Undoubtedly Good Advice For Our Citizens As Well...

 ...as those in Sweden, who received notice from their civil defense minister to prepare for war.

"For a nation for whom peace has been a pleasant companion for almost 210 years, the idea that it is an immoveable constant is conveniently close at hand," Swedish Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said..."

"But taking comfort in this conclusion has become more dangerous than it has been for a very long time"

 "Many have said it before me, but let me do so in an official capacity, more plainly and with naked clarity: There could be war in Sweden."

More at the source.

So the Swedes reportedly have gone berserk buying everything imaginable, to make preparations for war, clearing the shelves in some stores. Sounds like the bread, eggs and milk buyers here at home when a snowstorm or hurricane is approaching. I think everyone should have a decent level of preparedness meaning at least a months supply of food and water (or water filters). I have my own, and a bunch for my dog (time to get more canned and dry foods for her), I don't really know how long it could last us but I figure at the very least a month - probably a good deal longer like two or three. Of course, I also have some medical supplies, probably not near enough of them but some. In addition I have personal protective gear like gas masks & filters (20 year expiration masks are my latest), full body protective suits, gloves. Then there is the other stuff like: compasses, batteries, candles, plenty of matches, fire-starters, water purification straws, tools, knives, guns & ammo, gun maintenance supplies, gold & silver bullion, a grab & go bag in the event I've gotta get out of here fast, and so on.

I never wanted to be a boy scout, especially after getting kicked out of Cub Scouts (bit of a problem child was I) but I have almost always liked their motto: "Be prepared".

There is wisdom in those two words - lots of it. What they do not mention is that the time to prepare usually is long before you need the things that are necessary to achieve being prepared.

 All the best,

 Glenn B

 

At Least 9mm Ammo...

 ...has dropped considerably in price lately despite the inflationary prices on almost everything else ammo. I'd compare ammo prices to the price of eggs and probably say 9mm ammo is currently the better deal but the last two times I visited my local Sam's Club they had zero eggs on the shelves for me to price!

 

Getting back to ammo, while 223/5.56 ammo remains ridiculously high (why should it being that 9mm prices have fallen markedly) some others have come way down from what they reached during the  buying frenzy caused by COVID & Biden. As far as I am aware, no ammo though has come down to the price it was before those two catastrophic events hit the USA like dual killer hurricanes but you can pick up 9mm (115 grain, FMJ) ammo for $239.95 per case of 1,000 rounds with free shipping. Of course, you need to add tax to that and you can opt to add full insurance coverage and adult signature required. Regardless of those add-ons, that is a pretty darned good price considering as high as 9mm prices had gotten over the past couple or few years.

 

The retailer I know of that has it at that price is Target Sports USA but only if you are an "Ammo+" member on their site (previously their Prime membership - but my guess is that Amazon did not like that name for it). If you are not a member it goes for $12.99 plus shipping or for $259.80 per case with free shipping. Only Ammo+ members get less than a case shipped for free. I believe it wise to buy it at this price if you need it now or even if you just want to stock up for a rainy day or a zombie 😂 apocalypse as opposed to actually needing it. I foresee ammo prices getting worse again in the short time left to me in my lifetime. No I am not dying imminently as far as I know - just getting, as Pink Floyd sang, "...shorter of breath and one day closer to death..." as each day goes by. 

 

Anyway, I think it a good idea to stock up on some now and even if it ever goes back down to what it used to be @ of about $189.99 per case for the same or similar stuff then buying even more would be my advice. If it does no go back down and goes up again instead you may lament not buying it now. More on it here at the source.

 

You can look elsewhere for it on a site like AmmoSeek.com and you may find this particular ammo (or similar) at a less expensive price. For instance, on AmmoSeek, the lowest price for this particular ammo is from a retailer offering it at around 15.3 cents per round, for a 300 round box. At that price it would be around $153.00 for a case of it - which would be a super duper excellent price if that was the whole price or even if you added tax. The thing is, as AmmoSeek indicates, that retailer has very high shipping rates (buyer beware because when you add the shipping quote I got for it, it is shy only a single dollar of double that price and I am not figuring in the tax).

 

This is not an advertisement for Target Sports USA, Sellier & Bellot or AmmoSeek nor is it SPAM - it is merely me discussing my opinion on when it would be a good time to buy 9mm ammo and some facts on the prices I discovered while searching the Internet for a good price on it. I do not receive anything as compensation from any of those mentioned sites (nor from anyone else) for anything I write in my blog (nor for anything else).

All the best,

Glenn B

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Don't Know About You Guys And Your Level of Disaster Preparedness...

...but I am doing some preparation for a possible outbreak of Ebola. I really am not all that worried about it but am taking precautions nonetheless especially in light of the cavalier attitude of some health care officials and some politicians (like our president Barry the bumbler) in regard to Ebola, its potential to spread and their already apparent failure to contain it.

We already are somewhat prepared for an emergency here at our house. We probably have enough extra food to last us at least a few weeks. If you wonder why just think of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. We also have other emergency supplies like some first aid stuff, batteries, candles, (don't forget waterproof matches), a camping stove and fuel. I also have gas masks for everyone in the immediate family. Just lately, I have made a few more purchases and plan to make additional ones of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other survival necessities for SHTF (shit hits the fan)situations or heaven forbid for TEOTWAWKI. Mostly though it is all just precautionary I am not really worried that any of it will ever be needed. Still, it is a comforting feeling to know we are somewhat ready - just in case. Oh yeah, don't let me forget, we have guns and ammo too, they are to protect us while we protect our supplies (because having our supplies for us, and not stolen from us, could mean whether we live or die).

Like I said, I have made some recent purchases of PPE. Yesterday, I ordered half a dozen hazmat suits. They can be used as disposable or reused as you want. They are fairly inexpensive if you buy them at the right place. I have seen the same suits that I just ordered going for as high as almost $25 each (and you had to buy a case of a dozen for that price) but I ordered them from a reputable dealer for about $11 each and did not have to buy a whole case of them. The places offering them at the higher prices seem like fly by night websites or maybe just are run by unscrupulous dealers trying to make more during a potential pending crisis that may promote panic buying. In fact, the suits can be had at even less than what I paid but they were not in stock for immediate shipment and or I had never heard of the dealer before so I avoided buying those. Also, many places only sell them in bulk (12 to 25 to a carton), I was able to purchase individual suits.

As for the suits themselves, the ones I ordered are level B/C. They are good for use against infectious diseases, light chemical spills and so forth. They each have elasticized wrists and hood, integral boots/socks and taped seams (very important when considering use to defeat spread of infection). They are bright yellow and while I dislike them being bright yellow all I can say is 'oh well, we will look like rays of sunshine if the SHTF'. I also ordered several pairs of nitrile gloves that are 15 mil thick, they were one of the thicker general use gloves out there. There are much heavier/thicker ones but I wanted gloves I can feel through and with which I can operate a certain type of machine that requires my index finger fitting inside of a certain type of guard and onto a slightly curved lever of sorts. We already have a full box of nitrile exam gloves and they are okay for common everyday contact with other people and objects (or as I usually use them for cleaning my reptile tanks and firearms cleaning).

Finally, I ordered some gas mask filters from another source than the gloves and coveralls. Man oh man - they are expensive for brand new ones and very hard to find. Luckily, I found a reputable (as far as I know from past dealings) dealer who has Swedish milsurp filters that were made in 2002 and have a 20 year shelf life and are said to still be inside of vacuum sealed packages. If the vacuum seal has not failed that is good enough for me and they were affordable. I will try to order current manufacture US made (and more expensive) filters when I can but for right now these will have to do. I ordered everything but the filters from the same source and did that yesterday. This morning, I received an email saying my order has shipped for the gloves and hazmat suits. I am still waiting for a shipping confirmation on the filters.

I plan to get some other things too. One of those things is something I use with some frequency and that I expect others who are more handy around the house use frequently. I am talking about what are usually referred to as dust masks. Normally I prefer to use a 3M brand model 8210 which has an N95 rating (in essence stops 95% of particulates, of a certain size, from penetrating the mask). They are recommended for typical household jobs like sanding but are also recommended for use in pandemics. Even though they receive that recommendation from the manufacturer, 3M, I am considering another model mask from them, one that is effective against oils and also contains a layer of carbon. The 3M mask models I am considering, model 8577 and model 8576 are more expensive by far than the ones I normally use but I figure the added expense may be worth it considering the potential for a pandemic in our near future. They offer the P95 particulate rating instead of N95 as does model 8210. The main difference between the N95 and P95 rated masks is that the N95 does not offer resistance to oils and the P95 is supposedly strongly oil resistant - source CDC web pages reference then NIOSH N95 and the NIOSH P95 particulate filtering respirators. In addition the models 8576 and 8577 offer resistance to either organic or acid vapors depending on which model. I like the idea of a layer of carbon because I know it has purification properties that can remove toxins from the air you are breathing.

The tripping (over his own twisted tongue) CDC chief and bumbling Barry Obama may both be promising that Ebola will be completely contained and that they can handle any spread of it (note if it has spread it already means they are not handling it effectively); yet, the truth is that the Enterovirus D68 is rapidly spreading. The further truth is they have also screwed up with Ebola and they most certainly have not, as per their arrogant former claims, been able to either completely contain or control it within our borders. So why exactly again is it that we should not be precautionary in that regard? I choose caution and if it turns out I did not need this stuff, well then it means nothing in the greater scheme of things. If though, the time comes that we need it and don't have it - then what?
 
Now mind you, as I have tried to already get across, I am not doing this out of an abundance of fear that Ebola will spread like wildfire. I am though being very cautious. I hope it will be found that I was overly cautious but if not I at least am somewhat prepared to protect my family and we will stand a better chance of making it out okay. That is something, I think, you should be considering for yourself and your loved ones. When and if you do give it some thought, bear in mind that everything I have done to date to prepare for possible disasters can be used in various different situations. For example the gas masks and hazmat suits can be used in the event of something as terrible as a terrorist attack involving nuclear, biological or chemical weapons. They also could be used for something of a less dastardly nature such as an accidental explosion at a chemical plant, and heaven knows we have had our share of those in the US in recent years. People have had to have been evacuated from wide areas because of toxic fumes spread during such events. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to don your PPE and flee in relative safety. Even one of the 3M masks I mentioned might be of help during such a calamity. Of course, there are more everyday uses for some of that PPE. The 3M masks can be used for such chores as sanding, grinding, scraping paint, rust removal, cleaning out a sewer line, or cleaning out the garage.

For example: I used my last two 3M model 8210 masks just a couple of days ago cleaning out the shed in my backyard. Normally, I would not do so (that is both not clean the shed or wear a mask if I were to do so) but my wife told me she saw that a bag of grass seed had been torn open and the seeds were all over the place. She suspected mice, she was right. I took one look and saw about 500 (or more) mouse turds mixed in with the seeds in about 1/2 the shed. I decided to go in and take everything out, and I mean everything, and give it a decent cleaning and hosing off and also to get rid of the mice. The only clue I had as to the type of mice was that it could have been any of the indigenous species here in NY. I figured house mice or maybe field mice.

Since it is a known fact that certain species of mice on Long Island carry and spread the hantavirus, and that it has been transmitted to humans on LI who probably got it sweeping out their garages (that variety is called the New York Hantavirus), I decided to take precautions. After all, it is pretty easy to catch hantavirus through airborne transmission when particles of it in rodent urine or droppings are stirred up into the air while sweeping/cleaning. So, I donned nitrile gloves and a 3M model 8210 mask and equipped myself with a spray bottle of chlorine bleach based cleaner (I sprayed everything almost before touching it or sweeping it), a broom, a dust pan and some trash bags. I am guessing that there had to have been at least a quarter pound of mouse crap in there or in other words an awful lot of mouse droppings and that means more than the 500 I first estimated. After I was done, I took off the PPE and disposed of it. Then, I scrubbed myself off as good as I could and washed all the clothing I had been wearing. I hope I did not wind up breathing in anything from their crap.

It wound up that the mice were of the species Mus musculus otherwise known as the House Mouse and I probably did not need to worry about hantavirus because I am pretty sure that house mice are not vectors for the hantavirus. Do you think though that I went overboard and should not have taken precautions just in case! Even though they may not carry the hantavirus, I figure why take chances, after all - who knows with what else they might have been infected. Regardless, the last person whom I remember to have died on Long Island due to hantavirus took no precautions, such as wearing a respirator mask while doing something seemingly benign as cleaning his garage; too bad for him and I really mean it. I don't want to be the next to catch it or something else that is carried in mouse shit and then having someone say too bad for me that I did not take precautions. Think about it. 

As for the mice, there were two of them. I got one of them - as in killed it. I went into the shed, turned on a lantern, closed the doors, moved one of the two remaining sets of then empty shelves and it came scrambling out. I whacked it with the blade of a garden hoe and luckily that one was the fatter one, the one I suspected of being female. After a few hits with the hoe, I confirmed it was a female and saw she had been pregnant. She had been carrying at least six babies. Had she escaped to wherever, like maybe into my house, she would have popped them out and they would have been eating and ruining our stored food and shitting all over our home. As for the other one of the pair, he escaped, I guess he took off for safer climes while I was cleaning and had the doors of the shed open.

Anyway, it winds up that I need to replace my dust mask supply since I have run out after the mousecapade. The only question about it is which masks do I want to use to resupply my now zero stock of them. Should I go with the tried and trusted model 8210 or the more expensive models with the carbon layer. Right now I am edging toward the 8210. After all, if a manufacturing plant near my home goes up in an explosion and spews toxic fumes or vapors, we already have gas masks for something like that.

As for all the other precautions, think about the times in which we find ourselves. There are constant threats of terrorist attacks and have been several failed attempts in our country in recent years and some successful ones not too long ago. There have been numerous natural and man made disasters and even police action induced situations (whether justified or not - I am not finding fault with the police at this moment) that have led to rioting, looting and curfews. I don't want to find myself suddenly realizing that we need food for supper the same night that there is rioting going on near our home or when the local supermarket is being looted by opportunistic savages. I certainly do not want or need too fight my way into a supermarket and then back out and toward home only to wind up maybe being arrested by the police for suspected looting or worse yet because I had to shoot someone in self defense while out trying to buy dinner. I would rather stay at home and open some cans of green beans, corn and spam.

Again, my advice to you - think about it. Which do you think is better, being fairly well prepared or being unprepared. I think it is a whole lot better to prepare for the worst now and never need to utilize any of my preparations than to not prepare and then suddenly find myself lacking in all regards. As for you, you need to figure that out for yourself cause you sure aren't going to be allowed to come to my house to freeload!

All the best,
Glenn B

What If The SHTF? Would You Be Ready?

When I think about it, I like to pretend that I am ready for just about anything. The truth be told, I am as are most Americans woefully prepared for a true Shit Hits The Fan (SHTF) scenario. Yeah, I am probably better prepared than many, probably even better prepared than most, but that does not mean I am properly prepared for a bad situation on a grand scale. Are you?

There are a lot of things wrong in the world today, and an awful lot of those things have converged into concentric rings that have formed around a place called the United States of America. Those rings have a dot in the middle and that dot is the center of the bull's eye - or ground zero for the next catastrophe. Now you may want to call me just another doomsayer, or simply some kind of paranoid kook, but I prefer to live by the motto that the boy scouts gave up so long ago - Be Prepared. In that regard I realize that the price of freedom is more than just perpetual vigilance, the real price of freedom is being prepared to do something about that which you have been watching for all of these years once it actually arrives on your doorstep. That bad thing, that shit that hits the fan, can come in many forms. It could be something like a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina with massive widespread flooding. It could also be a terrorist attack, something on a relatively small scale such as a small group of terrorists attacking a local shopping mall (something along the lines of the attacks in Mumbai). Maybe it will come as something on a larger scale, something like another 9/11 - maybe this time a dirty bomb, or several of them in various cities cross the country. Or maybe it will be civil unrest like race riots caused by a political assassination. Then again it could be civil war caused by the collapse of our economy, and then spurred on by ensuing collapse of our infrastructure, and the breakdown of our government as it ineptly tries to control the panicked masses who do not have enough to eat. Think that stuff like this is far fetched and that it cannot happen in our lifetimes, so do most Americans.

Then again, maybe you ought to think again because there are some who not only think it can happen but who have predicted the date. One of them, for example, is: Russian academic Igor Panarin. Go here and read this article at the Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123051100709638419.html

For over 10 years now Mr. Panarin has predicted that the U.S.A. will collapse in the year 2010. All of a sudden he is being taken quite seriously. After all he is no kook. He has impressive credentials having been a KGB Intelligence Analyst, and now he is dean of the Russian Foreign Ministry's academy for future diplomats. He is a man whose opinions the Russian government take seriously. Sure, I know, there is a lot of anti-American sentiment in Russia, as the article points out, so they give him some extra credence when he spouts off anti-American predictions, but why not take a look at why he believes this country will collapse during a civil war. According to the article he thinks that the main problems that will bring us to that point are: a massive influx of immigrants (regardless of legal immigrants, how about just lack of any control over our borders and all the illegals who are swarming into our country), the decline of American morality (gay unions and marriages anyone, or how about rampant sex parades in the streets of San Fransicko, or how about giving child rapists sentences of a few weeks in jail ala that judge in Vermont about a year or so ago, or how about scheming to sell a senate seat, or how about oral sex from interns in the White House and on and on), and the failure of our economy (need I even point to examples here what with the recent bailouts of the financial, mortgage, and auto industries). Of course I could add a few more reasons for us to arrive at a point where the people might raise up arms in a civil war. How about: politicians who try to strip us of our liberties and rights at every chance they get such as Schumer, Feinstein, McCarthy, Boxer, Richardson, Clinton and the list goes on. What about the anti-American sentiment that comes out of the mouths of some politicos and celebrities - you know the type those who yearn for socialism here in the USA and who praise tyrants such as Castro, Kim Jong-il, or Hugo Chavez. Or how the outflow of our jobs to third world nations leaving us with the worst unemployment in years; no wonder no one could pay for those shaky mortgages. Then again what religious fanatics who have no tolerance for anything but their own visions of how it should be; but mind you they are just the same as ultra left wing atheists who feel the same about their own beliefs. This country has been in a downward spiral for quite sometime now, and even necessary things like the war against terrorism, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have only helped sap our economy of its prosperity. Kennedy was wrong when he said that Iraq is our current Vietnam. Iraq is more akin to our own version of the USSR's Afghanistan. That war sucked their economy dry, just as the Iraq war is doing to us at a time when our economy is floundering for a number of other reasons. Add to that the fact that the OPEC nations are trying to screw us royally by tightening the valves on oil production and the dimwits in our own government are too idiotic to allow for full scale oil exploration and drilling and you should see we are not all that far from a major catastrophe of the type that Panarin predicts. Heck we may also be the prime target of an alliance of nations that want to wage war against us too, that is not all that far fetched either when you consider our country is just about down on both knees without the strength to stand up again.

Now I am not saying it will happen, that is that the shit will hit the fan on that grand a scale. There have been many nations throughout history that have been in dire straits as are we now and that have pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps. Maybe we will be lucky, maybe we will wake up before it is too late, maybe we will win out and again stand tall and strong. Then again, maybe, just maybe, something bad will happen, and it will trigger something else bad, and that will do the same to something else, and the dominoes will start to tumble all over the place and we will be left in a huge stinking pile of shit of our own making. Will you be ready for it? I plan to be ready, because if the truth be told I think it quite possible that a major catastrophe is coming our way on a national if not global scale. One thing I can tell you is that my preparations do not include learning how to speak Russian or French Canadian, or boning up on my Spanish. So what else is there to do, in order to help prevent such a catastrophe or to be ready for it should it come.

I think there are several things, and I was brought up in a world that believed that a big SHTF situation was about to befall us. Yes I survived the Cold War, and I learned a lot about being prepared in a manner of which young folks today seem to have no concept. So exactly what plans do I have:

WATER:
I have spare water in my house to last for about a week, maybe even two weeks. I plan to stock up on additional water. I also plan to buy a water filtration system or two such as used by wilderness backpackers or survivalists.


FOOD:
I also have spare food in my house to last at least for days if not weeks. I plan to buy more, and to buy it soon. I will includes the following in my cache of food: Canned Goods - a supply of food (and water in some types of caned food) that can last for about 3 years shelf life. Canned foods will include all of the major food groups. I will also stock up on dry goods such as sacks of rice and beans; and of course on things like flour, sugar and other baking needs such as shortening and baking powder. In addition I will stock up on high energy foods such as snack bars, nuts, and certain types of candy. Some MREs may also wind up on the menu. I plan to have enough food on hand for a family of 6 to last one month.

MEDICAL SUPPLIES:
I am no doctor, nor a nurse, but I will keep certain medical supplies on hand. These will include several fair to good first aid kits. In addition I will stock up on some medicines even if only over the counter. Things like anti-diarrhea meds, antiseptics, first aide ointments, burn cream, aspirin, ibuprofin, and so forth. I will also keep things like hydrogen peroxide, providone iodine, and alcohol on hand. If I can swing it I will get some wide spectrum antibiotics with a long shelf life, and an extra supply of any meds my family currently requires.


OTHER HOME EMERGENCY SUPPLIES:
Flashlights, batteries, radios, batteries, walkie-talkies, batteries, you get the idea; but I also have candles, matches, and magnesium fire starters (note I said have since I have all of this already). When I can afford one, I'll buy a generator. The thing about a generator though is that if you have one you probably plan to stay on site at your home to use it. I am none too sure that would be the case, but I suppose if an emergency turns out that way, where we can hold up in our home, it would be excellent to have a generator. Of course a generator means you need fuel for it, so some gasoline safely stored would be a good idea, and enough for the generator and a car might be a better idea. In addition extra propane for my barbecue grill will also be on hand. No not because I think I would be able to have leisurely BBQs in my backyard in the event of a civil emergency or natural disaster, but because if the power and gas go out, I'll still have some way to cook without having to resort to trying to find firewood in an urban setting. That grill might also wind up being a temporary source of heat in a cold winter. I also have a camping stoove and a couple of camping lanterns (Coleman fuel types, can also use unleaded gasoline in at least one of the lanterns).

In addition I keep a good supply of tools on hand. Nothing special but things like screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, saws, a hammer or two and a bunch of hardware like nails and screws can come in handy during a number of emergencies. I also keep scrap wood after completing a project. You never know when you may have to board up the windows or window openings due to an oncoming hurricane, or due to rioters who have destroyed the windows. I also have a decent supply of tie downs such as bungee chords, and nylon ties on hand - they have multiple emergency uses. Finally do not forget DUCT TAPE the all around wonder tool.


EMERGENCY SHELTER:
I have a tent to sleep 4. I only have 2 sleeping bags. I need a few more sleeping bags. They do not have to be expensive mountaineer types, just well made ones that will keep someone fairly warm down to about 0 degrees Fahrenheit.


EMERGENCY BUG OUT KITS:
Ever watch MASH. Yep the sitcom about a American medical unit during the Korean War. One of my favorite scenes was when Colonel Potter yelled 'Bug Out' (happened in more than one episode as I recall) and the camp went into a tizzy as they tore it down to move it somewhere else because of impending doom. If the SHTF too close to home, or too badly near home, well we may just have to up and leave. If we do that we are leaving at least somewhat prepared for several days away from home and on our own. My emergency bug out kit includes grab and go bags (packs), garb and go boxes of food, a case or two of water, temporary shelter, blankets and sleeping bags, extra clothing, first aid kits, bug spray, sunscreen, a few days worth of meds, flashlights and batteries, candles, matches, magnesium fire starters, money, guns and ammo (where legal), knives, compasses, a road atlas, and so forth.

SPECIALIZED EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT:
Gas Masks and filters come to mind here. Think you will never need one, well again I say: "Think Again"! The Department of Homeland Security, the U.S.Intelligence Services, The U.S. Military, and the FBI all believe that a future terrorist attack within our borders is coming, and pretty soon too. They also believe the next attack has a good probability of being chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear. I only have one gas mask now, but plan to buy others within the next few months. My guess is that most people in Israel, Iraq and Iran never thought they would need them either.

Body armor is another consideration. Now I doubt I can afford a new bullet proof vest for every family member, but it is not a bad idea if you can afford them. At least one piece of body armor for the person most likely to find him or herself in a defense situation is recommended (if legal in your area).

SERIOUS ATTITUDE TOWARD PREPARATION:
In other words, I take this stuff seriously even if other family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers or people I pass on the street do not. You can bet that if it comes to a SHTF situation, just think along the likes of New Orleans after Katrina, other family members will be happy you discussed some sort of plan with them, and that you told them what to grab before they get up and go if it comes to that. Along those lines you may also want to tell them were to meet. If you have to sit it out at home, wouldn't it be nice to know that you were safe and sound inside your house, ready to survive at least a week, or even more, if need be.

Believe me folks, I think that a nuclear attack on the USA by the USSR was more far fetched than do I think is the possibility of a serious large scale terrorist attack within our borders in the next couple of years at most. I also believe that Panarin may have something when he predicts mass scale civil unrest or even some sort of uprising within the next couple of years due to our economy and other factors. I am of course hopeful that they will not take place, just as I am hopeful that an earthquake or hurricane will not destroy my neighborhood. Then again, I am also pragmatic enough to realize that should something like any of those happen, my neighbors are not about to feed me and give me shelter when they are not prepared to take care of themselves. As for the government coming to the rescue on a White Steed - forget about it, it will be the government and its ineptness that will likely cause the problem in the first place. Me - I plan to be ready, and if I don't need the stuff, well I can use a lot of it on camping trips, at barbecues, and for pot luck dinners before the perishables reach their expiration dates. Then I can restock just in case because one never knows.

SHTF situations are a reality, they can and sometimes do happen, that is why the Boy Scouts have that motto "Be Prepared". The Boy Scouts though just never told you, or I, for what to be prepared! So I chose to be prepared for just about anything. Remember that other saying too about vigilance because being forever vigilant is a good thing too. Bear in mind though that vigilance is only part of being prepared, it only works to a point. While there are no guarantees you will survive an emergency situation uninjured or alive, being prepared and actually doing something about that for which you were keeping vigil will separate you from those who never had much of a chance to make it through to see tomorrow. While they will have relied on dialing 911 in a panic at the same moment when almost everyone else was flooding the emergency phone lines screaming for help, you will have been ready, willing and able to see it through with your family thanks to your preparations and planning.

All the best,
Glenn B