Articles in Survivalism
USA Govt: Mega Snitch List
I’ve mentioned previously how survivalists could show up on government radar if store owners decide that buying supplies with cash is suspicious – the purchaser could be a terrorist! As it happens, there are 25 different flyers asking for public informants, covering a wide variety of businesses. Here are the worst for 2012ers:
Bulk Fuel Distributors — New customers not from the area, those using cash for large transactions, nervous, large purchases, having a rental vehicle.
Farm Supply Stores — New customers not from the area, nervous or impatient, suspicious inquiries regarding equipment specifications, failing to state legitimate use for supplies, rental vehicle, cash for large transactions.
Home Improvement and Large Retail Stores — Large quantity of ammunition, firearms and ammunition out of season, combination of unusual items, interest in night vision and camouflage apparel, purchases of pipe fittings and supplies, rental vehicle, refusal to complete firearms paperwork, using cash for large transactions.
Martial …
What If Money Goes 100% Digital?
The long term trend is obvious to any Sci-Fi fan – one day all transactions will be cashless. We might even have a universal currency known as credits!
There are some indications in Europe that the shift away from cash has begun:
Italy - since 4th December 2011 amounts above € 1000 can no longer be paid in cash. This is to help stop tax avoidance, supposedly.
Belgium – soon the maximum for cash transactions will be € 5,000, down from € 15,000, for the same reason
EU – a directive has been issued regarding how they will enable a cashless society
Now a cashless society means that authorities get to track all transactions. And in the USA they are equating survivalist purchases with terrorism. So Preppers should probably only use trusted suppliers, and only pay cash.
And while cash can be kept safe, digital money can be taken from you with the click of a …
Preview: Doomsday Preppers
Doomsday Preppers is a new National Geographic series, launching on Tuesday, Feb 7 in the USA. Here are two of the survivalists they visit – one is your standard prepper and the other is a full-on survivalist team.
This group have a great Plan B: load up the buses and drive for 12 hours…
This woman believes a fuel crisis will cause panic buying and social mayhem - her apartment is full of survival supplies:
For me this is a must-watch series. Let me know what you think – leave a comment!
Update: NatGeo have set up a Doomsday Dashboard, which shows the latest tweets and lists the most envisioned doomsday scenraios based on twitter activity:
66% – MegaQuake
9% – 2012 Cataclysm
9% – Nuclear War / Radiation
9% – Pandemic
6% – Nuclear War
6% – Economic Collapse
3% – Peak Oil
1% – Solar Flare
Emergency Light Bulb + Funny Video
I think this is a great product – it’s an LED bulb that has a battery inside, meaning you get 7 hours of light when your power is out – and it doubles as a flashlight! When the grid goes down at 2AM, and you figure it would be smart to flee to your safe spot – you don’t want to be stumbling around in the dark wasting precious time…
http://store.axiomled.com/AX_RUDOLPH_50_p/ax-rudolph-50.htm
In this video, leading presidential candidates Mitt and Newt discuss the merits of the Axiom LED Rudolph:
Some 2012 Survival Vehicles
This Top 10 list is actually from a car site, but everybody is talking about 2012 this month…
1. Knight XV – fully armored, hand built luxury SUV
2. Pirate 4×4 – not much luggage space!
3. TRAX STI – Subaru WRX turned into a snow mobile.
4. Hummer H1 – dying brand
5. Isuzu VehiCROSS – probably the best little 4WD out there
6. Marauder – quite blast-proof
7. SISU XA-185 – armored personnel carrier
8. Toyota Hilux AT38 Polar – the regular Hilux is my personal choice, and the better value than these dream vehicles for sure
9. MaxiMog – a Mercedes Unimog with lots of cool features
10. Dobbertin Surface Orbiter – hand built amphibious vehicle, read about it
The Knight XV is worthy of being the #1 choice for urban survival. Aside from being armor-plated, it can come equipped with extras like built-in oxygen survival kit, under vehicle magnetic attachment detection system, multiple armoring levels, …
Ron Paul Bets on Gold / Aum Cult Member Arrested
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago how Newt Gingrich is fearful of an EMP Doomsday. He’s not the only Republican presidential candidate who has some understanding of survivalism.
Ron Paul has an investment portfolio worth as much as five million dollars. 64% is in gold and silver-mining stocks. An investment manager, quoted by the Washington Post, says Paul has made an extreme bet on economic collapse:
“This portfolio is a half-step away from a cellar-full of canned goods and nine-millimeter rounds”
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After 17 years on the run Makoto Hirata has surrendered himself to Japanese authorities. He was a member of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult that caused the deadly Tokyo subway Sarin gas attack. I find it interesting that he chose the first day of 2012 to surrender. Aum Shinrikyo is still active (under the new name Aleph) with 1000 members, so could 2012 be meaningful to them??
Hold on to your conspiracy …
Blue Eye Noah: Survival RV
Speaking of Xmas wish lists…
Here’s an interesting idea – it’s a regular RV that you can leave parked in your driveway. But if a tsunami comes, and the floating tubes are attached, in becomes a boat. It’s tough (kevlar) and self-contained.
Made in Taiwan. Their website is blueeyenoah.com
Check out these features:
diesel generator, plus optional solar panel and wind-power generator
optional positive pressure air filter and water filter
bullet-proof – built with Kevlar
water-proof – it’s a boat when you add the floating tubes
17, 19, 21 and 23 feet models
It’s quite affordable, with prices starting at US$40,000. Available in the USA in the northern spring, just in time for the end of the world.
The name is interesting, here’s what they say:
…a natural disaster about 8,000 years ago wiped out other Homo sapiens races in the Black Sea area, and only one blue-eyed person (family) survived, resulting in a gene explosion by …
One Year To Go – Are You Ready?
First and foremost, the very notion that there is only one year left until (perhaps) the end of the world as we know it, should have many people making New Year’s resolutions – planning to survive. It can be your resolution if you choose – there will never be a better opportunity to take control of your destiny. This is especially important for those with families…
In the UK, George and Karen Shaw are a great example of every day people making the sensible, prudent decision to store food and water. They aren’t crazy survivalist gun nuts, or doom and gloom religious zealots. They’re just doing what humans have always done – except for the last two generations who seem to think they are invulnerable to catastrophes.
Just like the Shaws, divorced mother-of-four Lynda Mayall is stockpiling supplies:
As well as buying several hundred pounds worth of freeze-dried ‘survival’ meals, her cupboards contain …
Update: Definition of a Terrorist
I covered this back in August, but it has taken on a deeper meaning now that US citizens can detained without charge or trial – the law has passed, and Obama didn’t veto it after all… You could theoretically be locked up forever for one of these:
Storing Food. The FBI/DOJ have decided that having more than 7 day’s food on hand is suspicious, even though this is precisely what FEMA recommends (in case of a disaster). There’s a report from a cannery that pimarily has Mormons as customers (their religion compels them to keep one year’s worth of food stored), where federal agents were asking for customer lists – fortunately they didn’t keep one.
Owning Guns and Ammo. You especially don’t want to be a military veteran who has just returned from war. The Dept of Homeland Security have said:
the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities …
American Survivalists – Brace Yourselves
Today’s news is quite disturbing. The U.S. Senate voted to let the military detain terrorism suspects on U.S. soil and hold them indefinitely without trial. This is outside of the normal judicial process. In theory absolutely anybody can be sent to Guantanamo Bay (or some other overseas detention center) and there is no recourse available. Even, say, a political candidate, or an outspoken rap artist. You’d like to think the media would help and highlight any travesties of justice, but I wouldn’t have 100% faith in that.
The problem is a combination of:
1) A DOJ directive that lists criteria for being suspected as a terrorist – as described by Rand Paul (son of Ron) in the video below, including keeping more than 7 days of food, and having ammunition.
2) The government can, via the military, detain anyone suspected of terrorism, without charge, indefinitely.
Jim Bakker: Special Offer
Jim Bakker is one of those disgraced televangelists. I wondered about the markup on his $3800 product (found in his Love Gifts department):
Actually the price is in line with what Amazon charges… so I guess his main aim is to get you on his mailing list as someone with $$. Even so, he must be expecting a major disaster/rapture of some sort, and perhaps he is seeking to profit from those who won’t be saved by God/Jesus?
If anyone knows why he is selling survival supplies, please let me know… It feels hypocritical.
St Louis: Most Unsafe U.S. City
I have spent many hundreds of hours determing the safest places to be, worldwide, if we have a global cataclysm. My findings will be released soon. Owen Davies, of Forecasting International, has determined the most unsafe place to be in the USA to be St Louis. The city faces threats from a number of directions:
Earthquakes (New Madrid fault)
Flooding (Mississippi)
Tornadoes
Environmental Pollution
Highest Crime Rate in the USA
Being 100 miles from the nearest nuclear power plant means it could be safe from radiation, except the prevailing wind is from the West/Northwest
The original article was in The Futurist magazine, Sept-Oct 2011 – but a copy is online.
Features Your 2012 Safe House Should Have
Note that these features are not for a bunker, but rather a “safe house”. The full article is over at one of those sites that exist to promote ebooks that cost more, yet have less substance, than most printed books. That’s not to say the material is invalid – here are some of the 38 “essential features” listed:
At least 1000 feet above sea level & at least 50 miles from the coast
500 miles from a super-volcano
At least two hour’s drive from a city or large town & within a day’s hike of a local farming town
Within 20 minutes hike of a small river or stream, but well above its banks
The property should be remote and hidden. Regarding the house itself, basically it needs to be solidly built, and incorporate features that would protect it from fierce weather, like shutters.
For an elaboration of such ideas, visit the 2012 forum, or wait …
Survivalist or Futurist?
I’ve been wondering as to what I should call myself, and I figure many of you might find the commonalities and differences interesting:
Survivalist: the policy of trying to ensure one‘s own survival or that of one’s social or national group [full definition]
Futurist: a person who studies the future and makes predictions about it based on current trends [full definition]
These two paths cross when a prediction is made that places yourself or your society at risk. Doomsday 2012ers are at that point. So which are you?
Survivalist: Practical
Futurist: Theoretical
Survivalist: Reads blogs like The Survivalist Blog and forums like 2012 Forum
Futurist: Enjoys the World Future Society Conference where she can learn from dozens of speakers; although none are teaching survivalism
So… while most survivalists are futurists (by definition), few futurists are survivalists.
Survivalist: Will survive 2012
Futurist: Will watch it unfold on TV
So I guess it is fair to say that survivalists are a subset …
Power Grid Down… What Happens to Money?
I’ll keep saying this until I am blue in the face: the US power grid is old and overloaded. A once-in-100-years solar storm can wreck it, and replacing all the transformers could take six months. The US government recently decided not to fund an upgrade. This could be the worst mistake the US government has ever made. If the grid goes down, there goes heating and cooling, and the USA has some extreme weather. Gas stations won’t work, and places that will be relying on diesel generators, like hospitals, could be without power within days. Water won’t be pumped any more. Most likely millions will die. And what about money?
The first problems are obvious. ATMs will stop working, and banks won’t have access to account records. That means no more cash will be distributed. Few people carry more than a week’s worth of cash.
Credit and debit card payment systems won’t …
