Money makers and morons

One of the things I hate about the present survivalist environment is the huge number of unscrupulous assholes trying to make a buck off of the worried folk out there trying to do their level best for their families. These folk are scum.

Almost as bad are the morons that see a conspiracy behind every tree. It drives me nuts when I see blog after blog posting about vast government conspiracies to cull the population, or herd them into camps, or confiscate their guns, or make the UN world government overlords or…. well, you get the idea.

Normally, I wouldn’t give a shit what the crazies yapped about. As long as they stay holed up in their remote Idaho retreats fathering more inbred kids on their sisters and jerking off as they imagine themselves as some sort of neo-feudal baron after TEOTWAWKI.

Oh, and did I mention that they like to talk in acronyms and say things like: “ When the Schumer hits the fan”. Gosh golly, I bet they’ve got secret handshakes and Captain Billy Whizz-Bang secret decoder rings as well.

So what is the harm in some extremist ass detailing his fantasies on the Internet? The problem is that these people marginalize what is a serious topic. They make it either laughable or pathetic. Survivalists (or Preppers if you must use the term now that the other word has so much baggage attached.) are regarded as alarmist at best and dangerous loonies at worst.

Again, why care? People like me have put up with the flack for years and years, and prepare anyway, regardless of public opinion. It’s not going to change my mind.

I care because I think we’re in a bad place as a civilization. I think we are seeing the results of some of our choices as a society come home to roost, such as global warming, and peak oil. I think we’re more vulnerable as individuals than ever before, because we are more global than ever before and rely on far away people and places for many of our daily needs.

In short, I think that the likelihood of a serious shift in society, and all the hardship that entails, are closer and more possible than at any time since the end of the Second World War. And I believe more people need to prepare for it than ever before. \\

The morons make this a lot harder to get across. And we need to get it across to people. Anyone thinking they’ll survive in splendid isolation is wrong. You might live a long time, but nothing will survive you. No legacy, no great works, no better community.

We’ve come a long way in the last 2000 years. Let’s not lose it all.

Anyone thought about it?

This spring on the Canadian prairies, farmers planted the lowest acreage of wheat since 1971. Likewise. The wheat acreage in th USA was also the lowest since 1971. The planted barley acreage on the prairies is the lowest since 1965. It was not a cgood spring for the farmers.

Then of course there is the weather of the last month or so. If this keeps up, or if farmers have a bad spell of fall weather, what acreage that is planted will yield far less than usual. Let's see what a bag of flour costs us next year.

And then there is the Gulf oil spill which threatens a quarter of a billion dollar seafood industry. A lessening of supply, with a steady demand, (or just sheer profiteering) is likely to push prices up through the remainder of the year.

I can hardly wait to see what food group gets a hammering next! So maybe think about getting an extra bag of flour and storing it away. rotate a new bag into storage and use the stored one as you use up your kitchen supply.

Costs you less than 10 bucks, and might keep you a in flour if the prices decide to go nuts.

Just think about it, okay? Then do it!!

Gang aft agley....

That's what Robert Burns said about the best laid plans of mice and men, that they go oft astrew. Which is true. Someone else said that no plan survives contact with the enemy. Also true. And writers from Sun Tsu to Clausewitz have written about the fog and friction of war (and other human endeavours).

Yet day after day and blog after blog I read how this or that is neccessary to be prepared, or how someone has the perfect plan for when the SHTF...(ain't jargon grand?). There are no shortage of folk out there that will tell you that they have all the answers, and they ignore the historical and obvious truth about all things, and especially concerning things human. THat things never happens as we think they would (or should).

That truth is that NO ONE knows how the future plays out. There are pundits saying financial ruin and collapse are around the corner. Others are screaming ecological disaster. Others still are trumpeting the arrival of peak oil. And while these are legitimate and pressing problems, NONE of these self-made prophets really has a hot clue how it will really play out.

So ignore the prophets and build some alternatives into your life. Peak oil? Buy a bike. Ecological crisis? Act locally first, do what you can elsewhere. Financial collapse? Get your finances in order and have tangible goods like food and water set by and your shelter secured. Don't be bullied into anything, and don't let fear rule you.

Remember that many of the so-called experts are making their living off of advertising and selling you things you likely don't need.

But here's the thing: Decide for yourself, don't let me bully you either.

It's commonsense.

I'm just greedy

So I'm entering a contest thus:

M.D. Creekmore at The Survivalist Blog – a survival blog dedicated to helping others prepare for and survive disaster – with articles on bug out bag contents, survival knife choices and a wealth of other survival information is giving away a 1,000 round case of 9mm – 124 Grain FMJ (a $200 value – donated by LuckyGunner)! To enter, you just have to post about it on your blog. This is my entry. Visit The Survivalist Blog for the details.


He's trying to glom more readers. Sadly, I have none for him to grab....

Shanks and Mares

I just posted an article on bug-out vehicles over on the Manitoba Preppers site. In it I was rational and explained why I thought relying on a bug-out vehicle was unwise, giving reasons and being polite. Since this is my turf, I can be less than polite.

In a nutshell: If you are relying on a car to get you to your place of safety, you’re an idiot. The chances of making it with the vehicle? Maybe 50-50 at best, unless you’re psychic and leave the week before the end of the world.

So maybe you should think of alternatives. Next week, I’m going to write a nice little article on MPN talking about alternatives. It’s bullshit to an extent. The only real alternatives to consider are horses and feet. The reason for this is simple.

The only true off road vehicle is man. People can go places where no vehicle will ever be seen. We can cross through terrain that vehicles cannot even attempt. Horses are a close second, and can carry a pretty good load to boot. So my ideal bug-out vehicle if I had my druthers?

A riding horse and a pack horse. Or maybe two pack horses. They carry a good load, fuel is easy to find, and they make their own replacements. Let’s see a Land Rover do that.

But if you don’t own horses, you do own feet. I’m betting that most of use will need to get more use to walking and using our feet in the coming years. Prepare for using yours now. Do more walking and hiking, get good shoes and plenty of them. Walk with a pack so you can become used to carrying a load.


It’s not rocket science. It’s just commonsense.

Rule of Threes

One of the things that drives me up the wall is how hard people make the survival thing. The basics are dead simple, and should be taught to every man woman and child, and is called the Rule of Threes:

A bad decision can kill you in three seconds.
No air can kill you in three minutes.
No shelter can kill you in three hours.
No water can kill you in three days.
No food can kill you in three weeks.

Yet surprisingly, most survival pundits will have you prepare in reverse order. I think it should be the other way round.

For starters, don't make dumb decisions like, oh, running a barbeque in an enclosed space. Been done, killed people, end result was a tiny improvement in the average intelligence of the race. That's Darwinism: The dumb ones die off. Thinking about possible scenarios and what YOU would do is the best cure for this.

I'm assuming you get the air thing..in with the good air, out with the bad air...excellent!

Then make sure you've got shelter (and heat): Ever notice how disasters seem to strike on warm summer afternoons? Well, they don't. If you have a blizzard that knocks out your power, how will you heat your home? If you have to abandon your home will you have shelter the first night you stop? These are easy fixes, but do you think many people have a wood stove? Or a decent tent? Think on it.

How about water? Can you find some? Is it safe to drink? Can you make it safe to drink? Do you have the knowledge and equipment to make it safe? Have you any water stored?

NOW we talk food. And believe me, you likely have three weeks or more of food in your home right now, used properly. But you should add to that. Start a food storage program that won't break the bank. It isn’t rocket science.

Then, if you want, get fancy: arm yourself to the teeth and buy a tank, become multi-skilled in blacksmithing, carpentry and basket weaving, buy a fully equipped field hospital, whatever steps you think are necessary and makes your socks roll up and down. It's your nickel.

Just remember: All of the extra stuff is optional add-ons. If all you do is consider the rule of threes, and make preparations for those areas, you'll be ahead of 99% of the population.

It's not hard.

Jumping on

Among the many things that bother me about the survivalist movement, or preparedness to use the politically correct term (they're not hookers, they're sex trade workers....) is the sudden number of people flocking to the banner. Just recently, we're getting shows like Apocalypse Man, After Armageddon, Out of the Wild and so on. Post apocalyptic novels like One Second After are showing up at ever increasing rates. There has been a huge explosion of websites concerning or catering to survivalists, and the proliferation of survivalist ‘gurus’ seems to indicate that like all lower life forms, they reproduce by fission.

So why is this bad? In one sense it is not. If awareness of potential disaster makes more people take steps to be better prepared for potential disasters, great. But if the trends I see continue, there will be a bump in interest, and then survivalism will return to being just another bad Y2K joke. Before that happens, lots of charlatans and con artists will make big money off of people honestly trying to provide some insurance for themselves and their families.

These people will try to convince you that unless you have a wilderness retreat stocked to the rafters with food, water, medicine, and guns you WILL NOT SURVIVE!!! Even if you have that, you will be told that you must also have night vision goggles, and wind generators, and a fully equipped …well, you get the idea. It’s wrong. It’s a swindle.

Yes, if bad things happen, you need some backup. No, you are not likely ever to be one ranch over from some survival ‘expert‘ in Idaho. No, it doesn’t have to be expensive to be prepared. It just takes common sense and a little time.

I’ve been around the survivalism thing for literally decades. I’ve seen the extremes, and I don’t like them. I understand that if you’re reading this, you might be worried about things, and feel a need to prepare. I also know that you want to feel secure without radically altering your lifestyle. I hope during the coming days and weeks, I can help you do this, in a small way.

So maybe I’m one of those survival ‘gurus’ that are trying to get your attention? Nope. I'm just someone that wants to provide a little advice, a little help, and do it without selling you a damn thing. You might notice that this blog is NOT monetized at this point, because it is not about lining my pockets.

I’m not jumping on the bandwagon here; I’m sitting under a tree playing my own quiet tune. And it’s just fine with me if you want to play along. Your choice.

And now to start.

I don't know if this is a good idea or not. I am a poster at the Manitoba Preparedness Network, and I enjoy that very much, although I feel somewhat constrained in my opinions due to the fact that it is not my blog. I occasionally feel I need to go farther, be harsher, be more on the edge of survival debate. I don't feel right being that way on what is essentially someone else's turf. I felt that if I really wanted to let loose, I should do it where I have the whole responsibility.

So here it is, my attempt to be more relevant and more open in the world of survivalism and preparedness, as well as sharing information relevant to Canada rather than Idaho or someplace else that has little in common with most Canadians. Possibly no one but me will ever read this, but what the hell, I'll get it out of my system.

Now I just have to find something to talk about....