [laugh]

P.S. There's so much GRATITUDE in that sig of yours.  ;D

Soylent Green IS PEOPLE !!!

Yeah these guys are nutso. Tinfoil hat certified. Heavy duty at that.

What makes anyone so informed that they are authoritative on predicting outright doom and gloom? Do they have economics backgrounds? Read all the academic journals to make informed decisions? Just what are their sources to make such conclusions? Watching Mad Max or the Road Warrior doesn't count. The global warming movement would be helped a great deal simply by Al Gore keeping his mouth shut from spewing all that hot air.

Well guess what ... I knew a fair amount of people from the Pacific NW that were caught up in that survivalist thinking because of a pending invasion of the Soviets or chaos from food shortages or the IRS becoming the next secret police throwing the Constitution out the window. They "prepared" all their lives ... and now they have all passed away never seeing anything they expected to happen. They wasted all that energy on something that they focused so much of their lives towards. These people are doing the same thing all over again ... same preparedness, but under a different banner; it was red before, now it's green.

Lesson: Don't take life too seriously. Enjoy it while lasts. Have a  [drink]

Here, we live on a fault line.  The biggest earthquake ever recorded in North America happened here back in 64.  More people would have died if more lived here at the time.  We know it will happen again some day.  My father-in-law is getting ready for the end, but he thinks it will come from avian flu.  We've also had big flu epidemics that killed off a large portion of the Native population.  In fact the Iditarod Sled Dog race follows the route of a historical serum run that was done with sled dogs in the early part of last century.  With all this history of disaster I have to say that I should be better prepared.  We did increase the size of our garden this year but that is about it.  If the big one hits I'll be depending on FEMA to come to my aid.  Now there is a scary thought. 

A pretty good, non-hysterical look at preparing for & coping with possible "troubles" is When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need to Survive When Disaster Strikes by Cody Lundin. It's focused on coping and adaptation rather than stuff to buy. And a lot of the preparation outlined in the book -- water catchment, gardening, fuel efficiency, etc. -- makes sense here in Arizona even when the lights are on & the water is running.

OMG the Y2K Bug will be the end of teh worldz!!  Wait, erm. Nevermind. 

I guess they haven't heard about the Bakken Oil Field yet.

My future ex husband's aunt sent his family, whom we were visiting over Christmas in 1999, 20 MREs for Christmas.  Ok, there were 7 of us staying there.  That would leave 3 meals for each of us and one starving bastard with only 2.  How was that supposed to last us through y2k?  She sent the grandparents 50 pounds of millet.  ???

Fixed. That's what you really need to make it through a good disaster.  :D

I have personally eaten millet.

I can't imagine starving sufficiently to eat 50 pounds of it as long as we still had a cat or fenceposts left.

Idk, but I figure I'd be all set for a while. Not a lot of meat on the dogs but the gf is vegan, so I wouldn't have to share.


I can only imagine the dawning horror on her face when she realizes there's nothing left for me to cook 'cept her.  [evil]

not a lot of meat on me either ;)

Some a' them vegans is good eatin'.

I may have to stock up on some of that canned bacon, just in self-defense.

i think the point of millet is bird lure, sprinkle a little and set back with a net.  because you've already eaten the cat there's no competition from it.  though i'd personally resist eating the cat, using the little bastard on a harness to bring down millet-lured birds because bird netting?  i don't have.

whee!  i figure anyone with camping gear needs to remember it's got a second purpose.  when the power goes out here (very rare, but once or twice this past year) i pull out the hand-crank lantern and geek out with it for a while, keeps the battery pack from totally dying to charge it occasionally (in the wall socket) and then play with it from time to time.

Whaaa?

Canned bacon?!?

For lobbing at people's noggins, right? 'Cause that's the only apparent use for canned bacon.

You guys haven't been keeping up on the bacon thread (http://ducatimonsterworldwide.org/index.php?topic=606.msg51007#msg51007)!

Brownie, yer doin' a heck of job [roll]

F(aintly)E(mitting)M(inimal)A(ssistance)